Chapter 115: Bizarre Martial Arts

In a world of howling winds and ice, outside a ruined ice city, the sound of steel clashing echoed incessantly. A blue shadow and a dark silhouette were locked in a fierce struggle, sparks flying between them.

Ye Zihan squinted at Su Zi, who was drawing ever closer, a cold, grim smile playing on his lips.

Su Zi, suspended in mid-air, remained unmoved, appearing unnervingly calm.

Though she did not react, the dozen or so female cultivators who had accompanied her were far less composed. Two senior disciples at the Five-Elements Realm prepared to rush forward to shield her. They had been sent by their sect master to protect Su Zi at all costs; should any harm befall her, they would have no face left to return to the Yanyu Pavilion.

"Stand down. Do you wish for our noble Yanyu Pavilion to be branded as bullies who use numbers to overwhelm an opponent?" Su Zi waved her sleeve, halting them with a faint, detached tone.

"Young Mistress!" The two cultivators looked anxious. Su Zi was a water-type spirit master, but her most powerful summon, the Blue Nether Demon, was currently occupied. Ye Zihan, meanwhile, was clearly a Shadow Warrior who excelled in close-quarters combat. If they continued to clash, Su Zi would surely be at a disadvantage.

"Retreat. As the most outstanding disciple of the Yanyu Pavilion, if I cannot even best an unknown vagrant, then I would be casting a shadow over our pavilion's reputation." Ignoring their pleas, Su Zi gave a sharp cry. A brilliant blue longsword appeared in her hand, and with a casual flick, a blue crescent-moon blade of light swept toward Ye Zihan.

"Well struck!"

Ye Zihan shouted in excitement. His Red Lotus dagger danced rapidly, blooming with brilliant, fiery red lotuses that shattered the incoming blade of light. Without losing momentum, he lunged, his dagger trailing flames toward Su Zi’s heart.

A strange light flickered in Su Zi’s eyes. She did not dare to be careless, swaying her figure to evade the attack. Her robes fluttered, making her look like a celestial being descended from the heavens. Every swing of her sword carried the sound of crashing waves; an overwhelming pressure like the vast ocean surged toward him. Her elegant, flawless swordsmanship left Ye Zihan with no opening to close the distance, and he could not help but shout his admiration.

The two Five-Elements Realm cultivators behind her, who had been worried for her, finally relaxed. They sighed inwardly: *The Young Mistress is truly gifted. Even though she is a water-type, not primarily a melee fighter, she shows no sign of losing against a Shadow Warrior of the same rank.*

Yan Chen, Chen Yiyan, and Lin Dong remained calm as well. Yan Chen, having been with Ye Zihan for so long and through so much, held absolute, almost blind, trust in him. Chen Yiyan and Lin Dong shared this sentiment; though they had not known Ye Zihan for long, they had already come to trust him implicitly.

*Clang!*

"Truly formidable!" They collided once more and recoiled several steps, sharing the same thought. Yet, far from being wary, their eyes burned with intense battle lust.

"Ice Crystal Hummingbird, Blazing Tiger, Withered Wood Butterfly, Dark Nether Snake, Golden Rock Beast, emerge! Form the Five-Elements Beast Array!" Ye Zihan performed a series of hand seals. Several shadows appeared in the air, surrounding Su Zi. These were the spirit beasts he had tamed along his journey, all at the Five-Elements Realm, perfect for the Five-Elements Beast Array of the Phantom God Technique.

"Oh?" Su Zi’s eyes flashed with surprise at the sudden appearance of the five beasts, but it passed in an instant, and her lips curled slightly.

She performed her own hand seals. Five fist-sized water droplets transformed into five sprites, spinning around her before bursting simultaneously. A spherical water dome appeared, engulfing the five beasts—and Ye Zihan along with them!

Before he could react, Ye Zihan found himself submerged in deep water, with pillars of water rising all around him.

"What kind of bizarre technique is this?"

Quietly circulating his internal water-type source energy to breathe naturally, he looked around in astonishment. He had never seen such a strange martial skill.

*Gurgle!*

Just then, two red lights flickered in front of him. Ye Zihan was startled, but upon closer inspection, he realized they were the eyes of a red-eyed shark. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by thousands of strange, serrated-toothed fish.

"Hell!"

Ye Zihan gripped his Red Lotus dagger, scanning his surroundings while cursing inwardly, trying to sense his Five-Elements Beast Array. To his disappointment, no matter how he reached out, the five beasts remained unresponsive.

Realizing his summons were useless, Ye Zihan abandoned the effort.

"If I cannot see your master, I will deal with you first!"

He slashed his dagger rapidly, cleaving the monsters near him in two. Though he had water-type summons of his own, they were too weak and would only serve as food for these creatures.

However, as he slew the fish, they did not bleed; instead, they dissolved into water, merging back into the surrounding environment. Ye Zihan frowned, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.

There was no turning back now. Gritting his teeth, he channeled his source energy and lunged toward the red-eyed shark surrounded by the school of fish.

Outside the massive water sphere, the atmosphere was taut. The dozen female cultivators had completely surrounded Yan Chen, Chen Yiyan, and Lin Dong. The two leaders in the air looked down at them coldly.

"How dare you! You show no respect to our Young Mistress and even dare to raise a hand against her. We shall seize you three and wait for the Young Mistress to finish off that arrogant boy before deciding your fate!" the woman with the mole on her brow commanded, gesturing for the others to attack.

The cultivators drew their weapons and began forming seals, summoning their own beasts.

"Fine! I have yet to split a female cultivator of the Five-Elements Realm with my axe. It seems today will be the first!" Chen Yiyan laughed, shaking his axe without a hint of fear.

"Though they say a gentleman does not fight women, I am no gentleman, and you lot have shown nothing of feminine grace. Today, I, Yan Chen, will have to let you shrews bleed upon this snow," Yan Chen added, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Brother Yan Chen is right! Since that is the case, we have no reason to hold back against these hags!" Lin Dong joined in, knowing his fate was tied to theirs.

"You filthy men, still so foul-mouthed when death is at your doorstep! Sisters, kill the pretty boy in the middle first!" The women, their faces livid at Yan Chen's insults, let out a collective cry and launched a torrential barrage of attacks at the three men.