"Looks like the only option is to escape!"

Fueled by the brief clash of meridian spirits, Fu Lingxue felt an overwhelming sense of invincibility fade away, and the confidence she had forcefully rallied crumbled in an instant.

Swish

Fu Lingxue decisively acted, realizing that the raging flames had not yet ceased. She knew it was her sole opportunity; if Yun Xiao managed to react, today’s entrance to the Meridian Refining Master Association could very well become her burial ground.

A figure swiftly darted across the sky, heading outwards from Lianyun Mountain at breakneck speed, causing the spectators below to momentarily freeze before quickly grasping what Fu Lingxue intended to do.

"Fleeing after just one move?"

Many cultivators found this thought peculiar, but in the next moment, they understood why the Palace Master of Wuyan Palace made such a decision.

The reason was entirely due to Yun Xiao’s oppressive strength. With just one move, he shattered Fu Lingxue’s confidence, leaving her without the slightest courage to fight again.

Almost everyone could comprehend Fu Lingxue’s decisiveness; charging headlong knowing there was no chance was folly only some would indulge in. At least as the Vice Palace Master of Wuyan Palace, her actions were indeed resolute.

Unfortunately, despite Fu Lingxue’s quick decision, she overlooked a fundamental fact: Yun Xiao’s speed. Yun Xiao, empowered by Thunder Dragon’s Wings and Wind Power, was unmatched even against true flying Heavenly Demons.

Fu Lingxue cultivated fire attribute techniques, which did not excel in speed. Compared to other cultivators of the same rank, she might have had the upper hand, but against Yun Xiao, all advantages were nullified.

Shua!

In the next instant, those below saw a silver-gray silhouette slicing through the sky, swiftly closing the gap to just a few feet behind Fu Lingxue.

"Not good!"

Sensing the icy cold aura emanating behind her, Fu Lingxue’s heart skipped a beat. At that moment, she finally understood the vast difference in speed compared to the youth Yun Xiao.

"Get away!"

In desperation, Fu Lingxue roared and then unleashed her full strength, furiously attacking behind her, trying to grasp a fleeting opportunity as Yun Xiao was supposedly off balance.

Whoosh...

Fu Lingxue’s powerful strike surprisingly hit Yun Xiao. This scene puzzled many cultivators and Meridian Refining Masters present.

For despite Fu Lingxue’s sudden attack, those familiar with Yun Xiao believed he could easily evade such a blow.

"Something’s not right!"

Perhaps only Nie Xiaosheng, truly knowledgeable of Yun Xiao, and the geniuses of the Meridian Refining Master Association could discern subtleties when Fu Lingxue’s fist passed through "Yun Xiao’s" body.

"What Fu Lingxue hit was merely an afterimage!"

Nie Xiaosheng took a deep breath before making this conclusion; after all, he had witnessed Yun Xiao’s Shadow Clone Meridian Techniques multiple times in the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield.

Even the convincing afterimages from the Earth Rank Third Realm became indistinguishable upon reaching the Heavenly Rank Floating Life Realm.

Include the distant spectators or Fu Lingxue, a Floating Life Realm Peak expert up close—none could tell the illusion.

"Damn!"

Fu Lingxue’s response was swift; she didn’t recognize it was just a clone’s afterimage initially, but as her fist made contact without the sensation of hitting flesh, she realized she had fallen into Yun Xiao’s grand deception.

In truth, during her time on Impermanence Island, Fu Lingxue had seen Yun Xiao use Shadow Clones before, yet at this life-and-death moment, she subconsciously overlooked it.

What seemed insignificant then now determined the fate of Fu Lingxue, the Vice Palace Master of Wuyan Palace. As she realized it was merely an afterimage, an icy aura rose behind her.

Bam!

A terrified Fu Lingxue felt a soft pat on her shoulder from behind, plunging her heart into despair as the ultimate ice cold power swept through from her shoulder.

"No..."

Sensing the ice cold power about to engulf her, Fu Lingxue erupted with extreme fire attribute power, trying to drive out the freezing force threatening to turn her into an ice sculpture.

However, the Ancestor Vein Power that Yun Xiao unleashed with his left arm was overwhelmingly strong. Even Fu Lingxue, a fellow cultivator at the peak of the Floating Life Realm, couldn’t withstand it. Even some experts who had reached the half-step Lingyun Realm couldn’t bear it.

Moments ago, Yun Xiao took advantage of a brief distraction caused by his Shadow Clone, without any hesitation, delivering a successful strike before Fu Lingxue could react.

This Ice Cold Ancestor Vein Power of Yun Xiao’s was a formidable manifestation of Water Extreme, making it impossible for cultivators of the same level to dissolve it.

Moreover, Fu Lingxue practiced a Fire Attribute Technique, which was at a disadvantage against water, leaving her with no power to turn the situation around. Despite unleashing all her fire attribute Meridian Qi, the Ice Cold Power quickly invaded her entire body.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Under Fu Lingxue’s terrified expression, the Ice Cold Ancestor Vein Power began freezing her inch by inch from her shoulder, ultimately transforming the Vice Palace Master of Wuyan Palace into a human-shaped ice sculpture.

At that moment, the entire scene was silent!

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the vivid and lifelike crystal ice sculpture, thinking of Wu Zhukong’s recent miserable end, realizing the grave losses Wuyan Palace had suffered this time.

A contemporary Palace Master at the peak of the Lingyun Realm, a Vice Palace Master at the peak of the Floating Life Realm, both fell at Yun Xiao’s hands. Could this simple-clothed youth truly be the nemesis of Wuyan Palace?

Unfortunately, neither Wu Zhukong nor Fu Lingxue could think much about it at this point.

From this moment, Wuyan Palace’s Heavenly Rank experts were reduced to only Mu Shiyi, a top-tier expert of the Heavenly Realm, and a Great Elder of the Floating Life Realm Middle Stage.

In fact, this Wuyan Palace Great Elder at the Middle Stage of the Floating Life Realm, was dominating Elder Guan Rufeng in their battle. Unfortunately, with Yun Xiao’s appearance, the overall momentum of Wuyan Palace had vanished.

After turning Fu Lingxue into an ice sculpture, Yun Xiao gave no attention to Wuyan Palace’s Vice Master. To the stunned eyes of everyone, his Thunder Wings flicked behind him, and a silvery-grey line streaked across the sky once more.

"Elder Guan, step back!"

Before Yun Xiao’s body arrived, his voice did, as his low shout reached Elder Guan Rufeng, who without any hesitation, despite facing a powerful strike from the Wuyan Palace’s Great Elder, chose to retreat.

After all, witnessing Yun Xiao’s incredible display, even Guan Rufeng, who had been completely suppressed, sensed it and knew that since Yun Xiao told him to retreat, he would not be harmed.

For his opponent, the Wuyan Palace Great Elder at the Middle Stage of the Floating Life Realm, seeing Guan Rufeng’s move initially left him with a deeply dejected expression, which quickly turned into excitement.

Because the Wuyan Palace Great Elder clearly saw Yun Xiao still more than ten zhang away from them, yet Guan Rufeng was trying to retreat recklessly, giving him a perfect opportunity.

Honestly, the already dominating Wuyan Palace Great Elder sensed the earlier battle more clearly than Guan Rufeng. Thus, he was nearly scared witless by Yun Xiao’s combat power.

Joking aside, with the Palace Master at the peak of the Lingyun Realm and the Vice Palace Master at the peak of the Floating Life Realm both effortlessly defeated by Yun Xiao, what waves could he, a mere Middle Stage Floating Life Realm elder, possibly create in front of that young man?

Thus, the Wuyan Palace Great Elder was filled with despair, convinced Yun Xiao’s next target would be him, leaving him no hope of survival under such dominance.

Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, Guan Rufeng chose to disregard his own safety and retreat, causing the Wuyan Palace Great Elder to rejoice, thinking he could take Guan Rufeng hostage and perhaps make that young man hesitate to act.

At this moment, the Wuyan Palace Great Elder had the same idea as Fu Lingxue earlier, believing heavily in this plan’s potential success, given Guan Rufeng’s current guardlessness.

Unfortunately, this Wuyan Palace Great Elder, like Fu Lingxue before him, made the same mistake—underestimating Yun Xiao or failing to realize some of his hidden abilities.

"Come back to me!"

In his complacency, the Wuyan Palace Great Elder was naturally reluctant to kill Guan Rufeng—this was his last lifeline, a bargaining chip against Yun Xiao acting against him.

Hearing the Wuyan Palace Great Elder’s chilling command, he swiftly transformed his fist into a claw, reaching unguardedly for Guan Rufeng’s nape, intending to take him hostage.

Swoosh!

However, just as the Wuyan Palace Great Elder’s right clawed hand was about to seize Guan Rufeng’s nape, a whistling sound suddenly emanated from the back of the latter’s neck.

Yet there was nothing there, not even Guan Rufeng himself, who merely sensed a gust of wind brushing past his neck, having no idea what caused that sound.

Rip!

But unlike Guan Rufeng, brushed by the wind, the Wuyan Palace Great Elder wasn’t so lucky.

Just as he was about to succeed, he suddenly felt sharp pain in his right palm as if it had been pierced by an extremely sharp object.

Dragon Taming Flying Concealment, showing its power once more!