Her heart raced, but her face remained impassive.
"Oh? You are so certain you can kill me today?"
As she spoke, she extended her right hand, and with a surge of power, a flash of silver light appeared. A long sword, forged entirely of pure silver with a coiling black dragon motif, materialized. The radiance of this mid-grade immortal artifact instantly illuminated the surroundings…
A gentle breeze carried an oppressive aura, startling the City Lord.
"An immortal artifact? You possess such a fortuitous encounter? I truly did not expect this… Since that is the case, your inner core and this immortal artifact are mine today!"
With those words, he lunged forward, a pair of sharp, claw-like gauntlets now adorning his hands. They emanated a chilling aura as they swept towards her…
Jin Bao'er, wielding Soul Sever, engaged him swiftly. The air thrummed with piercing screeches, accompanied by sudden flashes of silver light and surging spiritual energy. The raw power of a Nascent Soul cultivator shattered the houses on the ground.
The battle raged on, neither side gaining an advantage. The City Lord grew increasingly alarmed. He had never imagined that Jin Bao'er, a novice who had only recently ascended to the Nascent Soul stage, would possess such strength, equal to his own mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation.
Such a prodigy, if allowed to mature, would undoubtedly be unrivaled…
With this thought, his heart hardened. He waved his hand! His gauntlets were now layered with even sharper blades, imbued with the wild ferocity of a demonic beast. A faint purple hue stained them, indicating the application of a potent poison.
"Little girl, today I shall teach you what it means to be truly outmatched!"
As his words fell, the City Lord vanished into the air. Numerous cold, white beams of light flickered around Jin Bao'er with an unstoppable killing intent, moving so swiftly they were nearly invisible.
Jin Bao'er's expression tensed. She was astonished by his speed, so fast that she couldn't even see him, let alone locate him to strike!
Just as she was about to land and activate her defensive formation, a razor-sharp white blade "swished" past her feet. Fortunately, she dodged in time, or her legs would have been severed!
At the same moment, the small white cat on her shoulder was awakened. The scent of its own kind grazed its whiskers, nearly severing them!
Seeing this, Jin Bao'er instinctively tried to send Tianshu back to the Immortal Abode, but the cat refused. The awakened feline's eyes widened, and it glared furiously at the nearby white blades!
"Meow meow meow~"
Its vocalizations were a string of harmless meows.
If she hadn't been facing immediate danger, she might have burst into laughter.
The City Lord finally noticed the small white cat on her shoulder, and his mocking laughter echoed from all directions…
"Haha! Should I call you foolish or arrogant? Heh! Truly a greenhorn who hasn't even grown her feathers yet. And the demonic beast you've contracted is this kind of useless trash!"
Jin Bao'er remained silent, but the small white cat on her shoulder was utterly enraged. It leaped from Jin Bao'er's embrace and swiped a paw through the air…
"Ah!"
A scream followed as the City Lord reappeared. His disguise had vanished, revealing the face of a refined middle-aged man. Three bloody claw marks marred his features.
The searing pain contorted his face into a terrifying mask. Seemingly more concerned with his appearance, he glared furiously at the white cat that had returned to Jin Bao'er's shoulder.
"Damn beast… how dare you!"
As he spoke, Feng Hua'an unleashed his full Nascent Soul pressure and lunged to crush the white cat. However, Jin Bao'er blocked his claws with Soul Sever.
"Screech…"
The clash of weapons produced a piercing sound, accompanied by intermittent flashes of electric sparks, blindingly bright!
Jin Bao'er pursed her lips, her expression darkening. She now realized that the City Lord seemed to cultivate both body and techniques, making him a formidable opponent capable of contending with late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.
Time ticked by, and Feng Hua'an's astonishment deepened. His brows furrowed tightly as he couldn't fathom how Jin Bao'er could maintain this stalemate for so long, only slightly disrupting her breathing.
"You… are also a Body Cultivator?"
Jin Bao'er responded with a mocking curve of her lips.
"Freeze!"
"Boom!"
As soon as she spoke, an intense cold permeated the air, rapidly encasing the ground in ice. Beneath their feet, a sheet of ice shot upwards, locking Feng Hua'an in place. It also froze the City Lord's arm, encasing his clawed hand, rendering him almost immobile.
Without hesitation, Jin Bao'er raised her blade and struck with all her might, aiming… for Feng Hua'an's hand!
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Feng Hua'an could never have anticipated this move from Jin Bao'er. As his hands were about to be severed, his eyes widened in terror, and his aura erupted chaotically.
"Crack!"
Just as Soul Sever descended, the ice encasing Feng Hua'an exploded, sending shards flying in all directions. However, his stiff body still struggled to move…
"Clang…"
With a loud crash, Soul Sever severed a frozen hand. The other hand narrowly dodged the blow. The frozen hand with its gauntlet clattered onto the ice, the sharp sound enraging Feng Hua'an further.
"Ah!! My hand! You wretch! How dare you!"
After her swift maneuver, Jin Bao'er retreated, ready to counter any immediate attack. However, the City Lord, having lost his right hand, was beside himself with fury, glaring at her with eyes bulging.
In the next moment, he charged forward, unleashing his spiritual energy recklessly. The ice shattered violently, sending countless ice blocks hurtling into the air and crashing down on Jin Bao'er.
Despite her evasive efforts, the sheer volume of ice threatened to engulf her.
Tianshu twice tried to intervene but was held back by Jin Bao'er. Seeing the situation now, it was about to act again when a hand pressed it back.
"Do not intervene. I wish to test my own limits!"
As she spoke, Jin Bao'er burst through the ice, her long sword piercing directly towards Feng Hua'an, radiating an intense cold…
They clashed again, their movements incredibly swift.
An unknown amount of time passed, and the sky gradually brightened.
"Boom!"
Jin Bao'er was sent flying by a palm strike, crashing into the ground and creating a large crater.
The victor was decided! The little white cat had not reappeared.
On the floor of the City Lord's inner chamber, a formation imbued with a faint dark energy trapped Jin Bao'er within. Feng Hua'an landed slowly, his face ashen, sweat pouring down his forehead as he gasped for breath.
Once he confirmed the young woman inside had lost consciousness, he finally exhaled in relief.
At this moment, an old woman clad in black approached, her voice raspy and aged.
"Congratulations, City Lord! After so much planning, you have finally captured this person! This old servant congratulates you in advance on your ascension to the upper realm!"
"Cough cough!"
Hearing this, Feng Hua'an grew even more excited, immediately spitting out two mouthfuls of blood. Despite his disheveled state, he couldn't contain his inner joy, and he glared at Jin Bao'er menacingly.