CHAPTER 452: CHAPTER 450: HE QIN’S PURPOSE

The last words of Elder Hai lingered in Luo Feng’s mind.

Under the cover of darkness, he had stepped out alone, intending to probe the identity of that ’formidable’ enemy.

Suddenly hearing footsteps, his vigilance immediately peaked.

The footsteps drew closer. RUSTLE. Leaves were pushed aside from behind, and a tall, slender girl emerged from the shadows of the trees.

The girl wore a snow-white long dress, a treasured sword at her waist. Her graceful figure, though appearing somewhat delicate, carried a subtle yet sharp aura. Her bright, icy eyes were as cold as snow, giving others a sense of distance. As she drew closer, her noble aura seemed to make the very moonlight sway with her steps.

"He Qin, so it’s you."

Luo Feng breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the girl approach.

"Are you so disappointed to see me?"

Upon seeing Luo Feng, He Qin’s icy gaze gradually softened. A hint of a smile touched the corners of her lips as she asked, seemingly casually. This faint smile, like a pure lotus blossoming, was truly heart-stirring.

After a moment of awe, Luo Feng shook his head, "No. I was just thinking about the Duanmu Family’s affairs. When you suddenly appeared, I thought you were one of them."

Hearing this, He Qin’s bright eyes flickered, and she seemed relieved. She walked to a position three steps from Luo Feng and smiled lightly, "With your current strength, no one in the Duanmu Family should be able to ambush you."

Luo Feng touched his nose, suddenly catching a faint, elegant fragrance. Recognizing it as He Qin’s natural scent, he felt a bit awkward and said, "He Qin, thank you for coming to Green Wood Peak."

There were still two months before the Twelve Golden Palaces assessment, and everyone was preparing for it. This period was invaluable for every student.

"I merely hit a bottleneck in my cultivation and decided to come out for a bit..."

He Qin’s crystal-clear eyes gazed into the distance. Her delicate facial expression showed no visible change, though her small ears were tinged with a faint pink.

Luo Feng was already accustomed to He Qin’s demeanor and didn’t point out the discrepancy between her words and her intentions. He smiled and asked, "So, what brings you to me?"

At his words, He Qin’s eyes flickered. She turned to face Luo Feng, "I want to have a duel with you."

"A duel with me?" Luo Feng was surprised.

He Qin nodded, her gaze falling on the Cold Snow Sword in her hand. Her slender fingers traced its blade, "I’ve been practicing the Cold Cloud Swordsmanship lately, but I can’t seem to integrate it well with my Sword Intent. I was hoping the pressure from your Grand Momentum could help temper my swordsmanship and allow me to make some progress."

"Cold Cloud Swordsmanship..."

A flash crossed Luo Feng’s eyes. He had heard of this technique; it was an extremely powerful Profound Level mid-tier Swordsmanship of the Tianlan School, renowned for the speed of its strikes, which were said to be like boundless, illusory cold clouds!

"Alright. I’ll suppress my cultivation to the peak of the eighth-level Hell Realm. We’ll stop when a victor is clear."

Luo Feng stepped back a few paces. His cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds recently, but his foundation wasn’t entirely solid. He Qin was a Sword Dao genius who had reached her current realm through steady cultivation. Sparring with her would undoubtedly yield some gains.

Hearing this, He Qin drew the Cold Snow Sword.

Instantly, a cold light suffused the entire cliff, and the temperature plummeted. Standing with sword in hand, He Qin seemed to merge with the blade, her aura scattering the mist within a ten-zhang radius.

"Luo Feng, don’t hold back."

As she prepared to fight, He Qin seemed to transform. The last trace of gentleness vanished from her eyes, replaced by an endless coldness.

Luo Feng nodded, "Rest assured, I’ll go all out!"

"Then be careful."

He Qin spoke no more. Her dress fluttered in the wind. With a flick of her sword, she sent a shower of cold light scattering. In a single, light step, her figure was before Luo Feng.

"Falling Cloud Flowing Water!"

With a twist of her wrist, the Cold Snow Sword unleashed countless threads of bone-chilling Sword Qi, which enveloped Luo Feng with a frigid intent.

Luo Feng felt these myriad sword lights pressing in like countless sharp blades, his skin prickling with cold. Not daring to be careless, the Rage Flame Knife appeared in his hand, and he slashed out.

"Break!"

The saber light howled, carving an arcing fissure in the air as it collided with the multitude of Sword Qi. The powerful impact rippled outwards, and the ground was shredded by the Qi Force, looking as if a mountain of blades had swept over it.

SWOOSH!

The saber light sliced through the Sword Qi, diminishing it to a third of its size, yet it continued its trajectory towards He Qin.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

He Qin’s gaze was calm. The Cold Snow Sword stabbed out over a dozen times in an instant, completely shattering the saber light.

What impressive fast sword techniques.

Luo Feng’s eyes lit up slightly. He had encountered many experts of Fast Sword, but none compared to He Qin.

Having blocked the saber light, He Qin showed no intention of stopping.

"Again! Cloudy Sky Robbery Change!"

The Cold Snow Sword unleashed a three-foot-long, chilling Sword Qi. He Qin moved with light lotus steps, her dress and black hair dancing in the wind. Her footwork was erratic, shifting left and right with an ethereal, captivating grace. She moved like a phantom hidden in the moonlight; all that was visible were the numerous cold, sharp Sword Qi she continuously fired at Luo Feng.

A smile touched Luo Feng’s lips. He stood his ground, immovable as a mountain, continuously slashing with the Rage Flame Knife to meet He Qin’s onslaught head-on.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Saber light and Sword Qi repeatedly exploded on the cliff. Both fighters moved faster and faster, their fierce Qi Force forming a violent wind that rustled the surrounding trees.

Eventually, only two blurs of cold light could be seen constantly clashing on the clifftop.

As the battle progressed, He Qin found herself increasingly astonished. At the beginning, Luo Feng couldn’t match my speed. But as time went on, the speed of his attacks was no less than mine. His growth in strength is astounding!

A faint smile touched her red lips as she realized her speed no longer held an advantage. A glint of coldness flashed in her eyes, and her figure suddenly drifted backward.

SWISH!

The moment He Qin’s foot landed, the surrounding air was instantly shredded, and a sharp aura shot towards the heavens.

"Luo Feng, be careful!" He Qin warned.

As her voice faded, a chilling wind suddenly blew. Snowflakes began to drift down over the cliff, reflecting in her beautiful eyes, making them appear even more piercing.

"Sword Intent Like Snow!"

He Qin stood amidst the falling snow, like a snow fairy. Taking a step forward, her Cold Snow Sword traced a stunning trajectory as she thrust out.

In an instant, the wind and snow on the cliff intensified violently, transforming into a colossal ice-snow Sword Qi that howled towards Luo Feng.

Cold Cloud Swordsmanship was a Profound Level mid-tier Martial Art. Combined with Sword Intent, its power was incredible, the Sword Qi carrying the momentum to sever anything.

"Well struck!"

Luo Feng neither retreated nor dodged. He laughed heartily, and the Rage Flame Knife sang out with a clear, resonant cry.

"Grand Momentum Like Saber!"

A massive saber shadow appeared, merging with Luo Feng’s Saber Intent, accompanied by the faint rumble of wind and thunder.

SWIPE!

As he slashed out with his saber, the entire cliff seemed unable to bear the pressure of this single strike and began to tremble slightly.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Two distinct, powerful forces collided, sending a ferocious shockwave spreading in all directions, extending down the cliff face like a series of massive black pythons.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The ice Sword Qi held for a moment before crumbling inch by inch. Then, the mountain-like saber light pressed down towards He Qin.

He Qin’s expression was grave. With a flick of her wrist, she instantly unleashed ten thick streams of Sword Qi, finally grinding away the saber light. She herself was forced back repeatedly, yet there was no fear in her eyes. Instead, her fighting spirit surged, her beautiful eyes filled with excitement.

Luo Feng silently nodded. He Qin’s comprehension of Sword Intent is no fluke. This unyielding spirit is that of a true swordsman!

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Having dispersed the saber light, He Qin didn’t pause. Snow-white sword light, like countless snowflakes, howled forth, its sharp edges radiating an intense chill. The coldness permeated the air, to the point where even trees over ten zhang away became coated with a layer of white frost.

"Thousand Mountains Covered with Snow!"

Flashes of sword light flickered continuously on the clifftop. From afar, it looked like a storm of unparalleled sharpness, bearing down on Luo Feng.

Luo Feng knew that holding back wouldn’t help He Qin’s training; he resolved to go all out.

"Skyfall Thunder!"

With a long cry, Luo Feng slashed straight out. The saber light was infinitely condensed, like a river of stars falling from the nine heavens. Its astonishing aura threw the surrounding Yuan Qi of heaven and earth into chaos.

BOOM!

An earth-shattering explosion erupted on the cliff. Layers of Sword Qi were pulverized like tofu by the saber light. He Qin was forced back continuously by the pressure, each step she took leaving deep cracks in the ground.

BOOM!

Just as He Qin, exerting all her strength, finally managed to withstand the saber light, the entire cliff trembled violently and suddenly split down the middle. Their earlier exchange had destroyed the entire precipice!

WHOOSH!

Half of the broken cliff, with He Qin on it, plunged into the seemingly bottomless abyss below.

He Qin’s expression changed slightly. Just as she was about to use Qinggong to leap from the falling rock, a wave of weakness washed over her. She found herself devoid of strength.

To block that last saber light, her Yuan Qi had already been completely depleted.

"He Qin!"

Luo Feng was shocked. Pushing his Teng Dragon’s Step to its limit, his figure instantly appeared beside He Qin. Reaching out, he caught her. Then, with a heavy stomp on the crumbling precipice, he launched himself back onto the remaining clifftop.

BOOM!

The moment his feet touched solid ground, a dull rumble echoed from below, and the entire cliff trembled violently once more.

Luo Feng looked at He Qin, asking anxiously, "Are you alright?"

"I’m fine, just that my Yuan Qi is somewhat depleted."

He Qin shook her head. Feeling Luo Feng’s warm breath, her usually cool face flushed a stunning, alluring crimson.

"As long as you’re alright. You suddenly went still... it really scared me."

Luo Feng didn’t notice He Qin’s expression. He sighed in relief, releasing his hold on her soft waist. He then walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down.

Below the cliff, mist churned, its depth unknown. He couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat, sighing, "That was a close call."

If I had been a step slower, He Qin would undoubtedly have fallen with that half of the cliff, to be smashed to pieces...

He Qin stood to the side, watching Luo Feng’s concerned expression. Her clear, bright eyes flickered, and a smile touched her lips, as pure and flawless as an orchid blooming in a deep valley. "Luo Feng, earlier... thank you."

Luo Feng had grown accustomed to He Qin’s icy facade. This was the first time he had seen such a radiant smile on her face, and he was momentarily stunned.

Facing Luo Feng’s intense gaze, He Qin felt her cheeks grow warm. She didn’t know what to say and fell silent, her lips pressed together. The atmosphere became a little strange.

RUSTLE...

Just then, footsteps sounded from the nearby woods. A slender figure emerged. Her short, light blue hair shone brilliantly under the moonlight.