Master of Nine Stars

”Ugh.” Feng Zi let out a muffled grunt. She had already been flipped onto her back by the Snow Wind Charge, and was lying dazed on the ground. By the time her groggy mind registered something was wrong, the Lotus Petal was already before her eyes.

Feng Zi’s breath hitched.

Her pupils shrank to pinpricks, but the Lotus Petal had already pierced her heart.

The Lotus Petal first, the Snow Halberd right behind!

Following the bloody opening carved by the Lotus Petal, the Heaven-piercing Halberd’s sharp Ironspear Point plunged precisely into her chest. This time, her already sliced heart was utterly pierced...

Just like the scout who had died earlier, Feng Zi’s eyes flew wide open. Her pupils gradually dilated, and all signs of life vanished.

It was as if, even in her final moment, she couldn’t believe she would meet such an end.

Rong Taotao landed steadily and gave Yang Chunxi a thumbs-up.

’Now that’s what I call execution!’

’That’s Pine Soul Four Seasons: Spring for you!’

’She’s worthy of her Jianghu Nickname. Usually so gentle and sweet, but when it’s time to execute a mission...’

’Reliable!’

’That’s probably a pretty high compliment for a Warrior, right?’

”Cat!” Rong Taotao’s thumbs-up turned into an open palm.

”Mew~” Before Yang Chunxi could even move, the Snowball Cat leaped gracefully from her shoulder.

Strictly speaking, a Master-rank Snowball Cat was equivalent to a human Soul Martial Artist at the Soul School level.

It just happened to be at the very bottom of the food chain among the various ranks within the Soul School level.

However, as a Soul Beast, the Snowball Cat’s specialty was speed. A human at the Soul School level would likely be no match for it in terms of pure speed.

Rong Taotao scooped the Snowball Cat into his arms. While looking at Yang Chunxi, he backed away through the sea of fire. ”Keep up, keep up!”

The corner of Yang Chunxi’s mouth curved up slightly. A long spear made of snow materialized in her hand, and she started running over.

However, on her way to Rong Taotao, she inevitably passed Feng Zi’s corpse, its eyes still wide open in death. Yang Chunxi didn’t avoid it. Instead, she stomped on Feng Zi’s face, grinding it into the snow.

’Feng Zi?’

’Don’t linger here. The Snow Realm is vast, but there’s truly no place for you in it.’

Rong Taotao turned and handed the Snowball Cat to Gao Lingwei beside him. ”Is Mi Tu out yet?”

Gao Lingwei placed the Snowball Cat on her head. Her ears were filled with the sounds of a frantic bombardment.

In the very center of the field, amidst the chaos, the teachers were already in the thick of the slaughter!

Rong Taotao couldn’t see the situation clearly, but he was secretly astonished. ’The enemy is that strong? Even after such a ferocious surprise attack from Li Lie, they still have the strength to fight back?’

’Just what kind of effect does their Lotus Petal have?’

Of course, the stronger the enemy’s Lotus Petal was, the happier Rong Taotao felt!

Why?

Because it was about to change owners!

’Your Lotus Petal is excellent. Soon, it will be mine...’

’If the enemy could still survive this, or break through the encirclement and escape, then not only should Xia Fangran retire, but Li Lie, Si Huan Nian, and even my group should just go find a factory to work at...’

”HISS... ROAR!” The Patterned Mask on Gao Lingwei’s face shot out.

Rong Taotao’s face lit up. ’Found him?’

Beside him, Gao Lingwei shot forward as well. She grabbed Rong Taotao by the waist and propelled him forward.

Using the momentum, Rong Taotao skipped his startup motion and charged recklessly through the sea of fire, chasing the illusory mask ahead.

”Wooooo~!” The cry of a Resentful Soul rang out again.

A strange light flickered in Gao Lingwei’s eyes as she let out a sharp cry, ”Yah~!”

She viciously threw her Heaven-piercing Halberd. The Snow Grudge Spirit merged into it, and the weapon charged forward with a single-minded purpose.

Illuminated by the flames, Rong Taotao saw a stumbling figure. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was scrambling and crawling.

Mi Tu was drenched in blood and covered in wounds. Even moving was difficult for him.

As pathetic as he looked, his determination to escape was firm. Even when he fell, he used all his limbs to desperately crawl forward on his knees in the snow.

’Is a fight even necessary?’

’Even if we let him go, in such a heavily injured state, Mi Tu probably wouldn’t survive for long, would he?’

’Li Lie Wine! The god of clearing the field!’

’One blast, and everyone’s half-dead!’

’And that was against the ones who were actually strong. That scout in the pit, being weaker, was probably blown to bits by Li Lie, right?’

’So... should we let Mi Tu go?’

’Let him die slowly from his grievous wounds and taste despair?’

The answer... was no!

”HISS...” The red Patterned Mask pierced Mi Tu’s body. His staggering figure froze for a moment before he fell forward uncontrollably.

This movement, however, caused him to dodge part of the next attack. The Heaven-piercing Halberd that came flying after, which should have pierced his skull, merely grazed his scalp as it flew past.

The Heaven-piercing Halberd flew past with a SWOOSH, but the Snow Grudge Spirit wrapped around its head reversed course, broke away, and immediately entangled Mi Tu’s ravaged body.

On the pure white snow, patches of crimson blood spread out, freely staining the earth.

Rong Taotao came to a halt and raised his left hand. A Snow Ghost Hand—the long fingers of a Snow Charm Demon—erupted from the ground. It seized Mi Tu by the back of his head, yanked him into the air, and charged back toward Rong Taotao.

Rong Taotao had stopped, but Gao Lingwei did not. She instantly shot past him.

This time, she did not throw the Long Halberd in her hand.

Her eyes were sharp and fierce, and with a powerful stomp, she launched herself forward!

Her forward-thrusting body was as straight and rigid as the Heaven-piercing Halberd in her hand.

”Wai... wait...” Mi Tu’s voice was weak and trembling.

After being hit by the Frost Fearful Face and entangled by the Snow Grudge Spirit’s phantom, Mi Tu’s heart was already filled with terror, and his mind was wracked with a pain like stabbing needles.

In this state, a figure in his blurry vision grew infinitely larger.

The figure was blurry, so very blurry, until...

SCHLICK!

Gao Lingwei pierced Mi Tu’s chest with her halberd. The cross-shaped blades of the Heaven-piercing Halberd sank completely into his body. The snow-forged Ironspear Point emerged from his back, already stained crimson with blood.

SCHLICK! With another sound, Gao Lingwei’s forward momentum didn’t slow. The bloodstained Ironspear Point plunged deep into a large tree, pinning Mi Tu to it.

At that moment, as if having a final burst of clarity before death, Mi Tu finally saw the person before him clearly.

It was that girl.

The girl he had tried to assassinate in Songbai Town, the one he had tormented to the point of a mental breakdown.

The same girl he had tried to assassinate in the desolate mountains, who had nearly lost her life.

”Hehe... cough... urgh...” A bitter smile appeared on Mi Tu’s face, followed by a soft cough. His head slowly drooped, and pinned dead to the tree, all signs of life left him.

Gao Lingwei twisted her hand. The Heaven-piercing Halberd turned sideways, and rippling Soul Power instantly churned Mi Tu’s chest into a bloody cavity. Then, she violently pulled the halberd out.

THUD... Mi Tu’s body fell to the ground. Streams of crimson blood flowed out, soaking the surrounding snow.

”Hah... hah...” Gao Lingwei’s chest heaved violently as she stared intently at the man at her feet.

With her level of stamina, she was definitely not out of breath because she was tired.

”Da Wei,” Rong Taotao’s voice came from behind her.

”Mmm.” Gao Lingwei turned around, casually stabbed her Long Halberd into the ground, and walked toward Rong Taotao.

Rong Taotao’s gaze, however, swept over the corpse whose head had been stabbed into the snow with a Snow Halberd. He couldn’t help but grin. ’Damn...’

’Securing the kill again and again, just in case he revives?’

’That’s a great philosophy. When you fight an enemy, you don’t just kill them, you make sure they’re thoroughly dead!’

’It’s best to slaughter the Poacher Organizations until they tremble with fear. Scare all the petty villains so they won’t dare have any wicked ideas, let alone act so brazenly again!’

During the earlier assassination, the pure white fur of the Snowball Cat on Gao Lingwei’s head had also been spattered with specks of blood, giving it a peculiar and eerie beauty.

Gao Lingwei casually flicked her hand, drawing out another Snow Halberd. The Snowball Cat on her head looked toward the chaotic center of the battlefield and let out a soft whimper, ”Meow~”

Rong Taotao tilted his head slightly toward Gao Lingwei and said softly, ”Feeling better?”

Gao Lingwei licked her lips, her eyes silently fixed on Rong Taotao, and nodded lightly.

’Feeling better?’

’To be precise, it felt way too good...’

...