Master of Nine Stars

Beneath the pitch-black night sky, the giant axe in Li Lie’s hands burned with cold, white flames, carving a beautiful, fiery line straight down.

From Rong Taotao’s perspective, that unstoppable figure seemed to cleave the bright moon in two as he plunged straight toward the ground!

BOOOOM!!!

An earth-shattering roar!

In an instant, it was as if a missile had detonated!

Flames billowed and shockwaves erupted in all directions. Frost and snow filled the air. The very earth seemed to tremble—the only thing missing was a mushroom cloud!

The violent roar shattered the silence of the night, piercing the ears. The white flames surged outward, becoming a sea of fire that instantly illuminated the pitch-black Snow Forest...

For a moment, the scene was breathtakingly beautiful.

Even someone as powerful as Xia Fangran had to shield himself from the brunt of the blast, instinctively raising a hand to his eyes and taking a step back.

Amidst the fierce shockwave, Xia Fangran couldn’t help but grimace. ”Tsk, tsk... That drink certainly wasn’t for nothing...”

In fact, most of the team did the same, retreating from Li Lie’s incomparably ferocious strike. All except one...

Si Huan Nian!

No matter how berserk Li Lie became or how insane his damage output was, Si Huan Nian simply activated a Lotus Petal, formed a Lotus Shield in front of her, and strode right into the blast!

’So, you hit hard?’

’As if your damage, no matter how explosive, could ever break through *my* defense?’

Si Huan Nian extended a hand. The Lotus Petal in her palm was presumably the source, and from it expanded a giant Cyan Lotus petal with astonishing defensive power.

The massive, ethereal Lotus Petal was slightly transparent, but its defensive strength was absolute, completely sheltering Si Huan Nian and everyone behind her.

’As expected of the Pine Soul Celestial Corps. Every last one of them is a fucking badass...’

Seeing Si Huan Nian charge forward, Xia Fangran quickly followed, tucking in behind her and drawing a Heaven-piercing Halberd.

Likewise, two younger members also drew their Heaven-piercing Halberds and followed behind Xia Fangran, rushing toward the epicenter of the blast.

In the woods, Yang Chunxi stood with the Snowball Cat on her shoulder, her mist-shrouded eyes fixed intently on the center of the battlefield.

Her eyes pierced through the swirling frost and snow, desperately scanning the battlefield. The next moment, she broke into a run.

Weaving through the trees, her long hair flying wildly behind her, she moved with phantom-like speed. She circled the battlefield, moving to the East, apparently trying to lock eyes with someone.

Yang Chunxi waved her hand sharply, and a cluster of White Lantern Paper Cages flickered to life overhead. In her line of sight, a woman’s hand burst from the snow, clawing weakly at the ground. Then, a snowman spat a mouthful of blood as it struggled to crawl out.

Feng Zi!

To be fair, her codename fit her perfectly. The woman was indeed noble, graceful, and charming.

But now, she was covered in ash and dirt, her eyes dazed. Her clothes were in tatters, covered in the distinct creases of having been violently compressed.

Clearly, Feng Zi had sensed something was wrong at the last moment and activated a full-body defensive Soul Skill, which explained the state of her clothes.

But even with her defensive Soul Skill active, she was still covered in wounds from the blast. The defensive armor she wore had long since shattered, and her clothes had not been spared.

This was the exact effect Rong Taotao’s strategy had aimed for!

’We’re all top-tier experts. I knew you’d be able to react, but I had to make you understand that even reacting would be useless!’

”Fu-fucking... Who... which bastard is asking for a death wish...” Feng Zi muttered, propping herself up and trying to crawl away. But in the next instant, her face stiffened, and the words died in her throat.

Within her line of sight, a pair of eyes shimmering with an otherworldly light flickered in and out of view amidst the spreading flames and swirling snow mist. In that instant, Feng Zi was dragged into another world.

”Ling Wei!” Rong Taotao roared, immediately breaking away from the assault team.

Wearing her mask, Gao Lingwei said nothing, simply hefting her Heaven-piercing Halberd and following to guard Rong Taotao from behind.

The center of the battlefield was too chaotic. While the flames illuminated the surroundings, they also partially obscured everyone’s vision. Combined with the swirling frost and snow, the chaos now served as a shield for their prey.

Rong Taotao couldn’t spot any enemies; he didn’t even know where Li Lie was. But he had been keeping an eye on someone on the periphery: Yang Chunxi. She was standing at the dimly lit edge of the battlefield and had deliberately activated her White Lantern Paper Cage.

’First, confirm Yang Chunxi’s position, then follow her line of sight...’

”Eleven o’clock, Snow Wind Charge!” Rong Taotao shouted.

WHOOSH... Gao Lingwei stomped her foot, and a powerful gust of wind shot forward and to the left. In an instant, it carved a path through the churning sea of fire, forcing the flames aside.

Rong Taotao’s eyes narrowed. As the white flames were pushed aside, the ’wave’ of fire on the right rolled past to reveal a figure lying on the ground, being tumbled about by the wind.

Feng Zi!!!

Clutching his Heaven-piercing Halberd, Rong Taotao leaped into the air mid-charge, turning the weapon into a javelin.

Amidst the churning sea of fire, Rong Taotao once again recreated a Soul Martial version of one of the World-Famous Paintings!

Run Tu and Cha.

But this time, what shot downward wasn’t just the Heaven-piercing Halberd—it was also a Lotus Petal that burst forth from its Ironspear Point!

SWOOSH~!

The Sinful Lotus shot out first. Moving with incredible speed like a spinning blade, it instantly pierced Feng Zi’s chest, running her burning-hot heart through and chilling it to the core!