Myth Beyond Heaven

Chapter 2647: Snow Maidens (1)

Xue Muyao’s expression remained calm, but there was a flicker of something deeper in her eyes-regret, perhaps, or resignation.

She looked at Yun Lintian, her voice steady but tinged with a hint of sorrow. “I had no choice. The Lord of Chaos is too powerful. I am but a small figure in this vast world, too weak to resist his will. I do not have the fortune to have someone like you to protect me.”

Yun Lintian’s gaze softened slightly. He could sense the conflict within her, the struggle between her pride and her survival instincts.

“You could have sought help,” he said quietly. “There are always other paths.”

Xue Muyao shook her head. “You don’t understand. The Lord of Chaos is not someone who can be reasoned with or escaped from. He is… inevitable. For someone like me, and for the Endless Snow Kingdom, survival means submission. I cannot fight against the tide.”

Yun Lintian studied her for a moment, his golden eyes piercing through her defenses. He could see the truth in her words, the weight of her decision. She was not a villain, but a victim of circumstance. Still, he knew that her presence here meant she had come to fight, and that was something he could not ignore.

“Why are you here, then?” Yun Lintian asked, his voice calm but firm. “If you have no choice but to serve the Lord of Chaos, why confront us now?”

Xue Muyao’s expression hardened, her resolve returning. “Because I have been ordered to delay you. The Lord of Chaos has plans, and you are a threat to them. I cannot defy his will, even if I wanted to. For that, I must ask for your forgiveness. Today, I must stand against you.”

Yun Lintian nodded slowly, understanding her position. He could see the conflict in her eyes, the internal struggle between her duty and her conscience. But he also knew that she would not back down. She had made her choice, and now she would see it through.

Before Yun Lintian could respond, Yun Qianxue stepped forward, her Misty Cloud Divine Sword gleaming in her hand. Her icy aura radiated around her, and her eyes were filled with determination.

“I will fight her,” she said, her voice firm and unwavering.

Yun Lintian turned to her, a flicker of concern in his eyes. “Qianxue, she is not an ordinary opponent. Her strength is formidable.”

Yun Qianxue met his gaze, her expression resolute. “I know. But this is a chance for me to test my own strength. I have been training for this. I won’t back down.”

Yun Lintian hesitated for a moment, his protective instincts warring with his trust in Yun Qianxue’s abilities. He knew she was strong, but Xue Muyao was a seasoned cultivator, a former empress who had lived through countless battles. Still, he also knew that Yun Qianxue needed this. She needed to prove herself, not just to him, but to herself.

“Very well,” Yun Lintian said finally, his voice calm but filled with quiet pride. “But be careful. Do not underestimate her.”

Yun Qianxue nodded, her grip tightening on her sword. She turned to face Xue Muyao, her icy aura intensifying. The air around her grew colder, and frost began to form on the ground beneath her feet.

Xue Muyao regarded Yun Qianxue with a measured gaze. She could sense the young woman’s determination, her unyielding spirit. There was a fire within her, a strength that belied her youth. Xue Muyao respected that, but she also knew that respect would not hold her back.

“You are brave,” Xue Muyao said, her voice calm but firm. “But bravery alone will not be enough. I will not hold back.”

Yun Qianxue’s lips curved into a faint smile. “I wouldn’t expect you to.”

With that, the two women moved, their auras clashing in a burst of energy. Yun Qianxue’s Misty Cloud Divine Sword flashed with icy light as she swung it in a wide arc, sending a wave of freezing energy towards Xue Muyao. The frost spread rapidly, encasing the ground in a layer of ice.

Xue Muyao raised her hand, and a barrier of snow and ice formed before her, blocking the attack.

BOOOM!!

The two forces collided, sending shards of ice flying in all directions. Xue Muyao’s expression remained calm, but there was a flicker of surprise in her eyes. Yun Qianxue’s power was greater than she had anticipated.

The clash of ice and energy sent a shockwave rippling outwards, the air crackling with frost and power.

Xue Muyao, though surprised by the strength of Yun Qianxue’s initial attack, recovered quickly. Her movements were fluid, graceful, almost ethereal, as she danced through the shards of ice, her hands moving in intricate patterns.

Two ice daggers materialized in her hands, their edges gleaming with a chilling light. She lunged forward, a blur of motion, her daggers aimed at Yun Qianxue’s vital points.

Yun Qianxue met the attack head-on, her Misty Cloud Divine Sword flashing, deflecting the daggers with precision.

CLANG!

The clash of metal on ice echoed through the battlefield, the sound mingling with the howling wind.

Xue Muyao’s attacks grew more relentless, her movements faster, her daggers striking from all angles. She was a master of ice techniques, her control over the element absolute.

She conjured blizzards, creating swirling vortexes of snow and ice that obscured Yun Qianxue’s vision, making it difficult for her to track her movements.

Yun Qianxue, however, was not to be outdone. She channeled her divine energy, drawing upon the power of the Law of Water. The icy aura around her intensified, and she summoned a torrent of water, creating a swirling vortex of her own, a counterpoint to Xue Muyao’s

blizzards.

The water danced and swirled, forming a protective barrier around her, deflecting the ice daggers, disrupting the blizzards. She moved with grace and fluidity, her movements mirroring the flow of the water, her sword cutting through the air like a wave crashing against the shore.

However, as the battle wore on, a subtle shift began to occur. Xue Muyao’s experience, her mastery of the ice element, began to show. Her attacks grew more powerful, her movements

more unpredictable.

She summoned ice spears, sharp and deadly, that pierced through Yun Qianxue’s water

defenses.

Yun Qianxue, though skilled, was beginning to find herself on the defensive. She was being pushed back, her movements becoming more labored, her breaths coming in short gasps. She knew she needed to change her tactics, to unleash her full power.

Buzz-