Probing

Zhao Wuji's pupils shrank violently.

As an old monster who had lived for a century, his first reaction was not to flee, but rather, suspicion.

The cold poison was incurable, and the aphrodisiac had no antidote.

Shen Qingyue's current state was too perfect, so perfect that she resembled a freshly painted skin.

"Heh heh, Junior Sister's complexion is actually a bit better than usual."

Zhao Wuji stopped at the door. He did not retreat; instead, he narrowed his eyes like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, trying to find even the slightest flaw in Shen Qingyue.

His nostrils flared slightly, a half-smile on his face. "It is just that, why is there a... heat-inducing scent mixed with the cold air in this bedchamber?"

As he spoke, he took a seemingly casual step forward.

Boom!

The terrifying pressure of the late Golden Core stage was no longer concealed, crushing toward Shen Qingyue like a toppling mountain and overturning sea.

He was testing her!

If Shen Qingyue were at her peak, she naturally would not fear it.

But if she was at the end of her rope... this strike would be enough to expose her!

On the Cold Jade Seat, Shen Qingyue's hands, hidden in her sleeves, dug fiercely into her palms. The spiritual energy in her body, which had just been smoothed out by Gu Yang, was now running wildly out of control.

She knew this old fox was not so easily fooled.

"Hongxiu."

Shen Qingyue did not even look at the crushing pressure. Her gaze bypassed Zhao Wuji and landed on Hongxiu, who was collapsed on the ground.

"You colluded with demonic cultivators to murder me. I am cleaning house today. Does the Grand Elder... want to stop me?"

Before her voice had even faded.

Clang!

A clear and resonant sword cry suddenly rang out.

Shen Qingyue attacked without any warning.

She held no sword in her fingertips, but the air in the entire Cold Moon Palace froze instantly. Countless frost particles gathered in midair to form a crystal-clear sword qi only the length of a finger.

This sword strike drained seventy percent of the newly recovered spiritual energy in her body!

"Go!"

The ice sword shot out like a streak of light, ignoring Zhao Wuji's protective astral qi, and stabbed straight toward the center of his brows!

Fast! Too fast!

That bone-piercing killing intent made Zhao Wuji's scalp tingle.

"Crazy woman!"

Zhao Wuji's expression changed drastically. He had not expected Shen Qingyue to dare attack after a single disagreement.

His figure retreated explosively at extreme speed, simultaneously summoning a tortoise-shell dharma shield to block in front of him.

Crack!

The dharma shield shattered upon impact.

The ice sword's momentum remained undiminished. It brushed past Zhao Wuji's cheek, bringing up a string of blood beads, and finally nailed fiercely into Hongxiu's body.

Hongxiu only felt as if her chest had been struck by a heavy hammer. She spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and her entire body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into a distant stone pillar before losing all signs of life.

Zhao Wuji did not look behind him. He touched the bloody scratch on his cheek, feeling a bone-chilling coldness transmit to his fingertips.

The blood was real. The pain was also real.

The power of this sword strike was absolutely not something a person at the end of their rope could unleash!

It seemed Shen Qingyue had truly recovered.

"Zhao Wuji."

Shen Qingyue slowly stood up. Even though the meridians in her body were currently in agonizing pain as if being twisted by knives, she still held her chin high. Her eyes were filled with an unparalleled, aloof arrogance.

"Since the Grand Elder likes this lowly servant, you may take this corpse away. However, the wound on your face... consider it a reminder from me."

"If there is a next time, what will be severed... is your head!"

Zhao Wuji's expression fluctuated between dark and clear. He stared fixedly at Shen Qingyue for a long time.

He could not quite see through her.

"Hmph! Junior Sister has quite the temper."

Zhao Wuji snorted coldly, using spiritual energy to seal the wound on his face. Although the suspicion in the depths of his eyes had not completely dissipated, wariness had gained the upper hand.

"Regarding today's matter, I was also deceived by this lowly servant. Since it is a misunderstanding, I will not disturb you any further."

With a sweep of his large sleeve, he took a deep look into the depths of the hall before turning and disappearing into the rainy night.

It was not until Zhao Wuji's figure completely vanished into the stormy night that the heavy Black Ice Hall doors closed again with a loud boom.

Inside the hall, there was a deathly silence.

The next second.

"Pfft!"

Shen Qingyue's body went limp, and she violently spat out a mouthful of bright red, congested blood. It splattered across the pristine white cold jade floor, a shocking sight.

The Golden Core pressure she had forced herself to maintain receded like the tide.

Her entire person slid down the cold jade seat, collapsing limply onto the ground.

That layer of feigned cold arrogance completely vanished at this moment.

Replacing it was a bone-deep exhaustion, as well as... an unspeakable sense of shame and indignation.

Although her clothes had been straightened, her messy hair and the faintly visible red marks on her neck all proclaimed the madness that had just occurred.

"Master..."

A figure walked out from the shadows behind the folding screen.

It was Gu Yang.

He was just about to step forward to support her.

"Don't come over!"

A shrill, mournful roar suddenly exploded.

Shen Qingyue jerked her head up. Her previously rosy face was now as pale as paper, with traces of blood still hanging from the corner of her mouth.

But the most terrifying thing was her eyes.

They no longer held their previous haziness and attachment, but rather an extremely complex look mixed with shame, despair, and... intense killing intent!

Hum!

A sharp icicle condensed out of thin air, pressing deadly against Gu Yang's throat.

The tip of the icicle pierced Gu Yang's skin, oozing a trace of blood.

"You saw everything... and you did everything..."

Shen Qingyue's voice was trembling, and her body was shaking as well.

She was the lofty Master, the lord of this peak.

But just now, she had acted like a shameless slut!

This massive disparity in status and sense of immorality was destroying her Dao Heart.

As long as she killed him... killed this sole witness, tonight's absurdity could be treated as if it had never happened!

"Master wants to kill me?"

Gu Yang did not move, nor did he dodge.

He just calmly looked at the woman before him who was on the verge of breaking down, allowing the icicle to pierce his flesh.

Shen Qingyue's hand was trembling.

She looked into Gu Yang's calm, profound eyes, but her mind uncontrollably surfaced with the image of him guiding the spiritual energy for her just now.

He did it to save her.

Without him, she would probably have become Zhao Wuji's cultivation cauldron by now.

"Ugh ah!"

Shen Qingyue closed her eyes in agony, letting out a suppressed, low growl.

The icicle pressed against Gu Yang's throat ultimately shattered with a crash, turning into a pile of ice shards on the ground.

"Get out..."

Shen Qingyue turned her back, her hands tightly hugging her trembling shoulders, her nails digging into her flesh.

"Get out of the Cold Moon Palace!"

"If you dare to breathe half a word about tonight's events to the outside world... I will kill you, no matter the ends of the earth!"

Gu Yang looked at her trembling back, remaining silent for a long time.

He knew that no matter what he said right now, it would only provoke her fragile self-esteem.

"This disciple takes his leave."

Gu Yang bowed in salute. His figure blurred, and like a gray ghost, he disappeared into the night.

...

At the foot of the Cold Moon Peak.

The fierce wind howled.

"Bang!" A loud crash.

A rockery three times the height of a person was smashed into fine powder by Zhao Wuji's palm strike.

"Bastard! You bastard!"

Zhao Wuji's face contorted. His originally dignified and sanctimonious features were now as hideous as an evil spirit.

He stood in the rain, letting the freezing rainwater wash over his body, but it could not extinguish the monstrous evil fire and fury in his heart.

The prize within his grasp had slipped away!