Others were approaching from the east, but their power was negligible,” the Sixth Elder remarked coolly, watching the sky-blue light shoot towards them from the east. “The strongest among them barely possess Heavenly Profound cultivation. They are utterly overestimating themselves and pose no threat to Third Brother whatsoever. Let’s head south.”
The Third Elder nodded slightly, spreading his arms wide, and instantly doubled his speed. With a swoosh, he broke away, rocketing into the distance like a meteor.
The Sixth and Ninth Elders, their white beards fluttering in the torrential downpour, suddenly veered away. While airborne, the Sixth Elder suddenly shouted with full force: “Ice Seal Three Thousand Miles, Snowstorm Forges Silver Citadel! Are those esteemed figures arriving ahead, Stone Supreme Shi Changxiao and Brother Fei Mengchen?”
Shi Changxiao’s meteor-like form suddenly halted, suspending unnervingly mid-air as he looked emotionlessly at the two elders from the Silver Citadel of Wind and Snow before him: “It’s you!”
Fei Mengchen also stopped, bursting into loud laughter. “Indeed, one never knows where they might meet again! I never expected to run into the Third, Sixth, and Ninth Elders of the Silver Citadel of Wind and Snow here. What a fortunate encounter!”
He was keenly perceptive. Noticing that only two of the Silver Citadel elders were present, he had already quickly deduced that the third elder must have gone after the Profound Pill. This greeting served both as a salutation and a subtle warning to Shi Changxiao.
Even if the Profound Pill ended up in their hands, a winner would still need to be decided between him and Shi Changxiao. However, they absolutely could not let the Silver Citadel of Wind and Snow gain any advantage. After all, the three elders of the Silver Citadel had all reached the Divine Profound realm. While Shi Changxiao was confident he could easily defeat any one of them in a one-on-one fight, their combined strength was far superior—there were three of them against two.
Shi Changxiao slowly nodded, his expression unreadable, a subtle divine light flickering in his eyes. He gazed at the two figures blocking his path and stated quietly, “Move aside!”
“Move aside? May we ask where the two of you are rushing off to?” the Ninth Elder chuckled. “We are all old acquaintances, after all. If you two have urgent matters, why not tell us? Perhaps we brothers can lend a… small hand.”
“You dare try to stop me?” Shi Changxiao sneered. “Even Han Fengxue himself, should he arrive, might not dare utter such a statement! You truly have guts!”
Though all were revered as Divine Profound experts, Shi Changxiao was one of the Eight Great Supremes. His own Profound Art had reached the High Stage of Supreme Divine Profound, whereas the Silver Citadel’s Three, Six, and Nine were only at the early stage of Divine Profound—even their strongest, the Third Elder, was merely at the peak of the early stage. The gap was substantial! Shi Changxiao certainly had the right to say that. If not for his concern, like Fei Mengchen’s, regarding the three acting in concert, and more importantly, fearing Fei Mengchen might benefit from the distraction, he might have already attacked.
“Brother Shi, what harsh words,” the Sixth Elder rattled off with his eyes wide open, spinning a wild tale. “It’s been years since we last met. This autumn rain is so lingering, and the night is so captivating. Wouldn't it be nice for us to chat and reminisce? My esteemed elder brother is bringing specially brewed Snow Tea from our Citadel for everyone to share a cup?” Such a downpour was called ‘lingering’ by him, and the night, punctuated by continuous lightning and thunder, was deemed ‘captivating.’ In the end, he brazenly jumped to the topic of sharing tea with old friends!
“Hahahaha,” Shi Changxiao let out a long, ringing laugh, suddenly throwing his arms up. His laughter grew louder and louder, like a divine dragon soaring freely between heaven and earth, until it seemed to merge with the thunder in the sky—a deafening, rumbling roar!
A bolt of lightning ripped across the firmament, connecting heaven and earth, illuminating everyone’s face in a ghastly, corpse-like white!
At the exact moment the lightning struck, Shi Changxiao let out his triumphant cry and plummeted downwards, both his bare palms looking as if they were supporting two massive mountains as he struck out at the Sixth and Ninth Elders blocking his path!
His black-robed silhouette seemed to linger five zhang above in the air, but his twin palms had already reached the chests of the Sixth and Third Elders—Wait, Third Elder? (Correction needed in the original text context: it should be the Sixth and Ninth Elders he is currently engaging).
“Heaven-Shaking Long Laugh, Single Palm Moves the Earth! Truly worthy of being one of the Eight Great Supremes!” the Sixth and Ninth Elders roared, attacking simultaneously!
They knew their own limits. Although all were at the Divine Profound realm, given Shi Changxiao’s terrifying strength, even the two of them fighting together could, at best, only maintain an even stalemate for a short time. Which of the Eight Great Supremes in the world was easy to handle? Not to mention Fei Mengchen lurking nearby. The Sixth and Ninth Elders dared not slacken in the slightest, concentrating all their Profound Power to meet the charge head-on!
With two sharp bangs, the two elders were sent flying backward by Shi Changxiao’s blow. However, as they flew back, they simultaneously extended their left and right hands, grasping one another. In mid-air, they executed half a circle, and with a sudden whoosh, they pierced the curtain of rain and shot back, clashing twice with sharp clang sounds, sending two brilliant silver lights soaring toward the heavens.
The Cold Wind Flying Snow Sword!
As the sword light burst forth, it seemed as if snowflakes began to drift down between heaven and earth, the cold wind piercing to the bone!
Shi Changxiao let out an excited roar, crying out, “Ten Thousand Miles of Cold Wind Rise, Sky Full of Dancing Snowflakes! To think that two under Han Fengxue could master the Cold Wind Flying Snow Sword to such perfection—it is not unworthy of the Wind and Snow Supreme’s reputation!” His palms swept back and forth vigorously. The endless sword blossoms, resembling a blanket of snow, could not touch him in the slightest.
“Brother Shi is correct,” the Sixth Elder said while fully exerting his sword, his body moving erratically, sending out bursts and explosions of clustered sword light. “That is why our City Lord ranks in the top three among the Eight Great Supremes!”
“Insolence!” Shi Changxiao roared, anger finally stirring. The Sixth Elder’s words clearly implied that he was far inferior to Han Fengxue! Although that was factually true, having it stated so plainly to a fellow Supreme Expert like Shi Changxiao was an unbearable affront to his pride. His body spun in the air, resembling a massive, strange bat, eerily suspending itself midway.
Suddenly, Shi Changxiao’s motionless form sprang into action, and numerous afterimages radiated from his still body. The scene was bizarre: it was as if countless Shi Changxiaos had materialized in the sky, standing in a line, filling the entire air!
With a strange whoosh, the multitude of Shi Changxiaos in the air plummeted down in unison, violently shattering the snowflakes formed by the dense sword light!
At that precise moment, Fei Mengchen let out a long cry, flashing like lightning past the Sixth Elder and charging toward the dilapidated shack without looking back!
The timing was impeccable!
At this instant… if the Sixth and Ninth Elders chose to intercept Fei Mengchen’s advance, they would inevitably be struck down by Shi Changxiao’s killing blow simultaneously! They had no choice; the two could only watch helplessly as Fei Mengchen forced his way through, all while having to fully contend with Shi Changxiao’s lethal assault!
Jun Moxie stood alone in the shack, his powerful divine sense keenly monitoring everything around him. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and he shot out of the shack with a swoosh. Just as he emerged, the shack exploded with a massive boom, revealing a huge hole. Immediately following, another boom sounded, and a white-haired old man burst out behind him. The shack shook violently and then collapsed with a loud crash.
The Third Elder gazed intently at the Profound Pill in Jun Moxie’s hand, smiling gently and kindly. “Your Excellency, innocence is no crime, but possession of a treasure invites disaster. The Profound Pill is something you shouldn't possess; it would be better if I kept it safe for you! I will spare your life in exchange—one pill for one life. That’s quite fair, isn’t it?”
“Is that truly fair? The Profound Pill and my life are both my own possessions; why should you be the one to safeguard them? The experts of Tianxiang City are gathered here; how can you guarantee my life’s safety?” Jun Moxie’s masked face showed a hint of nervousness, though he was cursing internally: Why did only one person show up? Where the hell are the others? Did I miscalculate the Profound Pill’s energy signature?
While stalling verbally, he was already on high alert. The man before him was a genuine Supreme Divine Profound expert!
He was certain that with a mere gesture from this old man, the Profound Pill could change hands instantly.
Must he really let this old scoundrel take such a huge advantage? Why are the others so slow?
Young Master Jun was mistaken. It wasn't that the Third Elder was unwilling to act; rather, he was wary of the person who managed to obtain the Profound Pill, believing their strength must be extraordinary. Otherwise, considering his own incredible speed of arrival, the person inside the house should not have been able to escape outdoors before him—a sign of swiftness!
Even if he could kill this youth in a flash, he couldn't guarantee securing the Profound Pill. If he acted rashly and the pill was damaged, it would be an irreparable loss!
“I am the Third Elder of the Ice and Snow Silver Citadel; I still have a reputation to uphold. Hand over the Profound Pill, and I guarantee you safe passage from this place!” The Third Elder stepped forward slightly, smiling.
The Third Elder was, after all, a Divine Profound master. He had quickly assessed that the person before him was not overwhelmingly powerful. If he took one more step, he was absolutely confident he could subdue this person!
However, power alone was insufficient; he had to use cunning! Jun Moxie was waiting for a chaotic battle; he certainly wasn't looking to play the reckless fool by fighting a Supreme Divine Profound expert head-on—that would be suicide!
Therefore, Jun Moxie absolutely had to stall until the others arrived! Until then, he could not afford any slip-up!
A thought flashed through his mind, and a soft azure Profound Qi light suddenly manifested around the great killer Jun. The color was clear green and jade, making him appear like a massive, tempting piece of jadeite standing in the rain, dazzling and brilliant.
“Peak Jade Profound? Heh heh, still not enough.” The Third Elder shook his head, a hint of pity in his tone. He felt even more secure now; the person before him was merely a… mere Jade Profound practitioner. Such an individual might be considered a fine expert by ordinary people, or in the Tianxiang City of the past, but in the eyes of Divine Profound masters like them, he was just a joke!
And a joke as insignificant as an ant!
He had been overly cautious before. Now that he had confirmed the opponent’s meager strength, he lost all inclination to waste words and prepared to move in and seize it directly!
The Third Elder was confident that the moment he attacked, he could secure the Profound Pill into his possession instantly; the youth wouldn't even have time to think about destroying it!
But just then, he suddenly noticed something—something extremely strange!
And it was this very thing that made him halt his impending move!
Because the clear Profound Qi surrounding Jun Moxie suddenly vanished, replaced by a faint yellow. In the blink of an eye, it turned to an earthy yellow, then to a brilliant gold! Finally, it transformed into a dazzling, glorious bright yellow, making even the heavy rain from the sky appear multicolored and splendid, like a dream—noble and elegant!
What was happening?
Why had the radiance of the Profound Qi instantly shifted from the peak of Jade Profound to the peak of Earthly Profound?
The Third Elder had roamed the world for decades, yet this bizarre sight was a first—it utterly subverted the iron laws of Profound Qi cultivation! How was this fellow accomplishing this?!