The Old Blood Demon Hand and the Old Snow Demon Ice stared at Xiao Hua with gloomy, heavy expressions. They could hardly believe he had arrived here—undetected, no less.
"Why are you here?" the Old Snow Demon Ice asked, his voice trembling with horror and fear.
"What do you think?" Xiao Hua replied with a faint smile of disdain, a mocking glint flashing in his eyes.
Zoom!
As he spoke, a blurry figure suddenly appeared before him. Lifting his gaze, he saw the Old Blood Demon Hand materialize with a savage expression.
Xiao Hua responded with only a faint smile. He casually lifted his foot—and struck the Old Blood Demon Hand with it.
The Old Blood Demon Hand was caught off guard. Though the movement seemed slow, the foot had already appeared before him. He hastily raised his arms and forcefully received the kick.
Bang!
"Gah!" A pained groan escaped his lips as he was sent staggering several steps back. Though the strike looked effortless, the force behind it was overwhelmingly powerful.
'What monstrous strength! How can an alchemist possess such a terrifying physical body!?'
"Stop asking pointless questions, Old Snow! If we don't act now, he'll kill us both!" the Old Blood Demon Hand shouted. From that single clash, he understood—he was no match for Xiao Hua. He needed help.
"I know!" the Old Snow Demon Ice shouted. Both of his arms curled inward as a shockingly cold aura surged around him, swiftly churning the air and forming numerous razor-sharp ice spears, each shrouded in a misty white fog.
"Go!"
The ice spears began to spin wildly at high speed. A chilling glint flashed in the Old Snow Demon Ice's eyes. With a flick of his finger, the spears shot forward like lightning, tearing through the air toward Xiao Hua.
Each spear gleamed with a deadly cold light, targeting multiple vital points on Xiao Hua's body. Whether they were lethal or not, the Old Snow Demon Ice was determined—Xiao Hua would be injured.
"Heh." Xiao Hua let out a cold laugh as he faced the incoming spears. In response to the incoming spears, a surge of brilliant deep-purple flames burst forth from his body. Within the flames danced tiny embers of royal-purple fire and faint sparks of violet lightning, crackling with destructive power.
As the deep-purple flames rose around his body, the temperature of the entire area surged relentlessly. With a casual wave of his hand, the flames condensed into a majestic purple dragon that roared forth, colliding head-on with the Old Snow Demon Ice's ice spears.
Crack!
The instant the dragon met the spears, there was no thunderous explosion—only the brittle sound of shattering ice. The spears broke apart instantly, reduced to countless shards of ice, as though fragile glass had struck an unyielding mountain.
The brilliant flame dragon remained completely unaffected by the icy shards. Its body surged forward with overwhelming momentum, heading straight toward the two old men like an unstoppable force of nature.
Seeing the approaching ferocious purple dragon, the expressions of the Old Blood Demon Hand and the Old Snow Demon Ice turned grim.
Without hesitation, they retreated rapidly. Their Dou Qi erupted violently from their bodies, surging out without reservation. In sync, they formed complex hand seals as desperate cries burst from their mouths.
"Snow Devil Crushing Ice!"
"Demonic Blood Yin Method!"
As their shouts echoed through the air, the two elders brought their palms together. A dense, blood-colored Dou Qi erupted from the Old Blood Demon Hand's body, saturating the surroundings with a thick, iron-like scent. At the same time, a cold, misty Dou Qi surged from the Old Snow Demon Ice, dropping the temperature sharply and causing countless snowflakes to swirl into existence.
"Snow Demon Bloody Asura!"
In an instant, their Dou Qi gushed outward, intertwining and merging into one. The crimson, blood-soaked aura fused with the frigid, icy mist, forming a towering red crystal demon. A wrathful expression was carved into its face, its body radiating both chilling frost and violent bloodlust.
The two elders thrust their fists forward in unison, commanding the towering red crystal demon to move. In response, the crystal demon swung its massive fist, colliding fiercely with the oncoming purple dragon.
Bang!
A muffled thunderclap echoed across the area as the two forces clashed, stirring the air into a violent storm. The ground trembled, and a moment later, the purple dragon was gradually pushed back—until it finally shattered under the overwhelming force of the crystal demon's strike.
Though a brief joy flickered in their hearts, the Old Snow Demon Ice and the Old Blood Demon Hand didn't dare relax. They knew this was far from over. As long as the young man before them still lived, their fate was sealed. If they failed to kill him here, they would be hunted like dogs, no matter how far they ran.
"Go!"
In response to their roars, the snow-red crystal demon's fist surged forward once more, carrying with it an unrelenting momentum and devastating force.
Yet Xiao Hua remained still—calm as a mountain beneath the storm. His robe fluttered gently in the violent wind, utterly unfazed by the monstrous fist descending upon him.
As the colossal strike descended, he slowly exhaled. He raised his hands with calm grace, and a serene light surfaced in the depths of his eyes.
"Through one million reincarnations, I have come to comprehend a technique that once existed only in theory—conceived by Sister Xin Yu. Today, I shall offer the two of you as sacrifices to it."
As his indifferent voice echoed, five flames suddenly erupted from Xiao Hua's hands. The flames quivered, then slowly merged together.
A ripple surged through the air—and the void itself. A blinding light flashed... then vanished.
In that instant, all movement ceased.
The flames were gone. Not a single spark remained. Yet the space before him had begun to bend and distort.
There it was—an unnatural stillness. A ripple without sound. A mirror unseen, yet felt deep within the marrow of existence.
The Old Snow Demon Ice and the Old Blood Demon Hand felt a sudden chill grip their hearts. There was nothing visible before them—yet their instincts screamed. Their hearts pounded wildly, and an overwhelming sense of danger surged through their veins.
Something was there. And yet... nothing was.
But they couldn't halt their attack now. Even if they wanted to, it would change nothing. The only path to survival was to kill the young man before them. Steeling their resolve, they pressed on, letting the enormous crystal fist descend.
Crack!
The moment the fist struck, a sharp sound echoed through the air—like glass shattering. A deep crack split the void itself, and from within it emerged... another Snow Demon Bloody Asura.
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
It was identical in every way to their technique. From its form and aura to the fluctuation of its energy—everything was perfect, down to the last detail. There wasn't a single flaw or difference.
It was a flawless mirror... a terrifying reflection born from something beyond comprehension.
What was even more terrifying was the two figures standing beneath the mirrored Snow Demon Bloody Asura—a replica of themselves. Formed entirely from Dou Qi, and yet... that Dou Qi unmistakably belonged to them.
"What is that technique?!" the two shouted in unison, voices filled with shock and fear.
But no answer came.
They immediately attempted to establish a connection with the replicas, trying to control them through their shared Dou Qi. Yet the replicas remained unmoved—unresponsive to any command—despite possessing the exact same aura, presence, and energy signature as their own.
Boom!
The fists of the two crimson-red crystal demons collided with a deafening roar. In the next instant, both shattered into countless fragments, exploding like glass under unbearable pressure.
"Grugh!"
A violent backlash erupted through the bodies of the Old Snow Demon Ice and the Old Blood Demon Hand, flinging them across the rugged mountain range. Agonizing pain coursed through their meridians as they crashed into the ground.
The recoil was overwhelming—far beyond what should have been possible. It felt as if the backlash they suffered was twice the normal intensity, leaving them screaming in disbelief and confusion.
Meanwhile, Xiao Hua stood unharmed—completely untouched by the devastating strike or the backlash of his own technique. He silently watched as the two old men were flung through the air, crashing violently onto the ground like broken dolls.
With a faint smile, he stepped forward—and in the blink of an eye, his figure vanished. He reappeared before the two bloodied and weakened elders, gazing down at them with cold indifference.
He could clearly sense their life force slowly leaking away. Their bodies were covered in blood, breathing ragged and labored, faces twisted in pain and despair.
The Old Snow Demon Ice and the Old Blood Demon Hand gritted their teeth in frustration. How could someone so young wield such terrifying power?
As the Old Snow Demon Ice's mind raced, desperately trying to find a way out of this hopeless situation, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind. It was the Old Blood Demon Hand.
"Old Snow Demon Ice, buy me some time! I can tear open space and take us both away!"
"Are you sure?" Old Snow Demon Ice asked quietly, casting a sidelong glance at Old Blood Demon Hand.
When he saw the latter nod with a solemn expression, he took a deep breath. Naturally, he didn't fully trust him—but what other choice did they have in the face of such overwhelming despair?
"I can buy you half an incense stick's worth of time, so make it quick!" Old Snow Demon Ice muttered grimly.
He retrieved a handful of recovery pills and swallowed them without hesitation. Moments later, the effects kicked in—his injuries stabilized, and his Dou Qi began to recover at an accelerated pace.
Then, his Dou Qi erupted like a storm, bursting forth from his core. A layer of jagged ice formed beneath his feet—and in the blink of an eye, his figure vanished without a trace.
Xiao Hua watched his disappearance with a cold smirk. Without moving from his place, a mighty five-colored Dou Qi surged from his body. With a casual swing of his palm, he struck toward the empty space on his right.
As Xiao Hua swung his palm, Old Snow Demon Ice suddenly reappeared before him, his fist encased in jagged ice shards as it shot forward with deadly force.
Bang!
The icy fist collided with the palm wreathed in five-colored Dou Qi. A muffled thunderclap echoed through the air, followed by a violent shockwave that shattered the ground below and caused the air itself to tremble.
Old Snow Demon Ice's body jolted violently from the impact before being hurled backward. He staggered through the air, retreating over a thousand steps before finally managing to halt himself. His expression was grim, his breath heavy.
He slowly raised his head to look at Xiao Hua—and in the next instant, his pupils constricted.
Xiao Hua was still standing in the exact same spot, unmoving. Not a step back, not a scratch on him—only a faint, casual smile playing on his lips.
He had expected this outcome, so he wasn't surprised. After all, he already knew that the young man possessed a monstrous physical body—he would never dare to challenge him head-on in terms of raw strength.
But there was a reason for his reckless charge: to create distance between himself and this terrifying youth.
Suddenly, a loud, boisterous laugh echoed through the air.
"Hahaha! It's finally complete!" The triumphant voice of the Old Blood Demon Hand came and goes.
Old Snow Demon Ice turned to look and saw that the old man had finished his preparations to escape—though clearly, only for himself.
"Haha! Old Snow Demon Ice, thank you for your efforts! Once this old man escapes, I'll be sure to remember your valiant sacrifice!" he sneered.
Right after his mocking words, a torrent of blood surged out from his body, encasing him in a cocoon of viscous crimson liquid. As the blood wrapped tightly around him, the surrounding space began to distort violently.
However, the actions of the Old Blood Demon Hand came as no surprise to either Xiao Hua or Old Snow Demon Ice. Neither of them was foolish enough to believe that the crooked old man would willingly expend more energy to escape with someone else.
"Encasing Ice Seal!"
Thus, the moment Old Blood Demon Hand's shrill laughter echoed, drawing Xiao Hua's attention, Old Snow Demon Ice swiftly waved his hand. A frigid surge of icy energy gathered around Xiao Hua and, with a rapid hand seal, solidified into a massive block of ice, sealing him within.
Wasting no time, Old Snow Demon Ice turned and fled into the distance.
This had been his plan all along—to clash with Xiao Hua and create enough distance for an escape. He had known that Old Blood Demon Hand would try to use him, and so he decided to use that betrayal against him.
Compared to himself, Xiao Hua was much closer to Old Blood Demon Hand. If forced to choose, Xiao Hua would undoubtedly pursue the old traitor. And with Xiao Hua occupied, Old Snow Demon Ice believed he could escape far enough and conceal himself—he was even prepared to hold his breath like a terrified child, waiting for the storm to pass.
Yet as he flew at full speed, a horrifying realization slowly dawned upon him.
No matter how long he flew, the distance between himself and Xiao Hua did not change.
His body halted abruptly in midair. Slowly, his expression tensed as he turned around—dread tightening his chest like a vice.
There, Xiao Hua stood, gazing at him with a faint smile. The sealing technique hadn't delayed him for even a second. Old Snow Demon Ice's gaze instinctively shifted to Xiao Hua's back.
Behind him, two pairs of phoenix wings unfolded.
One pair shimmered with vibrant colors, crackling with lightning and surging with wind energy. The other radiated with majestic hues of crimson and molten gold, burning with a graceful, divine brilliance.
Yet, what seized Old Snow Demon Ice's attention wasn't the beauty of the wings. It was the ripple of energy pulsing from Xiao Hua's body.
"Is that… spatial strength…?" He muttered, voice trembling with disbelief.
Suddenly, the distorted space around the blood-red cocoon froze, then began to unravel—melting away like wax before flame. The form of Old Blood Demon Hand was slowly revealed, his face twisted in shock.
"I-Impossible…" He whispered, horror and disbelief thick in his voice. His expression grew increasingly pale with every passing second.
Unlike Old Snow Demon Ice, he had used a true spatial escape technique. That's why he understood all too well—at this moment, the space within several hundred meters had been completely sealed.
All of this was done by that smiling young man.
Xiao Hua wasn't the least bit surprised by the actions of the two old men—in fact, he had anticipated them from the very beginning.
Once one's soul reached the Spiritual State of the Perfect Heavenly Realm, reading the emotions and intent within another's heart became effortless.
Naturally, he had seen through the true intentions of both Old Snow Demon Ice and Old Blood Demon Hand. Yet he chose to play along, for he knew that regardless of their schemes, neither of them could take a single step beyond a hundred meters from this place.
"Any more tricks?" Xiao Hua asked calmly, his tone light and disinterested.
It wasn't a taunt, nor a threat—just a simple question. He didn't care whether they had anything left. To him, it was already time to end this battle.
"Old Blood Demon Hand! Stop holding back! This bastard won't let us live, no matter what!" Old Snow Demon Ice roared, pushing aside the matter of betrayal for another day.
"Fine!" Old Blood Demon Hand growled through gritted teeth, his tone sharp and resolute.
The two swiftly began forming a flurry of intricate hand seals. As they did, an overwhelming surge of Dou Qi erupted from their bodies, causing the surrounding natural energy to stir, grow restless—and then erupt into chaos.
Snowflakes began to drift around Old Snow Demon Ice as the temperature plummeted sharply. Within a few breaths, a thick layer of ice coated the ground, spreading out over several meters, turning the battlefield into a frozen domain.
Meanwhile, a dark red rain poured down around Old Blood Demon Hand. The air grew heavy with the stench of blood—metallic, nauseating, and oppressive. In mere moments, the blood pooled beneath his feet, forming a crimson lake that churned ominously with sinister energy.
Xiao Hua merely watched the commotion, his expression utterly calm—unshaken by the mounting storm of energy before him. Without hesitation, he tore apart the Tribulation Lotus Flame. Instantly, it split into two forces: a cluster of emerald-green flames and a tempest of golden lightning.
Then, with calm expression, he brought his hands together. The Primordial Green Lotus Flame and the Heavenly Tribulation Lightning clashed—force against force, flame against lightning.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the two primordial forces met, the space around Xiao Hua trembled violently. Ripples surged outward as muffled thunder echoed endlessly from the clash of these two terrifying forces.
At almost the same moment, all three cultivators completed their techniques.
"Snow Ice Collapsing Avalanche!"
With a deafening roar, Old Snow Demon Ice called out his technique. The frozen ground beneath him rumbled. In the next instant, the snow and ice retreated briefly—only to rise skyward, forming a towering, hundred-meter avalanche surging toward Xiao Hua.
The frigid energy radiating from the avalanche was so intense that even the air itself froze solid in its wake. Compared to the Old Ground Demon Ghost Xiao Hua had previously battled, this power was clearly on equal footing.
"Blood Corrosive River!"
As Old Blood Demon Hand cried out loud, faint ripples began to stir within the dark-red river that reeked of blood and rot. The ripples spread outward, growing stronger and more violent by the second. Suddenly, the river surged forward like a tidal wave, sweeping ferociously toward Xiao Hua.
This sinister river carried a terrifying corrosive and freezing effect, especially deadly to those who cultivated fire-affinity techniques. Even if one survived its onslaught, their body would be severely eroded, requiring an excruciatingly long recovery.
Meanwhile, a smooth, round orb hovered silently above Xiao Hua's palm—radiating with golden-green light. Gentle ripples pulsed from the orb's surface, vanishing into the air as quietly as they came. Xiao Hua stared at the orb for a moment, then slowly lifted his gaze.
Before him loomed a towering avalanche of snow and ice, so cold it froze the very air in its wake.
Behind him surged a blood river, corroding everything in its path with murderous force.
He stood calmly at the center of annihilation, caught between two cataclysmic forces.
Then, at the same time, Xiao Hua's consciousness surged inward, locking onto the deep connection that had manifested between him and the orb—the result of forming the Heaven Breaking Sphere. As his awareness reached the core of that link, a vast and majestic surge of spiritual strength rapidly gathered.
In the blink of an eye, a ghostly figure materialized before him—it was another Xiao Hua.
This was a Spiritual Avatar, a manifestation only achievable by those whose soul had reached the Perfect Heavenly State.
With a single glance, the avatar attuned itself to the link. In response, two powerful flames surfaced before it—the Glazed Soul Flame and the Thousand Immortal Flame.
In the past, this feat had been impossible. He had been too weak. More importantly, his soul had not yet reached the Perfect Heavenly State. Without it, he had failed to form a complete avatar capable of linking with the Heaven Breaking Sphere.
Now, the spiritual avatar extended its hands. With a swift motion, it tore apart the Glazed Soul Flame and the Thousand Immortal Flame.
Now, however, the Spiritual Avatar moved swiftly. It tore the Glazed Soul Flame apart, transforming it into a cluster of invisible flames and a raging storm of blue lightning. The Thousand Immortal Flame followed—splitting into a mass of purple flames and a tempest of violet lightning.
Soon after, the Spiritual Avatar stepped into the link, and the pitch-black world around it faded—replaced by a golden-green realm glowing with ethereal brilliance.
Within this world, the avatar brought the two flames and their respective lightning essences closer. As they neared, powerful fluctuations rippled through the space. Moments later, the fusion was complete—forming a radiant amethyst sphere, pulsing with concentrated energy.
Without hesitation, the avatar absorbed the amethyst sphere and merged with it. Immediately afterward, the avatar dissolved, leaving behind the amethyst sphere, which emitted a quiet, yet profound, spiritual fluctuation.
Then, the sphere scattered—its essence spreading across the golden-green world. Slowly but surely, the two realms merged into one harmonious whole.
Xiao Hua felt the merging complete in that very instant. As his consciousness returned, he opened his eyes—astonished by how such a monumental process had occurred in a mere heartbeat within the outside world.
Without a word, he calmly flicked the golden-green orb toward the sky, completely unfazed by the roaring avalanche of snow and ice ahead of him, or the rushing blood-red river surging from behind.
The golden-green orb expanded to nearly ten feet in diameter before a sharp crack split its surface. From within the fissure, a figure slowly emerged—its entire body sculpted from glowing amethyst crystal, radiating a golden-green light. Though it bore Xiao Hua's form, its face lacked any distinct features—an ethereal silhouette of him, both divine and ominous.
As the figure fully stepped out, Xiao Hua's cold voice echoed across the land.
"Let the living hear the roar of the world... Second Strike—Fury of the World!"
AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!
The silhouette clenched its crystal jaw, then opened its mouth wide. A soul-piercing, earth-shattering, sky-tearing roar erupted forth—so intense it seemed to tear the very fabric of the world. In an instant, the sound transformed into a visible wave of four-coloured energy, laced with spiritual fluctuations, as if rage itself had taken form.
The roar surged outward like a thunderstorm, the silhouette at its epicenter. Sonic shockwaves exploded in every direction, violently distorting space, pulverizing the ground, and tearing open the sky. The air trembled. The world screamed back. And the fury did not stop—it spread like lightning, relentless and all-consuming.
The ice-snow avalanche, surging with overwhelming force, and the blood river, gushing forth with sinister momentum, both halted and trembled the moment they collided with the roaring sonic waves.
Crack! Grug!
A sharp crack echoed from within the snow-white avalanche, followed by a low, gurgling sound from the blood-red river. In the next instant, the avalanche collapsed into a mere heap of snow, while the river fragmented into countless droplets of blood—both vanishing into nothingness.
Yet, the sonic waves did not cease. They surged forward, unrelenting and destructive.
A heartbeat later, the waves crashed mercilessly into the figures of the Old Snow Demon Ice and the Old Blood Demon Hand.
Crack!
Faint fractures spread across their bodies as a trembling crackle emerged from within. Their souls, unable to withstand the spiritual fury, began to disintegrate.
Realizing what was happening, a flicker of regret and unwillingness flashed in their eyes—but before even a final word could leave their lips, their bodies and souls shattered, vanishing completely into oblivion.
After their deaths, with a mere thought from Xiao Hua, the amethyst silhouette ceased its roar and silently dissipated into the void.
Everything within a hundred-meter radius had been reduced to nothingness. Land, sky, and space—completely obliterated. Not even a speck of dust remained. The natural energy in the area still surged in violent chaos, the aftershocks of that terrifying roar lingering in the air. And yet, at the very center of this devastation, the place where Xiao Hua stood remained perfectly untouched—an oasis of eerie calm amidst utter ruin.
"…It's over," Xiao Hua murmured, his cold voice ringing like a death knell through the stillness. He gazed into the distance, his expression devoid of emotion, as though the destruction surrounding him had nothing to do with him.
Truthfully, Xiao Hua would not have bothered with them. Even if they had attacked him before this, he wasn't the type to seek vengeance over every slight.
But they had crossed a line—when they targeted the students of Jia Nan Academy.
As both an elder and a former student of the academy, Xiao Hua had no choice but to act. Their actions left him with only one option: to kill.
In this world, a single decision can determine life or death. And this time, Xiao Hua could only say… they had made the wrong one.
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