Before the main headquarters of the Fire Radiance Sect, the elite forces of Ice Heart Valley, led by Luo Li, advanced with unstoppable momentum, breaking through countless layers of defensive formations and fighting their way straight to the most critical area.
Five warships hung in the sky in a line, their dark crystal cannon mouths faintly pulsing with energy as they aimed downward, conveying messages of death and destruction.
On the flagship, Luo Li gazed down with an indifferent expression. The high-ranking members of Ice Heart Valley, every one of them poised and commanding, flanked her on either side.
A hundred zhang below, there was a plaza. At this moment, the numerous high-ranking members of the Fire Radiance Sect had all gathered there. Led by Wei Qing, they stared upward with grim expressions.
Between the two groups, a layer of fire-red light barrier separated them.
This was the Fire Radiance Sect's final defensive barrier. Once it was breached, the sect would become completely defenseless, left at the mercy of Ice Heart Valley's powerhouses.
After a long exchange of gazes, Wei Qing finally called out: "Senior Luo Li, does Ice Heart Valley wish to fight our Fire Radiance Sect to the death?"
"Yes!" Luo Li replied.
Wei Qing laughed loudly: "It is truly our honor that Senior Luo Li has come in person. However… does Senior truly think our Fire Radiance Sect is a soft persimmon, to be squeezed and shaped at will? I respectfully advise Senior—if you do not wish for us all to perish together, then please withdraw immediately. Otherwise, you will surely regret it!"
"Are you threatening me?" Luo Li's icy gaze pierced toward Wei Qing like a blade. Even someone as powerful as Wei Qing couldn't help but stumble back several steps.
Horror gripped his heart. He cupped his fists: "I wouldn't dare. As the Sect Master of the Fire Radiance Sect, I naturally must consider the tens of thousands of disciples under our banner. Senior's cultivation is profound, and our Fire Radiance Sect indeed has no one who can match you. But destroying our entire sect will not be so easy."
"I know what you're counting on!" Luo Li said with a faint smile. "To be honest, that thing gives even me quite a headache. Were it not absolutely necessary, I would not wish to face it."
"Senior understands—that is good!" Wei Qing's expression lightened somewhat. He thought Luo Li was starting to have second thoughts.
But then Luo Li smiled again: "However, on this trip I am only responsible for clearing you out. That thing will be handled by someone else. So… you should surrender quickly. I do not wish to bully those beneath me. Cripple your own cultivation, and I will spare your lives!"
Wei Qing's face darkened with fury. Just as he was about to speak again, his sea of consciousness suddenly churned violently. A terrifying and overwhelming will transmitted itself from a certain direction, carrying a message that turned his hands and feet to ice!
"A mere acquired weapon spirit dares challenge my majesty? Ignorant ants who know nothing of death—tremble before my might!"
The moment this will emerged, from the volcanic peak behind the sect, a clash of wills erupted that made every listener's face blanch.
Every person present felt it with perfect clarity.
The Fire Radiance Sect elders' expressions changed drastically as they all turned to gaze in that direction.
"Who would dare provoke the Qiantian Thunder Flame?!" one of the elders exclaimed.
"Has it begun?" Luo Li narrowed her beautiful eyes.
She had underestimated Yang Kai's speed. She had expected it would be much longer before he made a move on the Qiantian Thunder Flame. Yet here they had barely arrived at the enemy's doorstep, and Yang Kai had already struck.
"You have ten breaths to cripple your own cultivation. I will spare your lives. Otherwise, I will shatter this final barrier and let you die!" At that moment, Luo Li shed her previous cold and detached composure, becoming sharp and imposing.
The grudge between the two factions ran too deep. It had finally come to a moment where only one side could survive.
Wei Qing's expression shifted uncertainly as he felt the churning will of the Qiantian Thunder Flame emanating from the forbidden grounds. He knew his last hope was beyond reach. But crippling his own cultivation? That was impossible.
A warrior's life is a constant struggle against heaven and against fate. Every advancement is like crossing a single-plank bridge amid a thousand soldiers and ten thousand horses, with countless people halting before the new realm. Wei Qing had spent three hundred years to elevate his cultivation to the peak of Return Void Stage Three—a powerhouse with the potential to break through to the Void King Realm.
How could he willingly destroy his own cultivation?
Rather than lingering on in a wretched state, it was better to stake everything on one final battle and seize that sliver of a chance at survival.
"Fight them!" Wei Qing roared.
The Fire Radiance Sect's high-ranking members clearly shared the same sentiment. They knew that given the deep enmity between the factions, begging for mercy would accomplish nothing. The moment Wei Qing shouted, the numerous elders activated their Saint Yuan, summoned their Artifacts, and launched them at the five warships.
"Seeking your own death!" Luo Li's face turned frigid as she extended a finger and pointed lightly forward.
That single point seemed devoid of any worldly energy. From her fingertip, a crystalline six-petaled snowflake drifted out and grew with the wind.
In the blink of an eye, the snowflake had expanded to the size of the sky, shrouding the entire plaza.
A bone-piercing chill descended from above!
"Freeze a Thousand Miles!" Bing Long, Ran Yunting, and the others suddenly shouted in unison.
From within each of their bodies, torrential and surging Saint Yuan poured forth, merging together and pushing forward.
Wherever the Saint Yuan passed, the earth began to freeze.
The sky began to snow.
Each snowflake contained terrifying waves of energy. They drifted down lightly, falling upon the fire-red protective barrier as though carrying a corrosive property, eating away at the seemingly impenetrable shield and pitting it with small holes.
The intent of a frozen earth spread through these holes, creeping toward the center of the plaza.
The weaker Fire Radiance Sect disciples became ice sculptures in the blink of an eye.
Wei Qing was grief-stricken and filled with fury, knowing that the Fire Radiance Sect was likely beyond salvation this time.
With Luo Li stationed here, they stood no chance at all. They had originally counted on the sealed Qiantian Thunder Flame to make Luo Li hesitate. But now, the Qiantian Thunder Flame had clearly been entangled by someone and was utterly unreliable.
Moreover, judging from Luo Li's expression and aura, there was not the slightest trace of injury.
She was clearly at her peak!