Ye Chen's voice echoed across the desolate clearing, sharp and commanding. "Come out! Whoever defeated Du Khun—I know you're here. No need to hide any longer."
No answer. Just the soft whisper of the wind brushing across the quiet battlefield.
Ye Chen narrowed his eyes. His senses, sharpened by his recent advancement into the Earth Realm, caught the faintest fluctuation of spiritual energy. A presence—concealed yet not entirely hidden. His lips curled into a knowing smirk.
"I know you're behind the Storehouse," he called again, casually folding his arms. "You might be good at hiding, but not good enough."
There was a pause. Then, movement.
A faint shimmer in the air, like heat waves on a summer day, gave way to a descending figure.
She emerged gracefully from the sky, as if descending from the heavens themselves. Her steps were silent, her presence commanding. Clad in an elegant white Phoenix robe that billowed gently in the breeze, the woman touched the ground with the poise of a goddess. Her snow-white skin gleamed under the sunlight, contrasting starkly with the dark wood of the Storehouse behind her. Long, flowing silver-blue hair framed her veiled face, and her crystal-clear eyes—sharp, cold, and stunningly blue—locked onto Ye Chen like twin blades of ice.
Even though a fine white veil concealed the lower half of her face, it was obvious—she was breathtaking.
Ye Chen blinked, momentarily stunned by her ethereal presence. "Ah... it's a beautiful woman," he said with a grin. "No wonder Du Khun ended up like that. Thank you, by the way."
The woman didn't react to his praise. Instead, her icy gaze narrowed. "How did you find me?"
Her voice was calm but carried a chill that made the air around them feel several degrees colder. Ye Chen had met many powerful women, but none who radiated this kind of frigid indifference.
He chuckled lightly, playing it off. "Just lucky, I suppose. Maybe I guessed right?"
Of course, that wasn't true. His recent breakthrough had enhanced his spiritual perception, allowing him to catch the subtle trace of her energy signature—but he didn't plan to reveal that. Especially not to someone this mysterious.
The woman took a step forward, her eyes never leaving his. "At your level of cultivation, detecting me should be impossible. Don't lie. What technique did you use?"
Her voice hardened, demanding the truth.
Ye Chen shrugged with a smile, trying to appear harmless. "Miss, I'm only a second-level Earth Realm cultivator. How could someone like me uncover the secrets of someone as powerful as you?"
"I watched your fight with the beast," she said flatly. "No one at the second level of the Earth Realm should have had the strength you displayed. You must be using some kind of cheat technique."
So she saw everything, Ye Chen thought. That explained her interest.
Her curiosity wasn't about him—it was about what he had used.
Ye Chen tilted his head. "You seem quite interested in my abilities."
"Of course I am."
"In that case…" he paused, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I'll gladly share a bit of what I know. But only on one condition."
Her expression didn't change. "What condition?"
"I want to see your face."
Silence fell. Even the wind seemed to pause, as if the world itself waited for her reaction.
In an instant, the air turned glacial.
Ye Chen's instincts screamed danger. He could feel the pressure of her killing intent descend on him like a tidal wave. The temperature dropped sharply; his breath became visible in the frigid air.
"You dare to ask that?" she said, her voice colder than before. "Are you tired of living?"
Ye Chen's smile faded. He hated being threatened.
Without hesitation, he activated Nine Shadow Steps, and in a flash, he moved.
In the blink of an eye, he stood before her—and in his right hand, her veil fluttered in the breeze.
The woman froze. Her hand instinctively reached up to her now-uncovered face.
Ye Chen stared, utterly captivated.
She was beyond beautiful.
Her features were flawless—soft, yet sharp like a blade, with full lips, delicate eyebrows, and skin like polished jade. Her beauty was cold, untouchable, like an icy moon that hung high above mortal reach.
The realization hit her like a slap—her veil was gone. Her eyes darted to Ye Chen's hand and saw it, crumpled there, held gently in his fingers.
She hadn't even seen him move.
The chill in the air suddenly surged. Her spiritual pressure exploded outward.
This woman… she was powerful. Dangerously powerful.
Her cultivation—Sky Realm, ninth level.
She raised her hand. "Die."
From beneath Ye Chen's feet, a sharp pillar of ice erupted.
He leapt away, avoiding the strike by inches. The spike slammed into the earth and shattered, spraying frost in all directions.
Ye Chen gritted his teeth. That attack had real killing intent. She wasn't holding back at all.
Her anger only deepened. Around her, several floating ice flowers began to form, each one glowing with spiritual energy. With a flick of her wrist, they surged toward Ye Chen, sharp and deadly.
He responded instantly. "Hundred Thousand Fire Swords!"
Ten blazing swords formed around him, spinning in a flaming arc. With a roar, he launched them at the incoming flowers.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions rocked the forest. Ice clashed against flame in a series of thunderous blasts that shook the ground and scorched the surrounding trees.
The woman stared in disbelief. "How…"
He was only at the Earth Realm's second level. Yet he had destroyed her Ice Flower Technique—something even most Sky Realm cultivators struggled to counter.
She had never seen anything like it.
Ye Chen stood, panting slightly, but still smiling. "You're strong. Very strong. But a little too violent, don't you think?"
He tossed the veil back to her, letting it drift on the wind. "I actually wanted to admire your beauty a little longer, but… I think I've overstayed my welcome."
And just like that—he vanished.
She caught the veil, quickly slipping it back on. She activated her spiritual sense to find him—but nothing. Not a trace remained.
Her fists clenched in frustration. "If I see you again, I will kill you."
Nearby, the ice statue of Du Khun cracked and shattered into glittering fragments as her rage surged again.
With a final glare toward the sky, the mysterious woman turned and flew off into the distance, her figure disappearing over the horizon.
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