Chapter 155: Absolute Ice Cold

Shi Kun: "..."

Shi Kun hadn't realized the two names were homophones until Zuan mentioned it. Even though the "Devouring Kun" was a mythical beast, it was still just an animal. Being called 'father' by Zuan made him feel deeply insulted.

Rage from Shi Kun +885!

The other subordinates stared at Zuan in shock, thinking that he was still provoking their young master, and would surely die a miserable death later.

Qiao Xueying looked at Zuan with a hint of surprise. Though she found him annoying, she had to admit he had some backbone. If it were her facing the powerful pressure of that mythical beast, she probably wouldn't dare to even breathe. Yet, this guy was completely at ease; she wondered if he was pretending or genuinely thick-skinned.

"Still running your mouth even when death is imminent? You'll soon regret having an extra one." Shi Kun's face turned ashen.

"Who summoned me?" Suddenly, a voice that seemed to echo from chaos resonated. It turned out the gigantic Devouring Kun in the sky could speak human language.

"Great mythical beast, Devouring Kun, I, Shi Kun, a disciple of the Shi family, humbly request your assistance in eliminating my enemies." Ever since Zuan pointed out the homophonic nature of the names, Shi Kun felt strange calling the beast by its name.

"Let me see what kind of enemies would make you waste your last chance to summon me," the gigantic Devouring Kun said, its two blood-red eyes turning towards Chu Chuyan and Zuan. Suddenly, its body writhed. "Preposterous! A mere sixth-rank novice and a third-rank ant require me to intervene?"

"Sixth-rank!" Shi Kun's heart jolted in surprise as he looked sharply at Chu Chuyan. So, she had already broken through to the sixth-rank. No wonder he always struggled against her in fights. This woman hid her strength well.

If she hadn't been severely injured before, it would have been hard to say who would emerge victorious this time.

Qiao Xueying also gazed at Chu Chuyan in surprise, thinking that she had spent years with her, yet had no idea she had broken through to the sixth-rank. Had it happened recently?

Zuan couldn't help but exclaim, "Wife, you're so powerful now!"

Chu Chuyan sighed. "My rapid progress led to unstable foundations. My last battle with Wu Di triggered a hidden ailment within me. If I had known, I wouldn't have been so eager for quick results."

Hidden ailment?

Zuan wondered what kind of hidden ailment it was. Had his previous 'faith in Brother Chun' not cured it? However, in front of so many people, he suppressed his doubts and did not voice the question.

At this moment, Shi Kun responded to the gigantic beast, "Although these two are not high-ranked, they are extremely important to me. I hope you can subdue Miss Chu, but under no circumstances should you harm her life. As for the man, please cripple him; just leave him alive."

He was afraid the Devouring Kun might act without restraint and kill Chu Chuyan immediately, which would leave him utterly devastated.

Therefore, he specifically reminded the beast that as long as Chu Chuyan was subdued, he could 'cook raw rice into cooked rice' within the secret realm, making the use of the Devouring Kun's power worthwhile.

As for Zuan, his movement technique was peculiar, and he had a mishmash of strange skills. He was much more troublesome to deal with than an average third-rank practitioner, so Shi Kun decided to let the Devouring Kun handle him, after which he could slowly torment him himself.

The Devouring Kun snorted, and a cloud of storm suddenly rose in the sky, looking extremely terrifying. "Your human minds are always so filthy. So be it. I owed your Shi family ancestor a great debt and promised to do three things for you. Today is the last one, and my soul will finally rest."

Clearly, as a mythical beast that had lived for an untold number of years, it could see through Shi Kun's thoughts instantly.

At this moment, Chu Chuyan's beautiful eyes were fixed on the gigantic beast floating in the sky. She thought, "No wonder its aura is clearly ninth-rank, but the power I feel is much weaker. So, it exists in the form of a soul body."

That made sense; no spatial ring could possibly contain such a massive creature.

"Ah Zu, you go first," Chu Chuyan said in a low voice.

Zuan shook his head. "At this critical juncture, how could I leave you alone? If we die, we die together."

"What's the point of dying together?" Chu Chuyan frowned slightly. "If you live, you can inform my father and have him seek revenge on the Shi family for me."

"Then you go," Zuan said in a deep voice. Although he usually preferred to rely on others, at such a critical moment, as a man, he couldn't let a woman take the lead.

"Do you think you can stop them?" Chu Chuyan was so exasperated she almost laughed. Too lazy to argue further, she gave a gentle push of her wrist, and Zuan felt an enormous force, sending him 'flying' several miles away.

Shi Kun and the others were all greatly alarmed and were about to give chase, but a blue light barrier suddenly appeared before them, blocking them all.

"Lord Devouring Kun!" Shi Kun hastily looked up and called out.

The gigantic beast in the sky snorted and twisted its body. Despite its seemingly massive and clumsy form, its tail moved with incredible agility; no one could clearly see how it moved, but its enormous tail had already slammed onto the blue light barrier.

The "Blue Guardian," which had been incredibly sturdy and had blocked countless attacks from Shi Kun, shattered into countless tiny blue light particles in an instant, vanishing into thin air.

Pfft!

Chu Chuyan spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, her body flying backward like a falling autumn leaf. The scattered drops of blood in the air formed a desolate yet beautiful pattern.

"Senior Devouring Kun, don't hurt her!" Shi Kun panicked. If Chu Chuyan died or was dismembered, all his efforts for half a day would be meaningless.

The Devouring Kun's massive head turned towards him, its red eyes glowing menacingly. "Are you telling me what to do?"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare," Shi Kun said, feeling a pang of guilt. He instinctively retreated several steps, thinking, 'This thing wouldn't turn on its master, would it? If I really angered it, and it swallowed me whole, that would be truly frustrating.'

"Don't worry, I will subdue her and hand her over to you," the Devouring Kun said again. "Although our races are different, I must admit this woman is truly beautiful. If I still had a physical body, I might not have been willing to give her to you."

Shi Kun muttered to himself, thinking, 'What good would a physical body do you? With your size, a single strand of your fur is thicker than Chu Chuyan's waist. What could you possibly do to her?'

However, he suddenly remembered that some mythical beasts could transform into human form once their cultivation reached a certain level. Images of the beast and Chu Chuyan flashed through his mind, and his mood instantly soured.

"Damn it, this thing is a perverted Kun too!"

At this moment, Chu Chuyan had already stood up again, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, her face frosty. "I can be defeated, but I will never be humiliated. You are forcing my hand."

The Devouring Kun in the sky burst into laughter. "So what if we're forcing you, little girl? Your strength is far too inferior to mine. Any resistance is futile. You might as well surrender quickly; Young Master Shi will surely cherish you."

"Hmph!" Chu Chuyan's face was a sheet of ice. With a slight lift of her toes, her entire body slowly began to rise.

Shi Kun and the others' eyes immediately went wide. In common knowledge, while cultivators could perform limited aerial maneuvers by jumping at the fourth-rank, true flight was only achieved after reaching the ninth-rank. The ability to fly was far beyond what a fourth-rank could do.

But how could this scene be explained? Chu Chuyan absolutely could not have reached the ninth-rank, so why was she able to float and ascend into the air like this?

"Oh?" The gigantic Devouring Kun was clearly surprised by the scene as well. It calmly watched the rising girl, wondering what she intended to do.

Chu Chuyan's beautiful hair fluttered wildly, and her dress billowed without a breeze, making her slender figure appear even more graceful and delicate. At this moment, she seemed to radiate a noble and sacred light; even Shi Kun's subordinates forgot themselves, staring in wide-eyed astonishment.

Only Qiao Xueying subtly sensed that something was amiss. However, with their side holding a clear advantage and the incredibly powerful Devouring Kun present, she couldn't fathom where the danger might come from.

"Absolute Zero!"

Chu Chuyan's icy voice rang out. A luminous ice-blue light suddenly surged from her body into the sky. The surrounding air temperature plummeted rapidly, and ice and snow swirled down from above. The ground quickly became covered in a layer of pure white, and the sky transformed into an eerie ice-blue.

Combined with Chu Chuyan's peerless beauty, the scene was truly mesmerizing. Shi Kun's subordinates were utterly captivated, and Shi Kun himself watched with his mouth slightly agape, thinking how soon such a beautiful woman would be in his arms, to be pampered as he pleased. The thought alone filled him with bliss.

Only Qiao Xueying remained alert. She quickly grabbed Shi Kun's collar and pulled him back. The other two fourth-rank cultivators, sensing danger, also hastily retreated. The remaining few third-rank cultivators were slower; their bodies quickly became covered in a layer of frost, and their movements slowed. Within a few breaths, they transformed into ice sculptures. Still, their forward momentum carried them to the ground, which by then was covered in solid ice. The ice sculptures instantly shattered into countless fragments, with no trace of blood.

Watching his subordinates shatter, Shi Kun gulped. "This... this... this..."

The power she was currently unleashing was far too abnormal; it was certainly beyond her usual capabilities.

"A mere parlor trick!" the Devouring Kun in the sky scoffed. Although it saw everything happening on the ground, it didn't take it seriously. Those ants were too weak to be compared to it.

It didn't even bother to dodge, remaining stationary. Could this move possibly freeze its hundred-zhang body?

It might as well enjoy the cool breeze.

Suddenly, its expression changed, and a hint of panic entered its voice. "Huh, no, this is Absolute Zero!"

It swung its tail, attempting to leave the area, but it was too late. Its massive body visibly became covered in a layer of frost, and it could clearly feel its life force gradually fading.

"This is impossible! How can a low-level cultivator like you know such a profound forbidden technique!" the Devouring Kun roared repeatedly, desperately trying to break free several times. Unfortunately, as a soul body, its power was vastly diminished from its peak, and it was utterly unable to stop the spread of the frost.

"Stop it immediately! With your current cultivation, you can't sustain this forbidden technique. You'll die, and even if you miraculously survive, all your vital meridians will be destroyed! Stop now!"

Its tone shifted from initial disdain and mockery to terrified anger, and finally to desperate pleading.

Unfortunately, Chu Chuyan remained expressionless, continuing without a hint of hesitation.

The Devouring Kun's body twisted less and less, and its struggling strength grew weaker and weaker. Finally, its huge red eyes were also covered by blue ice, and its entire massive body could no longer float in the air.

It plummeted rapidly towards the ground.

The impact force of such a high-altitude fall was immense. The Devouring Kun's frozen, massive body shattered upon hitting the ground. The enormous impact created a small mushroom cloud, and the powerful shockwave snapped all the surrounding trees.

Fortunately, this was only the Devouring Kun's soul body. If it had been its physical form, falling from such a height would have likely caused destruction reminiscent of a meteor striking the earth, engulfing the entire secret realm.

"It's over~" A desolate yet beautiful smile appeared on Chu Chuyan's lips. Her entire body went limp, unable to float in the air any longer, and she fell straight down.

Dying like this wouldn't be so bad. Her only regret was that Shi Kun had dodged too quickly, so she hadn't managed to kill him. She also wondered if Ah Zu could escape from their hands now.

Just then, a familiar yet anxious voice reached her ears: "Wife!"

Immediately after, she felt herself falling into a warm embrace. She opened her eyes slightly and, upon seeing Zuan, she felt no joy whatsoever. Instead, a surge of anger filled her. "Why haven't you run yet!"

Rage from Chu Chuyan +520!

At this point, she was completely incapacitated, with no strength left to fight. A few people from Shi Kun's side had survived; how could Zuan possibly handle them?