Chapter 163: Chapter 163: Treading on Ice in the Sky

The falcon-like Fierce Beast cried out in agony. With a flap of its wings, it shot into the sky, its eyes flashing with a cold, vicious light. It then shrieked, sending a whirlwind slicing toward Qin Ya like a blade—an attack with power comparable to the full-force strike of an Earth Element Realm Martial Artist.

Qin Ya neither dodged nor evaded, simply smiling faintly.

A faint light flashed from Scenic Landscapes, and the whirlwind was instantly nullified, dissipating into nothing. A thought then struck Qin Ya, and he leaped into the air. Seeing this, a human-like glint of disdain flashed in the raptor’s eyes.

It seemed to be mocking Qin Ya for overestimating his own abilities.

With a flap of its wings, the raptor ascended higher. Until they reached the Extraordinary Realm, Martial Artists could not use Sky-Controlling flight, putting them at a distinct disadvantage against Fierce Beasts born with the ability to fly.

Just as Qin Ya’s figure began to fall, an idea struck him—a flash of inspiration. He let out a low shout. Frosty energy erupted, condensing a layer of Frost beneath his feet. Qin Ya stepped onto the Frost and executed Chasing Wind and Shadow, abruptly charging toward the raptor. The great bird was suddenly startled. It shrieked in alarm and tried to flee.

Seeing this, Qin Ya smiled coolly. With the Coiling Dragon Spear in his hand, he hurled it forward. The black spear shot out like a streak of Flowing Light. Though the raptor was fast, how could it possibly outrun the spear Qin Ya had thrown with his full strength?

With a final, mournful cry, a cloud of blood mist exploded in the air.

Qin Ya’s figure fell from dozens of feet in the air. After landing, he recalled the flash of inspiration from a moment ago and smiled faintly. He then leaped up again. True Essence surged within him, and frosty energy instantly erupted from the soles of his feet, forming a layer of Frost in mid-air that gave him another foothold.

Stepping on Frost, walking through the void!

If any other Martial Artists in the Hidden Dragon Valley Secret Realm had witnessed this scene, they would have been scared out of their wits. After all, Sky-Controlling flight was a privilege reserved for an Extraordinary Strong Person! Qin Ya’s Cultivation had not yet reached the Extraordinary Realm, yet he could use a Sky-Controlling method in this way. What a brilliant, what an incredible technique!

"Haha, so this is Sky-Controlling flight?"

High in the air, Qin Ya laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying himself.

After a good while, he slowly descended to the ground.

But his eyes shone with clear excitement. Qin Ya smiled. He hadn’t expected to receive such a pleasant surprise after breaking through to the Celestial Essence Realm.

Celestial Essence Realm Martial Artists have perfect command over the True Essence within their bodies, their control having reached an extremely profound level. Moreover, Qin Ya was also an Alchemist, making his control over True Essence even more exquisite and precise. On top of that, his comprehension of the Frost Great Trend had already reached Great Success, nearing the Perfection stage.

That’s how Qin Ya was able to walk the sky by stepping on Frost.

Of course, this was just a clever trick on Qin Ya’s part. It was far inferior to the true Sky-Controlling flight of an Extraordinary Strong Person; the two couldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath.

But even so, it was still a remarkable achievement.

After all, how many others in the Celestial Essence Realm could perform Sky-Controlling flight?

’I’ve been in seclusion for a few days. I wonder what the situation in Hidden Dragon Valley is like now.’

Qin Ya smiled indifferently, then picked a random direction and sped away.

In the mountain forest, two groups of people were facing off.

One group wore blue robes; they were disciples of the Vast Sea Divine Palace. Their leader had a Celestial Essence Realm Cultivation. The other side consisted of only two people. Their clothes were tattered and torn, and blood trickled from the corners of their mouths. They had clearly been through a great battle.

If any Martial Artists from the Yunxiao Empire were here, they would have surely recognized these two. They were none other than the Lu Family’s prodigy, Lu Yin, and the Xiao Family’s Xiao Yunchen.

"Hand over that Martial Skill at once, or you will die," the leader of the Vast Sea Divine Palace group said, his expression cold and his tone grim.

Although Xiao Yunchen looked weary, there wasn’t the slightest trace of fear in his eyes. He just smiled and said, "You want the Martial Skill? Come and take it yourselves."

At this moment, a young man with a rather cruel-looking face shouted at the two, "Don’t be ungrateful for our mercy! Hand over the Martial Skill, and we might let you live."

Hearing this, Lu Yin and Xiao Yunchen’s expressions turned cold. Xiao Yunchen said angrily, "Lan Xin, you shameless, despicable villain! You’d better not let me leave here alive, or I swear I’ll come find you at the Vast Sea Divine Palace and cut you into a thousand pieces!"

"Hmph, that’s assuming you get out of here alive," Lan Xin sneered.

Lu Yin’s and Xiao Yunchen’s faces fell, their eyes glinting with a cold hatred as if they wanted to skin Lan Xin alive. But he was surrounded by disciples from the Vast Sea Divine Palace. At this moment, they could barely defend themselves, let alone take revenge.

"Threatening a disciple of my Vast Sea Divine Palace right in front of me? Hmph, you two truly don’t know what’s good for you. Fine. In that case, I’ll just have to kill you first and take the Martial Skills afterward." The leading young man gave a cold smile, then waved his hand indifferently, and the crowd of Martial Artists instantly charged forward.

"Hmph, bring it on!" Xiao Yunchen roared. A brilliant light gathered in his palm, and with a single strike, a tyrannical, golden-yellow Flame erupted.

The Vast Sea Divine Palace disciples had been chasing the two all this way, so they were already familiar with Xiao Yunchen’s methods and were on guard. As the wave of fire swept toward them, they dodged in a flash. Immediately after, Sword Qi and Palm Force filled the air.

"Damn it."

Xiao Yunchen cursed under his breath, his expression grave. He struck out with his palms again and again, tyrannical flames erupting from his hands.

As for Lu Yin, his figure flickered, and several illusory clones materialized.

But against so many opponents, his illusion techniques weren’t very effective, serving at best as a momentary distraction. His gaze fell on the cold-faced young man standing outside the battle circle, and his heart sank. ’That Celestial Essence Realm Martial Artist hasn’t even made a move, and we’re already in such a sorry state. If he joins in, do we even have a chance of survival?’

’No, I can’t! I can’t die here!’

Lu Yin roared in defiance in his heart. Ripples spread through the air as he unleashed his ultimate Absolute Skill, the Wind Shadow Illusion Technique, pushing his Illusionary Great Trend to its very limit.

Immediately, the sound of tearing air rang out continuously. While the disciples of the Vast Sea Divine Palace were still looking around in confused surprise, two of their number had already fallen, their throats slit.

Outside the battle, the Celestial Essence Realm youth from the Vast Sea Divine Palace remarked with a detached smile, "The Yunxiao Empire really produces some good seedlings. Although these two only have the Cultivation of Earth Element Realm Perfection, their comprehension of Great Trends is extremely high. Their combat prowess is enough to rival a Celestial Essence Realm Martial Artist. Interesting."

Hearing this, Lan Xin, who was beside him, immediately smiled and said, "Their Talent is decent, but their combat power is only a sliver higher than mine at best. How could they possibly compare to Brother Han?"

Brother Han heard this but didn’t deny it. He just smiled faintly and said, "Brother Lan has already obtained one Martial Skill, yet he still insists on killing these two. Such a vicious mindset... even I have to admit defeat."

"Not at all, not at all. A man is not a man if he is not ruthless," Lan Xin said with a sinister laugh. "Earth-Level Top Level Martial Skills are rare even in the Vast Sea Divine Palace. Each one requires an enormous amount of Sect Points to redeem. What right do these two have to possess such skills? Don’t worry, Brother Han. Once this is done, we’ll each take one of these two Martial Skills. I definitely won’t disappoint you."