Chapter 89

“If I hadn’t adopted a posture of utter commitment, leaving no room for retreat, how could I have tricked you into paying such a high price?” Qian Chen watched the direction in which Miao Kong fled, his mind calm: “When I drew my sword, I knew it was hopeless—but I did it anyway, to place myself in the most vulnerable state possible. With your determination to kill, you would inevitably pay a terrible price to seize this opportunity.”

“That’s why I faced you directly, with no protective artifacts and my magic power utterly depleted.”

“I didn’t expect you to be even more cautious than I imagined—you’d rather cripple part of your primordial demonic core than risk not triggering the demon’s backlash, shifting the burden of the Twelve White Bone Demons onto me. Clearly, you didn’t trust my act… yet you couldn’t resist your killing intent, so you chose to personally drive me into the most weakened state.”

“I guessed your strongest technique might be Nine You Fiery Flame, but if it were something else, it wouldn’t matter. At that moment, though I appeared defenseless and utterly empty, I had hidden the Cold Moon Ice Soul Pill within the moonlight. Once you struck, I used the Ice Soul Divine Light to freeze myself—though I’d inevitably suffer the cold, my body would be protected. I could resolve the damage gradually afterward.”

“Finally, through the fragment of my soul stored in the Dao Dust Pearl, I could still trigger the Ice Soul Cold Light… this is my most potent weapon against Yin Spirits, primordial demonic cores, and even Yang Spirits. I will surely inflict catastrophic damage upon you!”

“I didn’t expect you to follow my calculations exactly—using the Nine You Fiery Flame.”

“The Nine You Fiery Flame is countered by the Ice Soul Cold Light, so I didn’t need to freeze my entire body—only the three feet around me, creating a stagnant energy space immune to the demonic flame, allowing me to dismantle it calmly. In the end, I even had enough strength left to personally activate the Ice Soul Cold Light… making the divine light even fiercer by threefold.”

“After saying all that… it’s freezing!”

“Can anyone help me? I’ve been frozen stiff!” Qian Chen’s expression remained calm, but inside he groaned inwardly.

Only then did Yan Jianxian and Kunlun Daoist Zhiquiu snap back to awareness. Though this turn of events seemed long in recounting, it had occurred in an instant—even cultivators couldn’t turn over more than a few thoughts. Whether Qian Chen’s Ice Soul Cold Light or Miao Kong’s Heavenly Ghost Escape, both were activated with a single thought—back and forth, merely two thoughts.

Yet what remained for the two witnesses was a shuddering shock, from soul to body.

When Qian Chen faced an enemy two realms above him, his meticulous preparations, layered calculations, and endless techniques left Zhiquiu, a native of the myriad worlds, gaping in astonishment.

He admitted that even if his cultivation matched theirs, in a life-or-death duel, he wouldn’t survive two rounds.

Yan Jianxian walked over to Qian Chen and sighed: “Pity—his demonic escape technique was truly exquisite. He still got away!”

Qian Chen gave a faint, bitter smile and whispered: “If he hadn’t fled, we’d be the ones in trouble!” Seeing Yan Jianxian’s startled look, Qian Chen swayed slightly before adding: “I’m only standing now thanks to the cold that’s frozen my body. Brother Yan, if you don’t support me, I’ll collapse the moment you let go.”

Yan Jianxian quickly helped Qian Chen sit down.

Qian Chen said: “Earlier, I froze myself with the Ice Soul Cold Light to evade the demonic flame’s power. Though protected by an external elixir and surviving the trials of fire and water, I’m now utterly drained. The divine light that severely wounded this demon came only from the half-year’s accumulated power of my external elixir. After releasing it, I can’t even move a single finger.”

“Let me meditate for a while—I must at least thaw the ice that has frozen all my meridians.”

Yan Jianxian said: “I’ll assist you with my cultivation!”

Qian Chen quickly shook his head: “Brother Yan, don’t bother—you’re our only remaining combatant. Stay alert; others may come to take advantage. That battle must have drawn many eyes. Don’t be careless. Though I’ve suffered grievous cold damage, the cold has also delayed the onset of my injuries. Slowly resolving it will be better.”

“Though that demon fled, terrified by my divine light, his wit will return in the blink of an eye.”

Zhiquiu tensed: “Then aren’t we in grave danger now? Friend, let me carry you away—far from this perilous place!”

Qian Chen smiled: “Do you think he’s unharmed? I’m merely temporarily exhausted—he’s damaged his very foundation. He’s even more panicked than we are now. If he can still maintain his Core Formation combat power, he’s already deeply rooted. A mere Core Formation demon—do you fear him, Brother Yan?”

The Yan surname sword immortal sneered: “Let him come—he won’t leave alive!”

Then his face suddenly paled, and he coughed several times, his ruddy complexion darkening to brown. Zhiquiu was startled again, frantically searching his body for healing pills. Yan Jianxian chuckled: “I’ve taken some injuries, but I can still fight to the death.”

Qian Chen nodded: “Same here. If that demon dares to turn back, I’ll give him another taste—this time, he might not escape at all!”

Qian Chen’s words referred to his final reserve. Though he appeared utterly defenseless, if anyone had dared act maliciously—or if Miao Kong had insisted on returning for one final strike—Qian Chen could have detonated his external qi elixir. At that moment, the cold would have spilled outward, freezing the energy within a hundred li into a towering ice mountain hundreds of zhang high. Even if Miao Kong didn’t freeze to death, he’d be sealed within the ice.

Trapped in the ice mountain, Qian Chen could protect himself and heal slowly, while Miao Kong would be relentlessly eroded by lingering Ice Soul Cold Light, its chilling essence gnawing at his core. As Qian Chen recovered and Miao Kong weakened, who would be the butcher, and who the meat?

But this meant Qian Chen’s position was now extremely passive.

Who knows what kind of chaos lurks among the reincarnators in this mission world? Is there truly no one ready to play the fisherman?

Even if Qian Chen still had two hidden cards, he’d have to sacrifice this body. This battle had already crippled Miao Kong—stripping him of his strongest artifact, severing his primordial demonic core, and half-destroying it. It would take him years to recover. Give Qian Chen a few more years, and even if Miao Kong regained his full strength, he wouldn’t fear him.

To know when to stop—that’s the principle.

After meditating for three quarters of an hour, Qian Chen finally regained control of his limbs. Shivering, he pulled out the red-skinned gourd from his robe, flicked the golden leaf on its lid, and the Golden-Silver Children leapt down—one fanning him, the other pouring spirit pills to guard him. Qian Chen gave two healing pills to Yan Jianxian and Zhiquiu.

He swallowed one Pure Yang Pill. Instantly, a warm elixir energy dispersed the cold within him, making him feel much better.

Yan Jianxian took one Mingyu Zhen Shen Pill without hesitation, calming the headache and soul instability caused by his Yin Spirit forcibly leaving his body. He had been suppressing his pain all along—on the surface, he seemed unharmed, but in truth, if he had to fight now, he could only fight to the death again.

Though Zhiquiu had suffered the worst injuries, he was the first among the three to regain full mobility.

Back in the Lanruo Temple, the hall that had been attacked by the wolf demons was in ruins, but at least it offered some shelter. Zhiquiu scattered a handful of Bean Soldiers to drag away the wolf corpses. Had Qian Chen not deliberately avoided this area during his battle with Miao Kong, it would have been reduced to ash like the nearby hill. Looking at the temple, now more ruined than ever, Zhiquiu suddenly realized: “This looks familiar—isn’t this the ruin I often passed by? When was this building constructed?”

Zhiquiu’s sharp eyes noticed tiny golden glimmers scattered across the courtyard, once overgrown with wild grass. He stroked his chin, murmuring: “These must be the temple monks’ hidden gold and silver. I never expected the treasure wouldn’t be stolen—but instead burned into gold sand by the wolf demons’ self-immolating demonic fire…”

“Burned into… gold sand?”

After meditating a while, the cold in Qian Chen’s meridians thawed, and his true qi gradually returned. But Qian Chen noticed that as the cold faded, the White Bone Relic inside his Cloud-Flow Flying Sleeves grew restless again—he had to expend magic power to suppress it. The Ice Soul Cold Qi was the nemesis of demonic thoughts, like ice water poured over them—any demonic intent vanished.

But as the cold dissipated, the demonic thoughts stirred once more.

Though Qian Chen had seized Miao Kong’s most powerful artifact, he’d also taken on a troublesome burden.

He had to temporarily halt clearing the cold, maintaining a delicate balance between the Ice Soul Cold Qi, his injuries, and his true qi restoration—when the Ear God quietly approached his ear and whispered a warning.

Qian Chen’s eyes flashed with a sliver of cold light. He sneered inwardly: “Of course—someone always lacks the sense to die.”