Chapter 574: The Ice Skin Battle
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Lately, Han Sen’s life had seemed to be going smoothly. He managed to collect a lot of taxes from people at the Blackgod Shelter, successfully commanded evolvers to hunt for him, and had been given the opportunity to visit the royal shelter as much as he pleased to train against his ultimate foe; the days had become relaxing and stress-free.
Han Sen’s life was going well. Xue Yi Kuang’s life was not going well. He had traveled 10,000 miles to the ice fields before noticing Han Sen was the current owner of the Blackgod Shelter.
Xue Yi Kuang was not averse to crowds of people, but if he were to spook Han Sen away, that would be bad.
So Xue Yi Kuang had been patiently waiting for his moment. He collected as much information on Han Sen as he could, before moving in to kill him.
Today, Han Sen was leaving the Blackgod Shelter to go to the royal shelter and further train his Dual skill with the Twin Spirit. This time, however, as Han Sen was running across the ice fields, the silver fox raised its head in a peculiar manner. The hairs of its silver coat of fur stood on their ends and its drowsy eyes were perked and wide awake. The silver fox looked in the direction of a giant glacier not too far away from them.
Han Sen patted the alerted silver fox’s head to calm it down, but he was aware of what it had been looking at. As he stroked the fox, Han Sen started looking at the nearby glacier.
"Come on out, friend," Han Sen gently called out.
From behind the glacier, Xue Yi Kuang, who was clad in all-white clothing, emerged. His strong body was not something people were likely to forget, and his skin was transparent like ice. It was even more delicate than the skin of a woman. Combined with his grisly figure, it was a striking juxtaposition.
"Xue Yi Kuang?" Han Sen frowned as he looked at him. At the exchange event, he caught sight of Xue Yi Kuang, but he had assumed that he lacked the high-profile his brother Xue Yi Yang did. He didn’t come on stage to give a speech, but nevertheless, Han Sen remembered him.
Xue Yi Kuang did not respond. He merely raised his fist and started running towards Han Sen. He was over ten meters away from Han Sen, but in one step, he had already appeared in front of him. Han Sen watched his crystal-like fist and observed the frosted aura that surrounded it.
Dong!
Han Sen summoned the silver-snake sword and brought it down on the incoming fist. Following the strike, Xue Yi Kuang’s fist was not even bleeding. Han Sen took a few steps back, his sword ringing from the mighty slash as if it had been brought down on rock.
Xue Yi Kuang still did not say anything. His fists were like a blizzard, furiously thrashing towards Han Sen. Every punch was loaded with the power to kill a man, and the ferocity at which they were coming was frightening to witness.
Han Sen was holding two swords now, and he decided to put his Dual skill into action against his new nemesis. Rapidly, swords and fists repeatedly clashed against each other.
Xue Yi Kuang’s icy fists were difficult to damage with a blade, and Han Sen’s swords continued to ring and cry with each strike. Han Sen was surprised and worried.
"Is everyone in the Xue family a madman? If a person has a difference of opinion, why not talk about the issue? Staying silent, raising fists, and seeking to kill is barbaric. This guy is freaking insane!" Han Sen did not have the time to talk, but these thoughts raced through his heart.
Xue Yi Kuang’s fisting skills were too cruel. Even with Han Sen’s level of sword skills, he was being suppressed. He had to rely on his Dongxue Sutra to keep up with Xue Yi Kuang’s pace.
Xue Yi Kuang was a far better fighter than Xue Yi Yang. Han Sen was putting all his effort into the fight, but it was proving barely enough to keep him alive.
After a blizzard passed through, Xue Yi Kuang fell back. The snowstorm disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Then, Xue Yi Kuang stood where he was and said, "You really are something. You are able to block my blizzard skill?"
"Xue Yi Kuang, I hold nothing against you. What is this all about?" Han Sen furrowed his brow.
"Pah! I don’t need a reason to kill anyone. If I want to kill, I will kill; it’s that simple." Xue Yi Kuang looked at Han Sen with proud eyes. "But you, you really are something. You are strong enough to make me use Ice Skin."
"Ice Skin isn’t that great," Han Sen spoke with a disdainful face.
Xue Yi Kuang’s eyes went cold. He laughed and slowly approached Han Sen. With every step, the frosty aura around him increased, his skin crystallized even further, and the endless chill that encompassed him grew thicker. He was looking more and more like an ice man.
Now they stood three meters apart. Han Sen could already feel the cold air emanating from Xue Yi Kuang. Han Sen was surprised, wondering why the Ice Skin that belonged to the Xue family could emit frosted air whereas his couldn’t.
Xue Yi Kuang was getting closer and closer, and his entire image looked frozen. Han Sen imagined every cell of his foe’s being was now ice. He was like a veritable ice demon.
But even though Han Sen was in the process of learning the same Ice Skin, he was actually starting to feel cold. He felt as if there was frost building up inside him.
"In this world, few evolvers can open their gene locks. Today, you should relish that which the tapestry of fortune has bestowed upon you; the opportunity of death by my first tier of Ice Skin." Xue Yi Kuang’s eyes were so cold as he spoke. When he resumed his punching, it felt as if the air itself was going to solidify.
Han Sen tried to take a step back, but the fist was too quick and he was unable to dodge it effectively. So, he used his Mascot Beast sword to fight back.
Dong!
The fist collided with the sword, and a horrible force of icy power burst forth from Xue Yi Kuang’s fist. Within a moment, the Mascot Beast sword was wholly consumed by ice, and as if it was a living parasite or infection, it frantically weaved a course down the sword to Han Sen himself.
Han Sen’s fingers were the first to feel the assault of this spiteful ice, and he could feel the pulsing of his blood slow down as if it were about to freeze.
Han Sen was frightened, and he abandoned his sword to fall back. Unfortunately, his fingers remained numb, and they did not obey his wishes. It was like they did not belong to him.
It was fortunate that he had learnt Ice Skin. Making use of it, the feel of his fingers returned and the fright of frostbite diminished.
"What’s going on? Xue Yi Kuang has only learnt the first tier of Ice Skin, but that is what I have learnt, as well. How has he managed to open his first gene lock and unleash such power while I cannot?" Han Sen’s face looked grave when he stared upon Xue Yi Kuang.
Xue Yi Kuang observed Han Sen’s fingers contact the ice of his power but was curious as to why they did not die. He lifted his eyebrows sharply and moved to attack Han Sen once more.
Xue Yi Kuang had unlocked the first gene lock, and this provided a wholehearted boost to his power and speed, and particularly to the strength of his ice. His only limit was his body, since he couldn’t consume the whole power of the first gene lock. He couldn’t draw upon such energy from his body.
If someone touched his body, they would be frostbitten; even a sacred-blood weapon, would be affected, such as Han Sen’s sword. The number of evolvers with such scary amounts of power was extremely low.
Han Sen and his Snow-Lady then combined into one. His heart was beating like mad, and his kidneys were in hyperdrive for the formulation of energy. His legs had received an incredible boost to their speed, and Han Sen managed to bob and weave his way past every incoming fist.
That day in the exchange event, Han Sen heard that a talented evolver could unlock their first gene lock before they became a surpasser. Because they lacked the correct fitness level required to fully unlock it, people like that were practically indestructible.