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One had sharp eyes and black hair, dressed in white as snow, holding a long whip. It was the young general from the Tiele Empire.

The other had a jade-like countenance, with flowing robes and an elegant demeanor. It was none other than the successor of the Yellow Dragon Empire's Moonlight Tower—Xue Lingpei, whom I had not seen for a long time.

What surprised me was that both of them remained completely unaffected and composed under the influence of my Saint Ice Thorn Aura. Of course, I didn’t think they had reached the level of a Sword Saint. I noticed that Xue Lingpei had a small mirror tied around her wrist, which was emitting a strange glow. It seemed to be some kind of magical artifact that could neutralize the effects of my aura. The mirror on Xue Lingpei’s wrist was clearly using her own energy to neutralize the aura’s kinetic energy absorption effect. As for the Tiele youth, I couldn't discern any special tricks, but I wasn't surprised. The Saint Ice Thorn Aura has been around for nearly a thousand years, and there have been various countermeasures developed against it. The Orc Alliance also possessed some of these methods, though they could only provide short-term resistance. Once her energy ran out, the mirror would no longer work. I assumed the Tiele youth wasn't in a much better situation.

Normally, these two were only at the Sword Master level and far from being a match for me, but their identities made me want to stop and ask a few questions.

"Miss Xue Lingpei? It's been a long time. The last time we met, I was still in human form. And who might this young hero from Tiele be standing next to you? You've certainly caused us quite a bit of trouble." I nodded first at Xue Lingpei. My human form looked quite similar to my werewolf form, so anyone who paid attention would be able to recognize me. Then I turned to the young man in white and asked. It was worth showing respect to someone with great potential, especially someone who had managed to best us twice, regardless of whether they were to be killed or spared in the future.

"Duorosi Xian Lan, commander of the Tiele Empire's Thunderstorm Knights. You're quite impressive yourself. The Thunderstorm Knights have never suffered such losses before." Xian Lan nodded slightly in response. With the Thunderstorm Knights suffering more than half casualties, the young general, who had been a genius since childhood, now had a newfound respect for my strength. Duorosi is a royal surname in Tiele, and only the two eastern empires place the family name before the given name. Xian Lan's royal background explained how he could command an entire legion at such a young age—this was not something that could be achieved by talent alone.

"Xian Lan. I'll remember that name. If you manage to leave this battlefield alive, I'll be looking forward to seeing how you grow in the future." After speaking, I turned back to Xue Lingpei, who was my primary target. "I have just one question, Miss Xue Lingpei. Was it you who laid the trap at Sacred Dragon Mountain and initiated the 'Dragon Slaying' incident to harm me?"

Regarding the conspiracy that had led to the death of Ice Wind, when I was recovering at Sacred Dragon Mountain, investigators from the Temple had already narrowed down the target to the Yellow Dragon Empire. Since Xue Lingpei was also the official in charge of the Yellow Dragon Empire's affairs in the Western Mainland, I was ninety percent certain that she was the one I was looking for. This shout, imbued with the soul-shaking power of the Nine Yin Manual's "Soul-shifting Technique," was meant to either force out the truth or at least disrupt her, ensuring she couldn't easily lie.

Upon hearing my question, Xue Lingpei seemed to want to say something but suddenly found herself speechless, her panicked expression revealing the truth. In a moment, this intelligent woman realized her abnormal state and understood that denying it would be pointless. So, she finally answered truthfully, "Yes, although I had personal motives, I also eliminated your companion, the triple-headed wolf, who was on the verge of becoming a super beast. It was an unexpected benefit for humanity to remove such a threat. It’s a shame that we didn’t finish you off at Sacred Dragon Mountain, which led to the loss of so many human lives."

"Well said," I sneered, my anger at the loss of Ice Wind rising. "To honor your courage, I will grant you a swift death."

Chapter 102: Clawing Through Beauty's Face and Fighting the Dragon Whip

There was no need for further words. I pointed my long blade, and thousands of water-like blade lights surged towards Xue Lingpei. In my past life, I had been an extraordinary villain. The more resilient my enemies were, the more I enjoyed seeing them die in a horrific manner. This woman dared to defy me, so a death of a thousand cuts was fitting. I would not hold back. However, the secret art of the Moonlight Tower from the Nameless Lake, passed down from the "Ancestor of Sword Saints," was indeed extraordinary. The Star Array Sword was adept at predicting the opponent's attacks. It was truly a martial art known for its ability to challenge higher levels. At the moment my blade lights descended, Xue Lingpei drew her sword and wove a flexible net of sword lights in front of her, retreating gracefully, attempting to dissipate my attack's force. At the same time, the young Tiele general, Xian Lan, swiftly lashed out with his whip, accurately striking the flying blade lights. With my current strength, each blade light carried the full force of a Sword Master's attack, but it seemed that Xian Lan's whip had a special anti-magic effect, shattering over a hundred of the water-like blade lights in an instant. Although it was only one percent of my entire attack, it effectively opened a path of escape for Xue Lingpei.

However, I had no intention of letting the two of them go. When they had blocked me, the remaining thirty thousand Tiele Thunderstorm Knights had re-entered the battlefield but instead of aiding their nearly defeated left flank, they charged towards the evenly matched right flank. Xian Lan's strategy was clearly to focus on breaking through the right flank's Snow Wolf Knights and then reinforce the central front. By then, even if the right flank collapsed, it wouldn’t have much impact. Therefore, for both personal and strategic reasons, I had every reason to deal with these two quickly.

I moved my body and pursued the retreating Xue Lingpei. Though they had their own skills, they had clearly underestimated my power. An absolute gap in power couldn't be bridged by skill alone. No amount of skill could bridge the gap between us. Unless they reached the level of Sword Empress, they wouldn’t be able to escape my killing blow. In an instant, I was right behind Xue Lingpei. With my left hand, I waved Hu Po to fend off Xian Lan's whip, and with my right hand, I formed a claw, my five fingers aiming directly at her head. It was my most familiar move—the Nine Yin White Bone Claw. This strike covered all of Xue Lingpei's possible movements. Even her so-called Star Array Sword couldn’t break through my Nine Yin White Bone Claw, which was close to its highest level.