Chapter Twelve: A Stroll on Ice, A Flash of Cold Light

East of Chang’an, within the grand residence of the eldest son of the Qi family.

A man entered a lavish, opulent chamber with calm composure. His cold, aloof eyes seemed unfocused, shadows of tranquility deep within. Black hair framed his ears, and nothing appeared capable of moving him.

He gazed at the young man writhing and groaning on the bed to his right, then knelt on one knee.

“Master, Ma Si failed in his assassination attempt—he is dead.” The words slipped from the man’s lips, cool and measured.

Had Tianming been present, he would have recognized this man as the attendant who followed Qi Lianchuang.

“Worthless! Ah—” Qi Lianchuang’s face flushed with rage as he shouted at the man kneeling below. The outburst tugged at a wound, and pain made his cries even louder.

“Kuang Zhen, did you not say that Wang Sheng had already left? That boy is nothing more than a first-tier martial artist—how could he possibly kill Ma Si, who is trained in assassination?” Qi Lianchuang gritted his teeth, voice low.

Fearing Tianming might use some strange artifact again, Kuang Zhen had suggested sending Ma Si, an expert in stealth. Though Ma Si’s cultivation was low, he should have been able to kill Tianming as long as he didn’t use his artifact. Yet, to Qi Lianchuang’s surprise, Ma Si never returned.

“I’m sorry, Master. By the time I arrived, Ma Si had been blown to pieces. I believe that youth must possess other artifacts,” the man replied, rising to his feet, his tone detached.

Kuang Zhen’s expression remained unnervingly calm, unshaken by Qi Lianchuang’s fury.

“Hmph, lies! Slap yourself!” Qi Lianchuang’s hands clenched, knuckles cracking as he barked his order.

He could feel the dissipated primordial energy within him—great hatred flared in his heart against Wang Sheng and Tianming. Wang Sheng was out of his reach, but if he couldn’t even destroy an ant like Tianming, how could he maintain his position in the Qi family?

Kuang Zhen...

At the command, Kuang Zhen did not look up at Qi Lianchuang, only lowered his head with the same impassive face.

...

“Kuang Zhen, I told you to slap yourself. Are you deaf?” Qi Lianchuang glared and roared when Kuang Zhen didn’t move.

But at that moment, a sliver of white, icy brilliance burst from Kuang Zhen’s chest.

Instantly, the surrounding world’s energy gathered and manifested, a biting cold radiating outward.

A razor-sharp, white blade erupted from the floor, a wave of cold nearly a hundred meters wide tearing the nearby buildings to ruins.

“Heaven and earth energy—? You... you hid your true cultivation!” Qi Lianchuang, flung by the blast, crawled out of the debris, bloodied and staring in shock at Kuang Zhen, who now floated in the air.

This “Kuang Zhen” was no longer the attendant he had known. Clad in flowing white, his countenance was remote and emotionless, his entire bearing transformed.

“Kill! Protect the Young Master!”

The tremendous disturbance summoned the estate guards, black-armored troops instantly surrounding the man in white.

Among them, even the weakest had reached the Qi-drawing stage, and their leader was a first-tier practitioner of the Spirit Void realm.

“Qi Lianchuang, do you truly believe these pitiful troops can stop me?” The man in white didn’t even glance at the guards, his cold gaze fixed on Qi Lianchuang.

“Kuang Zhen! The head of the family treated you so well, yet you dare betray the Young Master. It’s not too late to repent!” shouted the leader, eyes blazing with murderous intent as the world’s energy surged around him in a swirl of black and white.

“Hmph!” The man in white snorted. Ripples of icy cold spread from his feet, forcing the guards and Qi Lianchuang to the ground, shivering uncontrollably.

“Were it not for his past kindness, none of you would be alive today.”

“Yu Ze!” The man in white turned to the guard leader, his voice like frost. “I’ll kill you with a single move. Step aside while you can, or I will show no mercy.”

“Very well. Let’s see how wide the gulf between us truly is.” Yu Ze frowned, then nodded gravely.

His sword brimming with black energy, Yu Ze flicked his wrist, a surge of darkness seeping out, instantly reclaiming a swath of space.

“Stand down!” Yu Ze commanded the guards after a moment’s pause, surveying them in their armor.

“We will defend to the death!” the guards replied, voices ringing, weapons raised high, unmoving, spears pointed up at the man in white.

“Good. That’s courage, but it’s a foolish choice.”

As his icy voice echoed, the man in white vanished.

A sound like shattering ice—his dagger pierced through armor, blood blossoming like frost in the air. Chilling blade energy swept out from every direction, the last gasps of pain ringing through the hall.

In mere seconds, the man in white had slaughtered the guards.

A sudden clang—just as the man in white lunged for Qi Lianchuang, a surge of black murderous energy erupted, and a sword slashed at his throat, breaking the icy aura.

A flash of cold light—gliding on ice, the man in white shifted in midair, anticipating the interruption. Frost blossomed around his dagger, a biting wind rising, and a phantom blade of ice, a hundred meters wide, stabbed downward.

Yu Ze’s feet froze to the ground, immobilized by a swamp of icy energy, the chilling aura instantly encasing his black energy in a shell of ice.

With mounting dread, Yu Ze stomped hard, shattering the ice flowers at his feet, black energy flooding out once more.

“If that’s so, let’s end this in one move.”

“Moon-Eclipse Slash!”

Yu Ze’s sword hovered in the air as he formed seals with his hands, thick black energy swirling to his blade, taking shape.

The black, murderous aura collided with the frigid ice, the two energies sparking and clashing, freezing and shattering everything around them.

As the two clashed, Qi Lianchuang was nearly clear of the manor.

“Damn you, Kuang Zhen—once I bring my father, I’ll have you torn to pieces and fed to the dogs!” Crawling, Qi Lianchuang grinned viciously as he looked back at the battle of black and white.

Suddenly, as he scrambled out, a dagger of ice-cold chill shot toward him—inescapable.

“No, you…you can’t kill me! My father will never let you go!” Qi Lianchuang cried out in panic, feeling the frost at his back.

His father, Qi Yulang, was a third-tier master of the Void Realm, feared by most. His status meant others gave him respect, which was the foundation of Qi Lianchuang’s arrogance. Surely, he thought, even if they didn’t fear him, they would hesitate for his father’s sake.

“Hmph. Evil deeds bring their own retribution.”

The man in white sneered, shattering Yu Ze’s sword and kicking him aside.

Without sparing Qi Lianchuang a glance, he clenched his left hand, frost blossoming underfoot, and vanished on a cold wind.

A sharp crack—the ice-encased Qi Lianchuang exploded into shards as a blade of cold light struck his chest.

...

Yu Ze...

His broken sword planted in the ground, Yu Ze watched the white-clad figure drift away, and the remains of Qi Lianchuang, now beyond recognition. He stood in silence for a long time, and at last, with a sigh, he left that place of turmoil in defeat.