Dustin let out a muffled groan as his Xuanqing true energy burst forth, shattering the ice on his arm. He used the force to glide several meters backward, widening the distance between himself and Xuan Ming. His sword arm trembled slightly, and his face grew even paler. His opponent’s movement and cloning techniques were far too swift and deceptive—impossible to guard against completely. “Heh, not bad reflexes,” Xuan Ming said with a soft, eerie smile as he toyed with the ice crystal sword in his hand, condensed from pure frost energy. “But how many times can you dodge? Within this Immortal Palace, the water essence is endless, and as long as it exists, I cannot die. No matter how sharp your sword is, what can you possibly do to me?” As if to prove his words, the remnants of dark water energy from their earlier clashes—left in Dustin’s wounds by the water dragons and ice spikes—began to stir like living things. They seeped into his body, trying to freeze his blood and ...