They rushed toward the City Lord Mansion, and traces of a fierce combat scarred every street they crossed.
"The Renowned Sword Manor must have stepped in to assist the retreat," Liu Wuxie said, frowning at the disarray along the way. Someone had clearly pulled back the manor's forces.
The streets were eerily silent. Most residents hid after the recent conflict, turning the Northern City into a ghost town.
Liu Wuxie pulled Miao Jianying along and swept his divine sense over half the city. Nothing escaped his perception.
"Brother Liu, where are we going?" Miao Jianying asked. Logically, they were supposed to head over to the City Lord Mansion, but Liu Wuxie led them toward the ice glacier instead.
They had come here once before to search for Xu Lingxue and Murong Yi, which led them to the Half-Moon Nunnery.
"You'll see soon enough," Liu Wuxie replied, choosing not to explain. He pushed his speed to the limit.
In just five minutes, they streaked across the sky and landed on the icy plains. Corpses littered the scarred battlefield.
Explosions echoed deep within the glacier.
They spotted distant figures across the ice. Without hesitation, Miao Jianying charged ahead. Liu Wuxie followed suit.
Thousands gathered on the glacier, splitting into two factions locked in a tense standoff.
"Miao Feiyu, surrender! You're outmatched. Once the City Lord captures those nuns, there'll be nowhere left for you to run," Yin Xue said, sneering.
He had grown stronger with the City Lord Mansion's support and now led the First Sword Manor.
Above, two figures clashed in midair with booms ripping through the air. Liu Wuxie looked up and saw Yang Ni. Bei Ming, the City Lord, exuded a terrifying Heaven Profound Realm aura.
Though Yang Ni fought fiercely, she was only a Quasi-Heaven Profound Realm cultivator. She retreated with every exchange.
Their battle released explosive shockwaves that cracked the ice beneath them, unleashing bone-chilling water.
"Yang Ni, you escaped death once. But not this time!" Bei Ming roared, forming a massive palm that turned into a prison to trap her.
If she fell into the glacial waters, she would die, even without Bei Ming's follow-up attack.
Back when Yang Ni had ventured into the glacier, Bei Ming assumed her dead. Her survival and role in the manor's retreat only fueled his fury.
"Bei Ming, you've led the Northern City to ruin! Instead of repenting, you've supported scum like them. Karma awaits you," Yang Ni shouted, striking her sword at the descending palm.
However, skill and technique could not bridge the gap between their realms.
"Yang Ni, I failed to take you last time, but I won't miss this chance. Once I absorb your Frost Jade Physique, I'll reach the second-level Heaven Profound Realm. Then no one will dare defy me!" Bei Ming shouted, eyes gleaming with greed.
He had once pursued Yang Ni, but she rejected him. His harassment forced her to join the Half-Moon Nunnery.
Bei Ming never gave up. He drove the nunnery into the glacier, believing Yang Ni had lost her life when she ventured deeper. However, she lived, and he truly became obsessed over her physique.
The Half-Moon Nunnery's disciples fumed. They hadn't expected Bei Ming to be so depraved, attacking someone of a lower realm.
The massive palm overwhelmed Yang Ni, and she nearly collapsed.
The Heaven Profound Realm cultivator's suppression left her powerless to resist.
Elsewhere, the Renowned Sword Manor faced the First Sword Manor and their allies.
One spark would certainly ignite war.
Just then, Bei Ming's palm expanded into a giant grip. He intended to capture Yang Ni alive.
A blade of light split the sky and shattered the palm just before it closed.
Yang Ni shot backward several hundred meters away and landed safely.
"Who dares ruin my moment?!" Bei Ming bellowed.
Liu Wuxie and Miao Jianying stepped into view.
The crowd gasped in waves.
"It's Young Master Liu!" exclaimed the nuns of the Half-Moon Nunnery. Their faces lit up with recognition and respect.
During his previous visit, Liu Wuxie had displayed strength surpassing even their master's, and he nearly destroyed the Half-Moon Nunnery in a fit of rage.
Yang Ni's eyes flickered with hope.
Liu Wuxie struck so swiftly and precisely that even a Heaven Profound expert would struggle to block it.
"Father, thank heavens you're safe!" Miao Jianying rushed to the Renowned Sword Manor's faction, finally at ease.
With Liu Wuxie present, he feared nothing, but the others didn't share his confidence.
In their eyes, the duo's arrival looked like suicide.
"Ying'er, why did you come back?" Miao Feiyu scolded. They had returned at the worst possible time.
"I kept sending messages. You never replied. I was worried," Miao Jianying explained. He had learned of the Renowned Sword Manor's crisis after receiving no response. He knew the Renowned Sword Manor had to be in danger.
"Foolish boy," Miao Feiyu said, sighing.
He had sent Jianying and the elites to the Central Plains. He planned to join them later, but someone caught him before he could leave.
As long as Jianying lived, he would have no regrets, even if he ended up dying. At the very least, the Renowned Sword Manor's legacy would live on. Miao Jianying said nothing more. He understood his father had scolded him out of love.
"Liu Wuxie," Bei Ming said coldly.
"That's me," Liu Wuxie replied calmly.
"I didn't come for you, but since you're here, you can die, too," Bei Ming sneered as he surged with a vortex of Heaven Profound Realm's aura.
"How pathetic... bullying mortals with your cultivation," Liu Wuxie mocked.
"You killed my steward. How do you want to die?" Bei Ming asked coldly.
He saw Liu Wuxie as a dead man.
"Come at me," Liu Wuxie said. He had come to settle the score. Once Bei Ming was dead and the Azure Nether Crocodile was slain, he would leave the Northern City for good.
The disciples of the First Sword Manor laughed at his arrogance.
Only Miao Jianying knew the truth—not even a second-level Heaven Profound Realm expert could match Liu Wuxie.
"Ying'er, is he really going to fight Bei Ming?" Miao Feiyu asked, worried.
"Don't worry, Father. Brother Liu isn't just any cultivator. Just days ago, he killed nearly ten Heaven Profound experts, including a fifth-level and a second-level one," Miao Jianying assured him.
Though Liu Wuxie used a strategy to defeat Ling Qiong, the victory was still his.
Miao Feiyu finally relaxed.
"Manor Lord, something's off. The Renowned Sword Manor looks too calm," one of the First Sword Manor members said.
They hadn't heard everything, but they read expressions clearly.
"Don't worry. Once the City Lord kills that brat, the manor will fall," Yin Xue replied, gripping the Supreme Harmony Sword tightly.
"Liu Wuxie, I'll grant your death wish!" Bei Ming roared.
He had once tried to recruit Liu Wuxie, but the young man refused and killed his steward. If Bei Ming hadn't gone into seclusion, he would have stormed the Central Plains himself.
Liu Wuxie stood his ground as Bei Ming's palm came crashing down.
After absorbing the laws of a second-level Heaven Profound cultivator, his strength had soared. He stood on the verge of reaching the ninth-level Earth Profound Realm.