Book One: A Youth Enters the World Chapter 103: Blocked

"While the spirit ship hasn't gone far, hurry back. Haven't you been hearing them calling for you?" Fang Tian said softly.

"Really? I didn't hear anything." Mu Qiaoqiao simply pretended not to have heard.

"Dear me, a whole horde of pirates is heading this way. Do you even understand the situation right now?" Seeing Mu Qiaoqiao like this, Fang Tian felt a bit irritated and couldn't help speaking up.

"Fang Tian, I came here out of the goodness of my heart to help you, and this is how you talk to me?" Mu Qiaoqiao got fired up as well, crossing her arms as she shot back at Fang Tian.

"This isn't about helping or not. The thing is, even if you stay, you won't be of much use. Do you understand that or not?" Fang Tian said bluntly.

"Hmph, no use? Don't underestimate me. In a little while, I'll show you what I can do." Mu Qiaoqiao said confidently, as if she had something to rely on.

Helplessly shaking his head, Fang Tian knew he could no longer persuade her. The pirates were about to arrive, so he needed to figure out what to do first.

Looking back at the spirit ship that had already sailed into the distance, Fang Tian said to Mu Qiaoqiao, "Are you sure you can handle it?"

Mu Qiaoqiao glanced at him and said, "Don't worry. You're allowed to keep secrets, so why can't I?"

Fang Tian nodded and said, "Alright. If a fight breaks out, protect yourself first. Once I've dealt with the chief, I'll come help you."

"That's the Spirit Seed Realm we're talking about. Are you sure you can beat him?" Mu Qiaoqiao was actually uncertain herself. The reason she had impulsively come to help was simply that she didn't want to see Fang Tian fighting alone.

"I have to try. Otherwise, neither of us will leave here alive." Fang Tian's gaze was solemn as he spoke in a low voice.

Seeing the serious look in Fang Tian's eyes, she said nothing more. Instead, she silently drew her soft sword and stood side by side with Fang Tian, facing forward. At this moment, a large group of pirates had already appeared before them.

Zhao Guangji looked at Fang Tian and Mu Qiaoqiao, then turned his gaze toward the spirit ship on the sea. Seeing that the ship had already departed, he felt a flicker of anger. Pointing his long blade at the two, he said coldly, "I didn't expect you two to be so quick on your feet. Boy, have you thought about how you'd like to die at my hands?"

Fang Tian replied blandly, "Not really. Why don't you show me?"

"Still running your mouth when death's at the door. Second Brother, make your move!" Zhao Guangji said with a cold snort.

"Yes, Big Brother!" Fu Cang knew in his heart that if the people on the spirit ship got away, it would bring them no small amount of trouble. If news of this place were spread, their situation would become quite dire.

With that, the men behind Fu Cang charged straight at Fang Tian, while Zhao Guangji retreated to the rear, planning to take some men and board a boat to intercept those on the sea.

Seeing how direct they were, Fang Tian wasn't surprised. He drew his Cold Feather Sword, and spiritual power began to surge from his body. Facing the pirates rushing toward him, he unleashed an Ice Seal, instantly freezing them solid. Seeing such a fierce move, the pirates who had intended to continue attacking Fang Tian began to feel afraid, as if intimidated, and for a moment none dared to approach.

His gaze shifted to Mu Qiaoqiao's side. She was currently locked in combat with Fu Cang, the two trading blows back and forth, neither gaining the upper hand for now. Fang Tian didn't know how long Mu Qiaoqiao could hold out. As things stood, the situation seemed worse than he had imagined. Moreover, that so-called chief was about to set sail, seemingly intending to pursue those out at sea.

In an instant, many thoughts raced through Fang Tian's mind. He raised his long sword and charged toward the chief. He had to stop him first. If the people at sea were caught, then his staying behind would be meaningless. Activating the Windwalk Step, his figure vanished from where he stood and shot toward the chief.

Seeing Fang Tian disappear in the blink of an eye, the surrounding pirates were stunned, wondering how the man could be so fast. Though shocked, they spotted Fang Tian's figure in the distance and gave chase.

Just then, Zhao Guangji was about to board the boat when he suddenly sensed movement. He looked over and found Fang Tian flying toward him at great speed.

His brow furrowing slightly, Zhao Guangji marveled at how quick the man's movement art was. His men actually hadn't managed to stop him. Looking at Fang Tian, who now stood before him, Zhao Guangji said in a low voice, "Boy, how about we strike a deal? Let me capture those people, and I'll let you go free."

"Dream on. If I leave alone, people will definitely think I'm in cahoots with you." Fang Tian said without the slightest courtesy.

"Heh, you're not stupid. But surely you don't actually think you can take on all of us with just your own strength? Don't you care at all about what happens to your sweetheart?" Zhao Guangji seemed to want Fang Tian to back down.

"Since I dared to stay, do you think I'm afraid of this? Also, I'd advise you not to underestimate that young lady. Fu Cang might not even be a match for her." Fang Tian sneered in return.

"Is that so? In that case, it looks like I'll have to deal with both of you first."

"Enough talk. Come on!" Fang Tian pointed his long sword forward without a trace of fear.

With that, both of them locked eyes and clashed directly. In an instant, sword and blade met, sparks flying in all directions, the clang of metal ringing out without end. After a while, the surrounding pirates sensed how ferocious the two combatants' attacks were and began to retreat, not daring to get close, afraid of being caught in the fray and losing their lives.

On the other side, Mu Qiaoqiao and Fu Cang were also exchanging blows, and all around her, many pirates watched with hungry eyes. Sensing that the situation was not looking good, Mu Qiaoqiao flicked her soft sword lightly and leaped backward a few steps. Then her gaze sharpened, as if she had made up her mind. Spiritual power began to rise around her, her aura growing increasingly formidable. Moments later, a bone-chilling cold radiated from her body and spread outward, and that freezing intent brought a touch of icy coldness to her delicate features.

The overwhelming frigid force pressed straight toward Fu Cang. He channeled his spiritual power to resist, and seeing such a terrifying aura, his mind trembled as he spoke, "Mu Qiaoqiao, you cultivate an ice-type art too?"

Mu Qiaoqiao didn't respond. She merely muttered quietly to herself, "Icy Mystic Divine Art, First Form: Ice Mirror."

Then she gently tapped the tip of her soft sword against the ground, and the extreme cold spiritual power within her, guided by her own will, converged toward the sword's tip. The next moment, rings of icy light flashed, and waves of cold like ripples spread out toward the feet of Fu Cang and the others. Before long, specks of frost began to appear on the ground, and then grew thicker and thicker, until they covered a hundred zhang around Mu Qiaoqiao.

Fu Cang looked at the frost on the ground with some wariness, unsure what Mu Qiaoqiao was doing. But he couldn't just stand there waiting. After thinking it over, he decided to keep attacking. He signaled to the men around him and began to move forward.

Just then, Mu Qiaoqiao raised her soft sword and looked up at Fu Cang. "Leave now while you still can. Otherwise, whether you live or die will be out of your hands."

Fu Cang didn't stop. He thought Mu Qiaoqiao was just putting on a show to scare him.

Seeing that her words were useless, Mu Qiaoqiao said no more.

The frost on the ground continued to spread, growing ever larger. In no time at all, the ground was frozen into a mirror-like surface. Fu Cang looked down at his feet, and there, in the frost-formed mirror, his own reflection stared back at him.

Though he found it strange, he still needed to capture Mu Qiaoqiao first. He turned his gaze to her and prepared to move closer, but just as he tried to lift his foot, he suddenly found that he couldn't move. Looking down, his feet were already covered in frost. He tried to break free with force, but the frost spread at terrifying speed. In an instant, half his body was sealed in ice, and then his entire body was covered. In the end, before he could even cry out, he was frozen into an ice sculpture.

The other pirates within the affected area suffered the same fate. Before they could flee, they were frozen one after another. The speed at which this frost spread seemed even more formidable than Fang Tian's martial art. In just a few breaths, everyone around had been dealt with.

Looking at the frozen Fu Cang, Mu Qiaoqiao's heart remained calm. She gave her soft sword a few light flicks, then moved her body and charged at the remaining pirates. Ice flowers danced in the air, light and graceful. Mu Qiaoqiao's figure weaved through the pirates again and again. In another few moments, the pirates around her, before they could react, felt the soft sword in her hand brush lightly across their necks, and then frost spread from the wounds, freezing them solid into ice sculptures.

After dealing with the pirates on her side, Mu Qiaoqiao turned her gaze toward Fang Tian, intending to go help him. But she had only taken a few steps when a pained expression suddenly appeared on her face, and she fell to one knee. Mu Qiaoqiao muttered to herself, "The side effects came this quickly?"

She wanted to keep going, but just as she tried to rise, a wave of dizziness struck her mind. Unable to steady herself, she collapsed to the ground. Getting up again was now extremely difficult, and the spiritual power in her body grew increasingly turbulent, as if it were out of control, dispersing wildly in all directions.

Mu Qiaoqiao's face twisted in pain as she desperately tried to suppress her own spiritual power. But once spiritual power had erupted, how could she suppress it just by wishing? After holding on for a moment, she finally lost control. Her vision went black, and she lost consciousness.

Without her control, the spiritual power in her body became even more violent, and frost kept appearing across her delicate frame, as if she were about to be frozen solid.

Fang Tian, still locked in combat with the chief, felt a wave of extreme cold surging toward him. He glanced back and saw Mu Qiaoqiao collapsed on the ground, covered in a layer of frost, with the surrounding pirates all frozen into ice sculptures. Though he wondered how she had managed to deal with them all, he knew that to take out that group of pirates, she must have paid a price her body couldn't bear.

Zhao Guangji noticed Fang Tian's gaze drifting backward and thought to himself that this Fang Tian actually dared to be distracted while fighting him—he must be tired of living. He raised his long blade, seized the opportunity, and hacked straight at Fang Tian.

Fang Tian turned back and saw the blade already close. He raised his sword to block. A wave of impact struck him, and he leaped up, using that force to propel himself backward.

Because something had gone wrong with Mu Qiaoqiao, Fang Tian felt anxious inside. He no longer continued the fight with the chief, instead moving swiftly to Mu Qiaoqiao's side. Crouching down, he observed her condition and reached out to gently touch her body. He looked at his palm and saw frost forming on it, but strangely, the frost only spread briefly before vanishing. A moment later, that extreme cold rushed through his palm and into his body, transforming into spiritual power that merged into his meridians.

Seeing this, Fang Tian hastily called out to Elder Tian in his mind: "Elder Tian, take a look. What's wrong with this girl?"

"Deal with the enemy first. Let me examine her," Elder Tian replied.

"Alright." Fang Tian nodded, then rose to his feet and faced Zhao Guangji, who was walking toward him.