The Snow Jade Dragon's Wrath

Wang Tong had finally struck.

At that very moment, the Divine-Sealing Light Screen flickered and died. It was a seamless trap, crafted with perfect timing—all for this single strike.

A small dagger, no wider than a thumb and no longer than a finger, crystalline as jade and nearly transparent, seemed to tear through the fabric of space itself. Its icy chill made the soul tremble; a bone-piercing murderous aura flooded Xiao Chen's entire body. The tiny yet brilliant blade-edge was about to touch his chest. Unless he was a god, there was no longer any escape.

Death was so close to Xiao Chen. Though his heart cried out in defiance, turning the tide was beyond his power. In this moment, he could change nothing—only wait for death to claim him.

Ding!

A crisp metallic ring echoed across the peak. Xiao Chen was sent flying backward by a tremendous force. The crystalline flying dagger clattered to the ground instead of piercing him, but the sheer impact carried him several meters away.

For an instant, everyone held their breath. A deathly silence fell between the two snowy peaks.

The legendary Little Li Flying Dagger, said to never miss its mark, had fallen to the ground after striking its target without penetrating the enemy's body. It was almost inconceivable.

Xiao Chen straightened himself. Blazing divine flames erupted from his towering frame. He was unharmed—and his battle intent had been kindled into searing rage. He stared coldly at Wang Tong among the phantoms ahead, his eyes burning with undisguised fury. This carefully prepared strike had nearly taken his life.

He touched the torn hole in his robes and felt several smooth, jade-like fragments. They were pieces of Keke's multicolored eggshell, collected after her birth. He had never imagined that at this critical moment of life and death, they would actually block the legendary flying dagger.

He had gathered those colorful jade shards not for their beauty, but to preserve what Keke's parents had left her, and to one day show them to someone knowledgeable who might deduce Keke's origins. He had never dreamed the shells would be so tough—hard enough to stop the unstoppable Little Li Flying Dagger. Just how had Keke managed to break out of such a shell? It was many times harder than refined steel!

Only now did the onlookers snap out of their stupor. The opposite peak erupted into clamor. Everything was too incredible.

Divine flames danced around Xiao Chen's body as his murderous aura soared to the heavens. He stepped forward one pace at a time, and the snowy peak beneath him seemed to tremble. Large cracks spread outward from his feet, and the edge of the summit let out a groaning crack as countless shards of ice broke off and tumbled down the cliffs.

Though there were hundreds of shifting phantoms, Xiao Chen locked onto Wang Tong, the Flying Dagger successor, and Kailuo, the Illusionist Spiritist. A blade of blazing radiance that seemed to connect heaven and earth slashed forward, sweeping away all the oncoming illusions and shattering the countless real spiritual attacks.

At the same time, the three experts launched a true combined assault, determined to eliminate Xiao Chen.

Yan Qingcheng dove down from above, a blinding violet light tearing toward Xiao Chen. The genius Illusionist Spiritist Kailuo moved in concert with hundreds of shadowy duplicates, surrounding Xiao Chen in a sea of phantoms. And Wang Tong, the contemporary successor of the flying dagger, unleashed his stunning second strike—a single spark of starlight that illuminated the peak, becoming the most terrifying focal point between heaven and earth.

The more dangerous the situation, the calmer Xiao Chen became. Every movement was simple and direct, aiming straight for the lethal points. His right hand shot up like a blade, a beam of light soaring skyward to send Yan Qingcheng flying. At the same time, the Big Dipper light screen trembled violently, detached from his body, swept in all directions, shattered the rain of light formed by spiritual energy, and then slammed heavily into that dazzling point of blade-light.

Clang!

The legendary flying dagger was struck!

Amid a brilliant shower of radiance, the crystalline, translucent little blade fell to the snow. The Big Dipper light screen also shattered and dimmed.

If the first time had been a lucky escape, then this time—with both sides prepared for a mutual kill—Xiao Chen's keen perception had been proven. He had actually blocked the legendary flying dagger.

Gasps rang out from the opposite peak.

The divine art of the flying dagger had been passed down through generations, its power varying with the user. But whether Xiao Chen could block a third, a fourth… was hard to predict.

After the fierce exchange came a brief, deathly silence. What followed would surely be a savage fight—a life-or-death duel between Sixth Heaven Mortal-Shedding experts.

Xiao Chen's situation was far from optimistic. Unless he found a chance to flee far away, a full-scale battle would cost him dearly. But seeing his murderous momentum, no one could tell whether he intended to fight or retreat.

ROAR!

At that moment, a tremendous roar erupted from behind the peak. It was as if heaven and earth were shaking; the entire snowy mountain trembled violently. A colossal creature climbed up from the far side of the summit. It was a full fifty meters long, as if carved from ice—its entire body snowy white like jade, yet terrifying to behold. It had a single-horned dragon's head, the body of a gray wolf, and a crocodile's tail, its frame covered in glittering white scales that gleamed coldly.

A Snow Jade Dragon!

Most of the crowd recognized this legendary ferocious dragon. It lived in frozen lands and loved to sleep, spending most of the year in slumber. Legends said that even gods dared not disturb its rest, lest it fly into a rage, freeze a thousand li of land, and tear apart all obstacles—leaving no god spared.

The battle atop the peak had awakened it from its sleep in the ice cavern beneath the mountain, and it was now furious.

ROAR!

The Snow Jade Dragon bellowed, its voice deafening. A ten-meter-long, razor-sharp claw flashed with cold light and came crashing down savagely. Kailuo, Wang Tong, Yan Qingcheng, and Xiao Chen all dodged at lightning speed.

BOOM!

With a sound like mountains splitting and the earth cracking, the claw actually sheared off a corner of the peak. The sight was absolutely staggering.

ROAR!

The Snow Jade Dragon roared at the sky, shaking eardrums until they ached. Many people covered their ears in pain, knowing that a moment's delay might knock them unconscious.

BOOM!

Another violent strike. The sharp, enormous claw tore downward again. The peak could not withstand it—another chunk was ripped away. At the same time, the boundless snow and ice all around churned as if a tidal wave of snow had erupted near the summit.

This was sheer horror. The colossal beast unleashed its fury with an almost world-destroying momentum.

The people on the opposite peak began to flee in chaos, everyone desperate to get as far away as possible. The genius Illusionist Spiritist Kailuo, the successor of the Little Li Flying Dagger Wang Tong, the peerlessly beautiful Yan Qingcheng, and Xiao Chen—none of them could continue their life-or-death duel. They were right beside the Snow Jade Dragon, facing the greatest threat. All of them pushed their speed to the absolute limit, desperate to escape this supreme ferocious dragon.

Kailuo shot into the sky. Wang Tong leaped straight off the peak. Yan Qingcheng also tried to fly upward, but the light-wings on her back could not sustain her flight for long. In the tidal wave of snow stirred up by the Snow Jade Dragon, she was swept down, falling directly toward the direction Xiao Chen was fleeing.

Yan Qingcheng brought two fingers together like a blade. A dazzling violet light shot downward, aiming to pierce through Xiao Chen's back.

With his cultivation at this level, even in the chaos Xiao Chen could sense danger around him. He reacted instantly.

His body moved like flickering light and shadow, leaving an afterimage in place, dodging the sharp strike. Then, without waiting for Yan Qingcheng to stabilize her landing, Xiao Chen struck with cold ferocity—his most powerful blow, utterly unsparing.

Blinding radiance that no one could look at directly. Seven surging waves of energy, churning up mounds of snow like crashing breakers, rolled toward Yan Qingcheng one after another, wave upon wave.

This was the strength of the Mortal-Shedding Sixth Heaven. Yan Qingcheng could not evade. The blazing torrent of energy smashed her away. Blood coughed from her lips; her peerlessly beautiful face was pale to the extreme.

Without a shred of pity, Xiao Chen leaped down from the peak and vanished into the distance.

So what if she was the most beautiful woman under heaven? Xiao Chen would never show mercy because of that. An enemy was an enemy—no reason could ever shake that resolve.

The Snow Jade Dragon's roars shook the heavens. It shattered the peak with sheer force. Endless snow waves, like ten thousand stampeding horses, cascaded down from above, burying Yan Qingcheng deep beneath the mountain.

The pure-white ferocious dragon charged howling toward the opposite peak, pursuing the fleeing cultivators.

It was a great calamity. No one had imagined that such a terrifying dragon lurked here.

Amid its thunderous roars, that peak too was struck by a tremendous avalanche. The noise was immense. Fortunately, the cultivators had reacted quickly enough and fled that area early. Only seven or eight unfortunates were buried beneath the snow.

Xiao Chen did not flee with the crowd. He chose a relatively gentle slope, turned himself into a beam of light, and plunged deep into the snow. Rather than running for his life, it was better to hide quietly.

Outside, the dragon's roar pierced the clouds. The rumble of the avalanche echoed for a long, long time.

Only when the panicked shouts gradually faded did the dragon roars subside and finally cease. Heaven and earth slowly fell silent. The Snow Jade Dragon seemed to have returned to its ice cave.

After waiting a full hour, Xiao Chen finally burst out from the deep snow, silently staring at the peak that had lost its summit. Only now could he imagine how frenzied the Snow Jade Dragon had been.

The dragon race truly was a breed that made even gods tremble. Even though they had lost their great divine powers in the present age, their physical bodies were still unmatched in the world.

The path of cultivation had no end. He still had a very long road ahead. When would he possess the strength to contend with such a race?