Chapter 6: The First Clash of Good and Evil
==============================
This game is way too realistic!
As Lin Nan used her lightness skill “Flowing Wind” to dash through the jungle, the wind whipped at her face, her inky black hair billowed behind her, and the feeling of her clothes brushing against her skin made her feel like she had actually crossed over into this game world and become a real woman.
However, as the inner disciples from Thousand Bird City were searching for her, she didn’t dare stop to explore the limits of reality.
After all, the system had warned her previously: if she died, this account would be completely deleted. That was basically the same as being an NPC that couldn’t respawn!
From the way she had just annihilated a bunch of righteous disciples, it was clear that her character was powerful, with limitless growth potential.
So, even if she had to switch accounts and rebuild her character, she had to get the system to compensate her for this character’s equipment and skills. Otherwise, she’d be losing big time!
As Lin Nan jumped and ran, she noticed that the trees up ahead began to thin out, and the terrain flattened, with a few thatched cottages popping into view.
She hurriedly turned to look behind her, and saw that the Dark Cloud Mountain had already been shrouded in white mist, no longer visible.
This meant she had left the area of Dark Cloud Mountain.
However, her keen hearing caught a strange sound from afar, like some kind of bird flapping its wings.
She hesitated for a moment but decided to keep going.
With her current strength, facing an inner disciple in a one-on-one battle didn’t seem promising.
Along the way, she deliberately avoided human-populated villages to prevent any stirring of trouble. After all, her outfit and appearance gave off a rather confusing vibe of a villainous demon cultivator, which certainly didn’t compare to the reassuring sight of the all-white-clad righteous sect members.
But Lin Nan didn’t expect that the route she had chosen felt increasingly off.
The further she went, the more pedestrians appeared, and she even spotted merchant teams transporting goods.
She quickly stopped and hid behind a large tree.
When the dense clouds overhead began to part, Lin Nan suddenly realized she had made a grave mistake—a spectacularly terrible error.
Not only had she not moved away from Thousand Bird City, but she was having the audacity to head deeper into the heart of it!
Because right in front of her, a massive city shrouded in golden light was floating in the air, majestic and magnificent.
If she hadn’t been obstructed by those clouds, she would have seen it in time to stop!
Who would’ve thought that Thousand Bird City was a floating city?
What to do now?
Clearly, the search by the inner disciples hadn’t ceased. They must’ve ridden some mount and were flying at high speed. They could quickly get from Thousand Bird City to the Spider Cave, so the moment her form was exposed to the pedestrians, they would likely receive the news and corner her.
It was also her fault for wearing such an unusual outfit. Normally, wouldn’t women just casually don a full black ensemble? Only those with exceptional stature could pull off such attire!
Plus, she had tried to remove the Black Robe earlier, but the system clearly stated that once the outfit was bound, it couldn’t be changed.
With no other choice, Lin Nan had to temporarily hide in the tree, but she noticed that the wing-flapping sounds were getting closer.
What tracking technique were they using to be so precise?
She was puzzled, but clearly, hiding in the tree wouldn’t work any longer.
Looking around, she decided to avoid the main road and head at about a 45-degree angle away from Thousand Bird City.
After all, Thousand Bird City was their sect’s stronghold, and aside from inner and outer disciples, there were plenty of elder-level figures around. Anyone they brought out would be at least level 80—what was a level 5 little nobody like her doing there? That was practically signing her d*ath warrant!
She used her lightness skill to weave through the terrain, and if anyone saw her, she looked like a black shadow darting through the wilderness—a scene steeped in unusual beauty.
However, just as she was feeling good about her escape, she sensed a gust of wind coming from behind her!
She quickly rolled to avoid a deadly strike, and when she looked back, a Giant Crane was hovering, flapping its wings as if it owned the sky. The attack had come from the crane’s razor-sharp claws, which left deep gouges in the ground with just one strike.
Gongsun Ding stood atop the crane’s back, looking down on the somewhat flustered Lin Nan with a smirk. “Demoness, are you just going to stand there? Surrender at once!”
Lin Nan steadied herself, feeling incredibly tense in the face of such a formidable opponent, but to maintain her cold demeanor, she forced herself to maintain an icy expression.
“And who are you?”
“I am Gongsun Ding, the chief disciple of Thousand Bird City. Demoness, if you know what’s good for you, come back with me quietly, and maybe you can keep your life.”
Lin Nan could see where this was headed; even if she didn’t d*e, she’d be locked up in prison day and night.
If the system refused to let her switch accounts, wouldn’t her game life be spent in a dungeon? Heck no, that was simply not happening!
System: Despite facing a powerful opponent, you maintain your calm demeanor. Cold Value +20.
Lin Nan cast a glance at Gongsun Ding with her autumn-like eyes. Unbeknownst to her, the sky had begun to sprinkle down black-and-white snowflakes.
In the weather that was supposed to be on the verge of summer, big flakes of snow suddenly fell, leaving the players making their way towards Thousand Bird City in utter shock.
A player who had been determined to become the top merchant since entering the game had been making unremarkable small talk with the audience while livestreaming just to earn a little pocket money. Suddenly, he noticed the unexpected snowfall above him.
“Holy cr*p, snow in June? What kind of grudge is this about?” the streamer exclaimed.
“Yeah, it’s so strange! Is there something wrong with the weather system in this game?” the viewers responded.
“Getting bugs is normal; after all, the game has only been officially running for a little over a month. If it didn’t have issues, then that would be weird!”
“Wait a minute, did you guys notice? The color of the snowflakes is kinda strange. Streamer, catch a few flakes for us to see!”
The streamer obliged and carefully caught a snowflake in his hand.
Upon closer inspection, he was shocked to see the snowflake was half black and half white, with a severe dividing line in the middle.
“What the heck? What’s going on here? We’ve got weirdly colored snowflakes now? The game must have issues!”
“Why does it feel so chilling all of a sudden?”
A player who had just switched over from the “Upgrade Maniac” livestream immediately caught on, “Wait, that snow! It rings a bell! Where the snow goes, nothing grows! This is the Cold Moon Witch, her signature!”
“What? The Cold Moon Witch!”
“Quickly, everyone come look! This merchant streamer has discovered the Cold Moon Witch’s whereabouts!” the player shouted in the livestream chat.
Most players who had been keeping an eye on the Cold Moon Witch had originally gathered in the “Upgrade Maniac” livestream, patiently waiting for the showdown of good and evil. But that person had been trailing some inner disciple through the jungle forever, draining the audience’s patience to the bone.
Now, upon hearing that a streamer had caught sight of the Cold Moon Witch, the players flocked over like bees to honey.
The sudden surge in viewers had the merchant streamer in disbelief, exclaiming, “This… this is too crazy!”
“Hey, streamer, we don’t have time for your shock! Go find the Cold Moon Witch or we’re outta here!”
“Yeah, hurry up! If you can find her in 5 minutes, we’ll all subscribe and save your livestream!”
This undoubtedly got the streamer pumped; no one wanted their livestream to be a mere flash in the pan. Although he had stumbled upon this topic of interest, any additional subscribers would be fantastic.
Encouraged, the streamer pressed on through the wind and snow into the area where the black snow was densest.
As he passed through a grove, the livestream instantly revealed a massive Giant Crane and a solitary black silhouette facing off.
The chat exploded in excitement.
“Holy cr*p! It’s really the Cold Moon Witch!”
“Come on, I knew that black snowflake meant the demoness was nearby!”
“Her presence is like a snowflake, chilling and lonely. Oh, it tugs at my heart! I want to comfort her, only I can melt her icy heart.” One netizen got lost in their own fantasies.
The crowd collectively cursed, “Get lost!”
While the folks in the livestream were buzzing about the battle, Lin Nan in the midst of it felt utterly cornered.
“Demoness, you can’t escape.”
Gongsun Ding flicked his fingers, and a rapidly spinning red flower appeared at his fingertips.
“My Soul-Tracking Flower never fails to pick up any scent you leave behind! Even if you try to run to the ends of the earth, you won’t escape my grasp!”
Lin Nan looked at him coldly, “Oh really? Then why are you just talking? Let’s get to it!”
Gongsun Ding retracted the flower and drew out his glinting long sword. “Stubborn fool! Then prepare to d*e, demoness!”
He suddenly leaped off the crane’s back, his sword darting toward Lin Nan like a shooting star.
Naturally, Lin Nan wouldn’t take him head-on; her only advantage was her agility at this moment.
In a flash, she dodged Gongsun Ding’s full-force strike, moving gracefully as a black lotus amidst the swirling snow. Gongsun Ding found himself at a loss!
The snow continued to fall.
But the rate at which the white snow turned black was slowing down.
Lin Nan knew this was because her Cold Value wasn’t increasing anymore.
However, this time, her opponent was just Gongsun Ding alone. She couldn’t leverage the sheer number of enemies like last time to increase her Cold Value. In simple terms, everyone could provide her with a portion of Cold Value as long as they felt the unique charm of the icy beauty she embodied.
But Gongsun Ding wasn’t having any of that.
With his sword closing in, what would she do next?
