Chapter 61: Seal of Ice
Su Xiao leaped down from midair, the Realm Severing Thread already set in place, a crucial foothold at this critical moment.
"Don't charge in alone! You'll die."
Ayana spoke in a low voice. They had just defeated the Extreme Ice Lord earlier, and because it was a sneak attack combined with a pincer movement, there hadn't been too many complications. The battle ended quickly, and they were all still at their peak.
The confidence from that victory had now been completely shattered.
"Brother, Zange, you two hold him off. Crystal Elder, we need to wait for a better opportunity to strike. Dwarf, if you're not going to use your secret weapon, take it to the grave with you. That assassin, find your own opening. Silver-haired girl, if you keep cowering and trembling on the sidelines, just wait to collect our corpses."
Ayana was already somewhat angry. Tower Girl had been in a state of mental fog ever since the battle began.
"I... I'll do my best."
Tower Girl gritted her teeth and spoke. Just as she finished, Zange and Ice Armor charged forward together.
The moment they rushed out, a slash came sweeping towards them from the front. Ice Armor lunged forward with all his might, and with a *shrrrack*, a gash appeared across his chest.
Ice Armor only paused for a moment before hunching over and charging forward with large strides, Zange following closely behind.
*Boom!!*
A dull thud came from their side and rear. It was the Fat Dwarf activating the hand cannon in his grip. The spell formations on it were fully lit, and dozens of fine needles flew out from the metal barrel, spreading out as they shot towards Su Xiao.
*Ding, ding, ding...*
The longsword in Su Xiao's hand became a blur of slashes, deflecting all the incoming metal needles. Seeing this, the Fat Dwarf blinked, wondering if he had seen wrong. But even so, he immediately began reloading his 'Spell Formation Hand Cannon'.
It could be said that this Fat Dwarf was a genius. If this thing could be mass-produced, Duoyin would advance from the cold weapon era to the supernatural hot weapon era.
Just as Su Xiao deflected all the metal needles, a binding sensation appeared at his feet. Crystals formed around his feet, encasing both his feet and calves.
"Now!"
Zange, who had charged forward alongside Ice Armor, shouted until his voice was hoarse.
Using the momentum of his charge, Ice Armor swung his sword down at Su Xiao, about to unleash his mad dog sword technique.
Zange had somehow reached Su Xiao's side, swinging his 'Sinfall' short staff towards Su Xiao's head. He put all his strength into this blow, the veins on his neck bulging.
The Lizard Clan Elder pointed his wooden staff forward, and a spear formed from energy and crystals shot out, breaking the sound barrier with a single blast.
Ayana had already floated up. She pushed her hands forward, and a beam of light as thick as a bucket came crashing down from above, aimed directly at Su Xiao.
The Fat Dwarf raised his right arm, and a mechanism blade shot out, spinning with a whistling sound as it cut through the air.
And it didn't end there. Oufu, wielding a short blade, appeared behind Su Xiao, her dagger aimed straight for the back of his neck.
In an instant, Su Xiao was caught in a pincer attack, with no way to dodge. The Biting Cat outside the ice mist wall sighed, lamenting that even the best fighter couldn't handle four hands.
The ice sword cleaved down onto Su Xiao's head, but a shocking scene unfolded. The ice sword passed through Su Xiao's head without any resistance. Su Xiao was currently in a state of spatial penetration, making him untouchable by his enemies.
*Bang!* The ice sword struck the ground, sending crushed stone and freezing mist scattering. Meanwhile, Zange's horizontally swung short staff also passed through Su Xiao's body, smashing into Ice Armor's faceplate.
Zange had put all his strength into this blow, and large cracks immediately appeared on Ice Armor's faceplate.
The crystal spear flew past, crashing into the wall behind Su Xiao's side, creating a pitch-black hole over ten meters wide.
The most dangerous thing was the beam of light Ayana had fired. This beam, as thick as a bucket, was her ultimate technique.
*Thump!*
Ice Armor and Zange were sent flying backward in the explosion of light. When the light faded a little...
*Pfft.*
A large spray of blood splattered. The physician leader, Oufu, who had been responsible for the ambush, was flying backward. She crashed to the ground with a *thud*. Just as she tried to get up, she suddenly realized she could no longer feel her body below her chest.
In the light, a hand wrapped in a metal armguard grabbed Oufu's head, and then a blade pierced through her chest.
"Lord... Tuerte..."
With a *clink*, the dagger in Oufu's hand fell to the ground, and the surrounding light completely dissipated.
Su Xiao pulled the longsword from Oufu's chest and tossed her upper body aside. He had no time to check the kill notification as he charged towards the Lizard Clan Elder.
He had only taken a few steps when a cold shadow blocked his path.
*Clang, clang, clang!*
The longsword clashed with the ice sword. Ice Armor's strength was undeniable; at least Su Xiao had never underestimated him. Unfortunately, he had teammates who were liabilities.
"Ha!"
Zange roared as he attacked, swinging his short staff downward. Su Xiao angled his blade, letting the incoming ice sword slide along the edge until the sword and blade formed an X shape. Zange's short staff came crashing down, caught between the longsword and the ice sword.
A tremendous force struck Su Xiao from the side. He staggered a few steps, and crystals spread across his body, but that didn't stop him from delivering a slash.
'Blade Path: Flow.'
A graceful wind scar swept past. The distant Fat Dwarf stiffened, then leaned against the wall, sliding down to sit with his back against it. A blood line appeared on his neck—a single, fatal blow.
"I will... kill you!"
Zange roared. From the corner of his eye, he had witnessed the Fat Dwarf's death. An intangible energy spread from around Zange. Black spikes protruded from the short staff in his hand; this weapon could reflect the user's inner self.
Zange rushed in front of Su Xiao at an unbelievable speed, his eyes wide with rage. The air around Su Xiao suddenly solidified. Zange's attack seemed unaffected, heading straight for Su Xiao's head.
*Zing~*
The longsword hummed. The solidified air around Su Xiao shattered, and the blade shot towards Zange's neck.
*Shrrrack!* An arm encased in armor flew up. Ice Armor and Zange tumbled together. If Ice Armor hadn't sacrificed his arm to protect Zange, Zange would be dead now.
Just as Ice Armor and Zange rolled aside, a beam of light several meters thick fell from above Su Xiao. It was an attack Ayana had been preparing for a long time.
*Thump!*
The ground beneath Su Xiao's feet cracked extensively. The several-meter-thick beam of light engulfed him. Ayana's strength was on par with Ice Armor's; she was one of the few among the remaining five who could threaten Su Xiao.
When the light dissipated, Su Xiao was still standing there. A trail of blood trickled down his cheek. He looked at Ayana in the distance. Their eyes met, and Ayana's breath caught in her throat.
Su Xiao assessed the pain in his body and glanced at his remaining health. A powerful strike, it had reduced his health by 6.8%.
"He's injured. Keep going."
Ayana had just finished shouting when she suddenly noticed that Su Xiao's aura seemed different. It was as if he had only been testing them before.
Realizing this, Ayana felt like cursing. They had all pulled out their trump cards, and the enemy was still in the testing phase.
And now, the testing phase was over. Su Xiao vanished from his spot. The distant Lizard Clan Elder's eyes widened as the pressure skyrocketed.
So fast!
A cyan-blue blade scar swept past. A slash over ten meters long suddenly appeared on the wall behind the Lizard Clan Elder.
*Zing, zing, zing!*
Blade scars crisscrossed the hall. After suppressing the Lizard Clan Elder, Su Xiao appeared behind Ice Armor in the next instant.
A straight kick sent Ice Armor's body bending backward, nearly forming a C-shape. He broke through the air, and before he could crash into the wall, Su Xiao suddenly appeared in front of him.
*Thump!*
Another side kick sent Ice Armor flying backward into the inner hall. Several layers of tall walls inside the inner hall collapsed with a roar. Finally, Ice Armor crashed into the wall above an Extreme Ice Throne. Below, the Extreme Ice Lord was bound to the throne with chains.
The encirclement formation was shattered in an instant. Ayana turned and retreated, fleeing deeper into the hall. She had had enough of these useless teammates.
Seeing this, Zange immediately grabbed his sister and hurled her deeper into the hall—a classic 'toss the sibling' move.
"Zange, run! As fast as you can!"
The Lizard Clan Elder shouted. A longsword had already pierced through his back, stabbing through his heart.
*Crackle, crackle, crackle~*
Crystals spread. The Lizard Clan Elder clearly intended to take Su Xiao down with him. Cyan Steel Shadow energy surged, immediately suppressing the crystal power.
The longsword was pulled from the Crystal Elder's back. Su Xiao cleaved the Crystal Elder in two at the chest, clean and efficient. This annoying old man was a ranged type, and his body wasn't particularly strong.
"You bastard!"
Zange's eyes were bloodshot. Traces of golden light emerged in the air around him, quickly entering his body. His luck attribute visibly increased, and his aura intensity skyrocketed. This was the world's favor.
'Blade Path: Flow.'
A graceful wind scar cut through. Zange, who was about to charge forward, suddenly stopped in his tracks. A blood line appeared on his neck.
In truth, if Zange had completed his outburst just now, he would have become significantly stronger. But Su Xiao wasn't about to let Zange power up. Cutting him down while he stood there was the best choice. He wasn't the least bit curious about what changes Zange would undergo after getting stronger.
"How could... I... die... I am... the one... bearing the world's mission..."
With a *thud*, Zange fell face-first to the ground. Blood spread from beneath his headless corpse.
Su Xiao held his longsword with one hand, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground. He walked towards the inner part of the Ice Seal Hall. As he passed by Zange's corpse, he flipped his longsword, gripping it in a reverse hold, and stabbed it through Zange's heart, just in case this World Child decided to get back up.
When Su Xiao reached the deepest part of the Ice Seal Hall, he saw a tall Extreme Ice Throne. A figure was seated on the throne, bound to it by chains—the Extreme Ice Lord.
The moment he saw the Extreme Ice Lord, Su Xiao sensed something was off. This didn't seem like a person; it was more like a suit of armor, with the armor being the main body.
On either side of the Extreme Ice Throne stood Ice Armor, Ayana, and Tower Girl. Tower Girl was now in tears. If looks could kill, they would have already won.
"The crown."
Su Xiao rarely spoke during a fight.
Hearing this, Ayana nearly fainted. If the other party got the Extreme Ice Lord's crown, it would be a terrifying thing. She and Ice Armor could never touch that thing. They had previously tried to trick Zange into taking it, but the Lizard Clan Elder had seen through the trick and stopped them midway.
A spatial fluctuation appeared. Su Xiao vanished from his spot and reappeared standing before the throne. He reached out and tore the dark blue crown from the Extreme Ice Lord's head with one hand.
An ice sword swung towards Su Xiao. He leaped back, landing steadily about ten meters away. He examined the information on the crown in his hand. After a quick scan, many of his doubts were cleared up. At the same time, he made up his mind to destroy this thing.
*Ding~*
Su Xiao stabbed the Dragon-Slaying Flash into the ground beside his foot. He grabbed both sides of the crown with both hands and pulled with all his might. A shockwave spread. Ice Armor suddenly collapsed to the ground, and Ayana went completely limp, her legs giving out. Tower Girl, however, seemed unaffected.
*Crack, crack~*
The crown emitted sounds of unbearable strain. Ten meters away, Ayana struggled to get up from the ground.
"No!"
Ayana raised her hand in a mournful cry, her eyes filled with terror.
*Crack!*
The Extreme Ice Crown was torn apart by Su Xiao's hands. Fragments of the crown scattered between his fingers. A spatial ripple spread out from him. The walls around the hall shattered like glass, the fragments floating in midair.
Ten meters away, Ice Armor's body exploded, turning into a large pile of shattered ice that scattered around him. Ayana was completely drained of strength.
The wall behind the Extreme Ice Throne rumbled. Two massive ice doors slowly opened behind the throne. The throne was crushed and rapidly shattered as the two massive ice doors slowly swung open.
Freezing mist surged forward, but after a moment, it was dispersed by the heat waves from further behind. The sulfurous smell of magma filled the air. The ice on the two massive ice doors melted, revealing two scorched, blackened metal doors, as if they had been burned by fire.
The moment the two massive doors opened, a pair of eyes, as if filled with molten magma, opened from within the metal doors.