101: Chapter 101 The Cold and Arrogant Ice Goddess! She's just a… well, that's all!

Ling Qingxue's cultivation seemed even more powerful than the rumors suggested; she had vaguely reached the fifth stage of the Huagang Realm.

Ling Qingxue hovered in mid-air, her cold gaze falling upon Zhou Liangan, her eyes filled with intense Killing Intent and caution.

She could sense that the strength of the young man before her was formidable; that previous strike had already exceeded the scope of the Meridian Opening Realm.

Could this child have already reached the Huagang Realm!!!

At this thought, Ling Qingxue was immensely shocked.

Zhou Liangan looked at that peerlessly graceful figure in the Void Realm, a playful sneer tugging at the corner of his mouth, a flash of greed in his eyes. "You are the Ling Family Old Ancestor? A Fairy Physique, the source is still intact, and your Aptitude is not bad; you can be considered a decent Human Furnace!"

The Fairy Physique was a legendary level of Physique in the Cultivation World, so rare that it could make all Cultivators fight tooth and nail for it!

The core of this Physique was that it naturally nurtured a wisp of extremely pure Fairy Qi within the source.

Fairy Qi was incomparable to ordinary Spiritual Qi, carrying a sense of detachment from the mundane and a refreshing purity.

It was said that this wisp of Fairy Qi could slowly cleanse the Physical Body of Impurities, making the Physique transparent and ethereal, just like a gem that had been repeatedly polished, stripped of all Impurities and left with only purity.

Being nourished by it for a long time not only allowed one to isolate the interference of Heart Demons during Cultivation and double the efficiency of absorbing Spiritual Qi, but it also allowed one to step by step transform towards the legendary Immortal Body; once it reached Major Achievement, the Physical Body could withstand heavenly lightning, and the Divine Soul would not fall into Reincarnation!

As these words were spoken, Ling Qingxue's expression instantly turned icy, and the Killing Intent in her eyes grew stronger. "Arrogant child, how dare you be disrespectful to this seat? Today, I will surely tear you into ten thousand pieces!"

Zhou Liangan sneered, "There is no point in talking more."

As Zhou Liangan's voice fell, his seemingly calm tone hid surging Killing Intent. With just a slight movement of his mind, the air around him suddenly stagnated, as if a force of ten thousand jun was brewing in the shadows.

The next second, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi violently shook, the Void Realm behind Zhou Liangan suddenly tore open, and the phantom of an Eight-Armed giant appeared with a boom.

The giant's entire body flowed with brilliant golden light, each arm as thick as a pillar of heaven, and its fists were incomparably huge, as if they could crush mountains.

The giant did not hesitate in the slightest, swinging all eight giant golden fists simultaneously, carrying an Aura that could destroy the heavens and extinguish the earth, striking fiercely toward the direction where Ling Qingxue was located.

Wherever the fist wind passed, the Void Realm twisted, the ground cracked, and even the air was compressed to the point of emitting piercing explosions, as if the entire world were about to be shattered by this punch.

Ling Qingxue's beautiful eyes shrank, and looking at the golden giant fists that blocked out the sky, a sense of panic instantly surged in her heart.

This overwhelming power was like a mountain pressing down, making her almost unable to breathe, and even her Soul was trembling slightly.

As an old monster who had lived for countless years, Ling Qingxue's Heart-Nature was far beyond that of an ordinary person, and she steadied her mind in just an instant.

Ling Qingxue took a deep breath, her plain hands dancing lightly like butterfly wings, quickly carving and tracing in the Void Realm, her fingertips flowing with cold Spiritual Qi, every trajectory obscure and mysterious, as if containing the ultimate truths of heaven and earth.

In an instant, the heavens and earth changed color.

The originally clear Void Realm suddenly filled with snowflakes; those snowflakes were not ordinary objects, each one crystal clear and carrying a bone-chilling cold, emitting a faint humming sound as they fell.

The snowflakes gathered more and more, soon covering the entire heaven and earth, obscuring the radiance of the golden giant fists by a few degrees.

Immediately after, these snowflakes crazily condensed in the Void Realm, transforming at a speed visible to the naked eye into an incomparably huge slender sword.

The snow sword was cast entirely from cold ice, its body flowing with biting cold light, and the blade edge emitted an incomparable, sharp Sword Qi, as if it could cut through everything.

The snow sword hovered in the Void Realm, trembling slightly; every vibration stirred the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and upon every surrounding snowflake, a chilling Sword Qi and intense Killing Intent were reflected. The world was vast and desolate, and a vast murderous Aura shot straight into the clouds, making people terrified.

Ling Qingxue stood beneath the snow sword, her white clothes fluttering loudly, Killing Intent filling her beautiful eyes. That Killing Intent was so thick it had almost turned into substance, like a cold blade, pointing straight at Zhou Liangan.

She gritted her teeth, her internal spiritual power running crazily, all poured into the snow sword, vowing to fight Zhou Liangan to the death.

Zhou Liangan looked at that awe-inspiring snow sword, a flash of coldness in his eyes, and a curve of disdain tugged at the corner of his mouth.

He did not retreat in the slightest, but instead stepped forward brazenly, the ground beneath his feet instantly cracking into countless spiderweb-like fissures.

As Zhou Liangan took this step, his Aura exploded, that Aura surging like a tsunami sweeping in all directions, and the phantom of the eight-armed giant became more solid, the golden light becoming even more brilliant.

"Baji Fist, Martial Skill Dharma Manifestation!" Zhou Liangan shouted in a low voice, and the eight-armed giant behind him roared, all eight giant fists striking out simultaneously, each punch carrying an incomparable killing god's might, with heat waves capable of burning the heavens and boiling the seas within the fist wind.

In the Void Realm, two extreme forces collided with a boom, causing an unsettling disturbance.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi went into a crazy riot, wild winds howled, sand and stones flew, as if the end of the world had arrived.

Under the bombardment of the golden giant fists, the snowflakes filling the sky shattered, turning into white light that filled the sky, scattering in all directions like meteors.

The huge snow sword developed countless tiny cracks the moment it collided, the cracks spreading like spiderwebs, and the Spiritual Qi on the sword began to dim, with signs of bursting and shattering.

Ling Qingxue only felt an irresistible force coming, her internal spiritual power instantly disordered, and her Meridians felt as if they were being torn apart, causing unbearable pain.

Ling Qingxue spat out a mouthful of blood, the blood bright red like cinnabar, spilling onto the clean white snow, appearing exceptionally glaring.

Her face instantly turned as pale as paper, and her originally lively beautiful eyes dimmed slightly, her body swaying, yet she still forced herself to stand in place, refusing to retreat a single step.

Ling Qingxue slowly raised her head, her beautiful eyes staring fixedly at Zhou Liangan, her eyes bloodshot, filled with anger and unwillingness.

Ling Qingxue could not figure out how the Immortal Snow Sword Technique she had exhausted all her strength to refine could be so easily broken by Zhou Liangan; the opponent's strength was far more terrifying than she had imagined.

Zhou Liangan looked at Ling Qingxue's disheveled appearance, a condescending, scrutinizing posture on his face. He scanned Ling Qingxue with a smile, his tone frivolous and carrying a hint of mockery, "Beauty, wouldn't it be better to obediently be my Human Furnace? You can save your life and help me achieve a Breakthrough in my Realm; why not do it? Why suffer like this and end up in such a state?"

"Bastard!" Ling Qingxue raised her head violently, her voice trembling slightly with anger. She stared fixedly at Zhou Liangan, monstrous rage flashing in her beautiful eyes. "Do you think you have won now? Even if I, Ling Qingxue, die, I will never be your Human Furnace!"

As her voice fell, a trace of determined coldness surged in Ling Qingxue's beautiful eyes. She held nothing back, her internal spiritual power erupting like a volcano, and a vast Killing Intent surged from her body, shooting straight into the sky.

She bit her tongue hard, and a mouthful of azure essence blood sprayed from her mouth. That essence blood hovered in the Void Realm, emitting a mysterious light, slowly reflecting the phantom of an Ice Fairy.

The phantom blocked out the sky, its entire body condensed from cold ice and Spiritual Qi, its face seven parts similar to Ling Qingxue's, yet even more holy and majestic.

Brilliant radiance flowed around the phantom, each ray of light containing terrifying power, as if it could freeze the heavens and earth.

As Ling Qingxue's spiritual power was continuously poured in, the Ice Fairy's phantom expanded and grew again, almost bursting the entire Void Realm, and the cold Aura swept in all directions, causing the temperature between heaven and earth to plummet, as if even the air were about to be frozen.

Seeing this scene, the playful smile on Zhou Liangan's face grew deeper. He gently rubbed his chin, his tone carrying a hint of appreciation. "To actually sacrifice your Lifespan to activate your Life-Bound Dharma Manifestation, beauty, you can be considered a resolute person. However, even if you sacrifice your Lifespan, you still cannot change the outcome of failure."

As his voice fell, Zhou Liangan's hands flew up and down, his fingertips quickly forming seals, and the Tianji Qiankun Technique within his body operated to the extreme.

In an instant, the radiance in the Void Realm surged again, the Eight-Armed Vajra's phantom becoming even more solid, the golden light as dazzling as the scorching sun, almost suppressing the cold light of the Ice Fairy.

Zhou Liangan threw both fists out, the Eight-Armed Vajra behind him following closely, all eight fist shadows swinging out together, each fist shadow carrying power capable of destroying the heavens and extinguishing the earth, striking fiercely at the Ice Fairy's phantom in the Void Realm.

Between the surrounding heavens and earth, a crazy, violent tremor occurred, the Void Realm shattered, the Spiritual Qi went into a riot, and the two extreme forces collided again, the radiance beginning to explode, gradually becoming so dazzling that it was impossible to look directly at it.

Feeling that terrifying, vast heavenly might, the gravity in Ling Qingxue's heart deepened again. She gritted her teeth, her internal spiritual power consumed crazily, her Lifespan also passing away rapidly, and her face became increasingly pale.

Ling Qingxue spoke as if through gritted teeth, "Damn it! Just at the Peak of the first stage of the Huagang Realm! How can he have such terrifying strength? This simply does not conform to common sense!"

Just as the two were in the midst of a fierce battle, two figures quietly appeared in the Void Realm not far away.

Two old men wearing Zhongshan suits, their faces aged but their eyes sharp, radiated the unique pressure of a Huagang Realm powerhouse.

The two looked at each other, the gravity in their eyes deepening, obviously also shocked by Zhou Liangan's strength.

"This child's invincible momentum has already formed! His strength has already exceeded the scope of the Peak of the first stage of the Huagang Realm; I fear that even if you and I joined forces, we might not be this person's match." The old man on the left said in a heavy voice, his tone carrying a hint of disbelief.

"Who is to say it isn't!" The old man on the right sighed, his brows locked tightly. "This person's strength is unfathomable, and now he is acting so high-profile, engaging in a massacre on the territory of the hidden families; I fear his ambitions are not small, and he is definitely not a thing of the pond."

The old man on the left half-squinted his eyes, his gaze falling upon the battlefield, and he spoke slowly, "This hidden family being destroyed, although they usually act perversely and are not worth regretting, looking at the current situation, this hidden family really cannot be destroyed. Once the hidden family is destroyed, this child will have no more scruples, and at that time, I fear he will stir up even greater waves."

The old man on the right nodded slightly, agreeing, "Correct! If this old man's guess is correct, this child is making such a big fanfare, slaying the hidden family's powerhouses, and humiliating Ling Qingxue, mostly to build his own reputation, thereby rallying a force to gain a firm foothold in this Cultivation World. This child likely has the ambition of a Human Emperor, wanting to unify the Cultivation World and become the Dominator of this world."

[part:gemini-3.5-flash]

As soon as these words were spoken, the expression of the elder on the left instantly turned unsightly. He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white. "Since that is the case, we cannot let him establish his authority like this. There is no time to lose; you and I must step forward to mediate this battle. We absolutely cannot let him continue being so arrogant."

The elder on the right knitted his brows into a tight frown, looking troubled. "With the fight having reached this point, I fear both sides are already genuinely infuriated. Ling Qingxue has sacrificed her Lifespan, and Zhou Liangan's Killing Intent is sky-high. Trying to mediate now won't be that simple. Moreover, that kid is coming on strong and doesn't respect anyone at all. He might not listen to our advice."

The elder on the left took a deep breath, his eyes filled with determination. "No matter. If we cannot mediate, then you and I will work together to defeat him. As powerhouses of the Official Spirit Ability Department, how can we watch this child run amok in the Cultivation World and disrupt order?"

The elder on the right nodded slightly, knowing there was no other choice now. "Under the current circumstances, I suppose this is our only option."

The two exchanged a glance and hesitated no longer. Simultaneously channeling their spiritual energy, they transformed into two beams of light and rushed straight into the battlefield.

Their speed was as fast as two bolts of lightning, reaching the edge of the battlefield in an instant.

At this moment, the phantom dharma images of the Eight-Armed Vajra and the Ice and Snow Fairy were at a standstill in the Void Realm.

The two forces constantly collided, and the turmoil between heaven and earth grew increasingly violent, as if it would collapse at any moment.

"You two, it is better to resolve enmities than to keep them alive. Cultivating the Dao is not easy; every step is fraught with difficulties and dangers. Why must you two fight to the death and end up both heavily injured? Why not stop here and each take a step back?" Standing in the Void Realm, the elder on the left spoke in a resonant voice that spread in all directions, attempting to mediate the battle.

Zhou Liangan sneered, his gaze sweeping over the two elders, a trace of disdain appearing on his face. With a thought, he conjured a giant golden hand across the distance. The hand blotted out the sky and covered the sun, carrying boundless power, and directly grabbed Ling Feng, who was not far away with a broken leg.

Ling Feng screamed repeatedly but was completely unable to break free.

"You two?" Zhou Liangan sneered, his tone cold and teasing. "This man, Ling Feng, planned to force my wife into marriage; our hatred is irreconcilable. Since you two possess such a broad-minded Heart-Nature and wish to resolve this grudge, as long as you two are willing to offer up your own wives to marry Ling Feng, this young master can let bygones be bygones and spare the Ling Family, how about it?"

As soon as Zhou Liangan said this, the expressions of the two elders above the Void Realm instantly turned extremely unsightly, and they trembled with rage.

As powerhouses ranked fourth and fifth in the Official Spirit Ability Department, they held revered statuses in the Cultivation World. When had they ever suffered such humiliation?

The old monsters watching secretly from the shadows couldn't help but chuckle secretly upon seeing the two powerhouses of the Official Spirit Ability Department suffer such a setback.

Normally, they held great awe and respect for the Spiritual Energy Department. Now, seeing the powerhouses of the Spiritual Energy Department being so humiliated by Zhou Liangan, they naturally felt delighted.

However, they also knew that of the two elders, one was a powerhouse at the Peak of the Gang Transformation Realm while the other was at the ninth stage of the Gang Transformation Realm, possessing terrifying strength. Yet, Zhou Liangan dared to provoke them like this. This courage was truly astonishing, and they couldn't help but feel a sliver of admiration in their hearts.

"Kid! It seems you truly do not understand the rules at all! Running amok in the Cultivation World and humiliating the powerhouses of our Spiritual Energy Department—today, the two of us will teach you the rules of this Cultivation World!" The elder on the left bellowed angrily and took a sudden step forward. The spiritual energy around him surged wildly, and in the Void Realm, a White Tiger phantom slowly condensed.

The White Tiger phantom was snow-white all over, with a black character for "King" on its forehead and crimson eyes. It exuded a fierce and savage Aura, being the elder's lifebound dharma image.

The elder on the right also took a step forward at the same time, the spiritual energy in his body exploding as a fiery red Vermilion Bird phantom slowly took shape.

The Vermilion Bird phantom burned with raging flames all over, its wings spreading to blot out the sky and cover the sun. The cry of the Phoenix echoed through heaven and earth, and a scorching Aura swept in all directions, echoing with the White Tiger phantom.

The two pointed forward in unison. The White Tiger and Vermilion Bird phantoms roared simultaneously, transforming into two beams of light and pouncing toward where the Eight-Armed Vajra was.

One ice and one fire, one savage and one scorching; the two forces complemented each other with astonishing power.

Seeing this, the coldness in Zhou Liangan's eyes gradually sharpened. He laughed heartily towards the sky, his tone filled with arrogance. "Good, good, good! For this young master to establish authority today, I originally felt that taking Ling Qingxue, who is only at the fifth stage of Gang Transformation, as a Human Furnace would not achieve the desired effect. I didn't expect you two to deliver exactly what I needed, coming right to my door. As powerhouses of the Spiritual Energy Department, your strength far exceeds Ling Qingxue's. If I defeat you, my prestige will surely spread throughout the entire Cultivation World. This generous gift, this young master shall accept!"

As his voice fell, Zhou Liangan held back no longer, operating the Tianji Qiankun Technique to its absolute limit.

The spiritual energy within his body surged like a river. Above the Eight-Armed Vajra, a golden sun slowly condensed. The golden sun radiated resplendent light, as dazzling as a real sun, illuminating the entire heaven and earth in a golden glow.

Within the phantom of the Eight-Armed Vajra, the uppermost palm on the left surprisingly held a star.

The star was pitch-black all over, mysterious patterns flowing across its surface. It exuded a terrifying gravitational and destructive force, as if it were a meteor plucked from the depths of the Universe.

"Go!" Zhou Liangan barked in a low voice, and the Eight-Armed Vajra violently threw the star in its hand forward.

The surrounding heaven and earth instantly lost all light, and all things changed.

The star swept through the Void Realm like a meteor at extreme speed. Wherever it passed, the Void Realm shattered, spatial rifts constantly spreading, and its terrifying Aura made heaven and earth tremble.

Seeing this scene, the pupils of the two elders and Ling Qingxue shrank abruptly. A dense layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on their foreheads, and their faces became extremely unsightly.

They could clearly feel the terrifying power contained within that star—a power sufficient to destroy everything, which was simply not something they could contend with.

In the next second, the great star crashed violently into the phantom of the Ice and Snow Fairy.

The phantom of the Ice and Snow Fairy supported itself for only an instant before being scattered by that terrifying force, turning into a sky full of ice shards and dissipating into the Void Realm.

Ling Qingxue suddenly coughed up a large mouthful of blood. Her body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the ground, unable to rise again. The depletion of her Lifespan and the shattering of her dharma image left her completely devoid of combat strength.

Meanwhile, the great star's momentum remained undiminished as it continued to smash toward the White Tiger and Vermilion Bird phantoms.

The White Tiger and Vermilion Bird phantoms let out a desperate roar, but they were completely unable to resist. In an instant, they were violently scattered by the great star, turning into a sky of spiritual light and dissipating without a trace.

Seeing this, the two elders knew in their hearts that the battle was lost.

Zhou Liangan's strength had already exceeded their cognition; the power of this great star was simply not something they could contend with.

If they did not leave now, they would likely end up staying here today, their bodies destroyed and their Dao dissipated.

Without the slightest hesitation, the two simultaneously coughed up a mouthful of blood. Using their essence blood as a guide, they unhesitatingly activated a teleportation talisman.

The teleportation talisman instantly erupted into a pillar of light that pierced through heaven and earth, connecting to an unknown space—this was precisely their life-saving trump card.

The two flew into the pillar of light. Not daring to hesitate for even a fraction of a second, they frantically manipulated the Formation, wishing to escape from this place.

Seeing this, a cold smile curled on Zhou Liangan's lips. He merged his two fingers and swung them fiercely in the direction of the pillar of light.

"Want to leave? It won't be that easy!"

Immediately after, the great star in the Void Realm, under Zhou Liangan's control, suddenly changed direction and smashed fiercely toward the pillar of light.

"Kid! If you dare do this, the official authorities will certainly not tolerate you! Our Spiritual Energy Department will surely spare no effort to slay you, and you will undoubtedly die!" One of the elders roared angrily from within the pillar of light, attempting to use the prestige of the Spiritual Energy Department to threaten Zhou Liangan.

Zhou Liangan sneered, his tone filled with disdain. "On the verge of death, yet you still dare to threaten this young master. You truly are tired of living! The Spiritual Energy Department? In my eyes, it is nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs, unable to withstand a single blow!"

As his voice fell, the great star crashed violently into the pillar of light.

Boom!

An earth-shattering roar echoed, resounding through heaven and earth and shaking people's eardrums with pain.

In that split second, the teleportation pillar of light was blasted apart and scattered. Spatial rifts spread frantically, swallowing everything around them.

At almost the exact same time, the two elders were crushed into a cloud of blood mist by the great star, without even a trace of their Divine Souls remaining, their bodies destroyed and their Dao completely dissipated.

Seeing this scene, the onlookers all around felt their hair stand on end. Cold sweat poured down their foreheads, and their bodies couldn't help but tremble slightly.

They never expected that Zhou Liangan would be so decisive in his killing, even daring to deal a fatal blow to powerhouses of the Official Spirit Ability Department, and slaying them so easily.

Daring to kill even people from the Official Spirit Ability Department, it seemed this Young Master Zhou truly possessed the ambition of a Human Emperor, not putting any faction in his eyes at all.

Everyone looked at each other, their hearts filled with immense shock. The gazes they directed at Zhou Liangan were filled with reverence and fear.

Zhou Liangan stood in the Void Realm, surrounded by golden light, as the phantom of the Eight-Armed Vajra slowly dissipated. He stood tall between heaven and earth like a god of war, his cold gaze scanning the surroundings.

Swept by his gaze, the old monsters hiding in the shadows lowered their heads one after another, not daring to meet his eyes, for fear of bringing disaster upon themselves.

With a thought, Zhou Liangan pointed and waved his hand in the next instant, shooting a strand of pure Qiankun Power from his fingertip, accurately striking into Ling Qingxue's body.

Lying on the ground, Ling Qingxue felt this Qiankun Power within her body. The force was domineering and cold, instantly sealing her Meridians and leaving her unable to channel even a shred of spiritual energy.

A despairing paleness showed on her fair and delicate face, her beautiful eyes filled with resentment and fear. Using all her strength, she struggled to spit out a single word, "No!!!"

Zhou Liangan slowly landed in front of Ling Qingxue, his evil smile sweeping over her full, graceful, and exquisite body, his eyes filled with possessiveness.

Zhou Liangan squatted down, reached out, and gently lifted Ling Qingxue's chin, his tone frivolous and carrying a hint of playfulness. "Beautiful..."