Something was very wrong with this woman. In the freezing, sub-zero temperatures, she wore nothing but a simple, thin gauze dress. Because his eyesight had improved dramatically since he began his martial arts training, Xu Yunfan could even make out Li Miaoyun's shapely figure.
'This world seems pretty open-minded.'
Xu Yunfan silently glanced over at Fang Mushan and Li Haomiao. Aside from the gravity in their eyes, neither of them seemed to find the woman's scandalous attire shameful.
Li Miaoyun said nonchalantly, "Prince Yan, Her Majesty wishes to see you. You will come with me."
A cold glint flashed across Li Haomiao's face. "She broke my arms and legs and threw me into the mines of Ninggu Tower, and now she turns around and says she wants to see me? Has that demoness gone mad?"
Li Miaoyun stated impassively, "You carry the royal bloodline; you cannot be allowed to remain in exile. Her Majesty said this was merely a punishment. Come with me. Once you are in Yangxin Hall and have properly apologized to Her Majesty, you will become the Emperor after she passes away."
How could Li Haomiao possibly endure such an insult?
He roared, "Tell that demoness that when I return, I will do so with my head held high! Then I'll drag her from her throne and crush her under my foot. I will never go back in such a pathetic state!"
Li Miaoyun said, "You are a cripple now. How could you possibly resist? Let's go, Prince Yan."
As she spoke, Li Miaoyun slowly approached Li Haomiao. Xu Yunfan's eyes narrowed as he watched her path.
'This woman... she isn't leaving any footprints.'
"Stepping on Snow Without Trace!"
Fang Mushan's expression was incredibly grim. "I'm afraid... she has already cultivated qi."
External Training of Tendons, Bones, and Skin; the Outer Three Harmonies Realm advancing to Refining Flesh, Blood Marrow, and Visceral Qi... Of the Martial Arts Nine Realms, this woman seemed to have reached the very peak.
Li Haomiao narrowed his eyes, a cold glint within them. In a low voice, he said, "Stepping on Snow Without Trace? It seems you're the Saintess of the Celestial Pivot Start Sect, otherwise you wouldn't be out and about in such light, thin gauze. I thought for a moment you had truly reached the Absolute Grandmaster Realm. But to nurture that single wisp of qi, your body must be completely ravaged, right?"
Li Miaoyun's expression was placid, as if she had become one with the surrounding wind and snow. She looked calm and spoke softly, "A single wisp of qi can leverage the myriad things of this world and reap lives like wild grass. My Celestial Pivot Start Sect has its own Wonderful Technique."
Upon hearing this, Fang Mushan's expression eased slightly. If they were truly facing someone at the Absolute Grandmaster Realm, they would have no chance of victory. Their only choice would be to give up and accept their fate.
Seeing Xu Yunfan's confusion, Fang Mushan lowered his voice and explained, "The Celestial Pivot Start Sect has a legacy stretching back thousands of years. They have a strange Cultivation Technique that allows one to nurture a wisp of qi while still in the Outer Three Harmonies Realm. But this technique has its pros and cons. While it enables them to perform extraordinary feats, the cultivator's body becomes extremely frail to sustain that wisp of qi. If they lose it, they're no different from an ordinary, weak woman."
Li Haomiao glanced back at Fang Mushan and Xu Yunfan, his voice heavy. "This is a grudge between me and that demoness. You two, cross the summit and head down. Just keep going."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yunfan nodded without the slightest hesitation. "Go on, Prince Yan," he said decisively. "I'll be sure to remember you on this day every year!"
With that, he turned and fled, his hurried footsteps quickly vanishing into the blizzard.
Fang Mushan's face flushed red. Finally, he cupped his fists and said, "Same here!"
After saying his piece, he bolted like a startled bird, quickly disappearing.
The corner of Li Haomiao's eye twitched as he watched this unfold.
Although he had been prepared for it, a surge of sorrow still washed over him as he watched Xu Yunfan and Fang Mushan depart so decisively.
'There are no true friends in this world, only companions in misfortune.'
Li Miaoyun retracted her gaze from the direction Xu Yunfan had fled. Meeting Li Haomiao's piercing stare, she said coolly, "Don't worry. I will make sure they find their eternal rest here on Jiyun Mountain."
Li Miaoyun glided before Li Haomiao and reached out a delicate, fair hand, intending to grab his clothes and lift him.
Just then, Li Haomiao's one good hand—his left—shot out like a bolt of lightning and clamped down on Li Miaoyun's wrist.
Li Miaoyun's brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of annoyance in her eyes.
In an instant, wisps of color like pulsing veins appeared on her wrist. A strange, powerful force erupted from it, attempting to blast Li Haomiao's hand away.
To her surprise, Li Haomiao's seemingly weak and useless arm was now as unyielding as an iron band.
The wisp of energy she released was powerful enough to shatter a boulder, yet she could not break free from his grip. Li Haomiao slowly lifted his head, his gaze sharper than ever, as if it could pierce right through to a person's soul.
"Saintess of the Celestial Pivot Start Sect, you should be very clear about one thing: my Li Family of the Great Zhou Royal Family is a True Blood Clan."
As he spoke, his abdomen began to churn violently, and his throat convulsed.
Then, a brilliant, perfectly round, thumb-sized pill radiating a faint golden light appeared in his mouth.
A peculiar fragrance immediately wafted from his mouth, causing the germaphobic Li Miaoyun to wrinkle her brow in disgust.
Even though she knew he held an incredibly rare Treasure Medicine in his mouth, she was still, deep down, completely unwilling to be tainted by it—especially not by an odor wafting out of Li Haomiao's mouth.
However, she also recognized the elixir in Li Haomiao's mouth instantly.
"The Daoist Sect's Dragon and Tiger Pill!?"
A sense of foreboding struck Li Miaoyun. Her hand, slippery as an eel, twisted at an impossible angle to seize Li Haomiao's wrist in a reverse grip.
Simultaneously, she raised a finger on her other hand and thrust it toward Li Haomiao's forehead like a sharp dagger.
Her fingertip was impossibly sharp, slicing through the air with a piercing shriek.
That one finger strike contained enough power to pierce gold and shatter stone.
Li Haomiao seemed to have expected this, tilting his head just in time. Li Miaoyun's fingertip grazed his forehead, drawing blood instantly. A uniquely vicious expression appeared on Li Haomiao's face.
Then, a shocking scene unfolded.
The wounds on his severed shoulder and legs burst open. As if his cells were multiplying at a frantic rate, a mass of fleshy, bloody tendrils writhed wildly from the openings like countless tentacles.
As Li Miaoyun stared in stunned disbelief, the stumps of his severed limbs were rapidly covered by swarming flesh that stacked, squirmed, and swelled, only to quickly contract.
In the blink of an eye, Li Haomiao stood before Li Miaoyun, completely whole and unharmed.
Meeting Li Miaoyun's dazed stare, Li Haomiao flexed his newly reformed limbs. A smile spread across his handsome, flawless face, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.
"Celestial Human Transformation. For one who bears True Blood, a feat like this is nothing out of the ordinary."
The moment the words left his mouth, Li Haomiao charged at Li Miaoyun like a savage bull, his limbs crackling with the force of wind and thunder.
Li Miaoyun's expression remained calm. She swiftly sidestepped his charge while her palms became a blur of motion. Each strike whipped up a fierce gale, aimed directly at Li Haomiao's vital points.
Li Haomiao moved like lightning, dodging left and right while constantly searching for an opening in Li Miaoyun's defense.