Xing Fei had been waiting for this very moment!

Since ancient times, the cultivation world has revered strength above all. The strong should be respected wherever they go. A mere Soul Pearl realm ghost cultivator, relying only on backdoor connections and support from the Eight Directions Yama Palaces, seemingly even securing Lihan’s backing, actually dared to speak against him earlier!

At that time, because of Lihan’s stance and Xing Zhan’s interference, he hadn’t had the chance to immediately strike.

Moreover, that wasn’t the optimal timing.

Now everyone was rushing to enter, their defenses surely relaxed. Even Lihan couldn’t possibly react in such a short time.

What was there to fear?

This was the perfect opportunity to strike!

What surpassing Cui Jue?

Today, he, Xing Fei, would ensure this woman met her end here!

As the saying goes, the Wuchang uses soul-hooking chains to claim lives!

When cultivated to the second realm, the iron chain turns from black to white, capable of bewitching the mind and injuring souls.

Moreover, when he cast this chain, he attached wind and thunder attacks to it. If the target’s cultivation was insufficient, they would die even if not severely injured!

Thinking of this, he watched that white chain flying like lightning, his eyes already burning with intense light.

In that instant, Jian Chou also sensed this fierce attack and whirled around!

But she could no longer avoid it!

The ring overhead was still rotating, golden light already covering more than half, and the gray chaotic expanse had begun to grow dim.

If she stopped to face the enemy, she would definitely lose her chance to enter the Eighteen Layers of Hell!

This opportunity was once in a thousand years.

If she missed it, where else could she search?

For a moment, even with Jian Chou’s quick wit, she felt inexplicable anger: at this person’s sneak attack and that matter-of-fact malice!

Now, she had only one path—to endure it head-on.

Coming all the way from the Hidden Realm of Qingfeng Nunnery, though Jian Chou couldn’t be called battle-hardened, every opponent she had encountered so far was a prodigy of exceptional talent. In the gaps between battles, the slightest negligence could lead to defeat and severe injury.

Therefore, she had developed extraordinary reaction speed.

Though it sounds slow, the decision was made simultaneously with sensing the Soul-Hooking Chain’s attack!

While in mid-air, she neither dodged nor avoided, still charging straight toward the ring above, but her right hand that wasn’t holding the sword had already drawn a purple-black talisman from her Qiankun Bag!

“Whoosh!”

Her index and middle fingers pressed together like a blade, as if issuing a sudden command, and the talisman immediately transformed into a purple-black light shooting forth like lightning!

Those around who witnessed this scene couldn’t help but feel shocked.

Not to mention those spectators outside the Eighteen-Layer Earth Tower watching through Mysterious Rings. They were first startled by this sudden attack, about to cry out in alarm, when they saw Jian Chou launch a talisman at an incredibly fast speed!

So fast!

If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, how could they believe that such swift reaction and decisive counterattack could come from an insignificant Soul Pearl realm female cultivator?

Even Xing Fei, who had cast the Soul-Hooking Chain, couldn’t help but feel his scalp tingle.

But when he saw that talisman launched by Jian Chou, he immediately curled his lips in contempt, not caring at all—

How could a mere talisman resist the Soul-Hooking Chain?!

“A mantis trying to stop a—”

A cold laugh, still halfway through.

But the last word could never be spoken.

Xing Fei’s entire face showed an expression of extreme surprise, almost as if he’d seen a ghost!

He actually saw that purple-black talisman launched by Jian Chou shoot forth like lightning, gradually approaching the Soul-Hooking Chain, seemingly about to collide.

But at that crucial moment, the talisman slightly shifted and actually brushed past the Soul-Hooking Chain!

Crazy!

Had this female cultivator gone mad?

This talisman wasn’t meant to counter the Soul-Hooking Chain?

Xing Fei was immediately stunned, completely unable to react, not knowing what Jian Chou intended. Could it be that knowing she must die, she also wanted to collect a debt from him?

As this thought flashed through his mind, the purple-black talisman had already reached his face!

Deep red cinnabar was drawn on the talisman, flickering with eerie red light.

The moment he clearly saw this talisman, Xing Fei’s expression had already changed drastically!

He hurriedly tried to retreat, but while in mid-air with the golden ring overhead and powerful suction from within, how could his cultivation allow him to avoid it?

“Thud!”

Almost soundless, like a drop of water suddenly striking a lotus leaf with rapid force, the deep purple talisman had already drilled into Xing Fei’s neck!

In that instant, Xing Fei felt an explosive ringing in his mind, as if someone was striking a great bell in his head.

His soul nearly fled his body in terror!

“Rumble!”

Another terrifying explosion, almost connecting with the previous one!

It turned out that during this lightning-fast exchange, Xing Fei’s Soul-Hooking Chain had attacked his opponent almost simultaneously with the deep purple talisman!

Jian Chou’s entire form was engulfed in brilliant white light!

The Soul-Hooking Chain had struck something in front of her and was forced to explode entirely. For a moment, it was like a phantom sun exploding in the sky. Even the newly brilliant Ding Zheng Golden Order overhead couldn’t suppress its radiance!

Everyone still didn’t know what had happened, but Xing Fei, whose mind was connected to the Soul-Hooking Chain, felt soul-piercing, bone-eating pain in that instant!

His Soul-Hooking Chain!

Xing Fei looked toward the opposite side with near-desperate horror, but couldn’t clearly see Jian Chou’s form obscured by white light.

Until he was absorbed into that new world overhead, his mind held only one belated thought.

Her talisman had actually struck first despite being launched second…

“Click.”

The last bit of ink-black darkness seemed to be scattered by that exploding brilliant sun.

The golden ring formed by the Ding Zheng Golden Order made a sound like a mechanism locking again, and the entire ring completely returned to gold.

Then, the gray chaotic expanse within the ring instantly cleared.

The entire Earth Tower was suddenly empty, with only that tall golden column standing in place. The seventeen cultivators participating in the Ding Zheng had vanished without a trace.

Outside the tower, everyone watching the Mysterious Rings or the Eight Ding Screens was stunned.

What… what kind of joke was this?

“Her talisman was actually faster than the Soul-Hooking Chain? Am I seeing things?!”

“What’s going on? I didn’t see anything just now. It was too fast, this combat speed was too fast!”

…

People removed their Ding Rings or pointed at the Eight Ding Screens and cursed.

Of course, there were also experienced ghost cultivators who blinked in a daze, looking at the now-empty Earth Tower, saying in trembling voices: “Did… did you see that talisman clearly… I think it looked like a ‘Mountain-Striking Guide’…”

Someone immediately scoffed: “Stop talking nonsense. A ‘Mountain-Striking Guide’ costs three thousand Dark Jade. It can easily kill a Soul Pearl Great Perfection cultivator, and even mid-Jade Nirvana cultivators would suffer greatly if hit. Such a weak female cultivator? Impossible!”

Everyone deeply agreed.

Only the fat cultivator who had just mentioned “Mountain-Striking Guide” felt his judgment couldn’t be wrong, but was too lazy to argue with the crowd.

He just looked at the empty Earth Tower, inexplicably feeling heart-pounding fear.

This session’s Ding Zheng wouldn’t be so simple…

“Quickly check where they’ve gone.”

Everyone ignored that cultivator and immediately began using their Mysterious Rings to enter a bird’s-eye view map…

Thousands of miles of ice, ten thousand miles of snow.

Tall vegetation was covered by ice and snow, burying all traces of life.

Light blue glaciers reflected the sky’s color, crystal clear, like evenly dyed sky-blue silk. However, there was no sun or moon, nor any clouds.

When Xing Fei landed, his steps were already unsteady. If Xing Wu hadn’t quickly supported him, he would have fallen to the ground.

Looking around, the surroundings were indeed a vast expanse of ice and snow. Apart from them, there wasn’t a soul in sight, nor any buildings.

Only high and low gray, white, or light blue ice mountains meandered in the distance.

“Xing Fei!”

Xing Zhan was greatly alarmed.

He knew Xing Fei had ambushed Jian Chou, but hadn’t anticipated the result!

At this moment, Xing Fei could no longer stand.

On the left side of his neck was a small black hole, as if pierced deeply by a dark purple nail. The dark purple rapidly spread to the surroundings, and in the blink of an eye, half of Xing Fei’s neck was covered with eerie purple-black runes!

“This is…”

Xing Zhan’s pupils contracted sharply, his heart filled with terror!

Mountain-Striking Guide!

Taking the meaning of “striking the mountain to frighten the tiger,” when this talisman emerges, it has the effect of shocking souls. Combined with soul-locking runes, nothing can resist it!

Those struck by this talisman suffer bone-deep pain that penetrates the soul.

If not removed for long, damaged cultivation would be minor—severe cases would result in complete soul destruction!

The surrounding people were all allied with Xing Zhan. No one had expected such twists and turns to occur in that brief moment. For a time, they couldn’t help but look at each other.

Xing Zhan couldn’t spare time for more words, only saying: “Please wait a moment, everyone.”

He had to help remove the talisman, though whether he could succeed remained to be seen.

Xing Wu stepped back automatically, looking down to see Xing Fei’s eyes had lost their divine light, as if his mind had been shattered by something.

Especially that neck…

For a moment, he felt those crawling runes were like venomous snakes, like that concentrated black ink tide that had exploded before…

Before Xing Fei’s sneak attack, he had invited him to join, but looking at the female cultivator opposite and the obviously much newer Tunfeng Sword in her hand, he couldn’t muster any courage.

So he just watched Xing Fei attack.

He should have been surprised by this result.

After all, Xing Fei was ambushing, and his cultivation far exceeded his own. Against an unprepared female cultivator, he shouldn’t have lost.

But in fact, after seeing Xing Fei’s miserable state, his heart only felt “as expected” or “as it should be.”

How was the current Xing Fei different from his former self?

The same sneak attack, earning the same extraordinary reaction speed from the opponent, then unexpectedly suffering a severe loss.

The only difference was perhaps that Jian Chou back then had truly used that strange sword technique.

Now, she had only used external objects.

“What a sinister and vicious woman! I didn’t expect her to have some treasures at the bottom of her box, actually using such vicious methods!”

Someone looked at Xing Fei’s miserable state and immediately cursed.

They didn’t think Jian Chou had defeated Xing Fei with her own strength, and felt that without talismans, Jian Chou would certainly die!

Xing Wu instinctively wanted to speak up in reminder.

However, just as he opened his mouth, someone suddenly cried out: “Something’s wrong! Why is there one person missing?”

What?

One missing?

Everyone was extremely shocked and hurriedly looked around themselves. After careful observation, their expressions changed drastically: “He’s gone! Xing An is gone!”

But just now, Xing An had clearly been with them.

“How is this possible?”

At this moment, Xing An also wanted to roar frantically: How is this possible!

When Xing Fei and Jian Chou were fighting, his position was unfortunately placed, and he was affected by the exploding Soul-Hooking Chain.

He wasn’t seriously injured, but felt an abnormal fluctuation at the time, like water flowing over his body.

When he opened his eyes, the world spun!

With a “thud,” he crashed to the ground!

When he grimaced and howled while climbing up, he was completely dumbfounded—

This was actually the peak of a high ice mountain, as if cut flat by a sword, with a small open space.

His short, fat body was now positioned right at the edge of this place, one step away from falling.

Walls rose a thousand feet with no clouds whatsoever.

Just looking down slightly, he could see to the bottom—an abyss that chilled one’s heart!

Too high…

The air was strangely windless.

But Xing An felt a soul-freezing cold because on this ice mountain peak, there were three other people, one of whom was Jian Chou, who had just fought with Xing Fei!

She looked…

Completely unharmed!

Xing An was extremely shocked, but his usual cowardly and bullying nature made his fat body freeze in place, not daring to move.

The atmosphere in the field was very strange.

Jian Chou, like the nearby Xing An, hadn’t expected to encounter such a situation.

Her left hand had quietly gripped the Tunfeng Sword, thumb tip pressed against the sword guard, ready to thrust and unsheath at any moment!

Truly, human calculations can’t match heaven’s plans!

Due to Xing Fei’s death-seeking strike earlier, the first protective array disc she had activated on herself directly crushed and destroyed the Soul-Hooking Chain under this attack.

But simultaneously, the massive fluctuation caused by the clash between attack and defense also caused the Ding Zheng Golden Order’s teleportation to deviate.

Originally entering with Zhang Tang and others, she had directly fallen here with Xing An.

Moreover, she was ten thousand times more unlucky than Xing An!

Because when she fell, there were already two people on this peak, clearly in a tense standoff!

Heaven knows what terrifyingly mature minds both people possessed to remain motionless when she fell!

On the left, a woman Jian Chou didn’t recognize. Even searching through memories of the star cloud scroll, she found no corresponding figure.

She wore very little—a deep red dress, bare shoulders and chest, skin like snow.

Two straight long legs were partially exposed, as if casually draped with clothing.

Her features were painted with seductive makeup, a deep red peach blossom on her forehead outlined with gold powder, making her features appear enchanting and alluring with gorgeous beauty.

But at this moment, her strange pupils held no relaxation.

The suddenly arrived Jian Chou stood directly in front of her, blocking half the figure of the person opposite.

Opposite, on Jian Chou’s right side, was a man.

Tall with broad shoulders, carrying a seven-string qin, wearing tattered white robes that added an unrestrained elegance.

His black hair was mixed with some white, loosely bound with deep purple brocade.

He was barefoot, floating in mid-air, seemingly unwilling to step on the ice and snow below, his thick eyebrows slowly contracting.

Needless to say, Jian Chou had an impression of this person.

That mysterious ghost cultivator who suddenly appeared and took Lihan’s spot—Ghost King Tribe, Zhong Lanling!

Originally, the battle between the red-clothed female cultivator and Zhong Lanling was about to erupt.

Who would have thought two people would suddenly fall from the sky, one landing in the middle? The atmosphere atop this isolated peak was so tense it could strangle someone.

No one dared act rashly. Everyone’s gaze flickered slightly, observing all directions and listening carefully, mutually vigilant and assessing.

But…

Zhong Lanling on Jian Chou’s right side flickered his gaze repeatedly, showing indescribable confusion.

His eyes were like rootless duckweed, wandering and drifting.

Now that gaze fell on Jian Chou with some uncertainty.

He could naturally determine Jian Chou’s identity.

In the Fengdu City literary test, he was the first to complete, also the second cultivator to finish the entire second round of Ding Zheng. The only one faster than him was this female cultivator who ranked ahead of him due to “suspected cheating.”

He had stared at the virtual image on the star cloud scroll for a long time, feeling a strange sensation then. He had thought it was hostility, that they would meet eventually.

But when Jian Chou appeared before him, he realized it wasn’t that simple.

Thus, confusion suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Almost simultaneously, the seven-string qin on his back seemed to sense some aura and suddenly fluctuated.

When Zhong Lanling tried to control it immediately, it was too late.

One string of the seven-string qin actually vibrated by itself!

“Twang—”

Clear and prolonged, like a young phoenix’s trembling cry!

No one had expected such a change.

This single qin string’s light vibration was like the last straw breaking the camel’s back. The long-taut atmosphere finally exploded at this moment!

The red-clothed female cultivator, who had been waiting for an opportunity, quickly flashed blood-colored light in her eyes.

Raising her delicate hand with five fingers grasping, a deep red silk radiance like a waterfall was grabbed from thin air and swept forward with thunderous momentum!

The blue sky was instantly covered by this flying silk, a strange and brilliant deep red!

In that instant, Jian Chou felt like cursing.

She knew the opponent was only attacking Zhong Lanling, but unfortunately, she now stood in the same line with these two, bearing the brunt of this strike!