Qing Tianxuan actually laughed when he saw Shi Xueyun charge out. His only fear was that she *wouldn’t* come out!

"What an idiot. I can’t believe you actually came out," Qing Tianxuan sneered. "Capture her! And remember, I want her alive!"

The Spirit Pill Stage experts at the front were already prepared. They charged forward in unison, surrounding Shi Xueyun. A terrifying Spiritual Power erupted from their bodies, forming a Light Net that enveloped the entire area.

"It’s a trap! The Palace Master is in danger!" Second Elder cried out anxiously. She wanted to rush over and help, but Third Elder stopped her.

"Don’t go out. The Palace Master just instructed us to stand guard here." Third Elder was just as anxious, but deep down, she chose to trust Shi Xueyun.

The other ancestors stood behind them, watching the situation unfold. They were already prepared to risk everything and unleash their full power.

In truth, it was a futile gesture. They had made some progress recently, but it was still limited. Against so many Spirit Pill Stage experts, they were powerless to attack and could only defend from within the perimeter.

"She’s about to unleash her latent Potential, to risk it all for one attack..." one of the ancestors said in a low voice.

"But doing that will shorten her lifespan..."

"But there’s no other choice... If she can buy us some time, the Celestial Sinking Ruins will have more time to recover."

"Exactly. She already depleted her Blood Qi by forcibly raising her cultivation level. Otherwise, she’d have no way to fight them."

Shi Xueyun was no fool. She had ventured out to give the Celestial Sinking Ruins a chance to breathe. Under the constant, frenzied assault, the ruins would eventually collapse. Her only choice was to recover what little strength she could, then charge out to launch a fierce counterattack and buy more time.

"You think you can escape this time? Seize her!" Qing Tianxuan’s eyes were like ice, his face a mask of twisted ferocity.

"Get lost!"

Shi Xueyun’s face was flushed. She spat a mouthful of Essence Blood, dyeing the entire length of her sword crimson. Droplets splattered back onto her white robes, looking like scattered plum blossoms. After sacrificing her Essence Blood, her aura instantly skyrocketed. She then summoned the Cold Ice Soul Jade and fused it completely with her body.

Her power surged, and her cultivation was forcibly pushed to the second level of the Spirit Pill Stage. In that instant, all the Ice Attributes in the surrounding air converged on her. As she brandished her weapon, the longsword in her hand transformed into a colossal Ice Sword, which she began to swing with wild abandon!

With a frenzied barrage of slashes, she actually managed to tear the encircling Light Net to shreds. She even forced several of the enemy elders back; any who were grazed by her attack were instantly Frozen!

This devastating power made Qing Tianxuan frown. He hadn’t expected Shi Xueyun to possess such Potential.

To suddenly unleash such astonishing power was to leap several levels at once! But it came at a price. In order to execute a more powerful killing blow, she had to burn her own Essence Blood. Consuming too much would, at best, cause her cultivation to decline. At worst, it meant death.

Yet she unleashed it without a moment’s hesitation. Her eyes held nothing but killing intent—not a trace of fear. For the sake of the entire Merak Palace, she had to do this. But her eyes showed no despair. Instead, they were filled with hope, as if she were anticipating something.

To save Merak Palace, she had forcibly boosted her cultivation using a Forbidden Technique. The enhancement was only temporary, and the inevitable side effect was a drop in her cultivation level. But no matter the consequences, she had to use it. The alternative was certain death!

The elders who had been knocked back cursed inwardly. ’This woman is insane! Her cultivation is lower than ours, yet she’s completely overwhelming us!’

This scene stunned everyone. Shi Xueyun’s reputation as a genius was clearly well-deserved. The power she unleashed at her limit was simply astonishing.

The power was terrifying, but Shi Xueyun had reached her breaking point. Her body was already at its limit, and forcibly unleashing that technique had drained her completely. Her face was ashen, without a trace of color. Her aura was like a flickering lamp, its oil spent, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

"Palace Master, retreat!" the elders of Merak Palace shouted, rushing out to cover her escape.

Shi Xueyun clenched her jaw and tried to fly back, only to find her body felt as if it were trapped in a swamp, heavy and difficult to move.

Looking down, she saw that she was already ensnared by the Light Net, its sticky strands holding her fast!

"Break!"

She raised her longsword and slashed at the Light Net, but her strength was fading. The heavy blow had no effect. The net holding her prisoner would not yield.

"I told you. This time, there’s no escape," Qing Tianxuan sneered. He began to walk toward her, his pace neither fast nor slow, yet each step radiated an immense, oppressive pressure.

"Wh-what’s happening?!"

Suddenly, someone screamed. The cry drew everyone’s attention, and as they turned to look, they were all struck dumb with shock.

Qing Tianxuan turned, annoyed. "What’s all the screaming about!"

But when he turned to look, he too was stunned. A huge number of the Cultivators they had brought with them had collapsed. They were all dead, and no one knew what had happened!

"Wh-what in the world is going on? How did so many of our disciples die?!" Qing Tianxuan was horrified. Many of the Spirit Refining Stage disciples, and even some of the Core Formation Stage experts, had fallen. It had all happened in complete silence; most people had no idea what was going on.

While their attention was diverted, a figure suddenly flashed past, silently appearing before Qing Tianxuan and thrusting a dagger at him with vicious intent.

An intense sense of mortal danger welled up in Qing Tianxuan’s heart. He instinctively tried to block, but he was too slow. The vicious dagger shot forward, piercing his palm as easily as if it were a sheet of paper.

Just as the blade was about to run him through completely, a dazzling light erupted from his chest, instantly forming a thick shield that flung the ambusher away!

BANG!

As the figure was thrown back, they twisted in mid-air and pounced on a nearby Spirit Pill Stage expert. In the blink of an eye, the dagger in their hand was replaced by a longsword, which they brought down in a vicious chop.

BOOM! The expert was cleaved in two. They died before they could even scream, blood spraying wildly into the air!

When the figure landed, they were already standing beside Shi Xueyun. With a single swing of their sword, they sliced through the Light Net that bound her. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Aunt, I’m sorry I’m late." A familiar figure, a familiar voice, entered Shi Xueyun’s vision.

"Mm," Shi Xueyun nodded gently. A brilliant smile bloomed on her pale face. Even without a trace of color, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.