Silence stretched across the lands of the pocket world.
Shen Yuan and Ruo Xiulan stood facing each other, separated by barely thirty meters, neither willing to make the first move. Their breaths misted the air, the cold thick and suffocating, frost clinging to broken stone and shattered peaks. The devastation from their previous exchange still lingered like a ghost.
For several long seconds, nothing happened.
Their gazes remained locked.
Then—
Boom.
A violent surge of yin erupted from both of them at the same time.
They vanished from their positions and reappeared in the next instant, fists colliding in a thunderous clash. Yin power exploded outward, the shockwave tearing through space itself. Spiral-shaped spatial cracks formed, their edges rimmed with pale frost as the cold energy devoured everything around them.
They struck again.
And again.
Each collision sent waves of freezing qi roaring through the battlefield. Their fists, wrapped in dense yin, smashed into each other with bone-shaking force. The air screamed under the pressure, space warping violently as though their yin was affecting the akasha of the pocket world itself.
With one final clash, both were hurled backward.
Their feet skidded across the frozen ground for hundreds of steps before they came to a halt.
Shen Yuan lifted his hand and began forming seals. Yin qi surged around him, twisting into an intricate array. From its center, a blade of solid ice slowly emerged, its surface shimmering with a cold that seemed capable of freezing spirits.
He grasped the hilt.
The moment his fingers closed around it, Shen Yuan shot forward.
Ruo Xiulan's eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, she condensed her own weapon—a spear of ice, sharp and radiant. She thrust it forward just as Shen Yuan arrived.
Clang!
Sword and spear collided, producing a sickening, glass-on-glass sound that echoed throughout the pocket world.
Shen Yuan retreated ten steps, then swung his sword in a wide arc.
A massive blade of sword energy burst forth, slicing through the frozen air toward Ruo Xiulan.
She did not dodge.
Instead, she raised her spear and attempted to block.
The spear shattered almost instantly.
At the last moment, she twisted her body aside—but not fast enough. The sword energy grazed her toe, tearing through flesh. Blood spilled onto the ice as she winced, her breath hitching.
Shen Yuan did not pause.
He dashed forward again, sword of yin raised.
Ruo Xiulan gritted her teeth and formed seals at the speed of light. A defensive formation appeared around her, expanding outward into a massive bell-shaped barrier that covered her from all directions.
Shen Yuan's sword slammed into the barrier.
Clang!
The sound reverberated through the pocket world, shockwaves rippling outward, cracking space itself.
He swept his sword in an arc.
A barrage of sword energy slashes followed, crashing against the bell-like shield again and again. Each impact produced a nauseating echo, yet when the light faded, the barrier remained unbroken—without even a single crack.
Outside the pocket world, murmurs spread through the crowd. Many of the mortals watching believed Shen Yuan could not break through her defense.
"Look at that, her shield didn't even crack when he struck it! Young Master Shen's sword slashes just bounced off like hitting nothing. It's over... he's done for."
"I told you from the start! That woman's defense is like the city walls of the imperial capital—no one gets through. Shen Yuan's strong, but he's just a man. She's a goddess of war."
"Poor Shen Yuan... he's throwing everything at her, and her barrier swallows it all. Not even a scratch. My heart aches watching this. He'll be lucky to walk away alive."
Inside, Shen Yuan smirked.
He lifted one finger and pointed toward a massive cloud above them.
Then he hurled his ice sword straight into it.
He let the cloud absorb the weapon.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the cloud began to tremble violently.
Its shape distorted, folding in on itself, glowing with faint blue light. Within seconds, it transformed into a colossal, intricate array suspended in the sky.
From it, a rain of icy swords and blades poured down like a frozen storm.
Ruo Xiulan smiled faintly, assuming the result would be the same.
Her expression twisted the next instant.
The swords did not simply strike and shatter.
The moment they touched anything solid, they exploded into bursts of yin power, instantly freezing everything they struck.
She dodged as many as she could, but several detonated against her bell-like barrier, coating it in thick layers of frost. Cracks slowly spread across the shield's surface.
The rain did not stop.
The ground turned into a field of ice. Mountains froze, then shattered under the violent yin explosions. The surroundings itself seemed to collapse beneath the frozen storm.
Ruo Xiulan's barrier was now almost completely encased in frost.
She looked at Shen Yuan with a mixture of frustration and respect.
"…You sly bastard," she muttered.
Shen Yuan only smiled, it was more like a smirk than warmth.
Ruo Xiulan formed seals once more. Multiple formations appeared around her, glowing with fiery hues.
"Destruction Flame Formation!"
Beams of searing flame erupted from the arrays, shooting straight toward the center of the yin array above.
Shen Yuan narrowed his eyes. "You call me sly," he said calmly, "yet you're the clever one."
He redirected the falling icy swords toward the beams of flame.
They vaporized instantly.
The flames pierced through and struck the center of the array. Cracks spread across its surface.
Shen Yuan moved.
How could he let her break his array?
He dashed toward Ruo Xiulan and raised two fingers. A blade of condensed yin extended from them like a dagger.
She reacted instantly, coating her arm in a blade of flame and meeting his strike.
She smirked. "To make me switch to yang techniques… not many can."
Shen Yuan said nothing.
He brought his other palm forward in a crushing strike, but she saw it coming and retreated.
Outside, the crowd erupted in disbelief. Even the mortals could sense that something extraordinary had occurred.
In the elders' chamber, shock rippled through the gathered figures—especially the elder of the Sword God Sect.
"He... forced her to draw upon yang? That woman has hidden her yang affinity for centuries—her dao is rooted in yin harmony and unbreakable defense. To push her to such extremes... this boy has torn open a crack in what we all believed was flawless." Said the Sword God elder with disbelief.
Another elder added. "To compel a yin cultivator to embrace yang... that is no mere breakthrough in power. It is a violation of her very foundation. Her meridians will rebel, her dao heart will fracture under the clash. Shen Yuan didn't just force a technique change—he forced her to betray her own path. Terrifying foresight... or terrifying madness."
A faint sigh escaped the Twin Soul sect's elder's lips as he watched the projection. "I agreed to send him into that pocket world with scant faith—thinking he would at best survive, at worst provide a lesson in humility for the younger disciples. To think... he not only endured her unbreakable wall but compelled her to abandon yin purity and ignite yang. The Twin Soul Sect's name has been carried on the back of a disciple I once dismissed as headstrong and incomplete. Ke ke... the heavens mock my judgment today."
High above, on the energy platform where sect leaders gathered, Jian Weihuang turned to Xue Linghun.
"Your Shen Yuan is truly something else. Forcing Ruo Xiulan to use yang, praiseworthy."
Xue Linghun only smiled, eyes fixed on the screen.
Inside the pocket world, Ruo Xiulan condensed two spheres of flame and hurled them.
Shen Yuan's eyes glowed.
He sliced through both.
Then he shouted, "Tang Jiyan!"
Tang Jiyan appeared beside him, understanding that this was that moment, entering a trance state. Thunder dao surged as he summoned a massive thunder palm imprint. Shen Yuan mirrored him, summoning a yin palm imprint.
The two colossal palms descended.
Ruo Xiulan vanished at the last instant.
The impact shook the pocket world. White and blue light engulfed everything.
When it cleared, hundreds of thousands of kilometers had been vaporized, frozen, and shattered. One side of the land was gone; the other reduced to frozen ruin as it slowly crumbled down.
As Shen Yuan and Tang Jiyan prepared another attack, Ruo Xiulan smiled.
"I concede."
Shock rippled across the battlefield.
She bowed slightly. "Respectfully."
Shen Yuan nodded.
Liang Mang scoffed.
Even those watching from afar were stunned.
Outside, the crowd erupted—some cheering, some speechless.
"He did it! He actually did it! The Snow Fairy Sword surrendered! Shen Yuan—Shen Yuan! Our Great Ice Demon broke her! Woooo!"
"I knew it! I told you all—he wasn't done! That woman with her fancy shields couldn't handle him anymore! Cheer for Young Master Shen! Cheer loud!"
"Yes! Yes! She raised her hand! It's over—she quit! Shen Yuan wins! I can die happy now—I saw an immortal admit defeat!"
"No... no way. She quit. The Snow Fairy Sword quit. I can't even clap. My hands won't move. This... this is impossible."
"The ground shook so violently... mountains just... gone. Like a child kicked over sandcastles. Shen Yuan and Tang Jiyan—they're not immortals to me. They're disasters wearing human skin. I can't stop staring at the horizon... it's beautiful and terrifying"
Shen Yuan descended—then sensed danger through his divine sense.
He moved aside as a ray of light pierced the space he had stood in, just a second ago.
He turned toward Liang Mang.
Coldly, he said, "I have no personal grudge. Yet you tried to kill me. So now, I will kill you."
Liang Mang fled.
Shen Yuan formed seals. Frost rose, condensing into a massive illusory sword of yin. From its tip, countless smaller blades rained down.
Liang Mang conjured a barrier of light, backed against a mountain.
The swords struck.
On impact the surrounding mountains shattered. Yin qi roared.
Desperate, Liang Mang slammed his barrier into the giant illusory sword as both canceled each other out.
He threw rings of light to capture Shen Yuan.
The rings of light expanded and grabbed on to Shen Yuan.
However, in the next instant they froze and shattered.
He ran again.
Shen Yuan slammed his fist into the space toward Liang Mang.
Liang Mang suddenly felt he couldn't move, as he looked down, he saw that he had been frozen from the neck down.
Shen Yuan then appeared before him almost instantly.
Liang Mang begged.
"Shen Yuan... no—Senior Shen! I was wrong! Completely wrong! This lowly one was blind—arrogant and foolish! I swear on my dao heart, I will never cross your path again! Spare this dog's life... I beg you! I will serve as your slave, your footstool—anything! Just... don't end me here!"
Shen Yuan smiled, but it felt more colder and creepy than any of his smirks.
He grabbed his head and added agonizing pressure, as Liang Mang screamed.
Shen Yuan crushed his head in the next instant.
Blood misted the air. Blood also splattered on the ground and, toward Shen Yuan's face and hair. This made this hair look a little red.
Even Tang Jiyan and Ruo Xiulan felt uneasy.
The pocket world fell silent.
Even those standing at a distance like Zhou Xiaosi, Yan Bao, Yi An and Bai Chen felt a chill in their bones.
Outside the pocket world, many mortals shrieked at the ruthless display.
"He... he just crushed him. Liang Mang was crying for mercy one second, the next—nothing. Just red mist and frost on the ground. Shen Yuan didn't even blink. Gods... we're living in the same world as that man?"
"I can't unsee it. Begging like a dog, and Shen Yuan crushed his head like stepping on an ant. My stomach's turning. If he can do that to a cultivator... what could he do to us?"
"Did you see how fast it was? One moment Liang Mang's screaming, the next his head is crushed. Shen Yuan's not human anymore. He's... the Frost Reaper. Yeah, that's what I'll call him from now on."
"Hah... Liang Mang begged like a worm, and Shen Yuan squashed him without a word. From now on, in every tavern from here to the capital, they'll call him the Silent Executioner of Frost. Silent because he doesn't need to explain—he just kills."
"Brutal doesn't cover it. Liang Mang's blood painted the ground red before freezing black. Shen Yuan walked away like nothing happened. The crowd's already whispering, 'The Ruthless Ice Demon.' Sounds right... too right."
However, the sect elders had no much reaction as brutal killing was common among cultivators. Though, the real question was, how would the sect leader of the Sun-Forging sect would take this?