Chapter 109: Icy Determination and the abilities of the Mark of Dual Cultivation.

Ye Liang was filled with dread, expecting the black robed old man to easily take out Ye Mo. His vision of a perfect future was about to come true when suddenly he realizes that there is a master present in the room and a young magister that can fight on equal footing with the old man in black robes without losing ground.

Every passing second seemed like an eternity for Ye Liang as his mind raced with questions. 'Who is that young man? How can he fight the senior so evenly? How does that woman manage to overpower so many of my men singlehandedly while being at 4th layer of black iron? What kind of connection does the old crook have with these powerful people?'

He didn't have much time to ponder what might happen if he failed his mission—to kill everyone present.

Fear crept in as he considered the consequences of his alliance with the Demon Heart Sect; even if he won, if the Martial Suppressors found out about it, he was finished. His only option for survival was to make sure that no one survived this event. 'This is my only way out,' he thought.

Clearing his head, Ye Liang chose to assess the situation.

He opened his eyes and sprinted towards Liu Minger, surprising her with his choice of opponent.

He wasn't picking a fight with her because she was attacking his men; he wanted to capture her, believing that she was somehow key to halting the monster.

From what had happened so far, it was clear to him that this woman was very important to the young man; if he could take her captive, he knew he could force him to stand down.

Liu Minger was expending a great deal of mana to keep multiple enemies in check with her thin ethereal ice swords.

Even though it was a difficult situation, she knew that if she kept going, she could defeat them eventually. But she had little mana left, so the battle would have to end soon.

Just as she was about to strike again, a chill ran up her spine—a feeling of dread that forced her to act without thinking. She quickly directed the three swords to attack behind her.

Crash!

The sound of metal clanging startled Liu Minger, and she spun around to see Ye Liang had appeared, blocking her three ice swords with his own. Had she not attacked behind her back, the outcome would have been disastrous.

"You have great reflexes," Ye Liang said with slight surprise as he repositioned himself for another attack. Her eyes widened when she saw that his blade hadn't shattered like the swords of his lackeys—it was at least a half-step magical weapon. 'This is troublesome,' she thought to herself, eyeing its sharp edge.

"You all go and deal with Ye Zeng and his men, I'll take care of her," Ye Liang commanded the lackeys who were surrounding Liu Minger.

Liu Minger's hazel eyes became solemn as she saw her situation; though it seemed from outside that she was disadvantaged, she actually had many advantages-a strong foundation, a high-level cultivation technique, and her ice swords which were sharper than their weapons.

Due to these advantages, she had been able to withstand all the lackeys for so long without retreating. But now, facing Ye Liang, she had lost at least one of those advantages.

He had a weapon as powerful as hers if not more, plus he was two layers above hers on the black iron rank. Thus, even her strong foundation and high-level cultivation technique could not make up for the difference in strength.

Another problem was that 'I'm also running low on mana; I won't be able to fight freely' no matter how you look at this she was in an absolute disadvantageous position while fighting Ye Liang.

'But i still have to fight' Still, she steeled herself for the upcoming battle.

Ye Liang furrowed his brows and said, "I thought a few black-iron rank magisters would be enough to capture you, but I didn't anticipate it would cause so many complications."

He was well aware that if he brought her back alive to that young master, not only could he dodge any potential wrath of the Liu family, but also receive an abundant reward.

Liu Minger was silent, knowing that even the slightest distraction would cost her the battle. The air became taut with anticipation as they both searched for a way to gain an advantage.

Liu Minger wanted to go in for the kill, but Ye Liang desperately sought to take her alive, unharmed, so Long Shin would agree to stop fighting. But it wasn't going to be easy; capturing Liu Minger without hurting her was no small feat, even for Ye Liang.

Suddenly, Ye Liang lunged at Liu Minger with his sword. She parried his attack with three thin ethereal ice swords, each one emanating intense coldness.

To add to the power of his own weapon, Ye Liang channeled mana into it, making it even more formidable. Ordinary weapons were unable to accommodate mana, while magical weapons or treasures could be due to their unique materials and processing technique.

Although not a fully-fledged magic weapon, Ye Liang's sword was still better than an ordinary iron one; although the flow of mana wasn't as efficient as usual, it was still able to channel through.

Bolstered by his mana, the sword in Ye Liang's hand was able to fend off Liu Minger's ice swords. As the metal blades clashed, Liu Minger felt outmatched.

'This won't do, if this continues i will lose.' Liu Minger couldn't keep up with Ye Liang's complex movements and strikes.

Although she had three swords and he only one, Ye Liang managed to dodge, parry, and defend himself skillfully against her attacks. Each time he blocked a blow, he moved closer to her.

"You won't defeat me," Ye Liang said as he dodged, cleverly parrying the other two swords at once. His movements were complex and practiced compared to the lackeys she encountered before him; Ye Zeng, being suppressed by three or four elders working together, wasn't even as skilled as him. Ye Liang didn't have battle awareness like Ye Zeng but made up for it with his cunning mind and strikes like a serpent striking its prey.

The sound of clanging metal filled the air, followed by a loud Katch! as one of the ice swords shattered into tiny pieces.

The cerulean-haired beauty tried to condense another weapon but was met with the realization that she simply lacked the mana to do so.

In horror, she realized her mana reserves had been depleted, not even leaving her with a tenth of what was necessary to create an ice sword.

Clang! Clang! Crack! Crack! echoed in the air as the remaining two ice swords also began to split along their crystalline blades.

Ye Liang was delighted to witness the first sword shatter. He knew that soon, if he kept up his attack for about five minutes, then the remaining two ice swords would also break apart.

"So, is this the extent of your abilities?" he shouted as he slashed vertically, one of the crystalline swords cracked and shattered into tiny particles of light that dissipated into nothingness.

Liu Minger had only one cracked crystal sword to use as defense against her opponent.

With each passing second, it became more and more difficult to control it, and the tiny amount of mana she had left was draining away.

'No, is this really my limit? Am I going to be a burden to him even after trying so hard?' she thought in despair as the last ice sword clashed with Ye Liang's sword, which wouldn't last much longer either.

'Even though I tried my best, I'm still going to lose,' Liu Minger admitted bitterly in her mind. She knew that if she lost, Ye Liang would try to capture her as leverage.

It felt like time had stopped for Liu Minger as she watched the last ice sword being shattered into countless pieces. Every moment felt like an eternity as Ye Liang marched closer towards her, and she was powerless to stop him.

Gazing around, she saw Cha Ying sitting still from the effects of the poison, and Long Shin locked in a fight with the man clad in black robes. Her hazel eyes held all sorts of emotions: helplessness, longing, love.

At one-point, Long Shin's eyes met hers, and Liu Minger wished she could tell him: 'If only I had one more chance... no matter what happens, I won't be your burden.' Although she had only started cultivating late in her twenties, her ability to reach fourth layer of black iron rank cultivation within just a few days spoke volumes of her talent and luck.

She possessed resources and talent that others could only fantasize about, along with a cultivation technique unheard of, that only the secret cultivation techniques in the great holy lands of cultivation might be able to compete. Long Shin had also informed her that she was blessed with a divine body that might not appear on this planet for many thousands of years.

Since she started cultivating, he provided her with top-grade pills that most Magisters in the underworld had never heard of. With even one of these opportunities, they would be able to ascend to as a future powerhouse. With all of them together, the outcome was astonishing.

The entire Liu family labored continuously to reach higher tiers in their cultivation and yet, within a few days, she surpassed the first to third layers of Black Iron Rank and hopped up to the fourth layer.

Generally speaking, it took her friend from the prestigious Tian clan—considered one of the greatest geniuses in Beijing—more than eight months to traverse the initial layers of Black Iron Rank, and she was considered an exceptionally gifted individual every thousand years.

When Long Shin's gaze met his, she saw a content smile on his face. Although they were apart, she could almost hear what he said - 'Don't give up just yet'.

As she slowly began to understand what was happening, a strange but comforting warmth spread through her. The mana that had been drained from her from using ice swords for so long was quickly being replenished. In no time at all, her mana pool was full again.

"Break for me," Ye Liang shouted as he swung his sword at the last cracked ice sword. Instead of shattering into countless specks of light, the cracks on the crystalline body of the sword started to fade right before their eyes.

Clang!

With a loud noise, both swords clashed, and the cracks had completely disappeared by that time.

Ye Liang gaped at the sword that had seemingly became brand new.

"What is going on here? " Ye Liang uttered in disbelief. "Just a moment ago, it was about to be destroyed, and now it's completely restored. What happened to the cracks that were all over its body?" he thought aloud. 

Liu Minger shared his shock; the warmth that had been gathering in her abdomen slowly faded, yet she could still feel something warm emanating on her abdomen, from the "mark of dual cultivation". A sudden recollection struck her of what Long Shin had first said when this symbol showed up on her body.

...

"The technique I gave you before is a dual cultivation technique when both men and women use their respected parts while making love namely ‹Dragon› and ‹Phoenix› respectively, if they truly love each other than the ‹Mark of Dual Cultivation› will appear on the women's abdomen signifying their love for each other.

At the same time the mark itself is special, as it can allow both parties to communicate with each other and transfer mana to each other no matter the distance, I only know of these two functions of this mark there are many unknown functions which we will have to find out in the future."

...

Gradually, the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together for her. She had almost forgotten about the "mark of dual cultivation" until now. With it, she could hear his voice from so far away as if he were standing beside her and she understood how her nearly empty magical energy reserves had been replenished. 

'So, all this mana came from darling' In amazement, Liu Minger realized that all this mana within her was gushing from some unknown source, she couldn't pinpoint how Long Shin was able to do this.

She thought of something and in the next second, the diminutive ice sword that was previously as long as a human fist had grown to more than half a meter in length. Its edge became sharper while its chill had intensified twofold. It had become both more corporeal yet ethereal at the same time.

"Amazing!" Liu Minger breathed out in awe. This mana could somehow enhance her ice swords greatly. "This mana is different from regular mana," she thought to herself. "I can't really put my finger on it but it's definitely more powerful than what normal magisters possess." Just then, she noticed that the huge amount of mana she had used up to condense the sword had been filled again, as if Long Shin had endless reserves of it. He gave her a slight smile.

'Is it true that his mana is limitless?' Liu Minger briefly pondered before dismissing the thought. 'I don't have time to think about this now, I'm more powerful now and I can beat him.' She glanced at Ye Liang who was staring in awe at the ice sword that had not only repaired itself but had gotten a major power boost. "Its power must have gone up by at least five times - how can this be?" He couldn't help but lament in bitterness and disbelieve.

Ye Liang's thoughts were interrupted by the ice sword flying towards him.

Clang!

The clashing of the blades rang out as he blocked the sword with his own, holding onto it with both hands and still being thrown backwards. "Damn the power in this blow surpasses all the previous ones!" he yelled, gritting his teeth.

"Haaah!" Ye Liang shouted as he swung with all his might. Clang! His ice sword was deflected with a loud resounding sound, and the force of his attack forced him to catch his breath. 

"How did she suddenly become so strong?!" he exclaimed in disbelief. Just moments ago, Liu Minger had felt like a powerful 5th layered black iron magister, but now it felt like she was a 6th layered black-iron rank magister.

The ice sword flew towards Liu Minger and hovered above her like a devoted knight. 'I can control three swords at once,' she thought, 'but my command of them is far from perfect. Instead of controlling many, I'll just control one to attack him.' With that thought, another ice sword appeared in her hand.

Again, her mana was drained by half, only to be full again in an instant. "This feeling of having near limitless mana is intoxicating," she marveled, though her admiration was tinged with fear, fear towards the intoxication of boundless mana. Focusing on the task at hand, Liu Minger clutched the sword firmly in her right hand.

Liu Minger shouted, "Let's begin round two!" and channelled more mana into her ice sword. The blade began to give out a cold glint and an intense chill that even those fighting near her could feel in their bones. 

Everyone ran away from the area, even Ye Liang, despite his higher cultivation, still felt afraid of the sword due to its sharpness. He felt like his eyes were being pierced with every glance at the blade.

Liu Minger wasted no time and chose to face Ye Liang in a frontal fight. He was taken by surprise—the young woman who had been passively defending until a moment ago suddenly came at him with the intention of murder.

As the clang of swords echoed throughout the room, Ye Liang was sent flying back several foots with each blow from Liu Minger.

"Damn bitch, take this!!" he shouted as mana flew into his sword and horizontally slashed at her.

"Hump, weak," Liu Minger mocked before she struck at his right side.

Clang!

The approaching sword halted mid-track as Ye Liang felt a chill down his spine. Without thinking, he ducked just in time to avoid the second ice sword that had flown over him.

'Damn that was close,' he thought, relief washing over him until he saw Liu Minger perform a vertical slash at him.

"No!" Ye Liang held up his sword with both hands above his head, blocking the incoming attack.

"You dare to hold my sword? Die!" Liu Minger ruthlessly said and another ice sword came flying chopping at him.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Ye Liang frantically tried to block Liu Minger's attacks while at the same time, he looked for an opening in her defenses to counterattack.

However, Liu Minger seemed to anticipate every move he made, which made it difficult for him to get a solid hit on her. He gritted his teeth and kept dodging her attacks until finally, his luck ran out and he was struck in the arm by the flying sword while dodging one of her strikes.

The force of the blow sent Ye Liang reeling back, his arm numb from the impact. He looked up at Liu Minger and saw that she had closed the distance between them with a graceful yet devastatingly powerful jumping spin kick. As he stumbled backwards, trying to regain his footing, he felt an immense pressure coming from Liu Minger's ice sword as it flew towards him. 

He tried to brace himself for an incoming attack but it was too late—he felt as if time had frozen around him as Liu Minger delivered a straight thrust that pierced through his his left shoulder like lightning.

"Ahhg! "Ye Liang grasped onto the hilt of the sword in shock—The pain was so excruciating that Ye Liang couldn't help but scream, yet his agony didn't end there. 

Another sword came flying at him, ready to deal its deadly blow.

"Haah!" With all his might, Ye Liang stood up from the ground and barely evaded the sword.

He looked fearfully at Liu Minger, standing five meters away with a sword in her right hand while she controlled another sword flying in circles around her like it was a loyal knight.

"How is this possible? I have the 6th layer of black iron cultivation, I should be overpowering her," he spoke incredulously.

"Humph. Did you really think you could defeat me just because your level of cultivation is higher than mine?" sneered Liu Minger. She would have been no match for him before, but now with her powerful cultivation technique and almost limitless mana she had nothing to fear.

"No, I'm not giving up. I have to accomplish my goals; I can't be beaten by a child," Ye Liang yelled with a crazed look in his eyes. 

He then pulled a small bottle from his pocket, making Liu Minger uneasy. Before she could act, he had removed the cap and popped the red pill inside his mouth.

Suddenly, Ye Liang's aura started to behave erratically. It was like an untamed animal had been unleashed instead of a human.

His eyes became blood-red and his body also became big almost reaching three meters in size as he declared maniacally, "Ha Ha Ha! I won't lose no matter what, and I'll kill everyone in my way!" His laugh was filled with malice.

"What on earth happened to him?!" Ye Mo exclaimed out of astonishment at the wildness of his eldest son's aura.

Ye Zeng, who had beaten the three elders, focused on Ye Liang and said, "He's gone mad!" He immediately moved towards Ye Liang, ready to contain him.

"Now what's going on with this fool?" Liu Minger uttered while furrowing her brow.

'The pill he just ingested was a Blood Explosion Pill. It increases his combat power but it also consumes his rationality, so right now he's more like a talking, walking beast than a person. Fortunately, this effect is only temporary - then again, he will still have to face the subsequent repercussions.' Long Shin's voice resonated in her mind explaining Ye Liang's strange behavior.

"Man, this guy can be so troublesome," Liu Minger grumbled in frustration. She had just managed to restrain him, yet now he had done something completely irrational.

Long Shin's laughter echoed inside Liu Minger's head. 'Ha, Ha, Ha. He's not that hard to fight now he's nothing but a mindless beast.' he continued. 'Don't face him directly. Use your "Yin Poison" to weaken him and look, someone else is here to help you.' Liu Minger saw Ye Zeng arrive beside her.

"Young Miss Liu, allow me the privilege of containing my rogue elder brother," he bowed his head. "Just try to tire him out. He's just an animal now," Liu Minger said.

ROAR!

A loud roar interrupted their conversation as they turned towards Ye Liang who was howling like a wild beast.

"See - there you have it," Liu Minger said with a shrug of her shoulders. Ye Zeng didn't know what to make of her casual demeanor. The corner of his mouth twitched.

Liu Minger was just as taken aback as him, but she managed to keep her surprise hidden from view. 

"What happened to you, honey?" Someone spoke nearby and Ye Zeng and others noticed it.

"Damn that madwoman has lost her brain" Ye Zeng swore loudly as he realized that facing a wild Ye Liang was tantamount to certain death.

Sun Xifeng begged her husband, "Look at me, honey. You're scaring me and Xiao Hao." It seemed like her incessant pleading had struck a chord with him, and the towering giant looked down on her.

Grateful for his attention, she continued, "Thank goodness you're alright. Finish here quickly so we can go home." To her dismay, instead of reassuring words or a nod of understanding, she received a large palm in response.

Without warning, Ye Liang's mighty hand slammed into her small frame, creating an explosive force upon contact.

Everyone watched as she laid there in tatters under his palm. 

With the little strength she had left, Sun Xifeng whispered "Ye Liang, why..." before being cut off by the thud of his right foot crushing her body to a repugnant mass of flesh and bone.

Everyone was astonished, Sun Xifeng was a beauty, even though she was already past thirty; her cultivation and maintenance of her figure and skin had kept her looking glamorous and alluring.

Any man who walked by would have been entranced by her looks, yet the regal woman had now been reduced to a pile of flesh.

"MOOOM!!!" Ye Hao screamed out for his mother as he watched her become a bloody mess on the floor, but his cries were quickly cut off as Ye Liang saw him, walking slowly in his direction.

"No! Don't come any closer!" Ye Hao shouted. He was petrified of the man standing before him—the man who had been his father only hours before.

"Somebody help me! Grandpa, Uncle, Aunt—please someone save me," he begged pathetically, tears streaming down his face, unable to move for fear. But before Ye Mo or Ye Zeng could react, Ye Liang stood in front of him and all pleading ceased.

BOOM!

With a single stomp, Ye Hao was reduced to nothing more than a pile of flesh and bones like his own mother.

"You see, he's just an animal without thinking now," Liu Minger commented emotionlessly, not in the least bit affected by Sun Xifeng's or Ye Hao's death. After all, they both were their enemies-- the duo's passing would only lessen their troubles.

...

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