The gentle wind carried the countless snowflakes, which slowly descended, blanketing the grassland in a pristine white layer.
"Senior sister, where is Martial Aunt?! Is she okay?" Yan Mei asked anxiously.
"I... I don't know," Xiu Hui replied, attempting to use her spiritual sense to locate their Martial Aunt.
Suddenly, Yan Mei and Xiu Hui heard a voice transmission from their Martial Aunt. "Watch the battle carefully; it may benefit you later," the voice echoed faintly before disappearing. Yan Mei and Xiu Hui couldn't determine the source of the transmission.
"Martial Aunt!" Yan Mei exclaimed, her worry evident in her voice.
Mad Saber's eyes darted around as he tried to locate Snow Rose. Suddenly, his spiritual sense detected a figure appearing behind him. From a gently falling snowflake behind him emerged a human figure. Reacting swiftly, Mad Saber swung his saber backward, slicing the figure in two. It crumbled into countless snowflakes.
"Tch!" Mad Saber grunted. "Snow Rose, come out and show yourself! Aren't you the one hiding like a rat now?" he taunted.
"As you wish," Snow Rose's voice echoed.
Then, four snow figures resembling Snow Rose, each holding a sword, appeared right behind Mad Saber, Roaring Thunder, Silver Marionette, and Absolute Diamond, attacking towards their exposed backs.
"This cheap trick won't work on me!" Mad Saber declared, swiftly turning his body to block the incoming sword slash. After successfully blocking it, he engaged in close confrontation with the snow figure.
Roaring Thunder, Silver Marionette, and Absolute Diamond also confronted the snow figures. Roaring Thunder utilized his lightning-infused spear to fight the snow figure, gaining an advantage with the assistance of his Soul Manifestation.
Silver Marionette controlled her puppet to engage the snow figure, while her other puppet stood by her side, ready to protect her.
Absolute Diamond endured relentless attacks from the snow figure, but his sturdy body remained unscathed. Because of his slower speed, he struggled to land a hit as the snow figure deftly dodged his attacks.
The four of them locked in fierce battle with the snow figures, exchanging blows non-stop.
Mad Saber easily overwhelmed the snow figure, landing multiple hits without receiving any in return. "[Saber Killing Slash]!" he exclaimed, delivering a swift saber strike towards the snow figure, which failed to react in time. The attack cleaved it in two, causing it to disperse into snowflakes.
"This is getting annoying!" Mad Saber bit his tongue, then sprayed his blood. A thick mist of blood quickly emerged from his technique, covering a large area. "[Crimson Veil]!" he declared.
The blood mist enveloped a wide area, covering the space where snowflakes formed. Using his skill, Mad Saber was able to sense the surroundings via the blood mist. He could clearly perceive all the falling snowflakes and the snow figures.
"Right there!!!" he exclaimed, immediately flying towards a particular snowflake falling not far away from him. He slashed towards it. Before his attack landed, the snowflake transformed into Snow Rose's real body.
"Got you!" Mad Saber grinned as his saber closed in on Snow Rose, who emerged from the snowflake.
Clang!
Snow Rose barely managed to block the saber attack using her sword, the clash ringing out loudly as sparks flew.
"[Azure Lightning Flash]!!!" Roaring Thunder launched a stabbing attack towards the snow figure. His body was bathed in lightning as he swiftly moved toward it, spear held in a forward stabbing position. At the spear tip, a vortex of lightning crackled with energy.
The snow figure, unable to evade or defend, was pierced through and dispersed into snowflakes. Without hesitation, Roaring Thunder, now aligned with Snow Rose, continued his lightning-fast assault. Like a streak of lightning, he surged towards her, intent on delivering a decisive blow.
Snow Rose felt the imminent danger from Roaring Thunder's attack. Using her sword, she pushed Mad Saber, who was also attempting to block and push back with his saber. With the assistance of her Soul Manifestation, she managed to overpower him and send him flying backward. Snow Rose intended to evade Roaring Thunder's attack, but she found herself hindered by the blood mist, which affected her movements, slowing her down and attempting to stop her. She felt as though she were trapped in quicksand. With no other choice, Snow Rose prepared to defend against Roaring Thunder's incoming lightning attack.
"[Xueshi Yulu Wu - Dancing Saber in the Rain of Blood]!!!" Mad Saber shouted as he was sent flying, activating his Soul Manifestation. A semi-corporeal being of a man appeared, wearing a helmet, breastplate, and a flowing cape. Blood fully drenched the being's helmet, body, and breastplate, continuously dripping from them as the being fully enveloped Mad Saber.
"Hmp! You're not the only one who can play tricks! Why don't you taste your own medicine? [Blood Phantom]!" Mad Saber shouted.
About ten figures resembling Mad Saber, each armed with a saber, emerged from the blood mist and converged around Snow Rose, launching simultaneous attacks on her. Unable to run, Snow Rose was forced to face the simultaneous combined attack from the ten blood figures.
"[Sword Dance of the Moonlight, Lunar Sanctuary]," Snow Rose muttered as she began to spin rapidly. Her sword started to glow as her movements became unpredictable and wild. She controlled her sword with erratic movements of her wrists and hands, adding further variation to her attacks.
Her body spun quickly, bending and moving with agility as she provided complete 360-degree coverage. The sword techniques enveloped her in a sphere of fast-moving slashes, the sphere shining brightly as if it were the moon itself.
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It provided protection to Snow Rose with countless sword slashes and rapidly rotating Sword Qi. Snow Rose not only managed to defend against the attack from the ten blood figures but also inflicted significant damage upon them. Some were completely chopped up into many bits, which then froze and disintegrated into snowflakes. Others had their limbs chopped off, with the wounds freezing and the frost spreading slowly.
Unfortunately, Snow Rose's technique failed to defend against Roaring Thunder's attack, which pierced straight through the sphere, cutting through her Soul Manifestation, and impaling Snow Rose's body. Although she managed to dodge slightly to the side, her left abdomen was pierced, leaving a gaping wound with chunks of flesh torn off. Roaring Thunder came to a stop about a hundred meters away from Snow Rose, who is falling downward, coughing up blood.
"[Crimson Shift]" Mad Saber, who was sent flying by Snow Rose, activates his movement technique. Instantly, he emerges from the blood mist close to Snow Rose. "[Double Saber Killing Slash]!" Mad Saber launches two slashes with his saber so fast that they seem like a single slash. His Soul Manifestation envelops not just his body, but also his saber, strengthening his attack manyfold.
Clang!
A resounding clash echoed as Snow Rose, falling upside down, used her sword to block the attack. With her right hand gripping the hilt and her left arm pressed against the flat side of the blade, she absorbed the impact. However, she still felt rather numb from Roaring Thunder's previous attack, unable to exert her full power. The force of the collision made her cough up blood as she was sent hurtling downward at rapid speed.
"NOOO!!!" Yan Mei cried out, tears streaming down her face.
"MARTIAL AUNT!!!" Xiu Hui exclaimed; her voice filled with anguish.
Snow Rose's body crashed to the ground, creating craters as the earth cracked like spiderwebs. Dust billowed up, obscuring the sight, and Snow Rose's body vanished from view.
"HUA HA HA," Mad Saber laughed heartily, "How was it? Did you like our attacks?! Surely the infamous and mighty Lord Snow Rose won't be this weak, right?" he taunted, still hovering in the sky.
"Fuuhhh..." Roaring Thunder exhaled heavily as he dispelled his Soul Manifestation, the semi-corporeal being bathed in lightning slowly vanished. He had used more than half of his Qi reserves. Floating closer to Mad Saber, he spoke, "Unfortunately, we failed to finish her off," Roaring Thunder said, his tone tinged with disappointment. They had failed to kill Snow Rose with their combined attack and only managed to injure her.
Dust still billowed, covering the spot where Snow Rose had fallen, then a figure could faintly be seen slowly standing up from the ground.
"Fufufufu, for a bunch of trash, you guys are not bad," Snow Rose said via voice transmission. Then, an intense wind accompanied by Qi pressure blasted from Snow Rose, clearing the dust around her.
"Hmph!" Roaring Thunder grunted upon hearing Snow Rose's insult.
Mad Saber just chuckled at her remark.
Snow Rose stood in the middle of the small crater, her gaping wound on her abdomen already healed. She had consumed medical pills and used her blood essence to mend her injury as if she had never been wounded. However, the torn robe and blood-drenched parts of her attire indicated otherwise.
Xiu Hui and Yan Mei sighed with relief a little when they saw their Martial Aunt looking fine, but the situation still appeared dire, and worry continued to grip their hearts.
Snow Rose's Soul Manifestation still enveloped her but had dimmed significantly, and the semi-corporeal being bore many cracks on its body. Snow Rose dispelled her Soul Manifestation, causing the semi-corporeal being that resembled her to slowly disappear. Simultaneously, the remaining snow figures engaged in battle with Absolute Diamond and Silver Marionette disintegrated into snowflakes.
"Phew... finally," Absolute Diamond sighed in relief as he watched the disintegrating snow figure. Although he had failed to land a hit on the snow figure, he also hadn't been putting in much effort. He then floated towards Mad Saber.
Silver Marionette also moved to Mad Saber's side after the snow figure she was engaging disappeared.
"You looked miserable," Silver Marionette said, smiling mockingly as she looked down at Snow Rose on the ground.
"Snow Rose, how come you got beaten this bad? I still haven't shown off yet. You better start getting serious," Absolute Diamond remarked.
Roaring Thunder remained silent as he retrieved a Spirit Stone, holding it in his palm. The stone was rather big, around the size of his own head, a Superior Grade Spirit Stone. He absorbed the Qi within to restore the Qi in his Dantian.
"I was expecting more from you, but if you only have this much, you will die. I will kill you to avenge all the cultivators you've killed thousands of years ago," Mad Saber proclaimed.
"Avenge them? Ha ha ha, that sounds too grand for someone like you," Snow Rose retorted using voice transmission.
"I've been waiting for a long time for you to leave the sect. Now that you are here, you won't be able to return to your sect alive!" Mad Saber declared, his Qi pressure soaring. The semi-corporeal figure of his Soul Manifestation stared fiercely at Snow Rose and growled.
"Don't blame us; you've caused all of this. You can only reap what you sow. You've killed so many cultivators from various factions, including from my kingdom, and many want you dead. You deserve to die. Moreover, you've blocked our cultivation path," Silver Marionette stated firmly.
The more she advanced in her cultivation, the harder it became for her to progress further, and she knew the reason well. There was a knot in her heart caused by Snow Rose in the past, and the same was true for many other cultivators from their generation across various factions, whether from orthodox, unorthodox, or evil paths. Snow Rose had left a mark on their hearts. The way to deal with it is either by killing Snow Rose or by overcoming the knot in their heart.
"Thats right, you even killed my senior brothers; you should've let them go. Back then, when I returned to the sect to deliver the news, my master was so furious that he beat me up. Sigh," Absolute Diamond added.
"If you guys want to kill me, then just come. There's no need to talk about the past. I will send you to the underworld to accompany Malachi," Snow Rose stated using voice transmission, her expression turning dangerous for the first time, no longer reflecting her usual calm and gentle demeanor, as a glint flashed in her eyes.
Snow Rose stabbed her sword into the ground and clasped both her arms. "[Frost Wind]!" Cold chilling wind started to blow around the area from Snow Rose, encompassing a large area.
"?!" Mad Saber felt that he slowly lost control of the blood mist.
The blood mist surrounding the area started to slowly condense and form droplets of blood. After a while, they all turned into blood-colored snowflakes. The remaining blood figures froze and turned to ice, which then disintegrated into blood-colored snowflakes.
"Disperse!" Snow Rose exclaimed. Then, all the blood-colored snowflakes slowly dispersed and disappeared.
"Tch!" Mad Saber looked at the disappearing blood-colored snowflakes. The blood mist was created using his blood essence, and now it was just gone like that.
"No matter how many trashes gather, trash will always be trash! Want to kill me? I will kill you instead!" Snow Rose exclaimed using voice transmission, her momentum rising as she prepared for another round.
"Her tongue is as sharp as ever," Absolute Diamond remarked.
"Why keep using voice transmission? Don't want your junior to see your real face?" Silver Marionette taunted.
"Real face? What real face? This is just the face I show to my enemy," Snow Rose retorted, still using voice transmission. "And they always end up dead after that," she added, showing a cold smile that gave off a dangerous vibe.
Snow Rose's Qi pressure kept getting stronger, surpassing that of any of them. Dark clouds began to gather, accompanied by intense rain and thunder.
"Uhh... now she's getting really serious. Be careful, guys," Absolute Diamond cautioned.