Chapter 28: Is There Anything Stronger?

Leng Hanshuang slowly opened her eyes inside the ice coffin at the bottom of the lake.

The expression of agony on her face had vanished, replaced by a look of helpless resignation.

Healing required silence.

The battle raging outside had made it impossible for her to continue.

What a pity — there wasn't enough time.

Seven more days, and she could have purged every last trace of killing energy from her body.

Without the killing energy's interference, she could recover at least eighty percent of her strength — and eighty percent, provided the enemy hadn't laid down an Array Formation in advance, would have been more than enough to handle them.

Leng Hanshuang let out a quiet sigh.

To have fallen to this state.

She had been too arrogant.

She had believed that with her strength, entering the Nine Nethers Secret Realm meant she had nothing to fear from anyone.

Who could have known that the Seven Slaughter Sect would defy all moral boundaries and secretly cultivate the God-Slaying Decree — and even deploy the God-Slaying Unit trained in it?

Had she known from the start that the black-robed figures were the God-Slaying Unit — a name that had shaken Li Continent a thousand years ago — Leng Hanshuang would never have underestimated them so carelessly, nor walked straight into their Array Formation.

Of course, her own urgency had played a part as well.

At the time, she hadn't yet known which Core Disciple was being hunted.

Leng Hanshuang had feared it might be her own disciple, Ye Qingxuan.

Combined with her belief that no one could truly threaten her, she had grown careless — and fallen right into the black-robed figures' trap.

Her body had been corroded by killing energy.

At most, she could draw on thirty percent of her strength.

She stood no chance against the God-Slaying Unit.

In this moment, even Leng Hanshuang could not help feeling a measure of despair.

Never mind helping Senior Brother Mubai find the Bianhua Flower — she wasn't even sure she could safely escape the Nine Nethers Secret Realm herself.

With the God-Slaying Unit hunting her, she truly could not think of any way to hold on until the Secret Realm opened again.

Just as Leng Hanshuang was racking her mind for a countermeasure —

Boom!!!

A thunderous impact.

The silt at the lake bottom was blasted apart, exposing the ice coffin — a massive block as large as an entire room.

The Great Leader of the Black-Robed Figures, seeing that Leng Hanshuang had remained hidden in the lake without emerging, led over a dozen black-robed figures diving to the bottom. Following the position he had sensed, he struck and blasted open the silt, uncovering the ice coffin that sealed Leng Hanshuang.

"Leng Hanshuang! Did you think sealing yourself in ice would let you escape death? Dream on! Can the killing energy of the God-Slaying Decree be blocked so easily? As long as your body still carries killing energy, no matter where you hide, I will find you," the Great Leader of the Black-Robed Figures said with a cold sneer.

"Your Seven Slaughter Sect dares to secretly cultivate the God-Slaying Decree — just wait to be branded the enemy of all under heaven!" Leng Hanshuang shot back furiously.

"Ha ha ha… Leng Hanshuang, to think you are one of the Seven Swords of Shenxiao, yet you are so naïve. Once we wipe out your Shenxiao Sword Sect and the Qingyun Sect, who will dare question our Seven Slaughter Sect? Those who submit to us shall prosper; those who defy us shall perish. Every voice of opposition will be buried in the earth."

"Do you truly think my Shenxiao Sword Sect is made of clay — to be destroyed at your whim?"

"Then we shall see! No — you won't get the chance. Today is the day you die."

"Is that so? Break open my seal first, then talk," Leng Hanshuang replied coolly.

The ice coffin sealing her was no ordinary block of ice — it had been formed from the ten-thousand-year glacial energy contained within the Bingpo Sword.

This was Leng Hanshuang's last line of defense.

Once the ice coffin was shattered, she would have no choice but to fight to the death.

Upon hearing her words, the leader of the black-robed figures casually hurled an attack at the ice coffin.

Bang!!!

Not only did it fail to break through — it didn't even leave a single mark.

What incredible defensive power!

"Everyone, haul the ice coffin out of the water!" the Great Leader of the Black-Robed Figures ordered.

The dozen or so black-robed figures had barely drawn close when the ice coffin suddenly moved on its own, ramming them aside. It surged rapidly toward the surface — only to collide with the barrier and be rebounded back.

Leng Hanshuang could barely control the ice coffin's movement, but her strength was insufficient.

In her prime, a single sword strike would have shattered the Array Formation's barrier.

"Leng Hanshuang, stop this futile struggle. You cannot escape. Surrender obediently, and I can grant you a dignified death. Otherwise, that body of yours — the one that has made countless men across Li Continent pine for you — is going to suffer greatly."

The Great Leader of the Black-Robed Figures led his men back to the lake's surface, letting out a sinister chuckle as he tried to provoke Leng Hanshuang with his words.

"I said — if you want to kill me, break open my seal first," Leng Hanshuang replied, unmoved.

"You really think I can't break it? Attack!"

The Array Formation began to gather energy.

Wave after wave of energy balls rained down upon the ice coffin.

Bang! Bang! Bang!…

Explosions rang out in rapid succession.

After one full round of attacks —

The ice coffin remained exactly as before, without the slightest damage. Leng Hanshuang inside was completely unharmed.

This defensive power was likely even greater than the shell of the giant turtle that had just been slain.

The surrounding black-robed figures could feel the difficulty of the situation.

"Is that all? Feels about as effective as a light scratch," Leng Hanshuang taunted.

"Leng Hanshuang! I want to see just how long you can hold out. Full-force attack!" The leader of the black-robed figures was furious.

He had not brought out the God-Slaying Bow used to kill the giant turtle.

Not because he didn't want to — but because he couldn't.

Every use of the God-Slaying Bow placed an enormous burden on the body.

To use it a second time, one needed at least a month of recovery.

Using it consecutively in a short period would cause severe backlash to the body.

He had already used it once just now.

Unless absolutely necessary, he could not use it a second time.

Energy balls rained down like a storm.

Though Leng Hanshuang inside the ice coffin suffered no injury, anxiety began to rise in her heart.

This could not go on.

If the prolonged assault failed to break through, the black-robed figures would certainly resort to more powerful techniques.

Such as the strike that had just slain the giant turtle exotic beast.

Even Leng Hanshuang, recuperating inside the ice coffin at the lake bottom, had felt the tremendous power contained in that single blow.

Looking at the corpses floating on the lake's surface — one could only imagine how terrifying that strike had been.

Leng Hanshuang did not believe she could withstand it.

* * *

"Little Bai! Are there any stronger exotic beasts in the Secret Realm?" Lin Feng called down to the Flood Dragon beneath his feet.

Over the past few days, Little Bai had taken him to many places, where they had encountered numerous exotic beasts and plundered quite a few treasures.

But the strength of those exotic beasts had been roughly on par with Little Bai — some even weaker.

After so many encounters, it was starting to feel a little tedious.

If there were a more powerful exotic beast, perhaps it could reignite Lin Feng's interest.

"Roar~~" The Flood Dragon Little Bai responded immediately.

An exotic beast stronger than itself?

That could only be the overlord of the Secret Realm — the ten-thousand-year-old giant turtle that had claimed the most resource-rich territory within the Secret Realm as its own.

"You know of one, so why haven't we gone yet? Don't be afraid! Go boldly — your master here is plenty strong! If it dares to resist, I'll slaughter it and use it as food for you."

"Roar~~"

Little Bai let out a joyful cry, changed direction, picked up speed, and with a whoosh vanished from sight.

At full speed, it moved so fast that the naked eye could barely make out more than a blur.

Lin Feng stood atop the Flood Dragon's head, facing into the wind.

The direction the man and Flood Dragon were heading was the lake at the very heart of the Nine Nethers Secret Realm.

And their target was the giant turtle that dwelled within that lake.

Little did they know that the giant turtle had already become a corpse.