The One and Only Ice Empress

The first thing that Weixin noticed upon arriving at the scene was Qiang's body riddled with holes. The purple haired man clicked his tongue. What a dumb fucking bastard, getting offed by a bunch of no ones.

His attention turned to these no-names next.

"Are you four the ones that did this?"

Weixin's tone might have been pleasant, but three of them sensed the killing intent leaking from them.

"Do you see anyone else here?" Xiao brazenly questioned. Although her body was no longer in any condition to fight, her battle spirit was still roaring to go.

"I only found it odd how a bunch of piss weak cultivators managed to kill him." Weixin countered Xiao's brazenness with an insult. He's not going to let them get all cocky on him just because they managed to kill the idiot Qiang. "I was the one tasked to bring his head to our leader, you know…."

Suddenly, the killing intent that Weixin was brewing inside of him erupted, like a volcano of malice. The storage ring in both of his middle fingers glowed, from within it manifested two gargantuan iron gauntlets. Its design, a caricature of what they are, demons who reap souls. Weixing took his Hung Gar stance, legs lowered while his demonic fists stared at his soon to be victims.

"...Since I failed to be the one to claim his, I'm gonna have to take all of yours."

It was Weixin's words that signaled the start of their fight, but the first strike won't come from him.

Up on the building's roof, a predator was lying in wait. Luqing's stealth was sublime, her qi hidden by her beastial nature as a panther spirit beast.

From up above, the panther lunged downwards towards her unsuspecting prey's neck.

Fortunately for Xiao, she also had a spirit beast on her side, whose keen sense was able to detect Luqing's descent, inches away from the panther's fangs bearing down on her neck.

Yanmei's gale palm, crashed into Luqing's side, blowing the panther several meters away. Even so, Luqing was able to take the blow like nothing while landing safely on her feet, a testament to her agility.

In-sync, the two demonic cultivators dashed, a two-pronged assault from front and from the side. Fists and claws threatened to tear into Xiao.

The situation was grim, her host would be killed if she failed to take action. Thus, Zhen's soul took over Xiao's body.

A burst of cold qi that emanated from Xiao made the two demonic cultivators stop in their tracks. 

Zhen spoke to the women next to her, "Leave this place. I will handle them." 

Xiao's voice was suddenly layered, like another spoke on top of Xiao's own. This puzzled Liu while Yanmei already had an understanding of what was going on. 

With the strength of their foes, it would be likely that Yanmei and Liu would be nothing but dead weight. 

"Keep her safe." Yanmei said as she balled her fist. 

To which, Zhen nodded. 

Yanmei pulled out a sword from her storage ring.

It was Yanmei's first time trying to take a passenger on top of her sword. She's not just going to take one, but two. Well, technically it's only one since Yanmei was privy to what Liu was actually holding. But it wasn't like the Mannequin didn't weigh. 

Yanmei internally sighed, the things that she would do for Xiao. She would go so far as even to tolerate her 'punishment' for Liu. Yanmei wondered if Xiao would be mad at her if she 'accidentally' dropped Liu mid-air, claiming that she lost balance. 

"Come." Putting her silly thoughts aside, Yanmei extended her hand as she rode her sword. 

Without hesitation, Liu grasped Yanmei's hand as she stood in front of Yanmei. 

The weight of three people immediately settled in for Yanmei, it was a good thing that her qi element was wind. Calling forth upon gusts to carry them to the sky , Yanmei was able to take off. 

Naturally, this escape would prompt a response, and the first to prevent them from leaving was Luqing. 

With her agility, Luqing dashed towards the building, using it as a romp for her vault to reach the trio in the sky. 

The Ice Empress had already decreed that they would leave, such travesty from the spirit beast would not go unpunished. 

While Luqing was mid-air, Zhen brandished an ice spear in her right hand. The regalness and and murderous glint of the weapon was on a whole nother level than what Xiao could produce, exclusive only to those who had been at cultivation's peak. 

Even Zhen's throwing form was impeccable as not a single strand of muscle was wasted on unleashing her spear throw. 

Luqing's beast sense trembled, from a ruthless prey, the incoming spear had turned her into a cornered animal, forced to back down. 

As if time had slowed, Luqing's panther agility allowed her to maneuver mid-air. Her whole blood froze from terror as the blade of the spear that almost impaled her grazed her cheek. 

Taking advantage of the masked woman's attention elsewhere, Weixin kicked the ground and dashed, the massive demon in his right hand loomed to devour Zhen. 

But with a swift motion, Zhen's indomitable ice melted and turned into water, her arms fluid as she redirected all of the force in Weixin's attack, tumbling him before slamming him onto the ground. 

Hung Gar, a Waigong, external kung-fu, was no match against someone who had mastered the secrets of Neijing, internal kung-fu. 

Forming a Jian sword in her right hand, Zhen aimed to pierce the head of Weixin but the young man proved to be equally as nimble as her comrade and evaded. 

Forced to back away, Weixin rejoined Luqing as they stare down the masked woman. 

"Brother Weixin, I'm going to remove my limiter." Luqing warned as she was made aware of the immensity between them and the masked woman. 

"Not yet, let us engage them at the same time. Surely she won't be able to handle both of our might?"

Thus, the two demonic cultivators launched their assault, an advance that Zhen welcomed with a grin, after all, it's been a while since she was able to get some exercise. 

With 1000 years of experience, Neijing isn't the only thing in her arsenal. Roughly around the age of 300, Zhen began experimenting with her martial arts. 

Her favorite was the combination of Jianshu and Qiangshu, sword and spear. 

Although surrounded on both fronts, Zhen effortlessly kept Weixim at bay with the spear on her right hand. 

On her left was her Jian sword, blocking every swipe of Luqing's claws. 

It was a furious dance with Zhen at the center, and when Zhen increased the pace, the two found themselves unable to keep up. 

Weixin's left shoulder was pierced; the man howled in agony as Zhen's spear slid out of his flesh. 

While Luqing had countless deep grazes all over her body. 

For his final assault, Weixin pumped qi into his legs, his jump taking him high up into the air. 

Weixin aimed both of his fists towards Zhen, imparting it with all the iron qi he could muster, his cannon-like attack would obliterate everything in his path. The very reason for his renown in the world of demonic cultivation. 

"YAAAAAAAH!" With a furious shout, Weixin unleashed his ultimate technique, 'Fists devastate all'. 

Understanding the enormity of the technique incoming her way, Zhen's knee crashed into Luqing's gut, followed by a powerful roundhouse at the back of Luqing's neck, knocking out the spirit beast.. 

Her full attention now at Weixin, Zhen pointed her pear up high and waved it into an arc, glimmering ice dusts followed in its wake. 

The dust morphed into two Guan Dao, bursting forth to intercept the massive gauntlets. 

As the two weapons met, the colossal qi imbued within them caused an explosion in the sky. 

A grin marked Weixin's face, while Zhen raised her brow. It seems she had miscalculated, or was the man's attack truly that strong? 

From the explosion emerged Weixin's fists, continuing their trajectory to kill Zhen. 

Another explosion resounded across the battlefield as Weixin landed back on the ground. 

Weixin heaved in relief, the woman was a fucking monster, it was a good thing she underestimated his fists or he and Luqing would have been done for. Granted that he still had his limiter to fall on, that would still spell the death of him, albeit delayed.

The dust cleared, the relief in Weixin's face was washed away by the flood of terror. 

There was the masked woman, safe and unscathed inside her frost dome, taunting him with her smirk. 

Weixin was now left with no choice than to release his true cultivation level. As his right hand was about to reach for the metal scaffold earring he wore, Zhen called out. 

"You and I both know what's going to happen once you remove that earring." 

Once he removes that earring, Zhen would be forced to go all out, and even though Xiao's cultivation base had increased, she won't be able to take Zhen's qi. Xiao's meridians would be akin to a pipe, trying to contain a flood. Xiao's internal qi pathways would break, killing her physical body. Even now Zhen could feel her hold on Xiao breaking, as her already battered body was forced to enact the knowledge and experience of a cultivator leagues above her own base level. 

"And what do you suggest after you have both shamed us? Two of the Shadow Order's strongest, beaten like dogs, we would have no face to show to our leader if we let you live after this." Weixin scoffed, his pride would choose death as long as he could take his opponent with him. 

"Shadow Order? Tell me, boy, is Shangying still your leader?" 

Weixin was perplexed. The name of their leader was one shrouded in secret, known only by the Order's inner circle.

"How did you know our leader's name!?" 

"I know her because she was my subordinate back in the day, several centuries ago." 

"You're lying!" 

"How did you think I was able to easily overpower you if my calibre is not the same as your leader's? Knowing Shangying, we must have the same goals, that would make me your ally. Report this to your leader and she might even reward you for finding me…or, you can just perish right now. Choose wisely." 

Weixin gulped, surely it was nothing but a bluff, that she only knew the name of their leader by accident. But in the off chance that she wasn't, then he would be no match to her even if he removed his limiter. 

The desire to live and cultivate trumped against his pride. Weixin conceded. 

His tone suddenly became polite once he went with the logic that she and their leader were acquainted. Wexin cupped his hands as he questioned. 

"This one wants to know what the masked lady's full name is." 

"Kai Zhen, heaven's one and only 'Ice Empress'."

+++

As the man left, he specifically left behind her comrade, acting as the Shadow Order's means to contact them after their leader had processed Weixin's report. 

Zhen stood on top of the passed out woman, her hand was about to reach her shoulder with the intention of waking her up. Luqing, was her name, was it? 

Suddenly, the now relaxed Zhen let down her guard, allowing Xiao's body to completely shut down from both the exhaustion of being pushed over its limit twice in one night. 

The unconscious Xiao fell onto Luqing's chest.