Helping

Li Qingfeng, Tuoba Shan, Su Mei'er, and the others stared at Qin Yuan in shock. They knew Qin Yuan was strong, but they never expected him to be this strong, actually managing to repel Yan Lie head-on!

Yan Lie's expression shifted, and he suddenly waved his hand, "Retreat!"

The remaining Crimson Flame Sect disciples, as if granted amnesty, quickly helped their injured companions and retreated rapidly with Yan Lie into the depths of the ice canyon. The three cultivators who had been swayed by them, seeing the situation turn dire, had already fled in separate directions.

The ice canyon instantly fell silent, with only the howling cold wind remaining.

"Fellow Daoist Qin... thank you for your aid!" Li Qingfeng suppressed his churning blood and qi, bowing solemnly to Qin Yuan. The gratitude on his face was genuine. If Qin Yuan hadn't intervened in time, he would likely have been severely injured by Yan Lie.

Tuoba Shan clutched the wound on his shoulder and grinned, "Brother Qin, you're amazing! Old Tuo admits defeat!"

Su Mei'er and Yin Jiuyou also stepped forward to express their thanks, while Han Bing was incredibly grateful.

Qin Yuan waved his hand, but his gaze swept thoughtfully in the direction Yan Lie had retreated, then landed on Li Qingfeng. During the chaotic battle, he had keenly sensed that while Li Qingfeng and Yan Lie were locked in fierce combat, Li Qingfeng had seemingly, intentionally or unintentionally, exposed a weakness. This caused one of Yan Lie's fire arrows to deviate, flying past an injured disciple of Yan Lie's who had fallen to the ground, failing to deliver a fatal blow. That disciple was later dragged away by his companions.

Was it a mistake, or intentional?

Qin Yuan harbored doubts but did not expose them.

After a brief period of recuperation, everyone quickly left the ice canyon and, following the map, proceeded towards the Cold Pond. Along the way, they encountered several waves of ice-elemental beasts, which they repelled together. About an hour later, the scenery suddenly opened up, revealing a vast Cold Pond covered in a thin layer of ice. The water was deep and exuded a bone-chilling coldness. Along the banks grew some ice moss that emitted a faint blue glow.

"According to the map, beyond the Cold Pond lies the Ice Soul Forest, and after that, the place of inheritance," Li Qingfeng said, pointing to the map. "There might be beasts beneath the Cold Pond, so we need to be careful."

Tuoba Shan suggested a short rest to tend to their injuries. Everyone agreed. They found a leeward ice hill by the Cold Pond, set up a simple warning formation, and took medicine to heal their wounds.

Qin Yuan sat down cross-legged, appearing to be meditating, but in reality, his Spiritual Sense extended outward, covering a hundred-zhang radius, monitoring all movements.

About half an incense stick's worth of time later, Li Qingfeng suddenly stood up and walked towards Tuoba Shan, saying with concern, "Brother Tuoba, how is your shoulder injury? I have a bottle of 'Jade Marrow Paste' here that is remarkably effective for external wounds." As he spoke, he took out a jade bottle from his embrace.

Tuoba Shan, suspecting nothing, accepted the jade bottle. "Thank you, Brother Li." He was about to open it.

The moment he lowered his head to look at the jade bottle, a ruthless glint flashed in Li Qingfeng's eyes, his back to Tuoba Shan. A short dagger, as black as ink and utterly devoid of reflection, slid from his sleeve and, with lightning speed, stabbed towards Tuoba Shan's back! Simultaneously, he flicked a handful of colorless powder towards Su Mei'er and Yin Jiuyou, who were nearby.

"Careful!" Qin Yuan's tightly strung Spiritual Sense had detected the fleeting killing intent and the subtle spiritual energy fluctuations of the powder. He shouted and leaped forward.

Although Tuoba Shan was warned, the distance was too short, and Li Qingfeng had planned this for a long time. He only managed to twist his body slightly. The black dagger pierced his left shoulder blade with a "thud," and a cold, malevolent energy instantly surged into his body. Tuoba Shan let out a pained groan, and half his body immediately went numb.

Su Mei'er and Yin Jiuyou, hearing the warning, had already held their breath, but they still inhaled some of the powder. They immediately felt dizzy, their spiritual energy circulation became sluggish, and they collapsed limply.

Han Bing, with the weakest cultivation and slightly further away, also inhaled some powder. His vision went black, and he fainted.

Li Qingfeng, having succeeded with his strike, didn't hesitate. He retreated rapidly, putting distance between himself and Qin Yuan. The gentle and refined demeanor on his face had vanished, replaced by cold calculation and a hint of triumph.

"Why?!" Tuoba Shan's eyes were bloodshot. He forced his body upright and glared furiously at Li Qingfeng.

Su Mei'er, managing to stay somewhat conscious, her face deathly pale, said, "Poison... it's 'Soul Scattering Incense'! You... you planned this long ago?"

Yin Jiuyou struggled to mobilize his death qi, only to find his Nascent Soul felt shackled, his spiritual energy scattered.

Li Qingfeng leisurely brushed off his sleeve and smiled, "Why? Naturally, it's to monopolize the inheritance. What we gained in the Ice Mansion was merely an appetizer. How can the true inheritance be shared with you? The four of you, and those fools outside, were merely tools for me to open the secret realm and resist the Crimson Flame Sect."

He looked at Qin Yuan, the only one still standing. A flicker of apprehension crossed his eyes, but more dominant was a confidence of victory. "Fellow Daoist Qin, you were indeed an accident. Your strength far exceeded my estimations. However, having been poisoned by 'Soul Scattering Incense' and with your Nascent Soul sealed, no matter how capable you are, how much can you exert now? Considering your considerable strength, hand over what you obtained in the Ice Mansion and your storage bag, and perhaps I can give you a swift end."

Qin Yuan's expression was calm, as if he hadn't been poisoned. He had indeed inhaled a small amount of the powder, but the moment the toxins entered his body, the pure spiritual energy of his automatically circulating Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Art enveloped and dissolved them, preventing them from reaching his Nascent Soul at all. A prompt even popped up on his System interface: "[Detected weak neurotoxin, automatically purified.]"

"Soul Scattering Incense... its effects last for half an hour?" Qin Yuan asked, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather.

Li Qingfeng frowned. Qin Yuan's composure made him uneasy. "So what if you know? This half hour is enough for me to kill you ten times!"

Before he finished speaking, his figure blurred, splitting into three afterimages that attacked Qin Yuan from different directions. The black dagger in his hand glowed with a dark light, aiming for Qin Yuan's vital points. The speed was far beyond what he had displayed when fighting Yan Lie!

Qin Yuan moved. He didn't use much spiritual energy, relying solely on his formidable physique and extremely refined footwork. His body weaved through the three fierce stabs like a willow catkin in the wind, each time narrowly avoiding them at the last possible moment.

The more Li Qingfeng fought, the more alarmed he became. The opponent's movement technique was bizarre. Although the spiritual energy fluctuations were not strong, he always seemed to anticipate the enemy's moves, and his attacks all missed. The poisoned dagger couldn't even touch the hem of the opponent's clothes.

"Impossible! You're clearly poisoned!" Li Qingfeng roared, his attacks intensifying. The dagger traced arcs of afterimages, sealing off all of Qin Yuan's escape routes.

Qin Yuan stopped dodging. He accurately judged one of the stabbing shadows and, with lightning speed, his right hand shot out, his index and middle fingers precisely clamping down on the blade of the black dagger!

"Clang!"

A metallic clang echoed. Li Qingfeng felt as if his dagger had stabbed into millennia-old profound iron; it couldn't advance an inch further. He exerted force in horror, but it didn't budge.

Qin Yuan applied a slight pressure with his fingers.

"Crack!"

The dagger, at least a high-grade Profound artifact, was actually snapped in half!

Li Qingfeng felt as if struck by lightning. His magical artifact was destroyed, and with their mind-body connection, he let out a muffled groan, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He reacted swiftly, abandoning the broken dagger without hesitation and retreating rapidly. At the same time, he waved his hands, and dozens of emerald green needle-like projectiles shot towards Qin Yuan like a torrential downpour, covering a wide area. They even encompassed the poisoned Tuoba Shan and the others on the ground, clearly intending to force Qin Yuan to rescue them and create an opportunity to escape.