Master of Nine Stars

"Aah!!!" A Snow Charm Demon, darting wantonly through the vines, slammed on the brakes and stopped at Si Huan Nian’s feet...

The Snow Charm Demon’s infinitely extending arms, which had been reaching for a student, also stopped stretching.

At Si Huan Nian’s feet, this Snow Charm Demon, which had been hunting with impunity and still had human blood dripping from the corner of its mouth, seemed to realize the gravity of the situation.

Not daring to shatter into snowflakes, it tilted up its pitifully beautiful face to gaze at Si Huan Nian’s murderous expression.

"Ooh... ooh..." The Snow Charm Demon looked up at Si Huan Nian, shaking its head constantly and begging pitifully. In a moment of attempted bewitchment, it suddenly retreated backward.

"BANG!" How could Si Huan Nian’s mind be swayed by such a petty trick? She stomped down hard! The rapidly spinning vortex of snow and wind on the sole of her boot instantly minced the Snow Charm Demon’s head.

In an instant, snowflakes scattered, exploding outwards.

"ROAR!!!"

An astonishing roar traveled from far to near, rushing straight for Si Huan Nian!

Si Huan Nian remained unhurried. With a flick of her wrist, she brandished her saber in a flourish, switched to a reverse grip, held the Battle Saber horizontally, and dodged one step to her left!

WHOOSH... The next moment, a giant python made of snow whistled past her!

But the Battle Saber had already pierced the snow python’s body.

The snow python, swimming through the blizzard, had immense momentum. Yet Si Huan Nian stood her ground, holding the saber in a reverse grip. As the snow python shot past her...

Its long body was sliced open by Si Huan Nian’s Battle Saber. By the time the snow python’s entire body had passed by her, it had been split into an upper and lower half, which fell heavily onto the snow.

"Everyone, get into the Martial Arts Hall! Find Yang Chunxi—" Before Si Huan Nian could finish, her expression suddenly changed!

Gone was her previous calm and composed demeanor. She spun around abruptly, swinging her snow-white Battle Saber toward her face!

"CLANG!"

A crisp sound rang out!

Si Huan Nian’s pupils constricted to the size of pinpricks!

Because the blade of the Battle Saber in her hand had struck... a Lotus Petal?!

The cyan-green Lotus Petal radiated a faint, fluorescent glow.

This petal was only the size of a palm, but it seemed to hold the weight of a mountain!

This single Lotus Petal not only blocked Si Huan Nian’s fierce attack, but even pushed against the snow-white blade, knocking her several steps back!

Si Huan Nian showed an unprecedented level of alarm, shouting, "Everyone, get inside the hall, now! Go find Yang Chunxi!!!"

Clearly, Si Huan Nian, who had been effortlessly dominating the battlefield, had completely lost her composure upon seeing this strange Lotus Petal!

For someone like Si Huan Nian—one of the Pine Soul Four Rites and a Soul School officer—to show such panic, one could only imagine how powerful that bizarre Lotus Petal truly was!

"Tonight, no one from Pine Soul Soul Martial will be left alive." A faint voice spoke as two figures descended from the sky, landing in front of Si Huan Nian.

"Xu Taiping?" Si Huan Nian’s brow furrowed. The first thing she saw was Xu Taiping, held by the waist by the young Ice Soul Guide.

"Human, not only did you take the Snow Realm Treasure, you also stole my kinsman and tried to assimilate him." The Ice Soul Guide’s grip loosened, and he gently placed Xu Taiping beside him.

Xu Taiping retreated several steps. He no longer knew what he should do. Of course... weak as he was, even if he wanted to do something, he was powerless.

It was a realistic, and cruel, truth.

The Ice Soul Guide waved his hand casually. The Lotus Petal pressing against the saber blade fluttered like a butterfly in the blizzard, drifting back to his hand and dancing lightly between his fingers.

"Return that Lotus Petal to me, and I will spare your life," the Ice Soul Guide said in a low voice, his reddish eyes locked firmly on Si Huan Nian’s.

Si Huan Nian’s expression was stiff. She stared back at the Ice Soul Guide just as intently and squeezed a single phrase through her gritted teeth: "You’re courting death!"

"Fine." The Ice Soul Guide nodded lightly. The Lotus Petal in his palm quietly stopped, settling in his palm.

The Ice Soul Guide suddenly lashed out. The man who had always spoken gently to Xu Taiping suddenly became violent. "Everyone must die!"

"BANG!"

Holding the Lotus Petal, the Ice Soul Guide abruptly squatted down and pressed it hard against the snow-covered ground.

SWISH...

The wind and snow howled as the earth tore apart!

The Martial Arts Arena, buried under ice and snow, fractured with countless cracks. In an instant, from the trembling ground, lotuses radiating a cyan-green fluorescent glow began to bloom!

The enormous cyan-green lotuses completely illuminated the night, their huge petals fluttering wildly in the wind.

Si Huan Nian’s expression changed drastically. She snatched the student off the ground with one hand and her figure blurred into motion.

But she wasn’t charging toward her opponent, but toward the Martial Arts Hall?

The next moment, the countless lotuses blooming on the ground flung out innumerable smaller lotus petals. Like rapidly spinning blades, they danced on the wind, furiously shredding everything in the world!

Rising and falling at high speed, Si Huan Nian crossed the outdoor Martial Arts Arena in a flash. She viciously hurled the student in her hand toward the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall!

Amidst a flurry of panicked cries at the entrance, Si Huan Nian spun around, bent her knees, leaned forward, and slid backward toward the Martial Arts Hall.

The snow-white Battle Saber in her hands instantly shattered into snowflakes and dissipated in the wind.

And Si Huan Nian’s pair of fair, jade-like hands clapped together, then separated to the sides.

In an instant, between her hands, a Cyan Lotus also lit up!

The cyan-green Lotus Petal floated gently, exuding an air of peace and tranquility that was utterly out of place on this battlefield of life and death.

Si Huan Nian suddenly sat cross-legged in mid-air. She spread her hands to the sides and rested them on her knees, looking like an old monk in meditation.

SWISH...

The Lotus Petal floating before her instantly expanded. A giant Lotus Bud enveloped Si Huan Nian, completely blocking the entrance to the Martial Arts Hall.

"TING! TING! TING!"

"TING! TING! TING!"

Countless small lotus petals shot out, spinning rapidly, cutting through everything—including Si Huan Nian’s blooming, giant Lotus Bud.

Inside the Martial Arts Hall, which was already a ruin after being baptized by the Celestial Burial Snow Meteor, the students shivered, struggling to survive under Yang Chunxi’s protection.

The students watched helplessly as the thick, broken walls were sliced and pierced by countless Lotus Petals. Some students hiding behind the ruined walls were even impaled, their bodies riddled with bloody holes...

The main entrance to the Martial Arts Arena was blocked by the Giant Cyan Lotus Bud summoned by Si Huan Nian, but the sharp, spinning Lotus Petals coming from the other three sides were still a threat.

Inside the Martial Arts Hall, Yang Chunxi leaned her back against the Giant Cyan Lotus Bud. The Soul Power surging from her chest never ceased. A faint snow mist had long since spread out into a shield, sheltering the hundred or so students within.

At this moment, while Yang Chunxi maintained the Snow Mist Defense Shield, her heart was filled with anxiety.

Ever since she arrived at the Martial Arts Arena, a series of Celestial Burial Snow Meteors had rained down. Of course, she couldn’t just stand by and watch them die, so she saved the lives of the students in the arena. But she never expected the attacks from outside to become even more terrifying!

’What is this now?’

’The Snow Realm Treasure, the Nine-Petaled Lotus!?’

’And this Lotus Petal has a different function from Si Huan Nian’s?’

’It’s an offensive-type Lotus Petal?’

And Yang Chunxi... was still thinking about the Eight Little Souls in the teaching building.

’Should I abandon the hundred or so students around me to protect the Eight Little Souls of the Soul Class?’

Regardless of whether Yang Chunxi was Rong Taotao’s sister-in-law, at this moment, as a teacher at Pine Soul Soul Martial University, she could not possibly sacrifice the hundred students beside her to run to the teaching building...

Just as Yang Chunxi was feeling extremely anxious and listening to the screams coming from all directions, the assault from the countless spinning, tearing, and cutting Lotus Petals suddenly weakened!

Yang Chunxi’s face lit up with joy. Si Huan Nian, guarding the Martial Arts Hall entrance, also extended a hand. The Lotus Bud quietly bloomed open a sliver, giving her a line of sight.

In her line of sight, Si Huan Nian’s beautiful eyes shone. On the brightly lit Martial Arts Arena, a giant snow axe came spinning at high speed, hacking ferociously toward the Ice Soul Guide who stood proudly in the center of the field.

"TING! TING! TING!"

With countless crisp sounds, Lotus Petals swarmed the snow-made giant axe like a rainstorm, forcibly tearing the massive weapon to shreds.

"THUD!"

A heavy figure landed with a crash, reeking of alcohol. His body swayed a bit, but as he steadied himself, he once again scooped a giant snow axe out of the wind and snow.

That axe truly deserved to be called "giant." It was a full four meters long. One and a half meters of it was the thick, long shaft, while the other two and a half meters was the axe head itself!

One of the Pine Soul Four Rites, Li Lie Wine!

He was also one of the few top-tier teachers stationed at Pine Soul Soul Martial!

"Ice Soul Guide, what a fine scheme. You actually managed to cross the three walls without a sound! Attacking the Third Wall, Songbai Town, and Pine Soul City all at once!" Li Lie brandished his giant axe, pointing it at the Ice Soul Guide from afar. Countless swirling snowflakes spiraled up from his legs, tousling his short hair.

"Hah." The Ice Soul Guide sneered. "Plan before you act, attack when they’re unprepared. This is what you humans taught us. Remember, this Snow Realm is, and always will be, our home!"

Li Lie’s expression stiffened. He said in a low voice, "The Third Wall has soldiers, and Pine Soul has students, but you even slaughtered your way to Songbai Town! That place is full of civilians!"

The Ice Soul Guide retorted, "Sixteen years ago, when you killed my people in the Snow Realm, you should have known this day would come!"

Li Lie roared back in anger, "Decades ago, you were the ones who first invaded our lands, plundered our resources, and slaughtered our people!"

The Ice Soul Guide roared back just as furiously, "I don’t remember that! I only remember what happened 16 years ago!"

As he spoke, the Ice Soul Guide once again pressed down with one hand, and countless Cyan Lotuses bloomed...

From a distance, Si Huan Nian’s worried voice called out, "Be careful! That’s also one of the Nine-Petaled Lotus! It’s at least as strong as mine, if not stronger!"

"Hmph!" Li Lie just snorted coldly. He plunged a hand into the snow and, as if lifting a carpet, yanked up the thick layer of white snow!

SWOOSH...

The snow was truly lifted like a carpet. Waves of Soul Power surged out, rolling the "Snow Carpet" into a tidal wave that swept toward the Ice Soul Guide!

The "Snow Carpet" not only rolled toward the Ice Soul Guide, but it also overturned and shredded all the Cyan Lotuses blooming on the ground!

Amidst the specks of wind and snow, a sky full of Cyan Lotus Petals scattered!

For a moment, the scene was incredibly magnificent!

Words were useless now! Li Lie reached into his pouch, took out a palm-sized iron flask, and took a hard swig. He then tossed the small flask aside with an effortlessly cool motion.

"PFFT!!!"

With his mouth full of strong liquor, Li Lie sprayed it into the night sky as he swept his snow-made giant axe upward.

The giant axe passed through the mist of liquor and instantly burst into flames. A cool, incandescent Azure Flame ignited the entire axe.

’The Nine-Petaled Lotus, you say!?’

’The Snow Realm Treasure, huh!?’

’You think you can do whatever you want in Pine Soul Soul Martial!?’

With a stomp of his foot, Li Lie’s face contorted with fury. Kicking up a storm of snowflakes and Lotus Petals, he charged toward the shocked and enraged Ice Soul Guide!

A furious roar, majestic and powerful, echoed through the night sky: "FIGHT!!!"

A final toast of strong liquor for the heavens!

After this drink,

either you die, or I do!!!