Amid the starry sky, Mu Mo had just been rescued, but there was no trace of joy on his face. Instead, his expression darkened to an extreme.
Once again, he’d been thrown into that mysterious spacetime abyss!
Mu Mo’s face grew gloomier by the second. He wasn’t convinced—this guy had used a dirty trick!
At that moment, Wu Lingmu’s voice rang out, “Mu Mo, this is my last time helping you!”
Mu Mo’s expression turned icy, his eyes like ten-thousand-year-old glaciers, devoid of any warmth.
Clearly, he wasn’t ready to give up!
Then, a voice suddenly echoed through the scene, “Return!”
Hearing this, Mu Mo’s body trembled slightly. Without hesitation, he turned and left.
…
Underground, within the Evil Clan.
Gu Chou sat atop the city wall, gazing at the distant horizon. The sky there was pitch black, revealing nothing.
At that moment, an old man appeared behind him, bowing slightly. “Clan Leader…”
He began speaking in a low voice.
A moment later, Gu Chou burst into laughter. “This Young Master Ye is truly interesting!”
The old man said gravely, “Clan Leader, that mysterious spacetime abyss—it’s terrifying!”
Gu Chou nodded. “I’ve seen it myself!”
The old man hesitated, then asked, “Can the Clan Leader break that spacetime?”
Gu Chou smiled. “If Wu Lingmu can, don’t you think I could?”
The old man frowned, puzzled. “Then why did the Clan Leader deliberately lose to Young Master Ye back then?”
Gu Chou replied softly, “Win against him—for what? To take that sword?”
The old man said, “Isn’t that the Clan Leader’s goal?”
Gu Chou chuckled lightly. “In Young Master Ye’s hands, that sword is a sword! But in anyone else’s—unless it’s willingly given by Ye—it’s a curse!”
He glanced at the old man, smiling. “If not, why hasn’t the Snow Mountain King made a move even now? Of course, with his personality, he’d never give up!”
The old man’s brow furrowed. “Why not?”
Gu Chou grinned. “Because he’s strong. The stronger he is, the more arrogant—no, confident—he becomes! Anything that poses a threat doesn’t scare him; it excites him. He’ll challenge it!”
The old man glanced at Gu Chou. “The Clan Leader’s the same type, but the Snow Mountain King stands alone, while you have the whole clan to consider…”
Gu Chou laughed heartily but said nothing.
At that moment, a woman in black armor appeared in the scene.
She bowed slightly. “Clan Leader, everything’s ready!”
Gu Chou’s eyes slowly closed. “Wait a moment!”
The black-armored woman and the old man exchanged puzzled looks but didn’t question him.
On the wall, Gu Chou dangled his feet lightly, a faint smile on his face, lost in thought.
…
When Ye Xuan returned to the Divine Path Women’s Academy, he was dumbfounded!
Aunt Ding was gone!
Vanished!
Before him stood a woman named Lü Qi, now the academy’s overseer.
Ye Xuan asked gravely, “Miss Lü Qi, did Aunt Ding say where she went?”
Lü Qi shook her head. “Nope!”
Ye Xuan pressed, “What about Dean Nian and the others? Any word from them?”
Lü Qi shook her head again. “After the Dean left with An and the others that day, they never came back or sent any messages.”
Ye Xuan felt a headache coming on!
Damn it!
Nian hadn’t returned, and now Aunt Ding was missing!
Great!
Now he, Ye Xuan, was the big shot at the Women’s Academy again!
And what does a big shot do?
Handle everything!
As a thought struck him, Ye Xuan frowned. Could Aunt Ding have left on purpose?
The more he considered it, the more likely it seemed!
If she stayed, and the Ten Saints came, she’d have to face them. But by leaving, if they showed up, he’d be the one in trouble!
With that, Ye Xuan stood abruptly, looked at Lü Qi, and flicked a storage ring toward her. “Cultivate well!”
Then he turned and left.
When Lü Qi saw the contents of the ring, she froze!
So many top-grade crystal ores…
…
Ye Xuan departed the Women’s Academy—he had no choice. If he stayed and the Ten Saints tracked him there, the academy would be in peril!
Though he’d tricked Mu Mo twice with his schemes, that tactic wouldn’t work forever. And Mu Mo wasn’t even the strongest of the ten!
At that moment, a woman appeared before him.
Ye Xuan recognized her—Xiong Ni, someone he’d once clashed with.
Xiong Ni smiled. “Young Master Ye, did you stir up some big trouble and come running back?”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Xiong Ni chuckled lightly. “Judging by your face, I guessed right!”
Ye Xuan eyed her. “Do you have something to say?”
Xiong Ni smiled. “Nothing much—just heard you were back and came to check on you!”
Ye Xuan gave a faint smile. “Miss Xiong Ni, I’ve got things to do!”
With that, he turned to leave.
Xiong Ni suddenly asked, “Has Xu Wang reached Life-Knowing yet?”
Without turning, Ye Xuan replied, “Almost!”
Then he vanished as a streak of sword light at the horizon’s end.
Almost!
Xiong Ni’s expression grew complicated.
She hadn’t expected Xu Wang to be so close to Life-Knowing!
With a soft sigh, she realized that partnering with Ye Xuan back then could’ve changed her life entirely.
Reaching Life-Knowing on her own?
Near impossible!
The resources alone were a despairing obstacle!
After a moment, Xiong Ni sighed again and turned away.
…
Much later, Ye Xuan returned to the Burial Domain. No sooner had he arrived than a woman appeared before him.
Xue Linglong!
Ye Xuan looked at her silently.
Xue Linglong approached, bowing slightly. “Master!”
Ye Xuan smiled. “Why the sudden visit?”
Xue Linglong lifted her head abruptly. Countless snowflakes surged from her body. Ye Xuan’s eyes narrowed—he was ready, drawing his sword in a fierce slash.
Boom!
A flurry of snow shattered, but a snow lotus darted into his brow!
Boom!
Ye Xuan’s body shuddered violently. Ice began sealing him bit by bit. He tried to resist, but he couldn’t muster any strength!
Xue Linglong said softly, “Master, don’t waste your energy! That’s the Snow Mountain’s supreme artifact, ‘Ten Thousand Miles Frozen,’ gifted by my ancestor, imbued with his mysterious power. With your current strength, you can’t break it! But don’t worry—it won’t kill you. It’ll only seal your cultivation, nothing more!”
Ye Xuan laughed. “So, it’s the Snow Mountain King making his move! But I’m puzzled—why use you instead of coming himself?”
Xue Linglong shook her head. “I don’t know! My guess? He’s planning to deal with the Evil Clan’s leader!”
Gu Chou!
Ye Xuan asked gravely, “Why not kill me? Why just seal my cultivation?”
Xue Linglong shook her head again. “I don’t know. Perhaps it’s tied to whoever’s behind you. My ancestor might not want to provoke them yet—he’s focusing on the Evil Clan!”
Ye Xuan sighed inwardly.
He’d been wary the moment he saw Xue Linglong!
But he hadn’t expected the Snow Mountain King to target him personally.
Xue Linglong glanced at him. “Master, don’t resist. If you fight that artifact inside you, something bad might happen!”
Ye Xuan smiled. “I won’t resist!”
Xue Linglong nodded slightly. “Let’s go!”
She turned and vanished toward the horizon, only to return moments later. “Master, why aren’t you moving?”
Ye Xuan sighed. “You sealed my cultivation—how am I supposed to move? Girl, were you testing if I still had any power left?”
Xue Linglong nodded honestly, hesitated, then asked, “You won’t blame me, will you?”
Ye Xuan sighed again. “Miss Linglong, from now on, we’re enemies! You can be a bit harsher with me, got it? I really don’t like that cliché where enemies play coy, flirt, and end up in some tragic love-hate mess. Too melodramatic! Understand?”
Xue Linglong was silent for a moment, then nodded. “I get it!”
With that, she opened her palm. Two chains pierced through Ye Xuan’s shoulder blades, and she dragged him skyward toward the distance.
Ye Xuan yelped, “What are you doing?”
Xue Linglong replied, “You told me to be harsher!”
Ye Xuan’s face froze. “You can be harsh, but… you should still respect your enemy, you know?”
Xue Linglong shook her head. “Enemies don’t deserve respect!”
Ye Xuan opened his mouth to argue, but Xue Linglong snapped, “Shut up! One more word, and I’ll strip you naked and drag you!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
And so, Xue Linglong hauled Ye Xuan toward the Snow Mountain.
Ye Xuan’s face darkened with frustration. Why did he have to open his big mouth?
Damn it!
Soon, Xue Linglong brought him to the Snow Mountain, chaining him to a pillar. She gave him a cold look. “Don’t try anything funny, or my ancestor won’t hold back!”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “Let me go. With my cultivation sealed, I can’t cause trouble!”
Xue Linglong stayed silent.
Ye Xuan pressed, “If I can break what your ancestor left in me, do you think you could hold me? If I can’t, am I any threat to you?”
After a pause, Xue Linglong said, “My ancestor’s strong. Don’t mess around. I think he doesn’t want to kill you—just trap you, so you can’t help the Evil Clan!”
Ye Xuan smiled faintly, saying nothing.
Xue Linglong waved her hand, and the chains vanished.
She glanced at him. “You can move around, but don’t leave the mountain!”
With that, she turned and left.
Ye Xuan closed his eyes slowly. “Little Tower, it’s your time to shine!”
After a silence, Little Tower replied, “Little Master, I’m just a tower!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
