Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Afterward, they encountered more corpses. The Scale Guards examined them all, and each had been killed with a single strike. Their storage bags remained untouched on their bodies, suggesting that no one had rifled through them.

This ruled out the possibility of monster attacks or killings for treasure.

Wen Qiao keenly sensed that this Scale Platform Hunting Valley expedition was not as straightforward as it seemed; there might be unknown forces interfering and disrupting the event.

She glanced at Ning Yuzhou and the Scale Guards, pondering about the various disciples from different factions who had entered the valley. She wondered if the conflict was an internal strife within Dongling Country's cultivation community or if external forces were involved, and what their motives could be.

From the fact that these cultivators were killed with a single blow, she deduced that the perpetrator was formidable and ruthless.

After smoothly crossing the plain, they arrived at the foggy area on the other side.

Up close, they discovered that the white mist was not the same as the one shrouding the Scale Platform Mountain; its density was only half as thick, allowing them to vaguely perceive their surroundings.

Hunt Stealthily sent two Scale Guards in to scout ahead. They didn't venture far before returning promptly to report, "Your Highness, visibility is around a hundred feet inside. So far, nothing extraordinary has been detected."

Ning Yuzhou acknowledged with a soft "mm," then, hand in hand with Wen Qiao, stepped into the fog.

The Qianlin Guards flanked them, accompanying them into the white mist.

The moment they entered the fog, an inexplicable chill crept over their bodies, causing them to shiver involuntarily.

Wen Qiao rubbed her arm and discovered that this white mist was like an icy fog, exuding a frigid aura. As the Qianlin Guards had mentioned, visibility was indeed about a hundred feet, with scattered shrubs growing around them. The soil was damp, the grass thick, and the air humid. Stepping on the ground produced a squelching sound.

Soon, a thin layer of icy fog coated their skin, sending chills down their spines.

Ning Yuzhou fed her a spirit pill and then took one for himself.

After Wen Qiao swallowed it, her body gradually warmed up, and the surrounding ice fog could no longer affect her significantly.

It wasn't just them; the other Qianlin Guards did the same, each taking a spirit pill. With the pills protecting their bodies, the impact of the ice fog on them lessened to the point of being negligible.

Unable to resist, Wen Qiao glanced again at her calm and composed husband. It seemed they were well-prepared for this trip to the Scale Platform Hunting Valley, possessing all sorts of spirit pills to handle unforeseen circumstances without any chaos.

"Quack... Quack..."

Suddenly, a croaking sound echoed from deep within the white mist, particularly piercing in the quiet space.

The voice seemed to emanate from everywhere at once, as if it were surrounding them from all directions. The Serpent Guards promptly formed a formation, encircling Wen Qiao and her companion at the center.

Swooshing sounds pierced through the air as the Qianlin Guards formed their defensive array, and soon, a series of clashing noises resounded.

Wen Qiao held a slender sword in one hand and her husband in the other, her senses alert and sharp. She swiftly caught sight of the ice spikes piercing through the white mist, shimmering with a chilling glint. Upon impact with the Submerged Scale Guards, they dissolved into frosty vapor within moments, melding with the surrounding icy fog.

The croaking grew louder and louder, as ice spikes intertwined in an attack.

Ice spikes proliferated, an unceasing barrage. Their multitude was such that if not for the Qianlin Guards forming a defensive array, using their formation to ward off the attack, they would have been pierced into bloody holes.

Wen Qiao observed for a moment and realized that the environment was unfavorable to them. The icy mist around them continually supplied energy to the ice spikes – as long as the mist persisted, so would the spikes.

"Ning Yuzhou suggests a fire attack!"

The Quanlin Guards, twenty to a formation, split into two groups: one defending from the outside, the other attacking from within. Upon hearing Ning Yuzhou's suggestion, the outer defensive group of twenty guards each drew a stack of fire talismans, activating them before launching them into the air.

The multitude of fire talismans transformed into fiery dragons, roaring through the sky. They devoured the incoming ice spikes and scorched the surrounding icy mist, causing it to thin around them. Gradually, they could discern the scene a hundred paces away.

Wen Qiao's gaze sharpened as she noticed a cluster of frost-covered trees in the near distance. Perched densely on these trees were countless white ice toads. With each croak, dozens of ice spikes materialized, hurtling towards them.

"It's a Tier 3 Ice Tear Frog," Ning Yuzhou deduced.

Seems like they had trespassed into the territory of the Ice Tear Frogs.

Wen Qiao took a closer look and found that these creatures lived up to their name. Beneath their eyes were two deeper-colored, tear-shaped marks, which, if not noticed carefully, appeared as if they were weeping. They had a unique appearance indeed.

Fire was the nemesis of the Ice Tear Frogs. Under the relentless assault of fire talismans, the frogs fled in all directions. The Scale Concealed Guards seized the opportunity to hunt down quite a number of them. These creatures enjoyed attacking in groups. If cultivators encountered them without adequate abilities, they would be frozen into ice pillars, becoming eternal souls beneath the ice. However, the meat of Ice Tear Frogs was exceptionally tender and savory, a rare delicacy. Naturally, the Scale Concealed Guards wouldn't let this chance slip by.

This was the domain of the Ice Tear Frogs, shrouded in icy mist that restricted visibility. One could easily stumble into a group of them and end up pierced with bloody holes.

The Scale Concealed Guards were wealthy and well-equipped with various talismans. Without much effort, they broke through the frogs' defense, leaving the Ice Tear Frogs in dire straits as they became the spoils of war and food reserves for the guards.

While the guards were busy, Wen Qiao also studied the Ice Tear Frogs with great interest. She asked Quan Shou to release a few of them for her.

Quan Shou looked at her in surprise, then turned to Ning Yuzhou. Seeing him nod, he instructed the guards in front to release a few captured Ice Tear Frogs.

"Wen Qiao reminded Ning Yuzhou, "Stay aside, don't come over." She was genuinely worried that her untrained husband might get hurt.

Ning Yuzhou replied with a gentle smile and obediently retreated to Quan Shou's side, watching her use the Ice Tear Frogs as sparring partners with a bright grin.

At the Third Stage, Ice Tear Frogs equated to the Yuan Feather Realm. Their attacks were in the form of ice spikes. Though a single Ice Tear Frog wasn't particularly powerful, they appeared in vast numbers, usually in groups of ten thousand or more. Their collective assault was overwhelming.

However, if there were just a few, they would make decent sparring partners, perfectly suited for Wen Qiao.

At first, when the Ice Tear Frogs lunged forward, Wen Qiao clumsily blocked their attacks with her sword. Her swordsmanship was rigid and inflexible. Had she not dodged quickly enough, an ice spike would have pierced her heart. Despite this, a few ice spikes grazed her arms, tearing her clothes and revealing bloody wounds beneath.

Ning Yuzhou's smile faded slightly as he gazed at the wound on her arm caused by the ice spike.

After a series of narrow escapes, Wen Qiao finally grasped the essence of swordsmanship and could deftly parry the ice spikes. Light on her feet and with supple agility, she twisted and turned to swiftly evade the frogs' attacks.

Wen Qiao moved through the icy mist, closing in on the ranged attackers. With a graceful flourish of her sword, she dispatched them one by one.

Submerged Hunter released another dozen Ice Tear Frogs.

Wen Qiao continued her battle.

Submerged Hunter stood guard beside Ning Yuzhou, keeping watch while also observing Wen Qiao. He noticed that the young girl's initial swordsmanship was weak and lacked lethality. She seemed inexperienced in combat, floundering at first. However, after seeing blood, her technique sharpened, finally showing some promise.

The martial skill Wen Qiao employed was the Wen Family's "Sage Maiden Fluttering Swallow Sword," an Azure Rank martial art practiced by the female members of the Wen Clan. Renowned for its fluidity like water and rigidity like ice, the Fluttering Swallow came forth with a sword strike that shook the heavens.

With a single slash, a thousand blade beams flashed, severing dozens of ice shards simultaneously. The Ice Tear Frog plummeted from mid-air to the ground, shattering into two pieces.

Upon the ground lay a hundred or so Ice Tear Frogs, their bodies severed in two, blood pooling around them -- a scene of brutal violence.

Qian Huo recollected silently the Wu women he had encountered before, and realized that the Sword Art of Soaring Crane, as performed by the Wu women, didn't seem as gruesome. When warding off enemies, they would typically leave their foes intact, not reduced to unrecognizable remains as seen now.

Not until Wen Qiao's Primordial Spirit Energy in her spiritual aperture was nearly depleted, and all the surrounding Ice Tear Frogs had been slaughtered, did her execution of the Sword Dance of the Unsullied Maiden grow seamless and proficient, dealing considerable damage.

Upon finally sheathing her sword, Wen Qiao gazed upon the scene of corpses littering the ground. Noticing the expression on Qian Shou's face, she too fell silent.

Indeed, she was quite distinct from the swordswomen of the Wen family.

Upon seeing Ning Yuzhou approach, she explained, "Actually, I didn't mean to do that."

Ning Yuzhou chuckled. "I know. The Wen family's 'Virtuous Maiden Swallowing Clouds Sword' uses softness to overcome hardness and combines both aspects harmoniously. You displayed the forceful side, naturally making it different from others who emphasize the gentle aspect."

So it was a bit more bloody, but no big deal!

Wen Qiao looked at him blankly, wondering what else her husband didn't understand? It seemed like he knew everything...

Ning Yuzhou continued, "Congratulations, you've made a breakthrough."

Wen Qiao's expression softened, and a hint of a smile graced her lips, revealing her cute dimples. "Thank you, I didn't expect it to go so smoothly."

Although she said that, there had been signs of a breakthrough beforehand. However, due to the flare-up of the fire poison, she had to hold back. To her surprise, after entering the Scale Platform Hunting Valley, a daily bowl of Six Yang Seven Flavors Profound Yin Soup, combined with the daily absorption of the essence from surrounding plants to nourish her body, had transformed her physique.

Thus, in her battle against the Ice Tear Frog and her newfound mastery of the 'Virginal Fairy Fluttering Swallow Sword,' her advancement to the Feather Essence Realm came naturally without any obstacles.