Sword Qi sliced through a branch behind Shen Mo.
Wood chips flew, grazing Shen Mo’s cheek and leaving a thin trail of blood.
Shen Mo didn’t even blink; he just watched her quietly, his gaze even holding a hint of… pity?
It was the pity one felt for ‘a spoiled child trying to prove they had grown up’.
“I hit the mark, and now you’re lashing out in shame?” Shen Mo asked softly.
“You’re looking for death!”
Lin Jingzhe completely lost her composure.
She swung her hand, aiming a slap at Shen Mo’s face.
This slap used no Spiritual Power; it was purely for venting her anger.
However, just as her palm was about to touch Shen Mo’s cheek—
Boom—!!!
A massive explosion erupted from the Cold Pool behind them without any warning.
The originally calm, frozen surface of the lake shattered instantly, sending countless shards of ice flying in every direction like sharp blades.
A terrifying Demonic Qi, carrying a thick, foul stench, surged into the sky.
Lin Jingzhe’s movements froze, and her slap stopped mid-air.
In an instant, she switched from a furious, rebellious girl to a seasoned Sword Cultivator.
She didn’t even spare a thought for Shen Mo as she spun around. Her long sword left its scabbard, the blade flashing like a ribbon of light to protect her entire body.
“What is that?!”
Shen Mo was also startled by the sudden change, but his reaction was incredibly fast.
He took advantage of the momentum to roll backward, putting distance between himself and Lin Jingzhe while quickly gathering his torn collar.
Ice shards flew like knives, accompanied by a rank wind that hit him in the face.
Shen Mo felt a suffocating pressure envelop his body. It was the soul-deep tremor a low-level cultivator felt when facing a high-level demonic beast.
He instinctively wanted to retreat, but he found that his legs had long since gone as cold as ice from Lin Jingzhe’s humiliation and the sudden turn of events.
“Vermin!”
Lin Jingzhe barked. Her Jin Dan Peak Spiritual Power exploded in an instant.
She didn’t check on Shen Mo first. Instead, she drew the long sword from her back and swung it, sending a sharp green Sword Qi slicing through the waves toward the source of the Demonic Qi.
However, the beast’s speed was startling.
Just as the Sword Qi was about to land, a pitch-black snake tail as thick as a water bucket burst through the ice. Covered in sickening mucus, it lashed out like a flexible whip toward the nearest person, Shen Mo.
Barbs lined the tail, shimmering with a ghostly, cold light.
If it truly managed to wrap around him, Shen Mo’s fragile physical body would be crushed into a pulp in an instant.
Shen Mo’s pupils constricted as the shadow of death loomed over him. He instinctively raised his hand to block, his fingertips just touching the cold jade pendant in his robe—
Hum—
A screen of deep blue light suddenly flickered to life, enveloping Shen Mo like an eggshell.
Thud!
The snake tail slammed heavily against the light screen, letting out a dull, thunderous roar.
The massive recoil force shoved Shen Mo back violently, and he stumbled, falling into the snow.
It was the Ice Soul Jade Qin Shuying had given him.
The snake tail seemed to be startled by the chill of the Ice Soul Jade, and its movements slowed for a split second.
However, this only served to further provoke the creature beneath the pool.
Roar—!!
Accompanied by a roar that sounded almost like a dragon, a massive head slowly rose from the shattered ice.
It was a Cold Pool Flood Dragon, its body entirely covered in black scales.
This type of demonic beast was hermaphroditic. It enjoyed consuming the Primordial Yin of female cultivators and took even more pleasure in torturing and killing male cultivators.
It was a Tier 3 beast, making it equivalent to a Golden Core Cultivator.
Its vertical pupils, shaped like lanterns, instantly locked onto the two people present.
Its gaze swept back and forth across Lin Jingzhe’s high chest and long legs.
When it looked at the man beside her, its eyes grew even brighter.
If Lin Jingzhe was like a strong, fiery wine, then the man before it was a pool of warm water—a white lotus blooming tremulously amidst the wind and snow.
He wore thin green robes, and his collar had been slightly pulled open during his tumble, revealing an elegant, pale collarbone that still bore faint red marks.
In the world of demonic beasts within a Female-dominated World, the Primordial Essence of a male was also a supplement for high-level beasts to advance.
Lin Jingzhe’s expression changed drastically.
If Shen Mo was defiled or even devoured by this beast, how could she explain it to her Master when she returned?
Even if her Master didn’t like this Husband, would the face of Jiaoyue Peak even exist anymore?
“Die!”
Lin Jingzhe burned her essence, no longer holding back.
The long sword in her hand transformed into a streak of light, lunging straight for the Cold Pool Flood Dragon’s 7-inch mark.
However, the Cold Pool Flood Dragon’s skin was thick and its flesh tough. The sword only managed to penetrate 0.5 inch, which instead ignited its ferocity.
It opened its blood-red maw and spat out a cloud of frigid, poisonous mist, instantly obscuring Lin Jingzhe’s vision.
Using the water’s momentum, its massive body lunged toward Shen Mo again like an arrow from a bow!
Shen Mo had just scrambled up from the snow when the nauseating, rank wind reached the back of his head.
Just then, a large hand with thin calluses grabbed his back collar, lifting him up like a small chick before violently throwing him toward a giant tree behind them.
Thud!
Shen Mo’s back hit the tree trunk, the pain making his vision go dark.
Before he could recover, a warm, soft body pressed against him, pinning him firmly between the tree trunk and her own form.
It was Lin Jingzhe.
She wasn’t treating him gently out of a desire to save him; it was simply to make it easier for her to act.
With one hand, she pinned Shen Mo’s shoulder to keep him from running off, while her other hand held her sword, blocking the path in front of them coldly.
“Don’t move. If that beast drags you to the bottom of the pool, I won’t be going down to fish out a piece of trash like you.”
Lin Jingzhe’s voice was as cold as ice, carrying undisguised disgust.
But this posture was far too intimate.
Shen Mo was circled in her arms, his nose filled with the sharp scent of pine from Lin Jingzhe’s body, as well as… the pressure belonging to a powerhouse who had just humiliated him.
The Cold Pool Flood Dragon’s strike had missed, and a hint of wariness flashed in its vertical pupils.
However, it didn’t want to give up on the Pure Yin Constitution Shen Mo possessed, which held a fatal attraction for demonic beasts.
It coiled nearby, its tongue flickering out as it made a hissing, threatening sound.
“Vermin, get lost!” Lin Jingzhe barked, her pressure fully released.
The Cold Pool Flood Dragon seemed to sense the threat of death. It let out an unwilling roar, but in the end, it didn’t dare to clash head-on with someone of the same rank.
Its murky eyes took one last, deep look at Shen Mo, who was shielded behind Lin Jingzhe, as if memorizing his scent. Then, it dove into the depths of the icy pool and vanished.
The crisis was over.
But Lin Jingzhe didn’t release Shen Mo immediately.
The wind and snow continued to howl.
The two of them stood extremely close. Shen Mo could even feel Lin Jingzhe’s rapid heartbeat through her thin clothing.
Lin Jingzhe lowered her head, looking at the man in her arms whose face was pale and whose eyes were slightly red.
His collar had been loosened during the struggle, revealing his delicate collarbone and… the faint tooth mark left by Qin Shuying.
That tooth mark was exceptionally striking against his snow-white skin, looking like a brand declaring ownership.
Lin Jingzhe’s gaze lingered on the mark for a moment, her eyes turning dark and unreadable.
“Qin Shuying…” she whispered the name, her tone carrying a hint of gritted teeth. “She was certainly generous, even giving you an Ice Soul Jade condensed from her own Life Essence.”
Shen Mo pursed his lips, not daring to speak.
He could feel Lin Jingzhe’s hand tightening on his shoulder. Her knuckles turned white, and her grip was strong enough that it almost felt like she would crush his bones.
“You really are an eye-opener.”
She took a step forward, forcing Shen Mo to look at her. Her finger poked unceremoniously at his chest, landing right on the Ice Soul Jade.
“On one hand, you’re hooking up with Qin Shuying from Heavenly Sword Peak, making her lose her mind over you; on the other, you have that foolish disciple Chao’er devoted to you. Even this barely civilized beast can smell the filth on you.”
Lin Jingzhe’s words were like knives, slicing into Shen Mo’s pride one by one.
“Master is still in Seclusion. If she knew her Husband looked like this on the outside—the kind of toy for 1,000 others to ride and 10,000 to press down—tell me, would she kill you first, or go to Heavenly Sword Peak to risk her life in a fight?”