Chapter 161: Yan Xuelian’s Obsession [PART 1]
"Where is the sect master?" Binghe asked as delivered a strike.
The First Elder barely moved as she effortlessly deflected the attack, sending Binghe stumbling backward. "Too weak," she assessed coolly, "Try again."
"How about this!" Disheng’s thunderous roar split the air as he descended from above, his massive fists encased in earth armor.
The First Elder simply sidestepped. Disheng’s eyes widened in surprise as his trajectory remained unchanged, sending him crashing into the ground.
The First Elder placed her foot deliberately on his stone-encrusted arm. With minimal pressure, the earthen protection shattered like dried clay. "That’s quite reckless," she spoke.
"Ke, who’s to say?" Disheng replied with a confident smile. Without warning, he channeled his qi directly into the ground beneath the First Elder’s feet. Earth energy erupted upward, rapidly encasing her legs up to her knees in solidified stone.
Disheng assessed his handiwork. He wondered if this was all he could do, well, it didn’t matter, it would have to do. "Now!" he shouted.
The First Elder turned sharply to find Binghe charging toward her, palm outstretched and glowing with concentrated power. White aura swirled around her hand, slowly at first, then accelerating to a blinding vortex as crystals of ice began forming around her fingertips.
Binghe’s palm struck, connecting solidly with the First Elder’s stomach. Ice exploded from the point of impact, spreading outward in crystalline branches that enveloped the elder’s entire body within seconds, transforming her into a glittering statue.
Spent from channeling such enormous power, Binghe collapsed to her knees, her breathing ragged. She struggled to rise, managing only to lift her head. Her triumph was short lived though as fine cracks appeared across the ice prison’s surface. Before she could process what was happening, the entire formation exploded outward in a shower of ice shards.
"No way," Binghe thought. That technique just now was her strongest move. Was the First Elder so formidable?
"That was impressive," the First Elder acknowledged, brushing ice crystals from her sleeves. "Anyone else wouldn’t have been able to break free from that. But you’re forgetting one thing—ice is my specialty."
As she spoke these words, the temperature plummeted dramatically. Frost patterns spread across the courtyard floor in intricate webs, the moisture in the air crystallizing instantly. With a casual wave of her hand, she separated the combatants who had been locked in fierce battle throughout the compound. Another gesture created a massive ice wall, cutting off the Tian Gang from their disciples.
Disheng remained on her side of the barrier, looking up at the First Elder. She hadn’t been fighting seriously at all.
A tremendous explosion suddenly rocked the entire sect, the sound reverberating from the direction Tiangang had disappeared. The First Elder turned toward the disturbance, her expression calculating. "Did he succeed?" she murmured.
"Boss!" Disheng called out in alarm. "Sect Master!" Binghe cried simultaneously, both struggling to stand despite their exhaustion.
"You two kids stay put," the First Elder commanded, encasing their legs in ice with another casual gesture. Without waiting for response, she launched herself skyward, racing toward the explosion’s origin.
As she moved, her thoughts raced. This was a gamble. Though she had expected Binghe to request help from the Azure Cloud Sect, nothing had proceeded according to plan. The explosion’s magnitude suggested Tiangang had been discovered. She could only hope he’d managed to save the Sect Master before being confronted.
If the Sect Master was safe, the three of them might stand a chance together. Yet doubt crept in as she considered their odds. They were merely Core Formation cultivators facing what might be a Nascent Soul realm enemy. Even three Golden Core experts would struggle against such power.
With a shake of her head, she dismissed these troubling thoughts.
...
Tiangang and Xuelian struggled to their feet amidst the debris, dust falling from their robes as they faced their adversary. The man stood before them, his posture relaxed yet radiating an oppressive aura of power as he looked down upon them with casual disdain.
"You guys are quite sturdy," he remarked. His eyes narrowed slightly as he assessed them. "I’ll give you another chance. Join the Wuming Cult and help me attack the Azure Cloud Sect."
"In your dreams," Tiangang spat back, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he defiantly met the man’s gaze.
The man stroked his chin thoughtfully, wondering if this newcomer also possessed the same inexplicable loyalty as the girl. What exactly had the Azure Cloud Sect done to inspire such devotion? It puzzled him deeply.
Fortunately, their cooperation wasn’t strictly necessary—he had already summoned his own forces. They would attack in the name of these sects, and by the time the alliance discovered, it would be far too late. The treasure would already be theirs.
A flicker of confusion passed through his mind as he considered his master’s hesitation. With his master’s power, even if every expert in the eastern continent teamed up, he wouldn’t necessarily lose out. Why hadn’t he simply seized the treasure already? Why the need for all the scheming? After thinking about it, he gave up. The workings of his master’s mind remained beyond his comprehension.
"You’re quite loyal," he acknowledged, his tone shifting to something colder. "But since you don’t want to accept my offer, there’s no need keeping you anymore. You might as well just die."
He extended his hand toward the pair, energy gathering in his palm. Without hesitation, Tiangang stepped forward, positioning himself before Yan Xuelian.
"You want to go first? Well, makes no difference to me," the man shrugged, power coalescing into a visible glow around his fingers.
Suddenly, ice crystals began forming around his outstretched arm. Without bothering to look behind him, he spoke: "You’re here earlier than I expected. Don’t you care about the sect anymore?"
"I know you won’t let us live," the First Elder replied calmly as she stepped into view, her hands maintaining the freezing technique.
The man erupted into laughter. "Well, you’re right on that," he admitted.
With casual disregard, he turned and flicked a finger, shattering the approaching ice shards the First Elder had launched. They disintegrated into sparkling dust, scattering to the floor.
"So strong," the First Elder thought, her heart sinking as she assessed their chances. The gap in power seemed insurmountable.
Her expression shifted suddenly as she noticed the Sect Master with clasped hands, energy circulating around her. A smile briefly illuminated the First Elder’s face. "Did that girl finally realize her method?" Hope flickered, but quickly extinguished. "A pity she realized too late."
The First Elder swept her hands outward, conjuring hundreds of razor-sharp ice shards that streaked toward their opponent. As expected, he deflected them effortlessly, barely acknowledging the attack.
Undeterred, she formed an ice blade and launched herself forward. Her thoughts were calm as she moved. She had lived a long life, witnessed countless seasons come and go. Maybe it was time to join her sisters...