The shattered bones were gradually melted by the azure lotus spiritual fire, then gradually fused back together.

Originally, it was an unbearable agony.

However…

When she heard that earth-shattering howl of misery coming from the stone disc, Jian Chou felt…

Perhaps she wasn’t the one in the most pain.

This person…

He was truly manly enough, a real man!

Jian Chou couldn’t help but admire him.

For a moment, she didn’t even know what emotions were in her heart.

She lowered her head and looked at her palm, which had been bloody and mangled but now showed no trace of injury.

That person shouting “broken” didn’t have her kind of good fortune.

She sighed in her heart, immediately feeling tremendous sympathy for this “pure man Meng Xizhou.” Then she looked at the ice surface beside her feet that had already been smashed into a large crater…

She raised her head, looked up, and curved her lips.

Jian Chou showed a big smile to that “Ximen Lu,” whose face had now turned green.

Ximen Lu opened his mouth as if wanting to say something.

However, what he responded to was nothing but a thunderous explosion!

“Bang!”

Before Ximen Lu could speak, Jian Chou directly punched the ground!

“Boom!”

The originally thick ice surface was finally, by this fierce and mighty punch—

Broken through!

Beneath the ice surface, a bit of emerald green and remnant red was finally revealed.

Green apricots are hidden among emerald leaves and remnant red, also buried under a pile of ice shards.

Done.

It wasn’t easy.

Jian Chou finally couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Smashing all the way while strengthening her bones and muscles—she hadn’t expected that jade-like bones could become even harder through this method, truly an invincible existence!

Ximen Lu floated in mid-air, looking at Jian Chou with eyes that had finally become extremely surprised and strange.

“You seem somewhat different from others…”

Different?

Jian Chou listened to the screams still coming from the stone disc, laughed once, and very amicably nodded at Ximen Lu, acknowledging his judgment.

There were countless people in the world, and perhaps many others were also named Jian Chou.

But there was only one of her, only one me.

Jian Chou never felt she should be the same as others.

Bending down, she stood in the huge crater she had smashed out, picked up the branch that was slanted out of the ice surface, plucked a small green apricot from the branch, and looked at it in her palm.

Though it seemed to have been buried under this ice surface for many years, this green apricot in her palm had vivid colors, showing an extremely bright emerald green. However, this apricot was too thin and small, so that upon first sight, one would start salivating—

Sour, astringent.

“You’re quite capable. Eat this green apricot and you can pass this stage.”

Ximen Lu looked at Jian Chou, crossed his arms over his chest, and gave his eerie laugh again.

This voice still carried a bone-chilling quality.

This green apricot had probably been buried under the ice for quite some time. After entering the Killing Red Small Realm, magical things kept happening one after another. Jian Chou truly had difficulty knowing whether this green apricot would have any peculiarities.

What if it was poison, what if it was something else…

Once eaten, what it might become was something no one dared predict.

“Owwwww it hurts so much!”

From the stone disc, Meng Xizhou’s loud cries continued.

The young monk from the northeast couldn’t help but advise: “Benefactor Meng, if your hand is already injured, perhaps you shouldn’t force yourself further.”

“Ahhhhh it hurts!”

Meng Xizhou just wanted his broken bones to grow back together. Who would have thought it would hurt so much? He screamed like a slaughtered pig again.

He only regretted his insufficient ability, unable to be as free and easy as that senior from the east.

At this moment, almost everyone in the Killing Red Small Realm had formed speculations about the strength of that “senior” from the east.

Meng Xizhou punched the ice surface once—the ice didn’t budge at all, but he cried like his parents had died. Yet that expert from the east struck the ice surface blow after blow without any screams of pain. Whether he simply felt no pain or was forcibly enduring it, no one knew.

Regardless of which it was, for everyone else, it was unimaginable.

Using one’s body to smash through ice, and they had heard the sound of bone fractures.

How painful must that be?

With bones already broken, yet continuing to smash—wasn’t he worried about his body turning to powder?

In this situation, there was only one explanation—

This person from the east possessed terrifyingly formidable physical strength!

Heavens, thinking carefully, did the Nineteen Continents have such body cultivation practices?

While howling, Meng Xizhou thought and endured the severe pain, crying as he asked: “I say, little master, if I remember correctly, your Buddhist sect has things like Diamond Body—that’s the strongest body cultivation method, right? Could this senior from the east be some abbot or great master from your sect?”

This was already being elevated to great master status.

Moreover…

No matter how they guessed, it wouldn’t connect to a female identity.

Thinking about it, Jian Chou felt somewhat indescribably tipsy.

Ximen Lu watched her with folded arms. After quite a while, seeing Jian Chou make no move, he urged: “Eat or not eat? If you don’t eat, you die~”

Die?

Always talking about death.

Jian Chou believed the opponent could kill her.

That earlier collision of fists had been enough for her to understand the opponent’s strength, so she didn’t doubt it at all.

Then, the current problem arose…

Withdrawing her attention from the stone disc, Jian Chou looked again at the green apricot in her palm.

What would happen if she didn’t eat?

What would happen if she did eat?

She finally fell into contemplation, ultimately looking at Ximen Lu thoughtfully, then finally brought the green apricot gently to her lips and took a bite.

Crunch.

A crisp sound.

The sour and astringent sensation immediately spread from her mouth.

Before Jian Chou’s eyes, everything suddenly went dark…

Northeast.

The young monk tried using his alms bowl to strike the ice surface. The sound was thunderous, yet the ice surface didn’t budge at all.

He pondered for a long time, then suddenly sighed: “If only this bowl could hold a bowl of green apricots from beneath the ice…”

The voice stopped abruptly.

Liao Kong felt his hands grow heavy, and emerald green suddenly appeared before his eyes!

The originally empty alms bowl was suddenly filled with small green apricots!

Ximen Lu floating before the young monk immediately exclaimed “eh” and looked at Liao Kong with almost glowing eyes, actually extending his scarlet tongue to lick his lips: “Tsk, so it’s a monk with three lifetimes of good karma… begging alms from the apricot grove…”

At this moment, Liao Kong heard nothing.

After the initial surprise, he jumped up: “Amitabha, Buddha’s protection… Buddha’s protection, it came true! Buddha’s protection…”

He chanted Buddha’s name several times before calming down.

Holding the bowl full of green apricots, he trembled as he bowed to Ximen Lu: “Benefactor Ximen, now this humble monk has obtained this bowl of green apricots. May I ask, must I eat one to pass, or eat the whole bowl to pass?”

“…”

Ximen Lu was suddenly speechless.

Who would have thought this monk was also a complete pervert?

What was wrong with all the challengers in this stage?!

Seeing Ximen Lu not speaking, Liao Kong became somewhat timid: “If that’s the case, then this humble monk will eat the whole bowl.”

Saying this, he hurriedly grabbed green apricots and stuffed them into his mouth.

Liao Kong’s earlier words had all been transmitted to the others through the stone disc.

Now, everyone was somewhat stunned.

North.

Golden Abacus Qian Que faced that hard ice surface, thinking hard but finding no solution.

He rummaged around his body for a while and finally found a huge iron hammer, then began walking around on the ice surface…

Just then, monk Liao Kong’s voice came through.

In that instant, Qian Que’s mouth twitched—he simply couldn’t believe it: “Buddha’s protection? You got green apricots? How did you get them? How is that possible…”

Northwest.

“Just said one sentence, chanted Buddha’s name once, and it worked?”

Qin Ruoxu from the mortal islands was also dumbfounded.

An ordinary monk who seemed completely unremarkable could pass through so easily. Then…

What method could he use?

Qin Ruoxu began thinking.

West.

Ximen Lu stared intently at Zhang Tang.

Zhang Tang’s movements were unhurried. One hand reached into the lake water, gently lifting the drooping apricot branch out of the water. With water droplets, the green apricots soaked by this ice lake water looked even more eye-catching.

He reached out and plucked a green apricot.

Zhang Tang put it in his mouth, seeming completely unconcerned.

His pupils contracted sharply.

Ximen Lu seemed both wary and expectant as he watched him, apparently waiting for what would happen next…

South.

“Damn it, finally healed!”

The sensation of bones being reconnected was truly wondrous.

Recalling that terrifying pain from earlier, Meng Xizhou felt like breaking into a cold sweat.

Looking at his hand again—wonderful…

I’m still alive.

The joy of surviving a disaster arose spontaneously.

Meng Xizhou thought of the collision sounds he’d heard earlier, all that hot blood, all that real man stuff…

All fucking nonsense!

As long as this little life remained, everything was good.

Meng Xizhou was moved to tears by himself.

Now, even hearing that monk Liao Kong had somehow inexplicably obtained green apricots, he couldn’t muster half a bit of jealousy.

He thought about it—this ice surface wasn’t something a person could smash.

His eyes rolled around, and Meng Xizhou finally pulled out a fishing rod with a red gold hook.

Better try this useless fishing rod.

Southeast.

The ground bore one deep sword mark after another.

Standing with sword in hand, Gu Qingmei listened to the intermittent sounds from the stone disc and couldn’t help but sneer.

This time, she had learned to be clever.

The sounds from the east had stopped—that person should have picked green apricots by now.

However…

Not everyone who picked them dared to eat them.

Unlike everyone else who had suddenly entered the Killing Red Small Realm unprepared, Gu Qingmei had come prepared.

If not for being caught off guard by that person holding the killing disc, originally, Gu Qingmei could have followed her plan and entered the Killing Red Small Realm very smoothly to obtain what she wanted.

Now, though her plan had been disrupted by that damned person, the classical texts she had searched through for the Dijiang Guyu were still in her mind.

With a curved smile, Gu Qingmei directly bent down and, under Ximen Lu’s strange examining gaze, picked a green apricot and brought it to her mouth.

She didn’t know what she would encounter after eating this green apricot, but she could be certain—

It wouldn’t be fatal.

That was enough.

She needed to pass this stage in the shortest time possible and get ahead of that person with the killing disc!

Killing disc?

What was so great about that?

The Dijiang Guyu would belong to her in the end.

The sour and astringent taste really couldn’t be called delicious.

After being frozen by seemingly eternal ice for so long, biting into it felt even more like chewing ice.

Gu Qingmei couldn’t help frowning, feeling disgusted with this Flowers Fade, Red Remnants stage from the bottom of her heart.

However, the moment this thought arose in her mind, the scene before her eyes suddenly changed!

“Senior Brother Xie!”

Gu Qingmei called out joyfully.

The high mountain ranges around Kunwu appeared below her eyes. Somehow, Gu Qingmei was standing again on that huge plaza above Kunwu—this was the Cloud Mist Plaza, three hundred feet above ground, in front of the Various Heavens Hall.

Xie Buchen, just like the day he first came to Kunwu, stood at the edge of a sea of clouds.

White clouds floated onto his robes, like adding white patterns to an azure mountain range…

Such bright yet indifferent colors were completely different from the feeling he gave people.

It was precisely this strange contradiction that had made Gu Qingmei, who had come out following Gu Pingsheng, notice him at first sight.

Hair black as ink, eyes extremely tranquil.

He stood in a position too precarious, too absolute, making one think a gust of wind would blow him up and make him fall…

However, what was blown up was only the corner of his azure robe.

And Gu Qingmei’s heart.

For a moment, Gu Qingmei couldn’t tell if this was an illusion or reality.

She unhesitatingly crossed the empty Cloud Mist Plaza, running toward that figure: “Senior Brother Xie!”

East.

Jian Chou, who had no idea to what degree she was being resented, had long since lost awareness of what was happening in the outside world.

She raised her eyes to look into the distance—

Howling winds of gloom.

A thousand li of wasteland, all dark and heavy!

Wind crossing the wasteland rolled up patches of withered grass, passing before her eyes.

This place was like a huge battlefield.

In just an instant, the sounds of battle cries arose.

From the opposite side of the wasteland, a large mass of black qi immediately surged forth. Jian Chou felt her scalp tingle—looking carefully, it was tens of thousands of evil spirits!

They were fierce, howling, laughing maniacally!

This scene, besides being terrifying, actually gave her an incomparable sense of familiarity!

The Ghost Axe in her hand began to tremble faintly when this group of evil spirits appeared, with an eager sensation!

A group of evil spirits charged straight at Jian Chou from the opposite side!

Jian Chou couldn’t help her accelerated heartbeat and dry throat.

Her palm gripped Ghost Axe tightly!

Rolling black qi spread in all directions. The massive Ghost Axe, beneath Jian Chou’s almost delicate frame, had an almost fierce and formidable presence!

Just as countless evil spirits from the wasteland were about to pounce overhead, and Jian Chou had even prepared to charge out, a tide of people appeared on this side of the wasteland…

People.

People.

People.

All people.

It was a vast group of cultivators, each holding magical implements. The moment ten thousand ghosts pounced, they surged out like a tide!

Swish swish swish!

For a time, only howling wind could be heard. The brilliant light of magical treasures illuminated this dark wasteland, and the high and low shadows in the distance looked like rare small mountains and deserts on the wasteland.

In the sky, streaks of light passed by!

Ten thousand ghosts wailed together!

Ten thousand cultivators raged together!

When those sounds reached her ears, Jian Chou felt all the qi and blood in her body surging.

She wanted to step forward, but found she inexplicably couldn’t move her feet.

In the crowd were faces of cultivators, one after another.

Some young, some old…

Time had left deep and shallow marks on them.

As they launched attacks, they opened their mouths wide, calling out something, but a gust of wind came and those voices were immediately swept away. Jian Chou could only see them shouting, but couldn’t hear anything.

Vaguely, Jian Chou felt several faces looked familiar.

She saw—

A group of evil spirits pounced, a cultivator was trapped in the middle, and three evil spirits bit directly at his neck.

A bright azure sword light suddenly flashed!

Several evil spirits immediately burned up like catching fire, incinerated completely.

Qu Zhengfeng stood beside that cultivator holding his sword, about to strike again to scatter the evil spirits, but unexpectedly…

A deep purple long sword came from behind, instantly striking Qu Zhengfeng. As Qu Zhengfeng turned around, from chest to back, the long sword was stained with blood!

That cultivator wielding the deep purple sword had his back to Jian Chou—she couldn’t see his appearance…

She saw—

A group of evil spirits, armed with tridents, simultaneously attack a cultivator. The gloomy sky seemed to be dyed red with blood.

Fudao Shanren rushed up with his broad wooden sword, but only caught this cultivator’s body.

He trembled, howling toward the sky…

Jian Chou couldn’t see his expression, only the towering flames of rage in those eyes.

She saw—

One cultivator after another falling…

One evil spirit after another surging from behind the wasteland, seemingly endless.

The cold ground seemed covered with a layer of ancient ice, its color as gloomy as the sky.

On the left side of the wasteland was a high cliff. On the cliff, a ring of golden light passed by, solemn robes billowed in the strong wind, flashing once and disappearing…

…

So many, many scenes.

Jian Chou held Ghost Axe, as if in a dream.

Her feet finally moved outward a little, as if some restriction had finally been lifted and she could move.

Ahead was Fudao Shanren, her master.

Having been his disciple for so long, she had never seen this master show such emotions…

Unconsciously, Jian Chou wanted to walk forward.

One step, two steps, three steps…

Fudao Shanren, holding the corpse, seemed to see her, his eyes bursting with brilliance.

Jian Chou felt this gaze was strange.

Fudao Shanren never looked at her with such eyes.

He seemed to be…

Looking at someone else.

However, in the next moment, Jian Chou saw Fudao Shanren’s face immediately fill with terror—

A shocked gaze fell behind Jian Chou!

A terrifying aura enveloped her from behind!

In that instant, Jian Chou felt a tremendous force transmitted from Ghost Axe, pulling her to turn around while raising Ghost Axe high!

The moment she turned, the scene behind her finally fell into Jian Chou’s sight.

A long river seemed to pour down from the sky, crashing down thunderously!

On Ghost Axe, a fierce, enormous axe shadow immediately overflowed, level with the earth, high as the sky!

Boom!

A silent yet tragic collision!

The axe shadow flew out as Jian Chou’s arm swung fiercely downward!