<h4>Chapter 18: Burning Yet Freezing Beauty</h4>


    Chen Mo stared at the patriarch fiercely as a sword materialized in his hand, his earlier sword was already useless and broken but he could generate another one infinitely as long as he had enough spiritual energy.


    He then materialized some recovery pills from his other had and swallowed them.


    He was still thinking about what Rasiel had told him. It seemed that the simtion of the Soul Formation realm wasn''t that simple.


    Rasiel said that the simtion failed due to an external factor and couldn''t retry. Did that mean that the result would be same even if I retried?


    Chen Mo thought that the Soul Formation realm was the next big leap after the Golden Core realm since it transformed one''s soul. After reaching this stage, cultivators could directly attack people''s souls and could even use "divine sense" which was a superior form of spiritual sense.


    After the Soul Formation realm, one couldn''t truly die unless his body and soul were destroyed. Since only Soul Formation realm cultivators and above could harm the soul, it meant that he had no way of dealing with the Mei n ancestor.


    Although that was the case, the jump in strength between the realms was something he could handle, the only problem was that he had no defense against soul attacks and neither did he have any methods of attack. He suddenly had a thought...


    ''Hmmm, this could work. Rasiel, just continue the simtion no need to reboot.''


    ''Also, INTEGRATE!''


    Chen Mo strode towards the Patriarch, radiating an aura of absolute confidence. Massive amounts of spiritual energy converged around him, mending his injuries and restoring his depleted core.


    The Patriarch''s eyes narrowed. This boy has some kind of heavenly treasure! That would exin his freakish growth... He grinned to himself. I''ll have to properly thank that useless granddaughter of mine for bringing such a prize to our n.


    Their auras collided with earth-shaking force. Chen Mo struck first with a devastating palm strike empowered by spatial distortions. The Patriarch deflected it, surprise shing across his face at the raw power behind the blow.


    So you''ve gained a bit of strength, boy? But you are still a child ying with forces beyond yourprehension!


    The Patriarch retaliated with his own palm strike infused with scorching Phoenix fire, intending to incinerate Chen Mo on the spot. But Chen Mo redirected the mes with a ripple of space, pressing in andnding several blows that cracked the Patriarch''s defenses.


    How is this possible?! the Patriarch thought frantically. This level of spatial control and power at his age...it''s unheard of!


    Chen Mo gave him no quarter, chaining together endlessbinations of spatial techniques and physical attacks augmented by his sword. The Patriarch was forcedpletely on the defensive, barely keeping up with Chen Mo''s unpredictable assault.


    I let him fight the elders before because I wanted to get rid of either party or both. But it seems I vastly underestimated this boy''s strength! It seems that the treasure he''s hiding isn''t simple, but all the more reason to take it from him. Such great treasure, only my Mei n is worthy of it.


    The Patriarch tried to disengage, to buy time and space to mount a counterattack. But Chen Mo stayed glued to him, a relentless whirlwind of precise strikes. The sound of cracking bones and pained grunts echoed through the hall as the Patriarch''s defenses began to falter.


    Just as Chen Mo reared back, palm radiating killing intent for the decisive blow, the sky suddenly turned dark and cloudy. Snowkes drifted down softly as an oppressive pressure weighed down on him.


    ''What''s happening? This pressure, I can''t move'' Chen Mo thought to himself as he struggled to breakthrough from the invisible shackles, "Did the ancestor make a move?"


    A figure descended gracefully from above - an ancient-looking man with long white hair and beard. Power rolled off him in crushing waves as he observed the battle with an impassive gaze.


    "The younger generation is truly talented," he spoke, his voice echoing sonorously. "I did not expect you to make it this far, boy. You are indeed a rare genius."


    Chen Mo froze, palm still empowered and ready to st the Patriarch''s head from his shoulders. The elder gave him a thin, enigmatic smile.


    "But too bad you decided toe attacking this old man''s humble home."


    With blinding speed, the elder unsheathed an icy blue sword from his back. In one elegant motion, he drew the de down in a slicing arc towards Chen Mo.


    Chen Mo crossed his arms, desperately reinforcing his body with spatial fields. But it was like trying to stop a cier on the move. The elder''s strike shed by him, trailing freezing vapor and mist.


    For a heartbeat, Chen Mo thought he had miraculously endured the deadly blow. But then agonynced through every fiber of his being as countless micro-fissures rapidly spread across his frozen form. With a resounding crack, his body shattered into a million glittering fragments of ice.


    <strong>...</strong>


    Mei Ling''s scream of despair seemed to echo endlessly as what remained of Chen Mo scattered across the floor. The Patriarch slumped down, panting raggedly and bleeding from multiple wounds. But his eyes shone with a mixture of relief and uneasy reverence as he gazed upon his savior.


    "Junior greets the ancestor. I have embarrassed the ancestor, please punish me" he said humbly. "This boy was..."


    The ancestor raised a hand, cutting him off. "Stop! I know what you were trying to do, trying to borrow external power to clean up the n so you can gain more power. Although I don''t care about what you do, make sure to assess the situation next time and don''t bring harm to our foundation. Today the n has lost huge"


    "Yes!"


    He turned to Mei Ling''s weeping form.


    <strong>...</strong>


    Mei Ling''s anguished screams echoed throughout the n as she knelt by the shattered remains of her master. Tears streamed down her cheeks, falling upon the icy fragments scattered across the floor.


    As despair threatened to consume her, something deep within awakened. A long dormant power, fueled by overwhelming grief and rage.


    The Yang Suppressing Ne around her neck shattered into countless pieces.


    Dark wisps of energy began swirling around Mei Ling''s trembling form. Slowly, they converted into a vortex of shadowy power enveloping her body. Mei Ling threw back her head, still wailing in sorrow and anger as the energy permeated every fiber of her being.


    Before the Patriarch and elder''s astonished gazes, Mei Ling''s petite girlish frame began to shift and morph. She grew taller, curves filling out and limbs lengthening into a mature, womanly shape.


    Her loose dark hair came alive, twisting and dividing into two halves. The right-side bleached snow white while the left became a vivid, arterial crimson. The colors mirrored themselves in her attire as her dress seamlessly transformed.


    The right side was now pure princess white, evoking innocence and nobility. The left contrasted starkly in deep, blood red silks - the very picture of vengeance barely restrained. Together, the dichotomy created an alluring yet unsettling beauty.


    When the dark energies finally dispersed, Mei Ling rose to her full impressive height, an otherworldly vision. Half radiant angel of mercy, half seductive goddess of death. Her mismatched hair writhed ominously with remnants of power as she turned her cold heterochronic gaze on the two men.