As they entered the pocket world once more, the surroundings shifted silently.
The destruction from before vanished as if it had never existed. In its place stretched a vast scene of towering trees, flowing rivers, and layered mountain ranges beneath a clear sky. The land was pristine. Not a crack, not a scar remained. It was as though the pocket world itself had rewound time, restoring everything to its original state.
Shen Yuan's gaze swept across the terrain briefly, expression calm.
Zhou Xiaosi was the first to speak.
"Brother Shen," he said with a light smile, folding his hands behind his back. "Would you prefer to fight all six of us at once… or two first?"
Shen Yuan did not answer immediately.
He glanced sideways at Tang Jiyan standing beside him, then shifted his gaze to the six figures opposite them—Zhou Xiaosi, Bai Chen, Yi An, Yan Bao, Liang Mang, and Ruo Xiulan.
After a moment of thought, he spoke evenly.
"Liang Mang and Ruo Xiulan. We'll fight them first."
Zhou Xiaosi closed his eyes, pondering for several seconds. When he opened them again, a smirk curved his lips.
"A wise decision."
Shen Yuan said nothing, merely meeting his gaze with a plain, unreadable expression.
Zhou Xiaosi shook his head lightly. Along with Bai Chen, Yi An, and Yan Bao, his figure blurred. In an instant, the four of them teleported to a distant mountain peak, watching from afar.
Only Shen Yuan and Tang Jiyan remained facing Liang Mang and Ruo Xiulan.
Ruo Xiulan finally spoke.
"I've been waiting for this day for quite some time," she said coldly. "Ever since the troubles you caused three hundred years ago. And now…" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You also possess the Extreme Cold State."
She paused, then added, "If you dare, fight me. Let Tang Jiyan face Liang Mang."
Shen Yuan was silent at first.
Then, slowly, he smiled—but it looked more like a smirk than a smile. He cupped his fists lightly.
"I accept."
He paused, then continued calmly, "But I would like to make a small change."
Ruo Xiulan raised an eyebrow. "Speak."
Shen Yuan's gaze sharpened.
"Both Tang Jiyan and I will fight the two of you at once." He added flatly, "And you will not use spiritual energy. Only qi."
Liang Mang and Ruo Xiulan instantly understood what he meant.
They exchanged a brief glance.
After a short moment of thought, both nodded.
Liang Mang and Tang Jiyan rose several feet above the ground.
In the next instant, Tang Jiyan lunged forward.
Liang Mang reacted immediately. His hand flicked, and chains of light erupted from spatial cracks, shooting toward Tang Jiyan and wrapping around him in an instant.
At that exact moment—
Shen Yuan appeared behind Liang Mang.
His fist was already halfway through its arc, aimed directly at Liang Mang's face.
Suddenly, Shen Yuan felt cold.
Too cold.
Not the cold of ice—but a chilling pressure that felt as though it would freeze him alive from the inside out.
A voice came calmly from the side.
"Your opponent is me."
Shen Yuan turned.
Ruo Xiulan stood a hundred steps from him, her presence radiating a terrifying cold.
His eyes hardened.
He rushed toward her without hesitation.
On the other side, Tang Jiyan's thunder qi erupted. Lightning surged violently as he shattered the chains of light binding him. Thunder condensed around his hand, forming a blade of lightning that hummed with crackling sounds.
He shot toward Liang Mang.
Liang Mang barely dodged, the thunder blade grazing past him and carving a deep trench into the earth behind.
Light surged around Liang Mang's arm as he formed his own blade of light.
The two clashed.
The land and sky shook violently. Space cracked open and sealed itself repeatedly around them.
Not far away, Shen Yuan and Ruo Xiulan were already exchanging blows. Their fists collided again and again, spatial power distorting the surrounding space. Each impact opened jagged rifts that snapped shut a heartbeat later.
Liang Mang suddenly halted.
With a flick of his hand, multiple spatial holes opened around Tang Jiyan. From them shot chains of light tipped with spear-like ends.
Tang Jiyan dodged in a zig-zag pattern, his movements clean and precise.
However, there were too many of those chains of light.
His eyes flashed.
With a swift gesture of his other hand, the thunder blade glowed brilliantly. He spun in place, unleashing a massive burst of thunder qi in a perfect circle.
The explosion annihilated the chains of light and sliced through the spatial holes, making them collapse instantly.
Meanwhile—
Ruo Xiulan stepped back abruptly.
Cold mist gathered around Shen Yuan, thickening rapidly. Within a few breaths, the mist solidified into countless swords of ice, all aimed at him.
They shot forward.
Shen Yuan spun.
Dark blue flames erupted around him as he summoned his void fire, forming a tornado of searing darkness. The ice swords vanished the moment they touched it, erased completely.
When the last sword disappeared, the flames faded.
Shen Yuan shot forward, expression cold.
Five feet from Ruo Xiulan, he slammed his fist into the air.
Space seemed to tremble.
From cracking spatial rifts, hundreds of serpentine ice spikes erupted, twisting and surging toward her.
Ruo Xiulan smirked.
She raised a single finger.
A beam of yin shot forth.
In seconds, every spike disintegrated.
"If your yin didn't work on Ma Bingxue," she said coldly, "what makes you think it will work on me?"
Shen Yuan gave no reply.
Instead, they clashed again, their figures turning into streaks of blue light in the distance.
Elsewhere, Tang Jiyan raised his palm, thunder qi blazing as he prepared to strike Liang Mang.
At that instant, Liang Mang's body turned into pure light.
He reappeared beside Tang Jiyan.
Tang Jiyan sensed the danger and retreated instantly, leaping back over a hundred steps. A moment later, Liang Mang's fist slammed into the space where Tang Jiyan had just been.
They collided again.
Boom!
The thunderous impact shook the ground violently.
Liang Mang spoke calmly, "You're impressive. Especially for someone who just stepped into the Quasi-Elysian stage minutes ago."
Tang Jiyan smiled faintly. "Senior Liang praises too much."
Another explosion followed.
The shockwave obliterated everything within twenty kilometers.
Liang Mang formed seals.
Light condensed around him.
Within a few breaths of time, two identical figures appeared beside him—illusory clones, indistinguishable from the original.
Tang Jiyan laughed lightly. "You are not the only one who can do that."
He formed seals.
Thunder qi surged outward, condensing rapidly into figures. They were illusory clones of Tang Jiyan!
Then the clones collided violently.
The ground shook as four figures clashed.
After several exchanges, all four unleashed their full power simultaneously.
The clones canceled each other out and vanished.
Tang Jiyan rushed at Liang Mang again, thunder blade re-forming around his hand.
Liang Mang smirked and raised a giant shield of light.
Then—
Tang Jiyan stopped.
Liang Mang's eyes narrowed.
The Tang Jiyan before him dissolved into mist.
Liang Mang's expression changed.
'Three clones!'
He turned—
The real Tang Jiyan was already two steps from him.
Before Liang Mang could react, Tang Jiyan slammed his thunder-coated palm into Liang Mang's back.
BOOM!
Liang Mang was sent flying into a distant mountain, blood spraying from his mouth and nose as the peak collapsed.
Meanwhile, Shen Yuan and Ruo Xiulan continued clashing relentlessly.
Ruo Xiulan suddenly spoke, her tone taunting, "Why aren't you using your yin?"
Shen Yuan replied flatly, "Don't ask obvious questions."
Outside the pocket world, the audience murmured loudly.
They couldn't see clearly, but noticed that Shen Yuan wasn't using his yin anymore, speculation spread rapidly—why wasn't Shen Yuan using his yin? Was something wrong? Was he planning something? Or was he afraid?
"Eh? What happened? That cold chill he always gives off… it's gone! Did Shen Yuan get hurt or something? Why isn't he using that scary yin thing anymore?"
"Hah! Look at that—the great Shen Yuan isn't using his yin anymore! Bet he's afraid now. Ruo Xiulan must be too strong even for him!"
"Wait, wait—he's not using yin on purpose, I think. Do you guys think he's tricking her? Like the one he fooled before with the illusion? This has to be part of some deeper plan!"
"Maybe he used up all his yin fighting earlier? Or maybe he's conserving it for a big move? Or maybe… maybe he's just toying with the woman now. Who knows with these immortals?"
Inside—
Ruo Xiulan halted abruptly.
She formed a rapid sequence of seals.
Space cracked open above Shen Yuan.
From it descended countless chains of ice.
Shen Yuan burned through hundreds with void fire—but there were just too many.
The chains wrapped around him, suppressing his flames and locking his movements.
In the elders' chamber, the Twin Soul Sect elder spoke gravely.
"This may be where Shen Yuan's path ends."
The Spirit Ice Pavilion elder stroked his beard.
"Maybe."
Back in the pocket world—
Ruo Xiulan formed more seals.
An enormous array appeared above her, spanning over a hundred kilometers.
From it descended a giant palm imprint of yin and a massive yin spear.
With a gesture, she sent the spear from the front—and the palm from behind.
Tang Jiyan moved to help—
—but a bloodied Liang Mang blocked his path, grinning fiercely.
At the last instant, as the attacks were about to strike—
Ruo Xiulan's expression changed.
"Crazy person!" she shouted.
Outside the pocket world, the elders' eyes widened simultaneously.