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

"How is this possible... How could you be so fast?!" She shielded Ya Fei behind her, her voice trembling slightly with shock and anger. She had clearly been fleeing in the opposite direction all night!

The leader of the men in black took a step forward, his eyes above his mask curving into an undisguised sneer and smugness: "That's none of your business, Madam. All you need to know is that this game... is over."

"You dare touch me?" Mittel straightened her back, trying to make her voice sound cold and hard: "I am a member of the Mittel family! If you dare to harm my daughter and me, the Mittel family will never let this go!"

"The Mittel family?" The man in black exchanged a glance with his companion, as if he had heard a joke, and his laughter grew even more arrogant: "Madam, in this desolate wilderness, who knows who killed a few people? Besides..."

His voice suddenly turned cold, revealing his murderous intent: "Our orders are to leave no survivors. Charge!"

Three dark figures shot towards them simultaneously like arrows released from a bow! The cave was cramped, and Mittel had nowhere to retreat. Fearing that she might injure Yafei behind her, she could only grit her teeth and meet the attack head-on.

Weapons clashed, sparks flew. Her swordsmanship was exquisite, and her cultivation was not weak either, but the three opponents coordinated perfectly, each move ruthless. What chilled her even more was that they were not only attacking her, but also viciously targeting Ya Fei behind her with more deadly moves!

To protect her daughter, she had to repeatedly use her body to block and take the blows. Within just a dozen or so moves, her blood was churning and her arms were numb from the impact.

"boom!"

Distracted for a moment, the man in black on her left delivered a cunning palm strike that pierced through her defenses and landed heavily on her abdomen. Mittel Xue let out a muffled groan, her body flying backward and crashing into the cave wall, dust falling in a flurry.

A sweet taste rose in his throat, and blood welled up at the corner of his mouth.

Seeing this, the other two men's eyes flashed with ferocity, and they pounced on her like shadows, their sharp blades aimed directly at her vital points, wanting to end the fight completely.

Right now—

As Mittel fell to the ground, a resolute glint suddenly flashed in her eyes.

The somewhat disordered energy within her body suddenly surged and rose, like a long-suppressed volcano erupting!

An abnormal crimson light emanated from his body, and the powerful energy forced the two people who had rushed towards him to take a half step back.

Chapter 129 The Cicada in the Crowd (1)

"This is……?!"

The leader of the men in black suddenly narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Mittel Xue, whose aura had surged dramatically, his expression filled with surprise and uncertainty.

"She actually used a secret technique to forcibly raise her cultivation to the peak of the Dou Ling realm!" another man in black exclaimed in a low voice, a hint of fear in his tone.

Mittel Xue used her longsword to support herself on the ground. Her body swayed slightly, but she eventually steadied herself and slowly stood up straight.

Bloodstains congealed at the corner of her lips, making her otherwise gentle face appear tragically vivid.

She raised her hand and fiercely wiped her mouth with her sleeve, which was stained with dust and blood. Her gaze toward the three men was icy cold, devoid of any warmth, as if she were looking at three lifeless objects.

"Trying to capture me?" she said, her voice hoarse but clear, enunciating each word clearly: "You... are still far from being able to do it."

That resolute aura even made the three battle-hardened assassins in black feel a chill run down their spines.

However, the surprise and doubt on the black-clad leader's face lasted only a moment before being replaced by a strange and confident smile.

Instead of retreating, he took a half step forward, his gaze sweeping over Mittelxue before finally settling on her eyes, which burned with hatred.

"Oh? Is that so?" He drawled, his voice carrying a nauseating mockery. "Madam's elegance is indeed astonishing. However..."

He paused deliberately, then turned to the side and lazily beckoned towards the shadows at the cave entrance: "Madam's weakness seems to be more obvious than your strength..."

Mittel's heart skipped a beat, a chilling feeling instantly gripping her. She looked in the direction the man in black was gesturing—

His pupils contracted to needle size in an instant!

In the deeper shadows of the cave entrance, the black-clad man who had previously wounded her stood silently, his thick arm tightly gripping her unconscious daughter, Ya Fei! A short blade, gleaming with a chilling blue light, was pressed firmly against Ya Fei's delicate neck; a single, gentle slash would suffice…

"Fei'er—!!"

Mittel Xue's strength seemed to be drained instantly, and the momentum she had just forcibly built up dissipated like a punctured balloon.

She staggered, the longsword in her hand clattering to the ground. All the coldness, all the resolve, crumbled before the blinding glint of light at her daughter's neck.

"No! Don't hurt her!" Her voice suddenly rose, sharp and distorted, filled with endless panic and pleading: "You've won! I've lost! I'll do anything you want! Please, spare my daughter! Please don't hurt her!!"

The hatred in her eyes was overwhelmed by overwhelming fear, leaving only a mother's most humble plea.

The three men in black exchanged a knowing glance, all seeing a sense of relief in each other's eyes, and the tense atmosphere quietly eased.

What they feared most was that this woman would disregard everything and truly fight to the death. Her peak Battle Spirit power, enhanced by her secret techniques, would be enough to inflict heavy losses on them, or even lead to mutual destruction. But now, with their weakness in hand, victory was assured.

The black-clad leader's smile grew even more unrestrained, his greedy gaze, like a sticky venomous snake, once again roaming over Mittelxue's body.

Even though her hair was disheveled, her clothes were torn and stained with blood, her exquisite figure, her pale yet stunning beauty, and the glimpses of her fair skin inadvertently revealed through the tears in her clothes created a breathtaking, broken, and fragile beauty that could ignite the most primal desires for conquest and destruction.

"It's all the better that Madam is so sensible." The leader of the black-clad men spoke slowly, his tone full of implications: "I think Madam is exceptionally beautiful, truly pitiful to behold... If you were willing to lower yourself and 'keep' us brothers company, let us have our fill... perhaps, if I were to soften my heart, I might actually consider giving you and your daughter a way out?"

Upon hearing this, the breathing of the two men in black beside him became noticeably heavier, and their burning gazes were fixed on Mittel Xue, their greed and desire undisguised.

The air seemed to instantly become polluted and viscous.

Mittel felt as if struck by lightning, her whole body trembling violently. Despair washed over her like an icy tide.

Her family was destroyed, her husband died tragically, and she was forced to wander aimlessly... Must even this last shred of innocence and dignity be ruthlessly stripped away and crushed into this filthy mire?!

"You...you...shameless! Worse than beasts!" She squeezed out broken curses through clenched teeth, her face as pale as paper.

"Madam, time waits for no one." The man in black (the second brother) supporting Ya Fei impatiently brandished the short blade in his hand, the sharp edge pressed against her skin, almost leaving a white mark.

"If you keep dawdling and hesitating like this, your daughter's delicate skin... what if my hand slips..."

"No! I'll do whatever you say! I'll do anything!" Mittelshe screamed immediately, all her struggles and shame crumbling before the threat to her daughter's life. She frantically raised her hand, her voice trembling with tears, "Don't touch her! I...I'll do it!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Another man in black (the third one) licked his lips and urged, his eyes gleaming with even more lust. "Madam, you should know... what to do, right?"

Mittel closed her eyes, and two lines of tears finally rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably, mingling with the blood on her face and leaving behind a disheveled look.

She raised her hands tremblingly, her fingers cold and stiff, as if they didn't belong to her. She began to unbutton her coat, one button after another... her movements slow and mechanical, each touch of her fingertips to the cold buttons feeling like being burned by flames.

The three men in black were drawn to her like a magnet, their gazes fixed on her slowly moving fingers and the gradually loosening fabric of her clothes.

Inside the cave, only heavy breathing and the rustling of clothes could be heard.

"Second brother, keep an eye on that little girl," the black-clad leader ordered in a hoarse voice, his gaze fixed on Mittel Xue. "Third brother and I will go...inspect the goods first."

Having said that, he and his impatient third brother, with the leisurely yet approaching steps of a cat catching a mouse, walked step by step toward Mittelxue, who was standing frozen in place.

"Uh... okay." Although the second brother was also a little itchy, he tightened his grip on Ya Fei and the short blade, responded, but his gaze couldn't help but drift towards that alluring figure.

As Mittel continued her humiliating actions, unbuttoning the last button, she shifted her position slightly, seemingly out of fear and helplessness, bringing herself closer to the rock wall. This caused the figures of the eldest and third brothers to overlap from the second brother's angle, slightly obscuring his view.

"Madam, stop dawdling. This dress... let us brothers help you 'ease' it!" The third brother was already impatient, rubbing his hands as he stepped forward, uttering lewd words.

Although the eldest brother did not speak, his rapid breathing and burning gaze were an admission.

The three of them were almost entirely focused on the "prey" that was so easy to get.

With the threat in hand and the prey already subdued, the long-tense nerves unconsciously relax. Vigilance, like ice and snow under the sun, quietly melts away.

As the two leaders in black, one on each side, almost pressed against Mittelxue's front, their four calloused hands eagerly reached for her already open collar—

A lightning-fast, icy smile suddenly flashed across Mittel's face, which had been hanging low as if enduring endless humiliation!

That was not despair, not surrender, but a murderous intent and resolute determination laced with poison!

Just as two dirty hands were about to touch her inner clothes, her right hand, which had been hanging limply at her side and seemed powerless and trembling, suddenly reached inside the open collar!

A flash of cold light!

It wasn't the soft, warm touch of skin I had imagined; instead, it was a cold, piercing sharpness!

"puff--!"

"laugh--!"

Two soft but deadly tearing sounds rang out almost simultaneously, so fast that no one had time to react!

The poisoned dagger that Mittel had been concealing in the inner layer of her armor slashed across the throats of the two men in black, as swiftly and viciously as a viper striking.

Blood gushed out like a fountain in the next instant!

The lewdness and greed on the faces of the black-clad leader and the third leader froze instantly, replaced by boundless horror and bewilderment.

They instinctively raised their hands to cover their throats, but could only feel warm liquid gushing out, their lives rapidly slipping away with the blood.

A strange, hissing sound came from their broken tracheas, and in their wide-open eyes, they saw Mittel's face, cold as ice and devoid of any tear.

She stood there, a short dagger dripping blood in her hand, her clothes open, yet she seemed to be enveloped in the flames of revenge, her eyes sharp as knives.

Taking advantage of the moment when the second brother in black was distracted, the dagger in his hand flew out and pierced the second brother's throat.

The entire process was completed in an instant, in which Mittel Xue completed an incredible comeback, killing three opponents at once.

Chapter 130 The Cicada in the Crowd (2)

The two men in black clutched their necks tightly, hot, bloody semen seeping from between their fingers. Their eyes widened, and strange "hoarse" sounds emanated from their throats. Finally, with twisted resentment, they collapsed heavily into the dust.

Immediately afterwards, the second brother in black also staggered a step and fell to the ground, whereupon he fell silent.

After accomplishing this almost impossible solo kill, the surging, fierce aura around Mittel Snow receded rapidly like a tide.

She swayed, but did not fall. She used her longsword to support herself on the ground, and after catching her breath for a moment, she dragged her heavy steps toward her daughter, Ya Fei, who was huddled in the corner.

When my fingertips finally touched my daughter's cold little face, and when I held her trembling body back in my arms, my stoic will instantly broke down.

Mittelxue suddenly bent over, a mouthful of hot blood gushing from her chest and spraying onto the ground in front of her, blooming into a dazzling dark red.

The already severely injured body, coupled with the violent backlash from the secret technique, was burning inside, and the meridians were on the verge of bursting.

Looking down at Ya Fei's tear-dampened eyelashes and feeling her faint but real heartbeat, Mittel Xue managed to force a very faint smile onto her lips.

It's worth it! As long as she's alive, it's all worth it.

Holding her daughter, she leaned against the crumbling stone wall, thinking that this long and bloody nightmare had finally come to an end.

however--

"Slap, slap, slap."

The slow, deliberate applause came clearly from the shadows in the distance, one beat after another, striking the deathly still air and shattering the faint peace that had just risen in her heart.

A familiar voice rang out, carrying a hint of admiration and a touch of feigned regret, drifting slowly over: "Xiaoxue, Xiaoxue, I never imagined you would become so capable. If I had known this would happen, I really shouldn't have married you off in the first place."

That sound...

Mittel Xue trembled violently and abruptly looked up.

Just then, moonlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the figure slowly emerging from the depths of the alley. Dressed in fine clothes, with a refined and scholarly face, and a familiar, warm smile in his eyes.