In the instant Shui Ruolan was stunned, Shen Haoran was already upon her!

Once in close quarters, Shen Haoran unleashed his full power and launched a frenzied counterattack. For a moment, he actually suppressed Shui Ruolan, gaining a complete advantage!

She was a Tier Four Spirit General, yet she was being suppressed by some kid at the Spirit Pupil Tier. What’s more, she couldn’t even gain the slightest upper hand.

It had to be said that Shen Haoran was very clever. He knew that while his close combat skills were profound and his offense ferocious, it still wasn’t quite enough against a Tier Four Spirit General, and that was proving to be true. So, whenever Shui Ruolan was about to gain an advantage, Elder Yan would point out her weaknesses in Shen Haoran’s mind.

Shui Ruolan was the most furious. Every time she was on the verge of striking Shen Haoran down, he would suddenly become impossibly agile. He wouldn’t just dodge her attack; he would counter. To her utter shock, Shen Haoran targeted nothing but her weak points, forcing her onto the defensive. After a few exchanges, he had seized the advantage and was now pressing his attack against her!

BAM... BAM... Shen Haoran struck at her weak points again. Shui Ruolan was forced to block, and Shen Haoran seized the opportunity. He manifested a pair of hands from Spiritual Power, which shot out and grabbed her wrists. Then, he used his Spiritual Power to block her meridians, and just like that, Shui Ruolan lost all ability to resist!

"Are you going to listen to my explanation or not?" Shen Haoran said viciously.

"You... You scoundrel, let me go! Do you know who I am? If you don’t let go, I’ll make sure you die a horrible death!" Shui Ruolan was a fiery woman. She struggled as she threatened him.

"Oh? Still threatening me? Since you won’t listen to my explanation, I’ll just drag you out of this forest and let everyone have a look at you!" Shen Haoran said, starting to drag Shui Ruolan toward the edge of the woods.

"You... What are you trying to do...? You... Let me go!" Shui Ruolan began to panic, her struggles growing more violent. ’If anyone finds out I couldn’t even beat a kid at the Spirit Pupil Tier, how could I ever show my face in the Five Elements Sect again?’

"Hold still! Don’t move!" Shen Haoran warned.

But how could Shui Ruolan possibly listen to him? She continued to struggle, trying to break free from Shen Haoran’s grasp.

"WAAAH..." With Elder Yan’s help, Shen Haoran’s hold was too strong for Shui Ruolan to break free. A sob escaped her lips as she was about to burst into tears. Hearing her cry, Shen Haoran was speechless. He had only been trying to scare her.

However, in the moment Shen Haoran was distracted, Shui Ruolan found an opening. She wrenched her left hand free and sent a palm strike flying at him!

The sudden turn of events startled Shen Haoran. Luckily, his attention was still focused on Shui Ruolan. He twisted his body to the side, dodging the blow. Then, he reached for her again, trying to regain control.

But in his haste, not only did Shen Haoran fail to grab Shui Ruolan, but his palm ended up slapping her across the face!

"AHHH...!" A heaven-shattering scream erupted from the lakeside, startling all the birds in the forest into flight.

At the same time, a powerful storm of Spiritual Power burst from Shui Ruolan’s body, blasting Shen Haoran away. He crashed through two towering ancient trees before finally coming to a stop.

"Hiss..." Shen Haoran rubbed his aching chest, sucking in a sharp breath.

"I’m going to kill you!" A glacial voice echoed in Shen Haoran’s ears. He looked up to see Shui Ruolan slowly rising into the air, and his expression grew solemn.

The current Shui Ruolan was a far cry from the aggrieved girl from moments before. Her entire aura had become utterly frigid. Her long, dark hair turned ice-blue, the Sharp Sword in her hand turned ice-blue, and even her pupils became ice-blue. It was as if something within her had been unsealed!

"Well, I’ve really gone and done it now!" Shen Haoran gave a bitter laugh. ’I never expected this outcome. I just wanted to teach this unreasonable woman a lesson, and now I’ve truly infuriated her! What’s worse, the Shui Ruolan before me is getting serious. By the looks of it, if she doesn’t kill me, she’ll cripple me. Nothing less will quench her hatred!’

Watching Shui Ruolan gather her power, Shen Haoran felt a wave of unease. He could sense that an immense power, one he would be hard-pressed to resist, had already formed on the ice-blue sword in her hand.

"Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens!" Shui Ruolan’s lips parted, and the ice-blue Sword Light slashed downward!

"SCREECH!" With a phoenix’s cry, a giant, ice-blue Phoenix burst from the lake. Countless water droplets flew into the air, dazzling as they caught the sunlight.

But Shen Haoran knew that the more magnificent something looked, the more lethal it was! A dangerous aura radiated from the ice Phoenix.

"SCREECH!" With another cry, the ice Phoenix’s ice-blue eyes locked onto Shen Haoran.

The moment its gaze fell upon him, the hair on Shen Haoran’s body stood on end. Without a second thought, he turned and fled!

The instant Shen Haoran moved, the ice Phoenix moved too. With a flash of blue light, it shot toward him!

"Damn it!" The ice Phoenix was incredibly fast; there was no way for Shen Haoran to dodge! Watching the approaching Phoenix, Shen Haoran formed a Seal Technique with his hands, and the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian within his body began to boil.

WHOOM! With a muffled sound, black flames surged from Shen Haoran’s body, quickly forming a black barrier in front of the ice Phoenix!

The sky-spanning sea of fire began to churn, evaporating all the surrounding water droplets. Plumes of steam started to spread throughout the forest.

"SCREECH!" Perhaps sensing the terrifying temperature of the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian, the ice Phoenix let out another furious cry and plunged headfirst into the sea of flames, trying to extinguish it.

TSSSSS... The sound of vaporizing water filled the air. The ice Phoenix thrashed within the sea of flames, and in an instant, a dense fog rose up, quickly blanketing the forest.

"SCREECH... SCREECH..." A series of shrill cries came from within the sea of flames. The ice Phoenix had clearly underestimated the temperature of the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian and was now struggling in the blaze!

But this was agony for Shen Haoran. Conjuring such a vast sea of fire was already a huge drain on his Spiritual Power. Now, with the ice Phoenix’s struggles, his face instantly turned pale.

"Hmph, a futile struggle!" Shui Ruolan snorted coldly. She waved her ice-blue longsword again, and the ice Phoenix within the flames became even more solid. In an instant, it broke through Shen Haoran’s fiery barrier!

"SCREECH!" With another cry, the ice Phoenix burst through the barrier and swooped toward the pale-faced Shen Haoran!

Seeing the ice Phoenix just inches away, Shen Haoran explosively retreated. At the same time, he threw two clusters of blue-black light into the Phoenix’s mouth.

"Flame Sun Burst!" With a thunderous shout, a terrifying explosion detonated inside the ice Phoenix. In that instant, the violent Spiritual Power completely destroyed it!

Caught in the center of the Spiritual Power storm, Shen Haoran was also blasted away, coughing up blood.