Chapter 36: A Storm Is Coming

Duan Xinyuan, of course, knew who Su Cheng was talking about.

His hand couldn’t help but tremble, but he quickly regained his composure and sneered.

“Heh… The Lady Demon isn’t here now. The only one who can make you kneel is me!”

After speaking, Duan Xinyuan released Su Cheng’s neck and slammed his palm heavily onto the top of her head, trying to forcefully press down her proud, upturned face.

However, at that moment, Duan Xinyuan suddenly felt as if his palm had lost all sensation, unable to exert any strength.

Duan Xinyuan looked down in horror and saw his right hand, which was pressing on Su Cheng’s head, slowly turning into stone.

“W-What… What’s going on!? Didn’t you already lose all your strength!?”

Duan Xinyuan instinctively retreated, putting distance between himself and Su Cheng.

After being choked for so long, Su Cheng could finally breathe.

She coughed violently, looking battered and disheveled, yet the smile at the corner of her lips remained confident and in control.

“That’s right… I’m indeed very weak now, but to awaken the sleeping earth, I don’t need to rely solely on my own power…”

Her golden-orange eyes glowed faintly, radiating unhidden confidence and pride.

“C-Could it be…”

Duan Xinyuan looked at his other hand and then at his entire body, realizing that at some point, he was covered in the dust and fragments from the fallen Rock Soldier Colossus.

“Su Cheng… You treacherous little wretch!!”

At this moment, Duan Xinyuan finally understood, glaring at Su Cheng with venomous fury.

The dust clinging to Duan Xinyuan’s body had once been part of the Rock Soldier Colossus.

All of it had been given “life” by Su Cheng.

Although the Rock Soldier Colossus had fallen and shattered across the ground, its fragments hadn’t disappeared—they had merely fallen into slumber.

Su Cheng didn’t have the power to awaken them on her own, but that hardly mattered, because she could achieve it by borrowing the strength of others!

Su Cheng had already smeared a layer of dust on her neck in advance, and from the moment Duan Xinyuan gripped her throat, these sleeping particles had adhered to his hand, using his power to awaken once more!

Watching as his arm slowly turned to stone, Duan Xinyuan lacked the resolve to sever it himself.

He turned to the two Grandmasters behind him.

“Esteemed Seniors… Please help me!!”

However, Wanhai Jiu and Li Tianhan remained indifferent.

“Tsk, this Su Cheng… So she still had another card hidden?”

Wanhai Jiu glanced at Li Tianhan beside him, sneering.

“Is that why you stopped me earlier?”

Li Tianhan nodded slightly, his frozen expression unchanged.

“Although Mr. Jiang provided us with detailed information, all of Yu Yi Jue’s disciples only become stronger and stronger. Since Su Cheng’s cultivation has remained at Martial King First Realm, it means she must have grown in other ways.”

He said calmly.

Duan Xinyuan was left dumbstruck.

“Su Cheng… Only has the cultivation of Martial King First Realm?”

When Su Cheng joined Tianshuimen, she had lied about her cultivation.

Duan Xinyuan had always thought she was Martial King Fifth Realm, or even higher.

He never expected that she was actually at the very bottom of the Martial King ranks!?

In any Heaven-tier Force, Martial King First Realm was far from being top tier.

Yet it was this Su Cheng who, within a few years, toyed with countless powerful forces in the palm of her hand—and now had even forced two Grandmasters to act cautiously.

“You… You used me!?”

Realizing the truth, Duan Xinyuan roared at Wanhai Jiu and Li Tianhan.

“You deliberately held back, just to force Su Cheng to reveal her trump card!?”

The two remained unmoved, tacitly acknowledging his accusation.

Duan Xinyuan was filled with rage and resentment, but having fallen into Su Cheng’s trap, he dared not lose his temper in front of the two Seniors.

He could only grit his teeth and endure it, pleading.

“I’ve already forced out Su Cheng’s trump card… Seniors, please lend me your aid!!”

Wanhai Jiu prepared to act, but was stopped again by Li Tianhan.

“Lord Duan, do you truly believe Su Cheng only has one card left?”

Li Tianhan spoke coldly.

“If Su Cheng has more cards, we’ll cover you. If she’s out, you can kill her yourself. So, please, keep trying.”

Li Tianhan’s meaning was clear.

Either Duan Xinyuan dealt with Su Cheng himself, or he risked his life to force out all her trump cards—otherwise, they would not intervene.

“Li Tianhan… You bastard!! Do you still call yourself a righteous man!?”

Duan Xinyuan cursed through gritted teeth, utterly shameless as he forgot all his own misdeeds.

“Bring me a sword!!”

Duan Xinyuan barked at the surrounding Disciples.

No one dared to disobey; a sharp sword was immediately handed over.

Without hesitation, Duan Xinyuan drew the sword and severed his now stone right arm.

“Ahhhhh——”

The agony made him scream, blood splattering everywhere as he clutched his severed limb and collapsed to his knees.

“Su Cheng… I’ll make you pay!!”

Clutching the sword in his left hand, Duan Xinyuan slowly rose and advanced toward Su Cheng step by step.

But at that moment, the corner of Su Cheng’s mouth curled upward.

“Sect Master Duan, truly, thank you. You’ve been a great help.”

“Y-You… What do you mean?”

Duan Xinyuan was puzzled.

The next second, he suddenly noticed that his severed arm, lying on the ground, had fused with the surrounding fragments and dust!

“You didn’t have much dust on you. Turning your entire body into a stone statue would be difficult. But when these revived stones touch more dust on the ground, they can awaken everything.”

As Su Cheng finished speaking, Duan Xinyuan’s stone arm acted as a catalyst, reawakening all the nearby stone fragments and dust.

The revitalized stones quickly converged, moving toward Su Cheng.

“Curse you! Ahhhhhh——”

Duan Xinyuan never expected that his own desperate act would instead aid Su Cheng, adding another “arm” to her cause.

Enraged and humiliated, he lunged, sword aimed straight at Su Cheng.

But he was a step too slow.

Layers of solid stone wrapped around the battered Su Cheng, deflecting Duan Xinyuan’s blade and enclosing her completely.

Immediately, Su Cheng burrowed underground, retreating swiftly.

Duan Xinyuan chased after her, but his speed was always a step behind.

“It seems Su Cheng has run out of cards.”

At this moment, Li Tianhan spoke calmly.

“Oh? Then I’ll leave the task of capturing her to you.”

Wanhai Jiu folded his arms, smiling.

Li Tianhan nodded, silently reciting an incantation.

The sword at his waist shot out of its sheath, splitting into two in mid-air, then into five, then into ten—each blade formed from a surge of ice elements, transforming into ten Supreme Ice Swords.

The ten Supreme Ice Swords flew toward Su Cheng’s escape route, plummeting from the sky to encircle her, trapping her in a cage of swords.

The swords released waves of freezing energy, so intense that it seemed the entire underground could be frozen solid within seconds.

At the brink of crisis, Su Cheng burst from the earth, the rocks beneath her frozen and shattered by extreme cold.

The shockwave hurled her aside; she tumbled across the ground before coming to a stop.

She tried to stand, only to realize one of her legs was already encased in Supreme Ice Aura.

“…Still too slow, huh?”

Su Cheng glanced at her frozen leg, biting her lip in frustration.

Then, behind her, Duan Xinyuan’s shout echoed.

“Su Cheng! Die!!!”

She had reached her limit—her strength was exhausted.

In this moment of death, Su Cheng’s heart was more peaceful than ever.

No fear.

No terror.

Only regret.

“I wish I could see you one last time, Master…”

Tears and blood mingled as Su Cheng quietly closed her eyes.

Yet, death did not come.

Instead, she felt something brush through her hair.

A breeze.