The air in the Whispering Shadowwood, already unnaturally still, grew heavy and cold. The ground beneath their feet began to frost over, the mist crystallizing into glittering dust. Leng Yue, the "Ice Prince" of the Northern Ice Palace, advanced slowly, his every step radiating an aura of absolute control and frigid arrogance. His two disciples flanked him, their expressions as blank and cold as their master's.
"You have done us the favor of clearing out the trash," Leng Yue said, his voice smooth and chilling, like ice sliding down glass. He gave the prone bodies of the Shadow Sect assassins a disdainful glance. "But the Spirit Flag is not a prize for anomalies such as you."
Jian Ming quickly assessed the situation, his mind racing. "Bu He, remember Bao's warning! His techniques don't just freeze the body; they slow the flow of energy in the veins. Do not get into a prolonged battle!"
Bu He nodded, feeling the hungry thrum of his Blood Core and the hot ache of the wound on his ribs. The exhilaration of defeating Gui Ying was rapidly being replaced by a primal sense of danger. Leng Yue's Qi was the antithesis of his own Leyna; one was cold, controlled, and refined, the other was fiery, primal, and chaotic.
Ci Ying stepped forward, a protective ring of fire dancing around her hands. Her temper, already frayed, was ignited by Leng Yue's condescending tone. "If you want the flag, you'll have to get through this fire first!"
Leng Yue actually chuckled, a sound devoid of any warmth. "A reckless flame," he said, "merely flickers for a moment before a true winter." He raised a hand, and an intricate seal of ice formed, spinning in his palm. "Ice Seal Technique: Frozen Fetters!"
A wave of profound cold radiated from the seal. It didn't just lower the temperature; it actively suppressed the energy around it. Ci Ying's flames sputtered, shrinking under the assault until they were extinguished, and the ground around her feet froze solid, trapping her boots in a layer of ice. She gasped, stumbling back as the biting cold shot up her legs. "My fire... he's suppressing it!"
"Bu He, now!" Jian Ming yelled, seeing his chance while Leng Yue was focused on Ci Ying.
Using his Traceless Burst, Bu He shot forward like a cannonball. He had to close the distance before his opponent could establish his defensive domain. He threw a punch, his body thrumming with the raw power of his Dark Ascension.
But Leng Yue was serene. He wasn't fighting; he was conducting. "Ice Mirror," he whispered. A thin, translucent wall of ice materialized from the air in front of him. Bu He's fist smashed into it, shattering it with a loud CRACK!, but the force of his blow was blunted, its momentum absorbed. That split second was all Leng Yue needed. His two disciples moved to flank Bu He, their swords gleaming with a frosty light.
Lian Hua's senses screamed a warning. "It's a trap! They're forming an encirclement!"
Jian Ming's mind was a blade. "Ci Ying, target the ground, melt the ice! Lian Hua, find the weakest moment in their Qi flow! Bu He, don't attack him directly, separate them!"
The team moved like a single mind. Ci Ying, recovering her composure, directed her fire at the ground, melting the ice and freeing their movements. Lian Hua closed her eyes, filtering out the chaos, and felt for that fractional moment when one of the disciples gathered his energy for the next technique. "Now! The one on the left!" she cried out.
Bu He changed his target, ignoring Leng Yue and charging the disciple Lian Hua had indicated. Caught off guard, the disciple was forced to break his attack to defend himself. The Ice Palace's perfect formation was broken.
For the first time, a flicker of annoyance crossed Leng Yue's perfect features. This messy, heretical team was adapting to his refined tactics with unexpected efficiency. "Stubborn insects," he hissed. "Then I shall freeze you all together!"
He began to form a much larger ice seal, the moisture in the air condensing and freezing around him. The temperature in the clearing plummeted dangerously.
Bu He knew this was the critical moment. He remembered Bao's words: 'Don't let him slow your blood.' He called upon the hunger and pain in his core, focusing all that suppressed chaos into a single point. The wound on his ribs began to bleed again, but this time, the blood steamed in the cold air.
"Jian Ming," he called out. "Buy me one second."
Jian Ming understood. He threw the small talisman Fen had given him at the fire of the forsaken—the talisman of hope. 'Open a new path,' he thought. The talisman erupted in a brilliant, disorienting flash of light, forcing Leng Yue to flinch for the briefest of moments.
It was one second.
Bu He channeled all his power into his legs. He used his Traceless Burst not towards Leng Yue, but upwards. He launched himself into the air, soaring above the frozen ground. Looking down, he saw Leng Yue, momentarily blinded, his attention divided as he prepared his ultimate attack.
Defying gravity, Bu He propelled himself downward, his body like a crimson meteor. "The Earth's Defiance!" he roared.
Leng Yue looked up in shock. It was too late to shift his defense. Bu He, with both feet together, descended with all his weight and power, landing squarely in the center of the delicate ice seal Leng Yue was forming.
CRACK-BOOM!
The ice exploded like a sheet of shattered glass. Raw, primal force met refined Qi art and utterly annihilated it. The resulting shockwave of energy and ice shards sent both teams flying backward.
When the mist cleared, Bu He was standing, panting and exhausted, but upright. Across the clearing, Leng Yue was on one knee, a trickle of blood escaping his lips, his eyes filled with absolute disbelief. His perfect, cold world had just been shattered by crude, savage force.
The battle was not over, but the balance had shifted. And in the Whispering Shadowwood, everyone had learned that the Heretic Vein could not only survive, but it could also break the pride of the purest talent.