Bing Long nodded, stretched out her hand, and accepted the portrait. Looking at it, the person on the portrait seemed to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a stoic and resolute expression. His appearance was not particularly handsome or ugly, and there did not seem to be anything special about him that would make Brilliant Flame Sect try so hard to find him.
“All of you have a look,” Bing Long tossed the portrait casually to another Elder, “Remember what this person looks like. If you find him, be sure to bring him back to Pure Ice Island! Brilliant Flame Sect has been pressuring our Ice Heart Valley for some time now, yet suddenly pulled back because of this person. This person seems to be of great importance to them. Otherwise, Brilliant Flame Sect would not act this way. Perhaps the best way for Ice Heart Valley to weather our current crisis is to find him.”
“If that’s the case, should we also actively search for this person?” Ran Yun Ting asked.
Bing Long nodded and replied, “Naturally, but we don’t have to dedicate too much attention to it. After this meeting, be sure to pass this portrait to the disciples and have them keep their eyes open for him when they go out.”
“Yes, Valley Master is wise!” All the Elders responded in unison.
The portrait was passed from one Elder to the next then. All of them were Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters, so their memories were naturally excellent, and they were able to remember this person’s appearance with just a glance.
Bing Long then continued, “A few years ago, the Supreme Elder suffered backlash from dissonance in her cultivation and has yet to recover. Do we have any clues regarding the herbs we require for the pill to heal her?”
Hearing this, the dozen women present all shook their heads sadly, one of them saying out loud, “The other herbs have been purchased at great expense, but the Profound Scarlet Ginseng is too rare. Perhaps the only place to find one is… Brilliant Flame Sect’s Extreme Thunder Mountain.”
“Extreme Thunder Mountain!” Bing Long’s face sank, “That is one of Brilliant Flame Sect’s Restricted Areas and only a few people from their Sect are allowed to enter. Keep searching, no matter what price we need to pay, we must find that Profound Scarlet Ginseng.”
“Yes!”
“Hateful!” Ran Yun Ting gritted her teeth, “If it were not for Supreme Elder’s cultivation dissonance, how could my Ice Heart Valley have been so badly suppressed by Brilliant Flame Sect! For thousands of years, the strength of the two Sects has always been equal, but now…”
Hearing what she said, all the Elders present wore resentful expression.
“Great Elder, enough nonsense. Are you trying to blame Supreme Elder for having a cultivation dissonance?” Bing Long glared at her and shouted.
Ran Yun Ting’s tender body trembled lightly as she hurriedly said, “Naturally not, I did not mean to imply so.”
Bing Long’s complexion cleared up as she nodded and said, “This Queen knows you don’t have such intentions; this is all of our Ice Heart Valley’s disaster, and although Supreme Elder cannot move easily now, it won’t be so easy for Brilliant Flame Sect to harm us either. En, enough about this matter, this Queen has something else of concern to discuss. Great Elder, how is your disciple now?”
Ran Yun Ting smiled lightly, “She is very good, she has recently reached the First-Order Origin Returning Realm.”
As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the room was moved.
“First-Order Origin Returning Realm, so soon?”
“Is her aptitude really that good? When Great Elder brought her to the Sect, she was only a Third-Order Saint, right? How many years have passed since then?”
“Even with abundant cultivation resources, isn’t her rate of advancement too fast?”
Bing Long seemed to be extremely pleased and said joyfully, “Great Elder, I heard that your disciple has an Ice Crystal Jade Body Special Constitution. Is that true?”
“Indeed!” Ran Yun Ting nodded, “She does possess an Ice Crystal Jade Body, but it is not an innate Special Constitution, it’s an acquired one. I do not know what kind of fortuitous encounter she had in the past, but she is now perfectly compatible with our Ice Heart Valley’s core Secret Art and her cultivation is now advancing extremely rapidly. In truth, Valley Master, my disciple is currently preparing to break through to the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm!”
Inside the ice palace, many Elder’s expressions became even more excited, their faces filled with astonishment and shock.
Bing Long was also extremely happy, “Innate or acquired, it makes no difference, her Ice Crystal Jade Body is the key to the future of Ice Heart Valley. It seems the Heavens have not abandoned our Valley! If there are no surprises, she is highly likely to reach the same level as Supreme Elder in the future. At that time, our Ice Heart Valley’s rise will depend on her.”
Ran Yun Ting said modestly, “Valley Master should not praise her too much, that little girl’s cultivation is still quite low and she still needs much guidance from Valley Master.”
“Do everything possible to satisfy her cultivation needs!” Bing Long declared.
“Yes!” Ran Yun Ting respectfully nodded.
“Great Elder, I heard that the reason Brilliant Flame Sect is targeting our Ice Heart Valley this time is because of your disciple?” Someone suddenly asked with a chuckle.
“En, I have heard about it. It is said that Wei Feng, the son of Brilliant Flame Sect’s Sect Master, met that girl while out for life experience and instantly lost his soul to her. After returning, he urged Wei Qing to come to my Ice Heart Valley to propose marriage!”
“I haven’t actually met her yet. After coming to Pure Ice Island, she rarely goes out and is often in secluded retreat.”
“I saw her once and she is indeed a stunning beauty. It is no wonder that little bastard Wei Feng was never able to forget her. If I were a man, I’m afraid I would also have become fascinated by her.”
All the Elders present laughed, and the atmosphere became more relaxed.
“It’s all nothing but a flimsy excuse,” Ran Yun Ting gave a wry smile.
Bing Long nodded, “All of you are Elders of my Ice Heart Valley, so how could you not understand the truth of this matter? Brilliant Flame Sect is just using this as an excuse to embarrass us while taking the opportunity to probe the condition the Supreme Elder is in! Once they are sure that Supreme Elder is injured, I am afraid they will begin moving far more aggressively.”
“We’ll see if Brilliant Flame Sect’s teeth or my Ice Heart Valley’s defences are stronger!”
“They won’t dare act too aggressively unless they’ve stopped caring about the lives of their disciples.”
“If they dare to come, we’ll make sure they never return!”
The group of women shouted as their anger flared.
An old woman on the left who looked like she was about sixty years old, suddenly frowned as some concern appeared between her brow. After the others had finished speaking, she said, “Reporting to Valley Master, I heard a disturbing bit of news a few days ago.”
“What news could make Elder Wu so concerned?” Bing Long turned her eyes to the old woman and asked as everyone else also looked towards her.
“I heard that Luo Hai has arrived at Brilliant Flame Sect!” Elder Wu quickly said.
“Luo Hai?” Inside the ice palace, everyone frowned. It was as if they didn’t remember who Luo Hai was immediately, but soon, someone exclaimed, “Green Mountains Star’s Star Master, Sir Luo Hai?”
“Him?”
“It can’t be, why would he leave Green Mountains Star suddenly to come to our Scarlet Wave Star?”
Luo Hai was the Star Master of Green Mountains Star and a Second-Order Origin King, a famous character across the entire Star Field. As such, even the Elders from Ice Heart Valley who normally secluded themselves on Pure Ice Island had heard his name long ago.
Now hearing that such a character had arrived on Scarlet Wave Star and was staying in Brilliant Flame Sect, their beautiful faces could not help darkening.
“Is this news reliable?” Bing Long tender body leaned forward slightly, and her jade white hands squeezed the armrest of her chair, causing them to creak under the strain, clearly showing that her mood was fluctuating greatly.
“It is!” Elder Wu nodded solemnly, “This old woman has spies placed in Brilliant Flame Sect and they reported seeing Sir Luo Hai with their own eyes.”
The ice palace immediately fell silent as everyone’s face seemed to be covered with a layer of fog, their expressions becoming gloomy.
“All of you may also know that although Sir Luo Hai is Green Mountains Star’s Star Master, he has a close relationship with Chi Huo of Brilliant Flame Sect. His coming to Brilliant Flame Sect at this time…” Elder Wu did not finish her words, but everyone present could understand what she was implying.
“Impossible!” Bing Long shook her head, “While he may have some friendship with Chi Huo, it is only a casual acquaintance. There is no way he came all the way from Green Mountains Star to deal with us, Chi Huo doesn’t have such influence.”
“But Valley Master, our situation right now is quite sensitive, and we must guard against such a possibility no matter how remote. If Luo Hai and Chi Huo were to join forces, then the future of Ice Heart Valley would become dire.”
Bing Long’s pretty face paled at the thought!
If this was really the case, then Ice Heart Valley would truly be in danger. Just Luo Hai alone was more than Ice Heart Valley could possibly resist as he was a master a whole Minor Realm higher in cultivation than Chi Huo and their own Supreme Elder.
“I think that Sir Luo Hai’s arrival on Scarlet Wave Star at this time may have something to do with the person Brilliant Flame Sect is looking for,” One of the Elders suddenly guessed.
“Why do you think that?”
“Because of the timing. Brilliant Flame Sect began searching for this person only recently, and they even let up on the pressure they were exerting on us to do so. Sir Luo Hai’s arrival on Scarlet Wave Star is also a recent event and the place he is currently staying is Brilliant Flame Sect. If Sir Luo Hai was the one who asked Brilliant Flame Sect to help him find this person, doesn’t everything make sense?”
Everyone’s eyes lit up!
“The possibility is indeed great! If this is the case, then we must find this person before Brilliant Flame Sect!” Bing Long’s eyes flashed with a strange brilliance. “As long as we find him and hand him over to Sir Luo Hai, then the current crisis of my Ice Heart Valley can be resolved. After Supreme Elder has completely recovered, Brilliant Flame Sect definitely won’t cause any more trouble!”
“Valley Master is right,” Ran Yun Ting nodded in agreement.
“Order all the disciples that can be dispatched to go out and seek this person as soon as possible!” Bing Long said decisively, gritting her teeth as she shouted.
“Yes!” All the Elders nodded before leaving the ice palace together.
On that day, thousands of Ice Heart Valley disciples left from Pure Ice Island to traverse Scarlet Wave Star, each of them bringing with them a portrait of Yang Kai’s face.
That night, near the centre of Pure Ice Island, inside a certain ice room, Ran Yun Ting sat down cross-legged while cultivating.
The temperature in this ice room was extremely low and even a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator would feel extremely uncomfortable inside and need to circulate their Saint Qi to resist the omnipresent chill, but for Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder, this was the best kind of cultivation environment.
The pervasive chill in the air seemed to be drawn into her body and was resonating with her Saint Qi, strengthening her slowly.
A slight sound of footsteps appeared outside the door at a certain point and soon after a voice called out, “Disciple has come to see Honoured Master!”
“Come in!” Ran Yun Ting smiled slightly and opened her eyes.
The next moment, the door was opened, and a beautiful figure walked inside.
A young woman wearing spotless white robes walked in. She had long silky black hair cascading down her back like a waterfall, a pair of exceptionally bright phoenix eyes, a beautiful, delicate nose, crystal clear jade white skin, and a slender yet supple figure.
She was like an ice fairy carefully crafted by the Heavens, without a single flaw.
Ran Yun Ting swept her eyes over this young woman and a hint of approval flashed across her face, “En, it seems you’ve made progress in your Ice Jade Secret Art once again. You have not disappointed your Master’s expectations.”
The young woman’s expression showed no change at all, her whole body still just radiating a deep chill, as if she was truly carved from ice.
Hearing these words of praise, however, the woman still spoke, “Disciple dares not neglect Honored Master’s care.”
“Very good, sit down!” Ran Yun Ting nodded lightly before pointing to an ice jade cushion in front of herself.
Once every month, this young woman would come to Ran Yun Ting’s residence to consult with her about any questions or doubts she had in her cultivation, and today was that day.
Both Master and Disciple had obviously experienced this kind of meeting several times so the young woman did not hesitate to sit down obediently.
“Have you encountered any difficulties in your cultivation recently?” Ran Yun Ting asked lightly.
Although Ran Yun Ting’s current cultivation was two Minor Realms higher than this disciple of hers, with the latter’s cultivation speed, it would likely only be a few more years before the two were on equal footing. A few years after that, her disciple may even reach the same height as the Supreme Elder. Ran Yun Ting had high hopes for her disciple, so she did not hold back when cultivating her.
The young woman nodded lightly and was just about to speak when her beautiful eyes suddenly caught sight of a portrait hanging on the ice wall behind Ran Yun Ting.
The young woman’s tender body shivered suddenly and her always calm demeanour and expressionless face filled with shock and amazement as she stared fixedly at this portrait.
The look on the young woman’s face was an extremely complex mix of pleasant surprise, disbelief, and loss… changing several times in an instant.
However, in just the blink of an eye, she once again regained her composure.
“Do you know this person?” Although the young woman’s expression had calmed down quickly, her sudden change had not been missed by Ran Yun Ting, causing the latter to ask doubtfully.
The young woman shook her head slowly, “I don’t.”
Ran Yun Ting frowned, as if she did not quite believe her.
The young woman explained, “Honoured Master’s house has always been sparse, with only a bed, chair, and table inside, so when disciple suddenly saw the portrait of a man hanging on the wall, she was a little surprised.”
Hearing her explanation, Ran Yun Ting narrowed her eyes and simply said, “En, I have never met the person in this painting, but apparently Brilliant Flame Sect is searching for him. Valley Master has ordered all the disciples who go out to search for him as well since he may be the key to resolving our Ice Heart Valley’s crisis!”
“So that’s how it is!” The woman tried her best to control her emotions and nodded lightly.
Ran Yun Ting carefully observed the young woman’s reaction but was unable to see anything suspicious in her expression. At this point, she was about eighty percent confident her disciple was telling her the truth, so she simply smiled lightly, “This matter is for others to worry about. Your only concern right now is to cultivate and strive to reach the same realm as your Master as soon as possible. Once you reach this height, Ice Heart Valley will be your world. Do not disappoint these expectations.”
“Disciple will do her best!” The young woman quickly said.
“Very good, en, tell me about the problems you have encountered in your cultivation recently,” Ran Yun Ting gestured kindly.
The young woman immediately opened her mouth and asked a few questions that had been confounding her. Ran Yun Ting listened and answered her carefully. The Master and Disciple pair continued this session for some time.
In a blink of an eye, it was dawn, and the young woman stood up and bid her Master farewell.
After leaving the ice room, the young woman walked outwards without any haste. A while later, she left the inner section of Pure Ice Island and arrived at the outer region.
Pure Ice Island was divided into an Inner Island and Outer Island. The Inner Island was tightly protected, and ordinary disciples weren’t allowed to enter unless they were summoned. Only those direct disciples of the Sect’s Elder and the core personnel of Ice Heart Valley could enter the Inner Island freely.
The Outer Island was where common disciples lived and cultivated.
The Outer Island was vast, but the young woman flew straight towards a certain peak in its southeast without stopping.
On that ice peak, there were hundreds of artificially excavated ice caves, and on the Outer Island, there were hundreds of similar ice peaks!
These ice caves were naturally caved mansions for Ice Heart Valley’s disciples, and depending on their cultivation and their contributions to the Sect, disciples could occupy different grades of ice cave mansions.
The young woman came to an icehouse near the foot of the mountain, stretched out her hand, and poured a bit of her Saint Qi into the barrier around it before waiting quietly.
After a long time passed, however, there was no response.
The young woman frowned, took out a token from her Space Ring, and placed it on the barrier around the cave mansion. The next moment, the barrier split apart, revealing a passage that led inwards.
The woman stepped through this opening quickly.
Soon, she came to the innermost area of the cave mansion but after looking around, she couldn’t find any trace of its inhabitant. Only a letter left on the desk which read ‘For Su Yan!’ caught her eye.
With her hands shaking lightly, the young woman picked up the letter, unsealed it, and pulled out a piece of paper from inside before reading it carefully.
“Su Yan, the Elder Council has issued orders for me and the other disciples to go out and perform a task for the Sect. The orders came so quickly that I was unable to send word to you before we departed. If you have come here to find me, you will definitely see this letter. The task we were assigned is to look for someone. But, to think that person turned out to actually be Yang Kai! He is here on Scarlet Wave Star! I do not know why, but Brilliant Flame Sect is looking for him as well! Remember, don’t act rashly, wait for me to return first so we can discuss this!”
Then the letter was signed by Qing Ya!
Ice Sect’s Sect Master Qing Ya, a former peak-level master on Tong Xuan Realm!
Su Yan read this short letter several times from beginning to end as her tender body trembled, making sure she understood it correctly.
Yang Kai was here!
Seeing the portrait of Yang Kai in the room of her Honoured Master, Su Yan could hardly believe her eyes. For a variety of reasons, it was difficult for her to ask Ran Yun Ting anything about it, so early this morning, she had hurriedly came to see Qing Ya and see if the latter had heard anything.
Qing Ya had come to Ice Heart Valley with her back then; after all, Qing Ya also cultivated an Ice Attribute Secret Art. The reason for her low cultivation, however, was because of Tong Xuan Realm’s insufficient World Energy aura, so when Ran Yun Ting brought Su Yan back to Ice Heart Valley, she had brought Qing Ya as well.
Although Qing Ya also had a good aptitude, she was incomparable to Su Yan, so she could only live in the Outer Island and become a common disciple of Ice Heart Valley. Now, Qing Ya was a Second-Order Saint King and would soon break through to the Third-Order.
Su Yan would often take time to visit Qing Ya as the two were both from Tong Xuan Realm and naturally had a close relationship.
But this time, it seemed Su Yan had arrived a bit too late.
Yesterday, after the Elder Council’s meeting, it was immediately decided that disciples be sent out to look for Yang Kai, and upon receiving this order, Qing Ya left Pure Ice Island with countless others from the Sect.
Qing Ya could not go to the Inner Island to send a letter to Su Yan, but she knew that Su Yan would definitely come to visit her, so she left behind this note before she left.
Holding the letter in her hand, Su Yan’s mood fluctuated rapidly, and her eyes became slightly moist.
If Ran Yun Ting saw this scene, she would be stunned.
She always thought that her disciple’s heart was as firm as ice and that she had no worldly attachments, so how could she be this moved by a simple letter?
Several dozen years of longing were now being released all at once, and these emotions were enough to overwhelm Su Yan!
Suddenly, her blood boiled and Su Yan’s face paled as she coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her Saint Qi also fluctuated wildly and became unstable.
Su Yan’s beautiful face filled with fright. Not daring to neglect, she quickly sat cross-legged and began to calm the chaotic fluctuations in her cultivation.
After quite some time, her chaotic aura gradually calmed down. Getting up, Su Yan carefully collected the letter and quickly left Qing Ya’s icehouse!
The two top forces on Scarlet Wave Star frequently sent out a large portion of their disciples, causing the entire Cultivation Star to stir for a time.
The smaller Sects and families that had close ties with the two great forces also began cooperating with Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley to search for Yang Kai.
Scarlet Wave Star was almost turned upside down!
However, Yang Kai seemed to have disappeared into thin air, with no one even catching a glimpse of him.
….
Inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai devoted himself to cultivating.
He did not rush outside the first chance he got. He had finally escaped from Luo Hai, so how could he rashly show himself now?
It was likely that Luo Hai was still looking everywhere for him. If Yang Kai rushed out and fell into a trap, he would be forced to escape in distress again.
This was a good opportunity to take some time and consolidate his most recent gains.
An invisible power permeated from the loft where Xia Ning Chang lived; naturally, it was Space Force.
The Small Sealed World was originally only about a hundred kilometers in radius, and with ten thousand people from the Three Clans living here, although it was not crowded, it wasn’t exactly spacious either.
But today, with the spread of these invisible Space Force fluctuations, the area of the Small Sealed World began expanding outwards at an incredibly rapid rate. Soon, some previously unseen sceneries appeared in front of the Small Sealed World’s inhabitants.
Two hundred kilometers, five hundred, one thousand…
Two thousand…
Three thousand…
Soon, the masters from the Three Clans who were in retreat sensed something was changing in the environment around them and began exiting their seclusions. One after another, they released their Divine Senses to investigate their surroundings and immediately discovered the Small Sealed World was expanding.
“Brother Ling, this Small Sealed World is expanding, right?” Standing mid-air, Meng Wu Ya observed the bizarre scenes in the distance with a shocked expression.
“En,” Ling Tai Xu nodded his head slightly, “It’s really expanding.”
“Hahaha!” A loud laugh rang out as the Monster Race Great Senior Thunder Dragon appeared beside Meng Wu Ya and said, “This is wonderful. Now, we don’t have to squish up against Zhang Yuan’s group anymore. This King has had more than enough of that cold Demonic Qi of theirs!”
“Thunder Dragon, this Senior isn’t deaf!” A cold snort sounded as Demon Commander Zhang Yuan appeared.
“So what if you heard me? This Thunder Dragon wasn’t speaking behind your back, he was just telling the truth,” Thunder Dragon curled his lips into a grin.
Zhang Yuan snorted in response, “You think this Senior likes living next to you? Your Monster Qi isn’t anything good either.”
Thunder Dragon grinned freely, not seeming to care.
Although the Three Clans were all living in the Small Sealed World now and there were no major disputes between them, their competitive natures had not been dulled. Yang Kai had given them this opportunity and all of them were determined to pursue greater heights in the Martial Dao with all their might.
As such, when these masters occasionally met one another, they would naturally bicker and quarrel amongst themselves.
“But why is this place expanding? Could there have been some kind of accident?” Chu Ling Xiao was a little worried.
“It should be related to Sect Master, you don’t have to worry about it,” A voice suddenly came from behind. The masters from the Three Clans turned around and saw Yang Xiu Zhu, Chu Han Yi, Mo Yu, and Lin Yu Rao. All of these peak Origin Returning Realm masters had come together.
The Three Clans’ masters did not dare show any neglect and politely offered their greetings.
Yang Xiu Zhu and the others responded in kind.
Everyone was familiar with one another and knew what their respective identities were.
Although Yang Xiu Zhu and the other Origin Realm masters were far stronger and older than the master from the Three Clans, Ling Tai Xu and those from Tong Xuan Realm had a very close relationship with Yang Kai, so they all treated each other as equal peers.
“This is related to Yang Kai?” Ling Tai Xu was intrigued, “Brother Yang, could you explain a little more?”
Everyone turned to look at Yang Xiu Zhu curiously.
Yang Xiu Zhu pondered for a moment before replying, “The higher Sect Master’s cultivation becomes, and the more profound his attainments in the Dao of Space are, the broader this world will become.”
He did not know much about doesn’t know much about Sealed World Bead. As one of the former Elders of Star Emperor Mountain, he only knew that it was a kind of storage artifact and an Emperor Artifact, but he could still explain roughly what was happening.
Hearing what he said, everyone nodded.
“So, this was all caused by Yang Kai somehow? Is he here?” Zhang Yuan showed a suspicious expression, releasing his Divine Sense and a moment later saying, “He’s really here! It seems he is in Xia Girl’s loft. There is also a strange energy fluctuation coming from his location. Is this Space Force?”
“It should be!”
While everyone was chatting, the expansion of the Small Sealed World did not stop.
From the original hundred-kilometre radius, it expanded all the way to ten thousand kilometres in diameter before finally stopping.
At the edge of the Small Sealed World, there still seemed to be a strange force which was blocking Yang Kai’s Space Force from advancing, indicating that there was still more to this place but also making it impossible for anyone inside to see it yet.
“Hey, there seem to be some buildings over there!” Thunder Dragon’s eyes were sharp and could see that in the distance there was a new set of building. These buildings were not too densely constructed and although they seemed a bit scattered and disorderly, their arrangement also seemed to contain some kind of hidden mystery as well.
“Should we go have a look?” Everyone was curious and eager to explore.
“Haha, this old master will be going on ahead!” A loud laugh came out as Old Demon turned into a stream of light and rushed towards that side fearlessly.
The others shook their heads slowly and followed close behind.
Yang Xiu Zhu and the other Origin Realm masters exchanged a wry look before also keeping up.
A short time later, everyone arrived at the location of the buildings and were shocked as soon as they did.
Because the World Energy here was more than three times richer than their original position, which meant that cultivating here would be three times as efficient as before!
“This place is good. My Monster Race will take this section!” Thunder Dragon held out his hand and motioned towards a large area.
“Then my Demon Race will occupy this piece.” Zhang Yuan followed suit.
Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya looked at each other, the former looking calm and relaxed as he said, “Then the rest will be occupied by my Human Race.”
With a few words, the masters from the Three Clans divided up this newly emerged building complex, each of them claiming a large swath of land for their respective race.
“It seems that this new stretch of the world has richer aura than before, but does that mean if Yang Kai continued to expand this place in the future, there will be even better places to occupy?” Chu Ling Xiao pondered thoughtfully.
“That should be the case.”
“It’s just a question of how big this place will eventually be then. If it is big enough, this Senior is willing to remain here for the rest of his life,” Zhang Yuan laughed.
He reaffirmed at this moment that his decision to leave Tong Xuan Realm with the Demon Race elite and follow Yang Kai was the right one.
If he had remained on Tong Xuan Realm, how could he have a chance to break through to the Saint King Realm or spy on a higher Martial Dao?
Perhaps he would have died of old age, never being able to surpass the achievements of Great Demon God.
But now, the legend of Great Demon God had been broken by countless people.
Since Zhang Yuan has such thoughts, so how could Thunder Dragon be different?
Both were extremely grateful to Yang Kai.
Over the next few days, the Three Clans collectively relocated, abandoning their previously built lofts and flooding into the newly emerged region.
Time flew by and soon another three months had passed.
Yang Kai finally exited his secluded retreat.
Xia Ning Chang had been standing guarding in front of the loft all this time, and when Yang Kai called her to ask about the situation in the Small Sealed World, he was surprised to learn just how huge the changes here had been.
The expansion of the Small Sealed World was a matter of course. As his cultivation and understanding of the Dao of Space increased, this world would surely continue to grow and gradually reveal all its hidden mysteries.
Yang Kai was also very curious about how big this place was.
The appearance of a new set of buildings also surprised Yang Kai greatly.
None of this was bad, however, and after finishing his retreat, Yang Kai brought Xia Ning Chang around to confirm that there were no dangers in this Small Seal world. Discovering nothing harmful and realizing that the new cultivation environment was two to three times better than before, Yang Kai felt happy and relieved.
Finished with these necessities, Yang Kai next went to see Qian Tong.
Qian Tong was fine. Although he had been slightly injured by Luo Hai at the periphery of Green Mountains Star, in the end, he was still an Origin King. Qian Tong had recovered quickly and was now working hard to consolidate his cultivation.
Seeing everything going well, Yang Kai put down the last of his worries and then picked out an excellent palace for him and Xia Ning Chang to stay in inside the Small Sealed World.
Yang Kai wanted to take this opportunity to cultivate his Monster Transformation and develop the Golden Divine Dragon Source in his body.
Living together with Little Senior Sister, he naturally enjoyed the time shared with his precious lover.
Out of the several years that he lived, it was during times like these that Yang Kai felt the most comfortable.
Pure Ice Island, inside the ice room of Ran Yun Ting.
Su Yan stood like a white flower blossoming in a world of ice and snow, her aura cold and her white clothes untainted by the mundane.
“You want to go out for life experience?” Ran Yun Ting frowned.
Su Yan came here to look for her today to make such a request, surprising Ran Yun Ting quite a bit.
“Yes!” Su Yan nodded.
“Why do you suddenly want to go out for life experience?” Ran Yun Ting smiled, “Right now is a critical moment for you to break through to the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm. It is also not a good time for you to be outside as Scarlet Wave Star’s situation is quite tense. Although you have lived in the Inner Island all this time, you have probably heard some rumours about what is happening in the outside world. If you were to meet someone from Brilliant Flame Sect now, it would do you no good. You should know that little bastard Wei Feng is still thinking about you and that Brilliant Flame Sect is using this as an excuse to suppress Ice Heart Valley into handing you over to them.”
“Disciple understands clearly,” Su Yan lightly spoke. “But it is also for this reason that disciple wishes to go out for life experience. Perhaps, after taking a walk outside, Disciple will receive some kind of inspiration, which will allow her cultivation to improve.”
“En, a reasonable proposition,” Ran Yun Ting nodded but still felt things were a bit difficult. If Su Yan had asked to go out at any other point, she certainly would not have tried to stop her. Although her disciple only had a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation, her combat power was not inferior to an average Third-Order cultivator.
She was the type of genius who could fight above her realm, an elite among elites!
With her Ice Crystal Jade Body’s Special Constitution and Ice Heart Valley’s Ice Jade Secret Art, Su Yan had few rivals below the Origin King Realm.
Cultivation was not just a matter of cultivating in secluded retreat, going out for experience had always been an essential part of one’s growth.
But now, Scarlet Wave Star was in a state of upheaval, so how could Ran Yun Ting feel safe allowing Su Yan to wander outside?
Just as she was considering what kind of excuse she could use to persuade Su Yan to remain in the Sect, Ran Yun Ting suddenly noticed something and stared at Su Yan firmly, her brow gradually furrowing.
Immediately, she released her Divine Sense and scanned Su Yan.
“What kind of problem did you encounter in your cultivation? Why is your Pure Jade Ice Heart suddenly unstable? Why has your cultivation regressed?” Ran Yun Ting’s beautiful face paled.
She suddenly realized that Su Yan’s cultivation had not risen since the last time she saw her, but had fallen instead.
Although this decline was quite small, as Su Yan’s Master, Ran Yun Ting was naturally able to notice.
This development stunned Ran Yun Ting.
Even if Su Yan’s own aptitude was not the highest, her Special Constitution and its unprecedented compatibility with Pure Ice Island’s core Secret Art was enough to make up for any slight deficiencies in talent.
What’s more, Su Yan’s aptitude was exceptional, perhaps there were few people in the entire Star Field comparable to her.
Her cultivation had always progressed at a rapid yet steady pace, but now this kind of strange situation had occurred.
Ran Yun Ting’s expression fluctuated for a time before she realized something, “You have actually been affected by the Secret Art’s backlash due to unstable emotions? Who was it that moved your heart!?”
At this moment, Ran Yun Ting’s expression had turned fierce and her Saint Qi was pulsing madly from her figure.
Cultivating the Ice Jade Secret Art required Su Yan to maintain a Pure Jade Ice Heart. As long as her Pure Jade Ice Heart was calm and serene, her cultivation would advance rapidly!
On the other hand, she would suffer from increasingly intense backlash the more disturbed her Pure Jade Ice Heart became.
The greatest disturbance to a Pure Jade Ice Heart was passion!
This was something that any cultivator who cultivated the Ice Jade Secret Art must avoid at all cost.
The Pure Jade Ice Heart must not be dyed with emotion, and love was by far the blackest of inks which would pollute it the fastest.
Ran Yun Ting understood the truth of the matter almost immediately.
“No, you’ve lived in the Inner Island all year round and have not had any chance to contact men from the outside world!” Ran Yun Ting shook his head in confusion, but soon recalled a certain incident, grit her teeth, and questioned, “Su Yan, tell your Master honestly, is this related to that portrait you saw the other day? Do you know that man?”
Ran Yun Ting was a sharp person and, after considering countless possibilities in a very short period of time, she felt this was the most likely!
When Su Yan saw the portrait that day, a strange expression had appeared on her face, a fact that strengthened Ran Yun Ting’s suspicions.
Facing her Honoured Master’s questioning, Su Yan bit her red lips lightly as a trace of guilt flashed across her face, but that soon disappeared and she replied softly, “Disciple knows him.”
Ran Yun Ting turned pale and she asked in a trembling voice, “What is your relationship with him…?”
“He is my Junior Brother and my man!”
When she said this, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Su Yan’s mouth, one that made her look extremely happy.
Ran Yun Ting was stunned.
Since she brought Su Yan back to Pure Ice Island nearly thirty years ago, she had never seen her smile. Today was a first.
This sudden blooming smile formed a diametrically opposite contrast to Su Yan’s cold aloofness, and combined with her flawless beauty, Ran Yun Ting was slightly dumbstruck for a moment.
In her heart, a sense of inferiority welled up uncontrollably.
Unfortunately, Ran Yun Ting soon dispelled these distracting thoughts and asked with a gloomy face, “You actually had a man? Since when?”
“Since a long time before I met Honoured Master.”
“Has your relationship with him ever been intimate?” Ran Yun Ting continued to ask.
Su Yan’s cheeks blushed slightly as she nodded.
Ran Yun Ting’s body trembled and she nearly lost her ability to stand, stumbling backwards a few steps as an obvious look of disappointment flashed across her eyes and she said in a pained voice, “Why didn’t you mention this earlier?”
“Honoured Master never asked,” Su Yan bit her red lips lightly.
Ran Yun Ting snapped back, “I didn’t ask because your aura was completely pure, so I assumed you still had your innocence! But since you have had intimate relations with a man, why is there no impurities in your aura?”
Once a woman experienced intimacy with a man, some Yang Essence which belonged to that man would inevitably remain in her body. This aura was more than enough to indicate a loss of innocence.
Su Yan’s aura, however, was still pure, so Ran Yun Ting never even dreamed she was no longer a virgin.
[Is it because of her Special Constitution?] It was also possible that Su Yan’s physique was not innate but one she acquired, and perhaps when this happened her aura had been purified.
“Such impropriety!” Ran Yun Ting grit her teeth and shouted.
“Disciple has disappointed Honoured Master,” Su Yan lowered her eyes.
“If I knew about this, I would never have allowed you to cultivate the Ice Jade Secret Art!” Ran Yun Ting was heartbroken as all her expectations for Su Yan turned into disappointment and she said with red eyes, “Do you know that after cultivating the Ice Jade Secret Art, once you encounter an emotional backlash, things will only get worse? Your current situation isn’t too serious, but if things are left as they are, you will eventually lose your entire cultivation and degenerate into a waste!”
“Disciple did not know!” Su Yan shook her head but showed no trace of fear.
When she came to Pure Ice Island and worshipped Ran Yun Ting as her Master, she had simply followed Ran Yun Ting’s instructions and cultivated whatever Secret Art she was given. How could she have raised any objections? It was only a few days ago, when she noticed a problem with her Secret Art, that any doubts came to her mind.
Ran Yun Ting’s expression darkened as she was aware of the seriousness of this problem, and although she was greatly disappointed in Su Yan’s concealment of her romantic history, in the end, she was still very optimistic about her Disciple. Anxiously, she said, “Su Yan, it’s not too late. Cut off your emotional ties immediately, otherwise, your cultivation will continue to regress, and you will eventually become an ordinary mortal. Once that happens, no one will be able to save you.”
“Cut my emotional ties?” Su Yan raised her head and looked at Ran Yun Ting, a strange light flashing across her beautiful eyes before she slowly but firmly shook her head. “Honoured Master, forgive me, but Disciple is unable to do this.”
“You…” Ran Yun Ting was infuriated as she pointing to Su Yan, unable to say a word.
Su Yan simply smiled again, “If I can see him again, even if Disciple degenerates into an ordinary mortal, she is willing.”
Ran Yun Ting became dazed as she stared at Su Yan blankly, “Are these your true feelings? Are you certain you won’t regret it?”
Su Yan nodded.
“Have you not realized that this is just you seeking temporary happiness at the expense of your future? If you really become an ordinary mortal, your life span will become less than a hundred years and it won’t be long before you become a withered old woman. When that happens, will that man of yours still have any interest in you? When that happens, it’s likely he will simply abandon you!”
Su Yan’s tender body trembled as a hint of fear flashed across her beautiful eyes.
When Ran Yun Ting saw this, she knew she had a chance and was just about to strike while the iron was hot, but before she could, that trace of fear in Su Yan’s eyes disappeared. Su Yan stretched out her hand, brushed her hair back behind her ear, and whispered, “If I can be together with him again, Disciple is still willing. When the time comes, Disciple will simply leave before she grows old, so she does not have to show him such an unsightly appearance.”
“Madness!” Ran Yun Ting’s chest heaved up and down violently.
She had never known that her disciple has such a stubborn, unreasonable side.
“Honoured Master, disciple wants to go out!” Su Yan quickly said.
“Do you want to go out to look for that man?” Ran Yun Ting looked at her coldly. Before, she thought Su Yan wanted to go out to seek for an opportunity to break through her current bottleneck, but now, how could she not understand her Disciple’s true intentions?
Obviously, Su Yan wanted to leave to seek out the person from that painting.
“Yes, please permit me, Honoured Master!” Su Yan did not try to deny it.
“In your dreams!” Ran Yun Ting coldly snorted, “From now on, you will remain in the Inner Island and not take one step outside. Master will find a way to solve your current difficulties for you, I hope you will not disappoint me any further.”
“Honoured Master!” Su Yan objected anxiously.
Ran Yun Ting just snorted and yelled sharply, “Come in!”
Two women with First-Order Origin Realm cultivations walked in immediately and politely cupped their fists, “What are Great Elder’s orders!”
“Bring Su Yan back to her residence and watch her carefully. If she dares to take a single step outside without my permission, I will hold both of you responsible!”
The two women looked at each other with stunned expressions, neither of them understanding what Su Yan could have done to anger Great Elder so greatly.
One had to know that Great Elder Ran had always been extremely proud of Su Yan and even bragged outside countless times that accepting Su Yan as her Disciple was the best decision she had ever made in her life.
Su Yan was definitely the greatest candidate to become the future pillar of Ice Heart Valley.
But now, Ran Yun Ting had obviously become infuriated with Su Yan, to the point of putting her under house arrest.
What exactly had happened?
The two women did not dare to ask more and just glanced at Su Yan thoughtfully and said, “Junior Sister Su, please.”
“Honoured Master…” Su Yan looked at Ran Yun Ting beggingly, hoping she would change her mind.
“Take her!” Ran Yun Ting turned her back to Su Yan and screamed, as if she never wanted to see her again.
“Junior Sister Su, please don’t make things difficult for us,” Among the two girls, the taller woman frowned and urged impatiently.
Su Yan stared at Ran Yun Ting’s back and sighed softly, knowing that nothing would work. Bowing slightly, she turned around and walked out.
Soon, only Ran Yun Ting was left inside the ice room.
Staring at the portrait hanging on the ice wall with fiery eyes, she wanted nothing more than to cut up this man into a thousand pieces. Lifting her hand, she palmed forward mercilessly.
With a bang, the portrait instantly turned into dust.
“Little brat, you best not fall into the hands of this Queen, otherwise, I will definitely tear your corpse into ten thousand pieces!” Ran Yun Ting declared viciously.
As long as there was still a chance to rectify Su Yan’s situation, Ran Yun Ting wouldn’t hesitate to kill Yang Kai to dispel her disciple’s heart demon.
If Su Yan was unwilling to cut off her emotions, her Honoured Master would do it for her!
As long as this man died, Su Yan’s path forward would no longer be hindered, and she would not continue to suffer backlash from the Ice Jade Secret Art.
Perhaps she would be sad and disappointed for a while, but Ran Yun Ting believed that as time passed, Su Yan would only feel grateful and not resent her.
After thinking so, Ran Yun Ting quickly left her ice room and headed towards the ice peak where the Supreme Elder was in seclusion. She had to ask the Supreme Elder about this matter as she was not actually certain if this method would be effective. So long as Ran Yun Ting could get a nod from the Supreme Elder, she wouldn’t have any worries left.
The Inner Island of Pure Ice Island had many cross-crossing paths that lead in all directions.
Many female disciples of Ice Heart Valley were walking about the unique buildings carved from pure, crystal ice.
Su Yan walked along a certain ice road in despair, making her way back to her room step by step.
The two female responsible for guarding her followed closely behind while exchanging Divine Sense Messages with each other.
“Senior Sister Zhou, what mistake do you think Su Yan made to enrage Great Elder to this extent?” The shorter woman asked suspiciously.
The taller Senior Sister Zhou just coldly snorted, “Great Elder didn’t say, so how would I know? But no matter what happened, it certainly is no trivial matter. Otherwise, Great Elder would not put Su Yan under house arrest. Hmph, this little girl truly does not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth; since entering Ice Heart Valley, she has always had eyes atop her head, never putting us Senior Sisters in her eyes. Even if we met by chance, she would never offer greetings or display any kind of courtesy at all.”
“En, she’s relied completely on Great Elder’s favour to do as she pleases,” The petite woman snickered, “Now that she has offended Great Elder and fallen out of favour, let’s see if she dares act arrogant again in the future.”
“As her Senior Sisters, it’s time we teach her how to behave.”
The two looked at each other and smiled knowingly. They felt extremely happy right now, as if the sky had become brighter today.
As she was walking along though, Su Yan suddenly stopped, and her eyes brightened. Turning towards a certain direction, her figure flickered and flew off.
The expressions of the two women who had been following her changed dramatically as they thought Su Yan was trying to escape, but in the next moment, they saw her arrive in front of a few other Ice Heart Valley disciples.
“What now?” The woman surnamed Zhou showed an unhappy expression as she hurried over.
Nearby, a few Ice Heart Valley disciples who were talking in low voices wore confused looks on their faces. They did not understand why Su Yan had suddenly run over to them. The leader of this group, a woman with a powerful Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation, frowned slightly as she observed Sun Yan and asked, “Aren’t you Great Elder Ran’s Disciple, Su Yan?”
“She’s Su Yan?”
“I heard that she was only a Third-Order Saint when she first arrived here, but now, in less than thirty years, she’s almost reached the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm.”
“I also heard those rumours, so this is what she looks like.”
The several women walked up to and began looking towards Su Yan, as if this was the first time they had ever seen her.
“Yes,” Su Yan nodded. “Greetings, Senior Sisters!”
“En, do you have some business with us?” The lead woman asked.
“I just heard several Senior Sisters discussing… discussing the person in that portrait. Have you met him before?” Su Yan pointed to the portrait held by the leading woman.
“You mean this fellow?” The lead woman raised the portrait and laughed lightly. “I’ve indeed met him before.”
Su Yan’s eyes lit up and she asked urgently, “When did Senior Sister meet him, is he… is he well?”
The woman frowned and asked back doubtfully, “Does Junior Sister know this person too?”
When she asked, Su Yan realized that she had made a mistake.
When she was walking just now, she suddenly heard someone talking about Yang Kai and rushed over immediately.
Su Yan took a gentle breath and restrained her swirling emotions before nodding lightly, “En, I know him. Senior Sister, can you tell me when you met him and how he was? If you can, Junior Sister will be incredibly grateful.”
“The relationship between Junior Sister and him seems to be quite good,” The lead woman giggled lightly but did not dig any deeper into the subject. “Telling you is naturally not an issue; however, this was a matter from several years ago.”
“A few years ago?” Su Yan frowned.
“Yeah, Junior Sister, you also know that the Emperor Garden opened a few years ago and that I and several others from the Sect entered to explore it, right? It was there that I met him. If it were not for his help at that time, we Senior Sisters would likely have suffered heavy casualties at the hands of Brilliant Flame Sect’s Kong Wen Dong! He even helped us kill that Kong Wen Dong.”
“He killed Kong Wen Dong?”
“Kong Wen Dong is a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, being able to kill him must mean that man is very powerful, yes?”
The group of women who had gathered previously all chatted in amazement.
If Yang Kai was here, he would recognize this woman leading the group.
During his expedition to the Emperor Garden, the first real fight Yang Kai had encountered was between this woman and Kong Wen Dong over an ancient cave mansion.
Yang Kai’s True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture and Purple Origin Alchemy Furnace were obtained at that time.
“Could you tell me more about that encounter?” Su Yan’s beautiful eyes flashed as she looked towards the woman expectantly.
The woman looked back at Su Yan thoughtfully, seemingly becoming aware of something, and nodded, “Sure.”
The lead woman began telling the story of what happened to her in the Emperor Garden a few years ago, entrancing the group of disciples from Ice Heart Valley, but Su Yan had long ago fallen into a daze.
[He’s already so strong.]
She did not know who this Kong Wen Dong was, but from the reactions of her fellow disciples, Su Yan was able to infer some information.
Kong Wen Dong was definitely a peak level master in the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, and Yang Kai was already able to kill him a few years ago when he was just a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator!
Several years had passed now, so what realm had Yang Kai reached? Just how powerful was he now?
Her Junior Brother, her man, was already so outstanding.
A light smile filled Su Yan’s face, one that seemed to brighten the entire Pure Ice Island.
“Junior Sister Su, please come with us now. Don’t make things more difficult than they need to be!” The tall woman in charge of guarding Su Yan urged impatiently as the happy look on the latter’s face somehow annoyed her.
“Yes, if we are delayed here and Great Elder finds out, we will be the ones who are punished, or is Junior Sister Su saying you are willing to take responsibility for us?” The shorter woman snapped.
The others all looked at them in surprise, then at Su Yan, not understanding what was going on.
Su Yan thanked the Senior Sister who told her about Yang Kai before quickly saying goodbye and continuing to walk towards her ice mansion, walking briskly as she tried to sweep away her previous sorrows.
…..
At the bottom of a blue river, the Sealed World Bead sat silently covered in silt for almost an entire year.
One day, however, a school of fish swam by, close enough to disturb the silt covering the Sealed World Bead, exposing it from its hiding spot.
One curious fish from this school spotted the Sealed World Bead, opened its mouth, and swallowed it down. Twisting about a bit uncomfortably for a moment, the fish then casually caught up with the rest of its school.
Ten days later, these fish swam into a vast lake, and as soon as they entered this place, a huge black shadow appeared from the depths. This black shadow opened its mouth wide, like a whale, and inhaled deeply, swallowing almost eighty percent of the school of river fish.
A short time later, this black shadow belched and left contentedly.
A few days later, ten thousand kilometres away from the entrance of the lake, an iron ship was sailing along slowly. Aboard this iron ship, a group of cultivators were pushing their Saint Qi to use Secret Technique and artifacts in combat with a huge black shadow below the water’s surface.
Half an hour later, the shadow was killed, and the cultivators happily fished up the shadow from the lake.
This strange fish was nearly twenty metres in length and had large, bulging red eyes. Its mouth was filled with jagged fangs, giving it a truly terrifying appearance. Most notable however was its tail, which was ball-shaped and filled with spikes.
Many of the cultivators aboard the ship were injured while fighting this strange fish, but at this moment, they all had joyful looks upon their faces as they examined their spoils.
“Uncle Wang, this Flowing Star Fish is enormous! From the struggle it put up just now, it’s likely a peak Eight-Order Monster Beast,” A young man at the First-Order Saint King Realm stood next to the strange fish and kicked its belly lightly with his foot, smiling as he called out to an old man in green robes nearby.
The old man smiled and stroked his beard as he nodded, “En. This is a Flowing Star Fish that has grown to its limit, a genuine peak Eighth-Order Monster Beast.”
“Hahaha, we’ve struck it rich this time. The Flowing Star Fish’s Monster Core is extremely rare and worth at least 200,000 Saint Crystals, much more than the Monster Core of other Monster Beasts of this level,” The young man laughed.
“Yes, with this Flowing Star Fish, our trip this time has already been worthwhile! Selling the Monster Core will provide our Wang Family’s cultivators six months worth of cultivation resources.”
“Uncle Wang, should I process it, or do you want to do it yourself?” The young man looked at the old man.
“You do it, of course! This old master is too old to do such bloody work!” The old man said, drawing a laugh from everyone on the boat.
The young man did not complain and immediately took out a small silver dagger before pouring his Saint Qi into it to form a long blade which he stabbed into the fish’s body. A moment later, the young man extracted a fist-sized Monster Core from the fish’s head.
The young man then respectfully handed the Monster Core to the old man. The old man took a closer look and nodded, “En, this is an excellent Monster Core, one that contains an extremely rich Water Attribute energy. If this is used by a cultivator who cultivates a Water Attribute Secret Art, they will be able to rapidly improve their strength. Alright, this old master will look after this Monster Core for the time being and hand it over to the Patriarch when we return. Everyone here will be rewarded well for this merit!”
Hearing this, the cultivators who participated in the battle just now cheered in excitement.
“This Flowing Star Fish is quite rare, and its flesh is also a delicacy that cannot be wasted. Call someone over to process it,” After the old man gave the order, he turned around and entered his cabin.
The young man standing next to the fish then called over a few of the younger disciples to handle it.
This young man was naturally unwilling to handle such menial work and assigned the disciples with the lowest cultivation onboard to handle it. Generally, these low-level disciples wouldn’t participate in the battle and were only responsible for doing chores to earn some Saint Crystals for their cultivation.
Although the Flowing Star Fish was quite big, it was not too much trouble to handle.
A short time later, everything was processed, and the fish meat was specially preserved to not lose its freshness while its organs which were of no use were thrown overboard.
Somewhere at the bottom of the boat, in a rather crude room, a young girl about sixteen or seventeen years old closed her door tightly and sat on her bed. Looking left and right, with a guilty expression her face, she carefully reached into her pocket and pulled out an unremarkable-looking bead.
This bead was only about the size of a longan and did not seem to be anything special.
But this did not stop the young girl’s heart from pounding.
“Is this a Monster Core?” The girl muttered to herself, her face flushing with excitement as she bit her thin lip and looked at the bead in her hand anxiously.
Just now, she was one of the lower base disciples who had processed the fish and at the time she had accidentally found this bead in its belly, after which she quickly hid it from the others.
She thought it might be the Flowing Star Fish’s Monster Core!
Now, thinking about what she had just done, however, she couldn’t help feeling fearful.
Since she came out with her family’s iron ship, everything she obtained should technically belong to the family. She did not know what came over her at the time to actually try to pocket this bead for herself.
It was obviously impossible for her to turn it in now; if she tried to, she would likely be punished by the Family Law for theft.
“This isn’t a Monster Core,” The girl was not able to calm herself, so she instead tried to convince herself that she hadn’t done anything wrong to ease her guilt.
The Monster Core had been taken away by her Uncle Wang, and she had never heard about a Monster Beast that formed two Monster Cores. Moreover, this bead had no energy fluctuations, so 0bviously it could not be a Monster Core.
But since it wasn’t a Monster Core, what was it? Why was it in the belly of that fish?
The girl tilted her head to the side and kept staring at the bead in her hand in confusion.
Suddenly, the bead flashed and mysteriously disappeared from her hand.
At the same time, strangely, a person appeared in front of her.
The girl turned pale when she witnessed this and quickly lifted her head to examine this stranger.
Standing in front of her was a young man who seemed to be around twenty-five or sixty years old. His expression was also slightly confused, seemingly puzzled by his current situation.
Four eyes suddenly met, and the girl’s beautiful eyes flashed with terror as she opened her small mouth to try to shout.
Yang Kai moved faster though and quickly managed to cover her mouth.
The girl struggled, punching and kicking Yang Kai as her face filled with panic, obviously thinking Yang Kai was some kind of heinous criminal.
“Don’t shout and don’t move!” Yang Kai frowned as shouted in a low tone.
He still does not quite understand what had happened, but he quickly discerned that after coming out he had appeared on an iron ship that was carrying several cultivators. Although the strongest cultivator aboard was only at the First-Order Origin Returning Realm, nothing he needed to worry about, Yang Kai did not want to stir up trouble unnecessarily.
As such, he would first need to deal with this girl, albeit, a bit roughly.
The girl remained undeterred however and continued struggling.
Yang Kai saw that any attempt at gentle persuasion here would be ineffective and instead wore a vicious grin and as he swept his eyes over the girl’s figure and whispered maliciously, “If you don’t cooperate obediently, this King will have his way with you first then feed everyone else on this ship to the fishes!”
The young girl’s tender body shivered as a pleading look appeared in her beautiful eyes. She kept shaking her head as tears flowed out, obviously uneasy.
But despite being terribly frightened, she really calmed down and stopped struggling.
“Everything will be fine as long as you remain obedient!” Yang Kai showed a faint smile, pausing for a moment before following up, “I will warn you now, I could crush this boat and everyone on it to dust with a snap of my fingers; after all, the old fogey with the highest strength here is nothing but a First-Order Origin Returning Realm weakling. However, I am merciful and do not enjoy slaughtering the innocent. So, if you care for your family and friends, you’d best not annoy me. Lest you suffer the consequences.”
The girl’s beautiful eyes trembled as she nodded repeatedly.
Yang Kai casually stating the realm of the strongest person on board had made the young girl realise just how scary the young man in front of her was.
Naturally, she wasn’t going to act carelessly with her and her clansmen’s lives.
Yang Kai released her a moment later, and sure enough, the young girl no longer tried to scream, instead just choosing to stare at him apprehensively without saying a word.
“Okay. There is no need to be afraid. Although I will not claim to be a good person, I am also not someone wicked either, as long as you cooperate, there will be some benefits for you,” Yang Kai finally comforted.
This young girl’s courage apparently wasn’t small, and after recovering from her initial fright, and seeing the amiable look on Yang Kai’s face, she truly calmed down, but she still didn’t dare to speak at will and just stood there uneasily.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense next to carefully scan his surroundings before formulating a hypothesis for why he had appeared here.
Originally, he had hidden the Sealed World Bead at the bottom of a river, but now, it seemed it had somehow found its way into this little girl’s hands.
The exact chain of events was of course still a mystery to Yang Kai, but that did not really matter.
The other party’s cultivation only reached the Third-Order Transcendent Realm, meaning she was not even a Saint yet. She was slender and looked a bit delicate.
“Where is this place and who are you?” Yang Kai focused his attention, found a chair to sit down in, and asked the girl.
The girl gulped before suppressing the panic in her heart and replied with a trembling voice, “Reporting to Senior, this is Thorn Lake, and we are from the Wang Family.”
[Thorn Lake, Wang Family!] Yang Kai naturally hadn’t heard these names before, but he figured it was the territory of some family on this Cultivation Star.
Once again, this did not really matter to Yang Kai. Now that he had exited the Sealed World Bead, his first task was to find out if Luo Hai was still on Scarlet Wave Star.
Although Yang Kai figured he had been here for more than a year now, and Luo Hai had probably given up searching for him, he could not act carelessly or act too overtly. This was why he had forced this young girl to cooperate with him; he needed to gather some intelligence from her.
It was unlikely that this little girl would know much, but seeing how Luo Hai was a Second-Order Origin King, his every move would be very eye-catching, so there was a chance this girl had at least heard some useful rumours.
“En, what Cultivation Star is this?” Yang Kai asked again.
“Scarlet Wave Star!” The girl looked at Yang Kai in amazement, her beautiful eyes full of curiosity.
“Scarlet Wave Star?” Yang Kai frowned for a moment but quickly recalled the many dealings he had with cultivators from this Cultivation Star. Without even mentioning Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley, just Xu Ding Yang he had met in the Blood Prison seemed to be from Scarlet Wave Star.
Before Xu Ding Yang died, he had asked Yang Kai to go to Blue Feather Sect to inform them of his death.
Coincidentally, Yang Kai had come to this very Cultivation Star.
“Is the Scarlet Wave Star occupied by Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley?”
“Yes,” The girl nodded, “Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley are the two most powerful Sects on Scarlet Wave Star and both have an Origin King Realm master who commands them.”
After answering several of Yang Kai’s questions, the girl’s mood settled greatly and she became bolder, even taking the initiative to come forward and pour Yang Kai a glass of water.
She could tell now that Yang Kai was not some kind of villain.
“Both have Origin Kings overseeing them!” Yang Kai was surprised. He didn’t know much about these two Sects but judging from the strength of the people he had come into contact with, it wasn’t too much of a shock that they possessed masters of such level.
“Then is there a force called Blue Feather Sect here?” Yang Kai asked next.
The girl’s beautiful eyes brightened for a moment, “Does Senior have some friendship with Blue Feather Sect?”
“Not exactly, answer my question!”
The girl’s expression changed slightly as she nodded and quickly replied, “En, our Wang Family is attached to Blue Feather Sect.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his brow, “Is that true?”
“Junior dares not deceive Senior,” The girl bit her red lips.
“Then tell me, what is the name of Blue Feather Sect’s Sect Master?”
“Sect Master Xu Ding Yang!”
Yang Kai gently nodded. Observing this young girl’s words and expressions, he could tell that she was not deceiving him. After confirming that the other party was not lying to him, Yang Kai thought about it for a moment before he took out a Space Ring and handed it to her.
“Senior, this is…”
“Your Blue Feather Sect’s Sect Master died in the Blood Prison. This is his Space Ring. I only met him by chance right before the end, at that point, he requested I inform Blue Feather Sect about his death if I ever visited Scarlet Wave Star. Now that I have met you here though, I shall hand this task over to you. If you bring this Space Ring to Blue Feather Sect, they will naturally be able to confirm its authenticity.”
“Sect Master died?” The girl was shocked.
In her opinion, the cultivation of Blue Feather Sect’s Sect Master was extremely profound, higher than she would ever be able to reach. Yet, now, she was hearing that such a powerful master had actually fallen.
The young could not help feeling a bit dazed!
Yang Kai gave her some time to digest this news before he asked, “What is your name?”
“Junior is called Wang Ying!”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, “Wang Ying, what important matters have happened on Scarlet Wave Star recently? Has some powerful foreign master arrived here?”
“A powerful master?” Wang Ying was at a loss and shook her head, “Junior doesn’t know, but if it is about important matters, there really has been something occurring recently.”
“Let’s hear it.”
Wang Ying proceeded to tell him about how Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley were both searching for someone.
Although Wang Ying didn’t know what person Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley were looking for, or even what they looked like exactly, she had heard rumours that it was a young man in his twenties or thirties.
Hearing this, Yang Kai realized the situation was not optimistic.
[Could the one they were looking for be me? The timing at least matched when I arrived on Scarlet Wave Star.]
Brilliant Flame Sect looking for him, Yang Kai could understand; after all, in the Blood Prison, Yang Kai had heard that the Supreme Elder of Brilliant Flame Sect had some friendship with Luo Hai. If Luo Hai was still on Scarlet Wave Star, he would definitely seek assistance from Brilliant Flame Sect.
But why was Ice Heart Valley looking for him as well?
Yang Kai had some intersection with the people from Ice Heart Valley, but that was only a small incident back in the Emperor Garden. There were no grievances between him and Ice Heart Valley, so why were they interested in finding him?
Word of the Emperor Artifact and Origin Essence Crystal would never have been leaked. Luo Hai’s entire purpose was to obtain these two treasures, so how could he possibly tell anyone else about them?
Yang Kai thought about it but couldn’t figure out the whole story.
“Senior…” Wang Ying could not help calling out when Yang Kai stopped talking for some time.
“En, I’m very satisfied with your answers, this is for you,” Yang Kai said as he placed a small package on a nearby desk before casually getting up and with a flicker, disappearing from the room.
Wang Ying did not even see how he moved.
Stunned for a moment, Wang Ying soon took a deep breath as she felt a great pressure suddenly lift from her shoulders.
Stepping forward slowly, she walked over to the desk and opened the package. The next instant, her beautiful eyes brightened.
Inside were at least twenty exquisite jade bottles, each one filled with precious pills.
…..
No one noticed Yang Kai leaving the iron ship. After Yang Kai was outside, he casually picked a direction and flew forward.
Scarlet Wave Star was not safe as Luo Hai was still searching for him with the assistance of one the biggest Sects on the star. Yang Kai wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. Otherwise, once Luo Hai found some trace of him, things would become troublesome.
Now that his control over Space Force had increased dramatically, Yang Kai was not worried he would die at Luo Hai’s hands, but being chased around by such a master was still an unpleasant experience.
How to leave safely was his biggest problem though.
The Divine Sense of an Origin King Realm master was incredible and there was no way to tell if Luo Hai or Brilliant Flame Sect were paying attention to the movements of cultivators leaving Scarlet Wave Star. If someone noticed him, Yang Kai would be right back where he started. For now, it was probably safest for him to remain in hiding on Scarlet Wave Star.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai considered his options.
This was the first time he had been hunted down by an Origin King Realm master, and a Star Master at that.
It was a stressful experience!
The atmosphere on Scarlet Wave Star was quite tense right now. Although Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley had always been at odds, there had never been a time when they were openly attacking one another like now.
The small families and Sects attached to the two great forces had also been mobilized.
Throughout Scarlet Wave Star, battles could be seen almost everywhere, and many cultivators died every day.
As Yang Kai flew along, he witnessed countless small skirmishes. Some fights were between two opponents while others involved hundreds or even thousands all at once, making for an extremely lively scene.
One day, as he flew high up in the sky, Yang Kai heard a shout come from below.
Yang Kai looked down and found that there were at least six hundred people gathered below, assembled into two camps, fighting each other.
Needless to say, this was another conflict between Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley, with each side suffering casualties and staining the ground red with blood. The brilliance of artifacts and Secret Techniques was extremely dazzling even from afar.
Yang Kai shook his head slowly and continued on his way
After flying forward a few dozen kilometres, though, Yang Kai sensed the fluctuations of battle coming from below again.
However, this fight was quite small, only involving three people who had seemingly been separated from the main battlefield.
Two men were besieging a woman. The cultivations of this group were not high. The woman was just a Second-Order Saint King while the two men were the same.
Fighting two opponents of the same level, the woman was clearly at a disadvantage. No matter how she tried to move, she would be flanked and forced back. However, the two men seemed to be wary of this woman’s methods and didn’t move in for a decisive blow, instead choosing to wear down her stamina and Saint Qi.
The woman was dressed in pure white robes and gave off an ice-cold aura while the two men clearly cultivated Fire Attribute Secret Arts. The blazing hot aura from their bodies easily countered the chill pulsing from the woman’s body and while they attacked, they would constantly taunt her in an attempt to disturb her concentration.
With their Saint Qi attributes mutually restraining one another, the situation of the woman was extremely difficult.
When Yang Kai passed by above, he couldn’t help frowning slightly and glancing down.
When the woman’s profile entered Yang Kai’s line of sight, he immediately came to a halt as his eyes shrank. Staring at the woman, Yang Kai was dumbfounded, as if he discovered something impossible.
The woman moved about lithely, and as her hair flew about, Yang Kai was able to catch a glimpse of her face.
“It’s actually her!” Yang Kai’s body trembled as an astonishing light flashed across his eyes.
He never expected he would encounter this woman on Scarlet Wave Star!
“Woman, this Liu advises you to surrender without a fight, do so and you’ll suffer less! This Liu is a man of culture and does not want to embarrass a woman.” On the battlefield down below, the older looking man called out while attacking, as if he was trying to persuade the woman to give up resisting.
The other man, who looked a little younger, coldly snorted in response, “Why bother speaking any nonsense with her, Senior Brother Liu? This woman’s looks are pleasing. So, once we capture her alive, we’ll be able to thoroughly enjoy her while she begs for death!”
Although the cultivators from Brilliant Flame Sect all cultivated Fire Attribute Secret Arts, they possessed a Secret Technique that could allow them to harvest the Ice Attribute Saint Qi of Ice Heart Valley disciple to achieve a rapid rise in their cultivations.
The two Sects had been enemies for countless years, and many female disciples from Ice Heart Valley had disappeared over those millennia, almost all of whom were captured and taken away by Brilliant Flame Sect.
The fate of those female disciples was easy to imagine.
Although this kind of Secret Technique was also quite dangerous to Brilliant Flame Sect’s cultivators, many of their disciples were hot-headed and took pride in tormenting Ice Heart Valley disciples to harvest their cultivations.
Brilliant Flame Sect’s leaders ignored such behaviour and even condoned it in secret.
The two Brilliant Flame Sect men engaging in such banter greatly disturbed the woman’s focus.
“Despicable! Shameless!” The woman grit her teeth and pushed her Saint Qi even harder, sending out a wave of Ice Attribute energy which condensed into the shape of a flock of birds which weaved through the air as they honed in on the two vile men, trying to blind their vision.
“She’s trying to run away!” The younger Brilliant Flame Sect disciple reacted quickly and pushed his Fire Attribute Saint Qi, turning him into a burning ball of flame as he dove straight into the flock of ice birds.
The ice vaporized on contact as the flames were far too intense.
Liu Xiang took advantage of the momentary opening his partner had created and punched towards the gap in the ice bird screen.
A huge flame tiger suddenly appeared and sent out a shocking roar as it charged towards the fleeing woman.
Being attacked from both left and right, the woman was immediately suppressed, and although she used all the means she had at her disposal to resolve this crisis, she was still hit by the flame tiger on her shoulder, creating a long gash, out of which her blood poured.
As she staggered from the blow, the two Brilliant Flame Sect disciples rushed towards her with grim expressions.
The woman’s face became desperate as she felt her life flash before her eyes, a trace of regret and nostalgia overwhelming her for a moment before she quickly steeled her will and made her resolve.
She knew that if she really fell into the hands of this pair from Brilliant Flame Sect, her fate would be worse than death.
In fact, whenever the disciples of Ice Heart Valley went out, the Elders would warn them that if they had a choice, it was better for them to die than to be captured!
Every disciple of Ice Heart Valley remembered these words.
“Damn, this cheap slut wants to commit suicide!” The younger Brilliant Flame Sect disciple shouted. He had fought with many disciples of Ice Heart Valley and had seen this scene numerous times before, so he understood this woman’s intentions.
“She won’t get to die so easily!” Liu Xiang smiled wickedly as he stretched out his hand flung out a rope-like artifact covered in flaming light that swiftly wound around the woman.
Immediately yanking on the rope, it tightened up greatly.
The woman’s rapidly surging Saint Qi’s fluctuations suddenly subsided and she stood in place, a look of horror filling her face.
“Haha, this Liu’s Yuan Sealing Rope was specially created by an Artifact Refining Grandmaster to suppress you Ice Heart Valley women. As long as you’re bound by this rope, no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to detonate your Saint Qi,” Liu Xiang saw he had succeeded and didn’t bother keeping up his previous ‘moral’ image, instead lewdly gazing at his capture prey with a wicked grin on his face.
“Kill me!” The woman struggled, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not circulate her Saint Qi. This rope artifact seemed to not only bind her body, but her cultivation as well.
Liu Xiang was not joking, this artifact had indeed been created specifically to deal with disciples of Ice Heart Valley, and now that she was tied up by it, she couldn’t circulate her Saint Qi at all.
“How could I be willing to kill you!” Liu Xiang grinned evilly, “It’s not easy to catch a woman from Ice Heart Valley alive, and you’re such a beauty. This Liu cannot wait to savour your taste.”
The woman’s face was pale as she could almost foresee how miserable her fate would be in the future.
“You still want to bite your tongue and commit suicide? In your dreams!” The younger man snorted coldly, reached out his hand, and sent a wave of his Saint Qi into the woman’s body, causing her to stiffen in place, unable to even speak.
“Let’s leave here first,” Liu Xiang glanced over at the main battlefield several dozen kilometres away but did not show any intention to go help. For him, catching one enemy alive was enough.
“Junior Brother will accompany you,” The other man grinned meaningfully.
“Naturally, don’t worry, Junior Brother will have his share as well!” Liu Xiang understood his meaning, stepped forward, and grabbed towards the captured woman.
However, after taking only three steps, in a flash, a strange figure appeared in front of him and stood between him and the woman.
Liu Xiang was taken aback and instinctively jumped back several dozen meters. Staring at this newcomer vigilantly, he questioned in a low voice, “Friend, who are you?”
The other party’s only response was an icy cold glare, one that made Liu Xiang, who cultivated a Fire Attribute Secret Art and should be immune to most cold, shiver uncontrollably.
“Senior Brother…” The younger cultivator also found that something was wrong. The young man who appeared suddenly looked at them with an unkind look and there was a rich murderous intent pulsing from his body. Obviously, this stranger didn’t have good intentions here.
Liu Xiang frowned as he stared for a moment before his eyes suddenly bulged and he exclaimed, “It’s you!”
He clearly recognized the identity of this person!
As soon as these words fell, Liu Xiang didn’t hesitate to use his Movement Skill to flee!
Liu Xiang’s partner was stunned for a moment but did not dare to remain either, quickly turning into a flaming beam of light as he tried to escape.
This stranger who had suddenly appeared was an Origin Returning Realm master, not someone they could compete with at all. Although the two of them did not want to give up the woman they had worked so hard to capture, preserving their lives was far more important compared to her.
Moreover, both of them recognized that this newcomer was none other than the person they had been looking for this past year. Right now, their most important duty was to report discovering him here as soon as possible.
The speed of these two was quite good, and in the blink of an eye, they had already run a few thousand meters.
The young man didn’t seem to care, however, and only when their figures were about to disappear from sight did he stretch out his hand unhurriedly and snapped his fingers twice.
The sound of something shattering rang out next.
Suddenly, in the distance, two screams rang out and the two Brilliant Flame Sect disciples stopped in place, as if struck by lightning, then fell to the ground.
The captured woman was completely startled as her beautiful eyes stared at the back of the man in front of her. For a moment, she felt that this broad figure, that stood before her like a mountain, was quite a pleasant sight and her heart filled with gratitude.
She had not expected that at this critical time, a master would suddenly appear to help her.
There were no male disciples in Ice Heart Valley, but perhaps this person was someone from a Sect attached to Ice Heart Valley.
She wanted to open her mouth to offer her thanks, but the seal which was placed on her by the Brilliant Flame Sect disciple before was still preventing her from speaking.
However… why did this person’s back seem somewhat familiar? The longer she stared, the more she felt she had seen it somewhere before.
The puzzled the woman greatly.
After killing the two Brilliant Flame Sect disciples, the murderous intent radiating from the man in front of him quickly dissipated and he turned around to direct a complicated look towards her.
Looking at each other, it was as if she had been struck by a petrification technique as she stared at the face of the man who had saved her.
She could hardly believe her eyes!
Yang Kai let out a sigh and spoke first, “Senior Qing Ya, it’s been many years since we last met.”
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and with a wave, cut off the rope-like artifact that was binging her. Without the shackles of this artifact, Qing Ya was able to break the seal which was placed on her by circulating her Saint Qi slightly; however, instead of doing so, she simply remained frozen in place, staring at Yang Kai in shock.
She never expected that it would be Yang Kai who came to her rescue!
One had to know that Yang Kai, the one responsible for stirring up all the chaos on Scarlet Wave Star this past year, had never once shown his face!
On top of that, his current strength was impossible for Qing Ya to see through, which meant his cultivation was at least a full Great Realm higher than her own! Only such a massive gap would prevent her from being able to properly gauge his level.
How did he manage to grow so quickly?
Qing Ya had thought that Su Yan’s growth was scary enough; after all, they had all left Tong Xuan Realm together and at the time, Su Yan’s cultivation was lower than hers, but after entering the Star Field, Su Yan seemed to fully blossom and her cultivation soared upwards, reaching the First-Order Origin Returning Realm not long ago.
Yet, Yang Kai seemed to have reached an even higher cultivation than Su Yan.
[Where had he been all these years? How did he cultivate?]
Qing Ya’s thoughts were a mess
Only after a long time did Qing Ya gradually calm down and ask hesitantly, “Yang Kai? Is it really you?”
“It’s me,” Yang Kai nodded gently.
He too had not expected to meet the former Sect Master of Ice Sect, Qing Ya, here on Scarlet Wave Star.
The moment he saw her, Yang Kai had doubted whether he was imagining things.
Qing Ya and Su Yan were supposed to be together though, so if Qing Ya was here, what about Su Yan? Was she here too? Yang Kai’s thoughts became turbulent and he was barely able to suppress the expectations deep in his heart.
“Senior Qing Ya, Su Yan…” Yang Kai took a deep breath and asked, his voice nearly cracking, afraid he would not hear the answer he was looking for.
“Su Yan is fine, you don’t have to worry,” Qing Ya’s answer lifted a great weight from Yang Kai’s heart.
It had been more than thirty years, thirty years since they last met! This kind of parting was different from the one he had with Xia Ning Chang as although Yang Kai had not seen Little Senior Sister for many years, he at least knew she was safe on Tong Xuan Realm, waiting for him to return.
Su Yan’s situation was entirely different. For so many years, Yang Kai did not know where she was, how she was living, or whether she was safe.
This worry tormented him far more than them simply being separated.
Qing Ya’s few words brought a broad smile to Yang Kai’s face, one filled with relief.
“Did you arrive here together?” Yang Kai asked again, “Where is she now?”
“She’s not here right now, she’s currently back in Ice Heart Valley.”
“Ice Heart Valley? You joined Ice Heart Valley?” Yang Kai was stunned.
I probably won’t do so the next time if it is this obvious but do share your thoughts.
Title – Qing Ya
Su Yan and Qing Ya actually joined Ice Heart Valley!
Fate was truly unpredictable.
As early as a few years ago, Yang Kai had dealings with people from Ice Heart Valley in the Emperor Garden, and now, after arriving on Scarlet Wave Star by accident, he had learned just how powerful a force Ice Heart Valley was.
However, Yang Kai had never thought that Su Yan and Qing Ya had joined Ice Heart Valley.
If he had known this earlier, he would have come looking for them sooner.
However, Ice Heart Valley only accepted female disciple and was famous for its disciples all cultivating Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Secret Technique. It was truly a suitable place for Su Yan and Qing Ya; after all, Ice Sect, which they had originally belonged to, was quite similar.
“Su Yan has missed you greatly, but she was unable to return to Tong Xuan Realm. She kept telling me all these years that once she could travel the Star Field alone, she would definitely go back to find you,” Qing Ya looked at Yang Kai and couldn’t help reminiscing about Tong Xuan Realm which she had left all those years ago.
“I know, I’ve been looking for her all these years as well,” Yang Kai smiled, but just as he was about to inquire more about Su Yan with Qing Ya, he suddenly frowned and said, “This isn’t a place to stay and talk, we should leave here first.”
Saying so, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and used his Saint Qi to wrap up Qing Ya before quickly disappearing from where they stood.
Ten breaths or so later, a group of seven or eight cultivators appeared in the spot Yang Kai and Qing Ya had just left and their leader furrowed his brow, “There were people here just now, how did they suddenly disappear?”
“Perhaps they noticed our auras and ran away,” Someone speculated.
“En, no matter, our priority is to reinforce our Sect in the battle up ahead,” The leader waved his hand and led the others towards the battlefield.
A few tens of thousands of kilometres away from that battlefield, in a small city, Yang Kai and Qing Ya found an inn and rented a small room.
Inside the room, Yang Kai asked about how Su Yan had been these past few years carefully.
Learning that she was well and had not only entered Ice Heart Valley but also worshipped its Great Elder Ran Yun Ting as her Master, Yang Kai felt completely relieved.
Ice Heart Valley had an Origin King Realm master protecting it, and could not be considered a weak force, so the cultivation of their Great Elder was not low. Being accepted as the disciple of such a master was a great blessing for Su Yan.
Yang Kai even felt faintly grateful to this Ran Yun Ting.
Had it not been for her careful guidance, it would have been impossible for Su Yan to reach the First-Order Origin Returning Realm in such a short time!
Xia Ning Chang had refined Tong Xuan Realm’s Star Source to achieve her current cultivation, so Su Yan being able to stand on equal footing with her simply through her own efforts in cultivation showed how outstanding her aptitude was.
Qing Ya even informed Yang Kai that Su Yan was already preparing to break through to the Second-Order.
Yang Kai felt happy for her from the bottom of his heart!
As for why the pair had joined Ice Heart Valley, it was a simple stroke of luck.
According to Qing Ya, after they were separated from Qian Yue, they had arrived on Green Mountains Star through a Void Corridor. There, Qing Ya, Su Yan, and Qian Hao stayed and cultivated for a time on Green Mountains Star, but with their low strength at the Second and Third-Order Saint Realm, they were unable to earn too many Saint Crystals, far from enough to satisfy their cultivation needs.
All that changed when they met Ran Yun Ting by chance.
At that time, Ran Yun Ting had been on Green Mountains Star for some unspecified reason and after seeing Su Yan, was overjoyed with her innate talent and immediately offered to bring her back to the Ice Heart Valley to cultivate.
How could the trio refuse such a good offer?
After carefully inquiring about Ice Heart Valley, Su Yan and Qing Ya decided to join. As for Qian Hao, because he was a man, he was unable to follow them.
However, Ran Yun Ting arranged for Qian Hao to enter a Sect which was attached to Ice Heart Valley and now he had reached the Second-Order Saint King Realm.
After hearing what Qing Ya said, Yang Kai wore a strange expression.
“So you really were at Green Mountains Star,” He smiled bitterly.
Qian Yue had stayed on the Green Mountains Star for some time but was never able to find any information on Su Yan and the others. Apparently, they had simply been too late.
If Yang Kai had arrived on Green Mountains Star twenty or thirty years earlier, he might still have been able to meet them, but when Qian Yue was there searching for them, Su Yan and the others had already left for Scarlet Wave Star.
“Right, Qian Yue has been missing you greatly as well.”
“You’ve met Qian Yue? Is she alright?” Qing Ya asked with pleasant surprise. After they had been separated that year, she no longer knew how Qian Yue was doing and had been worried about her all this time. Now hearing Yang Kai’s words, Qing Ya was incredibly happy.
“Naturally, she is well, but you should ask her yourself,” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
“Ask her myself?” Qing Ya frowned slightly, wondering what Yang Kai meant.
Yang Kai simply closed his eyes and scanned the Sealed World Bead with his Divine Sense. Quickly finding Qian Yue and confirming that she was not in retreat, he called out to warn her before swiftly bringing her out of the Sealed World Bead.
“What’s the matter?” Qian Yue asked with some confusion after she appeared.
“Look who I found,” Yang Kai pointed behind her and smiled.
Qian Yue turned around and her beautiful eyes instantly bulged as tears formed at their corners. Trembling slightly, she called out in joyful surprise, “Sect Master!”
“Qian Yue…” Qing Ya was also extremely excited.
Although the Star Field was filled with wonders, they had never forgotten their longing to reunite with one another. On Tong Xuan Realm, in the Ice Sect, Qing Ya and Qian Yue had a close relationship, just like sisters, so now that they had met once more after so many years of separation, they were both naturally very emotional.
Both of them had puffy red eyes.
Embracing one another and confirming that they were both well and had advanced greatly in their respective cultivations, the two women continued celebrating joyfully.
“Yang Kai, you actually found Sect Master!” Qian Yue turned a grateful look towards Yang Kai. Since meeting him on Shadowed Star, Qian Yue had always taken looking for Qing Ya and the others as her goal, almost to the point where it became a heart demon for her.
Yang Kai had fulfilled her greatest wish today!
“Where is my brother? Where is Su Yan? Are they alright?” Qian Yue asked anxiously.
“Both your brother Qian Hao and Su Yan are doing well. The Sect he has joined is called the Illusion Soul Sect, you don’t have to worry about his wellbeing,” Qing Ya comforted.
“That’s good, that’s good,” Qian Yue’s cheeks were wet as she continued weeping tears of joy while her face was filled with smiles.
“Come, tell me about your situation over these past few years, I’ve already told Yang Kai about our affairs,” Qing Ya took Qian Yue’s hand and sat down to chat.
Qian Yue obliged and began telling her story.
Learning that she had almost become a brothel woman used to satisfy men, Qing Ya’s expression became ice-cold and she could not help shooting a grateful glance towards Yang Kai.
When she heard that Yang Kai had now almost unified an entire Cultivation Star, Qing Ya was thoroughly shocked.
Even if there were no Origin Kings there, it was not a simple matter to unify a Cultivation Star. Not only did it require overwhelming strength, but also great personal skill and charisma.
Time passed slowly as the two women revelled in their reunion, seemingly never running out of words to say to one another.
Yang Kai did not try to interrupt them and simply sat the side, listening attentively.
It was not until evening that Qing Ya seemed to come back to her senses and apologized to Yang Kai, “It seems we’ve become lost in our conversation.”
“Senior Qing Ya is too serious, I can understand how you feel.”
If he had met Su Yan again like this, he would likely not have shown any more restraint.
“Your cultivation is now far beyond mine, so don’t call me Senior anymore,” Qing Ya smiled. “On top of that, you are a Sect Master now, so whether it is in terms of strength or status, I am no longer comparable to you. If you call me Senior again, it will only make me feel ashamed.”
“Senior is my Senior, that will never change,” Yang Kai shook his head. He never felt that he could despise his elders just because of his strength grew beyond theirs.
“If you don’t mind, please address me as Elder Sister,” Qing Ya smiled, “Su Yan and I now share a Senior Sister, Junior Sister relationship, and this is the Star Field, not Tong Xuan Realm anymore, so there’s no need to be tied down to our past.”
Yang Kai nodded and said, “Then just as I address Su Yan, I will call you Senior Sister.”
“Very good,” Qing Ya nodded, thinking of Su Yan, she smiled knowingly. “Su Yan should have heard about you by now, and although she mostly remains in the Inner Island in secluded retreat, not having contact with the outside world, before I left the Sect I wrote her a letter. She comes to visit me at least once a month, so she must have seen that letter and know you are on Scarlet Wave Star by now.”
“Can I enter Ice Heart Valley?” Yang Kai asked expectantly.
“Do you want to go?” Qing Ya frowned, “Although Ice Heart Valley hasn’t treated Su Yan or me poorly, Ice Heart Valley has moved quite overtly to search for you this time. I don’t know the specific reason, but if you take the initiative to show up in Ice Heart Valley, it is impossible to say what might happen.”
“Then can Su Yan leave Ice Heart Valley?” Yang Kai asked again.
Qing Ya shook her head, “Great Elder has extremely high expectations for Su Yan, and right now is a crucial moment for her as she prepares to break through to the Second-Order. With the battles between Ice Heart Valley and Brilliant Flame Sect growing ever more frequent, it is highly unlikely Great Elder will allow Su Yan to leave the Sect.”
“Then I must go!” Yang Kai quickly said.
“You…” Qing Ya opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to persuade him, but as soon as she saw the firmness in his look, she knew that no matter what she said it would be useless and immediately sighed. “Let me think about it for a moment.”
Yang Kai nodded and fell silent.
After a long time, Qing Ya sighed and looked up at Yang Kai again, “If you want to enter Ice Heart Valley, you’ll have to expose your identity and allow my Ice Heart Valley’s people to take you in. There is no other way. Ice Heart Valley has never allowed men to set foot into its territory, and for thousands of years there has never been an exception!”
“As long as I reveal myself, they will take the initiative to welcome me in?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“I am not certain, because I don’t know why Ice Heart Valley is looking for you. However, since the actions they took are so big, the Great Elder and Valley Master must have some concerns about you. So, I think it is possible.”
“Then we’ll do that!” Yang Kai grinned, “I’ll have to bother Senior Sister Qing Ya with this.”
“It’s no trouble for me, I simply need to report to the Elders and they will definitely send someone over to escort you back to the Sect!” Qing Ya said seriously, “But are you sure you want to do this? If you enter Ice Heart Valley, there’s no way to predict what will happen to you.”
“It’s fine, I just want to meet Su Yan as soon as possible,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“Good. Since you’ve decided to do so, I will contact them,” Qing Ya nodded, took out a communication artifact from her Space Ring, and poured her Divine Sense into it.
Soon after, an obvious Divine Sense fluctuation came from her communication artifact.
A moment later, Qing Ya put away her communication artifact, turned to Yang Kai, and said, “Thirteenth Elder is nearby, she will personally take you back to Ice Heart Valley!”
In the foyer of the inn, a beautiful woman in a full-length white outfit stared at Yang Kai with a cold expression, nodded, and replied, “Yes, he’s the one! Qing Ya, you have done a good job in finding this man, this Elder will report to the Valley Master and Elder Council about this merit and you will definitely receive an appropriate reward!”
After Qing Ya sent her a message, it only took two hours for Ice Heart Valley’s Thirteenth Elder to arrive and meet Yang Kai at the inn.
On the orders of the Valley Master, Ice Heart Valley’s disciples had been searching for Yang Kai outside for a year now, so all of them were naturally familiar with his appearance. Being able to find him made the Thirteenth Elder quite pleased.
“Many thanks, Elder,” Qing Ya didn’t show much joy on her face and instead asked with some worry. “Elder, may disciple ask, why has our Ice Heart Valley been seeking him?”
Thirteenth Elder turned her head and glanced at Qing Ya, her beautiful eyes flashing an icy light as she asked coldly, “Are you concerned about him?”
Qing Ya’s expression remained unchanged as she spoke, “He rescued me from a pair of Brilliant Flame Sect disciples and can be considered my lifesaver, so…”
Thirteenth Elder gently nodded, her doubts swept away, and slowly said, “We naturally have a reason for looking for him, but you need not ask about it. However, since he is your saviour, this Elder can at least tell you that Ice Heart Valley will not treat him poorly.”
Hearing this, Qing Ya let out a sigh of relief and quickly thanked her.
Thirteenth Elder next turned to Yang Kai, examined him carefully for a while, then nodded in approval, “Your strength isn’t bad, what is your name?”
“Yang Kai.”
“You’re not from Scarlet Wave Star?” Thirteenth Elder seemed to be wary of Yang Kai.
“No, I came from Green Mountains Star.”
“Green Mountains Star!” Thirteenth Elder narrowed her eyes as some vague speculations came to her mind. However, unable to verify any of these suspicions here, she simply asked, “You know that Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley are looking for you, so why have you chosen to go to Ice Heart Valley?”
Yang Kai smiled lightly, “I have some grievances with the Brilliant Flame Sect and have killed a number of their people, so if I want to seek refuge now, I can only choose Ice Heart Valley.”
After explaining himself, Yang Kai asked back, “Is Senior doubting my motives?”
“One cannot know the hearts of others at the first meeting!” Thirteenth Elder did not deny the charge, “But your choice is correct, now only Ice Heart Valley can shelter you. En, very well, we’ll remain here for a day until preparations are completed. Tomorrow, this Elder will personally escort you back to Ice Heart Valley!”
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai suppressed his emotions and offered his thanks.
[At last, I will be able to meet Su Yan!] Yang Kai was so excited that he could hardly contain himself. He wanted to see with his own eyes how she was doing now.
Yang Kai waited anxiously in the inn.
As for Thirteenth Elder, she was making some kind of arrangements in secret.
That night, the cultivators belonging to Ice Heart Valley Sect and their attached forces took the initiative to launch an all-out assault on the disciples of Brilliant Flame Sect. Instantly, a myriad of battles erupted, consuming nearly everyone’s complete attention.
While it was still dark, Thirteenth Elder came to the inn again and brought Yang Kai and Qing Ya out of the city.
Roughly thirty kilometres outside the city, a group of about a dozen or so women were waiting quietly.
After seeing the arrival of Thirteenth Elder, all of them bowed their hands.
“Let’s go!” Thirteenth Elder did not bother with any nonsense and led the group forward with a wave of her hand.
The dozen or so women scattered about, keeping Yang Kai in the middle of their group as they followed Thirteenth Elder towards Pure Ice Island.
Wisps of different fragrances assaulted him from all sides, lingering at the tip of his nose, causing Yang Kai to become aware he was surrounded by a group of beauties.
These female disciples of Ice Heart Valley, regardless of their cultivation, all had outstanding appearances, slim figures, and assorted temperaments, each showcasing their own characteristics.
While on the way, however, all these disciples would stare at Yang Kai from time to time, their expressions somewhat strange.
They had been rushing around for a year, engaging in many battles, all to search for Yang Kai, so now that they got to see him in person, they naturally paid attention to him.
All of them were very curious as to what was so special about this man that Scarlet Wave Star’s two top Sects were going all out to find him.
For this man, many of their companions had died tragically while many others had unknown fates…
Naturally, Yang Kai did not miss the hostility these women were directing towards him.
Of the dozen or so women who were responsible for protecting him, at least half were directing hostile intent towards him.
Yang Kai was completely bewildered by this situation!
If it were not for Thirteenth Elder assuming command here, Yang Kai estimated that these women would have already joined together to beat him before they bothered trying to speak with him.
“Senior Sister Qing Ya, they don’t seem to like me very much,” Yang Kai whispered to Qing Ya quietly.
Qing Ya gave a wry smile. As a disciple of Ice Heart Valley, she had participated in this operation so she naturally knew why her fellow Sect Sisters were acting this way; however, explaining this was somewhat awkward so she could only say, “Don’t mind it, Ice Heart Valley’s disciples are generally hostile towards men.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded, not doubting her words.
The group continued to advance at an extremely fast pace.
Three days later, the group passed by a certain mountain valley.
Suddenly, Yang Kai frowned and turned to look in a certain direction.
Thirteenth Elder, who was at the front of the team, also seemed to sense something and shouted, “Enemy attack!”
As soon as her voice fell, hot, domineering, and violent energy fluctuations burst forth. Several fire dragon phantoms charged out from the mountain valley down below and bared their fangs towards the Ice Heart Valley disciples.
There were eight of these fire dragons in total, and each one contained a terrifying power and killing intent.
The timing of the enemy’s attack was also just right. Even with Thirteenth Elder’s warning, the women from Ice Heart Valley were too late to react.
The light of Saint Qi shone from their bodies as the eight fire dragons crashed towards them.
Screams rang out as two women with lower strength were swallowed by the fire dragons and instantly disappeared. The others were caught in a precarious situation as they hurriedly tried to dodge.
Yang Kai stood to the side, protecting Qing Ya as he narrowed his eyes towards the valley.
From the mountain valley down below, several people flew up. There were fewer in this ambushing group than there were in the Ice Heart Valley’s team, but each of these attackers was an Origin Returning Realm master. The two who led this group also had auras which were on par with Thirteenth Elder.
Thirteenth Elder’s phoenix eyes narrowed as her expression became extremely ugly.
She had not expected that even after doing her best to act in a covert manner she had still been exposed.
Before setting out, she had eliminated any possibility of them being tracked. For this mission, the dozen or so disciples she had arranged to help her escort Yang Kai were strictly selected to ensure their absolute loyalty to Ice Heart Valley. Each of these women also had deep personal enmity towards Brilliant Flame Sect so it was impossible for them to have betrayed their fellow sisters to the enemy.
Was all of this just a coincidence? Thirteenth Elder’s thoughts flashed like lightning as she quietly shot a glance towards Yang Kai. Finding that he was unharmed, she was able to relax slightly.
“Yu Xue Qing, you must not have expected this old master to be waiting here for you!” A loud laugh came from below as a middle-aged man with pale skin appeared and began ogling Thirteenth Elder’s shapely and attractive figure.
“Yan Chi Lei!” Yu Xue Qing grit her teeth and shouted lowly.
The opponent’s surprise attack had caused the death of two Ice Heart Valley disciples, so Yu Xue Qing was making no qualms about exposing her killing intent.
“It is this Yan!” The middle-aged man took a step forward, “I knew what happened on that battlefield three days ago was your doing. Now the question is, what are you sneaking about like this for?”
“Elder Yan, why bother talking nonsense with her? We should just attack and get this over with,” A short old man next to Yan Chi Lei snorted coldly and said.
Yu Xue Qing looked towards the old man and her beautiful eyes immediately shrank, “Jiang Xi!”
“Heh heh, I didn’t expect that this old master’s name would even be known to Ice Heart Valley’s Thirteenth Elder. This old master is truly honoured!” The short old man smiled triumphantly.
Yu Xue Qing’s expression turned even uglier and she quietly signalled to the Ice Heart Valley women to prepare themselves while asking in a solemn voice, “Jiang Xi, my Ice Heart Valley has neither grievance nor grudge with you, so why are you inserting yourself into this chaotic situation?”
“Neither grievance nor grudge?” Jiang Xi coldly snorted, “Thirteenth Elder, are you purposefully talking nonsense? This Jiang has not forgotten the shame of twenty years ago. If you want to talk about grudges between your Sect and this King, you should ask your Ice Heart Valley’s Fifth Elder!”
“That story is true?” Yu Xue Qing was visibly surprised.
She had thought that rumour was just that, a rumour, but now it was apparently true.
If this was the case, it was not surprising Jiang Xi had decided to side with Yan Chi Lei of Brilliant Flame Sect; it seemed things were about to become troublesome.
She was not afraid of Yan Chi Lei on his own, but Jiang Xi was actually more difficult than Yan Chi Lei. Jiang Xi had cultivated numerous Poison Arts that were both difficult to defend against and deal with. The disciples who she had brought with her were not Jiang Xi’s opponent, and to make matters worse, it wasn’t just him and Yan Chi Lei they had to face.
“Those rumours were true…” Qing Ya looked at the short, ugly old man with a weird expression and muttered to herself.
She too had apparently heard about this story.
“What rumours?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“It was said that twenty years ago, this old man wanted to marry my Ice Heart Valley’s Fifth Elder, but not only was he rejected outright, Fifth Elder seriously injured him as well. However, I thought it was just a rumour, not something that actually happened.”
“Him?” Yang Kai’s mouth twitched.
Sizing up Jiang Xi seriously again, Yang Kai was unable to find a single redeeming feature in his appearance.
Not only was Jiang Xi short, but he also seemed to have been born ugly, with a fat, crooked nose, large, beady eyes, thick lips, long ears, yellow skin, thick neck, short limbs…
Yang Kai had never seen Ice Heart Valley’s Fifth Elder before but judging from the quality of the women who were escorting him, this Fifth Elder was definitely not ugly.
Jiang Xi coveting this Fifth Elder brought only one phrase to Yang Kai’s mind.
“A toad lusting after a swan!”
Although the situation was extremely grave, Qing Ya still could not hold back her laughter.
Jiang Xi’s hearing was naturally not bad, and as soon as Yang Kai uttered these words, he immediately turned his head towards him and said in an icy voice, “Boy, what did you just say?”
Jiang Xi’s ugly physique had caused his personality to become ugly as well, and the one thing he hated the most was others insulting his appearance.
Yang Kai had undoubtedly hit upon his reverse scale.
Yan Chi Lei also glanced over at Yang Kai and suddenly showed a look of pleasant surprise, shouting in a low voice, “It’s you!”
At this moment, he could not help wanting to laugh.
One really wore out iron shoes while seeking their feet. This gain had come without needing any special effort. Brilliant Flame Sect had been searching for this boy for over a year, yet now, Yan Chi Lei had bumped into him by accident, so he was feeling overjoyed.
At this moment, he finally understood why Yu Xue Qing had ordered a full-scale assault on Brilliant Flame Sect a few days ago.
Obviously, she was trying to create a massive diversion to sneak this boy out unnoticed!
Moreover, judging from the direction this group was travelling, they were definitely heading back to Pure Ice Island.
“So that’s how it is!” Yan Chi Lei nodded lightly before turning to look at Yu Xue Qing, “It turns out that this was your purpose, but it’s a pity. Since you’ve met this Yan here, you’re doomed to fail!”
Yu Xue Qing was screaming to herself about how bad the situation was as she shot a glare at Yang Kai, blaming him for opening his mouth and creating trouble. At the same time, she shouted to the rest of her companions, “What are you all standing around in a daze for, quickly flee! No matter what, this boy must be sent to Pure Ice Island!”
As soon as her words fell, Yu Xue Qing pushed her Saint Qi violently and a burst of Ice Attribute energy visible to the naked eye spread out from her location, madly spreading to the surrounding area.
This frigid energy seemed to create a frozen world as it instantly covered the nearby ground in a thick layer of frost.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Ice spikes suddenly appeared behind Yu Xue Qing, each one thin and sharp, gleaming with icy light. Raising her hand, Yu Xue Qing pushed her jade palm forth and sent the countless ice spikes towards the Brilliant Flame Sect group.
“I’ve long heard of Thirteenth Elder’s prowess in battle! This Yan will accompany you here, I hope you won’t disappoint me!” Yan Chi Lei roared as he faced the storm of ice spikes without any fear and threw out a punch.
With a bursting sound, a blazing hot aura flared up as a massive flame fist intercepted the storm of ice spikes.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
The ice spikes continuously shattered as the giant flame fist also gradually dimmed, the two attacks eventually cancelling each other out entirely.
“Brother Jiang, you can do with those women what you please, but that boy must be captured alive!” Yan Chi Lei diffused Yu Xue Qing’s attack with a single move then shot towards her while calling out to his ally.
“Heh heh heh… since that’s the case, this old master won’t refuse!” Jiang Xi grinned as he activated his Poison Art.
In an instant, the surrounding ten-kilometre region was shrouded in a multi-coloured poisonous fog. Inside this dome-shaped poison fog bank, an unpleasant aura filled the air, causing any who inhaled too deeply to feel like vomiting. All the Ice Heart Valley women who were caught in this poison fog began feeling somewhat dizzy and had difficulty circulating their Saint Qi smoothly.
“Not good, it’s Jiang Xi’s Annihilating Poisonous Mist!” One of the Ice Heart Valley disciples shouted in horror.
“No matter what, we need to send this boy off first!” One of the Ice Heart Valley women echoed Yu Xue Qing’s instructions loudly.
The Ice Heart Valley disciples suddenly returned to their senses after hearing this shout.
For more than a year, at least a thousand of their sisters had died tragically just to find Yang Kai, so now that they finally had him in their grasp, if he was to be snatched from them, all of their fellow disciples would have died in vain.
“Come with us!” A young woman called out to Yang Kai.
With Yu Xue Qing being entangled by Yan Chi Lei, this woman took charge.
“Leave?” Yang Kai looked at her and shook his head slowly, “That old frog is stronger than you, and this poisonous fog is not simple. If you try to run, you’ll only be tortured to death.”
“Enough of your nonsense, if I say leave, you leave!” The young woman grit her teeth hard and screamed, “This old man is strong, we can’t resist him!”
“Very strong? How strong?” Yang Kai’s expression remained unchanged.
“He is a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master! On Scarlet Wave Star, he is one of the most promising candidates to break through to the Origin King Realm. Only the top five Elders of my Ice Heart Valley can compete with him. Don’t just stand there waiting for death.”
“En, very strong,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“You…” The young woman’s heart filled with grievances and dissatisfaction towards Yang Kai’s flippant attitude. She had already explained the seriousness of their situation, yet this boy didn’t seem to care at all. Was he planning to just drag all of them down with him?
“We’ve missed the best opportunity to escape!” A woman next to her said sadly.
Hearing this, the young woman sighed.
If they had acted immediately after Thirteenth Elder warned them, they might have managed to escape, but after being delayed here for so long by Yang Kai, how could they possibly flee now?
Jiang Xi hated Ice Heart Valley deeply, and his strength was extremely high. On top of that, the Poison Arts he used were extremely difficult to deal with, so the fate of this group of women was looking quite grim.
Thinking so, the young woman glared at Yang Kai fiercely, grit her teeth, and shouted, “If we die here, it will be all your fault, and I swear I won’t let you off even in the next life.”
“Why so serious?” Yang Kai remained indifferent, “We just need to kill him.”
The young women from Ice Heart Valley were all dumbfounded as they stared at Yang Kai like he was an idiot, all of them thinking that men really were foolish creatures. Didn’t he understand how big the gap in strength was between him and Jiang Xi? He could not have picked a worse time to boast to shamelessly!
During this brief delay, a potent aura had surrounded Jiang Xi’s body, one that gave off the same feel as the poisonous fog around them. Only this time, it was denser, making it impossible to see his figure. Only the old man’s creepy laughter gave away his position.
“Assist this old master, but remember, don’t kill any of these women. These cheap sluts from Ice Heart Valley are all going to serve this old master from now on and learn there’s more to a man than just his face!” Jiang Xi shouted wickedly.
The other cultivators from Brilliant Flame Sect rolled their eyes when they heard this command, but knowing they were not as strong as this old man, they could only nod their heads and cooperate. Immediately after Jiang Xi shouted, a rich Fire Attribute Saint Qi rolled towards the Ice Heart Valley group.
“Here they come! We have more people than them so focus on defending first, be especially wary of Jiang Xi’s poisonous fog!” The leading young woman called out as the ten or so Ice Heart Valley women began pushing their Saint Qi together, plunging the temperature around them.
Turning to look at Yang Kai again, the young woman ordered, “You hide behind… hey, what are you doing!”
As she was shouting, she actually saw Yang Kai take a step forward to meet Jiang Xi and the Brilliant Flame Sect disciples head-on, as if he didn’t care at all about whether he lived or died.
“Get back!” The young woman was shocked.
On the other side, Yu Xue Qing, who was entangled with Yan Chi Lei, noticed something was wrong and turned her head to check out the situation, only to have her beautiful face immediately go pale.
In this moment of distraction, Yan Chi Lei was able to seize the initiative in their battle and gain the upper hand, forcing Yu Xue Qing onto the defensive as she cursed Yang Kai for not understanding the situation he was in and acting so recklessly.
She knew that everything was over.
Not only would it now be impossible to bring Yang Kai back to Ice Heart Valley, but the dozen disciples she had brought with her would all probably die as well. As for herself, the chances of her escaping with her life were less than thirty percent! Right now, Yu Xue Qing was feeling incredibly anxious, but there was simply nothing she could do.
“This boy is somewhat interesting! En, Elder Yan strictly ordered us to not take his life, so we can only capture him alive. This will be a bit troublesome!” Jiang Xi looked at Yang Kai who was rapidly approaching him and condensed his poisonous mist around his fist before punching towards him.
In the blink of an eye, this mass of poisonous mist flew over to Yang Kai, transformed into a rope, then attempted to wrap around him.
“It’s over!” The young woman behind Yang Kai felt her heart sink as she could barely bring herself to watch what was sure to happen next.
If it weren’t for Yang Kai wasting time with his stupid questions and then rushing out foolishly, they would have at least had some chance of completing this task, making the sacrifices and injuries they were certain the suffer worthwhile, but now, even that was impossible.
As if the poisonous mist had a mind of its own, it wrapped around and tied up Yang Kai’s body.
“Your Brilliant Flame Sect seems to have some use for this brat, so I’ll leave him to you!” Jiang Xi commanded, without even sparing Yang Kai another glance, flying past him as he aimed for the crowd of young women not far ahead.
The Brilliant Flame Sect disciples exchanged a glance before one of them rushed over towards Yang Kai while the others followed after Jiang Xi.
A team of eight passed by Yang Kai in the next instant.
Suddenly, there was a flash of golden light!
Blood splattered and broken limbs flew out…
The vital auras of several people instantly vanished!
Pieces of hashed meat and broken bone fell like rain, crashing down to the ground and creating an extremely bloody sight.
Perceiving the energy fluctuations behind himself, Jiang Xi frowned and looked back suspiciously.
The next instant, his eyes bulged, and he quickly turned around and directed a solemn yet shocked gaze towards Yang Kai.
The poison mist rope which he used to tie up this little brat had disappeared at some unknown point, and all the Brilliant Flame Sect cultivators who had been behind him just now were dead!
There were no sounds of battle, nor screams before death, only a momentary energy fluctuation and then seven Origin Returning Realm master cultivators had died inexplicably.
Suddenly, Jiang Xi felt the situation was far more precarious than he anticipated, and a chill ran up his spine.
“What just happened?” Over on the Ice Heart Valley side, the group of women were equally stunned. The leading young woman was even shivering slightly as she wore a blank look on her face, wondering if she was seeing things.
Qing Ya’s beautiful eyes flashed as only she wore a look of understanding.
Yang Kai insisting they not run and even taking the initiative to meet the enemy had really ended up how she thought it would.
She didn’t know Yang Kai very well, but from Su Yan, she understood that Yang Kai was a man who could always perform miracles and fought against those who had higher cultivations than him like it was commonplace.
Before, she was just guessing this to be the case here, but the facts were laid out before her.
The seven Brilliant Flame Sect disciples were all First-Order to Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters, but the moment they passed by Yang Kai, they had all died in an instant.
This could no longer be described as the ability to fight above one’s realm, it was nothing less than a miracle!
No one knew exactly how Yang Kai accomplished this, only that there was a flash of golden light just before everything ended.
“How?” The lead young woman stared at Yang Kai in shock. At this moment, a golden thread was floating leisurely in front of Yang Kai. This golden thread gave off a strange aura, one filled with potent vitality, as if it was alive. From this aura alone, it was clear this golden thread was not to be underestimated.
With a faint smile on his face, Yang Kai looked at Jiang Xi with a somewhat mocking grin.
Jiang Xi instantly felt tremendous pressure, as if he was not facing a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm boy but a genuine Origin King!
Forcefully dispelling the uneasiness in his heart, Jiang Xi shouted in a low voice, “Little brat, your dare play the pig to eat a tiger?”
“You were the ones who decided to underestimate me,” Yang Kai grinned, not showing any kind of panic as he lightly said, “Old frog, are you ready to die?”
“Shameless boasting!” Jiang Xi sternly shouted as he released his Shi, trying to suppress Yang Kai.
“Shi nearly at the grand accomplishment stage,” Yang Kai raised his brow and immediately understood why Jiang Xi was so feared by the young women from Ice Heart Valley. With just his Shi, which had nearly reached the grand accomplishment stage, Jiang Xi was indeed qualified to be one of the most likely candidates on Scarlet Wave Star to break through to the Origin King Realm.
This extremely powerful Shi spread out rapidly and soon approached Yang Kai.
Immediately before this Shi reached Yang Kai, however, an invisible power not inferior to Jiang Xi’s burst out from Yang Kai’s body and pushed it back.
This collision was silent and invisible to the naked eye.
However, to Jiang Xi, it was as if thunder had just gone off in his head.
The Shi he was so proud of, at this moment, reacted like an egg smashing against a boulder, shattering to pieces and completely falling apart. In the blink of an eye, Jiang Xi was the one enveloped by an extremely suppressive force.
Yang Kai’s Shi!
Jiang Xi was shocked, and his face turned pale. Only now did he realize that Yang Kai was far from being as simple as he appeared. While this boy’s cultivation was only Second-Order Origin Returning Realm, his comprehension of Shi had greatly exceeded his own.
Pushing his Saint Qi madly, Jiang Xi did his best to resist this Shi’s influence on him, releasing a multi-coloured poisonous mist from his body wantonly, forming a kind of protective shell around himself while also sending a blast of it towards Yang Kai in an attempt to counterattack.
Although Jiang Xi had fallen into a disadvantage in terms of Shi, he was naturally not going to just stand there frozen and surrender.
His speciality was using poison, and the poisonous mist he had just shot out was incredibly lethal to anyone it managed to invade.
Yang Kai frowned when he saw this and did not dare take risks. After considering his options for a moment, he stretched out his hand and summoned the Firebird Artifact Spirit. Accompanied by a sharp, shrill cry, a several-dozen-metre-long flaming bird appeared above Yang Kai’s head, opened its beak, and sprayed out a stream of fireballs towards Jiang Xi.
Jiang Xi was taken aback as his poisonous fog was absolutely no match for the Firebird’s attack. Instead, his poisonous mist was rapidly burned down by the Firebird’s fireballs, after which, the protective layer of fog he had surrounded himself with rapidly began evaporating, revealing his extremely embarrassed figure.
The speed and frequency of the Firebird’s fireballs rapidly increased, leaving Jiang Xi completely suppressed, unable to fight back. Jiang Xi had to continuously push his Saint Qi to replace the poisonous fog around his body. However, Jiang Xi was unable to keep up with the rate of loss and his defences were soon broken, forcing him out into the open again.
Yang Kai stood in place and stared as Jiang Xi coldly, grinning as he taunted, “Old frog, you’re too weak.”
The women from Ice Heart Valley all stared dully at this scene.
The strange Firebird and Yang Kai’s Shi were completely suppressing Jiang Xi, and if Yang Kai found the right opportunity, Jiang Xi would most likely be killed here and now.
They simply could not comprehend what it was they were witnessing.
They had just prepared themselves to suffer heavy casualties as they believed that this disaster was inescapable. They had expected the worst to happen.
But now, after acting so low-key, Yang Kai had made a shocking move and his performance had completely overwhelmed their expectations.
Just this Firebird alone was enough to suppress Jiang Xi to the point where he was having difficulty protecting himself, having no spare energy to deal with them.
Perhaps this time, none of them would have to die… Everyone was excited as this thought filled their heads and the looks they gave Yang Kai gradually changed from their original hostility to wonder and gratitude.
The Firebird continued to increase the intensity of its attack, shooting out flames not only from its mouth but also from its wings, preventing Jiang Xi’s poisonous fog from spreading out while also inflicting numerous big and small burns on his body.
The smell of burnt flesh gradually began to diffuse.
Jiang Xi’s expression suddenly turned fierce as he summoned an artifact and spat a mouthful of multi-coloured poisonous mist onto it.
The artifact rapidly absorbed the poisonous mist before transforming into a massive five-coloured python.
This poisonous python twisted its body and rushed directly into the sky to face the Firebird, displaying an incredible might.
Taking this opportunity, Jiang Xi once again pushed his Saint Qi to free himself from Yang Kai’s Shi’s suppression then charged towards him.
He obviously wanted to use this opening to kill Yang Kai! As long as Yang Kai died, he would be able to do whatever he wanted.
As for Brilliant Flame Sect Yan Chi Lei’s words… At this moment, he could not even protect himself, so how was he supposed to care?
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Xi had rushed to a position only ten metres away from Yang Kai and many jets of poisonous mist shot out from his figure and towards Yang Kai.
At this time, the Ice Heart Valley disciples finally recovered, and the leading young woman shouted, “Help him!”
As she spoke, powerful Ice Attribute Saint Qi surged out of her tender body and condensed into a large ice spike that flew out towards Jiang Xi.
The other women also reacted, and each used their strongest Secret Techniques to attack Jiang Xi.
A golden light suddenly flashed as a Golden Blood Thread appeared in front of Yang Kai again before flickering and disappearing once more.
Jiang Xi felt a deathly chill grip his soul, warning him that if he did not flee now, he would surely die. Freezing in place awkwardly, he grit his teeth and dove to the side
The Golden Blood Thread suddenly appeared as it shot through the afterimage Jiang Xi left behind when he hastily dodged.
Jiang Xi broke out in a cold sweat, but before he could recover, the attacks from the ten or so Ice Heart Valley women were already upon him.
The place where he stood was instantly covered by hundreds of ice lances.
Chaotic energy fluctuations filled the air as Jiang Xi’s muffled cries rang out, signalling that he was injured.
The disciples of Ice Heart Valley weren’t as strong as Jiang Xi in terms of cultivation, and one-on-one, any of them would be killed in mere breaths, but the power of nearly a dozen of them attacking all at once was not to be underestimated.
Dust flew up, covering everyone’s view.
The young woman leading the Ice Heart Valley disciples felt her heart pound as she stared at that spot nervously.
“Did he die?” Someone asked anxiously.
As soon as these words fell, however, Jiang Xi’s voice echoed from far away, “Ice Heart Valley sluts, this old master won’t forget this! Sooner or later, this old master will destroy your Pure Ice Island and devastate each one of you to death!”
He had clearly escaped at some unknown point.
The lead young woman turned pale as she turned to look in the direction Jiang Xi’s voice came from. There, she saw a multi-coloured light flying away at an extremely fast speed; naturally, it was Jiang Xi.
She immediately turned back to look at Yang Kai, expecting him to give chase.
But the sight there dumbfounded her once again, as Yang Kai had also mysteriously disappeared.
The young woman searched around for a moment before turning back in the direction where Jiang Xi was fleeing where she spotted a figure standing in front of him and understood.
This battle had exceeded the level she was capable of comprehending or interfering with. Whether it was Jiang Xi or Yang Kai, their strength far exceeded her own.
She did not even know when Yang Kai and Jiang Xi had moved.
“How did you…” Jiang Xi looked at Yang Kai who was blocking his way as if he was staring at a ghost.
He had taken advantage of the chaotic explosion just now to blind his opponents and use a Secret Technique to escape, thinking that none were the wiser, but this young man had actually seen through his plans and somehow managed to overtake and intercept him.
Although he was feeling terrified inside, Jiang Xi was also a decisive person and understanding that he could not escape without breaking through the blockade, Yang Kai. Therefore, he clenched his fists and spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence, causing his aura to increase thirty percent while a crimson hue appeared around his body. He then charged towards Yang Kai mercilessly.
Yang Kai’s expression remained cold as he simply snorted and spat, “You court death!”
Without trying to evade, Yang Kai clenched his fist and condensed a layer of golden light around it, causing a faint metallic scraping to ring out as an incredibly sharp aura wrapped around him.
Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi, Metal Sword Qi.
Among the Five Elements Sword Qis, Metal was the sharpest.
Using this Metal Sword Qi, Yang Kai’s fist became shrouded in countless sword blades difficult to see with the naked eye.
Perceiving the terrifying power and sharpness of this fist, Jiang Xi naturally did not just sit still and once again condensed a thick poisonous smoke around his body.
When Yang Kai’s fist flew out and slammed into Jiang Xi’s body, though, the poisonous fog was instantly scattered, after which the crimson hue covering his body also collapsed. Jiang Xi’s Saint Qi defence had failed to provide him with any protection as the countless tiny golden sword lights easily sliced through it.
The sound of bones shattering rang out as Jiang Xi’s body was knocked backwards and blood spurted from his mouth.
His hideous face filled with horror as he desperately tried to stabilize his figure, but the golden light from the Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Thread caught up before he could and instantly surrounded him.
When the golden light faded, Jiang Xi’s whole body collapsed into countless pieces and fell from the sky.
Scarlet Wave Star’s famous Jiang Xi, a master qualified to break through to the Origin King Realm, had fallen!
The group of women from Ice Heart Valley’s cheeks flushed as they cheered in excitement.
Yan Chi Lei, who was locked in a fierce battle with Yu Xue Qing, also gawked as he stared at Yang Kai in shock, his movements becoming sluggish in that instant.
Yu Xue Qing was not the Thirteenth Elder of Ice Heart Valley just for show. Although her rank was a bit low, her strength was praiseworthy. So, how could she miss such an opportunity? Taking advantage of this shift in momentum, Yu Xue Qing launched a fierce counterattack and swiftly forced Yan Chi Lei onto the defensive.
She too was quite shocked, never having expected that Yang Kai could actually kill Jiang Xi.
After all, Jiang Xi’s Poison Arts were notoriously difficult to handle; even if she had been the one fighting him, she would definitely be at a disadvantage.
However, Yang Kai had killed Jiang Xi in less than thirty breaths of time.
In Ice Heart Valley, it was likely only the Great Elder could accomplish this.
Was this young man comparable to Great Elder Ran? Yu Xue Qing’s heart trembled as she felt she needed to re-examine Yang Kai.
“Senior Brother, please help Thirteenth Elder!” The young woman leading Ice Heart Valley’s group called out to Yang Kai suddenly.
“Sure,” Yang Kai nodded faintly, stretching out his hand and pointing to Yan Chi Lei as he called out, “Kill him!”
The Firebird immediately flew straight towards Yan Chi Lei.
Yan Chi Lei and Yu Xue Qing were an even match for one another, neither able to defeat the other in short order, so with the addition of the Firebird Artifact Spirit, Yan Chi Lei instantly found himself suppressed and rapidly losing the strength to fight back or even protect himself.
“Boy, I am an Elder of Brilliant Flame Sect! If you dare take action against me, you’ll die a miserable death! Cease now! Otherwise, even if you escape to the ends of the Star Field, Brilliant Flame Sect will never let you go!” Yan Chi Lei shouted angrily, hoping he could make Yang Kai back down and not join forces with Yu Xue Qing.
As long as Yang Kai didn’t involve himself, Yu Xue Qing wouldn’t have enough ability to stop him and he could still escape calmly.
As such, whether he lived or died was in Yang Kai’s hands.
Yu Xue Qing frowned and hurriedly shouted, “Little brother, there’s no need to fear him, his Brilliant Flame Sect is indeed strong but my Ice Heart Valley is not weak. Naturally, we will protect you if you help me kill this villain.”
She was worried that Yang Kai would give in to Yan Chi Lei’s threats.
After all, Yan Chi Lei was different from Jiang Xi. Although Jiang Xi’s strength was high, he was just a lone cultivator, if he was killed, no one would seek revenge for him, but Yan Chi Lei was an Elder of Brilliant Flame Sect, so there was a huge backer behind him.
“Naturally, I’ll help you kill him!” Yang Kai grinned towards Yan Chi Lei sarcastically. “Trying to threaten and intimidate me after things have gotten to this point, are all your Brilliant Flame Sect people so stupid?”
Yan Chi Lei’s face turned pale.
“By the way, I forgot to tell you, this isn’t the first time I killed someone from your Brilliant Flame Sect. I killed a guy named Kong Wen Dong in the Emperor Garden, and I also killed a guy named Zhang Qing in the Blood Prison some time ago. Weren’t they all from your Brilliant Flame Sect as well?”
Yan Chi Lei really panicked this time.
He had not expected that Yang Kai would have such a deep grudge with Brilliant Flame Sect. Whether it was Kong Wen Dong or Zhang Qing, both were famous figures in Brilliant Flame Sect, Elder-level figures who even ranked above him.
However, Kong Wen Dong had simply failed to return from the Emperor Garden while Zhang Qing had gone to the Blood Prison and had not been heard from yet.
If what Yang Kai said was true, though, didn’t that mean that they and everyone who accompanied them had died at his hands?
“I don’t have any kind of favourable impression of your Brilliant Flame Sect, so… die!” Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became cold as a stream of extremely powerful Spiritual Energy shot out from his forehead and crashed towards Yan Chi Lei.
This attack was silent but extremely powerful. Like a sharp sword, it easily pierced through Yan Chi Lei’s defences and invaded his Knowledge Sea.
Yan Chi Lei cried out pitifully as his face went white, his Soul suffering severe damage.
Yu Xue Qing’s beautiful eyes lit up and she took this opportunity to push her Shi to its maximum extent. With her body as the centre, the area within a three hundred metre radius immediately became extremely cold, as if even the air was frozen.
A thin layer of frost appeared on Yan Chi Lei’s body and the frigid energy began seeping into his body, affecting his Saint Qi circulation and physical strength.
The Firebird used this opening to pounce, opening its giant maw and swallowing Yan Chi Lei into its abdomen.
The Firebird Artifact Spirit’s stomach bulged visibly as something inside of it seemed to be struggling, but it was quickly suppressed by the Firebird’s intense flames.
As time passed, this struggle became smaller and smaller until it eventually disappeared.
A flash of lightning suddenly appeared in the Firebird’s body before it turned into a stream of light and returned to Yang Kai’s body.
Yan Chi Lei obviously also cultivated the Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire Secret Technique, just like Zhang Qing and Kong Wen Dong, so after his death, his Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire was swallowed by the Firebird to strengthen itself.
And so, the crisis had been rapidly resolved with a completely unexpected ending.
Yu Xue Qing stood in place, looking at Yang Kai with complicated eyes while breathing heavily.
The other women from Ice Heart Valley also wore shocked expressions.
Only Qing Ya was showing a happy smile.
After a long silence, Yu Xue Qing was barely able to accept the reality in front of her and nodded to Yang Kai, “Many thanks.”
This time, if it weren’t for Yang Kai suddenly taking action, it would have been a miracle for even two or three of Ice Heart Valley’s team to escape, but now, not only were most of them essentially unharmed, they had even managed to kill several of Brilliant Flame Sect’s people.
Yu Xue Qing was naturally incredibly grateful to Yang Kai.
“No need for thanks, I was just protecting myself. Can we set off now?” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Yu Xue Qing nodded before getting one of her subordinates to clean up the battlefield then leading the group towards Pure Ice Island again.
This time no one showed any ill will towards Yang Kai.
They all dismissed their original hostility and no longer surrounded Yang Kai to protect him as before. The battle against Brilliant Flame Sect’s people had made all of them realize that Yang Kai was the strongest in this group.
He did not need their protection at all!
Along the way, many of these women would shoot Yang Kai curious looks from time to time. They could not understand how this young man cultivated. Obviously, he was only at the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm but his combat power was absurdly high.
“Thirteenth Elder, why have we been looking for him all this time?” Qing Ya took this chance to ask as she knew it was the best time to inquire about such matters.
The other disciples of Ice Heart Valley also wore curious expressions as they turned expected looks towards Yu Xue Qing.
They, along with thousands of their fellow Sect Sisters, had been running around and fighting for nearly a year all to find Yang Kai. Many of their Senior and Junior Sisters had died as a result, so it was only natural that they wanted to know why.
Yu Xue Qing frowned and with a slight look of embarrassment replied, “I don’t know the specific reason, but since Brilliant Flame Sect was looking for him, our Ice Heart Valley didn’t want them to succeed. Perhaps… perhaps he knows the real reason.”
While saying this, Yu Xue Qing turned to look at Yang Kai thoughtfully.
Yang Kai’s expression remained indifferent, seemingly unaware of his surroundings, showing no intention to answer.
“You don’t need to worry about this though. Since Sect Master and the Elder Council have decided this, they must have a good reason.”
“Yes!” The women nodded.
Nothing more happened along the way as the team lead by Yu Xue Qing travelled for another half a month.
Only after half a month did this group arrive at a seaside city.
This was obviously a city under the jurisdiction of Ice Heart Valley, and once they arrived, Yu Xue Qing brought Yang Kai straight to the Space Array and used it to teleport to Pure Ice Island.
Once he arrived at Pure Ice Island’s Outer Island, Yang Kai noticed a certain change and a trace of excitement appeared on his face. Turning his eyes to stare in a certain direction, he seemed to be peering across space towards a distant location.
At the same time, in a certain ice room on the Inner Island, Su Yan, who was in meditation, opened her beautiful eyes as her tender body shivered.
At this moment, she too sensed something.
She felt Yang Kai’s aura!
Since the two of them cultivated the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art, as long as they weren’t too far apart, they could sense each other’s existence.
Although the Outer Island and the Inner Island were a few hundred kilometres apart, that could not impede the connection between Yang Kai and Su Yan!
[She’s here!]
[He came!]
At the exact same moment, the two noticed each other’s existence.
Yang Kai stood in place, his expression softening greatly.
Su Yan also hurriedly got up and went towards the entrance!
But as soon as she walked out of her ice room, she was stopped by two women.
“Junior Sister Su, where are you going?” The woman surnamed Zhou quickly stood in front of Su Yan and questioned coldly.
“Senior Sister Zhou, I want to go out!” Su Yan looked at her pleadingly.
“No!” The woman surnamed Zhou shook her head decisively, “Great Elder ordered that you are not to take a single step outside this room. Don’t make things difficult for your Senior Sisters.”
“Yes, Junior Sister Su, the two of us are responsible for monitoring you and also cannot move from this place. Just because you are Great Elder’s disciple, do you think you can not put us Senior Sisters in your eyes? Please go back inside,” The other woman also looked at Su Yan coldly.
Being forced to monitor Su Yan was an incredibly dull task, one where they could not leave or focus on their cultivation, causing them no small amount of grief.
This task had caused both women to complain deeply about Su Yan in their hearts. Also, they did not like how Su Yan was so heavily favoured, so they did not even try to speak politely.
“Two Senior Sisters, Junior Sister doesn’t want to make things difficult for you, but I must go out. I promise I will be back in half a day!” Su Yan bit her red lips and looked at them helplessly.
“Junior Sister really doesn’t put us Senior Sisters in her eyes!” The woman surnamed Zhou sneered, “Have you ever thought about the consequences? What will happen if you go out and Great Elder finds out? What kind of punishment will we receive? I don’t know what you want to go out for, but I’m not going to take responsibility for your truant behaviour.”
“Junior Sister is Great Elder’s favourite disciple, so Great Elder may not punish you too harshly, but what about us? You do not know how severe Great Elder is. Could it be that Junior Sister wants to push us to the brink of death? Junior Sister may look like a beautiful flower but apparently, she’s nothing but a vicious snake.”
Su Yan opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Although these two were clearly exaggerating things, it was also undeniable that if she went out, the two of them would be implicated.
Su Yan’s expression turned sad for a moment before she said softly, “Junior Sister has been inconsiderate.”
Her man had arrived on Pure Ice Island and was so close to her, but she could not go out to meet him, making Su Yan feel like a knife was being driven into her heart.
“Since you understand, hurry back inside!” The woman surnamed Zhou coldly snorted.
Su Yan nodded helplessly and turned back.
Seeing the door to the ice room close shut, the two women standing guard outside sneered.
The woman surnamed Zhou even snickered, “Finally, we’ve gotten some revenge. Did she think she could do whatever she wished after becoming Great Elder’s disciple?”
The other chuckled and said cheerfully, “Who told her to have eyes higher than the top of her head? If she had a good relationship with us before, we wouldn’t have embarrassed her here.”
“We are her Senior Sisters; it is our responsibility to teach her how to behave appropriately.”
“Then, should we inform Great Elder about this matter?”
The woman surnamed Zhou contemplated for a moment before shaking her head, “There’s no need. Since she was not able to go out, she won’t be punished even if we make a report. It will not be too late to inform Great Elder once she really makes some kind of mistake. At that time, Great Elder will definitely not spare her.”
“Senior Sister is wise,” The other woman’s eyes lit up.
…
“Little brother!” Yu Xue Qing’s call awakened Yang Kai and he finally retracted his gaze.
Ice Heart Valley’s Thirteenth Elder had a strange expression on her face as she lightly coughed and said, “The Inner Island of Pure Ice Island is in that direction. As a man, you can’t step foot into it. We are now on the outer island, but if it weren’t for the special situation this time, you wouldn’t have been allowed to enter this place either.”
“It is already Junior’s honour to be able to enter Pure Ice Island, this Junior offers his sincere thanks to Senior!” Yang Kai declared.
Because he could sense Su Yan nearby, Yang Kai was in a good mood and suddenly felt that these women from Ice Heart Valley were more radiant and genial.
Although she did not know why Yang Kai suddenly underwent some subtle changes, Yu Xue Qing didn’t probe any deeper, instead just nodding and saying, “You will have to remain here for the time being. As for what happens next… I will inform you after I report to Valley Master and the other Elders.”
Inside a small guest house on the Outer Island, adjacent to the sea, the sound of waves gently crashing echoed lightly.
After Yu Xue Qing arranged for Yang Kai to live here, she took her subordinates and left, leaving only a lower rank disciple to attend to Yang Kai’s daily life.
Before leaving, Qing Ya cast Yang Kai a glance, silently telling him to remain calm.
Yang Kai understood her meaning clearly.
Now that he had arrived on Pure Ice Island, and learned that Su Yan was only a few hundred kilometres away, his yearning to see her had grown far stronger. However, he also knew that Pure Ice Island was no ordinary place, so he wasn’t about to charge in recklessly.
Sitting down cross-legged in the small house, Yang Kai held Su Yan’s Ice Soul Bead in his hand motionlessly.
Yang Kai did not release his Divine Sense, but he could clearly feel that hundred of kilometres away, there was an aura closely tied to his own, sharing a deep and profound connection.
Of course, this was Su Yan’s aura.
At the same time, Su Yan was also sitting in her ice room, her beautiful eyes closed tightly and her long eyelashes trembling slightly.
The two of them were immersed in feeling each other’s existence, feeling each beat of the other’s heart.
This kind of silent, invisible connection was deeper than any kind of verbal communication could be and allowed both to feel warm in body and spirit.
At a certain moment, the two smiled at exactly the same time and a wondrous energy burst from their bodies, crossing the barrier of space to meet at the centre of Pure Ice Island.
Yang Kai felt as if he was able to see Su Yan standing in front of him happily. Her figure remained the same as it had thirty years ago.
He could even feel that Su Yan was reaching out to touch him.
He responded in kind.
This spiritual resonance between the two of them grew more intense as their auras gradually began merging.
There was no need for words as the two of them were clearly able to sense everything about the other and know what they had experienced over these years, as if they had lived them, themselves.
At a certain spot on the Inner Island, in Ran Yun Ting’s ice room, Ran Yun Ting was meditating when she suddenly frowned, seemingly noticing something as she turned to look up into the sky doubtfully.
In the next instant, the communication artifact beside her suddenly received a Divine Sense Message. Picking up the communication artifact and pouring her Divine Sense into it, Ran Yun Ting learnt of a certain piece of information and her face couldn’t help but sink, “Junior Sister Yu found that little brat and even brought him to Pure Ice Island? So that is how it is, it’s that little beast who is disturbing Su Yan’s mind!”
“Little bastard, you court death!”
Ran Yun Ting’s eyes flared with hostility and an extremely tyrannical Spiritual Energy burst from her forehead and smashed towards the sky, bombarding a certain spot above Pure Ice Island.
Yang Kai, who was silently meeting with Su Yan, did not expect anyone to attack him at that moment.
The resonance of their minds was different from interacting with one another via Divine Sense. The former had no killing and defensive power at all while the latter was capable of attacking and defending.
As soon as Ran Yun Ting used her Divine Sense, Yang Kai felt that his connection with Su Yan was cut off arbitrarily. Not only that, but the shock on his mind made his face pale and he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Who dares!” Yang Kai opened his eyes suddenly, his face extremely ugly.
He could naturally feel that there was some murderous intent behind the attack which cut off his connection with Su Yan, as if his assailant did not care whether he lived or died. If Yang Kai’s Soul had not been far stronger than ordinary, he would have suffered heavy losses.
This kind of injury to one’s Soul could not be healed by ordinary means.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed coldly, but soon he shook his head helplessly.
He was the one mostly at fault just now; after all, this was Pure Ice Island, the headquarters of Ice Heart Valley. In thousands of years, he was the first man to set foot onto its Outer Island, so him taking such rash action just now was truly somewhat improper.
After thinking about it, Yang Kai calmed down and no longer concerned himself about it.
But judging from the power of that Spiritual Energy burst, it had most likely come from one of the top five Elders in Ice Heart Valley.
After suffering such a loss, Yang Kai no longer dared to act rashly. In any case, there would always be a chance for him to meet Su Yan again. As for Su Yan’s safety, Yang Kai was not worried as she was the Disciple of Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder. No matter which Elder interfered with them, they would naturally not have targeted Su Yan as well.
Inside Su Yan’s ice room, she suddenly opened her eyes and her face paled as she called out loudly, “Honoured Master!”
“Reflect on your mistake behind closed doors, if you try to do the same thing again, this Elder will personally take the head of that little bastard!” Ran Yun Ting’s ice-cold voice sounded in Su Yan’s ears.
Su Yan’s face went even paler as she opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out in the end.
“You need to take care of yourself!” Ran Yun Ting seemed to be quite disappointed with Su Yan now and after leaving these cold words, she no longer spoke.
In Ice Heart Valley’s Elder Hall, the Sect’s leadership had all gathered again after their last meeting nearly a year ago.
“Valley Master, what is so important that you had to call all of us here at this time?” One Elder asked.
Bing Long smiled gently and replied, “There is indeed something important, but it is a happy event.”
“Oh? What happy event?” Everyone became curious.
“Elder Yu has found the young man we’ve been searching for and brought him back to Pure Ice Island,” Bing Long did not keep them in suspense and said with a smile.
“He’s been found?”
“Junior Sister Yu’s methods are impressive, finding that boy is a great merit!”
“Very good, very good! It has been more than a year since we began searching and the Sect has suffered many casualties as a result, now we can finally have the disciples fall back and rest.”
“But Valley Master, did we ever discover why Brilliant Flame Sect was searching for him? What secrets or value does he possess that would cause Brilliant Flame Sect to seek him so doggedly?”
“This… this Queen doesn’t know. Elder Yu, you brought him back, were you able to learn anything regarding this?” Bing Long cast her gaze to Yu Xue Qing.
The latter, however, just shook her head slowly, “On the way back, I asked him, but he refused to answer. However, from my observations, he is definitely no ordinary person.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He… he should be a genius among geniuses. Yan Chi Lei of Brilliant Flame Sect died at his hands.”
“What? He killed Yan Chi Lei?” Bing Long’s brow furrowed, “Didn’t you report that this boy was only a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator?”
“En, he is truly only a Second-Order Origin Realm cultivator, but he is capable of fighting above his realm, which is why I called him a genius among geniuses.”
“Impressive!” Bing Long nodded.
“Jiang Xi was also killed by him,” Yu Xue Qing expression turned solemn, “In single combat and in less than twenty breaths at that!”
“Jiang Xi? That Jiang Xi?” The Fifth Elder of Ice Heart Valley narrowed her eyes as a look of shock appeared on her face.
“That Jiang Xi.”
“How is that possible?”
“Although Jiang Xi is not from a prominent Sect and has always been a lone wanderer, he had many fortuitous encounters in his early years and his strength is extraordinary. Not only is he a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, his Shi was also close to reaching the grand accomplishment stage.”
“He is one of the most likely candidates on Scarlet Wave Star to break through to the Origin King Realm. How could he have been killed by that young man? Junior Sister Yu, are you making a joke?”
“How could I be joking about this kind of matter? Junior Sister witnessed the entire fight with her own eyes, and there are a dozen disciples who can testify to the veracity of my words,” Yu Xue Qing said seriously.
The Elders of Ice Heart Valley all wore looks of amazement, several of them soon turning to their Fifth Elder, wanting to hear her opinion.
Among everyone present, she was the only one who had personally fought Jiang Xi, so her thoughts on this matter were critical.
Fifth Elder didn’t refuse and after pondering for a moment said, “The last time I fought Jiang Xi was twenty years ago, and it took me a whole day to severely wound him, but I still failed to kill him. Today, I would not necessarily be his opponent. In Ice Heart Valley, the Elders who could stand alone against Jiang Xi should number no more than three!”
*Si…*
Gasps resounded throughout the hall as the expressions of all the Elders present turned solemn.
Fifth Elder was not making any exaggerations and was simply stating the facts, but because of this, it had all the more impact.
“Does this mean that young man’s strength can rank amongst the top three of us Elders?”
“He is only a Second Order, if he breaks through to the Third-Order…”
“It’s more than that! Fighting and killing are two entirely different concepts. Him being able to kill Jiang Xi in less than twenty breaths means that only Great Elder is on par with him!”
The expressions of this group of Elders suddenly dimmed as none of them had confidence in what they were saying, because they knew that even if Great Elder took action personally, she may not be able to kill Jiang Xi in just twenty breaths.
After all of them realized this, their expressions only contained shock.
“It’s a pity he is not a woman,” Bing Long rubbed her brow lightly and smiled bitterly.
If Yang Kai was a woman, Bing Long would have done whatever it took to recruit him into Ice Heart Valley. Such talent had a much higher chance of breaking through to the Origin King Realm in the future, much more than the ordinary Origin Realm Cultivators.
The reason why Ice Heart Valley was one of the two great forces on Scarlet Wave Star was that it had an Origin King Realm assuming command of the Sect. But, if there was an additional Origin King among their ranks they could completely suppress Brilliant Flame Sect and possibly even destroy it, allowing them to become the sole ruler of Scarlet Wave Star.
“It doesn’t matter if he’s not a woman, he just has to marry one of our Ice Heart Valley’s disciples.” An Elder suggested with a smile.
“Not a bad idea, but he may not agree,” Another Elder sitting next to her shook his head slowly, “His strength and aptitude are incredible, and he doesn’t seem to be very old, so how could he have any lack of women? There are likely many women who would willingly follow him.”
“How could those cheap women compare to the elite disciples of my Ice Heart Valley? It would be his blessing to marry into Ice Heart Valley.”
“Fair enough.”
The Elders began chattering and expressing their opinions, seemingly quite eager to find a suitable candidate to marry Yang Kai right now so they could tie him to Ice Heart Valley.
Bing Long lightly coughed and interrupted with an awkward expression, “Have you all forgotten that Brilliant Flame Sect has been searching for him? Although Brilliant Flame Sect is not enough on its own for our Ice Heart Valley to dread, this matter likely involves Sir Luo Hai of Green Mountains Star… if we were to upset Sir Luo Hai, our Ice Heart Valley may not be able to bear his anger.”
All the Elder’s expressions darkened hearing this and they all fell silent.
“You’re right. This Queen will find a chance to talk to him. At the very least, we need to know if Sir Luo Hai coming to Scarlet Wave Star has anything to do with him. If not, we can try to recruit him, but if Sir Luo Hai really is here because of him…” Bing Long sighed softly, “We can only hand him over at that time in exchange for Ice Heart Valley’s security.”
“Valley Master is wise!” All the Elders agreed with her decision.
Yang Kai’s aptitude and potential were indeed excellent. He was able to fight above his realm and was also highly likely to break through to the Origin King Realm in the future.
But that was only a possibility for the future; after all, right now he was just a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm boy.
Between the wrath of a Second-Order Origin King Star Master and a great individual with a bright illusionary future, which was more important, all of them could naturally distinguish.
“When Valley Master meets with him, this Elder will accompany you!” Ran Yun Ting’s voice suddenly sounded inside the hall.
Everyone turned their heads towards the entrance and saw Great Elder Ran Yun Ting walk inside.
“Oh? Great Elder is also interested in him?” Bing Long was surprised.
Although Ran Yun Ting’s strength wasn’t quite as high as hers, the difference was almost negligible, but since Ran Yun Ting brought Su Yan back to Pure Ice Island more than thirty years ago, she had been devoting herself to cultivating her Disciple while ignoring all other matters and people.
Now that she was taking the initiative to meet Yang Kai, Bing Long was naturally surprised.
“Of course I am interested in such an outstanding talent, this Elder is naturally interested!” Ran Yun Ting smiled softly.
Without knowing why, everyone felt a chill run up their spines when they saw this smile.
————-
Millions of kilometres away from Pure Ice Island stood Scarlet Wave Star’s other peak force, Brilliant Flame Sect.
Brilliant Flame Sect’s headquarters was located in the best cultivation environment on Scarlet Wave Star. Its headquarters was extremely beautiful and filled with outstanding masters. In this place, Brilliant Flame Sect’s disciples could cultivate at an extremely rapid pace.
Scarlet Wave Star’s two great forces had always stood as equals; however, in recent years, Brilliant Flame Sect had slowly been gaining the upper hand in their millennia-old battle. The reason for this was the rumour that Ice Heart Valley’s Supreme Elder had experienced a cultivation dissonance and been badly wounded.
Supreme Elder level figures were naturally Origin Kings, and although this kind of powerhouse would not intervene in the fights between juniors, such news had naturally affected the morale of Ice Heart Valley.
Brilliant Flame Sect had been steadily taking more and more aggressive actions these past few years intending to suppress Ice Heart Valley.
In the southern region of Brilliant Flame Sect headquarters, there were several huts built in a bamboo forest.
These huts seemed simple and unremarkable, with a set of mountains behind and a lake in front, making them seem rather picturesque situated among the vast grove of red bamboo.
At this moment, two men were sitting cross-legged across from one another at a low stone table. There was a simple chess board placed in the middle of the table where a match was being played.
On the left side was an old man with fiery red hair who, despite his aged appearance, had a bright complexion and skin that seemed youthful and vibrant as a thick imposing manner surrounded his body.
Opposite him was a middle-aged man wearing a golden robe with a golden crown on his head.
In addition to these two, a middle-aged man was standing motionlessly roughly a hundred metres away like a statue, only glancing towards the two seated men occasionally, his face flashing a trace of yearning.
The red-haired old man and the golden-crowned man were engaged in a battle of wits.
The red-haired old man made his moves extremely quickly, often not even needing to think about the position of his pieces before moving them with his fingers. On the other hand, the man with the golden crown often frowned and thought hard about each move he made.
On the chessboard, the black pieces belonging to the red-haired old man seemed to take a commanding position, encircling the golden-crowned man’s white forces.
As time passed, the golden-crowned man took longer and longer to make each move, his expression turning more and more cautious.
The red-haired old man did not rush his opponent though, instead just closing his eyes and maintaining mental tranquillity while he waited.
At a certain moment, the golden-crowned man suddenly showed a grin, reached out his hand, and with a single move, reversed his unfavourable position, taking a decisive edge.
The red-haired old man’s eyes widened as he stared in astonishment.
After thinking for a long time, the red-haired old man slowly shook his head and smiled bitterly, “Brother Luo Hai’s chess skills have improved greatly, this old master is no longer your opponent.”
The man with the golden crown smiled slightly, “Chi Huo, it is not that my chess skill surpasses yours, it’s that you’re too impatient. Your intentions and actions are written on the board for all to see, this King only needs to examine them to understand your strategy.”
“Acting straightforwardly is not a misdemeanour,” The red-haired old man shook his head and said. “Life is so short, how can one waste so much time thinking about each possibility or consequence of his actions? En, in any case, I have lost this battle.”
“En, it was an interesting match!”
The red-haired old man turned his head towards the side and beckoned to the other figure present.
The scholarly looking man who had been standing a hundred metres away immediately stepped forward, walked over to the two seated men, and saluted respectfully, “Wei Qing greets Supreme Elder, greets Senior Luo Hai!”
Luo Hai nodded lightly, waving his hand to indicate there was no need for formalities.
This scholarly looking man was none other than Wei Qing, the Sect Master of Brilliant Flame Sect, so his position and status were not low. Although Luo Hai was Green Mountains Star’s Star Master, he could not afford to act too arrogantly here. What’s more, he had a good relationship with Brilliant Flame Sect’s Supreme Elder Chi Huo, so Wei Qing could be considered his Junior.
“Why have you come?” Chi Huo raised his head and looked at Wei Qing.
Wei Qing replied respectfully, “Reporting to Supreme Elder, there has been a development in the matter Senior Luo Hai entrusted to us.”
Luo Hai’s eyes flashed brightly but he quickly concealed his burgeoning expectations.
Chi Huo said lightly, “Continue!”
“A few days ago, one of our spies saw Ice Heart Valley’s Thirteenth Elder Yu Xue Qing lead a young man into Pure Ice Island through a Space Array. Although Ice Heart Valley put up a strict guard and our spy did not see the young man’s face clearly, there is a good chance he is the person Senior Luo Hai is looking for.”
After delivering his report, Wei Qing stood aside respectfully and kept silent.
Although on Scarlet Wave Star, his position was under one, above ten million, Wei Qing didn’t dare act out of turn in front of Luo Hai and Chi Huo.
“Brother Luo Hai, what do you think?” Chi Huo turned to Luo Hai.
“Pure Ice Island is Ice Heart Valley’s headquarters, and no man has set foot on it for thousands of years. Them bringing a young man in at such a time shows how much value they place on him. He might very well be the one I am looking for and they plan on trying to use him as some kind of bargaining chip.”
“En, most likely they want to gain Brother Luo Hai’s favour and have you act as a peacemaker to resolve their current crisis,” Chi Huo seemed quite gruff on the outside but his mind was still extremely sharp.
Luo Hai simply laughed and said nothing.
“By the way, Brother Luo Hai, isn’t it about time that you tell this old master what you want with that little boy? What is it about him that can cause a character like you to pay so much attention to him?” Chi Huo asked suspiciously. He had been thinking about this question for a long time but was still unable to come up with any plausible answer.
What masters like Luo Hai cared about was breaking through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm, or Origin King Grade High-Rank artifacts! Besides these two things, in this world, essentially nothing else could even gain so much as a glance from Luo Hai.
A treasure which Luo Hai coveted was something Chi Huo was also extremely concerned about.
But every time Chi Hou attempted to probe Luo Hai’s intentions, he would receive only vague answers, leaving him helpless.
“Didn’t this King tell you? That little boy used his Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation to survive the Blood Prison Trial and his aptitude is also quite good. This King happens to not have any heirs and wants to take him as a Disciple to inherit this King’s legacy!” Luo Hai replied with a smile.
“So that’s how it is! This is a great blessing for that boy,” Chi Lu laughed and nodded while in his mind dismissing this obviously fake answer.
Luo Hai was a Second-Order Origin King and had refined a Star Source, so it was highly likely he would eventually break through to the Third-Order. How could he now be so eager to accept a Legacy Disciple?
Besides, even if he did want to accept a disciple, it would be impossible for him to drag so many people into this matter. If a Second-Order Origin King announced he was looking for a disciple, there would be countless geniuses who flocked to him to fight for the chance, how could Luo Hai chase after a mere boy so doggedly just to force him to be his disciple?”
No matter how Heaven-defying a genius this boy might be, Luo Hai couldn’t go through this much trouble for that alone!
There was definitely more to this than Luo Hai was willing to reveal.
“Since Ice Heart Valley has found that boy, then this King will go pay them a visit,” Luo Hai said, slowly getting up.
“This old master will come with you!” Chi Huo grinned meaningfully.
Luo Hai glanced at him thoughtfully for a moment before nodding, “Good, I’ve heard that Ice Heart Valley’s Pure Ice Grand Array is quite powerful, with Brother Chi Huo accompanying me, this trip will go much more smoothly.”
He didn’t try to refuse.
“Great. By the way, Wei Qing, tell that little bastard boy of yours to come and see this old master. This old master will bring him along to enjoy the scenery of Pure Ice Island!” Chi Huo shouted at Wei Qing again.
“Supreme Elder wants to take Wei Feng to Pure Ice Island?” Wei Qing was startled and said in a half-panic, “But that boy…”
He knew better than anyone the character of his son.
As the son of a Sect Master, Wei Feng’s aptitude was actually quite poor. Over the years, Wei Qing had used countless pills and magical resources to try to improve his son’s cultivation, but even so, Wei Feng had barely managed to enter the First-Order Origin Returning Realm.
Although Wei Feng had indeed reached the Origin Returning Realm, he was still unable to condense his Shi at all!
In this lifetime, his son would likely never reach beyond the First-Order Origin Returning Realm and would never possess the strength an Origin Realm cultivator should have.
In other words, Wei Feng was just a bit stronger than a peak level Saint King, and any Origin Realm master who had condensed their Shi to any extent would easily be able to defeat him.
The Supreme Elder had always disliked Wei Feng, feeling he was a disgrace to the Sect, and had even severely injured him once with a palm.
But today, why did the Supreme Elder say he wanted to take Wei Feng to Pure Ice Island?
“Enough nonsense, since I’ve made a decision, you simply need to follow it! It’s not like this old master is planning to kill him!” Chi Huo always had a short temper and shouted angrily when he saw Wei Qing hesitate.
“Yes!” A trace of fright flashed across Wei Qing’s face as he quickly stepped back.
Luo Hai frowned and turned to Chi Huo, not knowing what he was doing.
Pure Ice Island was no ordinary place, and even if Luo Hai was a Second-Order Origin King, he was still wary of the Pure Ice Grand Array that protected Ice Heart Valley. He and Chi Huo going alone would be the optimum plan, so why were they now trying to bring along a mere Junior?
What’s more, Chi Huo clearly disliked this Junior very much.
After frowning for a moment, however, Luo Hai suddenly understood something and shook his head with a wry smile.
Chi Huo laughed and said, “Brother Luo Hai, this time, this old master will have to borrow a bit of your momentum.”
“Only this time, but don’t go too far. Luo Li’s strength is not bad and if you really push her into a desperate situation where she uses the Pure Ice Grand Array, you and I will both suffer.”
“This old master naturally understands this, Brother Luo Hai. There is no need to worry.”
Not long after, Wei Qing returned with a young man.
This young man had good looks, but his sallow complexion and the dark circles under his eyes ruined his appearance. On top of that, at a glance, it was obvious he was the type to indulge in wine and women, putting up a strong front while actually being weak and cowardly.
When he came here, the young man was shivering and his face was pale as he constantly kept gulping, his eyes glancing towards Chi Huo in fear and horror.
Although he was already an Origin Returning Realm cultivator, he behaved like an ordinary mortal without the strength to truss up a chicken, hiding behind Wei Qing as if trying to seek shelter, not daring to face Chi Huo directly.
Chi Huo glanced at him and coldly snorted, a look of contempt and disdain clearly covering his face.
“Supreme Elder, I’ve brought Feng’er,” Wei Qing said helplessly.
“Good, you may leave,” Chi Huo waved his hand at Wei Qing.
Wei Qing opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he remained silent in the end, simply sighing while looking back at his son and shaking his head slowly before quickly leaving.
Wei Feng immediately fell into a panic as he watched his father’s disappearing back and cried out, “Father…”
“Shut up!” Chi Huo shouted.
Wei Feng was so frightened he nearly collapsed to the ground in terror as he struggled to turn his head and look at Chi Huo, his face lacking any form of colour.
He had no idea why the Supreme Elder had summoned him. He had an extraordinary status in Brilliant Flame Sect and could rely on his father’s power and strength to do as he pleased, but before the Supreme Elder, he was not worth a fart.
If the Supreme Elder wanted to kill him, even his father could not do anything.
“Su… Supreme… Elder… disciple has… has spent the p… p… past few days be… behind closed doors, c… cultivating i… in the Sect. I… I haven’t made a… any mistakes, p… please understand… Supreme Elder… don’t… don’t kill me… please!” Wei Feng stuttered and fumbled over his words as he whimpered like a baby, snot dripping from his nose as he knelt on the ground and kowtowed vigorously, knocking his head against the ground repeatedly.
The contempt and disgust in Chi Huo’s eyes rapidly grew stronger.
Luo Hai on the side also slowly shook his head, frowning as he said, “Wei Qing is worthy of being the future pillar of Brilliant Flame Sect, so how did his son end up as such a waste?”
“Defeated by a loving mother!” Chi Huo coldly snorted as he angrily glared at Wei Feng and shouted, “This old master orders you to stand up!”
Wei Feng yelped in panic but dared not refuse, quickly getting to his feet but still hunching over as his tears continued to pour down while he squeezed out a flattering smile, his face an utter ugly mess.
“Can you not even stand up straight you good-for-nothing waste?!” Chi Huo’s heart filled with grievances as he stepped forward and slapped Wei Feng twice.
With two crisp slaps, Wei Feng felt that his face had been beaten out of shape and gone completely numb.
Chi Huo was an Origin King Realm master, so even if he did not use any of his cultivation’s power, a casual slap would be enough to shatter Wei Feng’s body. Fortunately, Chi Huo still had a use for Wei Feng, so he couldn’t kill the latter here.
Grabbing Wei Feng’s neck and lifting him up like a butchered chicken, Chi Huo said coldly, “Boy, today is your lucky day. Weren’t you obsessed with a certain female disciple from Ice Heart Valley? This old master is going to bring you to Pure Ice Island to obtain her!”
“Huh?” Wei Feng wore a blank look as he stared at Chi Huo, seemingly never having expected the Supreme Elder to have called him here for this.
After a moment of stunned silence, Wei Feng became overjoyed and said eagerly, “Does Supreme Elder really mean it?”
Su Yan’s exquisite face, which seemed to be carved from the purest ice jade, suddenly flashed before his eyes, causing Wei Feng to tremble with excitement.
“Do you think this Supreme Elder will crack a joke with you?” Chi Huo snickered.
“But… but what if Ice Heart Valley refuses to give her up?” Wei Feng asked.
“They have no choice but to accept. Regardless of anything else, you are still the son of my Brilliant Flame Sect’s Sect Master and possess extraordinary status. Marrying you is an extreme honour for a mere Ice Heart Valley female disciple. Even if they want to refuse, they won’t be able to!”
“That’s right, that’s right…” Wei Feng’s excitement had completely overwhelmed his fear and he repeatedly nodded to Chi Huo and began to fantasize about all the things he would do once he obtained Su Yan, a stupid and obscene grin appearing on his face.
Luo Hai watched faintly from the side and shook his head slowly.
He naturally understood why Chi Huo was doing this, it was nothing more than another method to suppress and humiliate Ice Heart Valley.
Chi Huo was using this opportunity to borrow from Luo Hai’s prestige, something he had admitted to a moment ago.
But Luo Hai did not care. The struggles on Scarlet Wave Star had nothing to do with him. He came here only for Yang Kai. Since Chi Huo only wanted to make use of his power to gain a small advantage, Luo Hai was willing to accept.
After he ate the meat, Luo Hai could not stop Chi Huo from drinking the soup. As long as Chi Huo didn’t pursue the real reason he wanted to find Yang Kai, Luo Hai wouldn’t object.
“Brother Luo Hai, let’s go!” Chi Huo turned to Luo Hai while still gripping Wei Feng in his hand.
Luo Hai nodded and the two immediately turned into streams of light, disappearing from the bamboo forest and flying straight towards Pure Ice Island which was a few million kilometres away.
—
Pure Ice Island, the Outer Island.
Yang Kai was sitting in meditation in the guest room he was provided while trying to think of a way to meet with Su Yan.
He couldn’t set foot on the Inner Island, so if he wanted to meet Su Yan, he had to somehow get her to come to the Outer Island.
However, Yang Kai soon realized that Su Yan had no intention to come out and meet him as her aura remained essentially stationary somewhere on the Inner Island.
[Is she at a critical point in her cultivation and cannot move?] Yang Kai was puzzled. If it were not for her cultivation being at some kind of turning point, he was certain Su Yan would have come out to see him by now.
Yang Kai never suspected that Su Yan was not at a critical juncture in her cultivation but had been put under house arrest by Ran Yun Ting.
But now that he was here on Pure Ice Island and knew that Su Yan was only a few hundred kilometres away, Yang Kai no longer felt rushed.
There would certainly be a moment when they reunited.
After their last spiritual communication was disturbed, Yang Kai did not dare to reach out to Su Yan in the same manner. He was a mere guest here while Su Yan was in the Sect’s inner sanctuary, if he acted rashly, it would only backfire on him.
And so, he waited patiently for the right opportunity.
The next day, Yang Kai was still sitting in meditation when suddenly he opened his eyes and called out loudly, “I don’t know which Senior has come, but Junior offers his humble greetings.”
A soft voice came from outside the door, “This Queen is Ice Heart Valley’s Valley Master.”
A hint of surprise flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes; although he knew that there would definitely be a high-level Elder from Ice Heart Valley coming to meet him at some point, he hadn’t expected the one to come would be the Valley Master herself!
Ice Heart Valley’s Bing Long was a character Yang Kai had heard about from Qing Ya. Bing Long was the strongest master beneath Ice Heart Valley’s Supreme Elder Luo Li and was rumoured to be on the verge of breaking through to the Origin King Realm.
Did Ice Heart Valley really take his existence so seriously?
With a wave of his hand, Yang Kai opened the front door and stood up solemnly to greet this visitor.
Two women walked in from outside, both beautiful middle-aged women. The one in front wore a temperate but dignified smile and exuded a type of noble grace as she lightly stepped forward.
However, the woman who followed wore an ice-cold expression, and even though this was the first time they had met, Yang Kai could sense some inexplicable hostility coming from her.
Yang Kai frowned and wondered why this woman seemed to have a prejudice against him.
Bing Long stopped ten metres in front of Yang Kai, swept her eyes over him, and gently asked, “Are you Yang Kai?”
“Junior Yang Kai greets Senior Bing Long!” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
Bing Long nodded lightly, “Truly a dragon amongst men, your aura is calm yet profound, no wonder you were able to kill Jiang Xi and Yan Chi Lei so easily. For the act of saving Junior Sister Yu, this Queen offers her sincere thanks.”
Yang Kai shook his head and replied politely, “Junior was simply protecting himself; Valley Master need not be so polite.”
After saying so, Yang Kai turned a curious look at the beautiful woman behind Bing Long and asked, “This is…”
“This is my Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder!” Bing Long introduced.
Yang Kai raised his brow as he realized that this beautiful woman was actually Su Yan’s master!
And judging from her aura, Yang Kai could tell that she was the one who interfered with the spiritual connection between him and Su Yan yesterday!
[She seemed to have a deep prejudice and hostility towards me… Have I done something to offend her?] Yang Kai frowned in confusion.
Even thinking so, Yang Kai still cupped his fists again and said, “So it is Great Elder, Junior has been disrespectful!”
Ran Yun Ting just snorted coldly, not reciprocating any politeness with Yang Kai.
A trace of astonishment flashed across Bing Long’s eyes as she saw this and wondered what Great Elder was trying to do here, but she hurriedly took control of the conversation, “Great Elder and I have arrived here uninvited, please don’t take offence.”
“Valley Master must be joking; this is Pure Ice Island. This Junior is merely a guest here. Junior should be apologizing for failing to take the initiative to visit and offer his greetings.”
A hint of approval appeared on Bing Long’s face. She felt that Yang Kai was not only a cultivation genius but was also quite humble and polite, vastly different from other rising stars of the younger generation. Most of the so-called young handsome men had eyes atop their heads and acted insufferably arrogantly, doing whatever they wanted and parading around their strength as if they hoped everyone would know their strength. These young rising stars all seemed to lack the virtue of respecting the old and caring for the young.
Bing Long’s first impression of Yang Kai was quite good.
Bing Long and Ran Yun Ting then sat down at a small ice table with Yang Kai while a female disciple from Ice Heart Valley served tea.
Yang Kai did not know why these two had come here at this time, so he didn’t dare speak rashly, simply sipping his tea while waiting quietly for them to reveal their purpose.
Ran Yun Ting on the other hand had been glaring at Yang Kai since he took his seat, as if she was trying to pierce him with her sharp gaze.
Fortunately, Bing Long took the initiative to make some small talk with Yang Kai, asking him a few irrelevant questions to lighten the atmosphere.
After a cup of tea, Bing Long suddenly asked, “Little Brother Yang is not a Scarlet Wave Star cultivator, right?”
Yang Kai knew that she was trying to obtain some background information on him, but he didn’t have a reason to conceal something so simple so he nodded and replied, “Indeed, I am not from Scarlet Wave Star.”
“Then where does Little Brother Yang come from?”
“My homeland is Tong Xuan Realm!”
“Tong Xuan Realm?” Bing Long frowned, apparently never having heard of such a place.
On the other hand, Ran Yun Ting’s phoenix eyes narrowed, and a faint light flashed across their depths.
Bing Long had never heard of Tong Xuan Realm, but she had.
After all, Su Yan also came from Tong Xuan Realm!
[This brat really is the one who sullied Su Yan’s innocence! This little animal is preventing her from reaching the peak of the Martial Dao!]
A faint murderous intent began leaking from her body as Ran Yun Ting thought of this, and although it was extremely faint, Bing Long still noticed it. After shooting a glance towards Ran Yun Ting suspiciously, Bing Long found that Yang Kai seemed to be unaware of this ill-intent so she did not make a fuss and instead smiled slightly, “It looks like this Queen is somewhat ignorant and uninformed as she has never heard of such a star before.”
“Senior need not improperly belittle herself, my homeland is extremely barren and has no contact with the wider Star Field, so it is normal to not have heard of it.”
“May I ask why Little Brother Yang has come to Scarlet Wave Star at this time?” Bing Long asked again.
“I just passed by accidentally.”
“Do you know that Brilliant Flame Sect has been looking for you for nearly a year?”
“I’ve heard.”
“Why is Brilliant Flame Sect looking for you so fervently?”
After asking a few questions, Bing Long gradually became more straightforward.
Yang Kai smiled lightly, took a sip from his teacup, shook his head, and said, “I don’t know!”
“You don’t know?” Bing Long laughed slightly, her voice suddenly becoming solemn. “Then this Queen will ask a different question, has Green Mountains Star’s Star Master Sir Luo Hai come to Scarlet Wave Star because of you?”
“Since Senior already knows, why bother to ask?”
Bing Long was genuinely surprised and could not help asking again, “Sir Luo Hai really came for you?”
She had guessed that this was the case before, seeing how Luo Hai arrived on Scarlet Wave Star then went to Brilliant Flame Sect, after which, Brilliant Flame Sect began looking all over for Yang Kai. All these events could not have happened by mere coincidence, so Bing Long naturally had her suspicions.
However, guesses were just guesses, so after receiving confirmation from Yang Kai, Bing Long still felt surprised.
What kind of character was Luo Hai? Even considering the entire Star Field, he ranked amongst the highest of masters. What could possibly be of such great interest for him to come to Scarlet Wave Star from Green Mountains Star for Yang Kai.
“Why?” Bing Long asked again.
Yang Kai shook his head and said in a serious tone, “This Junior cannot answer that question. If Senior wishes to know, she might as well ask Luo Hai himself.”
Bing Long flashed an even more surprised look hearing this answer.
Yang Kai called Luo Hai directly by his name! There was not the slightest bit of respect in his voice at all.
One had to know that towards a master like Luo Hai, regardless of whether someone was related to him or not, they needed to show a certain level of deference by addressing him as Sir or Senior.
This was a type of etiquette which all cultivators had to display towards Origin Kings. Even Bing Long, as Ice Heart Valley’s Valley Master, had to address Luo Hai as Sir.
However, Yang Kai completely disregarded this convention.
After recovering from her shock, Bing Long asked, “Do you have some kind of enmity with Sir Luo Hai?”
“I was chased by him all the way from Green Mountains Star to Scarlet Wave Star and nearly died several times in the process. Does Senior think I wouldn’t have a grudge against him?” Yang Kai sneered.
Yang Kai did not attempt to conceal this fact because doing so was impossible to begin with.
Bing Long and Ran Yun Ting were thoroughly dumbfounded this time as they stared at Yang Kai incredulously.
After a long time, Bing Long wore a complicated look and said, “Your luck is truly great, even being able to escape from Sir Luo Hai’s pursuit!”
She thought that Yang Kai being safe and sound now was all thanks to luck. If not, how could a mere Second-Order Origin Returning Realm junior survive under the pursuit of a Second-Order Origin King?
“What kind of grudge do you have with Sir Luo Hai? Explain in detail!” Ran Yun Ting suddenly questioned. This was the first time she spoke since she arrived here, and her words were spoken in an almost commanding tone.
This made Yang Kai frown as he secretly felt that as a guest, not a disciple of Ice Heart Valley, this kind of domineering and commanding tone was inappropriate.
However, thinking that she was Su Yan’s master, Yang Kai could not snap back rudely, so he simply said, “Please forgive me, but I have no comment.”
“Boy, have you not figured out your situation yet? This is Pure Ice Island, and you have provoked a master like Sir Luo Hai. If you want to survive, you’d best cooperate with us obediently! Otherwise, no matter how smart you think you are, you won’t be able to escape!” Ran Yun Ting saw Yang Kai act so tactlessly and her face sank.
Yang Kai turned to look at her and narrowed his eyes, faintly asking, “Senior, are you threatening me?”
Ran Yun Ting’s pretty face became even colder, and she was just about to say something more when Bing Long hurriedly preempted, “Great Elder had no such intentions, but this matter is truly not trivial. This Queen will not try to abuse her status and will address you as an equal. Yang Kai, although your aptitude is good, having offended a master like Sir Luo Hai, I’m afraid your future is worrying.”
“I know,” Yang Kai nodded nonchalantly.
“Since you know, this Queen won’t bother with any nonsense. My Ice Heart Valley’s Supreme Elder is also an Origin King, and although she is not as powerful as Sir Luo Hai, her methods are profound and she has some small friendship with Sir Luo Hai. If you can tell us your story in detail, it may be possible for this Queen to request the Supreme Elder to come forward and say a few good words on your behalf to resolve this crisis. What do you think?”
Bing Long’s sincerity and generosity reduced Yang Kai’s anger slightly, but he still shook his head decisively and said, “Seniors need not trouble yourselves with this Junior’s affairs. Junior can take care of them by himself.”
“You? What kind of skill do you possess to handle such a crisis?” Ran Yun Ting seemed to be particularly eager to see Yang Kai suffer and smiled sarcastically, “Boy, do not refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! If you never intended to say anything, why come to my Ice Heart Valley in the first place!”
“Rather than me coming here, wasn’t it Ice Heart Valley that was looking for me?” Yang Kai glanced over at Ran Yun Ting.
Ran Yun Ting became angered at his flippant tone and the Saint Qi in her body began welling up as she released a powerful Shi to envelop Yang Kai, as if she was about to attack him.
Bing Long’s face changed slightly as she quickly interjected, “Yang Kai, since you don’t want to say, then this Queen and Great Elder won’t force you. However, should you change your mind, please feel free to let one of the disciples here inform this Queen and this Queen will surely ask Supreme Elder to come forward to help you resolve this matter.”
“Many thanks, but Junior will have to decline Senior’s kind intentions!” Yang Kai said lightly.
“In that case, please feel free to stay here a while, as for what happens next… we will discuss it when the time comes,” Bing Long sighed and got up to leave.
Ran Yun Ting glared at Yang Kai for a moment before letting off a cold snort and getting up as well. When she arrived at the door to the room, however, she suddenly turned around, glared at Yang Kai icily, and asked sternly, “Boy, don’t think this Elder doesn’t know what you’re plotting! I advise you to give up now, she will eventually fly from this tiny branch to become a phoenix, she is not someone a nothing like you can get involved with. Don’t ruin her future!”
After saying so, Ran Yun Ting turned around and left without giving Yang Kai a chance to respond.
Yang Kai stared at the door with indifference, watching her and Bing Long leave.
However, listening to what Ran Yun Ting said, he understood that she knew about his relationship with Su Yan, which also explained why she was so hostile towards him.
Realizing Ran Yun Ting was just trying to protect her precious disciple, Yang Kai took a deep breath and calmed the anger in his heart.
In all honesty, Su Yan having a Master who cared so deeply for her future wasn’t a bad thing but Ran Yun Ting’s attitude had still made Yang Kai very unhappy.
—
“Junior Sister, there’s something wrong with you today.” On the way back to the Inner Island, Bing Long looked at Ran Yun Ting thoughtfully, “Do you know something? Why did you speak so harshly to that Yang Kai, almost like you knew him from somewhere before?”
“I don’t know him!” Ran Yun Ting shook her head, pondered for a moment, then let out a sigh, “Senior Sister, I’ll be honest with you, that Yang Kai and Su Yan know one another!”
“Oh? How do the two of them know each other?” Bing Long was surprised.
“Remember how he said he was from Tong Xuan Realm? Su Yan is also from that place! They used to have a Senior Sister Junior Brother relationship, and…”
Bing Long frowned, vaguely becoming aware of something, and asked in surprise, “Could it be that they…”
“En! Not only that, Su Yan is no longer a pure white jade!”
“What?” Bing Long’s expression changed dramatically as she asked in shock, “But… but hasn’t Su Yan cultivated the Ice Jade Secret Art? That’s strange. Why hasn’t she received any backlash?”
“Before she had not, but now she has. Su Yan’s cultivation has regressed, and there is now a flaw in her mood while her Ice Jade Heart has become clouded!” Ran Yun Ting grit her teeth as she said, “If my guess is correct, that little animal took the initiative to come to Pure Ice Island just to find Su Yan. Yesterday, I even discovered the two of them were communicating with a strange Soul power.”
Bing Long’s expression fluctuated rapidly as she murmured, “The two of them can communicate with each other using their Souls, like a form of heart resonance? It seems that their relationship between them is quite extraordinary. If that is the case though, is Su Yan’s future really beyond redemption?”
“No, there is a way to solve this problem!” Ran Yun Ting’s gaze became ruthless.
Seeing her look, Bing Long also quickly realized her intentions and hurriedly shook her head, “You can’t do this yet. Sir Luo Hai is here for him, and if he dies here, now, there’s no way our Ice Heart Valley can appease Sir Luo Hai, and this method is also not a guarantee. If it causes Su Yan to bear a grudge against you…”
“It doesn’t matter if she bears hatred towards me!” Ran Yun Ting chuckled, with a hint of madness in her smile, “Senior Sister, I am not ashamed to admit that I have no hope of breaking through to the Origin King Realm in my life, but Su Yan has such potential. Even if I cannot, she can! As long as she can reach such a height, what does it matter if she hates me? One day, she will understand that I did all of this for her own good!”
“Junior Sister, you…” Bing Long looked at her and suddenly sighed, a look of sadness appearing on her face.
If Ran Yun Ting was saying she had no hope of breaking through to the Origin King Realm, what about her? Bing Long had remained at the peak of the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm for countless years, hitting the bottleneck countless times, always failing, completely unable to grasp the mysteries of the Origin King Realm.
As Ran Yun Ting said, they would probably remain stuck at the threshold of the Origin King Realm for their entire lives. Unless they encountered some kind of Heaven defying opportunity, they would have no chance of rising higher!
Bing Long understood Ran Yun Ting’s thoughts, but she also felt it was quite inappropriate to act on them, so she could only say, “Give me some time to consider this matter, don’t act rashly!”
“I know.”
After walking forward for a while, the two separated.
Ran Yun Ting walked straight to Su Yan’s residence. She needed to speak frankly with her disciple and make her understand that only strength was eternal while love between men and women was a fleeting distraction not worth treasuring.
Not long after, Ran Yun Ting arrived near her destination, where she saw her a disciple speaking with the two guards outside Su Yan’s ice room with a pleading expression.
Upon closer inspection, Ran Yun Ting realized that this disciple was actually Qing Ya, who came to Ice Heart Valley with Su Yan.
Ran Yun Ting still had some impression of this disciple; after all, when she brought Su Yan back to Ice Heart Valley, Qing Ya also followed, but since the latter’s aptitude wasn’t as good as Su Yan’s, she had to remain on the Outer Island.
Seeing Ran Yun Ting approach, Qing Ya and the two women quickly stopped talking, turned around, and saluted respectfully, “Disciple greets Great Elder!”
Ran Yun Ting gently nodded before sweeping her eyes across Qing Ya’s face indifferently.
She didn’t know if it was because she had just met with Yang Kai, but Ran Yun Ting suddenly realized that this Outer Island disciple was also from Tong Xuan Realm and seemed a bit unpleasant to the eye. Just thinking of Yang Kai’s arrogant face made her feel irritated.
“What are you quarrelling here for? Don’t you all know that Su Yan is in retreat?” Ran Yun Ting shouted.
The eyes of the two female disciples responsible for guarding Su Yan flashed a trace of horror as they realized that Great Elder was in a very poor mood and immediately became anxious.
The woman surnamed Zhou quickly glanced over at Qing Ya and said in an aggrieved voice, “Reporting to Great Elder, this Junior Sister came here to see Su Yan. We stopped her, but she refused to back down!”
“Great Elder please understand, it’s not that we wished to disturb Su Yan, it’s all because this woman was being unreasonable!” The other woman also chimed in.
Ran Yun Ting’s stern eyes fell on Qing Ya and she said coldly, “If she refuses to withdraw, why did you not just force her to leave? Have both of you cultivated all these years in vain?”
As soon as these words came out, Qing Ya and the others all stared dumbfounded.
None of them seemed to have thought their Great Elder would say such a thing.
In Ice Heart Valley, although there were disputes and enmities between Sisters, no one ever openly fought because of them.
However, Great Elder’s words just now were clearly implying they should have beaten Qing Ya, weren’t they? The woman surnamed Zhou was so shocked she was unable to even reply and just stood in place, mute.
“What are you waiting for? Are you both deaf?” Ran Yun Ting shouted again.
The woman surnamed Zhou quickly understood that Great Elder was not cracking a joke, and feeling aggrieved in her heart at being reprimanded for no apparent reason, she nodded and yelled, “Yes, Disciple will obey Great Elder’s order!”
Saying so, she circulated her Saint Qi and pushed a palm out towards Qing Ya.
“Great Elder…” Qing Ya opened her mouth and called out, but after only a few words, her chest was struck by a fierce Qi and her tender body flew out almost uncontrollably through the air, causing her to cough up a mouthful of blood, staining her white dress red.
*Hong long long…*
Qing Ya flew several dozen meters away before smashing into an ice wall and falling down distressingly.
Her face was pale and bloodless as the wind was knocked out of her, making it difficult for her to even breathe much less get up.
She was a Second-Order Saint King while the woman surnamed Zhou who hit her was a First-Order Origin Realm cultivator, the gap between them was massive so she was completely unable to resist.
A single palm was all that was needed to injure Qing Ya!
Her beautiful eyes trembled violently as she turned to look at Ran Yun Ting in disbelief, still unable to understand why Great Elder had suddenly given such a ruthless command!
“Get out! If you dare set foot on the Inner Island in the future, this Elder will expel you from Ice Heart Valley!” Ran Yun Ting reprimanded coldly and without mercy.
“Qing Ya!” Su Yan’s door suddenly opened, and she appeared anxiously and flew over towards Qing Ya.
Although she heard the dispute between Qing Ya and the woman surnamed Zhou just now, because of Ran Yun Ting’s orders, she had not dared to appear without permission and could only remain behind closed doors.
But now, Qing Ya had actually been injured, so she could no longer hold back!
The two of them were both from Tong Xuan Realm and joined Ice Heart Valley together, becoming fellow sisters, so how could she just stand back and watch Qing Ya being beaten?
However, the moment she appeared, Ran Yun Ting waved her hand and forced Su Yan back.
“If you dare take one step forward, I’ll kill her right now!” Ran Yun Ting stood outside the ice room and stared at Su Yan’s sad face with a cold expression.
A trace of horror flashed across Su Yan’s face as she stared at Ran Yun Ting in shock, opening her mouth to speak, but eventually decided to not act rashly here. Taking a deep breath and gritting her teeth as she said, “As this is Qing Ya’s first offence, Disciple begs Honoured Master not to punish her further!”
Ran Yun Ting nodded, “As long as you are obedient, I will not embarrass her!”
Su Yan grit her teeth, clenched her fists, and whispered softly, “Disciple will obey Honoured Master’s command.”
Ran Yun Ting showed a look of satisfaction, “Good! I came here to tell you that that boy has arrived on Pure Ice Island. Now, sever your emotional ties with him immediately to make up for the flaw in your mood, or this Elder will do it for you!”
Su Yan’s tender body trembled as she stared at Ran Yun Ting in horror, a pleading expression appearing on her beautiful face as she muttered, “Honored Master…”
Severing her emotions was tantamount to cutting off her connection from Yang Kai, becoming complete strangers from then on.
But if she allowed her Honoured Master to act, there would only be one result… Yang Kai being killed!
Neither option was something Su Yan could accept; it was simply worse than letting her die.
“There is no third choice! I’ll give you a few days to think about it, you can tell me then!”
Su Yan’s beautiful eyes dimmed for an instant, as if they were covered by dark clouds, blocking all the light from her world, leaving her stunned and unable to move.
By the time she recovered, Ran Yun Ting had already left and Qing Ya was nowhere to be seen, only the two Senior Sisters responsible for guarding her remained, smiling at her mockingly.
These smiles angered her deeply!
For the first time in more than thirty years, she felt like shaking off the shackles which were binding her and escaping from this place.
It was undeniable that Ran Yun Ting had been very good to her. Ever since Su Yan came to Ice Heart Valley, Ran Yun Ting had taught her with complete devotion and provided her with an abundance of resources, allowing her to cultivate in the best environment possible Yan.
However, while teaching Su Yan without reservation, Ran Yun Ting was also chaining her.
She had too many expectations of Su Yan and placed a great burden on her. It was not an exaggeration to say Ran Yun Ting placed all her hopes and dreams onto Sun Yan, but Su Yan was ultimately unable to live up to those expectations.
The future of Ice Heart Valley, the mysteries of the Origin King Realm, Su Yan had heard Ran Yun Ting mention these concepts more than once.
Before, she had not given it much thought. Since her Honoured Master had given her such orders, all she needed to do was follow them; after all, without Ran Yun Ting, she, Qing Ya, and Qian Hao might still be struggling to support themselves on Green Mountains Star. How could their lives be so worry-free?
But now, Su Yan only felt exhausted.
The arrival of Yang Kai gave her an object to rely on. She did not want to take on the future of Ice Heart Valley, she simply wanted to travel freely together with Yang Kai, enjoying all the sights and scenes of the wider world.
She never had great ambitions, she simply wanted to lead a simple, enjoyable life.
Outside Su Yan’s door, her two Senior Sisters continued snickering and sneering without reservation, seemingly in a very good mood.
Su Yan felt aggrieved but did not dare to raise a fuss, simply sitting down cross-legged without saying a word and waving her hand to close the door of her ice room.
…..
In his guest house on the Outer Island, Yang Kai turned to the Ice Heart Valley female disciple who was responsible for his daily life.
This disciple was also an Outer Island disciple and only a First-Order Saint. She looked about twenty-four or five years of age, and although her appearance was not beautiful per se, she had a delicate and clean aura about her.
The disciples of Pure Ice Island all cultivated Ice Attribute Secret Arts, so she had a faint chill about her as well.
“Girl, do you know Qing Ya?” Yang Kai asked while looking at her.
“Senior Sister Qing Ya? I know her!” The woman nodded and replied, smiling slightly as she said, “Our ice rooms are not very far apart, so we meet each other frequently. Does Senior Brother also know Senior Sister Qing Ya?”
“En, can you take me to see her?”
“You wish to go see Senior Sister Qing Ya?” The woman was startled and frowned hesitantly, “I’m afraid I cannot agree to your request.”
“Why?”
“The Elders told me that Senior Brother may only rest here and cannot walk around without permission. Senior Brother, you should know, our Ice Heart Valley only has female disciples and no men are allowed to even set foot into the Sect. If you and I were to be seen walking around outside together…”
As she spoke, the young woman blushed.
“That’s… never mind, forget it,” Yang Kai smiled freely, not trying to insist, changing the subject, and chatting with the young woman a bit before turning around and walking back into his room.
Seeing Yang Kai not try to make things difficult for her, the female disciple could not help breathing a sigh of relief, thinking that this person was quite easy to talk to.
Returning to his room, Yang Kai wore a calm look that displayed neither happiness nor anger, but in his heart, he felt somewhat annoyed.
Wasn’t he essentially under house arrest?
Moreover, it had been three days since Ice Heart Valley’s Valley Master Bing Long and Great Elder Ran Yun Ting jointly visited. For these three days, no one had come to see him, and even Qing Ya had not shown up.
This confused Yang Kai somewhat.
It was fine if others did not come to see him, but why had Qing Ya not visited? She knew why he had come to Ice Heart Valley this time but now he was trapped in this small Outer Island icehouse, unable to leave much less see Su Yan.
Over the past three days, Su Yan had not attempted to communicate with him again.
The more Yang Kai thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong, so he quietly released his Divine Sense and found the disciple who was responsible for attending to him.
Space Force surged beside Yang Kai and in the next moment, his figure disappeared like a ghost.
If it was someone else, they might have difficulty sneaking out from this place, but for Yang Kai who cultivated the Dao of Space, it was extremely easy.
Without that female disciple noticing anything, Yang Kai appeared in a conceal spot a few kilometres away.
Looking up at an ice peak more than a dozen kilometres away, Yang Kai’s figure flickered again.
As they were chatting just now, Yang Kai had subtly probed the young female disciple about the position of her cave mansion.
Since she said that she lived close to Qing Ya’s cave mansion, it should be somewhere on this ice peak.
Yang Kai just did not know where exactly.
A moment later, Yang Kai arrived at the foot of the ice peak and concealed his aura.
There were hundreds of cave mansions here excavated into this ice peak, with many people living in them. Just looking at this scene gave Yang Kai a headache.
Release his Divine Sense to investigate, Yang Kai found that every cave mansion was protected by a barrier, and although with his Divine Sense’s strength, it wouldn’t be a problem breaking into these, doing so would certainly lead to trouble.
With no other choice, Yang Kai simply frowned and decided to wait quietly.
Just as he was searching for some kind of clue, however, a group of Ice Heart Valley disciples suddenly arrived at the base of the ice peak.
One of these five was a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator while the rest were Saint Kings.
Although their cultivation was not very high, Yang Kai could feel that each of them was radiating a type of unvarnished hostility, a fact that caused him to frown.
Generally speaking, this type of hostility should only be possessed by those who had short tempers and merciless personalities, but all of Ice Heart Valley’s disciples cultivated Ice Attribute Secret Arts, which focused on maintaining pure, emotionless states, so how could such people be here?
Not only that, these women all wore cold, grim expressions and gave off prickly auras that forced others to keep their distance.
These women walked straight to the ice peak before arriving in front of a certain cave mansion.
The lead woman looked around and asked, “Is this the place?”
One of her subordinates immediately replied, “It’s here.”
The lead woman nodded and suddenly yelled, “Outer Island disciple Qing Ya!”
This sound was not too loud, but it still spread out a great distance.
When Yang Kai heard this, his expression immediately became pleased. This was nothing less than someone sending him a pillow when he was feeling sleepy. He was worried he would not be able to find Qing Ya’s cave mansion, but now, a group had shown up and called Qing Ya out.
However… this group of women seemed to have ill intentions! Yang Kai frowned slightly and did not immediately reveal himself, remaining hidden nearby, observing in secret.
Three breaths after the woman shouted, a thin barrier outside the cave mansion split open a gap and from inside a woman wearing a white dress and possessing a solemn aura walked out.
Qing Ya! Yang Kai raised his brow as he noticed something was wrong.
Qing Ya’s aura was somewhat unsteady and her face was pale, as if she had recently suffered a serious injury!
She was fine when they returned to Pure Ice Island a few days ago, so how could she have suddenly become injured? And looking at her, it was not because she made a mistake in her cultivation. On the contrary, it looked like… she was beaten!
Yang Kai was quite confused.
On the other side, after Qing Ya exited her cave mansion and saw the face and robes of the person who summoned her, she could not help becoming even paler.
She seemed to recognize the leader of this group.
“So, it is Senior Sister Bing Die, does Senior Sister have some matter to discuss with me?” Qing Ya tried to keep her expression calm, but the trembling in her voice betrayed her inner tension.
By now, many Ice Heart Valley disciples who lived on this ice peak had been alarmed by Bing Die’s shout and came out to see what was happening.
After seeing this scene though, many showed looks of fear.
“It’s Senior Sister Bing Die of the Law Enforcement Hall! How could she be here? And why is she looking for Junior Sister Qing Ya?”
“This is bad, Junior Sister Qing Ya must have made some kind of terrible mistake, right? Why else would this disaster have appeared?”
“Impossible, Qing Ya has always fulfilled her duties to the Sect diligently and even seems to have earned great merit recently. How could she have committed a mistake?”
“That may not be so. I heard a Senior Sister from the Inner Island say that somehow, a few days ago, Junior Sister Qing Ya deeply angered Great Elder.”
“I also heard about that. It seems that a Senior Sister named Zhou Yun Xuan also injured her at that time.”
“Impossible, Junior Sister Qing Ya has an exceptionally good relationship with Su Yan. With Su Yan backing her, who would dare beat her?”
…..
In short order, and one after another, every single disciple on this ice peak came out from their cave mansions and began standing around watching from afar.
Even with all the whispers going around her, the lead woman named Bing Die remained unmoved, simply staring at Qing Ya indifferently for a moment before shouting in a low tone, “Qing Ya, as an Ice Heart Valley disciple who has received much care from the Sect, not only do you not understand how to show gratitude, you actually dared colluded with outsiders to shake the foundation of my Ice Heart Valley! By order of the Elder Council, Qing Ya, we are to have your cultivation crippled and from today forward, expelled from Ice Heart Valley. You are to never set foot on Pure Ice Island again!”
Bing Die’s few words stirred up an uproar from the crowd, with all the onlooking disciples calling out in shock. Many women covered their mouths with their hands as they directed looks of disbelief and sympathy towards Qing Ya.
Having one’s cultivation crippled and being expelled from Ice Heart Valley was the harshest punishment the Sect could make. This was a fate even worse than outright executing a person.
Death ended everything in an instant, but if one was crippled and then expelled from Ice Heart Valley, that person would carry an inescapable trauma for the rest of their life, a stain that could never be erased.
Qing Ya’s tender body trembled as her eyes filled with horror and her already pale face turned pure white. Shivering violently, she called out haltingly, “Senior Sister Bing Die, what is this all about?”
Collaborating with outsiders to shake the foundation of Ice Heart Valley was no casual charge. Since Qing Ya had entered Ice Heart Valley, she had never done anything to endanger the Sect, and some time ago, because she had found Yang Kai and brought him back to Pure Ice Island, she even earned the Valley Master’s praise, so how could she suddenly fall into this situation?
Bing Die’s sudden visit and announcement was a shock too great for her to immediately accept.
“What your sin is, you know in your heart!” Bing Die glared at Qing Ya indifferently, not showing any intention to explain, “Are you going to cripple yourself or do you want Senior Sister to do it? Let me say this first, if you do it yourself, things will be easier, but if you force Senior Sister to take action, you won’t be spared any pain!”
“Senior Sister Bing Die!” Qing Ya grit her teeth and a fierce light of resistance appeared in her horrified eyes, “Junior Sister has never done anything to endanger the Sect, and has never colluded with outsiders to shake the foundation of Ice Heart Valley. Junior Sister refuses to accept such charges without knowing their basis, I want to see the Elders or Valley Master!”
Qing Ya naturally would not just stand by and accept being accused of such a great crime; however, after some quick thinking, she had a vague guess as to why this was happening.
The so-called collusion with outsiders she had committed was nothing more than her contacting Yang Kai.
Yang Kai had come to Pure Ice Island because of her.
As for shaking the foundation of Ice Heart Valley, to put it simply, this was probably related to Su Yan’s cultivation. Su Yan had always been regarded by Ran Yun Ting as the future pillar of Ice Heart Valley, so bringing about a negative consequence to her cultivation was akin to shaking the foundation of Ice Heart Valley.
However, looking at it from a different perspective, this action probably had a completely different purpose.
The Law Enforcement Hall was most likely dispatched here because it received some kind of order from Ran Yun Ting.
“You may not see any of the Elders or the Valley Master. Today, the decision rests solely with me! I will give you ten breaths to think it over carefully!” Bing Die remained unmoved as she continued to stare at Qing Ya coldly.
All blood drained from Qing Ya’s face as she felt her heart breaking in two.
She was nothing more than a Second-Order Saint King, how could she resist the will of the Law Enforcement Hall?
If she really tried to resist, today, this place would become where her bones were buried. Qing Ya had heard about the methods used by the Senior Sisters of the Law Enforcement Hall.
Qing Ya smiled mirthlessly as a cold wind blew past her, but it was her heart that truly felt cold.
When she had first entered Ice Heart Valley, she was still filled with joy as she secretly thanked the Heavens she had met Ran Yun Ting, such a noble character, at the most difficult time in her life. After entering the Sect, she had been scrupulously about fulfilling her duties and responsibilities as a disciple, never once disobeying an order from the Sect.
She never relied on Su Yan’s identity and status to seek some kind of advantage for herself; even though she was more than capable of doing so.
She wanted to rely on her own efforts and step by step, strengthen herself, not so she could stand on the same level as Su Yan, but at least to the point where she wouldn’t disgrace herself. No matter what, the two of them had both come from the same homeland and joined Ice Heart Valley at the same time, but now Su Yan’s cultivation was soaring. So, if Qing Ya fell too far behind, others would only make irresponsible comments behind her back.
A few days ago, Ran Yun Ting had reprimanded her mercilessly and she had been injured by a Senior Sister named Zhou Yun Xuan, but even so, Qing Ya did not utter any complaints and simply returned to the Outer Island to enter retreat.
She knew that her actions at the time were indeed a bit reckless and not someone else’s fault.
But today, the charges levelled against her by Bing Die were like a bolt of lightning striking her, leaving her completely disheartened.
Great Elder intended to kill her ruthlessly!
She was just a small Outer Island disciple with no status to speak of, but just because she was an acquaintance with Yang Kai, Great Elder wasn’t willing to forgive her? Moreover, she was being accused of such heinous crimes.
Colluding with outsiders, shaking Ice Heart Valley’s foundation…
Qing Ya’s beautiful eyes gradually dimmed, and the look of resistance in her eyes gradually disappeared.
“You have three breaths left!” Bing Die said coldly.
Qing Ya brushed her hair back behind her ear, elegantly bowed to Bing Die, and said softly, “Senior Sister Bing Die, Junior Sister has a request she must trouble you with.”
Bing Die frowned slightly for a moment before nodding, “Speak.”
“Please do not let Su Yan know about today’s affairs. If she asks about me in the future, tell her that I have simply gone out for life experience.”
“Don’t concern yourself with Su Yan, Great Elder will give her an explanation,” Bing Die sneered, “Did you think you could survive by mentioning Su Yan’s name? The Law Enforcement Hall treats all impartially, even Su Yan. Nothing you say will stop what happens here today.”
She apparently thought that Qing Ya had ulterior motives and was trying to use Su Yan’s status to make them back down.
“Junior Sister had no such intentions,” Qing Ya smiled bitterly.
“Your time is up, your decision!” Bing Die issued an ultimatum.
“Senior Sister, please!” Qing Ya slowly closed her eyes.
Reaching her current cultivation was a long and tortuous path, so Qing Ya did not have the heart to simply destroy it all herself.
“As you wish!” A cold light flashed across Bing Die’s eyes as she lifted her palm and pressed it towards Qing Ya.
A blast of ice-cold energy flew out from the palm of her hand, one that contained great destructive power.
Exclamations sounded all around as countless Ice Heart Valley disciples watched.
Many people frowned secretly and showed reluctant expressions on their faces.
Their strength was not weak so they could naturally tell that Bing Die’s palm wasn’t meant to simply cripple Qing Ya’s cultivation, it was intended to kill her!
Even if Qing Ya managed to survive somehow, she would be seriously wounded, and may even be worse off than an ordinary mortal in the future, unable to take care of herself.
Sighing to themselves, many turned their heads, unwilling to witness such a cruel scene.
Bing Die’s eyes were frigid, seemingly containing no emotions a normal person should, only coldness.
“Hm?” Suddenly, Bing Die exclaimed.
Just as her palm was about to hit Qing Ya, in a flash, a new figure appeared in front of her.
This figure lifted his hand carelessly and seemingly lightly pushed it out.
In the next moment, Bing Die’s beautiful face paled as she felt a terrifying force fly towards her, one that not only scattered her attack but also shattered the Saint Qi defence around her body.
Like a paper kite with a broken thread, Bing Die was sent through the air as she coughed up blood without any ability to resist.
With a thud, Bing Die landed heavily on the snow and slid back a few dozen metres before finally coming to a stop.
Everything happened so suddenly that no one was able to react.
It wasn’t until three breathes after Bing Die had been hit that one of the disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall recovered and shouted, “Who goes there!”
At that moment, she turned to look at Yang Kai, but after seeing the face of the person who took action she couldn’t help staring blankly.
“A man?”
“Since when did our Pure Ice Island allow men to enter?”
“Where did this man come from? He forced Senior Sister Bing Die back and wounded her with a single palm.”
“Hey, isn’t he the one we were ordered to look for some time ago? So, we’ve already found him! No wonder the Elders recalled us.”
…..
The spectating female disciples from Ice Heart Valley behaved as if they were seeing an unexpected and novel creature as they stared at Yang Kai strangely. After discovering that he was the person they and their sisters had been searching for an entire year, they suddenly became excited.
All of them had worked hard outside the Sect for a year just to find a trace of Yang Kai, so now seeing him in the flesh, many couldn’t help wondering what was so special about him that Ice Heart Valley was willing to sacrifice so many disciples and resources to find him.
However, no matter how they looked, they couldn’t see any clues, only that Yang Kai seemed to be a little annoyed at the moment, his face extremely cold as he stood in front of Qing Ya like a towering mountain, blocking all winds and rain.
Such a scene made the disciples of Ice Heart Valley frown and speculate about the relationship between Yang Kai and Qing Ya.
The pain she was anticipating did not come, and instead, only Bing Die’s muffled cries rang in her ears, causing Qing Ya to open her eyes suspiciously only to find herself staring at Yang Kai’s back.
“What are you doing here?” Qing Ya asked in astonishment.
“I came over to talk to you, but I didn’t expect to encounter such a sight!” Yang Kai turned his head and glanced at her with concern, “Are you okay?”
Qing Ya shook her head and smiled bitterly, “It’s nothing serious.”
“Who hurt you?”
Qing Ya bit her red lips and refused to speak.
Yang Kai sighed slightly, took out a jade bottle from his Space Ring, and handed it over, “Take this and heal your injuries.”
Qing Ya reached out and accepted it, thanking him politely but not taking the pill inside right away. Instead, she turned her attention to Bing Die who was lying not far away with a complex expression.
After receiving Yang Kai’s palm, Bing Die looked extremely embarrassed, but she was not actually injured seriously. This was a result of Yang Kai holding back. Otherwise, with his current strength, he could have easily killed her with that blow.
This was Ice Heart Valley, after all, Su Yan’s Sect, so Yang Kai did not want to make doesn’t want too much of a fuss.
Hearing the conversation between Yang Kai and Qing Ya, Bing Die’s cold face showed a hideous expression as she leapt up and wiped the blood from the corner of her as she sneered, “Heal? She will not have a chance! Openly resisting the orders of an Elder, injuring a Law Enforcement Hall disciples, Outer Island disciple Qing Ya, today, you must die!”
Qing Ya’s tender body trembled as she clenched both her fists so tightly they began to bleed.
Yang Kai glanced over at Bing Die, his eyes as cold as a knife and a callous look upon his face.
“I’m the one who hurt you, so what crime has Qing Ya committed?”
“You won’t escape either! No matter what your origins are, since you dared act presumptuously in Pure Ice Island, you will not leave here alive. As for Qing Ya… she must die, not only has she colluded with outsiders, but she even brought a man into Pure Ice Island, corrupting the moral purity of my Ice Heart Valley! A male bastard and his female bitch sneaking into my Ice Heart Valley, what wicked scheme are you plotting?”
Qing Ya’s body shivered and her face paled as she stared at Bing Die, saying in a trembling voice, “Senior Sister Bing Die, I cannot let that pass, there is no such relationship between Yang Kai and me, and I have never done anything to corrupt the morals or shame the reputation Ice Heart Valley! Yang Kai is here only because…”
“Silence! You have no right to speak here!” Bing Die ground her teeth as she glared at Qing Ya, not allowing her to explain anything and snickering as she continued, “You are calling him so intimately, how dare you say you have no relationship with him?”
At this time, many of the spectating Ice Heart Valley disciples showed strange expressions.
Although Yang Kai and Qing Ya did not exchange more than a few words, anyone could infer from their attitude and tone that the relationship between the two wasn’t shallow. At the very least they were clearly familiar with one another.
Could there really be some untoward secret between them?
Qing Ya wore a saddened look as she pined, “Senior Sister, you may beat or even kill me, but you may not insult me. Since entering Ice Heart Valley, Qing Ya has never done anything to shame the Sect.”
Moreover, this matter was also related to Yang Kai. Yang Kai was Su Yan’s man, so no matter how muddled Qing Ya became, she couldn’t have any kind of intimate relationship with him.
“You haven’t done anything?” Bing Die looked at her viciously, “Instigating this man to sneak attack me is not a disgrace to the Sect?”
“I did no such thing!” Qing Ya retorted anxiously.
“Pure sophistry!” Bing Die snapped, “If it weren’t for your instigation, how could he appear here so timely!”
Qing Ya opened her mouth but was unable to respond.
“There’s truly no lack of charges with which to falsely incriminate someone!” Yang Kai’s face suddenly showed a look of disappointment, “Qing Ya, since there is no longer any place for you here, you need not remain.”
After saying so, he sighed and seemingly muttered to himself, “I thought that Su Yan would be well taken care of here, but now it seems that it is time to take her away. Staying in this filthy place will only tarnish her pure soul.”
Su Yan?
This man actually knew Su Yan?
And did he just say that… he wanted to take Su Yan away?
Was he sleep talking?
Men were all indeed unreasonable animals!
Many women looked at Yang Kai oddly, wondering if he was another poor fool who had been captivated by Su Yan’s charm?
Since Su Yan entered the Sect, although she had only gone out a few times, her reputation had spread across Scarlet Wave Star and even characters like Wei Feng, the son of Brilliant Flame Sect’s Sect Master, had never been able to forget her, let alone others.
Over the years, countless people from various great forces had come to Ice Heart Valley, hoping to let their young geniuses marry Su Yan. Among them were some talented rising stars with exceptional aptitude, but without exception, all were rejected by Ice Heart Valley.
Su Yan was the future hope of Ice Heart Valley, how could she be allowed to marry out of the Sect?
Rumours had it that even the Supreme Elder had high hopes for Su Yan, and would even teach Su Yan personally on occasion over the past few decades.
This was a great honour. In Ice Heart Valley, only the Valley Master and Great Elder were eligible to meet the Supreme Elder, no one else was qualified.
Su Yan was like a phoenix resting on a branch. Compared to her, all men on Scarlet Wave Star were like insects crawling on the ground.
No one was worthy of her!
Yang Kai suddenly making such a remake immediately sparked many misunderstandings among the women from Ice Heart Valley. They thought Yang Kai was like Wei Feng, enamoured with Su Yan but unable to obtain her and forced to pine for her from a distance.
“You, take Su Yan away?” Bing Die’s eyes flashed with anger as she shouted, “Only if you live past today can you continue spewing such nonsense! Ice Heart Valley disciples, obey my orders! Kill Qing Ya and this shameless man! Their deaths will serve as a warning to others who would dare infringe upon our Sect!”
As soon as Bing Die’s voice fell, the Law Enforcement Hall disciples who had followed her immediately rushed towards Yang Kai fearlessly.
It was not that they hadn’t seen the methods Yang Kai used to deal with Bing Die before, but the Law Enforcement Hall’s orders were absolute.
As for the disciples who were watching nearby, many chose to remain on sidelines while a few, due to the majesty of the Law Enforcement Hall’s reputation, secretly began condensing their Saint Qi as they stared at Yang Kai.
They did not want to attack Qing Ya, but they didn’t have any problem dealing with a male stranger like Yang Kai.
Ice Attribute Saint Qi surging in all directions, causing the already extremely cold ice peak to become more frigid, the air itself seemingly freezing.
The Law Enforcement Hall disciples who had rushed forward first, however, only got to within five metres of Yang Kai before being thrown backwards and falling to the snowy ground one by one, their faces pale, unable to stand up.
As for the Outer Island disciples who attacked Yang Kai, they too were forced backwards, their complexions turning pale as they stared at Yang Kai in shock, none of them daring to act rashly again.
No one saw how Yang Kai attacked just now, but the results of this brief conflict made them deeply understand just how massive the gap was between them.
“Yang Kai, don’t overdo it!” Qing Ya was shocked.
She had not expected that on Pure Ice Island, Yang Kai would dare attack so many Ice Heart Valley disciples.
A moment ago, he acted to save her, but now, he had actually displayed open hostility.
Although he did not kill anyone, from the looks of the Law Enforcement Hall disciples, it was obvious that their injuries were serious.
She did not care about the life or death of these people of course. After experiencing this event, Qing Ya’s sense of identity and belonging to Ice Heart Valley had disappeared.
She just wanted to leave here quickly.
What she was worried about was Yang Kai taking things too far and forcing Ice Heart Valley’s true masters to act!
At that time, even if Yang Kai had astonishing abilities, he would not be able to escape here easily.
Bing Die stood on the spot, staring at the scene in front of her for a moment before suddenly smiling, but this smile was like that of a poisonous viper, one who had their prey right where they wanted. “Good, good, good! This time, no matter who you are, you will die today!”
Yang Kai simply looked at her with narrowed eyes and calmly said, “You think I can’t see through this little charade of yours?”
The smile on Bing Die’s face suddenly became somewhat stiff.
“Why continue to conceal yourself? Come out! Your Excellency has watched long enough, right?” Yang Kai said as he suddenly waved his hand towards a spot in the sky, releasing a palm.
With a loud bang, this palm was intercepted and dispersed by some kind of invisible force, but in the spot where there was once nothing, a figure strangely appeared.
Countless Outer Island disciples looked up and suddenly shouted in shock, “Great Elder!”
“Disciple greets Great Elder!” Everyone came back to their senses and hurriedly saluted with respect.
The figure that appeared was none other than Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder!
Ran Yun Ting is dressed in a lavender dress that gave her a noble appearance and her quiet aura was deep and profound; however, at this moment, she was staring towards Yang Kai with some slight surprise.
She had not expected Yang Kai to have discovered her existence so quickly.
She had thought everything was proceeding smoothly and secretly.
“As expected. It’s you!” Yang Kai snorted lightly.
Ran Yun Ting returned the gesture as she looked down at Yang Kai condescendingly, as if overlooking an ant.
“It seems you very much want my life!” A sarcastic smile appeared on Yang Kai’s face, “It must have taken a great deal of effort to set up this situation to force me out, right?”
When he sensed that Ran Yun Ting was nearby, Yang Kai immediately knew that this situation was no accident but was instead a carefully laid trap.
Today, whether he had come to seek out Qing Ya or not, he would have been drawn over. That was why Bing Die had deliberately shouted after arriving in front of Qing Ya’s cave mansion, to ensure Yang Kai was alarmed in his housing nearby.
As long as he took notice of Bing Die’s intentions, Yang Kai would act.
It was just that no one had thought that Yang Kai would happen to be nearby already.
Repeatedly making things difficult for Qing Ya, accusing her of such great crimes, and even using a heavy hand when attacking her, were all just ploys to force Yang Kai into fighting back.
At the very end, Bing Die even ignored the safety of her fellow Law Enforcement Hall disciples and ordered them to kill Yang Kai just to provoke a response from him.
Everything was an act to achieve this objective.
And the person behind this plot was undoubtedly Ran Yun Ting!
As Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder, holding the powers she did, manipulating the Law Enforcement Hall to act was a minor matter.
Qing Ya is just an innocent pawn while Ran Yun Ting’s ultimate goal was Yang Kai!
“Great Elder…” Qing Ya looked towards the aloof Ran Yun Ting.
“Ungrateful thing, you’re not qualified to speak to me!” Ran Yun Ting glanced over at Qing Ya coldly and with a wave of her hand sent out an icy blast towards her.
Qing Ya simply stood in place, unable to react.
Yang Kai once again appeared in front of her though and sent out a punch of his own.
Demonic Flame burst out and the black flames impacted the icy blast, the two forces mutually destroying one another, creating an intense explosion of hot and cold energy that even warped the surrounding space.
Ran Yun Ting raised her brow as she finally gave Yang Kai a serious look, secretly shocked by his strength.
Although she hadn’t unleashed her full strength in the blow just now and seemed to only be casually waving her hand, she had still used a third of her power, but Yang Kai had resolved her attack with an equally casual one.
[It is obvious that he has power to spare!]
“Originally, I didn’t quite believe you had truly killed Jiang Xi and Yan Chi Lei with your ability alone, but now it seems to be true. Not bad indeed!” Ran Yun Ting nodded slightly, not changing continence much even after witnessing Yang Kai’s prowess, simply offering a few light words of praise.
“However, that’s all there is to you. Since you have injured my Ice Heart Valley’s disciples on my Pure Ice Island, not putting my Ice Heart Valley in your eyes, you will definitely die today!” Ran Yun Ting’s eyes suddenly became cold and without any emotion declared to Yang Kai, “It is your honour to die at this Elder’s hands!”
On the ice peak, countless female disciples’ tender bodies trembled as they stared at Ran Yun Ting in shock.
Great Elder was going to take action personally?
What was the origin of this young man? The Sect searched for him so hard before, yet the Great Elder wanted to kill him now? What kind of unknown story had taken place without their knowing? Everyone was at a loss, wondering what was going on.
However… It seemed that Great Elder had not truly fought for some time.
It was rumoured that the last time she engaged in a real battle was ten years ago, but no one witnessed that fight with their own eyes and only knew that her opponent had become an ice sculpture.
Now, Great Elder wanted to kill this young man here on Pure Ice Island.
At that moment, the countless Ice Heart Valley disciples were eagerly looking forward to seeing the great power of their Great Elder.
Many people responded with sympathetic glances towards Yang Kai, secretly thinking that since this young man had provoked Great Elder, he would be buried on Pure Ice Island today.
Before everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai’s cold and angry expression suddenly became calm. This strange change made everyone’s heart jump as they felt a vague sense of unease.
Immediately, Yang Kai turned to Ran Yun Ting and bowed slightly.
He actually bowed!
Everyone’s eyes bulged in shock.
All the disciples of Ice Heart Valley did not understand what Yang Kai was trying to do, actually bowing to their Great Elder when facing her murderous intent.
Was he scared? Did this man know that he was not Great Elder’s opponent, so he wanted to compromise to survive?
Bing Die to the side couldn’t help snickering as she stared at Yang Kai mockingly. She despised this type of gutless man who bullied the weak but feared the strong the most.
[And this man wanted to capture Su Yan’s heart? What utter nonsense.]
“It’s too late to admit your mistakes now!” Ran Yun Ting still stood aloof, her expression unchanged as her tone remained cold and indifferent, “You should know in your heart why this Elder wants to kill you. If you really understand, if you want what is best for her, you should commit suicide here and now! This Elder would prefer to not stain her hands with your blood; after all, I will see her often in the future.”
As if she was giving Yang Kai a final benevolent gift, Ran Yun Ting stood in place and waited quietly, allowing Yang Kai to decide how he would die himself.
Yang Kai, however, just smiled back at her, his face still calm as he gently shook his head and declared, “I did nothing wrong!”
Ran Yun Ting’s expression instantly turned grim, “Things have already gotten to this point yet, you still insist on remaining stubborn? She is not someone the likes of you can match. She is going to reach the peak of the Martial Dao. In the future, you will only be able to look up to her as she gets further and further away! Rather than suffering in the future, it is best for both of you if you disappear now. If you do this for her, she may still remember you for the rest of her life. Only those who can endure unending loneliness and solitude can achieve true greatness! Do you still not understand what lies ahead if you continue on this path?”
“It is you who are blind to the future!” Yang Kai looked at Ran Yun Ting lightly, “I bow to you today to thank you for teaching and caring for her over the years, but after this point, you and I will be enemies! If you insist on killing me still, you must prepare yourself to die by my hand as well!”
Ran Yun Ting’s pair of phoenix eyes flashed with murderous intent, making all who were watching her cower. Fearful, all the female disciples of Ice Heart Valley were unable to help turning their gazes away.
Yang Kai remained indifferent though, his eyes still staring into hers without flinching in the slightest.
“As for whether I can match her, that is not for you to decide. Who says ascending to the peak of the Martial Dao is a path one must walk alone? I will reach that supreme summit hand in hand with her!”
“Ignorant child, any more talk is useless. Surrender your life!” Ran Yun Ting seemed to be irritated by Yang Kai’s wild words and refused to listen to any more of his nonsense. Stretching out her hand, she created a vortex that drew in all the Ice Attribute Energy from the surrounding ten kilometres and used her Saint Qi to condense a several-dozen-metre-long, tens-of-metres-thick ice lance.
At first glance, this ice lance looked more like an inverted ice peak, imposing and majestic.
The onlooking disciples all exclaimed in shock as they stared at this scene in amazement.
The Great Elder’s might was earth-shaking, making all them stare at her with eyes filled with worship and yearning.
All of them could not help wondering when they too would be able to stand at the same height as their Great Elder!
However, most of them knew that this was nothing but an unrealistic fantasy. In the Sect, aside from a select few like Su Yan, none had the potential to reach this level. All of them were destined to be the foils for these geniuses.
Many thoughts passed through the minds of these female disciples as they used their Movement Skills to withdraw.
None of them dared to remain in place as a fight on the Great Elder’s level would surely wreak terrifying destruction. If they stayed so close, they would likely get caught up in the fallout.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and sent Qing Ya a few kilometres away with a wave before he leapt up and charged towards the small ice mountain without any trace of fear.
Ran Yun Ting narrowed her eyes and formed a seal with both her hands as she exhaled a white mist that poured it into the ice lance.
In a flash of light, the ice lance began radiating an even more intense destructive aura as she sent it flying forward.
Dark flames burned on Yang Kai’s two fists as he pushed his Saint Qi to the limit before he swung them wildly towards the ice lance.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
A thunderous noise rang out as the ice lance was being broken apart inch by inch.
Yang Kai was like a fierce beast swimming against the raging current, and wherever he went, chunks of ice were sent flying. He moved with unstoppable momentum, blasting the ice lance to pieces as easily as if it were rotting wood before directly arriving in front of Ran Yun Ting.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye!
“I respected you as Su Yan’s Master, and did not want to embarrass you, but since you insist on killing me, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” Yang Kai’s voice was ice-cold as he stood just ten metres away from Ran Yun Ting and once again sent out a punch.
An astonishing Saint Qi accompanied this fist and the surrounding space seemed to distort as the area around Ran Yun Ting began filling with tiny, flickering Void Cracks.
Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder was so shocked that she could not help crying out.
At this moment, she had the illusion that her life was hanging by a thread, and that if she did not exert her full strength immediately, she would undoubtedly die.
In truth, Ran Yun Ting had never paid any attention to Yang Kai. Although she had learned from Thirteenth Elder Yu Xue Qing that Yang Kai killed Jiang Xi and Yan Chi Lei, Ran Yun Ting hadn’t seen this with her own eyes and simply felt that even if Yang Kai was a rising star, able to fight opponents above his realm, he couldn’t be her opponent.
She was a character who achieved fame a long time ago and was at the very peak of the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, possessing strength second only to an Origin King.
But the instant their battle truly began, she felt tremendous pressure from Yang Kai.
This young man was like an extremely sharp sword that had been released from its sheath, his strength and momentum seemingly even more powerful than her own!
Breaking out into a cold sweat, Ran Yun Ting’s complexion changed drastically as she madly pushed her strength.
Snow filled the surrounding thousand-metre radius around her and the temperature in this range plummeted. Each tiny snowflake in this region seemed to contain a mysterious power.
This was Ran Yun Ting’s Shi, and in its range, she became the one and only master. The falling snow became her strongest weapon, capable of killing any enemy which it enveloped.
Even the wandering Void Cracks froze over.
Staring at Yang Kai coldly, her murderous intent rose to even greater heights, she commanded the falling snow with her mind to swiftly engulf Yang Kai.
“Boy, your courage is commendable but ultimately useless. Repent for your sins in the netherworld, and if you are fortunate enough to have a next life, learn well that toads may not eat swan meat! There are some people you cannot afford to seek friendship with!” Ran Yun Ting madly urged her Shi as she shouted.
Her understanding of the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way was infused into each of these tiny crystal snowflakes and her Shi had already reached the grand accomplishment stage, only one step away from reaching Domain, making her all but invincible among Origin Realm masters.
Yang Kai’s body was swiftly covered with snowflakes.
His aura then suddenly fell, and at a speed visible to the naked eye, frost spread across his exposed skin, freezing it in an instant…
More snowflakes gathered towards Yang Kai.
It seemed that all the icy cold in the surrounding worlds was pouring into Yang Kai’s body.
After a mere two breaths, Yang Kai was frozen into an ice sculpture, still maintaining the posture of punching out, his eyes furious, standing mid-air as even his black hair swept backwards motionlessly.
He was like a work of art crafted by a Grandmaster.
A few kilometres away, Qing Ya, who had just managed to regain her balance, raised her head and after seeing this scene, panicked, and suddenly called out in alarm, “Yang Kai!”
Her voice was full of sadness.
[Yang Kai had lost to the Great Elder! Was their strength too far apart? But if he were to die here, what would happen to Su Yan…]
Qing Ya hardly dared to think about it anymore, and for a moment, she froze in place, her thoughts descending into chaos.
At this moment, she felt she would rather have been killed by Bing Die just now rather than witness Yang Kai fall here because of her.
“Kill this traitor!” Ran Yun Ting looked at Qing Ya from a distance and indifferently gave orders to Bing Die, her eyes filled with disgust.
After issuing this decree, she turned away from Qing Ya in disdain.
It seemed, to her, Qing Ya’s life or death was of no importance at all! As long as she could make up for the flaws in Su Yan’s state of mind, she was willing to kill anyone even remotely related to her.
Bing Die had been injured by Yang Kai just now, but it was nothing serious so after quickly adjusting her breathing, she rushed towards Qing Ya without hesitation. Her eyes were cold as her Saint Qi surged and an icy aura pulsed from the figure as she stared at Qing Ya with extreme indifference, “Let’s see who will save you this time!”
As she spoke, she arrived a dozen meters in front of Qing Ya and sent out a palm.
Qing Ya didn’t move as she wasn’t even paying any attention to Bing Die’s attack, just staring blankly towards the frozen Yang Kai, as if it was the only thing she was able to see.
Her eyes were filled with sorrow and misery.
She had given up completely. Since Yang Kai had died at the hands of Great Elder, Qing Ya no longer dared to face Su Yan ever again. Perhaps it would not be so bad dying her together with Yang Kai, as on the road to the Yellow Springs, at least he would have good company.
Facing Bing Die’s killing blow, Qing Ya slowly closed her eyes, preparing herself for death.
Bing Die did not stop just because she had given up resisting. To her, the Great Elder’s orders were absolute.
The Ice Heart Valley disciples watching all exclaimed, none of them thinking that, after so many twists and turns, this situation would still end in the death of Qing Ya and that man.
Many people wore dispirited and regretful looks.
Suddenly, from the ice and snow below, a small head appeared in front of Qing Ya. This small head was sharp and angular, like it was carved from stone, but the two black, bean-like eyeballs on it were extremely energetic and flickered with intelligence.
Immediately, this little head popped out of the ground, like a radish being plucked from the earth, revealing its entire figure.
Now, in front of Qing Ya, there was a strange creature less than a meter tall.
This creature had no aura, something all living creatures should possess, but from its flexible movements and smart eyes, it clearly had its own wisdom and spirituality.
It was like a small stone puppet!
“This is…” Bing Die frowned as she stared suspiciously at the Stone Puppet that suddenly appeared in front of Qing Ya, her head unable to catch up with this sudden change.
Then, she saw an incredible scene.
This tiny stone puppet jumped out to block her path to Qing Ya and swung its slightly gangly arm, clenching a fist that it used to meet Bing Die’s attack.
There were still no energy fluctuations from this fist, but when the stone puppet punched out, Bing Die’s own condensed Ice Attribute palm shattered.
In the next instant, a force that was so intense that it caused Bing Die to feel desperate surged towards her!
Overwhelming power shatters all! Only when the difference in power was massive could all attributes be ignored and destroyed!
Bing Die was shocked!
With a horrible cry, she flew out again, and this time her injuries were obviously heavier than when Yang Kai had acted just now. After falling to the ground, she immediately fell unconscious, her life or death uncertain.
Countless people also heard the clear sounds of her arm bones breaking.
*Si…*
Gasps sounded from all directions.
Bing Die was an Inner Island disciple and a member of the Law Enforcement Hall, a cultivator at the First-Order Origin Returning Realm.
So, what was this strange creature which had suddenly appeared in front of Qing Ya? With just a casual punch, it had actually beaten Bing Die into such a state.
Where did it even come from?
Even Qing Ya was at a loss! She lowered her head to look at the slightly hunched over Stone Puppet which was standing in front, a blank look filling her beautiful eyes.
“What is this thing!?” Standing in mid-air, Ran Yun Ting cast her gaze towards the Stone Puppet solemnly.
Although she could not feel any vitality or energy fluctuations from this creature, it still gave her a huge sense of crisis, one that she would only sense when facing an opponent she could not hope to match!
As her heart clenched, she subconsciously glanced over towards Yang Kai, who should have been frozen in ice.
With this glance, Ran Yun Ting nearly screamed.
Yang Kai, who she thought was destined to die, was staring towards her mockingly from inside the ice crystal.
“The solemn Great Elder of Ice Heart Valley is only on this level? Honestly, you are far too disappointing. If you only have such pitiful ability, Su Yan should stop cultivating under your guidance immediately. You’re simply not qualified to continue teaching her!” Yang Kai’s voice came from inside the ice crystal, causing Ran Yun Ting to feel like she was seeing a ghost, her expression changing dramatically.
Down below, the Stone Puppet’s two black eyes darted about slightly, then as if remembering something, he suddenly stretched out his hands and pounded his chest firmly.
*Dang Dang Dang Dang…*
A terrifying rumbling rang out, shaking all the nearby ice peaks and causing countless blocks of snow and ice to shatter and come crashing down.
As this noise echoed, the Stone Puppet’s body suddenly increased in size, going from less than a meter in height to over ten in an instant.
Xiao Xiao then turned around, grinned towards the floating Yang Kai, then picked up Qing Ya and ran away rapidly.
Atop the white snow, only a trail of strange afterimages remained, stretching off into the distance!
It was as if a mountain bandit had left his cave and captured the wife of the village chief and couldn’t wait to bring her back to his abode.
The disciples of Ice Heart Valley were all dumbfounded!
Junior Sister Qing Ya… was abducted by a stone man?
But soon, they understood why this stone man had chosen to leave in such a hurry.
A frightening aura suddenly spread out, and Yang Kai, who was supposed to be frozen into a statue, let out a shocking roar as the ice crystal around his body began making creaking, dense spiderweb-like cracks appearing on its surface.
The ice crystal was about to break!
Ran Yun Ting was shocked, and the disciples of Ice Heart Valley turned pale!
None of them dared to remain where they were and once again retreated, running much further away this time.
“Wishful thinking!” Ran Yun Ting snorted sharply as the field of crystal snowflakes appeared again and flew towards Yang Kai, obviously attempting to freeze him once more.
“Break!” Yang Kai burst out.
*Hualala…*
The ice crystal shattered and exploded into dust.
At the same time, Ran Yun Ting’s Shi shattered!
The flying snow all over the sky suddenly disappeared and was replaced by countless tiny Void Cracks. These Void Cracks were like tiny black snakes that flitted about three thousand meters around Yang Kai!
“How? How is this possible?” Ran Yun Ting stumbled back as she stared blankly towards the location of Yang Kai, completely unable to accept this result.
In a face-to-face confrontation of their Shi, she had been defeated!
She was Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder, and her Shi had reached the grand accomplishment stage! How could this young man completely surpass her achievements in this field?
Moreover, his Shi contained a very strange power.
Not only did it create countless Void Cracks that were emitting rich murderous intent, but even her sense of distance inside this Shi had become distorted. She was unable to even locate Yang Kai! Yang Kai’s position seemed suddenly far yet also incredibly near, as if his position was constantly shifting.
[Space Force!] Ran Yun Ting’s face suddenly paled.
Only Space Force could form so many Void Cracks, and only Space Force could influence her perception of distance.
This young man had cultivated such an esoteric power? And he had managed to integrate it into his Shi?
Ran Yun Ting really was astonished this time!
“Die!” Yang Kai’s cold voice sounded, not showing any mercy despite knowing she was Su Yan’s Honoured Master. With a single thought, space suddenly seemed to solidify, and the countless Void Cracks flew towards Rang Yun Ting.
“You want my life? You must have the ability to take it first!” Ran Yun Ting screamed hysterically, no longer displaying any of the majesty a Great Elder should have, taking out a token from her Space Ring and pouring her Saint Qi into it as she shrieked.
In the next moment, an extraordinary change suddenly appeared in the surrounding space!
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he swept them around himself, instantly discovering that the air had become filled with a terrifying cold that was still rapidly intensifying. He also sensed a connection between the token in Ran Yun Ting’s hand and this building Ice Attribute Energy.
Beneath the ground, the highest quality Earth Vein of Pure Ice Island released a surge of World Energy that burst into the sky through numerous cracks in the earth and merged together with the surrounding space after which it was rapidly manipulated and transformed by the token Ran Yun Ting was using.
The frigid energy gathered like a roaming dragon and surrounding Ran Yun Ting, taking less than three breaths to force back Yang Kai’s Shi.
Yang Kai’s complexion changed, and he swiftly withdrew his Shi.
If one’s Shi was destroyed by force, it would do great harm to oneself and would be very troublesome to repair.
“A Sect Defending Array?” Yang Kai quickly figured out what Ran Yun Ting had done.
Obviously, she was using a profound Spirit Array arranged on Pure Ice Island to achieve this level of power.
This wasn’t too surprising once he thought of it though; after all, Ran Yun Ting’s status in Ice Heart Valley was extremely high, only below their Supreme Elder and Valley Master, so she could utilize this Sect Defending Array.
“Hahaha, my Ice Heart Valley’s Pure Ice Grand Array is the highest-ranked Spirit Array on Scarlet Wave Star. Boy, you may die content having forced this Elder to this point!” Ran Yun Ting laughed as she gripped the token in her hand and in a burst of light seemed to integrate her into the surrounding icy environment!
In an instant, innumerable ice-blades condensed in the surrounding area and slashed towards Yang Kai.
This was the real power of the Pure Ice Grand Array! Even an Origin King Realm master would have difficulty escaping this trap safely.
The moment Ran Yun Ting mobilized the power of this Grand Array to deal with Yang Kai, all the masters on Pure Ice Island instantly became aware.
On the Inner Island, in the Valley Master’s Ice Palace, Bing Long’s expression changed greatly as she looked towards a certain direction and muttered, “Who is using the Grand Array’s power? Is it Great Elder?”
Releasing her Divine Sense, Bing Long immediately saw the battle taking place at one of the Outer Island’s ice peaks and could not help leaping out of her ice palace in haste.
A dozen other Elders from the Inner Island also noticed this phenomenon and hurriedly rushed out towards the battle.
In a certain secluded place on the Inner Island, however, a woman with silver hair sat cross-legged by a cold lake. She looked young, only about twenty-eight years old, but the aura she gave off was countless times stronger than Bing Long or Ran Yun Ting.
An Origin King Realm master!
Ice Heart Valley’s Supreme Elder, Luo Li!
Her silver hair formed a strong visual contrast with her face, making her seem both mature and youthful all at once.
At this moment, she seemed to be using the cold power of this small lake to do something, inhaling the energy which floated above it into her abdomen with each breath.
Luo Li’s face was a little pale, a result of the cultivation dissonance she suffered recently.
Luo Li also noticed the moment Pure Ice Grand Array activated, but after a slight glance, she quickly ignored it.
To a character like her, there was no need to intervene in these mundane issues. To her, it was all just some minor trouble the younger generation had stirred up, Bing Long would handle it.
However, just as Luo Li was about to continue healing, her expression suddenly changed and she turned towards a different direction, seemingly sensing something. Her complexion immediately became solemn as she muttered, “Chi Huo, can you really no longer restrain yourself? Daring to trespass on my Pure Ice Island… wait, this is….”
When she noticed the existence of the other person, Luo Li’s face grew even more solemn, and after a long silence, she let out a sigh, “I don’t know if my Pure Ice Island can survive this time… I can only hope they don’t go too far.”
Saying so, she slowly got up and her body flickered, disappearing from the lakeside, leaving behind only a slowly fading afterimage.
…..
“How foolish. If you could mobilize the full power of this Pure Ice Grand Array, you might be able to kill me, but with your lowly skill, how much power can you actually borrow from this Grand Array?” Yang Kai roared as a five coloured light burst from his body. These five coloured lights were extremely dazzling, forcing others to look away from him. At the same time, Yang Kai’s momentum soared upwards.
Yang Kai grabbed towards the sky and a golden glow suddenly separated from his body and condensed into a massive golden sword.
Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi, Metal Sword Qi!
With this sword in his hand, Yang Kai’s killing intent erupted outwards, causing Ran Yun Ting’s eyes to shrink and with a shout, she madly poured her Saint Qi into the token in her hand, attempting to draw out more of the Grand Array’s power to suppress Yang Kai.
Countless ice blades, lances, and arrows formed in the sky and lased towards Yang Kai again.
“Come!” Yang Kai shouted as he swung the golden sword in his hand.
The golden light was dazzling and seemed to cut through space itself, filling all of Pure Ice Island with a brilliant radiance that carried with it a sharp, piercing Sword Qi.
The ice blades, lances, and arrows were all like snowflakes under the scorching sun.
Nothing was able to approach to within ten metres of Yang Kai!
His image was that of a wild beast as his black hair flew out behind him, like a god of war who hailed from ancient times, showing an indomitable and heroic spirit.
Countless women from Ice Heart Valley stared at him dumbfounded, a fierce pounding filling their hearts. This palpitation caused Yang Kai to become the only thing in their vision, and they all became unable to tear their eyes away from his figure.
On the Inner Island, the door to Su Yan’s ice room suddenly flung open, and as she rushed out, she immediately caught a glance of a familiar figure a few hundred kilometres away, covered in golden light.
“Junior Brother!” Su Yan murmured.
Although her voice was soft, it seemed to cross over the entire distance between them and Yang Kai, who was still swinging his golden sword, turned his head and looked towards her with a smile.
Su Yan smiled similarly and immediately flew out.
At this moment, her Honoured Master’s orders and the Sect’s rules no longer mattered to her, the only thing her heart desired was to reunite with the man who was raising so much noise on Pure Ice Island for her!
As long as she could see him again and enter his embrace, she could die without regret!
“Where are you trying to run!”
“Su Yan, stop right there!”
Zhou Yun Xuan and the other female disciple who were in charge of guarding Su Yan were also paying attention to the battle hundreds of kilometres away, but when they finally recovered their wits, they were shocked to find that Su Yan had actually run off. The two women were stunned and hurriedly gave chase while calling out to her.
“Su Yan, if you dare to violate Great Elder’s orders, you will be severely punished!”
“Come back now and you will suffer less, refuse and no one will be able to save you!”
Su Yan turned a deaf ear to their cries, almost as if she had not heard them at all, her body flying off and soon disappearing from the vision of the two women.
“This is bad!” Zhou Yun Xuan’s face went pale. No matter what, for failing to fulfil their duties, they would certainly be punished by the Great Elder.
“This bitch really irritates me!” The short woman grit her teeth and cursed, “Senior Sister Zhou, what should we do now?”
“Follow her,” Zhou Yun Xuan stomped and increased her speed.
Laughter resounded like a rolling thunder throughout Pure Ice Island as Yang Kai, still surrounded by the power of the Sect Defending Array, moved about freely, waving his sword madly as he shattered Ran Yun Ting’s attacks to pieces.
Ran Yun Ting’s expression was incredibly fierce as her eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
[Just how extraordinary was this young man?]
With a mere Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation, he was able to suppress her even while she was using part of the Pure Ice Grand Array’s power!
She originally thought that in the Origin Returning Realm, she was already one the strongest, with few in this realm being capable of comparing with her, but today, she thoroughly understood that there are mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people!
[This young man is already capable of such phenomenal strength. If he were to break through to the Third-Order Origin Realm, won’t he be capable of battling an ordinary Origin King?]
Once this thought emerged, Ran Yun Ting was taken aback!
While frightened, her determination to kill Yang Kai here and now increased dramatically.
If he did not die here today, Ice Heart Valley would definitely suffer greatly in the future!
“Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder, is mediocre!” Yang Kai snorted in a deep voice, not putting Ran Yun Ting in his eyes, holding the sword in his left hand, he stretched out his right hand, condensed a new golden sword in it, and shouted in a low tone, “Pierce!”
A golden light flashed and a sharp sword light shot towards Ran Yun Ting, threatening to run her through in the next moment!
No matter how much Ran Yun Ting urged the power of the Pure Ice Grand Array, she was unable to stop this golden sword from reaching her.
For a moment, Ran Yun Ting’s face turned ashen and her eyes shrank.
She did not realize until this moment that Yang Kai bowing to her before was truly not because of fear, but was his final gesture of respect, severing the fate between her and Su Yan and him.
With these connections severed, he could kill her without hesitation.
If one were to ask Ran Yun Ting if she had any regrets, she would answer with a firm ‘No!’
Ran Yun Ting’s eyes became firm again a moment later. Even if she died here, she would not regret her decision.
Su Yan would eventually become the pillar of Ice Heart Valley, and whether Ice Heart Valley could continue on and eventually overpower Brilliant Flame Sect to become the most powerful great force on Scarlet Wave Star all depended on Su Yan’s ability.
She may die here today but killing the Ice Heart Valley Great Elder was no small matter. Once the Supreme Elder became aware and took action, Yang Kai would certainly die.
As long as Yang Kai died, the flaw in Su Yan’s heart could be solved and she would be able to put her all into cultivating and raising her strength!
Her light was bound to shine across the entire Star Field, and in the future, she would be able to stand atop the submit!
No matter how amazing this young man might seem now, he would eventually be overtaken and surpassed by Su Yan.
With death approaching, Ran Yun Ting stood motionless, staring at Yang Kai with a nearly insane smile.
At that moment though, the power of the Pure Ice Grand Array suddenly increased, and where it once had been unable to stop Yang Kai’s golden sword light, it now condensed a mass of ice-cold energy to form a flawless ice wall in front of Ran Yun Ting.
The golden sword light pierced this ice wall and made a terrible screech as it approached Ran Yun Ting little by little.
The ice wall seemed incapable of stopping the golden sword light!
But Yang Kai still frowned and turned to look towards the side.
Over there, Ice Heart Valley’s Valley Master Bing Long had appeared at some unknown point and was also holding a token in her hand, one that was identical to the one Ran Yun Ting was using and was pouring her Saint Qi into it to increase the power of the Pure Ice Grand Array.
Bing Long’s face was extremely dignified as sweat dripped from her forehead while she continued to pour her Saint Qi into her token.
More and more Ice Heart Valley Elders appeared, each of them calling out in shock as they hurriedly took out their tokens one after another.
With so many Ice Heart Valley Elders cooperating, the power of the Pure Ice Grand Array grew exponentially.
At the last moment, the golden sword light’s advancement was halted a mere palm’s length from Ran Yun Ting.
However, the aura around the golden Sword Qi’s was enough to pierce Ran Yun Ting’s forehead slightly, causing a drop of red blood to leak out from the centre of her brow.
Ran Yun Ting’s expression remained unchanged as she stared at Yang Kai coldly and snorted, “Is that all?”
The arrival of her fellow Elder’s had let her see hope of killing Yang Kai again.
“Die!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted.
The other four coloured auras circulating around his body shot forth and poured into the golden sword light, merging together with it.
A five coloured sword light took shape immediately!
This sword of light now contained the power of all five elements, each mutually reinforcing one another in an endless cycle, causing the power of the sword light to rapidly increase.
*Kacha…*
The ice wall protecting Ran Yun Ting immediately began to crack.
Ran Yun Ting paled in horror as Bing Long and the other Elders stared dumbfounded.
With a bang, the ice wall was completely shattered and the five coloured light pierced towards Ran Yun Ting’s brow again with unparalleled sharpness.
Just as Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder’s life was about to end, however, an ethereal jade white hand suddenly appeared.
This jade hand was completely flawless and seemed to only reach out lightly, as if it was trying to pick up a trivial object.
An extremely mysterious and indescribable power pulsed from the jade hand.
The five coloured sword light, which had easily shattered the ice wall, was grasped by this jade hand, and no matter how it struggled, it was unable to advance any further.
“Young man, when possible one should let others off, why must you insist on killing ruthlessly?” A chilly female voice sounded.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed deeply.
Having tread upon the gates of death, Ran Yun Ting was sweating profusely, but after seeing this jade hand and hearing this cold female voice, she was suddenly overjoyed and shouted, “Disciple thanks Supreme Elder for her assistance and humbly requests Supreme Elder kill this evil creature who dared violate our Ice Heart Valley!”
[Supreme Elder?]
Yang Kai’s expression became serious as he turned to look in a certain direction but was unable to see any kind of figure there.
He knew that there was a Supreme Elder in Ice Heart Valley, one that was an Origin King; however, she was still just a First-Order.
Yang Kai had even offended a character like Luo Hai and escaped from his pursuit across the vast Star Field, so no matter how powerful Ice Heart Valley’s Origin King was, she was not enough to frighten him.
This was also why he dared to come to Ice Heart Valley!
Still, he had to raise his guard and began condensing his Saint Qi quietly!
On the other hand, Bing Long was experiencing a great shock, and fearing that Supreme Elder would really kill Yang Kai in a rage, she quickly called out, “Supreme Elder please wait, there may be some misunderstanding here. This Bing Long requests she be able to handle this matter!”
The existence of Yang Kai was too important and Bing Long did not dare let him die casually.
The cold female voice sounded again, but this time she did not speak and instead just sighed. The jade white hand which was gripping the five coloured sword light also faded away.
With a thought, Yang Kai took back the five-coloured light into his body while glaring at Ran Yun Ting coldly.
The other party stared back at him with gritted teeth, looking extremely unwilling.
It seemed she was quite upset that Supreme Elder had not directly killed Yang Kai; after all, Yang Kai was truly acting rampantly just now. In front of everyone’s eyes, he tried to kill her, the Sect’s Great Elder.
Ran Yun Ting absolutely could not tolerate such provocations and insults.
However, facing the decision of the Supreme Elder, she did not dare to have any objections and could only choke down her annoyance.
A beautiful figure suddenly flew over from the distance, and as if he could sense her approach, Yang Kai turned to look at her and the shocking murderous intent which was leaking from his body instantly disappeared, as if it was never there in the first place, and he flashed a gentle smile.
As he gazed upon this figure, his eyes turned as soft as water.
Unable to adapt to this sudden transformation, Bing Long and the others could not help frowning, wondering what was happening.
Following his gaze, Bing Long showed a thoughtful expression after seeing the situation there clearly.
Ran Yun Ting also saw the face of the incoming person and her expression became sullen. Just as she was about to shout something, she suddenly felt a sharp gaze land on her.
Turning her head, she saw Yang Kai staring at her, giving off an aura that seemed to scream, “If you dare open your mouth, I’ll kill you.” Ran Yun Ting choked on her words and swallowed them back down as she quietly gulped.
She couldn’t be certain whether she was just imagining it or not, but at that moment, she felt as if she was being stared at by an ominous beast, and that if she provoked Yang Kai again, even Supreme Elder wouldn’t be able to save her life.
This thought was quite disturbing to her…
The beautiful figure coming from the distance only took a moment before she arrived and stood in front of Yang Kai, staring at him with wet eyes as she bit her lip lightly.
Looking at him, her always ice cold, indifferent face showed a rare smile.
The beautiful scenery of Pure Ice Island was instantly overshadowed when this smile appeared.
Countless Pure Ice Island Outer Island disciples fell into a daze upon seeing this sight.
“Heavens, Su Yan smiled? She can actually smile? And at a man!”
“I thought she would never smile; does she know this man?”
“What’s their relationship, and why do they look so close?”
“Su Yan has a man outside? Unimaginable.”
“No wonder she was punished by Great Elder, all Inner Island disciples are forbidden from having close contact with men without permission.”
“Who the hell is this guy, actually able to touch Su Yan’s heart…”
…
Whispers spread from all directions, turning Ran Yun Ting’s face green while Bing Long simply shook her head and sighed.
The remaining Elders all exchanged looks amongst themselves as well. None of them were aware that Su Yan and Yang Kai knew each other before their reunion. The sudden appearance of such a scene really shocked them.
In the sky, under the gaze of countless eyes, Yang Kai stretched out a hand towards Su Yan.
A faint blush appeared on Su Yan’s snow-white cheeks, but the indescribably yearning she felt overcame her natural shyness and she flew forward and fell into Yang Kai’s embrace.
The two held each other tightly!
After more than thirty years, the two from High Heaven Pavilion once again reunited.
As if embracing their entire world, they tightly held one another!
A cold wind swept through, whipping up the freshly fallen snow as all of Pure Ice Island fell silent, everyone’s eyes fixed on the sight of the young man and woman floating up above.
The picture was mesmerizing, and the atmosphere was warm enough to even dispel the chill in the air, filling everyone’s heart with warmth.
Ran Yun Ting’s expression darkened, and she turned towards Bing Long as if she wanted to say something, but seeing Bing Long’s helpless appearance, she eventually held her tongue.
“Su Yan, you cheap slut, come back here!”
“You’ll be punished if you dare act like this!”
Two abrupt voices sounded, shattering the serene scene.
Many disciples of Ice Heart Valley glared towards the source of this sound, secretly blaming these two for recklessly destroying the atmosphere here.
In two flashes of light, the two women who just called out raced over.
After seeing the situation here, however, both Zhou Yun Xuan and the other woman who were charged with guarding Su Yan stared blankly, obviously never having expected so many of the Sect’s leaders to already be present.
It was not an exaggeration to say that all of the Sect’s Elders were here.
The two of them looked at each other, then towards Ran Yun Ting timidly.
Regardless of anything else, it was a fact that Ran Yun Ting highly valued Su Yan, so them insulting Su Yan in front of Ran Yun Ting would likely lead them to being punished.
However, at a glance, the two women were overjoyed.
Ran Yun Ting did not seem to hear what they said just now or care about their presence at all. On the contrary, she was staring in a certain direction with eyes that were almost spitting flames, clearly completely enraged.
Following her line of sight, Zhou Yun Xuan gave an exclamation and covered her mouth.
There, she shockingly saw Su Yan hugging a strange man.
This… this was nothing short of rebellion!
Even ordinary Inner Island disciples were not allowed to have close contact with outside men without the permission of their Honoured Masters, and Su Yan was Great Elder’s favourite personal disciple. Her being so intimate with a man with such an identity in public was akin to slapping Great Elder’s face.
Did she still put her Honoured Master in her eyes?
No wonder Great Elder’s face was so ugly.
Considering all this, Zhou Yun Xuan hurriedly said, “Great Elder, Su Yan ignored Junior Sister’s and my dissuasion and insisted on rushing out. We thought she had some urgent matter to attend to, but never did we anticipate that it would turn out to be this. Acting like this in full view of the public, simply shameless! Please punish her, Great Elder!”
Ran Yun Ting’s body trembled as her face grew even angrier.
Why did Zhou Yun Xuan bother to make such pointless comments? If Ran Yun Ting could, she would have already ripped this bastard boy’s corpse into ten thousand pieces!
However, she had no choice now but to accept that she could not kill Yang Kai, only if the Supreme Elder personally took action would that be possible.
Therefore, she remained silent and did not respond to Zhou Yun Xuan.
Zhou Yun Xuan was taken aback, and a trace of suspicion flashed across her face.
Just as she was lost in confusion, a cold voice suddenly reached her ear, “Were you the one who just insulted Su Yan?”
Looking up, Zhou Yun Xuan suddenly noticed that the man with his arms around Su Yan was staring towards her indifferent eyes.
Su Yan seemed to have blocked out everything from the surrounding world and was like a little bird snuggled up beside her man, a contented expression filling her pretty face, as if even if she died immediately, she wouldn’t care.
Being stared at by such eyes, Zhou Yun Xuan couldn’t help feeling an inexplicable chill, and quietly glancing around and discovering that none of the Elders present seemed to have any intention of speaking up, she could only grit her teeth and replied, “I made a careless remark a moment ago.”
Regardless of whether Su Yan was wrong or not, it was indeed a mistake for her to insult her fellow disciple. In front of so many Elders and even the Valley Masters, she did not dare to act presumptuous and immediately admitted her mistake.
“Apologize!” Yang Kai said concisely.
A hint of anger flashed across Zhou Yun Xuan’s face as she snapped back, “What thing are you, how dare you order me around!”
Admitting a mistake and apologizing were two completely different concepts. Zhou Yun Xuan was not willing to apologize to Su Yan in front of so many eyes as that would simply be too embarrassing.
The moment she spoke, though, a resounding bang echoed as Zhou Yun Xuan felt her cheek become numb and her body flew out, tumbling several times through the air before heavily impacting the snow-covered ground.
All of Ice Heart Valley’s Elders paled.
None of them had seen how Yang Kai moved just now, only that this disciple named Zhou Yun Xuan had been sent flying by him.
Zhou Yun Xuan picked herself up from the snow with difficulty while covering her cheek with her hand, her face dull as she stared at Yang Kai in a daze.
She never expected that Yang Kai would dare to slap her in front of the Valley Master and so many Elders.
“Apologize!” Yang Kai continued glaring at her coldly.
Zhou Yun Xuan’s tender body trembled. Being insulted in front of so many of her fellow Sect Sisters, as an Origin Returning Realm master, how could she bear it? Her face twisting in anger, she screamed, “You dare hit me?”
*Pa…*
With another loud smacking sound, Zhou Yun Xuan flew out again.
Her other cheek this time went numb.
“Apologize!” Yang Kai’s voice sounded again coldly, without any emotion, causing all who heard it to shudder.
Zhou Yun Xuan climbed up from the ground for a second time with a look of horror on her face. When she turned to look at Ran Yun Ting, as if begging her to uphold justice, Zhou Yun Xuan felt a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head, her shock so great she stopped being able to think for a moment.
Great Elder’s face was sombre and still, and although she was glaring at Yang Kai fixedly, she did not say a word.
The other Elders present had similar expressions, and even the Valley Master was frowning with difficulty.
No one was going to seek justice for her!
Zhou Yun Xuan was shocked! She knew that she had done something wrong and should not have insulted Su Yan as she had, but there had to be other reasons why she was being abandoned here.
It was as if everyone here feared this young man!
“Apologize, or… die!” Yang Kai issued an ultimatum and his murderous intent reappeared, locking onto Zhou Yun Xuan. Having failed to kill Ran Yun Ting had made him extremely annoyed, so this Zhou Yun Xuan happened to be an easy target to vent on.
Bing Long finally spoke, frowning as she said, “Yang Kai, let us end this here. Although this disciple was indeed rude, you have already punished her, let her go.”
Zhou Yun Xuan was also a disciple of Ice Heart Valley, so Yang Kai slapping her twice in front of everyone was the limit to what Bing Long could tolerate. If Yang Kai insisted on continuing with his aggressive stance, Bing Long would not stand idly by.
If she really allowed him to do as he pleased, it would only cause all the disciples present to lose faith in the Sect.
“Junior Brother, forget it,” Su Yan also pleaded for Zhou Yun Xuan.
To her, Zhou Yun Xuan’s insult did no harm, and now that Yang Kai had also slapped her twice, all the resentment she felt was relieved.
Instead, Yang Kai acting for her without any hesitation had caused Su Yan to feel some sweetness in her heart.
“Since Senior Sister says so… I won’t kill her,” Yang Kai’s expression eased as he turned to Bing Long and said, “Make her apologize and I’ll spare her!”
Bing Long was speechless, wondering if this could even be called a concession while feeling a little annoyed.
At this time, all the leaders of Ice Heart Valley inclined their heads towards a certain direction, as if they had suddenly received some kind of message, their expressions becoming solemn.
Yang Kai frowned as he too vaguely sensed some Divine Sense fluctuations from nearby, but was unable to locate the exact source.
He immediately understood, though, that Ice Heart Valley’s Supreme Elder was speaking to Bing Long and the other Elders.
Not bothering to act rashly again, he simply waited quietly.
The faces of Bing Long and the others became cloudy and uncertain, but after some time, they exchanged a solemn glance as they all vaguely felt that a great storm was approaching.
It seemed that something big had transpired in Ice Heart Valley.
“Apologize to Su Yan, then this matter will end!” Bing Long suddenly turned to Zhou Yun Xuan and said with a somewhat irritable expression.
Zhou Yun Xuan’s expression was blank, never having expected that Valley Master would also favour Yang Kai and Su Yan. Although she was filled with confusion, with the last chance she could rely upon gone, she could only reluctantly say, “Junior Sister Su, Senior Sister made an indiscreet remark just now, please don’t take offence!
After speaking, she grit her teeth hard and her eyes flickered with hatred and madness, like a vicious snake.
She knew that in the future, she would become a laughing stock in Ice Heart Valley, the topic of gossip between her Sisters from morning till night! She had never been more disgraced.
“Withdraw,” Bing Long waved to Zhou Yun Xuan and dismissed her.
Zhou Yun Xuan bowed and walked away, but before leaving she shot Yang Kai and Su Yan a vicious look, as if wanting to burn their appearances into her heart.
“Everyone else is to disperse as well!” Bing Long shouted softly.
The spectating Ice Heart Valley disciples retreated as ordered.
Soon, only the top executives of Ice Heart Valley, Yang Kai, and Su Yan were left atop the open expanse. Qing Ya stood far away, paying attention to what was happening with a worried expression.
“Yang Kai, follow me!” Bing Long looked at Yang Kai with a complicated expression.
“Who wants to see me?” Yang Kai asked, already having a vague guess as to what had happened.
Bing Long sighed, “Supreme Elder wants to see you… not only that, but Sir Luo Hai, Star Master of Green Mountains Star and Chi Huo, Supreme Elder of Brilliant Flame Sect also wish to see you!”
“Luo Hai is here?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes.
“Indeed!”
“What if I refuse to go?” Yang Kai grinned.
“I’m afraid you have no choice. You should know what will happen if you refuse,” Bing Long sighed, “Although you are very strong, it is still meaningless in front of Sir Luo Hai.”
Yang Kai stroked his chin, nodded and said, “It seems that I have to go. Good, I’ll go with Senior. It’s time to put an end to this matter.”
Bing Long was stunned, but did not ask much, glancing towards Su Yan who was still standing next to him, and sighed, “I’ll lead you there.”
The other Elders followed closely, with Ran Yun Ting staring at Yang Kai sullenly, her expression never losing its ferociousness.
Although she did not know why Sir Luo Hai wanted to meet Yang Kai so badly, even using Brilliant Flame Sect to find him, it was obvious that the grievances between them were not shallow.
This little animal really did not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth, actually daring to provoke Sir Luo Hai! [Now it is just a question of how you die] Ran Yun Ting cursed hatefully in her heart.
The next moment, she saw Su Yan and Yang Kai holding hands while whispering something to each other in low voices, and could not help feeling a surge of anger, wishing she could rush up and separate them now.
Recalling Yang Kai’s unfathomable methods, Ran Yun Ting forced herself to endured, just coldly snorting and chasing after Bing Long and the others Elders
“Senior Sister, you should wait here for me, I’ll be right back.”
“No, I’m going together with you!” Su Yan shook her head, and her beautiful eyes became firm, obviously worried Yang Kai might have some kind of accident and wishing wholeheartedly to share that burden with him.
“Very well then…,” Yang Kai did not continue to persuade her, raising his head towards Qing Ya.
Qing Ya immediately said, “I’ll wait for you here!”
She knew that she was not qualified to participate in this matter, so she wisely decided to stay put.
Xiao Xiao stood quietly beside her.
Yang Kai gently nodded and left with Su Yan.
Bing Long was waiting not far away, but after seeing this pair, which seemed ignorant of everything around them, following her, her brow couldn’t help wrinkling somewhat. However, she did not take their conduct to heart at the moment and instead stared at Yang Kai meaningfully while asking, “Now that things have gotten to this point, shouldn’t you honestly tell us what kind of grievances you have with Sir Luo Hai?”
“Senior wants to know?” Yang Kai chuckled lightly.
Bing Long nodded.
“Then ask Luo Hai, if he is willing to tell you, you will naturally know.”
“You…” Bing Long became angry, “Are you still unclear about your situation? Sir Luo Hai and Senior Chi Huo have come to Pure Ice Island together and called to see you. They must be here for you, and the only one who can provide you shelter is my Ice Heart Valley’s Supreme Elder. Are you so determined to keep hiding things that you are willing to die in exchange?”
“Your Ice Heart Valley’s Supreme Elder is only a First-Order Origin King, no? If Luo Hai really wanted to do something to me here, could she stop him?” Yang Kai spat disdainfully.
Bing Long was instantly struck speechless.
In the Origin King Realm, every Minor Realm was separated by a vast gap, and the difference in strength was dramatic! It was precisely because of this that no one could stop Luo Hai and Chi Huo from trespassing onto Pure Ice Island, nor could Luo Li refuse when they demanded to see Yang Kai.
If this weren’t the case, how could Luo Li have allowed them to set foot on Pure Ice Island? In fact, if it had only been Chi Huo, Luo Li would have already beaten him back.
“What’s more, I have no friendship with your Ice Heart Valley, so even if your Supreme Elder did have the necessary ability, why would she take the initiative to protect me?” Yang Kai sneered, “Or what? Do you simply want to know what Luo Hai wants from me so you can bargain for a piece of it from him?”
Bing Long was stunned, but immediately said with a wry smile, “Since you understand, why would you still agree to meet with him? If I were you, I would have done my best to disappear!”
“And go where?” Yang Kai coldly snorted, “I was chased by him through the Star Field for days until I finally managed to hide on Scarlet Wave Star. Now that he has found my trail again, I am afraid I can’t get away. Having said that, it is time I settled this grievance with him, otherwise I will have to worry about him suddenly coming after me for the rest of my life. If he wants to use his strength to bully me, he must have the necessary ability!
As he spoke, Yang Kai’s face flashed with brutality and a strong light flashed across his eyes. Instead of retreating in fear of Luo Hai’s strength, he looked like he was eager to fight.
Bing Long stared at Yang Kai dumbfounded, only after a long silence shaking her head and muttering, “Lunatic!”
With only a Second-Order Origin Realm cultivation, Bing Long felt there was something wrong with Yang Kai’s head for daring to speak so wildly.
Yang Kai just laughed carefreely.
Su Yan did not say a word from beginning to end, just snuggling beside Yang Kai, holding hands with him, as if she never wanted to be separated, a quiet and content smile on her face.
Bing Long let out another exasperated sigh. In normal times, such a golden boy and jade girl would definitely be a match made by the Heavens.
However, with Yang Kai being stared at by Luo Hai, his future was filled with uncertainty. Su Yan on the other hand, as a core disciple of Ice Heart Valley who had cultivated the Ice Jade Secret Art, was doomed to fall from grace and become miserable if she could not break free of these emotional fetters.
Bing Long gradually became indifferent.
This group moved extremely fast and soon arrived in front of a magnificent ice palace on the Inner Island.
The ice palace seemed to be carved out of a single, pure ice crystal, and gave off a feeling of elegance and detached majesty.
Inside the ice palace, there were several extremely powerful auras.
When Yang Kai arrived in front of this white jade Ice Palace, three powerful Divine Senses instantly locked onto him, one of which far outstripped the other two.
Luo Hai!
Inside the white jade ice palace, Luo Hai sat upon a chair with his golden crown on his head, his breathing calm but with a flash of excitement in his eyes.
[Finally, I’ve found you!] Luo Hai exclaimed to himself without showing any outwards signs.
To think that he, a top master at the Second-Order Origin King Realm, one of the strongest in all the Star Field, had pursued a trivial Yang Kai for so long. Not only had this boy broken through his blockade on Green Mountains Star but even managed to escape his tracking after that.
If not for Luo Hai’s incredible patience, he would likely have really let this boy escape by now.
[Now, let’s see where you can run!] Luo Hai said with excitement.
With his strength, there were not many things that could excite him, but an Origin Essence Crystal left behind by the Monster King in the Blood Prison was something he deeply coveted. The Emperor Artifact on Yang Kai was also something Luo Hai desired.
The former could allow him to break through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm while the latter could directly increase his strength!
Once these two treasures landed in his hands, Luo Hai was confident he could become the strongest master in the entire Star Field. When the time came, no one in the Star Field would be able to compete with him!
Everything depended on taking Yang Kai here.
Although Luo Hai concealed his emotions very well, Chi Huo and Luo Li were also Origin Kings, so naturally, they could detect some subtle changes in his mood.
Chi Huo’s expression changed slightly as he wondered just what kind of secrets this little brat named Yang Kai had. If he did not possess something of extreme value, why would Luo Hai be so interested in him?
More than a year ago, Luo Hai suddenly visited Scarlet Wave Star, surprising Chi Huo. Then, Luo Hai had asked Brilliant Flame Sect to search for Yang Kai, further raising Chi Huo’s suspicions. Many times, he had tried to ask why Luo Hai was looking for Yang Kai, but Luo Hai had never given him a straight answer, leaving Chi Huo helpless.
Luo Li was also quite curious about this matter, but more than that, she felt sadness and helplessness.
She could do nothing about Luo Hai and Chi Huo in her current state!
Soon, Yang Kai stepped into the ice palace.
Inside the ice palace, in addition to the three Origin King Realm masters, a dozen or so Elders of Ice Heart Valley stood behind Luo Li.
Additionally, behind Luo Hai and Chi Huo, there was a young man with a sallow complexion and somewhat faint vitality.
The son of Brilliant Flame Sect’s Sect Master, Wei Feng!
At this moment, he was looking around excitedly, as if waiting for someone to arrive. After seeing Su Yan, his expression could not help brightening as an extremely excited look appeared on his face, like a wild dog that just spotted a delicacy, his saliva almost dripping from his mouth.
However, when he saw Su Yan holding hands with Yang Kai in such an intimate manner, his complexion could not help sinking as his gloomy eyes stared at Yang Kai, gleaming with hatred and anger.
[Where did this bastard pop out from!?] Wei Feng was furious seeing anyone dare hold hands with his woman.
In an instant, Wei Feng saw Yang Kai as a dead man and even began fantasizing about how he would torture Yang Kai to death, forcing him to beg for death, teaching him there were some women could not be touched.
“Junior Bing Long greets Sir Luo Hai, greets Senior Chi Huo,” Bing Long elegantly bowed before turning to Luo Li and reporting, “Supreme Elder, I’ve brought the requested person.”
Luo Li gently nodded but did not say anything, her pair of beautiful eyes fixing on Yang Kai as her brow wrinkled lightly.
Sensing her gaze, Yang Kai stared back.
This was the first time he saw the Supreme Elder of Ice Heart Valley, and from the aura she gave off, she was essentially on par with the red-haired old man sitting nearby. Both were First-Order Origin Kings, far weaker than Luo Hai.
However, an Origin King was still an Origin King, a powerhouse that had mastered Domain. No Origin King could be matched by an Origin Realm cultivator. At the very least, Yang Kai felt a great pressure from her!
“Brother Luo Hai, is this the little brat you’ve been looking for?” The old man Chi Huo looked up and down Yang Kai, chuckling lightly.
Luo Hai nodded, “Yes, it’s him!”
“Sure enough, a powerful and intelligent young man, Brother Luo Hai has a discerning eye. Since this boy has been found, what does Brother Luo Hai plan to do next?” Chi Huo seemed to ask casually.
“What do I plan to do? En, naturally I will bring him back to Green Mountains Star with me,” Luo Hai smiled as he directed a look of ridicule towards Yang Kai with a gentle smile, “Little bastard, this King won’t eat you, why do you insist on avoiding this King like some viper? This King just saw that your aptitude was exquisite and that we share some fate, so this King wished to pass on his mantle to you!”
He spoke with a casual attitude, as if he was feeling quite helpless and frustrated, making him come off as truthful and upright.
The complexions of the many Elders from Ice Heart Valley shook as they turned looks of envy towards Yang Kai.
To be appreciated by a master like Luo Hai was nothing less than a Heaven-sent opportunity for Yang Kai. From then on, he would become a famous character in the Star Field, soaring up into the sky.
Yang Kai just maintained a light smile.
Chi Huo’s seemingly cloudy old eyes slightly narrowed as a faint spark flashed across their depths.
Luo Li frowned slightly and said nothing.
Inside the Ice Palace, perhaps only Yang Kai himself and the other two Origin Kings did not believe Luo Hai’s words.
The ones in the know, understood that Luo Hai was just spouting nonsense because he wanted to take Yang Kai away! As for accepting him as a disciple and passing his mantle on to him, it was nothing but a lie!
What kind of character was Luo Hai? How could he go so far to recruit a mere disciple? If he wanted to accept disciples, he only needed to send out word and geniuses from all over the Star Field would flock to Green Mountains Star and line up to worship him.
Yang Kai didn’t try to reveal the truth, however, and simply said, “This Junior will have to politely decline Senior’s kindness. While this is indeed a Heaven-sent opportunity, Junior is afraid he is not fated to accept it. Senior should try looking for another person whose fortune is better.”
A hidden anger flashed across Luo Hai’s eyes as he secretly thought that this little brat really didn’t understand his limits, but he still maintained a light smile, “Don’t be too quick to refuse. Come with this King back to Green Mountains Star first. You can stay there for a few years and, if you still insist on declining at that time, this King will naturally not make things difficult for you.”
He spoke as if he was making great concessions.
Chi Huo also chimed in, “Boy, you’ve best consider this matter carefully, Brother Luo Hai wanting to accept you as a disciple is a blessing that cannot be asked for in several lifetimes, an opportunity ordinary people could never receive. Why refuse?”
“Does this Senior feel is it a great blessing? Good, since Senior feels so, he might as well worship Luo Hai as his Master,” Yang Kai looked at him with a smile.
The expressions of all the Ice Heart Valley Elders froze as they stared at Yang Kai like he was some kind of monster, all of their hearts clenching tightly.
This boy… truly did not know how to fear the Heavens! Daring to insult Chi Huo so blatantly, wasn’t he afraid of incurring unbearable consequences?
Chi Huo’s face became cold as he shouted angrily, “Bold!”
As he shouted, a ray of light flashed across his eyes and struck towards Yang Kai as if it had substance.
He intended to punish this little brat who did not know how to respect his elders.
Yang Kai’s complexion remained unchanged as he stood in place, while Su Yan also regarded this terrifying attack as nothing, her pair of beautiful eyes never once leaving Yang Kai’s face, glancing at him sideways with a face filled with happiness.
Luo Hai waved his hand casually.
Chi Huo’s attack was silently resolved.
Before getting what he wanted from Yang Kai, Luo Hai would not allow him to be injured by Chi Huo.
“Brother Chi Huo, calm yourself. Young people always like spouting nonsense, why lower yourself to their level. Brother Chi Huo is also an Origin King. So, even if I wanted to serve as his Master, I am afraid I am not capable enough.”
Chi Huo snorted as he stared at Yang Kai coldly, his sharp gaze seemingly cutting him a thousand times, but still remaining silent.
Luo Li, who had not made a sound yet and was simply sitting there quietly, suddenly chose to speak up, “Since this young man has already been brought here, if Sir Luo Hai wishes to take him away, please do so.”
As for what Luo Hai wanted to do after taking Yang Kai away, it was not something Luo Li needed to consider.
She had no friendship with Yang Kai, so she would not offend Luo Hai because of him. Right now, she just wanted to send Luo Hai and Chi Huo out of Pure Ice Island as soon as possible.
She did not even have the thought of punishing Yang Kai for hurting Ran Yun Ting and causing such a ruckus on Pure Ice Island.
She could not help feeling anxious right now as an inexplicable sense of crisis gripped her heart, as if something terrible was about to happen if Yang Kai was not quickly sent away.
Luo Hai nodded and smiled at Luo Li, “This King arrived here uninvited, so I hope Junior Sister Luo Li won’t take offence. If you have free time in the future, please visit my Green Mountains Star as a guest, this King will definitely provide a warm welcome.”
Luo Li replied indifferently, “There will come such a day. Sir Luo Hai has found such a good disciple, so he must be anxious to return to Green Mountains Star to begin cultivating him. This Luo Li will not delay you any further.”
She was bluntly trying to send them off.
However, Luo Hai just smiled lightly, not showing any intention to stand up and leave, instead glancing over at Yang Kai and waving his hand, “There’s no hurry, this King’s business is indeed done, but Brother Chi Huo has a certain matter he would also like to handle here today, which is why he came here together with this King.”
As soon as this statement came out, Luo Li’s face changed slightly.
Had her worries finally come to fruition?
Although Luo Hai had not spoken too clearly, just the phrase ‘Came together with this King’ was enough to cause Luo Li to worry.
This was equivalent to saying that Luo Hai was standing together with Chi Huo at this moment.
The faces of Bing Long and Ran Yun Ting were also ugly as they stared at Chi Huo warily.
The two great forces, Ice Heart Valley and Brilliant Flame Sect, had been competing with one another on Scarlet Wave Star for countless years, but even after all these millennia, neither had been able to gain a decisive edge over the other, but now with Luo Hai intervening, Ice Heart Valley was instantly put at a disadvantage.
And this disadvantage was quite immense at that. Even relying on Pure Ice Island’s Pure Ice Grand Array, they would likely not be able to reverse the situation.
For a moment, Bing Long and the many Elders wore angry looks, but none of them dared to speak.
Yang Kai just stood in place, watching the show with a smile, not showing any awareness of his current situation, which was akin to a prisoner.
“And what matter have you come to my Pure Ice Island for this time, Chi Huo?” Luo Li took a light breath, calmed her chaotic thoughts, and asked cautiously.
Chi Huo laughed loudly as his fiery red hair flew back and he released an imposing manner as he shook his head and said, “Just a minor matter, Luo Li. You don’t need to be so nervous.”
He was feeling incredibly good at this moment. He had fought with Luo Li for so many years, and even knew that she had recently suffered backlash from cultivation dissonance. Yet, he was unable to gain a true upper hand. Finally, he had experienced the pleasure of being in the absolute superior position. Although he was essentially borrowing another’s strength to achieve this victory, Chi Huo did not enjoy this feeling any less.
“Speak!” Luo Li looked at him indifferently.
Chi Huo chuckled lowly as he stated, “I’ve come to your Sect today to take someone.”