Master of Nine Stars

The sounds of intense fighting were incessant, punctuated by the continuous explosions of Snow Burst Balls. Faintly mixed within the chaos was Gao Lingwei’s sharp battle cry.

Rong Taotao spurred his horse onward and arrived, only to see Gao Lingwei standing proudly in the very center of the cave entrance.

Frost and snow sprayed from her hands as she waved them repeatedly. One after another, Snow-made Heaven-piercing Halberds formed into sharp javelins, which she frantically hurled outward!

The cave mouth was only five or six meters wide, yet Gao Lingwei had it completely locked down.

She was a one-woman army holding the pass!

"Hm?" Gao Lingwei’s eyes narrowed as she saw a slightly larger Snowflake Wolf pull off a fancy trick to get inside.

The snow-white figure ran along the side wall, its sharp claws carving deep grooves into the stone. It scrambled from the wall to the cave ceiling, dodging several javelins in a row before pouncing viciously at Gao Lingwei!

Gao Lingwei’s throwing motion came to a sudden halt.

"ROAR!" The Snowflake Wolf bellowed, opening its cavernous maw. In front of that massive mouth, a Snow Burst Ball was spinning rapidly into existence.

"You’re asking to die." Gao Lingwei’s eyes were piercing as she squeezed the words through her teeth.

A Heaven-piercing Halberd formed in her hands, and she swiftly thrust it upward!

"SCHLICK!"

The sharp Ironspear Point instantly pierced the newly formed Snow Burst Ball, not only shattering it but continuing onward. The formidable Long Halberd plunged into the Snowflake Wolf’s mouth and skewered its entire body.

"You want to die too." Gao Lingwei muttered, her quiet words utterly domineering. As she swung the "Wolf Meat Skewer" in her hand, she lifted her other leg high and brought it down in a powerful axe kick!

’You want to make me retreat? You’ll have to pay with your lives!’

Another Snowflake Wolf, attacking with ferocious speed, had been lunging for Gao Lingwei’s neck, but the axe kick slammed viciously down onto its skull.

"BAM!"

Her heavy military boot crushed the Snowflake Wolf’s head against the ground.

Rong Taotao, rushing over from behind, happened to see this exact moment and couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine!

He had seen this before... 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The last person Gao Lingwei had nearly stomped to death was Rong Taotao himself.

Beneath Gao Lingwei’s heavy boot, a Snow Burst Ball suddenly detonated, exploding with the force of her stomp!

"BOOM!"

The Snowflake Wolf didn’t even have a chance to whimper before its head was blown to pieces.

Gao Lingwei’s movements were fluid; her feet kept moving, and her hands never stopped, because... the Snowflake Wolf Pack’s assault hadn’t paused for a single moment.

Without the suppressive fire of her javelins, a large number of Snowflake Wolves swarmed madly into the cave. The five at the front had crimson eyes, completely fearless, as if they hadn’t even seen their comrades fall.

"HSSS..."

"ROAR!!!"

Another Heaven-piercing Halberd appeared in Gao Lingwei’s hands. With a mighty swing, its immense force sent several Snowflake Wolves flying.

"Duck!" a familiar voice suddenly shouted from behind.

Gao Lingwei didn’t have time to think. She didn’t bend over, but she did drop into a squat.

The next moment, a Heaven-piercing Halberd flew over her head, impaling the last lunging Snowflake Wolf and carrying it backward with a WHOOSH.

Gao Lingwei hadn’t just squatted to follow the advice. She used the opportunity to pull a bloodstained Soul Pearl from the shattered skull of the wolf at her feet.

Not a single second wasted. She took full advantage of every moment on the battlefield.

"No Snow Realm Soul Beasts in the cave?" Gao Lingwei asked as she lunged forward. Unwilling to retreat, she pressed right up to the cave entrance by herself!

She had the air of a soldier defending a border, as if unwilling to cede even an inch of territory!

"None," Rong Taotao yelled back. "You..."

Before Rong Taotao could finish, Gao Lingwei’s forward-charging body spun abruptly into an incredibly fast roundhouse kick, aimed directly at the center of the cave mouth.

Yes, she was kicking at empty air. Her target wasn’t a Snowflake Wolf.

’What is she doing?’

RUMBLE...

The sound of a violent explosion gave Rong Taotao his answer.

Blast Pearl—Soul Skill: Snow Burst!

An immense amount of Soul Power detonated. Shockwaves rolled outward, and countless charging Snowflake Wolves were instantly sent flying.

Gao Lingwei, who normally experienced no recoil when using her Snow Burst Soul Skill, was sent flying backward with a WHOOSH by the force of this Blast Pearl.

Along with her, the White Lantern Paper Cage swaying above her head also scattered in the rolling shockwaves. The scene was, for a moment, breathtakingly magnificent!

’Is this the power of a Soul Captain?’

Rong Taotao urged his mount forward, leaning to the side and stretching out his arm. He snatched Gao Lingwei out of the air as she flew back.

Gao Lingwei shook her head hard, as if trying to clear it. Then, she grabbed Rong Taotao’s shoulder, pulled him off the horse with her in a single motion, and looked at Snow Night Shock. She uttered a single word: "Light."

Snow Night Shock immediately backed away, its huge, deep blue eyes scanning the battlefield and illuminating the cave entrance.

Rong Taotao immediately waved his right hand, scattering a flurry of frost. From within the thick frost and snow, he too pulled out a Heaven-piercing Halberd.

Gao Lingwei watched Rong Taotao’s actions, but her own hands didn’t slow. She lifted her leg and pressed the Soul Pearl she had picked up earlier against her left ankle.

KRAK!

The Soul Pearl shattered, dissolving into a snowy mist that flowed into her ankle.

’Looks like she succeeded in embedding it again.’

"Go!" Seeing Rong Taotao was ready, Gao Lingwei made a swift decision and charged forward first.

The Blast Pearl’s power was immense, having sent the whole pack of Snowflake Wolves flying. But neither of them seemed to have any intention of consolidating their defense; instead, they were seizing the opportunity to attack!

Their minds were in sync, and their steps were even more astonishingly so. They strode out of the cave mouth, ready for battle...

Seeing Rong Taotao decisively follow her without a word of protest, Gao Lingwei pursed her lips. At that moment, she could only think of one word: Perfect!

It would be unrealistic to say the two had perfect chemistry at this point. After all, this was the first time they had ever teamed up to fight an enemy.

But it was undeniable that their approaches to combat were completely identical, and that was incredibly satisfying for Gao Lingwei.

Usually, as a leader, Gao Lingwei’s teammates were basically just tools. She gave the orders, and her team executed them.

But now... well, it was as if they were tools for each other, and neither had to give orders, because their combat instincts were nearly identical...

"Yah!" Gao Lingwei let out a sharp cry the moment she ran out of the cave, bringing her Heaven-piercing Halberd down in a vicious chop.

"Whine~" A lunging Snowflake Wolf was slammed heavily to the ground.

"SCHLICK!" Before Gao Lingwei could withdraw her weapon for another strike, a Heaven-piercing Halberd stabbed in from the right, piercing straight through the Snowflake Wolf’s skull.

Just after landing the finishing blow, Rong Taotao suddenly pulled back, released his grip on the Halberd Shaft, and kicked out.

"WHAP!"

’It’s spinning!’

Using the Ironspear Point stuck in the ground as a pivot, Rong Taotao’s kick sent the Halberd Shaft swinging around, sweeping into a Snowflake Wolf pouncing from the side.

"Whimper~" The Snowflake Wolf cried out as it was struck squarely by the Halberd Shaft and sent flying backward.

"WHOOSH~" Following the trajectory of the flying wolf, Gao Lingwei hurled the Long Halberd in her hands. Both the Battle Halberd and the Snowflake Wolf vanished into the swirling snow.

The next moment, their actions were surprisingly identical. Both reached out with their right hands into the blizzard and pulled out a new Snow-made Heaven-piercing Halberd.

Their synchronization was simply astonishing!

"Conserve your stamina and Soul Power," Gao Lingwei said, leaning to the side and pressing her shoulder against Rong Taotao’s. "The terrifying thing about a wolf pack is their coordination and endurance. Once they realize a frontal assault won’t work, they’ll force us into a battle of attrition."

"Right," Rong Taotao replied immediately. "I’ve been absorbing Soul Power this whole time."

With the Nine-Petaled Lotus, Rong Taotao, who currently only knew basic Soul Skills, wouldn’t have to worry about his Soul Power running out, as long as he didn’t continuously spam-throw Heaven-piercing Halberds.

In this vast, snowy landscape, the amount of Soul Power the Nine-Petaled Lotus replenished for him was astounding!

It was like he had a fucking built-in Mana Recovery Ring...

But to be fair, his stamina, on the other hand, was rapidly draining. He would need to eat soon to replenish it.

Gao Lingwei suddenly said, "Let’s be clear. I’ll take command."

"You’re more experienced. You should." In his combat state, Rong Taotao showed a crisp decisiveness rarely seen from him. There was no argument, precisely because their mindsets were aligned.

As they spoke, Rong Taotao thrust his Long Halberd, but instead of aiming for the Snowflake Wolf’s head, he fluidly pulled the weapon back with a gentle sweep.

Such combat skill was so exquisite it was almost terrifying!

A fiercely lunging Snowflake Wolf, a Snow Burst Ball already forming in its mouth, had its head deflected sideways, causing it to crash into another wolf rushing in from the side.

RUMBLE...

On such a tense and fierce battlefield, Gao Lingwei’s eyes lit up.

’That sweep and redirect... it’s the true essence of the Heaven-piercing Halberd!’

In the eyes of an onlooker, it might have been just an ordinary attack. But in Gao Lingwei’s eyes, it was an intelligent and exquisite defensive counterattack.

"AWOOOO~!!!"

The next moment, a strange and long wolf howl suddenly echoed from the vast, swirling snow.

Gao Lingwei’s expression turned grim. By the faint glow of the White Lantern Paper Cage, she scanned her surroundings warily.

Rong Taotao asked, "What does that howl mean?"

Gao Lingwei bit her lip. "Do you dare hold the cave entrance by yourself?"

Rong Taotao held his Heaven-piercing Halberd horizontally, a surge of pride swelling in his heart. "Is that a joke?"

’Besides erasing a chalkboard, is there anything in this world I wouldn’t dare to do?’

The thought of erasing the chalkboard, of the two lines of text written by Mei Hongyu, reignited the fire in Rong Taotao’s heart! And it was the kind that poured fuel on the flames...

Remember when your ambition soared to the clouds, when you vowed to become First-class in all the world!

’Things like life and death suddenly seem so trivial, don’t they?’

’Damn you, Old Ghost Mei. You really are incredible!’

’To think you can still influence me at a time like this!?’