Shui Bing'er's Fury!

"You, al-most, hurt, Xiaochun!!!"

Every word carried a sky-high killing intent. The two words "Xiaochun" weighed especially heavy.

To her, Ning Xiaochun's safety now mattered more than anything else, including those two precious Soul Rings.

"I'm going to kill you!"

Before the words had even left her mouth, Shui Bing'er had already struck! Without wasting a word, she raised her jade-white hand and pointed at the red-haired young man.

"First Soul Skill: Ice Seal!"

Buzz!

A ring of icy blue light spread instantly from her fingertip. Wherever it passed, the air froze and frost coated the grass and trees!

A chill far purer and more domineering than the Ice Wall from before swept toward the red-haired young man like an invisible tide of ice!

This was no longer simple control. It contained the full power of the Ice Phoenix Martial Soul's evolution, unleashed by Shui Bing'er's fury! She meant to freeze this man, who had dared threaten Ning Xiaochun's safety, into an ice sculpture!

The red-haired young man clearly hadn't expected this seemingly cool and beautiful blue-haired girl to attack with such ruthless resolve. The might of her ice attribute was far beyond anything he had anticipated!

The oncoming chill was so intense that even he, the owner of a Flame Lord Martial Soul, felt it pierce to the bone. The flames surging through his body slowed for an instant!

"Courting death!" Yan was both shocked and enraged. He was one of the Spirit Hall Golden Generation—when had anyone ever dared look down on him and attack him like this? He roared, and the two yellow and one purple Soul Rings around him blazed brightly!

"First Soul Skill: Hell Magma Rush!"

He thrust both arms forward. His blazing Soul Power erupted, transforming into a scorching crimson torrent that seemed to flow with molten lava, crashing head-on into Shui Bing'er's Ice Seal ring!

With his top-tier fire-attribute Martial Soul, he was confident that a mere ice skill would be shattered in an instant!

But what happened next made Yan's pupils contract and disbelief spread across his face!

The crimson torrent of magma collided violently with the icy blue ring of light!

The melting of ice and snow he had expected never came. Instead, the scorching Hell Magma Rush slowed sharply the moment it touched the Ice Seal ring, and a thick shell of ice quickly formed over its surface!

After less than a second of stalemate, the entire torrent of magma was frozen solid in midair, becoming a warped, bizarre sculpture of ice and flame!

"What?!" Yan cried out. His flames were the top-tier fire of the Flame Lord!

How could they be frozen so easily by an ice-attribute Soul Skill of the same rank?! Just what level was this blue-haired girl's ice?

The Ice Seal ring faltered only slightly. After freezing the magma torrent, it continued toward Yan, its momentum undiminished! The bone-piercing chill made every hair on his body stand on end!

"Second Soul Skill: Granite Rock!"

At the critical moment, Yan no longer dared to underestimate his opponent. He immediately activated his defensive Soul Skill. His skin turned gray and white, as if covered in a layer of hard granite, greatly increasing his defenses.

At the same time, he stamped down hard and retreated, trying to get out of the Ice Seal's range.

Crack! Crack!

The Ice Seal ring still swept across his body. Despite the protection of Granite Rock, Yan's limbs instantly went numb and stiff, and his movements slowed. A thick layer of frost rapidly formed over his skin, as if he had donned a suit of ice armor. The chill seeped right into his bones!

He staggered as he retreated, nearly falling. He looked at Shui Bing'er with shock and deep wariness.

This girl's ice was incredibly powerful. Her strength was terrifying.

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

Just as Shui Bing'er's gaze turned icy and Soul Power surged around her once more, readying a stronger attack, Dugu Yan sneered and released a mist of Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor venom to join the assault. Two urgent shouts rang out from the forest.

A golden figure and a pink one flashed into the clearing like lightning, appearing in an instant to stand in front of the battered Yan.

The newcomers were a man and a woman. The man was tall and slender, with handsome features touched by an air of wickedness. He had short blond hair and sharp eyes, and a pair of enormous Moon Blades strapped to his back. He was Xie Yue.

The woman had a graceful figure and long pink hair. Her face was stunningly beautiful and alluring, and her eyes seemed to beguile with every glance. She was Hu Liena.

The Spirit Hall Golden Generation had gathered in one place!

Xie Yue and Hu Liena had clearly seen what happened. Both wore doubtful expressions.

The three of them had all broken through to level forty this year and come to Sunset Forest to hunt for their fourth Soul Rings. Earlier, Yan had chased after a Flame Lion suited to him. They had fallen behind, never expecting things to turn out this way.

Xie Yue's gaze swept quickly across the scene: two charred thousand-year Soul Beast corpses and their Soul Rings on the ground, Yan standing battered and covered in ice, and the three young people opposite them.

When his gaze fell on Shui Bing'er and he sensed the pure, razor-sharp chill around her, a hint of gravity entered his eyes.

Then he noticed Dugu Yan's eerie green eyes and the phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor behind her. Finally, he saw Ning Xiaochun, the youngest of the group, standing partly shielded behind the two girls and blinking up at them with wide eyes. He quickly assessed the situation.

"Miss, please calm down."

Xie Yue stepped forward to shield Yan and cupped his hands toward Shui Bing'er. His tone was fairly courteous, but his brows naturally carried the pride of someone from the Spirit Hall Golden Generation.

"My companion was pursuing a Soul Beast and accidentally struck out, destroying the Soul Rings you had prepared and nearly hitting this young man as well. It was truly unintentional. I apologize to you all on his behalf."

He paused and glanced at the charred Soul Beast corpses on the ground before continuing:

"As for the loss of the Soul Beasts... How about this? We'll help you hunt down two more of the same kind, or two thousand-year Soul Beasts of equivalent value, as compensation. Then we can put this matter behind us. What do you say?"

Xie Yue felt he had shown plenty of sincerity. Yan had been in the wrong, after all, and offering two thousand-year Soul Beasts as compensation was more than fair. The Spirit Hall Golden Generation weren't people just anyone could extort.

Yan had also caught his breath by now and used his Soul Power to dispel the ice on his skin, though his face remained pale.

Hearing Xie Yue's words, he was still indignant, but he knew he had been in the wrong and Shui Bing'er's strength made him wary. He folded his arms and snorted without saying anything more. But his arrogant expression made it clear he didn't think "nearly hitting someone" was a big deal.

Ning Xiaochun now recognized the three of them: the Spirit Hall Golden Generation—Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan. They were Tang San's formidable rivals in the early part of the original story.

They had powerful backing, outstanding talent, and an arrogant streak. Judging by their manner, experts from Spirit Hall were surely guarding them in secret, too.

Ordinarily, following his principles of "better to avoid trouble" and "grow steadily without making enemies," Ning Xiaochun might have accepted the out Xie Yue had offered. After all, Spirit Hall was at the height of its power, and antagonizing them would bring no benefit.

But!

That fireball had truly come within a hair's breadth of hitting him!

If Shui Bing'er hadn't reacted quickly and blocked it with her body and Ice Wall, Ning Xiaochun might already have been nothing but a charred lump!

For Ning Xiaochun, who had "fear of death" carved into his very bones, that was an absolutely untouchable red line! Threatening his life meant making an enemy for life! He didn't care if they were the Golden Generation or Spirit Hall!

An unprecedented surge of anger and lingering fear churned inside Ning Xiaochun. His little face tightened, and his gaze turned cold.