The air around Su Xi suddenly felt stagnant, heavy with an unnatural chill, even before the ice cone reached her.
Unconsciously, her movements grew sluggish in the oppressive atmosphere.
A jolt of alarm shot through Su Xi as she registered the change in her body.
She was protected by the Sun True Fire from the Meteor God Sword, its immense heat far beyond the tolerance of ordinary things. The fact that the ice cone had managed to reach her face clearly indicated it was no ordinary projectile.
Su Xi hastily placed the Meteor God Sword horizontally before her chest, boosted her internal mana output, and then swung the sword in her hand.
"Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate!"
She roared, her Meteor God Sword dancing in a blur. A colossal pressure swept outwards, as if a divine being had descended.
Countless sword lights then flickered across the sky. Densely packed flying swords descended upon the ice pillars, slicing through them with blinding speed and an air of utter dominance.
Though each ice pillar was incredibly hard, they began to be cleaved inch by inch by the sword light of the Meteor God Sword.
Qiao Er'er's eyes widened with surprise and astonishment as Su Xi managed to deflect her attack.
However, she remained unconcerned by Su Xi's counter.
Her greatest skill lay in stealthy assassination, not direct confrontation, so her offensive capabilities were not exceptionally strong.
Her current tactic against Su Xi was to make her lower her guard. Then, she could seize the opportunity when Su Xi was not paying attention and silently whisk her away.
"Swish!"
Accompanied by a subtle ripple, an ice cone materialized silently behind Su Xi, shooting directly towards her forehead.
The ice cone was swift and sharp, a lightning strike.
At such close range, with such speed, and in such silence, Qiao Er'er was certain Su Xi could not possibly evade it.
This move had claimed countless lives before, and Su Xi would be no exception.
Su Xi was focused on dealing with the ice cone in front of her, completely oblivious to the movement behind her. The ice cone was now mere inches from her forehead.
Seeing this, Qiao Er'er's face was already alight with the smile of a victor.
If Su Xi remained unaware, she was doomed to perish.
Even the most prodigious talents were reduced to mere bones in her hands.
As the ice cone drew closer, it plunged into Su Xi's body without obstruction and then emerged from the other side. With the ice cone withdrawn, Su Xi's body slowly collapsed to the ground.
Witnessing Su Xi fall, Qiao Er'er showed no joy, only confusion.
Why wasn't Su Xi bleeding after being struck by the ice cone?
"Are you wondering why I'm unharmed?" Just as Qiao Er'er was pondering, Su Xi's voice suddenly sounded beside her.
Qiao Er'er's face turned deathly pale upon hearing Su Xi's voice.
When had Su Xi gotten next to her? Hadn't she just died?
Before she could voice her confusion, her remaining words were choked off as the Meteor God Sword, seemingly from nowhere, pierced her chest.
The Meteor God Sword embedded in Qiao Er'er's chest unleashed a torrent of fiery energy. Enveloped by this flame, which transcended the five elements, her body turned to ash in an instant. Not even her Nascent Soul had time to escape before vanishing from existence.
After dispatching Qiao Er'er, Su Xi's gaze fell upon a rather attractive bag on the ground, sparking her interest.
She knew with certainty that this bag had belonged to Qiao Er'er.
Seeing that the bag had withstood the trial of the Sun True Fire without a scratch, Su Xi immediately recognized it as something valuable.
She bent down and picked up the bag from the ground.
Opening the bag, Su Xi began to carefully examine its contents.
The bag appeared small, but upon opening it, she discovered it held a vast quantity of items, its richness rivaling that of a small supermarket.
Not only was there a large pile of silver ingots, but also numerous rare spiritual herbs and treasures. Some items were completely unknown to Su Xi, requiring her supercomputer to identify. Upon analysis by the supercomputer, Su Xi learned that these items were of excellent quality.
Furthermore, at the very bottom of the bag, Su Xi discovered a transparent jade pendant.
One side of the pendant was carved with a lifelike dragon, seemingly poised to take flight at any moment. On the other side was the carved surname "Zhu."
Su Xi could sense that the jade pendant was made of a special material, feeling smooth and warm to the touch, but she lacked the expertise to discern any anomalies.
Su Xi spent considerable time examining the pendant with her supercomputer but could not obtain any information.
Since no useful information could be extracted, Su Xi decided to temporarily store the jade pendant in her spatial realm, hoping to uncover its secrets at a later time.
The jade pendant clearly possessed an extraordinary nature and would undoubtedly prove useful in the future.
After securing the jade pendant, Su Xi looked at the bag in her hand, recognizing it as a Mustard Seed Space. Though it appeared small, it could hold a substantial amount of items.
Due to the numerous formations within the Mustard Seed Space, its creation was incredibly difficult, comparable to the construction of a mid-level magic array.
The complexity of its creation made Mustard Seed Spaces extremely expensive. Those without the ability to craft them could not afford them, and those with the ability often found the effort not worth the reward.
This paradoxical situation had led to a market where these items were available but exceedingly rare.
Looking at the situation before her, Su Xi wore a solemn expression for the first time.
Who exactly was Qiao Er'er?
An ordinary person could not possibly possess a Mustard Seed Space. Even on the Five Great Immortal Mountains, only a handful of individuals owned such an item. Moreover, those who did possessed inferior versions, and their spatial capacity was far less than Qiao Er'er's.
And Qiao Er'er also possessed such astonishing cultivation techniques. If not for her supercomputer, the outcome would have been far more dire.
"It seems I've provoked someone formidable," Su Xi murmured, shaking her head as she continued forward.
Since the situation had already escalated to this point, worrying fruitlessly was a waste of time. It would be better to seize this opportunity to improve her strength.
That way, if anyone sought revenge, she would have the means to deal with them.
Thus, holding the Meteor God Sword, Su Xi continued her ascent up the mountain.
On Mount Shu, Daoist Master Meng Xu was patiently awaiting good news.
Qiao Er'er was a highly skilled operative he had secretly cultivated, and with her divine combat skills, defeating Su Xi should have been a simple matter.
However, after only a few sips of tea, the teacup in his hand suddenly shattered. A heavy premonition weighed upon his heart.
"Not good."
Daoist Master Meng Xu's expression changed drastically. He immediately employed his divination techniques to ascertain what had happened.
The entire Mount Shu was now protected by formations, and any significant event would trigger his awareness. A teacup would not shatter without reason; there was only one explanation for this occurrence.
A truly momentous event must have transpired.
After a period of divination, Daoist Master Meng Xu's face turned extremely grim.
He now knew: Qiao Er'er was dead.
"How did she die?" Daoist Master Meng Xu refused to believe Su Xi possessed the ability to kill Qiao Er'er. The only logical explanation was an unforeseen accident.
Yet, within the Sword Cave, he could not fathom what anomaly could have led to Qiao Er'er's demise. After all, her capabilities were far beyond what an ordinary person could contend with.
The mere thought of Qiao Er'er's background gave Daoist Master Meng Xu a severe headache.
Regardless of the reason for Qiao Er'er's death, she had perished on the Five Great Immortal Mountains. If those individuals were to investigate, he would face immense trouble.
Their power was formidable, and if they harbored resentment towards the Five Great Immortal Mountains, he would be unable to cope.
With a sigh, Daoist Master Meng Xu sat down cross-legged and began to perform a ritual to resolve the issue.
He had to conceal Qiao Er'er's death for the time being, preventing anyone else from discovering it. This would buy him sufficient time to devise a plan.
Su Xi, unaware of Daoist Master Meng Xu's machinations, understood that she had provoked significant trouble. How could she pass up this opportunity to enhance her strength?
Thus, she ascended to the seventh level in one go, eager to rapidly improve her combat prowess.
Initially, she assumed everything on the seventh level of the Sword Cave would be the same as before, filled with countless flying swords, the only difference being their higher quality.
However, the moment she arrived, she realized her assumptions were entirely mistaken.
The platform on the seventh level contained no flying swords. Instead, there sat a gaunt man in tattered rags.
He was skin and bones, sitting cross-legged on the ground, a rusty sword in his right hand, utterly still, like an ancient monk in deep meditation.
If not for the faint aura emanating from him, Su Xi would have mistaken him for a corpse.
Yet, despite his frail appearance, Su Xi remained utterly cautious, her expression grave.
"So strong!"
This was the only thought in Su Xi's mind.
She had scanned the man before her with her supercomputer, which had only yielded the information that he was extremely difficult to deal with, and nothing more.
The withered old man slowly raised his head, his gaze falling upon Su Xi. His voice carried the weight of countless years of hardship. "Are you the challenger for this trial?"
"Yes!" Su Xi blurted out in English instinctively.
In such a tense atmosphere, she felt it necessary to say something to break the awkward silence and ease the palpable tension.
Gu San Tong, hearing Su Xi's sudden reply, showed a flicker of emotion on his otherwise impassive face.
What nonsense was she speaking?
However, having weathered many storms, he quickly regained his composure and continued with his original dialogue, "It has been many years since I last saw a living person appear before me. You seem quite capable."
Even the trials below, while not exceedingly difficult for him, were not passable by just anyone.
Su Xi's ability to stand here already indicated her extraordinary nature.
After all, not only was it uncertain whether anyone could comprehend and absorb the surging sword intents, but simply withstanding their sheer volume was an endeavor beyond the capabilities of ordinary individuals.
Hearing Gu San Tong's words, Su Xi shook her head and asked, "I have a question. May I ask it first?"
Gu San Tong lifted his eyelids and nodded, "Speak."
Su Xi's actions were quite peculiar, almost baffling him.
"I didn't ask you earlier, but why did you say so much? Was it to inform the readers?"
Upon hearing Su Xi's question, which exposed his intentions in a single blow, Gu San Tong couldn't help but cough.
Feeling the awkwardness dissipate, Gu San Tong said, "Since you understand, then say no more. Unless you defeat me, you shall remain here."
He knew that if he allowed Su Xi to continue speaking, she would undoubtedly reveal more secrets.
Therefore, the only way to allow the story to progress was for them to resolve their conflict.