"I'll send you to the hell！" Li Yang roared. "Frozen Death!"

As his words rang out, a bitter cold froze the air, and snowflakes began to swirl around him. The temperature dropped sharply, hitting freezing point. Li Xiaoyao's sword hand began to feel numb from the icy chill.

"Kill me? Huh? what a funny Ass！You'd better have the strength for that," Li Xiaoyao taunted, snowflakes settling on his shoulders and turning his brows white. But his pitch-black eyes remained resolute, and his grip on the sword stayed firm.

With a powerful step, the ground trembled beneath him. The cold didn't weaken him—instead, his aura grew stronger, as if nothing could stop him.

Momentum. Push forward to gain strength, retreat to yield. Only unwavering determination could fuel this unstoppable surge of power, harnessing the force of the wind, snow, fists, and sword—maybe even the very heavens themselves.

A single sword strike, like a thunderclap, tore through the frozen air, sending snowflakes scattering in all directions.

Li Yang's eyes narrowed. This strike was far more powerful than the last—not just in sheer strength but in its force, as if the very sword itself was filling the space around them with overwhelming energy.

No longer underestimating Li Xiaoyao, Li Yang moved quickly, both hands flying as he summoned a powerful blast of ice and snow energy. Yet, even as it grew, the sword light seemed to devour it. Li Yang found himself taking another step back.

"Through the sword, you can destroy everything. With absolute sincerity, comes absolute strength," Li Xiaoyao thought, taking another step forward, his sword cutting through the air like a beacon of unstoppable force.

Again, Li Yang retreated.

His face darkened, becoming colder and more menacing.

The crowd around them was in shock. Li Xiaoyao had forced Li Yang back—again and again.

"What's going on? How is Li Xiaoyao this strong? Li Yang is a Lingwu-level warrior!" the onlookers murmured. No one had expected Li Xiaoyao to be this powerful. Lingwu-level and Qiwu-level were worlds apart. Only true prodigies could challenge across such a gap. But Li Xiaoyao—a supposed nobody—how could he have become a genius?

Li Batian was stunned, his face grim as he stared at the two figures on the stage.

But Li Kai, Li Xiaoyao's father, smiled proudly. No wonder his son was so confident. He was stronger than anyone had imagined, each sword strike stronger than the last, as if his true strength had no end.

"My son still hasn't even unleashed his true power—the power of his Wuhun. When the day comes, and his spirit awakens, just imagine the scene!" Li Kai mused, his heart swelling with pride. He could already see the day his son would rise to greatness. Li Xiaoyao wasn't a failure; he was a true genius, in cultivation and in spirit.

Li Kai glanced over at Li Batian, his eyes filled with nothing but mocking contempt.

"Aaah!" Li Yang was on the verge of losing his mind. With a roar, he tried to summon the ice and snow once more, freezing the air around him.

"Do you really think shouting will help?" Li Xiaoyao sneered, his sword aura surging forward, unyielding and unstoppable. His momentum was now fully formed—there was no stopping him. Li Yang was helpless to turn the tide.

"Slash!" The sound of the sword strike exploded in the air, ripping apart the ice and snow that had formed. This time, Li Yang couldn't defend himself; he was hit by the sword aura. His clothes were torn, and blood began to seep from his wounds.

In that moment, Li Yang felt a deep chill run through his entire body. For the first time, he felt the biting cold of the ice and snow that he had summoned. He was injured—seriously injured—and worse, he realized he might actually die. Li Xiaoyao... he was going to kill him if given the chance.

That's right. Only now did Li Yang truly grasp the danger he was in. Moments ago, he thought Li Xiaoyao was nothing more than a punching bag—someone he could kill at will. He never imagined the tables would turn so drastically.

Li Yang cursed himself for neglecting to train his footwork techniques. Now, he couldn't escape. Every step Li Xiaoyao took was perfect, flowing seamlessly with the momentum of his sword.

A fierce gust of wind swept through the battlefield as Li Xiaoyao took another step forward. The entire world seemed to grow more solemn. Only the sword remained—the strongest force, undying.

"Shit, this is not good," Li Batian muttered, his expression darkening. He shouted furiously, "You beast, how dare you!"

"Shut the fuck up, stupid asshole," Li Kai snapped, stepping forward to block Li Batian's path. "Don't forget, you started this. Now that Li Yang can't handle Li Xiaoyao, you want to interfere?"

Li Kai wasn't backing down. He had given up hope on his brother. Even if there was some brotherly affection left in his heart, he knew Li Batian's hatred ran too deep. Li Batian wanted him and his son dead. Li Kai had no choice.

"Aaah!" Li Yang screamed in agony, and Li Batian's face twisted in fury. "Move!" he shouted.

"Not a chance," Li Kai responded, his cold aura growing stronger. His spirit power froze the air around him, locking the space in place.

"My heart was true, but you all want me dead. Fine then... die." Li Xiaoyao's gaze was as cold as ice, looking down at Li Yang clutching his wound.

You don't care about family? Then I'll sever that bond with my sword.

"How dare you!" A sharp voice rang out. It was Li Xin, who had just arrived. Powerful blasts of ice and fire erupted from her as she stood between Li Xiaoyao and Li Yang. The clash of extreme cold and scorching heat was unbearable for Li Xiaoyao.

"F U C K O F F！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！." With a swift turn, Li Yang swung his sword again. This time, the force of his strike sent waves of sword energy exploding in all directions, unrelenting and unstoppable.

Booooooommmmmmmmmmmmmm！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！

The clash of ice and fire scattered through the air, and Li Xin was forced to retreat under the power of the blow.

"Die!" A cold voice echoed from behind. Li Xiaoyao didn't even think—he spun around, sending his sword out in a deadly arc.

A sudden, overwhelming force crashed into him, and his body flew backward, blood trickling from his lips.

"Coward!" Li Kai roared in fury. As it turned out, while he was holding back Li Batian, the Seventh Elder had snuck onto the battlefield and launched a sneak attack on Li Xiaoyao.

"Frozen Lands!" Anger ignited within Li Kai, and with every step he took, the ground beneath him froze. The sheer cold paralyzed the Seventh Elder, his expression twisted in shock as he felt the bone-chilling power approach him.

"Help me!" the elder shouted, but it was too late. Li Kai's palm struck his chest with devastating force. The elder's ribs collapsed inward, his eyes wide in disbelief, staring at Li Kai.

"Holly shittttttt ！You... how dare you kill me?" Blood dripped from the elder's mouth. Li Kai hadn't held back at all, his ice-cold energy tearing through the man's insides, ending his life in an instant.

"You, a so-called elder, dare sneak attack my son? Death is the only answer." Li Kai's voice was as cold as the frost around him. With a flick of his wrist, the Seventh Elder's body crumpled to the ground, his lifeless eyes filled with regret and hatred.

The crowd fell into stunned silence. The Seventh Elder... dead?

Every gaze turned to Li Kai, now filled with fear. Only power could silence everyone, and even Li Batian stood still, not daring to move.

Li Kai turned his gaze to Li Xin, his voice dripping with disdain. "A prodigy of Yuehui Sect? A genius of Snowshadow Villa? Pathetic."

Li Xin bit her lip, feeling the murderous intent radiating from Li Kai. She remained silent, rooted to the spot as he slowly approached her, his intent clear.

Li Yang wasn't his concern. He was merely the defeated. But the Seventh Elder and Li Xin? They were the ones who schemed to kill his son. They had set up this deathmatch, hoping to take Xiaoyao's life. And now that things hadn't gone according to plan, they had resorted to underhanded tactics.

As a father, how could Li Kai not be enraged?

"What... what are you going to do with me!?" Li Xin glared at him, her voice trembling.

"Very simple, kill you," Li Kai replied coldly, his fury growing with every step he took. His intent to kill was unmistakable, and at that moment, Li Xin knew she had pushed him too far.