All eight Ice Puppets raised their arms simultaneously.

  Sixteen Spectral Azure Ice Arrows formed out of thin air, tearing through the void as they shot forward!

  Yun Che retreated at once. The moment his sleeves fluttered, Minor Guiding Art was released instinctively. Invisible strands of pulling force wove together before him, forming a shifting net. The ice arrows that entered it had their trajectories forcibly altered—half collided midair and shattered, while the rest skimmed past his body and embedded themselves deep into the ice wall behind him.

  But the Ice Puppets did not pause.

  As the first volley ended, a second wave had already taken shape—this time with twice the number of arrows. Worse still, black wisps coiled around each arrow shaft.

  Profound Yin Ice Miasma.

  Yun Che’s expression darkened. His thoughts raced. With a grasp through empty space, his left hand closed—

  The golden, ostentatious Frostglory Prosperity Sword flew from his back and landed firmly in his palm.

  The sword felt heavy upon contact, cold as jade and metal combined.

  Instead of striking, Yun Che plunged the sword straight into the ice beneath his feet. At the same time, his right hand formed seals as the power fused with void-light specks surged violently from his body!

  “Wuuuum—”

  The sword trembled violently. The gemstones embedded along its hilt lit up in unison, golden sword light merging with icy-blue cold as a circular barrier expanded outward!

  Thirty-two ice-miasma arrows slammed into the barrier, erupting into clusters of ghostly blue frost mist. The barrier shook violently, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface—yet it did not shatter.

  “This broken sword…” Li Han remarked with mild surprise.

  “It actually has some use. The gilded layer contains evil-repelling gold dust,

  Yun Che knew Li Han was right.

  His gaze swept over the Ice Puppets as his spiritual sense expanded to its limit, instantly locking onto the fluctuation patterns of the Spectral Flame cores within them.

  “The third one on the left. Second from the rear on the right—those cores are weakest,” Li Han warned at the same time.

  Yun Che moved.

  He tore the sword free and charged forward, his body moving like lightning as he threaded through the gaps between incoming ice arrows. Frostglory Prosperity flashed with dazzling gold as he thrust straight toward the chest of the third Ice Puppet on the left!

  The Ice Puppet raised an arm to block. The blade cut half an inch into the frozen limb before stalling—but Yun Che’s attack was far from over. His left hand had already formed two fingers into a sword, releasing an ice-cold finger force refined to the extreme—

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  Pu!

  The finger strike pierced straight through the puppet’s chest, hitting the幽火 core dead center!

  The Ice Puppet stiffened. The幽火 extinguished instantly, and its entire body shattered with a crack, scattering into ice fragments across the ground.

  Almost simultaneously, three Ice Puppets lunged from Yun Che’s flank and rear, six icy claws sealing off every path of retreat!

  Instead of retreating, Yun Che advanced.

  The Frostglory Prosperity Sword swept sideways as golden light erupted. Metallic clangs rang out as claws and blade collided violently, ice shards flying. Borrowing the recoil, Yun Che spun, his sword tip tracing a bizarre arc before thrusting upward into the lower jaw of the second Ice Puppet at the rear—

  The blade pierced through its skull.

  The Spectral Flame collapsed.

  Another Ice Puppet disintegrated.

  The remaining six Ice Puppets seemed enraged. Their幽火 flared wildly as they opened their mouths in unison, spewing six torrents of Spectral Azure Ice Torrent!

  Wherever the streams passed, even the air crystallized into fine frost.

  Yun Che’s face paled slightly—but he remained calm.

  Abandoning the sword, he leapt backward as both hands rapidly formed seals before his chest. Deep within his dantian vortex, the scattered light specks suddenly blazed!

  “Void Light… Condense Shield!”

  Milky-white light motes surfaced across his body, rapidly weaving into a semi-transparent shield. The six ice streams slammed into it—yet vanished without a sound, like clay oxen sinking into the sea.

  “Void Light power?!” Li Han’s voice carried unmistakable excitement.

  “When did you comprehend basic Void Light application, brat?!”

  Yun Che had no time to answer.

  The light shield shattered after only three breaths—but that was enough.

  The instant he landed, Yun Che reached into the air. The Frostglory Prosperity Sword, still embedded in the ground, flew back into his grasp. The golden glow along the blade flickered erratically—clearly damaged.

  The six remaining Ice Puppets charged once more.

  Yun Che inhaled deeply. A trace of resolve flashed through his eyes. He poured the majority of his remaining spiritual power into the sword. The golden radiance intensified to a blinding level, several gemstones shattering with sharp crack sounds under the strain.

  “Slash!”

  One horizontal sweep!

  A crescent-shaped arc of golden sword light expanded outward. Ice shattered in its wake as freezing currents recoiled violently. The four Ice Puppets at the front were cut clean in half at the waist, their Spectral Flame extinguished instantly. The remaining two were blasted backward by the aftershock, their bodies riddled with cracks.

  Yun Che leaned on his sword, panting heavily, his face deathly pale. That single strike had drained nearly seventy percent of his strength.

  But the battle was not over.

  The two shattered Ice Puppets struggled back to their feet, their Spectral Flame flickering frantically. Instead of attacking, they lunged simultaneously toward the Ice Marrow at the center of the chamber!

  “Not good! They’re trying to detonate the Ice Marrow!” Li Han shouted urgently.

  Yun Che’s pupils shrank.

  Without hesitation, he flicked his left hand—two objects shot out from his storage pouch.

  Filth-Snow Pellets, purchased from Li Shan!

  Both pellets struck their targets with uncanny precision, hitting the Ice Puppets’ backs.

  “Explode.”

  Yun Che activated the modified control imprint he had embedded within them.

  Grey-blue frost mist detonated violently, filthy ice residue spreading across the puppets’ bodies. More importantly, the sinister cold intent within the mist forcibly invaded their cores, colliding violently with the Spectral Flame!

  Both Ice Puppets froze mid-motion as cracks spread rapidly across their forms.

  Yun Che seized the fleeting opportunity.

  The Frostglory Prosperity Sword flew from his hand, piercing straight through one puppet’s skull. At the same time, his body blurred as he appeared before the other. His right palm pressed against its chest as Void Light power erupted—

  Crack… crash…

  Both Ice Puppets shattered simultaneously, collapsing into two heaps of broken ice.

  Silence returned to the chamber.

  Yun Che staggered, supporting himself with the sword as he gasped for breath. His spiritual power was nearly depleted, sharp pain coursing through his meridians.

  Yet his eyes burned with a bright, unwavering light.

  This battle…

  It was his first true battle.

  No overwhelming power. No luck.

  Only calculation, sacrifice, and pushing himself to the limit.

  The Void Light shield?

  Or the last-second reversal with the Filth-Snow Pellets?

  will permanently shape Yun Che’s future combat style?