The back mountain of the ruins.
There was a small pool here.
At this moment, two teams had already gathered.
Among them were four members of the Tianqiong Clan.
“I wonder how Miss Ying’er is doing now,” the Fourth Elder of the Tianqiong Clan said, appearing deeply concerned.
Ever since they had been separated from Lin Yun and Yu Ying in the passage, he had been very worried.
If anything happened to Yu Ying, how would he explain it when he returned?
Of course, he had no idea that during this time, the relationship between Yu Ying and Lin Yun had undergone a complete transformation…
“Fourth Elder, look! It’s Miss Yu Ying!” a man from the Tianqiong Clan team shouted.
Hearing this, the Fourth Elder immediately looked over.
Sure enough, Yu Ying and Lin Yun were walking towards them.
“It seems Miss Ying’er is fine,” the Fourth Elder said, letting out a tentative sigh of relief upon seeing this.
Confirming Yu Ying’s safety eased much of the tension in his heart.
“Fourth Elder, look at that guy holding hands with Xiao Ying!”
The handsome man continued with a venomous gaze, “Before, though their relationship was ambiguous, it never went as far as holding hands. At least they still called each other friends! Now, with this behaviour, they’re clearly acting like lovers. We can’t let Xiao Ying repeat her mother’s mistakes!”
Seeing Lin Yun indeed holding hands with Yu Ying, the Fourth Elder’s expression darkened.
“It seems my earlier warning to him was completely useless! Don’t worry, I’ll give him another stern talking-to later. If he still doesn’t get the hint, the Tianqiong Clan will stop at nothing to make the Saintess come to her senses!” A cold glint flashed in the Fourth Elder’s eyes.
At this moment, the Fourth Elder had no idea just how much more serious the change in Lin Yun and Yu Ying’s relationship was compared to what he imagined!
Nor did he realise the grave consequences this would bring later…
Soon, Lin Yun and Yu Ying reached the four members of the Tianqiong Clan.
“Fourth Elder, we’ve finally reunited with you. Is everyone alright?” Yu Ying asked.
“Miss Ying’er, this old man is fine, but it seems you’re the one with something going on. You are the Saintess of our Tianqiong Clan, pure and untainted. How could you hold hands with this little brat!” the Fourth Elder said coldly.
“Fourth Elder, he’s not a little brat. He’s my cultivation partner,” Yu Ying said earnestly.
“What? Cultivation partner?”
These words struck the Fourth Elder and the others like a bolt of thunder.
“Miss Ying’er, you… what kind of joke is this! How could you acknowledge him as your cultivation partner!” the Fourth Elder’s voice rose sharply.
“Why not? I’ve already made up my mind. If the Tianqiong Clan doesn’t allow it, I can leave the clan. As for the resources the Tianqiong Clan has invested in me, I’ll repay them gradually over the rest of my life!” Yu Ying’s tone was resolute.
In truth, Yu Ying was deeply grateful to the Tianqiong Clan. Normally, she would carry out any of their orders with utmost dedication.
Her heart was loyal to the Tianqiong Clan.
But for Lin Yun, she was willing to betray the entire world, even if it meant bearing infamy—she would do it without hesitation!
Her resolve was as firm as iron!
“Miss Ying’er, you… you…” The Fourth Elder was so furious he nearly spat blood.
The handsome man glared at Lin Yun with resentment, “Kid, what kind of bewitching trick did you use to enchant Xiao Ying! Otherwise, how could a mere rogue cultivator like you be worthy of her!”
The Fourth Elder also turned to Lin Yun.
“Kid, aren’t you going to let go of Miss Ying’er’s hand?” the Fourth Elder roared at Lin Yun.
At the same time, the overwhelming pressure of an Eighth-Turn Tribulation Realm cultivator enveloped Lin Yun.
“Fourth Elder, don’t yell at Brother Yun!” Yu Ying said, visibly upset.
“It’s alright, Xiao Ying,” Lin Yun smiled at her.
Not wanting to put Yu Ying in a difficult position, Lin Yun temporarily let go of her hand.
Seeing this, the Fourth Elder’s expression softened slightly.
“Kid, you’d better know your place. You’re not worthy of our Tianqiong Clan’s Saintess. You’re only bringing trouble upon yourself!” the Fourth Elder warned with a stern look.
“Fourth Elder, this isn’t the place for arguments. We’re in the Da Kun ruins, surrounded by danger. As for whether I’m worthy of your Tianqiong Clan’s Saintess, time will tell,” Lin Yun said calmly.
“Fine, we’ll deal with this later!” The Fourth Elder took a deep breath.
He knew arguing now was pointless.
He would need to report this to the Tianqiong Clan later and discuss a plan.
But one thing was certain: if Lin Yun refused to leave the Saintess, the Tianqiong Clan would have no choice but to quietly erase him from this world to make her come to her senses!
Lin Yun then turned his gaze to the pool ahead, “This pool seems a bit strange.”
The water was a silvery hue, looking rather eerie.
Lin Yun glanced around. Another team was also standing by the pool.
“Xiao Ying, stay here. I’ll go into the water to check things out,” Lin Yun said.
The pool was suspicious, and with no knowledge of what lay beneath, Lin Yun naturally didn’t want to take Yu Ying down with him into potential danger.
“Brother Yun, the situation underwater is unclear. Please think it over. This ruin is full of dangers—what if it’s a trap down there?” Yu Ying said, a little worried.
“It’s fine. It’s precisely because it’s unclear that someone needs to investigate,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
“Ying’er, stay here. I’m going down!”
With that, Lin Yun leapt into the pool, disappearing from everyone’s sight.
The Fourth Elder and the handsome man from the Tianqiong Clan shook their heads and chuckled.
“Fourth Elder, what are you laughing at?” Yu Ying found their laughter odd.
The Fourth Elder explained, “Miss Ying’er, the team over there already sent a First-Turn Tribulation Realm cultivator into the water earlier. But he came back up shortly after, severely frostbitten. The water isn’t frozen, yet its temperature is terrifyingly low! That’s why we’ve been observing and haven’t dared to go down lightly.”
The handsome man sneered, “That kid’s going down there—he’ll either die or come back half-dead!”
“What! Why didn’t you say so earlier!” Yu Ying exclaimed, anxious and angry.
“If it were you, Miss Ying’er, planning to go into the water, I’d naturally stop you. But he’s not one of us from the Tianqiong Clan, so there’s no need to warn him,” the Fourth Elder said slowly.
“Fourth Elder, you…”
Yu Ying had no time to argue with him. Her only concern now was Lin Yun’s safety.
“Brother Yun! Come back up!” Yu Ying shouted towards the pool.
“Don’t worry, Miss Ying’er. At worst, he’ll get injured. Once he realises something’s wrong down there, he’ll come up on his own,” the Fourth Elder said.
…
Inside the pool.
“So cold!”
As soon as Lin Yun entered the water, he felt its strangeness.
He was astonished—how could this be?
Such extreme cold would likely be unbearable for even ordinary First or Second-Turn Tribulation Realm experts for long.
The pool’s terrifying power left Lin Yun incredulous.
“It’s just within my tolerance. I’ll go deeper to investigate!” Relying on his sturdy physique, Lin Yun pressed on through the bone-chilling cold.
Thanks to his robust body, he could withstand the low temperature, though his skin felt a piercing pain, as if countless needles were stabbing him.
