A Chaotic World

Rumble-!

Lightning exploded in all directions with Nanshen Qin at the core, an attack that bathed the entire Courtyard of Remembrance in purplish white light.

The sheer pressure from the attack was enough to give everyone goosebumps, while those below the Origin Core realm could not even move under the pressure.

"Don't be afraid! He is just one against many!"

"Stop him!"

Nanshen Qin's opponents were all elites who had been specially selected by the enemy camp to deal with him, so all of them were mentally prepared for this. As a result, none of them cowered despite this spectacular show of force.

All twelve of them launched their strongest attacks in unison, and a variety of techniques flashed across the air.

Boom-!

This was a clash at the Ninth Cycle Origin Core realm, the highest tier among Origin Core realm martial artists. Not only did the collision create a storm of energy within the Courtyard of Remembrance, but the tremors could even be felt in the furthest reaches of the territory atop Frostguard Mountain.

And as the storm of energy died down, only a few of the thirteen participants in that clash could remain hovering in the air.

"Senior Apprentice Brother Qin!"

"No! This can't be!"

Cries of despair could be heard from the assault team as they witnessed Nanshen Qin's figure among those who were falling from the sky.

"Stop dreaming and move! Senior Apprentice Brother Qin is still alive!"

"Save Senior Apprentice Brother Qin!"

The scene of Nanshen Qin falling in battle spurred his allies into a frenzy as they charged forward without a care.

At the same time, the opposing camp had already achieved their main objective, so they naturally retreated to regroup.

In their eyes, Nanshen Qin was the strongest member among the intruders. Now that he had been taken down, the rest should be a walk in the park to settle.

Still, that last attack by Nanshen Qin had caused them considerable damage, so it was easier said than done to just turn around and sweep away the rest. In order to do so, they would have to first reorganise themselves before launching their counter attack, and that was exactly what they did.

On the other hand, many allies of Nanshen Qin lost their cool upon seeing his current state.

They had already been traumatised by the carnage brought upon them on the day of the coup. Seeing their respected senior Nanshen Qin fall in battle only brought back memories that triggered their rage to a point beyond their control.

"Kill them!"

"Slaughter these son of bitches!"

It was an unstoppable outburst of emotions.

With many among their ranks rushing forward without a care, the rest could only follow suit if they did not want their allies to die for nothing.

Nanlan Qianxue went forward with the rest, throwing out talisman after talisman. For someone of her cultivation level, her impact on the battle was nothing short of extraordinary.

The assault team's momentum rose to its peak, especially as they saw the opposing camp being forced to retreat. However, that was all temporary, effective only until the opposing camp was finally done reorganising themselves.

A burst of power erupted from the opposing camp as their top experts finally recovered from the clash with Nanshen Qin and rejoined the fray.

"Stop overestimating yourselves! Without Nanshen Qin, all of you are nothing!"

"Here is where it ends for you!"

Powerful techniques flew out one after another, halting the advance of the assault team in an instant.

Under the terrifying onslaught, members of the assault team continued to fall one after another. The luckier ones were incapacitated, but there were also many who directly lost their lives.

The Pure Snow Serpent King instinctively stood before Nanlan Qianxue, using its massive body to shield her from harm. This time, Nanlan Qianxue accepted the help without question.

She was already exhausted from the earlier activation of the Firestar Bracelet, so she was not exactly in top condition. In such a situation, if she still remained stubborn about wanting to rely solely on herself, it would be nothing short of foolish.

But while she was guarded by the Pure Snow Serpent King, others were not.

What resulted was a scene of carnage that could bring about thoughts of despair to those who were watching from behind.

In the end, they alone were insufficient to deal with the opposing camp.

However, they had also expected as much.

They might be the assault team. But in the end, even they were just trying to buy time here.

Boom-!

A loud burst of energy coming from behind caused the opposing camp to turn around in shock.

"What's going on?"

"It's the prisoners! They managed to escape!"

This time, it was the opposing camp's turn to be flustered as a new group of combatants joined the battle.

They were the infiltration team, accompanied by members of the Frost Guards whom they had rescued from the prison.

After the defeat of Elder Chang, Lu Tianzi and the rest had managed to suppress the others and finally made their way here to join up with the assault team.

Under Elder Minshang's lead, they wasted no time in joining the fray, resulting in a pincer attack on the opposing camp and catching them completely by surprise.

"Retreat! Retreat and regroup!"

"Retreat where? There are enemies on both sides!"

"Don't panic and follow my lead!"

"Where's Elder Chang at such a juncture?!"

"Give chase! Don't let them escape!"

"Our reinforcements are here! Kill them all!"

The opposing camp fell into chaos as they splintered into groups that were trying to escape in different directions.

Morale surged as the assault team regained their vigour. The tide of battle had swung in their favour once more, and they were not intending to let this opportunity slip through their fingers.

However, they had only just started chasing down their opponents when an indifferent voice reverberated across the courtyard, sending chills down the spine of everyone present.

"How foolish."

Everyone present could recognise this voice immediately.

It belonged to someone who was once hailed as the greatest genius of the Frost Guards back in his time.

But instead of pride, half of the combatants present could only feel an endless amount of rage when they heard this voice.

"Nanshen Leng!"

"The Frostclaw Overlord!"

"Master is here!"

Loud exclamations sounded out all across the Courtyard of Remembrance as everyone turned their attention towards the source of the voice – a luxuriously dressed man who was watching them from the parapet of a pavilion overlooking the courtyard.

As they had expected, it was none other than the Frost Claw Overlord.

The enemy's leader had finally appeared.

In response to the attention falling upon him, the Frost Claw Overlord let out a confident smirk.

An illusory claw of ice shimmered into existence behind the Frost Claw Overlord. Unsurprisingly, his origin totem appeared to be much closer to reality than that of Origin Core realm martial artists.

What came next was a blanket of chilling energy that fell upon the entire courtyard, suppressing everyone present.

Everyone could immediately sense a distinct change in their surroundings, and it was not just about the temperature that had fallen by a notch. Instead, it felt as though the world laws governing their surroundings had been altered to a certain extent.

This was accompanied by a heavy pressure that weighed down heavily upon them. Under this overwhelming pressure, those at the higher Origin Core realms felt their movements slow drastically, while those with a lower cultivation level could not help but buckle their knees.

As though that was not enough, chains of frost energy spouted from the ground, grasping members of the assault team by the ankles and waist, furthering inhibiting their movements.

Every member of the Frost Guards immediately understood what was going on.

This was the Frozen Claw Overlord's domain – Shackles of the Frozen Menace.

It was rumoured that the Frost Claw Overlord had once trapped a powerful beast of the Shimmering Plains and closely observed its struggle for a full five years. This experience was well reflected in the development of his domain, which was said to have incorporated his gains on the best ways of controlling the movements of a trapped beast.

Screech-!

The Pure Snow Serpent King roared in response, resisting the hold of the frozen chains on its body as it unleashed its signature sound attack.

In the past, this was already an attack that could threaten Ninth Cycle Origin Core realm martial artists. Now that it had been improved further, the sound attack of the Pure Snow Serpent King was nothing to be scoffed at.

Despite that, members of the opposing camp did nothing and simply watched on calmly.

And just as they had expected, the terrifying sound waves vanished shortly after leaving the Pure Snow Serpent King's body.

Even from as far as he was, the Frost Claw Overlord simply need a wave of his hand in order to forcibly dissipate the sound attack.

"Stubborn beast. I shall start with you then."

With that declaration, the Frost Claw Overlord lifted his hand and pointed it towards the Pure Snow Serpent King.

His luxurious robes fluttered wildly as a storm of energy emerged from within him, forming into a wave of frost that shot straight towards the Pure Snow Serpent King.

"Little White!"

The members of the assault team shouted out anxiously, but that was all they could do.

Under the effect of the Frost Claw Overlord's Shackles of the Frost Menace, all of them could barely move, so helping the Pure Snow Serpent King was nothing but a pipe dream.

Only a domain could resist a domain.

This was the strength of an Overlord powerhouse, and this situation was the exact representation of how numbers did not matter in the face of absolute power.

Facing the wave of frost energy that quickly approached, the Pure Snow Serpent King roared as it chose to take it head on with its own frost breath. Unfortunately, just its strength alone was nowhere near sufficient.

The wave of frost energy from the Frost Claw Overlord completely devoured the Pure Snow Serpent King's frost breath and continued its advance unabated, smashing straight into the giant serpent.

Screech-!

The Pure Snow Serpent King roared in pain as the attack directly ripped off a huge chunk of flesh from its body, causing blood to spurt out like a fountain. Its huge body wavered a little before finally falling with a loud thud.

Even then, it continued to squirm weakly on the ground, evident of how it was suffering in pain.

"Hmm?" Despite the successful attack, the Frost Claw Overlord narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

While he had already expected such a result, the process was not what he had imagined.

Despite its huge body, the Pure Snow Serpent King was actually much better than many smaller beasts in terms of speed and agility. And it was not the first time the Pure Snow Serpent King met him, so it should know his strength fairly well.

However, it actually decided to face off against him in a frontal clash instead of attempting to evade his attack?

Even with the Shackles of the Frozen Menace affecting its movements, it should have at least tried instead of giving up like this.

Its actions this time simply did not make any sense.

The next moment, his gaze fell upon the unfamiliar figure behind the giant serpent, and he got the answer he needed.

"So Little White was protecting you," the Frost Claw Overlord rubbed his chin as he looked straight at Nanlan Qianxue. "I don't know who you are and why it would rather throw away its life just to shield you. But, well, I guess I don't have to know anyway. You shall just be the next one to die."