“Hiss…”

“Huff…”

After Qingyu was sent flying by that punch, the Ice Crystal Cave fell silent, leaving only Duan Xiaoyu’s trembling breaths.

Still crouched in a knife-wielding stance, Duan Xiaoyu seemed unable to believe what she had just witnessed. Her eyes, filled with intense vigilance, slowly turned to look behind her.

“Huff…”

It wasn’t until she saw Xu Taiping’s face that a look of relief washed over her blood-stained face, and she let out a long breath.

“Open your mouth.”

Xu Taiping poured a Gathering Qi Pill into his hand and extended it to Duan Xiaoyu.

Duan Xiaoyu struggled to open her mouth.

At this moment, opening her mouth was all the strength she had left.

Her depleted true essence was replenished, and her breath no longer seemed so weak.

Surviving the ordeal, tears began to well up in her eyes at a visible speed.

“Don’t cry yet.”

Seeing that Duan Xiaoyu was about to cry, Xu Taiping immediately stopped her.

With her injuries, any intense emotional fluctuation could cause her Qi and blood to run amok within her body.

“Mm…”

Hearing this, Duan Xiaoyu bit her lip tightly, letting the tears stream down her cheeks.

“Why didn’t you come in to find me?”

As he helped Duan Xiaoyu sit down on a cushion, Xu Taiping asked her, puzzled and heartbroken.

“Huh?” Duan Xiaoyu’s mind was slow to react, and after a moment of confusion, she said, “I… I think… I forgot…”

“That’s so you.”

Xu Taiping had nothing more to say.

“So, you are Xu Taiping?”

At this moment, Qingyu stood up again, his violent aura transforming into a pressure that swept through the entire Ice Crystal Cave.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

Duan Xiaoyu, already on the verge of collapse, couldn’t withstand the pressure and began to cough violently, blood trickling from the corners of her mouth.

Xu Taiping ignored Qingyu, gently patting Duan Xiaoyu’s back and using his True Qi to protect her heart and vital organs.

At the same time, his own aura spread out, soft but firm, pushing back against Qingyu’s pressure.

In this initial clash, neither side gained the upper hand.

“You’re worth my full effort.”

Qingyu, standing on the opposite side of the cave, lightly tapped the tip of his foot, landing gracefully on the surface of the ice pond. His aura surged once more, causing the water beneath him to churn.

Even with Xu Taiping’s True Qi protecting her, Duan Xiaoyu could still sense the terrifying aura emanating from Qingyu.

Frightened, she instinctively reached for her knife.

At this moment, Duan Xiaoyu was like a startled bird.

Xu Taiping frowned.

He placed his hand on Duan Xiaoyu’s frail shoulder.

“Brother Taiping, we… should run…”

Duan Xiaoyu looked up at Xu Taiping, her eyes still filled with fear and unease.

“I can’t just run when my friend is beaten like this.”

Xu Taiping straightened up, turning to face Qingyu.

As he spoke, his bones began to crackle, like soldiers lining up at the general’s command.

After three years of practicing the Yan Emperor’s Body Refining Technique, his physique seemed ordinary to outsiders, but it had actually been tempered to the level of a Wild Lion.

The so-called Wild Lion level was a term used in the Yan Emperor’s Body Refining Technique to describe the degree of physical tempering.

A body refined by the Yan Emperor’s technique progressed from weak to strong through multiple stages, such as Wild Lion and Python Dragon.

The Wild Lion level had three states—Sleeping Lion, Waking Lion, and Angry Lion.

Normally, Xu Taiping’s physique was in the Sleeping Lion state, conserving energy, which made it seem unremarkable to others.

But now, with the crackling of his bones like firecrackers, Xu Taiping’s physique gradually transformed from a Sleeping Lion to a Waking Lion.

His bones and muscles shifted, and just standing there, he exuded an indescribable sense of oppression.

It was as if a fierce lion had its eyes on its prey.

Qingyu felt this way at that moment.

His gaze towards Xu Taiping shifted from condescending to serious.

“A supreme level of martial arts in body refining, whose disciple are you?”

Though he asked, Qingyu’s eyes remained fixed on Xu Taiping, his grip on his sword hilt tightening.

“None of your business,” Xu Taiping crouched steadily. “Not your concern.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful wave of energy rippled from his body, and he leaped forward like a roaring lion.

“Shing!” Qingyu reacted swiftly, drawing his long sword the moment Xu Taiping charged.

In an instant, the giant blade shadow formed by his sword, along with its claw-like blade energy, slashed towards Xu Taiping.

“Boom!” With a loud crash, Qingyu’s blade energy and shadow were simultaneously pierced by Xu Taiping’s punch.

Before Qingyu could react, Xu Taiping’s fist was already at his chest.

But at the critical moment, a protective amulet on Qingyu’s chest exploded, covering him in black fish scales.

“Bang!”

Despite this, Qingyu was still sent flying like a cannonball by Xu Taiping’s punch, crashing through several ice pillars before slamming into the cave wall.

“Swish!” Before Qingyu could stand up, Xu Taiping’s figure appeared above him like a flash.

“Bang!”

Another heavy punch landed on Qingyu.

Though protected by the fish scale armor, Xu Taiping’s punch carried a force that penetrated the armor, directly impacting Qingyu’s body.

A mist of blood exploded from Qingyu’s body.

However, at that moment, the blood mist suddenly reformed into a stream of blood and shot into the depths of the ice pond with a “whoosh.”