Ma Hongjun's Tragic Death!!

Facing this ferocious, lethal strike, Xue Tianyu did not even shift his feet by half an inch. He lifted his chin slightly, watching the incoming fire dragon with eyes as calm as stagnant water.

"You dare call yourself a phoenix, you crossbred, defective product?"

Behind Xue Tianyu, a brilliant ice-blue radiance suddenly exploded.

Accompanied by a high-pitched, heaven-piercing phoenix cry, a massive Ice Phoenix phantom rose behind him, wings unfurling! It was a suppression of bloodline originating from the depths of the soul, the absolute majesty of a true sky overlord descending upon the mortal realm!

Under this pure phoenix pressure, the evil fire wings behind Ma Hongjun began to tremble uncontrollably, and the purplish-red flames dimmed in an instant.

"Wh-what kind of martial soul is this?!"

Ma Hongjun was terrified to the point of despair; he felt as if his martial soul had encountered its natural predator and was frantically trying to shrink back into his body.

"Look closely."

Xue Tianyu slowly raised his right hand, fingers splayed, his palm facing the roaring Phoenix Fire Line.

"This is the true Ultimate Ice."

He clenched his palm abruptly, and a visible white current of cold, like a galaxy pouring down from the nine heavens, instantly met the pillar of purplish-red fire.

There was no violent explosion, no evenly matched stalemate; this was a one-sided crushing with no suspense whatsoever!

The moment the white cold current touched the fire pillar, the scorching heat and the violent evil fire were instantly frozen solid!

Starting from the tip of the fire pillar, the frost spread rapidly backward. The fire dragon, which had been baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, turned into a purplish-red ice sculpture suspended in mid-air in the blink of an eye!

Even flames could be completely frozen!

"No... impossible..."

Ma Hongjun stared at this scene, dumbfounded, his mind a complete blank. His strongest attack had been neutralized as casually as blowing out a candle.

"Shatter."

Xue Tianyu's lips parted slightly.

"Crack—BOOM!"

The massive pillar of frozen fire instantly filled with cracks, then exploded into a sky full of ice shards amidst a crisp, resounding noise.

The intense backlash surged along the soul power connection, slamming heavily into Ma Hongjun's chest. He let out a miserable scream, spat out a mouthful of blood, and plummeted to the ground.

"Thud!"

He slammed heavily onto the frozen bluestone floor, sliding a long distance away.

Before he could struggle to crawl up, a slender figure had already appeared before him. Xue Tianyu raised his right foot and stepped mercilessly onto Ma Hongjun's prized flame wings. A freezing chill instantly surged into them from the sole of his foot.

"Aaaaaah—"

Ma Hongjun let out a shrill scream, watching in horror as a thick, dark blue layer of ice rapidly formed on his right wing, starting from where it was being stepped on. The ice not only froze the flames but also froze his flesh and bones solid.

"These wings of yours are truly an eyesore."

Xue Tianyu's tone was indifferent as he exerted force with his foot.

"Crack!"

Accompanied by the teeth-grinding sound of bone fracturing, Ma Hongjun's right wing, now frozen into an ice sculpture, was snapped clean off by Xue Tianyu's stomp! No blood flowed from the break; there was only a patch of crimson ice shards.

The excruciating pain nearly caused Ma Hongjun to faint on the spot. He rolled frantically on the ground, his left wing retracting into the form of an arm as his soul power dissipated. At this moment, Ma Hongjun was in a state of utter wretchedness, stripped of any arrogance he had once possessed as a top student of Shrek Academy.

"Don't... don't kill me..."

Soaked in cold sweat, Ma Hongjun ignored the agony of his severed wing and struggled to turn over, kneeling at Xue Tianyu's feet.

His fat face was completely distorted by extreme terror, tears and snot smearing across his face along with the ice shards on the ground.

"I beg you... Master! Ancestor!"

"I don't want to die! I really don't want to die!"

He kowtowed frantically while betraying his former companions and dignity without a shred of shame.

"It was that old bastard Zhao Wuji who insisted on finding you! It has nothing to do with me! And Tang San! It's all Tang San's fault! That hypocrite is always putting on an act; he's the one who offended you, go settle the score with him!"

"Dai Mubai is a spineless coward, too; he runs faster than anyone else when danger appears!"

"As long as you spare me, I'll be your dog from now on! I'll bite whoever you tell me to! That old geezer Flender has a lot of gold coins; I can steal them all to honor you!"

Listening to this nauseating plea, the disgust in the depths of Xue Tianyu's eyes reached its peak.

This was the "monster" Shrek Academy was so proud of? When disaster struck, they flew in different directions, and to survive, they would unhesitatingly dump all the filth onto their teachers and brothers—a bunch of selfish trash wearing human skin.

"Be someone's dog?"

The Frost Sword Qi in Xue Tianyu's hand condensed once more, emitting a lethal, chilling light.

"A mad dog like you, covered in such stench, would only dirty my courtyard even if you were given to me."

He lowered the tip of his sword, pressing it against Ma Hongjun's fat chin to force him to lift his ugly face.

"You people from Shrek always have this habit of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. When you were running rampant in the streets, did you ever think about sparing anyone else? Do you know fear now?"

Xue Tianyu pulled back his lips into a grim, chilling smile.

"Too late."

"No! You can't—"

Ma Hongjun let out a desperate roar, attempting a final struggle. But Xue Tianyu gave him no chance to continue his drivel, his wrist turning ever so slightly.

The Frost Sword Qi transformed into an icy blue stream of light, instantly piercing through Ma Hongjun's chest!

"Pfft!"

The blade entered from his chest and exited through his back. Ma Hongjun's voice came to an abrupt halt; his eyes bulged, and his eyeballs were instantly covered in bloodshot veins.

The extreme cold, centered on the blade, devoured his vitality like a ravenous beast. The moment his heart was pierced, it stopped beating, frozen solid into a block of dead ice. Dark red frost spread rapidly, freezing his blood and crystallizing his internal organs.

It took a mere three breaths.

Ma Hongjun's struggle ceased entirely. His fat body, along with the expression of despair, terror, and ugliness on his face, was frozen forever within a crystal-clear ice sculpture.

Xue Tianyu casually withdrew the Frost Sword Qi. Deprived of support, the ice sculpture toppled straight backward.

"Bang!"

A crisp sound rang out.

The ice sculpture slammed into the hard bluestone floor, shattering into pieces instantly. Ma Hongjun's body turned into a pile of ice shards mixed with red and white matter, emitting a chilling aura of death under the moonlight.

The Evil Fire Phoenix, one of the dignified Shrek Seven Devils, died just like that—like a joke—in this filthy, forgotten alley.

Xue Tianyu flicked his wrist lightly, shaking off the ice debris from the blade.

His expression had not changed from start to finish, as if he had merely crushed an insignificant bug.

"Cleaning up trash is truly a mood-lifting affair."

He turned around, not sparing the remains on the ground another glance.

The phantom of Ice Emperor condensed beside him again, clicking her tongue as she looked at the ice shards covering the ground.

"Now we have a good show to watch. A vice-dean dead, and now a direct disciple dead. If those people from Shrek Academy see these ice shards, they'll probably go completely insane, right?"

"Insane?"

Xue Tianyu took a step, walking out of the deathly silent alley. The night wind blew against his white robes, causing them to snap loudly.

"I hope they go insane."

"Only when the pride they hold so dear is crushed to pieces, and all their backers are uprooted, will this game truly reach its climax."

His figure gradually disappeared into the depths of the night in Heaven Dou City, leaving only a ruthless verdict echoing in the air.

"This is the price for provoking me."

The night wind swept up a few withered leaves, drifting far away along the desolate street.

Stepping out of the range of the pungent, cloying scent of rouge in Spring Breeze Alley, the air on the main thoroughfare of Heaven Dou City finally felt much fresher.

Xue Tianyu walked with composure, his white robes carving sharp lines into the night.

Ice Emperor did not retract her phantom form; instead, she materialized into a physical entity amidst a flicker of flowing light.

A jade-green gauze dress wrapped around her exquisite, graceful figure, the hem swaying with the wind to reveal long, slender legs as white as curdled cream.

She walked barefoot through the air, tiny, delicate lotus flowers of ice floating beneath her feet.

"Little Tianyu, I suppose you had your fill of killing today."

Ice Emperor flashed forward with light movements, moving directly to Xue Tianyu's side.

She extended her slender, soft arms and hooked them around Xue Tianyu's arm quite naturally.

A refreshing, invigorating fragrance instantly lingered at the tip of his nose—a unique scent reminiscent of snow lotuses.

Xue Tianyu glanced sideways, his gaze sweeping across the patch of snow-white skin peeking out beneath her delicate collarbone.

His expression remained unchanged, and he did not pull his arm away.

"Just a few bugs crushed in passing; it hardly counts as 'having my fill'."

Hearing this, Ice Emperor covered her lips and giggled, her chest rising and falling slightly.

She was pressed almost entirely against Xue Tianyu, the warm, soft sensation clearly transmitting through his clothing.

"This Empress just loves that arrogant air of yours."

She stood slightly on her tiptoes, bringing her beautiful face close to Xue Tianyu's ear.

Her breath was like orchids, carrying a hint of deliberate, provocative warmth.

"But you've just been through a great battle; the fire in your heart hasn't completely dissipated yet, has it?"

"Would you like this Empress to help you find a way to cool down?"

The voice was charming to the bone, the trailing note drawn out long with undisguised flirtation.

Xue Tianyu stopped walking and turned his head to look directly at Ice Emperor, who was inches away.

Their noses were almost touching, and they could clearly feel each other's breath.

"Is this how you usually help others cool down?"

The Ice Emperor's beautiful eyes swirled as her slender fingers traced slowly up Xue Tianyu's arm, finally coming to a rest with a light tap against his chest.

"Others don't have this kind of fortune."

"As for this body of Mine, if anyone else dares to take more than a glance, I shall have their eyes gouged out."

Xue Tianyu took the opportunity to raise his hand, pinching her delicate, boneless chin.

The moment their skin touched, a trace of numbing electricity seemed to dance between them.

"Since that is the case, then you had best put away those little probing tricks of yours."

He released his hold and continued to walk forward.

The Ice Emperor was not annoyed; instead, she smiled even more radiantly, taking small steps to catch up and pressing closely against his arm once more.

The night grew deeper, and most of the buildings within Heaven Dou City had already extinguished their lights.

Yet, the villa where the Skywater Team was temporarily staying still glowed with a faint light.

Pushing open the villa's exquisite carved wooden door, the scene in the main hall caused Xue Tianyu to pause for half a second.

Under the warm yellow light of the soul guidance lamp.

A delicate, graceful figure was curled up on the spacious and soft velvet sofa in the hall.

Shui Bing'er lay on her side, her eyes tightly shut, emitting a steady and gentle sound of breathing.

She wore only a thin, cicada-wing-like water-blue silk nightgown.

Perhaps due to tossing and turning in her sleep, the hem of the nightgown had rolled up to the base of her thighs, revealing two rounded, straight, jade-like legs.

The silk strap had slipped off one shoulder, leaving a large expanse of skin, fair as frost and snow, exposed to the cool air.

That breathtaking sight was particularly striking under the dim light.

Because the night temperature was somewhat low, she subconsciously hugged her shoulders, her body shivering slightly.

Xue Tianyu walked forward and took off his outer coat, which carried a faint scent of frost.

He shook it out and draped it gently over Shui Bing'er's thin, delicate frame.

Even though his movements were very light, the moment that familiar scent belonging to Xue Tianyu descended, Shui Bing'er still sensed it.

Her long eyelashes fluttered twice, and she slowly opened her moist eyes.

Her gaze was still hazy from waking, but upon seeing the handsome face before her, it instantly transformed into pleasant surprise.

"Captain..."

Shui Bing'er murmured, her voice carrying the charming, soft, and glutinous tone of someone just awakened.

She subconsciously wanted to sit up, forgetting that she was currently disheveled.

As soon as she moved, the view at her neckline was fully exposed.

Xue Tianyu's gaze swept over that scenery calmly, making no effort to look away.

"The night is deep and the dew is heavy; why didn't you go to bed?"

Hearing the question, Shui Bing'er finally realized what was happening and lowered her head.

Following Xue Tianyu's line of sight, she saw that most of her chest was exposed, and her fair cheeks were instantly dyed with an alluring sunset glow.

She hurriedly pulled up her strap and quickly wrapped Xue Tianyu's coat tightly around herself.

"I... I was worried about you."

Shui Bing'er lowered her head, her voice as thin as a mosquito's hum.

"You went to the Sunset Forest alone and didn't return until late at night; I couldn't sleep at all."

As she spoke, she quietly raised her eyes to size up Xue Tianyu.

At such close range, she keenly caught a trace of the scent of blood lingering on the corner of his clothes.

Shui Bing'er's heart tightened, and she stood up immediately, completely disregarding that her legs were still bare.

She leaned in anxiously, grabbing Xue Tianyu's wrists with both hands.

"Did you encounter danger? Why is there the smell of blood on you!"

Shui Bing'er's eyes instantly misted over, and the concern and anxiety in her gaze could not be hidden.

Her soft, warm little hands searched all over Xue Tianyu's arms, terrified that he might have suffered some serious hidden injury.

"Don't be nervous."

Xue Tianyu held her restless little hands in return.

As their palms touched, Shui Bing'er's heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably, her pulse thumping rapidly beneath Xue Tianyu's fingertips.

"Just a few ants blocking the way; the blood is theirs."

Hearing this, the heart Shui Bing'er had been holding finally settled back into her chest.

But immediately after, she realized how ambiguous their current posture was.

With her hands held by Xue Tianyu and the distance between them less than half a step, she could even feel the warmth radiating from his chest.

She wanted to pull her hands back, yet she was somewhat reluctant to let go of that reassuring touch.

She could only blush, allowing Xue Tianyu to hold her just like that.