Wind Wushang was about to start cursing out loud. He felt like a bug or a flea, darting around at high speed, but there was someone behind him spraying an industrial-sized can of bug spray, just mowing everything down. His stealth and sneak attacks were totally useless. That man held a zither in his left arm, plucking with his right hand, the music flowing endlessly like water, leaving Wind Wushang nowhere to hide.
The man didn’t even bother to hide his position—just follow the sound of the zither and you’d know exactly where he was. But the problem was, you couldn’t touch him, couldn’t hit him, couldn’t even find a place to start! It was like a Terminator in the night, closing in at a steady pace, making Wind Wushang feel utterly defeated.
Whoosh—a burst of sword energy shot out at lightning speed, smacking into the stone wall and leaving a deep groove. Wind Wushang pulled off a fancy mid-air spin at the very last second, barely dodging it. The sword energy grazed his side, giving him chills and goosebumps all over.
He’d just landed when he heard the sharp, rhythmic sound of footsteps—Cold Jade Demon God appeared nearby, face expressionless, raising his hand for another sword strike. As the sword swept through the air, icy and hot currents collided, a twisted flash of light marking the wall with another deep scar.
This wasn’t just discouraging—it was enough to drive him nuts! What kind of sword energy was this, anyway? It barely had any real internal force in it. Just pure cold and heat, plus some insane wrist strength, but put together, it was absurdly powerful! Wind Wushang kept running for his life. No way, this felt way too dangerous—he had to get out, and fast!
This guy’s state was so weird, it couldn’t possibly last. If he could just dodge for a while, maybe the guy would collapse on his own, like a demon self-destructing. Then he could turn things around! Luckily, even though this was underground, it wasn’t a dead end. That wretched Lady Simone actually made a good point—Heavenly Dragon Descends and Earth Dragon Ascends were both caused by these hot and cold changes. So, there had to be a way out!
Once I get outside, with my lightness skill, there’s no way you’ll ever catch me!
Wind Wushang made up his mind, no more hesitation. He zipped straight into the depths of the cave, heading for the source of the rumbling underground noise. He was so fast, like a razor slicing across water, barely feeling any resistance. And since Cold Jade Demon God only stuck to one pace, Wind Wushang figured if he really wanted to run, Cold Jade Demon God couldn’t possibly catch up.
But he was wrong.
In this twisted, confusing terrain, he was fast, sure—but he had a lot on his plate. He had to remember the path, search for an exit, dodge attacks, study the environment, hide his tracks, and make sure he didn’t burn out his inner strength. Cold Jade Demon God, on the other hand, only had one job—kill him.
One dead end, two dead ends, ten dead ends—everywhere he turned, Wind Wushang was getting more and more agitated. No, can’t panic, gotta try the next one!
Wind Wushang shot forward like a beam of light, diving into the last available space. This stone cave was huge, wide, like a giant stomach—long and fat. The air here was scorching hot and the pressure intense; just standing there felt like being crushed by a massive force.
Wind Wushang’s gut told him he’d found the right spot, but when he reached the very end of the cave—just a pile of rocks, no exit in sight.
"Aaaah—! Where is it? Where is it? Where’s the exit, for crying out loud!" Wind Wushang couldn’t hold back his frustration and roared. Just where the heck was the way out? His yell echoed through the giant cave, bouncing all around. And when his roar finally faded, he heard sharp, rhythmic footsteps coming closer—like a ghost from the underworld, out for his soul.
Wind Wushang spun around, chills running down his spine—Cold Jade Demon God was already at the cave entrance. The place was pitch black, but the Juehuan Sword glowed with its own light, not just reflecting but shining from within. That cold white glow lit up Cold Jade Demon God’s face, making him look elegant and ruthless. The same cold light hit Wind Wushang’s face, turning him ghostly pale.
After pale comes rage.
"Aaaaargh!!" Wind Wushang slashed wildly with both hands, using his hands like blades, sending out crisscrossing bursts of primordial energy. His inner power had two rare traits: invisibility—super sneaky—and sharpness—super deadly. That’s why his Death Silk Thread could slice through so many divine weapons. That’s also why his lightness skill was so fast. These primordial bursts were almost as good as the sword energy from a proper top-tier Heavenly King swordsman.
But Cold Jade Demon God didn’t flinch, swinging the Juehuan Sword right at him. Clang! Clang! Clang! A string of metallic crashes rang out as those bursts of energy were shattered to dust—totally useless.
Wind Wushang’s face twisted. His prized weapon, the Death Silk Thread, was a contact kill move. One time getting frozen by the Shifting Flower Palace was enough—he never wanted that again. So, all those flashy attacks just now were a test, to see if his inner power could break through that weird cold energy.
The result? Not looking good. Maybe it was that freaky sword, but at best, his killer move could only be used once—and only at the most critical, most desperate moment, to flip life and death!
But what now? What’s his weakness? Should I grab someone he cares about as a hostage? Sure, there are two women always trailing after him, but he obviously doesn’t care about Lady Simone. As for the other one—dammit, can anyone tell me how to instantly defeat Princess Embroidered Jade of the Bright Moon Six Realms? Forget killing her, just having her stare at me is enough pressure!
What the heck am I supposed to do!
A thousand panicked thoughts flashed through Wind Wushang’s mind in an instant, but Cold Jade Demon God didn’t care one bit. He stowed away his jade zither, gripped his sword with his left hand and clenched his right fist, closing in step by step.
Screw it—time to go all out!!
Wind Wushang’s mind exploded with focus—he was about to unleash his ultimate move: the phenomenon. Every Heavenly King-level master had their own unique phenomenon, no two alike. Even Princess Flower Shifter and Princess Embroidered Jade, sisters who trained in the same art, each had their own specialty. Wind Wushang’s phenomenon was called “Life Hanging by a Thread”—his last-ditch, do-or-die trump card.
This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^, click next page to keep reading!
Princess Embroidered Jade’s eyes narrowed—when a Heavenly King goes all out, it’s no joke. Her internal energy had recovered to the fifth level of the innate realm, and she was mentally sharp—ready to unleash her own phenomenon. She knew Jack Young wanted to take revenge with his own hands, so she’d rather not step in. But if Wind Wushang really went all out, she might have to lend a hand.
Just as the air around Wind Wushang began to surge, shimmering with a hazy glow, there was a thunderous boom—earth fire erupted below. Blistering heat flooded the cave, turning it into a pressure cooker. The air pressure shot up—five, ten, twenty atmospheres, way past what a normal human could survive. And more scorching air kept pouring in, squeezing the place even tighter.
Lady Simone screamed, her skin turning blood red—she felt like her veins and skin were about to burst. Her third-level innate energy was laughably weak in this extreme environment. Wind Wushang’s face flushed red too. He was way stronger than Lady Simone, but even he wasn’t having an easy time.
Cold Jade Demon God suddenly grabbed Princess Embroidered Jade—ice crystals spread, and a shield of freezing energy formed around her, protecting her from the crushing pressure. At the same time, he struck out with his other hand, mixing intense cold and blistering heat into a wave of air that blasted Wind Wushang away. Wind Wushang coughed up blood—he was finally hurt.
At that moment, the blockage at the end of the cave suddenly came to life. It was like a pressure cooker pushed to the limit—someone popped the release valve. Then—boom! It was like a geological cannon loaded with infinite gunpowder exploding in the chamber, the massive pressure turning into a fierce thrust, blasting all four people away at once.
Earth Dragon Ascends—activated.
The four of them shot upward, like dust sucked into a vacuum cleaner, swept up by the raging wind. Lady Simone tumbled and screamed as she flew—her lightness skill was decent, but just barely enough to keep her alive. Wind Wushang’s lightness skill was the best, riding the wild wind up and away, leaving behind a trail of cocky, "I cheated death!" laughter.
Cold Jade Demon God was the slowest. His body was strong, his cold energy powerful, but almost all his inner power was locked inside—he couldn’t use any martial arts or lightness skill. Watching Wind Wushang vanish into the distance, Cold Jade Demon God couldn’t chase after him right away.
But just then, a soft, delicate figure appeared behind him.
It was Princess Embroidered Jade. She wrapped her arms around Cold Jade Demon God’s chest from under his arms, her cheeks flushed, voice a little shy: "Don’t worry—I’ll get us up there."
Whoosh—Bright Moon energy burst forth. Princess Embroidered Jade became Cold Jade Demon God’s wings, carrying him skyward. Her lightness skill was unmatched, even better than Princess Flower Shifter’s, and in a flash she overtook the helpless Lady Simone, racing after Wind Wushang.
Bong! With a violent air shock, everything suddenly brightened—they’d burst out onto the surface. Sure enough, they were outside the temple, inside the ring of mountains, in the Ninety-nine Death Desert. When they came in, the sky was full of stars and moon, but now it was almost dawn. The tall mountains blocked the morning light, but the sky was already painted with brilliant colors.
Amid the raging winds and endless sand, a figure flew out—Lady Simone. She barely managed to escape the Ninety-nine Death Desert, tumbling down the Sunspire Pyramid’s slope. Cough, cough, cough—Lady Simone collapsed, hacking away, her long hair a wild mess. Her veil was long gone, showing off a face that was both pitiful and enchantingly beautiful.