Chapter 118

Throwing knives and daggers flashed alternately in her hand; each glint of cold light meant the end of a Life.

At the camp entrance, a chorus of miserable screams and the clatter of weapons falling to the ground suddenly rang out, the smell of blood so thick it was suffocating.

However, the moment Huang Rong stabbed down the fourth person, a sudden change occurred!

The Short Dagger in her hand, about to stab the next target, suddenly began to tremble violently without any warning!

A powerful and icy force suddenly seized the dagger, as if an invisible giant hand were forcibly wringing it from her grasp!

The dagger hummed, its blade shaking violently, nearly slipping from her hand!

Huang Rong's eyes narrowed; she instantly gripped the hilt tighter, her knuckles whitening from the force.

She lifted her head sharply, her piercing gaze cutting through the chaotic crowd and leaping flames, locking firmly onto the deepest part of the camp, the entrance of the largest Shelter.

At the Shelter's entrance, a tall figure had silently appeared at some point.

He was powerfully built, wearing a slightly worn but unusually clean deep-gray Metal Scale Armor, his arms crossed over his chest, the exposed bronze skin on his arms bulging with knotted muscle.

A ferocious diagonal scar slashed across his left cheek, while the corner of his mouth curled with a playful, icy smile like a venomous snake; his eyes were sharp as an eagle's, bearing a lofty, scrutinizing indifference that seemed to oversee and control everything.

It was Ye Xiao!

He did not move, merely standing there silently, his gaze sweeping over the fighting crowd and landing precisely on Huang Rong—more specifically, on the dagger in her hand that was fiercely resisting an invisible force!

The five fingers of his slightly raised right hand pushed forward with minuscule motions; each inch he moved made the dagger in Huang Rong's hand tremble more violently, and the force seeking to seize control surged accordingly!

"Hah… interesting." Ye Xiao's low, hoarse voice, though not loud, cut clearly through the camp's clamor, like cold metal grinding together, giving a piercing, heart‑racing sensation: "Little girl… your knife doesn't seem very obedient?"

The dagger hummed, its blade vibrating violently, almost slipping from her grasp!

It was Ye Xiao!

Huang Rong felt the dagger in her hand struggling wildly, trying to completely break her control over the weapon.

The steel short dagger jumped and trembled wildly in her palm, emitting a piercing metallic wail; each violent shake made her finger bones cry out under unbearable pain, the tiger's mouth split instantly, and warm blood instantly stained the cold metal and her fair skin.

The source of this power turned out to be the towering figure standing at the shelter's entrance, like an iron tower.

Ye Xiao's mouth curled with a venomous, playful smile that deepened; his slightly trembling fingers clenched inward sharply.

"Hum——!"

The dagger shot forward, as if seized by an invisible giant hand, then jerked outward violently!

Huang Rong's body was jerked into a stagger, almost pitching forward, but her feet were rooted, plowing two shallow grooves in the frozen ground before she barely steadied herself.

The steel short dagger that had accompanied her for years finally let out an unwilling wail, breaking free of her grasp; like iron filings drawn to a magnet, it hissed and turned into a cold stream of light, shooting toward Ye Xiao.

At the instant the dagger left her hand, a blinding bolt of lightning tore through the chaotic battlefield!

Li Qingxuan's silhouette had somehow flickered like a ghost to Huang Rong's front side, his Thunder Pattern Spear wrapped in a tearing-air roar; the destructive electric light gathered at the spear tip was not aimed at Ye Xiao, but precisely slashed the short dagger flying toward him.

"Clang——!"

A deafening metallic explosion! The violent thunder wrapped around the spear slammed hard into the midsection of the steel short dagger.

Blazing electric snakes erupted wildly, instantly engulfing the dagger!

The steel short dagger, imbued with Ye Xiao's powerful control, under the lightning strike capable of melting gold and severing iron, shattered like fragile glass, emitting a series of grating "crack" sounds as it broke apart inch by inch in midair.

Countless metal fragments flashing with azure lightning scattered like hail, clattering down onto the frozen ground and tents, even piercing the thigh of an unlucky bandit, eliciting a shrill wail.

The lightning faded, leaving the air reeking of scorched metal and ozone.

Li Qingxuan stood spear in hand, tip angled toward the ground, fine arcs still jumping uneasily along the shaft, emitting faint crackling sounds.

His towering stature was like an insurmountable mountain, shielding Huang Rong behind him; his deep-pool eyes had now congealed into eternal ice, locked firmly on Ye Xiao, his invisible killing intent like a tangible ice spike, piercing the clamor and striking straight at his foe.

The playful smile on Ye Xiao's face finally froze, turning into a hint of cold surprise, then settling completely into solemnity.

He slowly lowered his slightly trembling right hand, his gaze falling on Li Qingxuan, as if appraising a weapon worthy of solemn regard.

The lingering combat sounds in the camp had at some point ceased entirely; all surviving Heifengzhai bandits held their breath in terror, instinctively stepping back, creating an eerie vacuum in the flickering firelight.

Only the wind's wail over the ruins and the crackle of burning firewood intertwined, weighing heavily on every heart.

Ye Xiao's hawk-like eyes narrowed slightly, a flash of offended sharpness crossing the depths of his pupils.

He slowly lowered his right hand, his rough fingers lightly scraping the cold scale armor, producing a faint metallic scrape.

"Thunder's power..." his low voice resonated, each word heavy, penetrating the still air, "I underestimated you."

Before his words faded, he casually swung his left arm, which was crossed before his chest, outward!

"Hum——!"

In an instant, the countless metal fragments scattered across the camp—broken swords, twisted arrowheads, even the fiery-red iron hooks on the fire rack—were drawn by an invisible magnet, suddenly emitting sharp piercing cries, coalescing into a Metal Storm flashing with deadly cold light that surged wildly toward Li Qingxuan and Huang Rong's position.

That storm was not chaotic; the fragments subtly formed eerie cutting trajectories, sealing off all dodging space for the two.

Li Qingxuan waved a hand, pushing Huang Rong away: "Go deal with those little bandits; I'll take him."

Li Qingxuan brandished his spear like the wind, impenetrable; the thunder patterns on the shaft flared bright, the azure lightning no longer arcing but bursting forth instantly, weaving into a Thunder Light Wheel several zhang in diameter, spinning at high speed.

"Sizzle——!"

Countless sharp tearing sounds were drowned out by an even more piercing electric ripping noise.

The Metal Storm of shattered blades and scrap iron slammed hard into the spinning Thunder Light Wheel.

In an instant, blinding light and flying sparks exploded like a furnace, bathing the camp entrance in a harsh white glare.

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