Volume 3 Chapter 42

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Volume 3 Chapter 42: Hatred

At the moment the protective barrier shattered, Xu Qingfan and the others felt an icy chill sweep over them. Even with Spirit Qi shielding their bodies, they felt a biting cold like needles piercing them. The ground beneath them quickly formed a layer of frost, which visibly grew thicker and larger.

Behind Xu Qingfan and the others, Feng Qingtian’s flames—which had just calmed down—flared intensely again when the cold hit, as if the chill had ignited them. The area around Feng Qingtian was the only ground not touched by frost within a hundred yards.

Seeing Xu Qingfan and the others easily dodge her attack, the woman in white from White Lady Palace frowned slightly, and her gaze grew more spiteful. Realizing that her ice spear and snowball spells wouldn’t injure them easily, she softly called to the two women beside her, "Ice Storm."

After speaking, the woman in white ignored the angry shouts of surprise from Xu Qingfan and the others. She retreated behind the two women, her expression returning to its usual calm. She closed her eyes and made a series of complex hand gestures. The cold aura around her diminished as if she was drawing it back into herself.

Feeling the increasing pressure from the woman in white, Xu Qingfan knew she was preparing a powerful spell to annihilate them in one strike. Confusion mounted in his heart as he couldn’t understand the deep grudge that the White Lady Palace held against him, prompting such ruthless actions.

The other two women, upon hearing the white-clad woman’s words, ceased their ice spear and snowball attacks. With a change in their hand gestures, the ice spears and snowballs before them vanished, transforming into a fierce icy wind filled with countless snowflakes, rushing towards Xu Qingfan and the others.

For a moment, Xu Qingfan and the others felt as if they were in the midst of an arctic blizzard, facing intense snowstorms.

Xu Qingfan had intended to use his speed advantage to swiftly capture the three women and question them, but he hadn’t expected the change in their tactics.

The fierce, powerful winds made it nearly impossible for Xu Qingfan to move against it, severely slowing him down. The sharp snowflakes within the wind could easily shred the body if one wasn’t cautious, demonstrating the terrifying power of the spell called "Ice Storm."

For a moment, Xu Qingfan, Jin Qinghan, and Lv Qingshang were completely overpowered by the Taoist techniques of the two White Lady Palace disciples.

If it were only the "Ice Storm" to deal with, Xu Qingfan and the others wouldn’t be too concerned. They knew that although powerful and troublesome, a large-scale technique like "Ice Storm" consumes a lot of Spirit Qi and can’t be maintained for long. They could simply defend for a while until the opponents were exhausted and win without fighting.

Meanwhile, the Taoist spell of the woman in white behind the two was nearing completion.

Under her control, a beast formed of solid ice was gradually taking shape.

The creature stood nearly ten feet tall, eight feet long, with a lion’s head, snake’s body, bull’s horns, and a horse’s tail, covered in snow-white fur. Its exposed skin was crystal clear, reflecting a dangerous rainbow light in the sun. It resembled the ancient Mythical Beast "Huai She" from legends, known for controlling ice and snow.

Seeing the Huai She take shape, Xu Qingfan and the others turned pale, recalling Immortal Mo Han’s famous technique, "Frostfall!" They never expected the young woman in white to perform it and could only describe her as a prodigy.

Although "Frostfall" was incredibly powerful, one of the strongest techniques known, it had a major drawback: it took a long time to cast. But with the two White Lady Palace disciples using "Ice Storm" to delay Xu Qingfan and the others, preventing them from interrupting the spell, this flaw wasn’t really a flaw anymore.

The woman in white casting such a destructive spell showed their determination to kill the group from Jiuhua Mountain.

"Why are you being so ruthless, three Taoist friends from the White Lady Palace? Are you behind the recent disappearances and deaths of the disciples on Huandao Island?" Lv Qingshang asked coldly, suspecting a possibility.

Upon hearing Lv Qingshang’s words, the three disciples of the "White Lady Palace" opposite them were all filled with anger. One woman, who was casting "Ice Storm," couldn’t help but shout angrily, "You thieves of Jiuhua Mountain, are you trying to shift the blame because your ambush failed? It was clearly you who attacked us before. No matter how eloquent you are today, I will avenge my two elder martial sisters!"

As she spoke, the snow and ice that Xu Qingfan and the others faced grew even stronger.

Since the moment the White Lady Palace disciples attacked them without a word, Xu Qingfan, like Lv Qingshang, suspected that the disappearance and injuries of many disciples on Huandao Island could be attributed to them, or at least had a significant connection with them. Therefore, Xu Qingfan had not questioned them further, believing that during a life-and-death struggle, such explanations were pointless.

But seeing the reaction of the White Lady Palace disciples now, particularly their genuine expression of grief and anger, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to the story. Could there be a hidden truth?

Yet, noticing the murderous intent and agony in the eyes of the three White Lady Palace disciples, Xu Qingfan knew that now was not the right time for explanations, especially as the form of Huai She was taking shape beside the woman in white. Any explanation would merely be a waste of time.

At this point, Jin Qinghan and Lv Qingshang’s Spirit Qi had not yet recovered, and Feng Qingtian’s transformation was still incomplete, leaving him unconscious. Relying solely on himself, Xu Qingfan had no confidence that he could withstand the renowned "Frostfall" skill of the "White Lady Palace."

"I must capture them first, and then we can question them," Xu Qingfan sighed quietly to himself.

With this thought, Xu Qingfan softly said to Jin Qinghan and Lv Qingshang, "Senior Brother Lv, Junior Brother Jin, first join forces to block this ‘Ice Storm.’ I’ll try to capture the three of them."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Jin Qinghan and Lv Qingshang nodded slightly and increased their defensive efforts, filling Xu Qingfan’s position. Xu Qingfan took the opportunity to step forward, standing behind his two companions like the woman in white, closing his eyes and concentrating. His fingers moved rapidly like blooming orchids, creating a flurry of shadows to the onlooker.

The Spirit Qi within Lv Qingshang and Jin Qinghan had yet to fully recover, and they couldn’t hold out much longer against the combined "Ice Storm" attack by the two Lingji Stage disciples. Meanwhile, the "Frostfall" cast by the woman in white was nearing completion, leaving Xu Qingfan with little time.

Finally, just before the woman in white completed her "Frostfall" spell, Xu Qingfan’s eyes suddenly widened, a bright gleam flashed within them, and he braced his hand against the ground, softly commanding, "Rise!"

At the moment Xu Qingfan’s voice fell, the "Huai She" beside the woman in white took form. However, just as it was about to attack Xu Qingfan and the others, it suddenly paused. Beneath the feet of the two younger martial sisters casting "Ice Storm," two "Bloodsucking Vines" emerged from the ground, quickly entangling them, with sharp thorns upon the vines pressing against their throats.

These were "Bloodsucking Vines" conjured by Xu Qingfan.

In the past, when using the 《Wither and Flourish Protocol》 to create plants, Xu Qingfan transformed the two qi of Wither and Flourish into seeds of various exotic flowers and grasses between his fingers, then formed them into plants for attack. However, three years ago, while battling the Twelve Demon Generals under Naxiu in the Southern Wasteland, Xu Qingfan had a sudden idea. He began channeling the two qi of Wither and Flourish through the earth to his enemy’s feet before transforming them into various plants for attack. This attempt proved extremely effective, with many of the Twelve Demon Generals falling victim to this move.

Now, after three years of persistent practice and exploration, Xu Qingfan had significantly refined this technique.

Yet, through experimentation, Xu Qingfan discovered several drawbacks. Compared to using the usual method to transform plants, this technique required several times more time and Spirit Qi, suffered from a greatly reduced attack range, and was extremely difficult to control. Any miscalculation could lead to failure and backlash.

Most importantly, cultivators are highly attuned to the changes in Spirit Qi around them. This technique could be easily detected in advance by opponents sensitive to Spirit Qi fluctuations, making it suitable mainly for sneak attacks.

At that moment, the two disciples from the White Lady Palace were blinded by hatred, focusing solely on bringing Xu Qingfan and the others to ruin. They ignored the changes in Spirit Qi around them, giving Xu Qingfan the perfect opportunity to strike.

"What do you want?" The woman in white, seeing her two younger martial sisters being subdued by Xu Qingfan, hesitated to attack because her spell "Huai She" was ready, but feared hurting them. She glared at Xu Qingfan and asked through gritted teeth.

Seeing his plan succeed, Xu Qingfan sighed with relief and walked slowly to the two women he had subdued. He gently asked the woman in white, "I am Xu Qingfan from Jiuhua Gate. May I ask how to address this younger martial sister?"

"Gong Qingya," the woman in white replied coldly.

After hearing Gong Qingya’s response, Xu Qingfan smiled slightly and then asked, "Martial Sister Gong, I think there must be some misunderstanding between us. Earlier, I heard your younger martial sister say we attacked you before. When was this?"

"Hmph, are you denying what you’ve done? Or are you trying to distract me because my spell is ready, planning to attack again?" Gong Qingya asked coldly, clearly ignoring Xu Qingfan’s words.

"Martial Sister Gong, don’t worry about us. If you are threatened by them, we’re all doomed. Hurry and use ‘Frostfall’ to kill them all and avenge the younger martial sisters!" shouted one of the girls subdued by Xu Qingfan, disregarding the sharp spike gleaming with a green hue by her neck.

"Yes, Martial Sister Gong, don’t worry about us. As long as you avenge the younger martial sisters, you can do whatever it takes. Quickly, strike them down," the other woman shouted.

Xu Qingfan sighed slightly, knowing that with these two women causing trouble, his conversation with Gong Qingya couldn’t proceed smoothly. So, he pointed gently at the two women, intending to make them unconscious temporarily and release them once everything was explained.

Just as Xu Qingfan’s finger was about to touch the two women, the furious voice of an elderly woman suddenly rang in Xu Qingfan’s ear.

"You dare, young man!"

This voice contained incredibly strong Spirit Qi, making Xu Qingfan feel like a thunderclap had exploded beside him, causing his insides to churn and preventing him from pointing his finger any further.

At the same time, nearly a hundred cultivators at the Condensed Core Stage swiftly flew in on clouds, arriving beside Xu Qingfan and the others in an instant.

The sect leaders and elders who departed from Zhantai two days ago finally arrived at this moment.