Chapter 4: The Windless Swordsman
At the lofty peaks of the Heavenly Mountains, more than fifty pugilists from different sects and clans had gathered. There were sect emblems and insignia’s of all kinds. After many difficulties, they had gathered together and there seemed to be an uneasy alliance if any existed at all.
Their goals were all identical and it was the treasures of the Eternal Ice Palace.
Unfortunately, to reach this point, there been many bloody encounters and only the strongest of the countless pugilists who had set out survived. They all knew it and were wary of one another.
A veiled maiden in yellow was standing apart from the rest. From her eyes and enthralling confident posture, everyone was guessing that she must be extraordinarily beautiful. No one knew who she really was and quite a few pugilists had tried to get closer to her, but they got more than what they had asked for.
One of them was Young Master Qiu Wufeng, the Windless Swordsman. Who had never heard of the Windless Swordsman? He was in his early thirties and was now ranked as one of the four most prominent young men in the martial fraternity. This had to do with the fact that his father was the Master of the Qiu Clan. The elite Qiu Clan had been recognized as one of the four most powerful martial clans in the fraternity.
Naturally, the other three renowned young men of the martial fraternity were also from renowned elite or major orthodox clans of the martial!
They were Gongsun Jing, the Benevolent, from the elite Gongsun Clan. Zuo Tianyi, the Heartless Sword, from the Infinity Sword Clan and Nangong Le, the Joyous, from the elite Nangong Clan.
As for Young Master Qiu, his Silence Swordplay was one of the most feared in the martial fraternity, able to come from any direction without the slightest movement. His swordplay was silent and windless!
Not only that, in his company today, were three equally formidable exponents: Ye Lu the Lightning God, Qiao Feng the Shadow Kicker and Lu Baiyun the Heartless Scholar! Ye Lu the Lightning God and Qiao Feng the Shadow Kicker were old men who had found fame a long time ago. That they chose to be in the company of Young Master Qiu Wufeng was proof of his clan prestige and renowned!
Lu Baiyun the Heartless Scholar was in his early forties. Even though he was younger than the Lightning God and the Shadow Kicker, he was a prominent swordsman. At the age of eighteen he defeated the protégé master of the Ironclad Clan, one of the seven major orthodox clans!
Young Master Qiu Wufeng approached the yellow dressed maiden and greeted her. “I am Qiu Wufeng, the Windless Swordsman. Maiden, may I have the honor of knowing your name?” he asked.
What followed was a slap across his face! It happened so fast that he could not even react! The yellow dressed maiden said softly: “If you do not want any further humiliation, I suggest you move away from me.”
Young Master Qiu Wufeng was stunned. He was a handsome and dashing man. Very few women could ever resist him, let alone embarrass him like that! He showed his displeasure with his eyes! He swore that he would make her pay!
The Heartless Scholar, Lu Baiyun stepped in and said: “Maiden, you have offended our young master. Do you think you can get away with it so easily?”
The yellow dressed maiden hummed coldly and it seemed that she did not care.
There was strong malevolent aura coming from the Lightning God and the Shadow Kicker as well. It was not easy for anyone who offended them to get away scot-free. The Heartless Scholar laughed, “Either you apologize to our young master and accompany him for a few days or you’ll be terribly sorry,” he said.
The yellow dressed maiden looked at the Heartless Scholar in his eyes and said: “What if I don’t?”
The Heartless Scholar said sternly: “Then forgive me for what will happen next!”
All of a sudden, he was interrupted by laughter that came from the Clan Chief of the Six Rivers, Long Wudi. “You are a renowned figure in the martial fraternity. If this matter gets out, that you used your martial skills to harass a young lass, won’t you be a laughing stock? I am not worried about you, but about the reputation of the Qiu Clan!” he said. Even though Long Wudi might not be able to defeat the Heartless Scholar, his words were like an arrow piercing the heart.
Young Master Qiu thundered sternly: “Let’s go!”
A young man from among the pugilists laughed coldly, “To think that the reputable Qiu Martial Clan is also interested in the treasures of the Eternal Ice Palace. What laudable action. He is also a womanizer…”
But before he could finish, the Heartless Scholar had sprinted up to him and delivered two tight slaps! His swiftness skill was so astonishing that more than half of the pugilists couldn’t help but gasp in awe of it! The Heartless Scholar said: “Know this; our young master had originally wanted to visit the Emerald Mistress to receive instruction and to pay his respects! This is a small lesson for insulting our young master!”
Suddenly, an old man attacked the Heartless Scholar with his fists. He was startled by the wind force of the fists and he quickly stepped backwards. He could not recognize the old man and asked, “Senior, who are you?”
The old man laughed and said: “I have long retired from the martial fraternity. However, I am not afraid to say that I intend to demolish the Eternal Ice Palace on my own!”
Quite a few pugilists from the crowd laughed at his boast.
The Lightning-God sighed, “Maybe we shouldn’t be here. Only Tian Kui is able to execute the Beholder Hands and push back the Heartless Scholar with a single strike.”
The faces of the pugilists turned ashen at the mention of Tian Kui.
Tian Kui was the number one heretical exponent ten years ago. The bloodshed that he had caused was immeasurable. During his time, there were three other powerful major orthodox clans, the Divine Sword, the Hexagon Spear and the Hyperion Clan. These clans had been completely annihilated by him. It was said that ten years ago, he brought his rampage to the Eternal Ice Palace. No one knew the result of that secret duel with the Emerald Mistress. Everyone had assumed that he had lost and been killed! It seemed otherwise now!
Tian Kui laughed. “I must be getting old. Even a junior can so easily avoid my strike,” he said.
The Heartless Scholar paid his respects with his hands and said, “That is only because you stayed your hand Senior. If not for that, I wouldn’t have had the chance to back off.”
Tian Kui roared with laughter and said: “Good! At least you respect your elder. I am actually spoiling for a fight.” It was true. When he saw the Heartless Scholar displaying his skills, he had wanted to spar with him.
The Heartless Scholar turned ashen, “Senior, you….”
Tian Kui pointed at the Lightning God and the Shadow Kicker and said: “You and you, all of you can fight me at the same time. I want to see if my skills have improved…”
But before he could finish, he had suddenly frozen.
Everyone looked in the direction that he was looking at and caught sight of two strangers walking towards them.
One was a young man. He was handsome and had a refined and noble air about him. The other was a young maiden with long black flowing hair. She was so beautiful that she seemed like a heavenly fairy that had decided to grace the mortal realm. When she saw the pugilists and smiled slightly, all the pugilists’ hearts skipped a beat and they all thought, “Did she just smile at me?”
When the maiden in yellow saw Yi Ping, her heart skipped a beat. She thought, “Why is he here? And why is he with her?” That day, after they had met, she had secretly observed and saw him burying the villainous bandit king. She had observed him for a while before she left. With his abilities, she had doubted he could even cross the lofty peaks of the Heavenly Mountains. She had never been moved by a man before and was constantly worried if he would survive the trek. Now when she saw him, she was comforted. She was also highly displeased. That was because…
Tian Kui was shaking all over. Why was he trembling? Was he trembling with joy and moved by the sight of this heavenly maiden?
Quite a few pugilists immediately thought that even though Tian Kui was old enough to be her grandfather, he was still a lecher after all.
Tian Kui looked at Shui Yixian and asked: “Is it really you?”
Shui Yixian’s alluring eyes looked at Tian Kui and said softly: “Yes, it’s me!”
Everyone was taken aback. Was Tian Kui acquainted with her?
Tian Kui trembled uncontrollably. “All these years and you have not changed. I have grown even older. Since back then, I have trained my skills non-stop. I practiced twelve hours daily and now my level of expertise has reached a level that even you could not imagine!” He paused for a while before saying: “I have come for you. Today, no matter what, I have to take you as my wife and if you lose to me, you have to come with me!”
Ten years ago, Tian Kui had challenged the Celestial Fairy and was soundly defeated. His spirit was crushed and since then, he had trained every single day, hoping to challenge her again and defeat her!
He had never seen any maiden as elegant and noble as her. It was love at first sight. When he had been defeated by her, he was thoroughly shamed. Unable to cope with the defeat, he had thought of ending his own life. But when he thought that he might still have a chance, he resolved to train his abilities to perfection so that he could once again challenge her and win her heart.
When he had heard that she had passed away, he was so upset that he had to come to the Heavenly Mountains and have a look. He was trembling uncontrollably because she was still alive! He could still fulfill the desires that he had dreamed of every single night since his defeat!
Suddenly, Tian Kui roared aloud was filled with power. His shout was so terrifying that the pugilists were all forced to take a couple of steps back! As soon as he quieted down, he suddenly attacked the heavenly maiden! Everyone was stunned and confusion immediately broke out from among the pugilists! They had thought that Tian Kui and the heavenly maiden were acquaintances! They immediately feared for the heavenly maiden. Every punch, every fist by Tian Kui had so much martial force that he could easily smash the rocks into powder!
Instead of dodging his attacks, the heavenly maiden received his attacks. She countered his fists with her palms and his palms with her fingers! In that moment, Tian Kui had struck at least twenty times and each of his blows could have incapacitated his target! The heavenly maiden countered all his blows and retaliated. She had struck Tian Kui on his head with her finger and had struck his chest with her palm!
It happened so fast that most of the pugilists could only see Tian Kui flying backwards and coughing out blood! There was a red mark on his forehead and his chest seemed to have been burnt by the heavenly maiden’s palm! The result was a shock as no one expected Tian Kui to be beaten back in a split second!
Tian Kui wiped the blood from his mouth as he got up saying: “This is not over yet. I have not yet used my best skills…” However his voice was shaken. He had never expected himself to be beaten back in such an effortless manner! It was exactly what had happened ten years ago…
Young Master Qiu Wufeng had also been captivated by this heavenly maiden and was eager to make her acquaintance. He stepped in and asked Tian Kui: “Old Senior, there must surely be some misunderstanding here. Why are you attacking this maiden?”
Tian Kui laughed saying: “You still do not know who she is? All of you are here today to attack the Eternal Ice Palace and yet you don’t know who she is? What a joke!”
Turning he said to Shui Yixian, “I am the only exception!”
Qiu Wufeng asked: “Can Old Senior please enlighten us? We really do not know who she is.” He too, was curious about her identity.
Tian Kui laughed and said: “She is the Celestial Fairy! She is none other than the Emerald Mistress of the Eternal Ice Palace!”
Everyone was taken aback. How was it possible? She was supposed to be dead and she was supposed to be an old woman?
Shui Yixian smiled coldly at the pugilists saying: “That’s right. Under the gaze of the Celestial Fairy…” She paused and suddenly, there was a cold, malevolent killing aura that radiated from her as she slowly said: “There…are…no…survivors!”
All of a sudden, she swung her sleeves and multiple secret projectiles flew in all directions! Those who were unable to dodge were either killed or maimed on the ground!
Young Master Qiu Wufeng had barely dodged her secret projectiles when the Lightning God and the Shadow Kicker sprinted in front of him. The Lightning God shouted to everyone, “If we don’t fight her now, sooner or later, we’ll all be killed!” With that he raised his fists at the Celestial Fairy.
All of a sudden, the pugilists remembered the legend of the Eternal Ice Palace. The Celestial Fairy spared no one that dared to intrude upon her forbidden grounds. If they wanted to live, they had to fight! But some of the pugilists who had survived her secret projectiles were secretly waiting for the others to attack her while they seized the opportunity to run!
When Yi Ping saw the Lightning God and the Shadow Kicker approaching to attack Shui Yixian, he stepped in and interrupted them! The Shadow Kicker said to Yi Ping, “Outrageous! If I don’t incapacitate you within ten moves, I am not the Shadow Kicker!”
The Lighting God said to Qiao Feng, the Shadow Kicker, “You are more than enough for this lad! I will go and help the Heartless Scholar!”
Shui Yixian hastily cried out to Yi Ping: “Ping’Er, be careful.”
Even before she had finished speaking, she was attacked from all directions by the Heartless Scholar, Tian Kui, Long Wudi and the rest of the pugilists.
Only Young Master Qiu and the maiden in yellow did not make any moves yet.
Qiao Feng, the Shadow Kicker was renowned for his powerful shadow kicks. He gave Yi Ping a series of kicks in one continuous attack. Yi Ping had never seen so many kicks moving so fast in his life before. He tried to parry with his sword, but he could not avoid the many kicks that struck him on his forearms and legs. Qiao Feng was kicking relentlessly. He knew that no one could survive his powerful kicks if they kept defending. They would only get themselves seriously injured as their strength quickly drained away!
Yi Ping barely avoided having his face smashed by Qiao Feng’s kick. He was already fighting frantically while Qiao Feng was relaxed and only appeared to have kicked five times. Qiao Feng said, “This is the sixth move!” Yi Ping was faltering and he could feel his strength draining away. At the same time he was wholly fascinated by Qiao Feng’s martial abilities.
All of a sudden, Yi Ping started to display the Shadow Kicks as he kicked back at Qiao Feng! Momentarily stunned, Qiao Feng asked: “Where did you learn that?”
Yi Ping hummed coldly and replied, “I just learnt it!”
“That’s impossible!” shouted Qiao Feng angrily. He was now kicking faster and faster, even displaying several secret techniques that hid a kick within a kick. In an outburst of few strokes, he had unleashed dozens of shadow kicks!
Yi Ping’s heart was pounding as he got more and more fascinated with the Shadow Kicks Skill. He had never known a renowned master or had the personal experience of witnessing an epitome upper level skill like the renowned Shadow Kick! Unconsciously, he had begun to practice the Shadow Kick as though someone had been instructing him! He began to kick furiously, improvising the Shadow Kicks as he went along.
Qiao Feng was now breaking into a cold sweat in the cold weather. He had expended a huge amount of power and was surprised that an inexperienced pugilist like Yi Ping could hold on for so long and was even matching him kick for kick, with some moves that were even better than his own!
Before long, Qiao Feng legs were hurting! He could not believe that this young man could even match his decades of dedicated foundation! Moreover, how was it possible for this lad to know the Shadow Kick Skill? Even an experienced pugilist could not kick as well as him; much less repeat the kicking feat of his shadow kicks! Qiao Feng suddenly said: “The Mirror Reflection Skill! You’re using the Mirror Reflection Skill?!”
The Mirror Reflection Skill was a skill, rumored in the fraternity, to replicate the skills of others. Yi Ping was not listening.
His eyes were glowing as he looked intently at Qiao Feng’s kicks! A normal young man would have fallen long ago even if he could parry a kick from Qiao Feng! Yi Ping was so fascinated with the Shadow Kick Skill that he was fully concentrated on it. He was so engrossed that he wasn’t even aware that he was in pain. He also wasn’t aware that with his present fortitude and limitations, he could not possibly accomplish these kicks without practicing. Unknowingly he had done the impossible and transcended his limits.
This had to do with the fact that Yi Ping had a natural ability to memorize any moves that he saw. Indeed, most of his martial moves that he had picked up were from watching others fight. This also had to do with the superb instruction that he received from Shui Yixian while in the cave. He was also somewhat protected by the Icy Heavenly Tears and this was coupled with his natural ability to endure pain.
Shui Yixian had said: “A fist for a fist, a kick for a kick. That is a basic martial foundation. Fighting is about dismantling strokes until you can find a solution to completely overcome your opponent. When an opponent attacks, they will expose openings. Most pugilists in the martial fraternity are eager to prove their superiority by attacking. Adopting defense is also the best offense to defeat these opponents.”
She added, “I am going to teach you the intricate formula of the Listening Rhythm. This will allow you to follow the breathing and movements of your opponents much easier.” Shui Yixian was delighted that Yi Ping was able to learn the Listening Rhythm without any trouble. Normally, this skill requires years to master and perfect…
Yi Ping did not know how to overcome Qiao Feng. Instead of utilizing the Listening Rhythm Skill to follow the moves of the opponent and finding an opportunity to attack, Yi Ping used his natural ability for memorizing to kick back at Qiao Feng. If Qiao Feng was not so powerful, Yi Ping would never have been forced into the desperate act of pushing his own limitations to keep himself alive.
When Qiao Feng saw him repeating his Shadow Kicks, he changed his kicking stances to breech his kicks. But he was also unwittingly showing Yi Ping how to counter his own Shadow Kicks with each new move! Yi Ping was also unconsciously learning the Shadow Kicks and using his gut feeling to look for an opening. When he finally saw an opening, he kicked Qiao Feng directly in his face with tremendous impact!
Both Qiao Feng and Yi Ping fell to the ground at almost the same time. Qiao Feng was the one being struck? What about Yi Ping? Even though he had not taken a direct hit from Qiao Feng, he had taken serious injuries to his non-vital areas. Moreover, he was both mentally and physically drained by the pace Qiao Feng had set during the fight. He fell to the ground drained of all his strength.
With Qiao Feng’s experience and prowess, if he had remained calm and restrained his anger, it would’ve been impossible for Yi Ping to gain an upper hand over him. When he saw Yi Ping replicating his Shadow Kicks, he became indignant. When he got hit, his rage and emotions attacked his heart and he fainted!
Even though Shui Yixian was fighting several opponents at the same time, she had kept a watchful eye for Yi Ping. Her movements had been restricted because of that and only the weaker pugilists had fallen. When Yi Ping had won the duel with Qiao Feng, she was relieved and also happy. She was happy because with Yi Ping’s present progression, it was not possible to defeat a top martial exponent like Qiao Feng. He had done the impossible! Her distraction had emboldened her opponents!
The Lightning God said: “We can defeat her!”
Even though Shui Yixian was fighting more than ten top exponents from the martial fraternity at the same time, including Tian Kui, her movements were still graceful as she met them stroke for stroke and move for move. No one could’ve imagined that she could manage against so many moves from different directions at the same time!
Any experienced pugilists could see that she was now on the defensive and would be exhausted and beaten in no time! That was why the Lightning God had encouraged the others to put more effort into attacking her!
Tian Kui took another blow in his chest. He took a deep breath and raised his again before joining the fray again! They were using a wolf pack tactics to bring her down as they attacked and retreated at the same time.
Shui Yixian was being attacked from all directions. Her power wasn’t sufficient enough to deal more serious impact on the stronger exponents. Moreover, she had not had a chance to take a breath!
The Lightning God raised his power to its zenith and unleashed the Lightning Hand Skill with his palm, but he was knocked back when Yixian struck his palm with her finger. He shouted: “I have finally witnessed the Jade Icy Finger. Excellent! The skills of the Eternal Ice Palace are indeed powerful!”
Long Wudi stepped back from the fray and said: “This is not a real duel at all. There are so many of us against a single woman. This is not honorable to me. I bid you farewell! Today, I have witnessed the skills of the Eternal Ice Palace and still live. That is something I shall be proud of!” With that he left.
No one could spare any strength to say a formal goodbye to him or to force him to stay. That was because this battle required all their attention. A moment’s distraction would mean instant death!
The Heartless Scholar displayed his Whirling Sword techniques while cursing silently. He could not believe that an unarmed person could avoid his Whirling Sword so easily.
Shui Yixian was astonished at the sudden speed and intricate strokes of the Whirling Sword. This forced her to raise the level of the Divine Emerald Skill. With her left finger she deflected the onslaught of the Heartless Scholar as she evaded the other opponents at the same time. Suddenly, she reached out towards his blade with her fingers and snapped his sword in half! The Heartless Scholar hastily took a few steps backwards. He couldn’t believe that anyone could break his precious sword with their fingers!
It seemed that the Celestial Fairy’s power had suddenly increased! Everyone had expected her defense to break down seeing as Tian Kui was still attacking her relentlessly. A weird thing had happened. Instead of weakening, the Celestial Fairy’s strength appeared to have suddenly increased. Why was that? It was because Shui Yixian could not focus on the fight while worrying about Yi Ping. When Yi Ping had defeated his opponent, she was able to fully focus her attention on the duel at hand!
All the pugilists were astonished and another three pugilists fell in the battle. Only seven pugilists were still standing. Among them, only Tian Kui, the Heartless Scholar and the Lightning-God had suffered minor injuries while the remaining four were all seriously injured!
More than twenty corpses were now lying on the ground!
Young Master Qiu was watching the fight intently. He saw how a group of thirty pugilists had surrounded and attacked her from all directions. Very slowly, the number of pugilists had dwindled to less than ten. The pugilists in the fight did not take note of their dwindling numbers as their attention was completely on the fight. Any small distraction could be fatal!
No matter how intriguing and powerful her opponents’ attacks were, the Celestial Fairy patiently dismantled and neutralized it without any expression on her beautiful face.
When the Celestial Fairy’s attacks increased, Young Master Qiu immediately noted the number of dead and feared for the Lightning God and the Heartless Scholar. If the Celestial Fairy were to win, they might not live. If Tian Kui were to win, that merciless villain might not let them live either!
When he’d heard the rumors of the Celestial Fairy’s death, he had correctly assumed that quite a few pugilists might seize the opportunity to make trouble for the Eternal Ice Palace. At the end of the day, it would be better if the secret martial arts of the Eternal Ice Palace were to fall into his hands than into some villainous hands. That’s why he had asked his father to lend him three top exponents that were guests of the Qiu Clan.
The Lightning God, the Shadow Kicker and the Heartless Scholar were considered as elite fighters in the martial fraternity. Moreover there were three of them. He had not expected to find Tian Kui here. Nor did he anticipate that the death of the Celestial Fairy to be just a rumor; unless of course this maiden had been lying. Her moves were seasoned and executed with great finesse. Only someone who had years of practice and progression could do it.
Suddenly, Young Master Qiu shouted: “Uncle Lu, Uncle Ye. Let’s go now!” Why did he order a sudden retreat? It was because he had suddenly seen a dozen maidens approaching in the distance! Those maidens looked beautiful from afar, but they were like roses with hidden thorns. They could only be from the Eternal Ice Palace. With the number of top pugilists down to just a few, any hope of assaulting the Eternal Ice Palace was lost. Moreover, the Celestial Fairy might not be the only top exponent from the Eternal Ice Palace.
Young Master Qiu was still young, but a lot wiser than most. He did not want to die at either the hand of the Eternal Ice Palace or Tian Kui. So what else could he do? Turning to the maiden in yellow he said: “Maiden, I suggest that you escape with me too! Things are not looking good and you’ll be safe in our company till we reach a safer place.”
The maiden in yellow looked at him with her beautiful eyes and whispered softly: “How do you know that I am not from the Eternal Ice Palace myself and that I will not kill you?”
All of a sudden, Young Master Qiu turned ashen and he immediately fled! The maiden in yellow made no move.
The Heartless Scholar and the Lightning God heard the command issued by Young Master Qiu. They were sweating and breathing heavily. This fight had been a tough one for them. So, when they heard that Young Master Qiu had ordered them to retreat, they had already made up their minds to seize an opportunity to leave.
The Lightning God was the first to disengage from the battle and his first thought was about his friend the Shadow Kicker. Had he fallen? The Lightning God was dismayed to see the Shadow Kicker on the ground. He inspected him for signs of life and was glad that he was still breathing. He said: “Old friend, hold on! You’re still alive!” He picked the Shadow Kicker up and carried him on his shoulder.
The Heartless Scholar was next, but not until he had taken a crashing blow to his chest! He threw up blood and barely avoided a second blow. Tian Kui had indirectly saved his life when he attacked the Celestial Fairy with a vicious claw! The Celestial Fairy simply flung him to the side with the wind force generated by her sleeve!
With only two opponents left, the Celestial Fairy was able to regain her breath now and with that her internal strength! Her strokes became more and more powerful and intricate, growing in complexity and were harder to avoid!
He barely fled, when he took another look at the scene. Only Tian Kui and the Celestial Fairy were still fighting. He was trembling with fear. This was the first time he had known fear! Only after he left the battle, did he realize how frightening the martial levels of the Celestial Fairy were!
At the same time, Yi Ping had barely regained consciousness and was struggling to get to his feet, as his body was still gripped by excruciating pain. His body had taken a lot of punishment he had over-extended his physical limits.
Tian Kui laughed and said to Shui Yixian: “Very good. Now it’s just the two of us!” All of a sudden, his body seemed to grow even more muscular and bigger as he struck the left and right accupoint channels on his chest.
Shui Yixian raised her thin eyebrows slightly. “The Unholy Possession Skill?” she asked.
Tian Kui laughed and said: “That’s right! I didn’t think that you’d recognize it!”
The Unholy Possession Skill was used by heretical sects three hundred years ago. It was an evil skill that could sap away the opponent’s power while boosting one’s own power.
Tian Kui had reserved the use of this epitome skill to the very end. That was because while this skill could boost his power immensely, it was also a skill that could drain away all his internal power. He had waited until the Celestial Fairy had expended a considerable amount of internal strength as she fought. Now was the time to use it.
Shui Yixian had no choice but to raise her power to fight Tian Kui. She raised the power of the Divine Emerald Skill to the ninth level; her highest level. Even with the force generated by the Divine Emerald Skill, she could still feel her strength being sapped away as Tian Kui landed blow after blow on her. Each time her fingers met his palms, her fingers would tremble slightly.
Tian Kui was surrounded by a force that rendered normal strikes useless. This battle would not be decided by martial techniques and strokes but by sheer power!
Yi Ping saw that Shui Yixian and Tian Kui were fighting one another so furiously that they were like shadowy images moving all over the place. He wanted to go over to help her, but there were constant burning wind force that was generated by their attacks that swept everything to the ground! There was simply no way to approach the two of them!
Tian Kui attacked even more furiously than before as he gained more and more strength. All of a sudden, he turned his palm strikes into claws and tore away Shui Yixian’s sleeves. He laughed saying, “Even though the martial arts of the
Eternal Ice Palace are epitome, they are without their weaknesses! I would like to see you fighting without clothes on!”
Shui Yixian was indignant, but she kept her cool. Instead of trying to land strikes on her, Tian Kui was aiming at her long dress and sleeves, attempting to destroy her modesty, which was a lot easier!
Soon Tian Kui had ripped her sleeves, revealing her white porcelain skin. Tian Kui could feel her attacks falter as she was concerned about her modesty. He could see that her ears had turned red even though she was still expressionless.
Tian Kui grabbed her dress and tore part of it away.
Shui Yixian cried out: “You are a beast! Outrageous!” All of a sudden, Shui Yixian took a few steps back and coughed out blood. She was really upset and that had caused her blood flow to reverse.
Emotions were a taboo to the practitioners of the Icy Heavenly Tears. That was why the Eternal Ice Palace had no men and its protégés spent their time refining their skills through mediation.
Tian Kui knew that he had succeeded and he quickly sprinted towards her to disable her. He muttered, “I have finally won…”
Suddenly, the maiden in yellow, who had been watching, appeared behind him and struck a fatal blow to his head!
Tian Kui simply could not believe that anyone could approach him without him knowing! Moreover, the burning wind force generated by the epitome skills of the Divine Emerald Skill and the Unholy Possession Skill were still present and had not died down yet. It was not possible for anyone to interfere in the duel unless that person possessed uncanny power!
Tian Kui did not believe anyone else could possess that level of martial and it was precisely why he was not on guard. That was when the maiden in yellow had approached him from behind and had in delivering a fatal blow!
Even more astonishing was that Tian Kui was protected by a huge amount of force. Even when he was hit by the Celestial Fairy, he could still continue fighting. When he died his eyes were still open and staring in disbelief!
Yi Ping was astonished too, even though he had witnessed her martial power before.
Shui Yixian had seen the maiden in yellow approaching Tian Kui and was surprised that she could move though the potent wind force with ease. She could not believe that the yellow dressed maiden had actually killed Tian Kui with just one blow!
Shui Yixian said gratefully: “Maiden, thank you. If not for you, my modesty would’ve been destroyed…” She was extremely grateful. She had almost thought that it was all over. “May I know your name, maiden?” she asked.
The yellow dressed maiden replied coldly: “You don’t have to be grateful to me. This beast fought dirty and I didn’t want you to die in such a pathetic manner…”
All of a sudden, the maiden in yellow dealt Shui Yixian a blow over her heart! She was sent her flying backwards!
Shui Yixian was completed caught off-guard. She never expected someone who had just assisted her to attack her! When she had raised her fingers to raise the Divine Emerald Skill, it was too late. The force that struck her heart was the same as the one that had been used on Tian Kui!
Even though the battle between Tian Kui and the Celestial Fairy had stopped some time ago, the potent winds from the battle had not ceased yet. Yi Ping had to crawl toward Shui Yixian as he cried out: “Xian’Er! Are you alright?!”
Grabbing hold of Shui Yixian’s hands, he asked again: “Xian’Er, are you alright?” Shui Yixian could not reply, but she smiled weakly. She knew that the blow had been fatal and she could feel her life slipping away.
Yi Ping pointed at the maiden in yellow. “We are not your enemies. Why did you suddenly attack Xian’Er?!” he cried.
The yellow dressed maiden asked: “You know her well? Do you know that she is the Celestial Fairy?”
Yi Ping laughed aloud and said, “How would I not know? She is my wife!”
The yellow dressed maiden was startled. “Your wife? Do you know that she is actually a ninety-year old woman? She has reached the highest level of her internal arts and she cannot age.”
Yi Ping said hatefully to her: “How would I know? Why should I care? I love her and only her. I don’t care about any other things! How vicious you are!”
The maiden in yellow was startled and she replied coldly, “I am vicious? Do you know that this woman in front of you is capable of killing anyone without batting an eyelid? If I am vicious then she is even more vicious!”
Yi Ping cried out, “No matter if she is the most vicious woman under the heavens, she is an angel in my heart. She is the kindest hearted maiden that I have never known. She is my dear wife and we swore to go through woes and joy together!”
Shui Yixian was crying now as she gasped, “Ping’Er…”
Even the maiden in yellow seemed to be moved as her eyes turned watery. She said coldly, “Before you die, I will tell you the truth so that you will die in peace. I am the grand-daughter of Shui Yisi!”
Yixian was startled even though she had expected her enemy to be Shui Yisi. “Where is Shui Yisi?” she gasped.
The maiden in yellow replied coldly, “She died five decades ago. You have no idea when she had died, she was still bitter and filled with hatred towards you. That curse did not end with her. My mother was also afflicted by her bitterness. Her whole life was dedicated to pursue a means to end your life. That bitterness did not end with her death. She had passed on that bitterness to me. All my life, I have only known a purpose. That is to kill you.”
Shui Yixian could sense cold bitterness in her tone. Indeed, she could imagine her sufferings. If this maiden had not suffered a great deal of ordeal, she would never have reached the level of martial arts needed to injure her. She could imagine that her mother went through an even greater ordeal to realize her daughter’s martial accomplishments. Therefore she could only weakly say: “Yi Ping, when I am gone, don’t avenge me. You are not her match.” She looked at the maiden and said weakly, “I hope that you can spare him…”
The maiden in yellow coldly said: “You were my only target.”
Shui Yixian said, “Good…I hope my death will bury all these feuds between us.”
Suddenly, a dozen maidens dressed in light blue descended around them and were crying, “Protégé Mistress! What exactly happened?”
The maiden in yellow hummed coldly and began to walk away.
Shui Yixian said weakly and said to a young maiden who was holding her, “Yu’Er, I am dying now. When I am dead, bury me in the ice casket at the inner sanctuary that I have prepared…”
Yu’Er, who was the Jade Sword Fairy, Shui Yujian, cried out: “Protégé Mistress, you will never die! Who did this to you? I will slice them into a million pieces!” Seeing Yi Ping she said, “Is this the filthy man that did it?” She was about to stab him when Shui Yixian interrupted anxiously, “He is…my husband.”
Shui Yujian was shocked and so were the others.
Shui Yixian said, “He is to be the next protégé master of the Eternal Ice Palace. You and Mei’Er are to serve him faithfully in my stead…”
She smiled weakly and closed her eyes. “Ping’Er, you have to live on…” she gasped.
Yi Ping cried out: “Xian’Er! Xian’Er...Don’t leave me!”
Shui Yixian did not and could not reply anymore.
Yi Ping trembled and fainted. The shock of witnessing his wife dying right in front of him was too much for him to bear…