A fierce gust of wind swept through the area, bringing with it an intense cold that chilled to the bone. Under the cover of night, the blizzard formed, filling the air with countless snowflakes that danced in the darkness. Dark clouds rolled overhead, obscuring visibility and plunging the atmosphere into deeper darkness and biting cold as the blizzard intensified, covering a vast area.

However, this was no ordinary blizzard. Each snowflake carried Sword Qi, imbuing it with a sharpness akin to a sword. The relentless wind carried these razor-sharp snowflakes, ensnaring Mad Saber, Roaring Thunder, Silver Marionette, and Absolute Diamond within its grasp. They found themselves bombarded by the relentless onslaught of these razor-sharp snowflakes, unable to escape their icy embrace.

"[Eight-sided Silver Shield]!" The last silver puppet emitted silvery wisps from its body, which coalesced into an octahedral shield shimmering with silver light. The shield enveloped the silver puppet within, effectively deflecting the onslaught of sharp snowflakes. A clanking sound reverberated as the countless snowflakes collided with the silver shield.

"[Diamond Armor]!" Absolute Diamond's skin transformed into a diamond-like substance, forming a protective layer that, coupled with his Soul Manifestation, increased his defense further against the incoming snowflakes. The relentless assault resulted in a continuous clanking sound as the snowflakes struck his hardened body.

"[Xueshi Yulu Wu - Dancing Saber in the Rain of Blood]! [Sanguine Saber Storm]!" Mad Saber summoned his Soul Manifestation and unleashed his combat technique, summoning a tempest of sharp, blood-like projectiles resembling sabers. He enveloped himself within this crimson storm, which clashed fiercely with the onslaught of razor-sharp snowflakes. 

"[Dianlong Wu Yun Hai - Dance of the Lightning Dragon on the Sea of Clouds]! [Lightning Storm Sphere]!" Roaring Thunder invoked his Soul Manifestation and executed his combat technique, summoning a sphere of crackling lightning that surrounded him. The lightning sphere pulverized the incoming snowflakes, protecting him from their relentless assault.

Countless snowflakes continued to assault the four of them, but Absolute Diamond bore the brunt of the attack, with the majority of the snowflakes homing in on him.

"Urgh!!!" Absolute Diamond grunted in pain as blood trickled from his mouth. Despite his formidable defense, the relentless onslaught of snowflakes proved overwhelming. His diamond-like skin began to bear the marks of countless cuts, with blood flowing freely from the wounds.

"HEYAAAA!!!" With a fierce cry, Absolute Diamond summoned every ounce of his strength, pushing his Soul Manifestation and combat technique to their limits. Pouring more and more Qi from his Dantian, he bolstered his defense, causing his diamond-like skin to glow with renewed intensity.

"No need to struggle, just accept your death," Snow Rose's voice echoed ominously. She was nowhere to be found, having disappeared amidst the darkness and countless snowflakes and intense wind.

"Hmph! Do you think that I'll just let you kill me that easily?!" Absolute Diamond retorted. It seemed that Snow Rose was truly angered by what he had done previously.

"If it's just like this, it's still not enough to kill me! Ha ha ha," Absolute Diamond provoked.

"Is that so? Then have more of it," Snow Rose declared.

The blizzard intensified as more snowflakes appeared, growing sharper with each passing moment. Countless snowflakes surged toward Absolute Diamond, increasing in both quantity and ferocity.

"Damn it! HEA!!!" Absolute Diamond exclaimed, enduring the increased intensity and sharpness of the relentless snowflake barrage. He pumped more and more Qi from his Dantian, his entire body covered in diamond-like armor shining brighter with each passing moment. Sparks flew from the collisions, and cuts began to appear, only to heal immediately and persist in the onslaught.

The silver puppet, Mad Saber, and Roaring Thunder each struggled to defend themselves. They also utilized their spiritual senses to observe how Absolute Diamond was being battered by the relentless assault. Fortunately, they were not the focused targets of the attack.

Clang!

A flying sword slash suddenly struck the octahedral silver shield out of nowhere, causing a loud clang accompanied by sparks and creating a gap in the defense. Through the opening, snowflakes streamed in, merging and coalescing to form Snow Rose's body, as she emerged holding her sword ready to attack.

"Oh no," exclaimed the silver puppet, caught off guard as it used its right arm to defend against the oncoming assault. It had assumed that Snow Rose would only focus on attacking Absolute Diamond.

Snow Rose swiftly thrust her sword, piercing the silver puppet's right arm and driving it straight into its head. The silver puppet no longer moved and went limp, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, and the octahedral silver shield crumbled into silver powder and scattered.

"Fuuh..." Snow Rose exhaled, withdrawing her sword from the silver puppet's head, then the silver puppet fell to the ground.

Stab!

"Suddenly, a long sharp claw emerged from Snow Rose's forehead, piercing through her Soul Manifestation and the back of her head, causing blood to drip down her face. She wore a look of surprise. "Wha... what?"

"Surprised? Fu fu fu," Silver Marionette's voice taunted. A silver puppet materialized behind Snow Rose from the scattered silver powder, its index finger claw stabbing into the back of her head. "Who said I can only control two puppets? Now I can control three puppets, and along with my original body, giving me four real bodies. Even if you kill three, there's still one left."

Mad Saber, Roaring Thunder, and Absolute Diamond also noticed the turn of events.

"Hmph! Finally got her!" exclaimed Mad Saber.

"Not bad," remarked Roaring Thunder.

"Damn, about time. I can barely hold on much longer," grunted Absolute Diamond, his body in terrible condition, with numerous cuts and blood dripping from his wounds, still bombarded by the relentless snowflakes.

"You are thinking too highly of yourself. Do you really believe you can face all four of us and emerge victorious? Fat chance!" Silver Marionette sneered. "Indeed, you are strong, but it only took one mistake in a crucial moment to decide your death. Ha ha ha, who's the trash now?"

Stab!

"Indeed, it only took one mistake in a crucial moment to decide your death," Snow Rose's voice suddenly echoed from behind Silver Marionette.

Mad Saber, Absolute Diamond, and Roaring Thunder looked on in surprise, unable to intervene as they were occupied with their own defenses. Suddenly, Snow Rose's body emerged from a snowflake hurtling behind Silver Marionette and Snow Rose immediately plunged her sword through the back of the silver puppet's head.

"But... how?" Silver Marionette's voice echoed, disbelief evident as the sword emerged from the silver puppet's forehead, piercing through the back of its head.

Then, the Snow Rose figure that had been stabbed by the silver puppet's claw slowly transformed into a snow figure, still enveloped by Snow Rose's soul manifestation. Eventually, the Soul Manifestation cracked and disappeared, the snow figure then also disintegrates into snowflakes, which were then blown away by the wind.

"You... you used your Soul Manifestation on your snow figure?!" Silver Marionette exclaimed.

"That's right. Now Die! Trash!" Snow Rose declared as cold energy burst forth from her sword, slowly freezing the silver puppet.

"No! Nooooooooooooooooooo!" Silver Marionette cried out as the silver puppet was gradually encased in ice and Silver Marionette's life force slowly extinguished.

Snow Rose then withdrew her sword from the frozen silver puppet, which plummeted to the ground with a crash.

"Cough... cough... hah... hah... hah..." Snow Rose coughed and spat blood, breathing heavily as she struggled to regain her composure.

She had utilized her snow figure to deliver the final blow to Silver Marionette, enhancing it with her Soul Manifestation and infusing a significant amount of her own Qi to mimic her real body. Meanwhile, her real body remained hidden, poised to launch a surprise attack on Mad Saber, Absolute Diamond, or Roaring Thunder after dealing with Silver Marionette. However, to her surprise, Silver Marionette still possessed one hidden silver puppet that launched an attack on her snow figure. With no other choice, Snow Rose revealed her real body to confront and kill Silver Marionette's last remaining puppet to completely kill Silver Marionette.

Snow Rose had sustained numerous serious injuries throughout the entire fight and had depleted a large portion of her Qi reserves. Furthermore, her Soul Manifestation was severely damaged, rendering her unable to summon it again for some time. The use of the forbidden technique had consumed a significant amount of her Qi, vitality, and life force, putting great strain on her body. As a result, she was left weakened and continuously coughing up blood.

The blizzard gradually died down and eventually disappeared, accompanied by the dispersal of the dark clouds. Simultaneously, the sun began to rise, casting an orange hue across the eastern sky. The four figures remained hovering in the sky, their appearances grim, bloodied, and marked by numerous injuries. They gasped for breath, their bodies battered and weary, yet their fighting spirit remained unyielding, still emanating tremendous Qi pressure and thick killing intent.

"Haaah... hah... only three left..." Snow Rose panted, her voice strained with exhaustion.

"Hah... hah..., hmp! With your condition, do you think you still have any chance?" Mad Saber gasped for breath as he dispelled his Soul Manifestation. He suffered some cuts caused by the snowflakes. As for his Soul Manifestation, it bore many cuts and cracks from the snowflakes' attacks before slowly disappearing.

"Hah... haah... hahhh... that's right, your condition is worse than the three of us. You have no chance," Absolute Diamond asserted before his Soul Manifestation and diamond-like skin gradually vanished. His body was drenched in blood from countless cuts inflicted by the snowflakes, though they began to heal, albeit at a slower pace than before.

Roaring Thunder remained silent, merely observing Snow Rose while gasping for breath. He, too, suffered some cuts, despite most of the snowflakes being pulverized by his combat technique. His Soul Manifestation also gradually dissipated, and Roaring Thunder found himself nearly depleted of Qi in his Dantian.

"[Sword Dance of the Moonlight, Frost Sword]!" Snow Rose exclaimed. She extended her right hand, and snowflakes began to gather, shining brightly. Slowly, the snowflakes transformed into a sword, crystal clear and emitting a chilling aura. Holding the sword, her momentum rising, she prepared for another round of combat.

"What?! You're already able to control Nature Qi?" Mad Saber exclaimed in surprise. He was astonished that Snow Rose had reached this level of mastery. Usually, only cultivators who had reached the Void Insight Realm and above and mastered Domain abilities could control Nature Qi like this.

Snow Rose utilized the Nature Qi, specifically Ice attribute Qi from the surrounding environment, to form her sword, rather than using her own Qi from her Dantian. With this technique, the Nature Qi that could be gentle became destructive, and the sword is imbued with this destructive power, enabling Snow Rose to deliver attacks no weaker than those of a Void Insight Realm cultivator.

"Damn it, we should've brought more people to confront her!" Absolute Diamond exclaimed.

Snow Rose then flew towards Mad Saber, Roaring Thunder, and Absolute Diamond. The trio prepared for another round of combat.

...

Two hours had passed, and this time Snow Rose had the absolute advantage, beating Mad Saber, Absolute Diamond, and Roaring Thunder badly in turns. Suddenly, a figure streaked down to the ground, crashing loudly and creating a crater. Roaring Thunder's upper body was stuck in the ground, with only his hips and legs visible.

Snow Rose then moved toward Absolute Diamond, who pushed his Soul Manifestation to its limit. His skin transformed into a diamond-like substance, they clashed, exchanging blows with intense ferocity. Absolute Diamond found himself at a total disadvantage, accumulating injuries with each exchange.

"[Sword Dance of the Moonlight, Frost Moon Slash]!" Snow Rose exclaimed, delivering four slashes towards Absolute Diamond.

"Guagh!!!" Absolute Diamond cried out in agony. His diamond armor failed to defend against Snow Rose's attack. The sword slashes severed both of his arms and legs cleanly, causing them to fall to the ground. The wounds then froze over, the ice slowly spreading across his body.

"Ha ha ha," Absolute Diamond laughed bitterly as he surveyed his maimed body. It appeared that Snow Rose had taken revenge on him for previously ripping off her arm; now, she had cut off all four of his limbs. It seemed that it was all over for him; the cold energy infiltrated his body, and he didn't have enough energy or Qi to fight it off and regrow his limbs.

Snow Rose rested her sword near Absolute Diamond's neck, its cold aura slowly freezing his skin as the ice spread.

"Are you okay with this? Being used by others for their own gain?" Snow Rose questioned. "You must know you're just being used to test me and figure out my current strength."

"Ha ha ha, it's fine," replied Absolute Diamond. "I'm no genius like you. I know it's hard for me to advance far in the cultivation path. If I can kill you, then great, I might advance a little further. But if not, it's fine to just end it. Even if I die, there will still be many others who will come for you. Hopefully, my death will contribute something, and they can kill you."

"Hmph! Sorry, but you'll be disappointed," Snow Rose retorted. "I'll send those coming for me to the afterlife to accompany you."

"Hmm... that's also possible," conceded Absolute Diamond.

On the ground, Roaring Thunder stood up from the hole he was in, holding his spear. His face was drenched in blood, and he looked furious as he gazed up at the sky where Snow Rose and Absolute Diamond were located.

"[Dianlong Wu Yun Hai - Dance of the Lightning Dragon on the Sea of Clouds]!" Roaring Thunder summoned his Soul Manifestation, a semi-corporeal figure bathed in lightning appearing and enveloping him. His body was also covered in lightning, his eyes glowing red as he lost his rationality, consumed by fury and the desire to kill Snow Rose.

"[Azure Lightning of Annihilation]!" Roaring Thunder unleashed his forbidden technique. His body became fully covered in azure lightning, forming a sphere of lightning and rendering him invisible. The ground cracked around him, forming a spider web of fissures, accompanied by the loud crackling sound of lightning.

Snow Rose looked down at Roaring Thunder on the ground, then turned back toward Absolute Diamond. "Any last words?" she asked.

"He he he, I love you. I've always admired you, even since the first time we met," Absolute Diamond said with a smile.

"I know," Snow Rose replied. With a swift motion, she swung her sword across Absolute Diamond's neck, beheading him. She then grabbed his head and exerted pressure with her fingers, causing them to penetrate through the skull. Next, she channeled cold energy into her palm and fingers, slowly freezing Absolute Diamond's head.

Cultivators of the Soul Ascendance Realm possess high regenerative abilities and vitality. Even if beheaded, they can survive, rejoin their bodies, or even regenerate their bodies. However, the only way to kill them permanently is to deliver a fatal blow to the head. Snow Rose intended to slowly kill Absolute Diamond in this manner.

"HEYAAA! Take this!" Roaring Thunder leaped towards the sky with such force that the ground beneath him cracked and trembled, thrusting his spear upward with lightning enveloping it, resembling an azure-colored lightning arrow streaking swiftly towards Snow Rose.

Snow Rose swiftly kicked Absolute Diamond's body towards the incoming attack. As Absolute Diamond's body made contact with the attack, it immediately pulverized. However, Roaring Thunder's attack continued unabated towards Snow Rose.

Snow Rose watched the incoming Roaring Thunder, her eyes briefly glowing blue.

Roaring Thunder noticed his body gradually freezing, slowing down his attack. Visual Technique?! he pondered internally, but he continued his assault towards Snow Rose.

"[Snow Drift]," Snow Rose exclaimed, utilizing her Movement Technique. With Roaring Thunder slowed down and her own Movement Technique combined, she managed to dodge his attack. But it wasn't over yet. She aimed her sword towards Roaring Thunder and extended it, ice growing towards him. Caught off guard and still in the midst of his attack, Roaring Thunder failed to defend or dodge as the ice penetrated his head and froze it. The long ice then shattered as Roaring Thunder continued streaking through the air, a sharp ice fragment embedded in his head. His Soul Manifestation slowly dissipated, and his technique was broken. The lightning no longer enveloped his body. After flying a distance, Roaring Thunder's body crashed to the ground, motionless.

Now, only two figures remain hovering in the sky, Snow Rose and Mad Saber watched each other from a distance.