Princess Embroidered Jade held the purification elixir, staring blankly at the transformed figure for a long moment before breaking into a smile. Yep, no matter how much he changes, this blockhead is still the one she knows best. But what on earth is up with him now? Is this whole supernatural makeover doing him any harm?
Swish—The Juehuan Sword was yanked out by the Cold Jade Demon God, once and for all. Now fully formed, the divine blade was long and slender, gleaming like some celestial beam. He gripped it in his left hand, reversed, slung behind his back. Not a word, just started marching out. His movements had this stiff, mechanical rhythm—stride neither too big nor too small, fast and steady, zero hesitation, no fancy footwork, just a straight shot forward.
Step by step, his feet hit the ground—clang, chime—like the opening bars of some frosty, highbrow march (please insert your own mental soundtrack of "One-Winged Angel"). That fancy white hair fluttered in the breeze, robes swirling, and even the hem and cape dusted off ice crystals and snowflakes. The whole vibe? Less human, more like some ice-and-snow deity dropping by for a visit.
Where's he headed?
Princess Embroidered Jade, still puzzled, hurried after him—lotus steps and all—only to realize her poison injuries were totally gone. Ever since the sneak attack on Flower Shifting Palace, that Ten Evil Scattered Soul toxin had wrecked her inner strength. But today, the mess that haunted her mind was swept clean. The supreme cold energy surged, breaking through the third innate layer and racing toward the sixth.
Once she got back to the sixth innate layer, what was there to fear in this hellhole of a world?
But seriously, what’s this blockhead up to now? Did he figure something out?
Princess Embroidered Jade kept tailing him, while the Cold Jade Demon God just kept striding ahead. They left the cold star zone and entered the molten lands, passing that massive lava waterfall. Last time through, both were all nerves; this time, easy breezy. He marched straight as an arrow, like he had a GPS locked on the target. Before she could figure out what was up, the Cold Jade Demon God suddenly flicked his left hand.
A flash of icy light—Juehuan Sword shot out like a fairy’s flying blade, dead straight. Blazing fast, brutally cold, so intense it left a visible distortion in the scorching air.
CLANG—“Ah!”
Enemies are destined to cross paths; mountains and rivers will always meet again.
The Cold Jade Demon God instantly found the mechanism inside the jade zither, popped it open, and pulled out the Lotus Treasure Mirror’s sonic martial arts chapter. The zither was huge, so the stash was too—a ton of content. But the Cold Jade Demon God just flicked his eyes, scanning ten lines at a glance like a computer on turbo mode. In an instant, every trick and secret from the Lotus Treasure Mirror was downloaded straight into his brain.
A dustless mind, able to do what others cannot.
He stashed the Lotus Treasure Mirror, then barked at Princess Embroidered Jade: "Search her. Poison."
Hard to describe that voice—like a thousand pure sonatas rolled into one. Only one guy talking, but it sounded like a whole choir, every frequency in the book. The second he spoke, it had this divine, hypnotic vibe. Lady Simone’s jaw nearly hit the floor. She’d spent ages trying to master the Lotus Treasure Mirror, and this guy just glanced at it and got it all! And he was even better at it—way more refined!
Princess Embroidered Jade nodded, totally getting it. Last time, Lady Simone had messed her up big time—no way she’d let her guard down now. Sure, there wasn’t much left to hide under those ruined clothes, but who knew what sneaky poison tricks she had? If she found that Tenfold Soul-Dissolving Powder again, she’d make sure Lady Simone got a full dose—time for her to taste her own medicine!
"Come here. Stand still." Princess Embroidered Jade was as curt as the Cold Jade Demon God, waving her hand with total authority. The usually smooth-talking, scheming Lady Simone could only obediently shuffle forward for the full search.
But behind her scared face, Lady Simone’s eyes flashed with mischief. If that guy searched her, with his black-hearted, black-bellied, black-handed gentleman skills, he might actually find her secrets. But Princess Embroidered Jade? Ha! The girl was still too green, too pure! (Where is it hidden? If you get it, you get it. If you don’t, don’t ask!)
Suddenly, Lady Simone felt that sensitive spot acting up again.
While Princess Embroidered Jade searched, the icy man started playing the zither. His fingers, cold as jade, pressed the strings, plucking them with a light touch. No brute force, but the jade zither sang out with a mind-blowing resonance. Just like when he spoke, countless frequencies and voices blended, erupting in a grand symphony that rippled out in every direction.
Just that one move left Lady Simone feeling shock, anger, hate, and awe all at once—and she had to admit, the guy was good. Amateurs watch the show, pros watch the technique. Lady Simone had been stuck underground for ages, using the jade zither to scout for exits and enemies, but the place was a nightmare: wind, lava, caves, rock walls, and those random deep howls. Every time her music went out and came back, it turned into gibberish she couldn’t make sense of.
It was like taking an English listening test—every sentence sounded clear and muddled at the same time. The jumbled sounds drove her nuts, zero clues to work with.
But the Cold Jade Demon God's sound-processing powers? Way above hers.
Sound waves shot out, bounced back, and the Cold Jade Demon God strode forward without a hint of hesitation. That hard, steady pace—fast but never frantic. He was totally in control.
Lady Simone couldn’t take it anymore. Forget everything else—her pride as a sonic martial arts master was on the line. She blurted out, "What did you hear, exactly?"
The Cold Jade Demon God didn’t break stride or look back. With that signature, dazzling voice, he tossed out two words: "The target."
Lady Simone was speechless. Totally shut down.
Princess Embroidered Jade marched Lady Simone along, trailing behind the Cold Jade Demon God as he pressed forward with unstoppable force. Even when faced with lava, he just kept going—step by step, slow but steady. Wherever his feet landed, the red-hot magma froze into solid stone, dusted with a layer of frost. With every step, a rocky path opened up through the sea of lava, leaving Lady Simone so stunned her brain went blank.
It was like witnessing a bona fide miracle.
The Cold Jade Demon God played the zither as he walked, leading the two of them through twists and turns, always climbing higher. Soon they were above the lava’s surface, into cooler, more complex caves. The wind howled louder, and those booming noises overhead sounded like a fleet of bullet trains rumbling by.
“Where do these sounds and hurricanes come from?” Princess Embroidered Jade couldn’t help but ask, curiosity bubbling up.
The Cold Jade Demon God cracked his neck and explained, "Sky Dragon falls to earth, Earth Dragon soars to the sky."
"Sky Dragon falls to earth, Earth Dragon soars to the sky?" Princess Embroidered Jade and Lady Simone were no slouches; both jolted in surprise, faces full of shock.
"Wait, so all this underground wind is because of Sky Dragon falling and Earth Dragon soaring? Or, is it that the South Wasteland’s weird phenomena are all thanks to the fiery ground roasting and the wild temperature swings?!" Lady Simone’s face screamed, 'Holy crap, that’s the real answer!' She pointed overhead. "Are we under the Ninety-Nine Death Desert around the temple? Is that our exit?"
The Cold Jade Demon God didn’t reply. He suddenly stopped, swung his palm at the empty air, and endless cold gathered at his hand. Cold and heat collided, twisting the air into a distorted pancake of light and shadow. With a boom like a cannon blast, the air-pancake shot forward.
A flash of light in the void—someone appeared: Wind Supreme. He dodged the blow just in time, so no real damage, but it yanked him out of invisibility.
"Wha—" Wind Supreme barely got the words out before a blade of icy light was right in his face.
The Cold Jade Demon God, wielding the divine Juehuan Sword, struck. That sword was sharp, ruthless, merciless—like a reincarnated swordsman legend. Even Ximen Chuixue would nod in approval.
Wind Supreme let out a weird shriek, unleashing his sixth-level innate power and top-tier lightness skill. He shot backwards at warp speed.
But the Cold Jade Demon God's sword, sharp as ever, suddenly switched from hard to soft. The tip flicked in the air, and with a snap, sent a shockwave across the void—bam! It slammed right into Wind Supreme’s chest. He staggered back a dozen steps before barely steadying himself. When he looked down, his shirt was shredded, revealing a protective mirror beneath.
If he wore that mirror, you knew it wasn’t ordinary. But in the next second—crack!—the mirror spiderwebbed, shattering into a thousand pieces.
Wind Supreme stared at the Cold Jade Demon God, totally floored, and finally dropped the royal act with a curse: "What the hell are you?!"
The Cold Jade Demon God didn’t answer. He just kept walking—steady, unhurried, relentless—bearing down on Wind Supreme. That blank, emotionless stare left Wind Supreme gaping, a chill running from his heels to his scalp.
No way—in the past, this guy was the one getting wrecked by me, and now he could turn me into a punching bag! Wait, is it even the same guy? What the heck happened to flip things like this? He’s not even human anymore!
Run. I gotta run. Hit and run, guerrilla style—that’s my specialty. No way I’m taking this head-on!
Mind made up, Wind Supreme bolted, vanishing into the depths of the twisted caves.
But the Cold Jade Demon God looked totally unbothered by sneak attacks. His divine sword glowed, and he followed at a steady pace. Compared to Wind Supreme’s blink-and-you-miss-it speed, the Cold Jade Demon God was slower, but he moved with unstoppable momentum.
Lady Simone thought, This time, Wind Supreme is doomed. No way out.