This Is What a Villain Is Like

In the Imperial Capital, plenty of people knew that Xiao Teng possessed the Star Body.

Seeing Xiao Teng unleash the might of his physique, Prince Zhenbei Xiao He knew that he had gotten serious and was about to use his full strength.

The Taiyi Sect Saintess was no ordinary young Celestial Pride. If he didn't give it his all, defeat was certain.

'The Star Body is just a superficial phenomenon. This guy is actually the reincarnation of the Master of Stars, but there are no signs of awakening yet...'

'Furthermore, he also has the Shaking Light Immortal Jade that Ge Qixing took in collusion with the Palace Master of the Divine Maiden Palace.'

'However, with his current abilities, it's almost impossible to defeat Li Mengning. Li Mengning is merely accustomed to using a sword; it doesn't mean she's an expert in the Sword Dao.'

Jiang Lan watched the chaotic battle, countless thoughts flashing through his mind. In truth, he wasn't worried about the outcome.

To his surprise, however, Ye Ming was not by Xiao Teng's side.

That was unexpected. It seemed they had parted ways en route.

'Knowing Ye Ming's personality, he has most likely entered the depths of Qianyuan Prefecture to search for fortuitous encounters on his own.'

'The only reason for Xiao Teng to display such power now is to delay them…'

'Is he trying to let Ye Ming take first place?' Jiang Lan faintly guessed their objective.

Just as these thoughts flashed through Jiang Lan's mind, a boundless, bone-chilling aura suddenly swept in. A sky full of imperceptible ice crystals drifted down.

A vision of a boundless, pure-white ice field instantly spread out, blanketing the entire sky.

Li Mengning hovered in the air, leaning on her sword, her dark hair dancing in the wind. Behind her, a terrifying, ice-covered full moon seemed to hang high in the sky.

The moon was pristine and cold, dominating the manifested vision behind her. It pulsed with an ice-blue energy, and the entire frozen tundra within the vision was engulfed by an endless blizzard.

She stood within it like a monarch carved from ice and snow. With a mere wave of her hand, a cataclysmic storm descended, sweeping up countless shards of ice and blasting them toward Xiao Teng.

The ground froze instantly. A frigid mist billowed out, the lake's surface stilled, and a thick layer of ice and snow coated everything. The surrounding mountains, trees, and cascading silver waterfalls seemed to freeze in place in that single moment.

At this moment, her dark hair danced, tinged with frost, glowing with a magnificent, dream-like shade of ice-blue. Even her skin had become as transparent as ice itself.

RUMBLE!!!

The ground rumbled and began to crack apart. One by one, ice pikes like colossal thorns—like pillars reaching for the heavens—suddenly burst forth.

This terrifying sight made the hearts of all the younger cultivators present tremble. They were utterly horrified and shaken.

This was already beyond the scope of Divine Techniques. It was a phenomenon like a domain, a place where Words Become Law, giving her command over the wind and snow.

Under such a terrifying assault, even drawing down starlight was futile for Xiao Teng. In a single exchange, he was bombarded by innumerable ice pillars.

He was sent flying, coughing up blood. His body was covered in wounds, and who knew how many bones had been shattered.

Unless he could call down the very stars from the sky, he was no match for a Li Mengning with such abilities.

"Third Young Master..."

Seeing this, his followers and subordinates were utterly horrified. They hastily abandoned their own opponents and rushed to help Xiao Teng up, feeding him Elixir Pills.

"I lost?"

Blood trickled from the corner of Xiao Teng's mouth. He was dazed, seemingly unable to accept the fact that he had been defeated. He still had many techniques he hadn't used.

'But why couldn't my Pupil of Truth see any of her weaknesses? Has she really reached a state of flawlessness?'

After defeating Xiao Teng, Li Mengning did not attack again. She held her Ancient Sword and returned to Jiang Lan's side, as cold and aloof as ever.

A frosty, chilling aura still lingered around her, like a layer of icy mist that made her appear hazy and indistinct.

"He has a Pupil Skill that can see weaknesses and deduce the future..." she mused, then whispered in Jiang Lan's ear.

Jiang Lan said, "I know."

After all, Li Mengning's cultivation level and strength were far above Xiao Teng's at present. Once she sensed he had such an ability, she naturally had a way to counter it.

"Should we kill him?" Li Mengning asked.

"Killing him now would be troublesome," Jiang Lan said, shaking his head.

Although that's what he said, his gaze drifted into the distance, as if he were contemplating or sensing something.

Amidst the surrounding mountains, all the members of the younger generation who witnessed this were filled with shock and disbelief. For a time, a dead silence fell over them.

"Defeated in a single exchange?"

"The gap in their strength is just too big. Third Young Master Xiao Teng is still only at the Fifth Realm, but the Taiyi Sect Saintess has already broken through to the Sixth Realm, the Divine Power Realm. What's more, she's mastered a domain, and her understanding of it is already incredibly profound."

"Even a veteran of the older generation who broke through to the Divine Power Realm years ago would be no match for her."

"She's just too powerful."

The onlookers were in an uproar, finding it all hard to believe.

They originally thought that with Xiao Teng's Star Body, if he used his full power, he might still have a fighting chance.

But who would have thought that the moment the Taiyi Sect Saintess got serious, he would be defeated in a single exchange? And so decisively, too—he seemed completely unable to put up any resistance.

Prince Zhenbei Xiao He's face was ashen. His fists were clenched, and Evil Qi swirled around him, but for now, he could only suppress it with all his might.

"Your Highness, there's no need to be angry. Jiang Lan is just relying on the might of a woman. The Third Young Master's cultivation is still shallow; he was at a disadvantage..."

"When he achieves a breakthrough in his cultivation, he will surely be able to avenge this defeat," several advisors by his side hurriedly chimed in.