HSSB842: His mother’s handiwork
Yan Zhaoge had originally been about to directly show himself and give greetings to those people. However, after hearing the words ‘Snow Crane’, he immediately stopped in his tracks.
“I shouldn’t have heard wrong, right?” Yan Zhaoge was expressionless, “Did they just mention the words ‘Snow Crane’?”
While this form of address or title could refer to someone else, as Yan Zhaoge who had had an ear out for news on his mother all this while heard these two words, the first person whom he thought of was naturally Xue Chuqing.
Also, the unique characteristics that that person had mentioned seemed similar to Xue Chuqing’s situation as well.
As a result, Yan Zhaoge could not but pay attention to it.
His gaze hardened slightly as he circulated the Peerless Heavenly Scripture and retracted his aura. Then, he resumed his movements, secretly drawing closer to that group of people.
There were three people in total who were guarding the entrance to that dimensional passageway.
They consisted of a mid Seeing Divinity Martial Saint and also two late Merging Avatar Martial Saints.
One of them was that youth whose features resembled Sikong Qing’s greatly.
The three were clearly in charge of guarding this door, serving as backup whilst also preventing their target within from escaping.
The other Clear Light Locale disciples had headed to the other side via that dimensional passageway.
That mid Seeing Divinity Martial Saint had the appearance of a slightly chubby middle-aged man with a pale face and a bit of a beard.
He was currently saying, “There was someone who spotted her in the vicinity. This foreign dimension should be where she is currently residing.”
A horse-faced youth who was standing on the other side of this middle-aged man snorted, “We will definitely trap her this time. I don’t believe that she’ll always manage to run away. Don’t you agree, senior apprentice-brother Lao?”
That middle-aged man did not appear relaxed, “Hopefully. That Snow Crane is a legacy inheritor of the Oracle Divination technique of the Yellow River Nine Halls diagram and possesses extraordinary attainments in it as well, already having reached a remarkable level back when she was still a Martial Grandmaster and even a Martial Scholar.”
“In recent years, she has neared the level of being able to divine things without any prior knowledge at all, thus sensing and avoiding danger. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have failed to trap and capture her all these years.”
Senior apprentice-brother Lao replied earnestly, “Still, our hopes of success are high this time. We hurried over immediately after hearing this news and brought along a treasure which hinders that which is divined from the heavens.”
The horse-faced youth sighed, “If Master had come personally, we would probably long since have captured her.”
Senior apprentice-brother Lao shook his head, “There are people that Master has to be wary of as well, such as our neighbours to the north. This location is precisely where our eastern Vast Heaven Territory and the northeastern Sky Heaven Territory intersect. I am most worried about something bad occurring as a result.”
That youth who resembled Sikong Qing now asked, “Senior apprentice-brother Lao, why exactly do we have to pursue and seize this woman known as the Snow Crane anyway?”
Senior apprentice-brother Lao said mildly, “Junior apprentice-brother Li Cheng, we should just work diligently on whatever Master instructs us to do.”
Li Cheng nodded, “I understand. I was only a bit curious.”
Senior apprentice-brother Lao said, “She stole a precious treasure. We want to take her in and take back what was lost.”
As he was speaking, his expression suddenly changed slightly as he looked over to the side.
At this moment, a voice had already resounded, “I wonder what valuable thing you are speaking of?”
Yan Zhaoge’s sudden appearance in their fields of vision caused the trio to feel a chill in their hearts.
Senior apprentice-brother Lao frowned, asking, “Who are you?”
Seeing how Yan Zhaoge clearly bore unfriendly intentions, clear qi was already beginning to surge on his body.
However, Yan Zhaoge arrived right alongside his voice as he immediately strode forth now, instantly arriving before the trio.
It was not just Yan Zhaoge himself. The Northern Ocean Clone resembled a streak of light as he too showed himself at this moment.
It was unknown if these people had reinforcements or what the situation currently was at the other side of the dimensional passageway.
Possessing the intention of questioning them, Yan Zhaoge wasted no time as he went all out, ending the fight speedily.
Soon, their three opponents had all been subjugated.
Yan Zhaoge gazed at the entrance of the dimensional passageway up ahead.
That horse-faced youth asked unresignedly, “Do you have any idea what you are doing?”
Senior apprentice-brother Lao asked cautiously, “Who are you? This should be our first meeting. Have you any past enmity with my Remote Cloud Mountain’s Clear Light Locale?”
“You need not report your identity. Though I do not traverse your eastern Vast Heaven Territory, I do still recognise your emblem,” Yan Zhaoge said nonchalantly, “As for what I am doing, that is not important. Instead, I am more concerned about what you lot are doing.”
Li Cheng’s gaze fell on that dimensional passageway before he turned towards Yan Zhaoge, “You are also here because of the Snow Crane? Are you an old acquaintance of hers or have you come here to capture her?”
Gazing intently at Yan Zhaoge’s face, senior apprentice-brother Lao’s expression suddenly changed greatly, “You…”
Yan Zhaoge casually said, “You ask too many questions.”
With that, Yan Zhaoge directly imprisoned the trio before entering the dimensional passageway with the Northern Ocean Clone.
Traversing the spatial tunnel, all was chaotic and messy before their eyes as colour swirled all round.
A short while later, the scenes before them regained their normalcy, clarity returning as the world that appeared in Yan Zhaoge’s field of vision was one with clear waters and beautiful mountains.
This foreign dimension really seemed quite a nice place.
“This mother of mine is really as father and Xiao Ai say, viewing her quality of life as considerably important.
As he thought thus, Yan Zhaoge sensed the flow of spiritual qi in this foreign dimension, searching for his target.
Still, before he had managed to get a grasp on the situation, a powerful light suddenly lit up in the distant horizon.
A thick pillar of light shot into the skies before the terrifying light of thunder began expanding into the surroundings. From its momentum, it looked set to envelop this entire foreign dimension.
Still, before it arrived at Yan Zhaoge’s current location, a few streams of thunder-light had already arisen, the two sides clashing intensely.
Yan Zhaoge frowned, speeding over towards that area.
Now, however, he suddenly discovered that something seemed to be a little off with Li Cheng whom he had just captured.
The youth who had originally still been struggling in an attempt to escape from his imprisonment suddenly fell dazed.
When he soon regained his wits, a pained look had appeared on his face, blankness and chaos intermingling within his gaze.
Despite being worried about the situation up ahead, Yan Zhaoge still felt astonished as he discovered this.
A rune had clearly surfaced automatically on Li Cheng’s forehead.
This rune was precisely the one which Sikong Qing and those similar to her, regardless of gender, all possessed, though each of them was also different somewhat.
Yan Zhaoge had already seen Li Cheng’s rune before this. However, that had been a result of him focusing his mind to observe it through the power of his cultivation base.
Currently, this rune had actually surfaced automatically as it was clearly visible to everyone.
This situation was one which Yan Zhaoge had never seen with the other ‘Sikong Qings’.
Also, from Li Cheng’s current state and expression, this clearly wasn’t voluntary on his part as this instead seemed to be a forced reaction from some sort of external stimulation.
What was it that had resulted in such an occurrence?
“Has this ever happened to you before?” Yan Zhaoge asked urgently.
The pained Li Cheng emitted a muffled groan, “…No, never!”
Yan Zhaoge looked up, gazing into the distance.
All those streams of thunder-light in the outskirts of this place mostly originated from the Clear Light Locale disciples. Still, since this was the first time that something like this had happened to Li Cheng, those fellow disciples whom he usually interacted with should be unrelated to this freak occurrence.
It was probable that it was the massive pillar of light at the central region of this place which surged into the skies that had evoked this change in Li Cheng.
Also, that pillar of light was likely to be the handiwork of his mother, Xue Chuqing.