Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

The two suddenly looked up and saw that in the air not far away, space was slightly distorted, and a figure dressed in an ice-blue robe slowly emerged.

The newcomer was pale-faced, with sinister eyes, and exuded a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine. He was none other than the Ice Valley Master, the Ice Venerable, who had been hunting them down for days!

"You old scoundrel! You're really persistent, how did you manage to find us even like this!" Cao Ying's eyebrows furrowed, and her beautiful eyes blazed with anger.

They were already being very careful, changing directions multiple times along the way, and even using the poisonous gas to mask their presence, but they still managed to be caught up.

"You're like a stubborn leech, once you're on, you won't let go!" Little Fairy Doctor's tone was colder than the surrounding air, and a chilling killing intent appeared on her pale face.

The disgust of having one's afflicted body coveted, and the anger of being ambushed and seriously injured earlier, intertwined at this moment.

"Hahaha!" The Ice Venerable let out a triumphant laugh, the sound echoing through the empty ancient ruins, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

"A natural-born physique of calamity and poison, a once-in-a-millennium opportunity! How could I possibly give it up so easily? Although the Central Continent is vast, there is no one I cannot find if I set my sights on them!"

His laughter paused, and his gaze swept over the two of them like a venomous snake, especially when it landed on Little Fairy Doctor, where his greed almost materialized.

He then added ominously, "Moreover... this time, I didn't come alone!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the space behind the Ice Venerable rippled like a lake tossed with a pebble. One after another, dark figures emerged silently from the shadows.

These people were shrouded in wide black robes, their faces blurred, and they exuded a chilling, deathly aura that made one's soul uneasy, as if they were not living beings.

"Soul Palace!"

Cao Ying and Little Fairy Doctor squeezed out those two words almost simultaneously, their expressions instantly becoming more serious, and their hearts sinking to the bottom.

They had long heard of the Soul Palace's infamous reputation and how troublesome it was, and they were also aware of its feud with their teacher, Su Baichen.

"You old scoundrel Bing! As the master of a valley, how dare you collude with such a sinister force as the Soul Palace? Aren't you afraid that if word gets out, you will be despised by the world and become a public enemy of Zhongzhou?!" Little Fairy Doctor was both shocked and furious, and shouted angrily.

"Collusion?" The Ice Venerable sneered, his face full of disdain and ferocity.

"What an innocent little girl. If we just finish you off here, who will know what happened today?"

After saying that, he ignored the two women's angry glares, turned slightly to the side, and his attitude even showed a hint of respect for the black-robed figure in the lead.

"Respect the elder, the person has now been found."

His gaze returned to Little Fairy Doctor and Cao Ying, as if he were distributing prey: "As agreed, I want Little Fairy Doctor, who possesses the Calamity Poison Body. As for Cao Ying next to her... she possesses a strange fire and her soul power is not weak either, so she's perfect for your Soul Palace."

"I imagine Lord Mu Gu would be very interested in Su Baichen's disciple."

The Soul Hall Elder at the head (possessing the cultivation of a four-star Dou Zun) glanced indifferently at Ice Venerable from beneath his hood, then looked at Cao Ying and Little Fairy Doctor who were on high alert, as if he were weighing something.

Lord Mu Gu's order to him was to capture Su Baichen's disciples, without specifying a number. Capturing one should be enough to fulfill his mission, and he could also gain an extra favor from Ice River Valley.

He nodded slowly, a hoarse voice coming from beneath his black robe: "Alright."

With the allocation decided, the Ice Venerable's eyes flashed with a cold light, and without further ado, he shouted, "Make your move!"

With a swift movement, enveloped in icy chill, he charged towards Little Fairy Doctor! Several powerful Dou Zong experts from Ice River Valley followed closely behind, forming an encirclement.

Chapter 258 A Twist of Fate! Su Baichen's Hidden Move!

"Little Fairy Doctor!" Cao Ying was alarmed upon seeing this, and her internal fire surged instantly as she rushed forward to help.

However, just as she moved, the Soul Hall Elder, a four-star Dou Zun, suddenly appeared in front of her like a ghost, blocking her path.

A fist shrouded in dark mist, without the slightest sound, yet containing terrifying power capable of shattering mountains, slammed straight toward Cao Ying's chest!

Wherever the fist passed, even space itself seemed to distort, emitting a low groan.

"hateful!"

Cao Ying was forced to stop. With a wave of her slender hand, the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame transformed into a fiery shield in front of her.

"boom!"

Black Fist and Fire Shield collided violently, and violent energy ripples spread out, further shattering the surrounding broken walls and ruins into dust.

Cao Ying let out a muffled groan, staggered back several steps, and her face turned slightly pale.

This Elder of the Soul Palace is far stronger than an ordinary four-star Dou Zun, and his strange soul attack methods make him extremely difficult to deal with.

She was firmly entangled and unable to break free to support Little Fairy Doctor, which made her increasingly anxious.

Little Fairy Doctor had just recovered from her serious injuries, and her fighting spirit was far from returning to its peak. How could she possibly defeat the Ice Venerable, who was in perfect condition, and his henchmen?

"This is troublesome!" Cao Ying gritted her teeth, her mind racing as she searched for a way to break the deadlock.

On the other hand, the battle was one-sided from the very beginning.

Little Fairy Doctor barely managed to activate her Calamity Poison Body, and colorful poisonous mist spread out, constantly colliding and melting with the Ice Venerable's icy battle aura, emitting a "hissing" sound.

Although the poisonous fog was fierce, the Ice Venerable's icy battle aura was equally formidable, and his profound cultivation allowed him to steadily suppress Little Fairy Doctor.

Not to mention, there were several Ice River Valley Dou Zong members roaming around the perimeter, launching sneak attacks from time to time to disrupt Little Fairy Doctor's rhythm.

The Fairy Doctor, whose face was already pale, was now drenched in sweat and breathing rapidly.

Her battle qi recovery rate was far behind the rate of its rapid depletion, and her movements gradually slowed down, causing the area covered by the poisonous fog to shrink.

"Hmph, at the end of her rope!" The Ice Venerable saw her weakness, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and seizing a tiny gap in the contraction of the poisonous mist, he suddenly accelerated, breaking through the poisonous mist's blockade. His palm, containing extreme cold, landed solidly on Little Fairy Doctor's hastily blocking arm!

"Crack!" A slight sound of bone cracking rang out.

"puff--!"

As if struck by a heavy blow, Little Fairy Doctor spat out a mouthful of blood, her delicate body flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into a half-collapsed stone wall, sending shards of stone flying everywhere.

She slid softly to the ground, her breath instantly fading. After struggling a few times, she was unable to get up and was already seriously injured!

"Little Fairy Doctor!" Cao Ying caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of her eye, and was shocked, exclaiming in surprise.

The Ice Venerable's withered, claw-like hands gripped Little Fairy Doctor's slender neck tightly, lifting her into the air like a puppet on strings.

His eyes gleamed with an almost manic greed and pleasure as he muttered to himself.

Then, a chilling and eerie battle aura, imbued with devouring power, mixed with soul power, transformed into countless tiny, invisible ice spikes that forcibly pierced into Little Fairy Doctor's body, beginning to frantically plunder everything from her—battle aura, life force, and even the source of the Calamity Poison Body that he so coveted!

"Ugh—!"

The pain of having her neck strangled and her strength forcibly drained caused Little Fairy Doctor to let out a shrill scream.

Her survival instinct drove her to desperately mobilize the last of her colorful battle qi, which was fighting against the invading forces, in an attempt to struggle and resist.

"Hmm? They still have the strength to resist?"

Sensing the stubborn yet weak resistance, the Ice Venerable snorted coldly, his eyes blazing with even more ferocity.

"You don't know what's good for you! Then let's start by erasing your consciousness from the root!"

With a thought, the invading secret technique suddenly changed direction, like a shark smelling blood. No longer content with devouring battle qi and physical essence, it transformed into a more insidious and sharp ice spike, fiercely piercing into the depths of Little Fairy Doctor's soul!

He wanted to devour and annihilate her soul, turning this perfect "cauldron" into a shell at his mercy!

"Ah—!!" The pain of having one's soul torn apart and devoured is a hundred times more intense than physical trauma!

Little Fairy Doctor felt as if her consciousness had been thrown into a meat grinder, being crushed and peeled away inch by inch.

The excruciating pain overwhelmed all sensation; boundless darkness and despair surged in like a tide. In the last sliver of clarity, only one thought remained: "Master... I'm sorry... Goodbye..."

The moment that icy, vicious, devouring power touched the core of her soul—

"Buzz!"

Deep within Little Fairy Doctor's soul, in a place she herself was unaware of, a mark that had been dormant for an unknown period of time was suddenly activated by an external malicious intrusion!

A tiny sword aura, condensed to its extreme and seemingly capable of severing cause and effect and shattering the void, appeared without warning!

The sword energy was formless and intangible, yet it exuded a pure and sharp intent that made the soul tremble.

It appears to be merely a passive guardian, quietly lurking until it senses a devastating attack targeting the very essence of its host's soul.

The secret technique that attempted to devour Little Fairy Doctor's soul was as fragile as ice and snow under the blazing sun in front of this sword energy. It couldn't even be considered "touching" it. As soon as it got close, it was shattered by the invisible sharpness naturally emitted by the sword energy and instantly dissipated!

Even after defeating the intruders, this tiny protective sword aura did not dissipate.

It seemed to possess a spirit, following the trace of the source aura remaining in the dissipated secret power, like a shooting star locking onto its target, going back along the path it came from, and tracing back upstream at a speed beyond comprehension!

"puff!"

A faint sound, like a bubble bursting, echoed in the soul of the Ice Venerable.

The sword energy ignored all his physical defenses and battle aura barriers, directly piercing his brow and cutting into the very essence of his soul!

The entire process was faster than the concept of time itself. The sinister grin on the Ice Venerable's face hadn't even completely solidified; only a single thought, filled with utter horror and bewilderment, flashed through his mind: "How is this possible...?"

The next moment, his soul was completely shattered and annihilated by the irresistible sword energy!

All ambition, greed, and scheming vanish into eternal nothingness under this sword.

The light in his eyes suddenly vanished. His body remained in the position of choking Little Fairy Doctor, but his life and consciousness had been completely extinguished.

Having lost the active control of the Ice Venerable, his still-uninterrupted secret passage, as well as the vast battle qi within his body, the residual primal power of his soul, and even the primal essence of his pseudo-calamity poison body containing cold poison that he cultivated later... at this moment, all of them have become ownerless "nourishment" and are exposed to Little Fairy Doctor's innate calamity poison body!

The innate calamity poison body is one of the most domineering and strange constitutions in the world. How can it be allowed to be plundered by others?

Previously, it was forcibly suppressed and devoured by the Ice Venerable with stronger cultivation and secret techniques. Now, the suppressor's soul has been annihilated, the passage has been reversed, and this sleeping beast has finally been completely enraged and awakened!

"boom!"

Centered on Little Fairy Doctor, a terrifying suction force suddenly erupted!

The terrifying suction force rushed directly into the Ice Venerable's body.

Chapter 259 Anti-Absorption; Calamity Poison Body Erupts!

The situation has completely reversed!

It was no longer the Ice Venerable devouring Little Fairy Doctor, but rather Little Fairy Doctor's innate calamity poison body that began to reverse course and violently devour everything left behind by the Ice Venerable!

His fighting spirit, soul fragments, and the origin of the cold poison... surged into Little Fairy Doctor's nearly depleted body like rivers flowing into the sea.

This immense and pure power was rapidly transformed and purified by the Calamity Poison Body, and then fed back to Little Fairy Doctor herself. Her weakened aura began to rise steadily like a volcanic eruption!

Outside, the several Dou Zong powerhouses from Ice River Valley and the Soul Hall elders who were fighting Cao Ying in the distance were all unable to immediately detect the shocking change at the soul level.

In their eyes, it was still their own Valley Master holding Little Fairy Doctor in his hand, the secret technique flashing, successfully devouring her.

But soon, something strange happened.

The Ice Venerable's originally sharp and imposing aura began to weaken and dissipate at an alarming rate, and the hand that was gripping Little Fairy Doctor also lost its strength and became stiff.