1 Prologue: The Ice Demoness

The Venture Market was boisterous as cultivators from all over the world chatted with each other, exploring different places, eating various kinds of foods, or getting in line to buy multiple things such as clothes, pills, herbs, or interesting snacks. Stalls of all sizes were lined up and opened from morning till dawn, with their workers showing smiling faces and speaking with lusty voices to attract customers. Some restaurants only had tables set outside for their guests while some were more prominent and had a whole building to themselves.

A group of youthful friends managed to find seating in a popular restaurant and was curiously discussing the recent rumors as they waited for their food.

"Have you not heard of the rumors surrounding the demoness of the Moon Sect? Though she doesn't have the greatest personality and is quite arrogant, she has a beautiful face and showed great talent at a young age, professed to have limitless potential. However, after her fiancé broke off the engagement with her and started to pursue her cousin instead, it seems she went crazy. She mercilessly poisoned her own cousin to cripple her, dispersing all her cultivation and making her useless. Soon after, the demoness massacred a whole sect, not leaving even one survivor behind. Now, her master shuts himself in the Moon Sect for some unknown reason - if I had to guess, probably due to disappointment - therefore letting his direct disciple wreak havoc and killing all who offend her."

The 3 youths were silent after one of their friend's long monologue. Then they attentively scooted in closer with ears perked.

"Are you sure it's true? Then why doesn't anyone do something about it?"

"Are you stupid? Her cultivation is not shallow like yours and she has the Moon Sect to back her. Who would want to start a war with a major sect in the top five?" Since the Moon Sect master hasn't addressed this killing spree, then it was obvious he was still backing his disciple. Well, who would want to abandon their own disciple who has great talent and potential? Who knows if the Moon Sect Master even believes these rumors? What if the Ice Demoness was feeding him lies?

"None of the major sects are going to do anything about it?"

"You don't know, but the demoness always has an excuse before she killed someone, and those she got rid of were of lower cultivation without any real power or position."

"So... people like us?" One of them lifted their head and cautiously glanced around. If the demoness was here, wouldn't she kill all of them from offending her? Only when he confirmed no one who fit the Ice Demoness's description were around did he sigh in relief.

"Ahem! Right, plenty have been killed by her sword, but since she had a reason... let's just keep our nose out of it. Sooner or later, such people will fall by making too many enemies." They lowered their voices and changed the topic, but the demoness's reputation was already etched into their minds.

Within the busy market, as others minded their own businesses and walked towards their destination, a lone woman dressed in dark purple robes could be seen walking in a constant stride as she glanced around with uncaring eyes. She carried a silver sword on her left hand and the embroidered white tassel hanging on her waist prettily swayed as she walked.

Suddenly, a man wearing clothes that identified him as a servant could be seen bumping into her and then bowing. From afar, it was only a moment, but words were exchanged between the two and suddenly, the head of the servant flew to the ground, separated from his body. Nearby cultivators who saw the happening released frightful screams and attention was drawn towards the lady who suddenly drew her sword without much thought.

The female cultivator possessed a beautiful face but had unsmiling lips with eyes that emitted a cold light. Cultivators who were near suddenly felt an invisible pressure when they stared at her silver sword that had not a spot of blood and they backed away timidly, withdrawing their eyes in case they met her gaze. Her cultivation was not to be underestimated.

"Hey, isn't that a disciple of the Moon Sect?" a cultivator who was further away whispered when he secretly observed the design of her robes and noticed the elegant silver sword in her hand.

"I can't believe she killed that servant so easily... didn't he wear a uniform from a well-known sect?"

Suddenly, a female cultivator with an attractive small face, wearing yellow robes, yelled and ran over in anger, "Wu LiJing! He is my new servant! Who gave you permission to kill my servant?!"

Wu LiJing silently sheathed her sword without looking at Mao Mei.

"You! You dare ignore me?!" Her finger was pointed disrespectfully at Wu LiJing.

"Did you not see him bump into me? Not only that, he was impertinent and arrogantly declared that I bow to him. If you want to irritate me further, I don't mind wasting more time to help bring you meet your beloved servant again." Wu LiJing's tone was calm as she turned to Mao Mei with her eyelashes fluttering up. Red liquid could be seen spilled beneath Wu LiJing's feet, but did not touch an inch of her clothes. Some male cultivators couldn't help sighing, marking her as an untouchable beauty, which only elevated her worth in their eyes.

Many who witnessed this conversation discovered the blood that quickly dyed the ground dark red from the detached body and head, then hastily averted their eyes again and scurried away from there in case they were suddenly targeted too. Cultivators whose curiosity won over their fear stayed to watch this spectacle with wide eyes, glancing towards both women of different beauties in anticipation.

Mao Mei could tell Wu LiJing was clearly lying about the incident, but she didn't see everything clearly, only saw her servant exchange a few words with Wu LiJing; meaning Mao Mei didn't know what exactly happened.

Nevertheless, she wasn't dumb enough to believe a servant would even dare to challenge a disciple from a sect. And this was her servant! Killing him was the same as slapping her face! This is already the second time she witnessed Wu LiJing kill someone from their sect.

She glared at Wu LiJing but the antagonistic gaze that was returned made her falter slightly. The words she was ready to utter were stuck in her throat and she felt a slip of perspiration on her forehead when she recalled that her cultivation was lower than her senior brother's, and her senior brother's cultivation... was slightly lower than Wu LiJing's.

She clenched her teeth; she can't let this go even if she is weaker! Thus, Mao Mei glanced at her two friends standing behind her and was elated to discover that they also showed irritated expressions towards her enemy, even if they had not uttered a word.

When the two girls in similar yellow robes noticed Mao Mei glance at them, one of them declared with a resolute voice, "Eldest Senior Sister, don't worry, we will back you up! The Ice Demoness has been too unruly lately! We should teach her a lesson!" With that, Mao Mei regained her courage and summoned her sword with a smirk. A white sword suddenly appeared in her right hand.

Wu LiJing's eyes lowered as she calmly grasped the handle of her silver sword.

Cling!

The four of them fought and clashed swords. Others quickly made space for them in case they got caught up in it too. Some onlookers were in awe while others discussed this fight to relieve their boredom.

"Ohh, this Moon Sect disciple is impressive. How is she able to evade just in time repeatedly?"

"Are you talking about the demoness? Ah, even I have to admit that her thrusts are direct."

"But one against three? I don't think she'll win."

"The beauty of the second direct disciple from the Bright Venus Sect may lose to the demoness, but maybe not this fight." Someone smirked.

"It's three against one, isn't it unfair?"

"Does it matter when the opponent is someone like the demoness?"

"Right! Who knows who else will face her wrath the next time?"

To the bystanders of mediocre cultivation, it looked like the fight was even. But Mao Mei knew better as she wearily swept her sword across only to hit empty air. How is she still holding on?! It was three against one!

Wu LiJing swung her sword and each blow sent a blaring vibration through her arm, which made Mao Mei's face turn redder as her form wavered. She knew Wu LiJing was strong, but there was no sign of exhaustion on her face!

Both of Mao Mei's friends could no longer hold on and screamed when they felt a deep gash on their arms. Wu LiJing slashed and a cut appeared on Mao Mei's face when she was pushed back. Mao Mei froze with the sword pointed to her neck. All three of them gazed at Wu LiJing with wide eyes and trembling lips.

Wu LiJing sheathed her sword as her indifferent eyes examined each of their faces. They bit their lips and quickly avoided her gaze, clenching their swords to make themselves feel better. Only Mao Mei still seemed shocked from the defeat.

Wu LiJing slowly turned around and walked away, as if they weren't worth her time.

Just then, Mao Mei snapped out of it, finally feeling the blood drip down her cheek. She raised her hand, touched her cheek, and her body shook. She clenched her jaws tightly as she stared at the red that stained her fingers. Her face! Her beautiful face was injured! She gazed intensely at Wu LiJing's straight back and pointed at her with a rigid finger.

"Senior Brother ditched you because of your vile personality! He understood what kind of person you really are! And now your master has locked himself inside your sect and has gone crazy after hearing of your crimes! He may be backing you up still, but he's probably going to die sooner or later and you won't even be able to keep your head high then, you crazy bitch! You'll die! Die! Die! DIE!" Mao Mei's pointed finger shook heavily as she spoke and she stomped her foot, as if wanting to break something even if it's the innocent ground.

Wu LiJing stopped walking and those watching stepped further back as a sudden cold wind whirled around them. The two friends nervously took a few steps back as they looked at Mao Mei, thinking that their friend may have gone crazy from fright - she even dared to curse the Moon Sect master.

A dreadful tension slowly spread. The three girls felt a sudden chill in their hearts, with all their senses heightened and all of their hairs standing up.

Wu LiJing turned around and her eyes had turned dark.

Mao Mei stiffened and her legs shook, sensing the impending danger that hung in the air. Even with no sword pointing at her, she unconsciously covered her neck when she looked into Wu LiJing's eyes. She took feeble steps backwards but in the next moment, there was a hard kick to her abdomen, and she flew a good distance, only stopping when she hit a far building. The building walls ruptured from the impact, with a few parts crumbling to the ground.

Mao Mei felt her whole body in a dizzying ache and coughed out blood and vomit as tears rolled down her cheeks, mixing in with the mess. Her youthful beauty was nowhere to be seen and her vision cleared only to see Wu LiJing look at her with bloody eyes. Then she saw Wu LiJing raise her hand in a flash. It was obvious a silver sword was coming down, yet Mao Mei couldn't even see it and wasn't able to open her mouth in time to beg for mercy. She suddenly envisioned her head already severed and closed her eyes, feeling as though she couldn't breathe; time seemed frozen.

... After a moment of silence, she didn't feel anything? Mao Mei slowly opened her wet eyelids and let out a breath. Two figures were suddenly standing in front of her, blocking the attack from going through. The building behind her had already been destroyed by the energy released from the attack and her eyes widened.

Everything happened so fast, onlookers below the low stage of Third Tier had their jaws dropped to the ground, only seeing blurring figures move about and a building suddenly becoming rubble.

Two men, attractive in their own way, looking to be around their mid to late twenties, were standing in front of the demoness.

The man wearing elegant white clothes had a handsome and gentle smile, with soft features and a slim chin, always giving off an amicable aura with slight aloofness. He had his light blue sword drawn out to block the attack with the other man.

The other one blocking wore dark red robes and showed a cold face with smaller dark eyes. He had a masculine jaw and thin lips that rarely showed a smile. He held a sword as dark as the night as he stood with an intimidating presence.

Both of their clothes fluttered from the impact of the energy flow that had just been released and was elegantly going back in place. Their swords were able to halt Wu LiJing's attack in time and everyone stood still for a moment in awe.

"Miss Wu," the smiling man spoke in a polite tone, cutting into the thick silence. "I think you should put your sword away. Killing a disciple from another sect would cause great trouble for you."

Wu LiJing coldly gazed at the gentle-looking man. "She dared to curse at my master. Mind your own business, Bai ZhiJun," she said in an unforgiving tone.

Bai ZhiJun kept his smile and nodded, but his sword was still in place as he felt the energy still radiating off Wu LiJing's sword. "I think you have punished her enough for her words. Look at her, she looks half-dead already. Why don't you let her go this once? If not, please forgive me but I may have to intervene in this battle."

"Miss Wu! I know she may have offended you, however, it is a sin to murder others without a proper reason deserving of death! Please reconsider!" A soothing female voice spoke loudly and Wu LiJing tightened her hold on her sword while clenching her other hand. She didn't even glance over at the woman that was slowly walking towards them.

The crowd turned their heads to gaze at the new person who had joined this show. She had attractive, feminine, soft facial features, with a small distinct mole under her lips, making others have a good first impression. She wore a light green uniform and donned a serious expression. Observers could obviously see that though this woman wasn't as beautiful as Wu LiJing, her gentle nature and pretty eyes could still make her stand out.

"Isn't that the famous Genius Medicine Doctor?!" Someone gasped in surprise, recognizing her at once.

"She's a one in a one-hundred-thousand born talent! I heard she was a useless cultivator in the Lily Clan as their legitimate daughter before the clan became influential but suddenly showed her prowess in making medicine and cultivation."

"Wasn't she the one who cured Wu LiJing's cousin's poison?"

"I heard the Ice Demoness was in bad terms with the Genius Medicine Doctor because of that."

"Ah? I heard she was probably jealous of the Genius Medicine Doctor's relationship with the two great heroes, so she despises her. After all, not only does the Jade Gentleman possess high cultivation but is also kind and gentle, and a genius at using spells of the qin! His only rival is the known top martial artist Dark Hero, considered a sword master and a genius at cultivation!" The whispers continued as onlookers observed these famous cultivators. Who knew they would get to see some of the top talked about persons interacting and even fighting here!

"Han YanLing, keep to yourself. Do you think I want to hear about your hypocritical views? I don't believe that you've never killed someone because they offended you." Wu LiJing scoffed. "You may want to seem all innocent and righteous with your words, but you've probably killed as much as me, perhaps even more..."

"Wu LiJing!" the man in red addressed her in a cold tone.

Wu LiJing froze and though she had been trying to avoid looking at him, she finally brought her attention to his face. He looked at her with such chilly eyes that it made it hard for her to breathe. Still, she refused to let down her sword. She smiled. "What is it, Kang WangYong? Now, you're butting into my business just because of this woman?"

"Wu LiJing, what happened to you?" Kang WangYong's eyes narrowed. "Why are you like this?"

"You're asking why I'm like this? I should be asking you that. You have been treating me like a stranger because of this woman." She suddenly regretted saying those words.

"We were never close to begin with," he said in a chilling tone. "Stop this now." His dark eyes conveyed his message. He would fight her with no mercy.

Wu LiJing lowered her eyes. That was true... they were never close. She closed her lids calmly for a moment before opening them again, and no emotion could be seen reflected in her pupils.

Wu LiJing stared at both of them wordlessly for a moment and then looked at the woman still sitting below, trembling in fright with a pale face as tears continued to stream down. Wu LiJing narrowed her eyes and suddenly forced her sword down, completing her swing against the two swords.

The frightened Mao Mei was able to let out a horrid scream this time but in the end, wasn't the one who got injured by Wu LiJing's sudden release of chi.

Bai ZhiJun's hand had blood seeping out, yet he still kept a small smile as if nothing happened. He was only able to block part of it and tightened his hold on his sword in case Wu LiJing attacked again, but she didn't. He sighed in relief and stared at her indifferent eyes, so dark that it was impossible to read her emotions.

Wu LiJing suddenly glanced at the woman in green and swung her sword once more. But this time, Kang WangYong readily blocked her and swung his sword in return with no mercy. Wu LiJing was able to block the attack but was just a tad slow and felt her inner chi in current chaos. She kept a calm face but felt a great discomfort inside her abdomen. To others, it just looked like a few strikes, but Wu LiJing and Kang WangYong had actually exchanged more than ten moves.

Bai ZhiJun frowned and went to stand beside Han YanLing.

"I am disappointed in you, Wu LiJing," Kang WangYong said after making sure Han YanLing was uninjured.

Wu LiJing's lips lifted and she suddenly chuckled. "You? In me?" A speck of sadness passed in her eyes but it turned dark once again as if she never felt anything.

"Alright then... I'll let it go this time." She stared at the woman weeping hideously on the ground and warned, "If I see your face again, I won't let you off lightly." Then she sheathed her sword and flew off, leaving behind a cold atmosphere.

Everyone whispered amongst themselves, having more courage to gossip now that the main antagonist was gone. The demoness strikes again. It seems the rumors were true - if anyone offended her, they may not be able to keep their lives intact.

"What had happened to her? She was one of the top talented disciples in the world. But now, look at her arrogance."

"I heard that a family of two brothers wanted to avenge their older brother for being killed by her hands and attacked her but were also quickly put to death."

"No, there was also a girl who wanted to avenge her parents but was quickly gotten rid of."

"At this point, the Moon Sect will only garner more enemies with the amount of murders the demoness has committed."

"Many years ago, she even killed off a whole sect by herself with no mercy, leaving no survivors!"

"She was that vicious back then?!"

"You don't know what you're talking about! Back then, she wasn't as bad yet and had killed off this sect because they had been doing dirty business in secret but pretended to be righteous."

"But there should be some innocent ones among them, right? She left no survivors! No survivors!"

Han YanLing heard the constant mutters and she smirked inside. She gazed quietly at the empty spot Wu LiJing left in triumph then she ran over to Kang WangYong with worried eyes. "WangYong, are you alright?"

Kang WangYong smiled. "Mm." He patted her head and she docilly held his hand.

Bai ZhiJun looked at Han YanLing then glanced at his own bleeding hand and sighed. He looked at the frightened female cultivator, crying her eyes out as her friends comforted her. One came up to him to thank him. His eyes turned cold and his smile dropped.

"If you don't want to shorten your lives, keep your nasty thoughts to yourself." His tone seemed gentle, but his gaze was frightening, so the women quickly bowed and retreated. Then he left with his guard, in a bad mood.

"Master," his guard said, "Why is Miss Wu like this now? I don't understand..."

Bai ZhiJun stared at his guard and his guard quickly shut his mouth. "Should I care?" he said with a small smile.

Wu LiJing returned to her room in a hurry and once she entered, the blood in her mouth spilled out. She coughed and touched her abdomen, closing her eyes and focusing on calming her inner chi. She sat crossing her legs and once the pain lessened, she spat out some more blood, this time, the color was much darker.

"He didn't even hold back," she muttered. She clenched her hands and took a deep breath. "Concentrate," she whispered. She had a mission to fulfill. She suddenly thought back to her master's angry face when he gave orders.

"Kill them all!" her kind master ordered with a devilish smile. "If I find out one has escaped, I'll find them myself and make them wish they were dead."

She suddenly recalled the days that she spent training with only two goals in mind. Back then, it wasn't so complicated.