Her jade palm was silken and delicate, yet the force behind it surged with venomous power. Li Muzhan shook his head, his gaze fixed on her luminous eyes. "Sect Master Jiang, must you still resort to the Ice Soul Divine Needles?"

Up close, her eyes appeared even clearer, the black and white starkly defined.

"Hmph, very well then!" Jiang Ruyue pouted, the force of her palm suddenly shifting, striking toward his center like an ice pick aimed at his palm, piercing through his arm and into his chest.

Li Muzhan frowned. This technique resembled the Heart-Destroying Palm, perhaps the most insidious and cruel martial art, especially when delivered as a sudden ambush—it could easily prove fatal.

Jiang Ruyue’s delicate brows furrowed too. It truly wasn't working. This Li Wuji was proving increasingly difficult to handle; even all the peerless skills she possessed seemed incapable of subduing him.

Originally, she hadn't truly expected the Ice Heart Palm to succeed; injuring him would be best, but even halting his momentum to seize the upper hand through a rapid assault would suffice.

To think the Ice Heart Palm was completely ineffective—this was troublesome!

Li Muzhan stared at her flawless, fragile complexion and chuckled lightly. "Sect Master Jiang has such a venomous heart; you truly intend to kill me, then?"

"Hmph!" Jiang Ruyue let out a cold snort, her gaze sharp, meeting his stare without yielding an inch. Their eyes locked in the air, a stalemate as immovable as their internal energy.

Li Muzhan sighed inwardly at her strength. Jiang Ruyue's mental fortitude far surpassed that of ordinary people; under his gaze, most would have turned away long ago.

Jiang Ruyue strained, tightly pressing her crimson lips as she held his gaze. Time seemed to freeze. Unbeknownst to them, a full, bright moon hung high overhead like a silver platter.

Li Muzhan shifted his gaze, surveying the surroundings. The moonlight, reflected by the white snow, cast an ethereal blue glow, lending the world an air of mystery.

Jiang Ruyue felt a bad premonition and huffed, "What are you looking at?!"

Li Muzhan smiled. "Does Sect Master Jiang know the profound mysteries of my Big Dipper Divine Sword?"

"Hmph, what's so amazing about it!" Jiang Ruyue curled her lip. "It's far inferior to the Ice Soul Divine Sword!"

Li Muzhan shook his head and chuckled. "The Ice Soul Divine Sword is indeed powerful."

"You’ve seen the Ice Soul Divine Sword?!" Jiang Ruyue frowned.

Though a prodigy of immense talent, she had mastered the Ice Soul Divine Skill and the Ice Soul Divine Needles at a young age. However, the Ice Soul Divine Sword was notoriously difficult; it wasn't merely a matter of technique, but fundamentally required immense, deep cultivation.

Her innate talent allowed her to master the Divine Skill, but unfortunately, the Ice Soul Divine Skill followed a path of absolute solidity. The purer her internal energy became, the stronger its power grew. Despite her supreme aptitude, she couldn't transcend the limits of time to meet the standard required for the Divine Sword. She couldn't forge it.

Li Muzhan smiled. "I have seen the manual for the Ice Soul Divine Sword!"

"You—!" Jiang Ruyue’s face darkened. Her cold eyes glared intently at him. Li Muzhan had once again ignited her rage and her hatred for the Four Sects.

Li Muzhan shook his head with a smile. "Without the cultivation method, the Ice Soul Divine Sword’s power is mediocre."

"Hmph, you brigands!" Jiang Ruyue sneered. "How could the martial arts of my Great Jiang Sect be something you covet!?"

Li Muzhan chuckled. "The Ice Soul Divine Skill is a barrier, isn't it? It requires a direct transmission, is that right?"

"Indeed!" Jiang Ruyue declared proudly. "Without the inheritance, there is no way to master the Ice Soul Divine Skill. So give up on that idea!"

Li Muzhan smiled. "That’s more like it."

Her mental strength was great, which is why she could accept the transmission and master the Divine Skill. However, the Ice Soul Divine Skill was not easily perfected; Li Muzhan’s martial knowledge was vast, and such extreme mental frameworks often carried inherent flaws.

He looked up at the sky and sighed. "Sect Master Jiang, please witness the profundity of the Big Dipper Divine Sword!"

As his words faded, Jiang Ruyue felt an invisible force surge down from the sky, like a waterfall descending. The snow beneath her feet sank an inch.

With a flicker of thought, Li Muzhan connected himself to the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper. Stellar energy pierced heaven and earth, manifesting within his body. Consequently, Jiang Ruyue was flung backward.

Bang! Jiang Ruyue tumbled twice in the air before crashing into the snow like a massive boulder.

The snow covered her up to her knees. She stood steady, her face flushed crimson as if intoxicated, glaring fiercely at Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan smiled. "How was that?"

"Hmph, well done, Big Dipper Divine Sword!" Jiang Ruyue was exceptionally intelligent. Sensing the strange sensation she just experienced, she huffed, "Is this Star Force?"

Li Muzhan smiled and nodded. "Clever!"

Jiang Ruyue frowned as a strange sensation reasserted itself within her body.

While speaking, she had been channeling her internal energy to dissipate the Star Force. Initially, it went smoothly; the surging Star Force met the solidity of the Ice Soul Divine Skill and dissipated quickly. But the deeper it went, the more troublesome the Star Force became, until finally, a portion of it matched the Ice Soul Divine Skill blow for blow—impossible to dispel or eradicate.

Li Muzhan smiled. "It's useless. Star Force is very difficult to purge."

Before receiving the inheritance, his Star Force, though overwhelmingly tyrannical, did not frighten Jiang Ruyue; the dense, pure nature of the Ice Soul Divine Skill rendered it immune to the Star Force.

Having received the inheritance, his spirit connected with the Seven Stars. The Star Force underwent a strange transformation; it seemed imbued with a thread of psychic energy, making it far more insidious.

Jiang Ruyue frowned, looking up at him sharply. "What trickery are you playing?"

Li Muzhan smiled. "Does Sect Master Jiang have any other brilliant moves, or must you suffer a bit more?"

The Star Force would cling like maggots to the bone, continually stirring within her, nearly impossible to remove, especially at night—it was no less troublesome than the Ice Soul Divine Needles.

Jiang Ruyue snorted, immediately sitting cross-legged. She formed a mudra with her hands; her fingers, like white jade, unfolded like lotus petals blooming one by one.

She suddenly tapped her left hand against her right chest. With a soft whistle, a small pit appeared in the snow behind her, thick as a thumb and seemingly bottomless.

Li Muzhan’s eyebrows twitched. "Impressive! I admire that!"

He could sense that Jiang Ruyue had purged her internal energy. Truly remarkable. This must have been achieved through a unique secret technique, as her internal energy alone could not have expelled the Star Force.

Jiang Ruyue’s face paled. She shot him a cold glare, then immediately began circulating her energy to regulate her breathing, showing not the slightest concern that Li Muzhan might strike her.

Li Muzhan remained standing, smiling. "A strong man knows when to cut his losses. I am humbled by Sect Master Jiang’s fortitude—truly admirable!"

Jiang Ruyue opened her eyes. "That Li surnamed man, don't be smug. I will settle this score!"

"I'll be waiting," Li Muzhan replied cheerfully.

Jiang Ruyue slowly rose and turned to leave. Li Muzhan did not move, watching her quietly, curious to see what killing move she might deploy next.

His spirit connected with the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper. As long as he could sense them, his mind was perfectly calm; he had no fear of any defensive array.

After walking a dozen paces, Jiang Ruyue suddenly coughed out a mouthful of blood with a sharp cry, collapsing softly. She struggled to sit cross-legged again, forming a mudra below her abdomen.

Li Muzhan was momentarily stunned. He refrained from stepping forward, instead using his Eye of the Void to observe, taking in every subtle shift in her expression. He quickly concluded that she had suffered a Qi deviation!

Just as he had suspected, the flaw inherent in the Ice Soul Divine Skill was surfacing under the intense pressure he applied. Since her animosity toward him was so deep, rushing forward might only startle her further.

He sat down cross-legged on the snow, watching Jiang Ruyue quietly. He felt a pang of pity for her; her entire life seemed dedicated solely to restoring the Great Jiang Sect, with no other pleasure. As a woman, the burden on her slender shoulders was too great.

An hour passed. White mist enveloped her, like a sheer white veil obscuring the view within. Even from ten yards away, he could feel the intense chill radiating from her.

Li Muzhan shook his head; there was no sign of improvement. In a flash, he vanished and reappeared by her side, placing his hand on her left wrist. A sensation of icy silkiness traveled up his fingers.

Jiang Ruyue struggled briefly but couldn't break free. She opened her eyes and glared at him. Li Muzhan shook his head. "That's enough. If you keep pushing yourself, something truly disastrous will happen, and your grand plan to restore the sect will come to nothing!"

As he predicted, the restoration of her sect was her fatal weakness—a direct hit. She stopped struggling and glared at him. "I don't need your false charity!"

Li Muzhan responded with an irritated tone. "If you talk any more nonsense, I really won't help you!"

Jiang Ruyue struggled again, but a surge of Star Force flowed in, pinning her in place, leaving her utterly immobilized.

Seeing the shock in her eyes, Li Muzhan snorted. "Do you realize I've been holding back this whole time?!"

Jiang Ruyue's exquisite face flushed crimson. She glared at him hatefully. "Who asked you to hold back!"

This infuriated her more than death; it shattered her pride and arrogance. She glared fiercely. "Get out! I don't need your help!"

Li Muzhan manipulated his Star Force, sealing off her voice as well. He calmed his mind to investigate the root cause and search for a remedy, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter.

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