Chapter 779: Winter's Coronet |
The two of them were in the depths of a bamboo forest. It was silently, so quiet that she could hear her own heartbeat.
The woman before her made no effort to introduce herself. She was ready for a fight, welcoming Ming Yue's first move.
The young cultivator obliged, brandishing both swords.
Lifting her foot, her figure vanished before her opponent, striking from behind. But this mysterious woman merely moved her sword behind her back, blocking the attack.
Ming Yue jumped back, creating a small gap between them. She raised both swords towards the person in front of her, ready to make another move.
As for the other woman, she casually swung her sword around and the air surrounding them plummeted. Flakes of ice began to form as the bamboo was slowly covered in frost.
The woman sprinted forward, closing the gap in an instant!
She left behind a trail of ice, coming up to Ming Yue while raising her sword for a diagonal slash. As her blade came up, Blood Moon and the Black Blade came down, clashing in the middle.
Gritting her teeth, Ming Yue stood her ground, using both blades to keep her opponent's sword at bay. But even with the two swords, she was at a standstill.
And the woman before her didn't seem so bothered, her eyes were sharp and cold.
"That was an interesting first move. I suppose I shall introduce myself, I am Su Bing, the Icy Gaze. We shall see if you can defeat me on your first attempt."
Saying her piece, Su Bing pushed forward, forcing Ming Yue back several steps.
The next moment, she drew something in the air with her sword, a ring of ice that floated above her head. A wave of cold air came over everything, covering everything in a thin layer of frost.
"I wonder, can you endure the First Breath of Winter?"
Ming Yue's eyes widened as an unsettling feeling arose within her. The Black Blade re-entered her spatial ring as she gripped Blood Moon with both hands.
With an upward slash, a powerful gust of wind came, creating a wall that stood against this wave of cold air.
Su Bing narrowed her eyes, creating a second ring of ice with her sword.
The second wave came even stronger than before.
Gritting her teeth, Ming Yue swung down.
"Waning Moon."
An iridescent arc of energy flew out, growing in size as it charged forward, cutting through the second wave.
The frost covering their surroundings thickened as ice started to form.
"Damn, there's barely enough time to move!"
Ming Yue didn't waste a breath, immediately raising her hand towards the sky. The clouds gathered, churning and darkening. Lightning coursed through them as thunder cracked. In and instant, they split apart, revealing a bolt of lightning. With no time to refine it, she focused on pure power, caring little for control.
"Mortal Lightning."
Bringing her hand down, the massive lightning bolt shot down, coming directly above Su Bing. The woman looked up watching the incoming attack.
She chose not to avoid the attack, instead drawing a third circle of ice with her sword. Compared to the other two, this one was actually small. It was the smallest of the three and it was in the shape of a crown.
"Winter's Coronet."
As the crown sat atop her head, the two rings of ice started to spin, pulsing with waves of cold air.
The ice growing on the bamboo exploded in growth, coming together into a giant icicle that faced off against the giant lightning bolt.
Ming Yue took this opportunity to strike on her own, sprinting towards Su Bing.
With Blood Moon, she cut through any ice in her way, using the momentum of the battle to carry her through. She didn't stop until her opponent was in sight and with both hands on Blood Moon, Ming Yue aimed for a downward slash.
But Su Bing was prepared, raising her sword and blocking the attack.
At the same time that their blades met, the lightning bolt and the icicle both exploded. Neither technique could win against the other and what came was a powerful shockwave as the ice shattered into pieces, large and small.
They began to fall down while lightning splintered into hundreds of little tendrils, arcing between the ice shards.
It was both beautiful and horrifying to watch, one could easily be buried under all of it.
However, this wasn't enough to face the two fighters who were locked in battle. Ming Yue pushed forward, forcing Su Bing back several steps.
"I hope you haven't forgotten about the ice", she said to her.
The crown of ice and the two rings started to spin as her sword was covered in ice. it started to spread towards Blood Moon, slowly spreading on the blade.
But Ming Yue had other ideas.
Changing to a one-handed grip, she let Su Bing back at her, coming closer. That free hand was opened wide and with it, she used the Boltwind Nails.
Wind and lightning fathered at her fingertips, forming sharp claws.
As Su Bing came close, Ming Yue moved forward, swinging at the rings and the crown, shattering them to pieces. The claws didn't stop there as they dug into the body, carving through the face and down to the stomach!
"Aghh, not bad."
Su Bing let out a short breath and smiled.
Stumbling back, she fell to the ground, shattering to flecks of ice.
The destroyed bamboo forest followed, fading into icy dust.
Ming Yue saw the empty hall once more, and a small statue of ice floating in front of her. It was a statue made in the likeness of Su Bing, seated with her legs crossed.
"That was a good fight. it might not have been my full strength but not many can best me in a fair fight."
Su Bing's voice echoed throughout the hall. She spoke with a softer tone compared to before but it still had that cold edge.
"Now, what do you want? Guidance, skills, or Power?" she asked.
"Power."
Ming Yue made her decision quickly. As powerful as Su Bing was, they were incompatible so a technique wouldn't make sense. And she didn't feel the need to ask for guidance just yet.
"Alright then."
From the statue came a snowflake that entered the woman's chest, melting into her skin. It was much more than what Hong Shi had given her before. A cool, refreshing feeling washed over her body, nourishing her meridians before entering her core.
The layer of light encompassing it glowed as it received this energy, growing stronger until suddenly it started to tremble.
Ming Yue suddenly had a look of urgency as she realized it.
"I'm going to break through. should I go down?"
She looked around, staring at the stairs. Just then, Dian Zhuan's voice echoed out as the squirrel suddenly appeared before her. At the same time, Su Bing's sculpture joined him.
"Oh hoh! Reaching the Heaven Realm, are we? Just find a place to sit anywhere and close your eyes! Let it happen! You'll be safe in this space!" he told her.
Ming Yue immediately did just that, sitting down in a meditation position and closing her eyes. Focusing inwardly, she watched as her entire core trembled even more violently. Cracks began to form on the surface before crumbling unto itself and condensing into a much smaller form. She could feel all of that power she gained within that new form.
What had been a little world brimming with life had now become a golden ball the size of a pill.
While all of this happened, she didn't notice that the empty hall was no longer empty as there were hundreds of spirits like Dian Zhuang present, all watching her.
But when she opened her eyes, it was just the squirrel.
"Hehehe, seems like you've reached the Heaven Realm. How does it feel?"
