In the heat of the moment, he abruptly leaned backward. The light sword grazed his forehead, severing several locks of his hair. A chilling sensation spread across his brow, followed immediately by excruciating pain.
Qin Yangling, overwhelmed by shock, ignored the blood streaming down his face. Instinctively, he braced himself with one hand on the ground and kicked at her wrist. Unexpectedly, a flash of ochre-yellow light blinded him, and his arms involuntarily spread wide. Multiple Immortal Binding Chains tightly bound him to a cross-shaped Earthen Frame, the chains clamping onto his pulse points, rendering him utterly incapable of channeling even a trace of Spiritual Energy.
This was the Earth-element Advanced Immortal Technique, the Dragon Imprisoning Lock—a technique none of them were unfamiliar with. Whether from the Mountain Sect or the Ocean Sect, every disciple’s introductory manual contained detailed descriptions of this technique. Anyone who severely violated sect rules, be they elders or disciples, would be bound by the Dragon Imprisoning Lock to await punishment. Without the ability to circulate Spiritual Energy, even the most formidable Celestial would be no different from an ordinary person.
Qin Yangling felt only bewilderment and shock. Why couldn’t the Tribulation Mirror restrain Jiang Li Fei? The effort he had poured into the Yin-Yang Tribulation Mirror was known only to himself. Now that he had broken through the fourth Bottleneck, its power had multiplied severalfold. He could even manifest it within his eyes—within the limits of his Spiritual Energy reserves, whoever he gazed upon would be frozen. Until his energy was completely depleted, he should have been nearly invincible.
After investing countless effort, first Lei Xiuyuan had broken free from the mirror’s restraint, dealing him an unprecedented humiliation. This time, with the assistance of Elder Zhen Yunzi, he had made thorough preparations, anticipating every possible countermeasure should Lei Xiuyuan close in. Yet his efforts had again been wasted—this time, it was Jiang Li Fei who shattered the ice.
His confidence in the Yin-Yang Tribulation Mirror vanished entirely, leaving only bitter coldness toward all the effort he had expended.
Why? Why?! Qin Yangling glared furiously at the corpse of Zheng Xu Zhang Lao. It was he who had told him that the Yin-Yang Tribulation Mirror was the strongest binding and restraining Immortal Technique! Yet time and again, people had broken free from its icy grip. He had been deceived!
Ignoring Qin Yangling’s furious curses, Li Fei shattered the countless Yin-Yang Tribulation Mirrors in the cave. The five people frozen in the ice were finally freed, but the cold poison ran rampant. Aside from Lei Xiuyuan and Ji Tongzhou, who could barely stand, the other three had already collapsed unconscious.
Ye Ye and Chang Yue must be in terrible condition! Just as Li Fei was about to rush over, a dark shadow flashed before her eyes. In an instant, the six of them were seized by an irresistible force and hurled violently against the cave wall. A single impact shattered Li Fei’s Earthen Guardian completely, and Lei Xiuyuan and Ji Tongzhou were immediately knocked unconscious. The lightning-fast figure paused briefly before Qin Yangling, and a voice as cold and piercing as a dark spring spoke: "A few youngsters have reduced you to such a state. Do you still have the heart for revenge?"
A long-unheard voice—Zhen Yunzi.
In his despair, Qin Yangling was stunned to see Zhen Yunzi’s arrival. Overwhelmed by both ecstasy and fury, his blood-streaked face twisted grotesquely. He could have come sooner! Had he just stood by and watched as a little girl humiliated him by binding him like this?! But Zhen Yunzi was, after all, an elder Celestial. Several of his Mystical Treasures and defensive Immortal Techniques had been taught by him, and even that old traitor Zheng Xu had only been eliminated thanks to his help.
It was only by a twist of fate that he had encountered Zhen Yunzi, granting him the chance for swift vengeance.
"Senior, please allow me to take revenge with my own hands!" Qin Yangling rasped.Zhen Yunzi did not answer him immediately. His gaze swept across the group—all five youngsters from the academy were present, not a single one missing. Six years had passed, and his own cultivation had deteriorated to the point where he could no longer serve as a Profound Gate Elder. The bitterness of this was something only he could understand. His icy, profound gaze lingered on each of their faces. He had waited a long time for this day and had planned meticulously for it.
After academy disciples entered the sect, they were forbidden from leaving freely for six years. Whenever they did go out, they were always accompanied and guarded by elders or celestials. Even at the peak of his power, he couldn’t have silently abducted a disciple from under the watch of multiple elders. He had no choice but to endure, to vanish from sight, to bear humiliation and hardship. Six years might be but a fleeting moment for a celestial, but for him, each day had dragged like a year.
The repeated near-misses with the Nine-tailed Fox had haunted him like a demon. Losing his position as an elder had also tormented him endlessly. Yes, mastering the Celestial Sound Word Spirit and Word Spirit Nightmare Art of the Profound School required severing all emotions and desires. He understood this better than anyone. But how could one fill such a bottomless pit of longing? What was he to do about the sleepless nights spent tossing and turning? What of the sighs that escaped him whenever he remembered? To ascend, ever higher, to become the strongest—this had always been his most unshakable conviction in cultivation. If he discarded that conviction, how could he continue cultivating?
At his most desperate, he had even gone alone to the shores of the Eastern Sea, contemplating the same heroic feats countless celestials had attempted before—to perish in the journey across the Eastern Sea, leaving behind a clean and untroubled legacy. Yet, in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Until one day, on an unnamed cliff by the Eastern Sea, he discovered traces left behind by the legendary Qing Cheng Xian Ren.
This famed celestial, known for severing the horns of the Yaksa, had vanished without a trace for centuries. Who could have guessed he had journeyed overseas with the Nine-tailed Fox? The words carved into the cliffside were deep and unrestrained, bold and unyielding, brimming with the heroic spirit of charging forward even against countless foes—"On the twenty-first day of the third month of the Guichou year, I set forth from Manshan of the Eastern Sea. The vast sea stretches endlessly—I depart."
But what shocked him wasn’t these words. It was the signatures beneath: "Left by Hu She Feng of No Moon Court, Qing Cheng. Left by Qingqiu Jiuwei Riyan." Beneath the handwriting of Qingqiu Jiuwei Riyan were several sharp claw marks.
Qingqiu Jiuwei, Qingqiu Jiuwei Riyan… In that moment, Zhen Yunzi nearly laughed aloud to the heavens. So this Nine-tailed Fox had been an old companion of Qing Cheng Xian Ren! It had actually been to the legendary lands beyond the sea! The one he had set his sights on was such a formidable Great Demon! He could already imagine it—once he captured this Nine-tailed Fox, he would uncover countless secrets of the distant lands. And when he refined its priceless fur, bones, and blood into a Mystical Treasure, his own cultivation would soar to terrifying heights!
From then on, he couldn’t bear to leave the Eastern Sea. Under the pretense of hunting demons, he often lingered nearby, searching for more traces of Qing Cheng Xian Ren and the Nine-tailed Fox. Later, he encountered Qin Yangling, who had been brought out of No Moon Court by Zheng Xu Zhang Lao. Learning of his entanglement with Lei Xiuyuan, Zhen Yunzi saw an opportunity to exploit Qin Yangling’s formidable Yin-Yang Tribulation Mirror. After outmaneuvering Zheng Xu, his plan was perfected—all that remained was to wait for these foolish youngsters to take the bait.Zhen Yunzi recalled these past events, his heart alternating between fury and profound emotion. His gaze lingered on Lei Xiuyuan. This brat—after Qin Yangling lost to him, he spouted nonsense about golden light flashing in his eyes, calling him a demon. In Zhen Yunzi’s eyes, it was nothing but a shameful excuse for his crushing defeat. That Lei boy had always been clever and composed, knowing too much about him. He absolutely could not be allowed to live.
Beside Lei Xiuyuan lay another young disciple, clad in the uniform of Star Rectitude Hall. Zhen Yunzi studied him for a long moment—of course, he recognized him. Ji Tongzhou, the heroic prince of Yue, who had failed to enter the Profound School but instead became a disciple of Wuzheng Zi of the Hua Sect. Rumors spoke of his extraordinary talent, a prodigy unseen in a thousand years.
Faced with Ji Tongzhou, Zhen Yunzi hesitated for the first time. This was a disciple of Star Rectitude Hall, and he was utterly unwilling to kill him.
With a flick of his sleeve, a pristine white Mystic Sword appeared in Zhen Yunzi’s palm. The Dragon Imprisoning Lock was effortlessly severed, and Qin Yangling collapsed to the ground, immediately sitting cross-legged to focus on absorbing spiritual energy.
“I’ll give you a chance for revenge. If you fail again, then fate has decreed it so!”
With those words, Zhen Yunzi fixed a cold stare on Lei Xiuyuan. This boy was the most troublesome—he had to kill him personally to be at ease. Golden light flashed in his palm, and in an instant, he stood before Lei Xiuyuan, raising his sword to behead him. But suddenly, a massive, jade-like Horn of the Rhinoceros appeared before him. The sword struck the horn with a piercing screech.
Li Fei had been wary of his sudden attack. She had layered multiple Earthen Guardians on Lei Xiuyuan and stood protectively in front of him. Yet, without warning, Zhen Yunzi seized her by the throat, slamming her against the cave wall with irresistible force. Every bone in her body felt shattered, her skull throbbing with searing pain as blood slowly seeped out. His grip tightened, cutting off her breath—she couldn’t even circulate her spiritual energy. Never in her life had she endured such agony.
Her hands clawed instinctively but found nothing to grasp. Through her blurred and chaotic vision, she could only see the man’s icy yet fervent eyes—not the gaze one gives a person, but that of an object.
Gasping desperately, Li Fei rasped, “I… I’ll go with you! Don’t kill anyone! Or I’ll die right here! You’ll never get the Nine-tailed Fox, even in death!”
Zhen Yunzi sneered, but when he saw blood trickling from her mouth—she had bitten her tongue—he immediately clamped her jaw shut and yanked her up by the collar. Behind him, Qin Yangling unleashed countless Yin-Yang Tribulation Mirrors, freezing all five of them once more. Zhen Yunzi moved swiftly, kicking Ji Tongzhou free from the ice. The prince, unable to withstand the blow, jolted awake from unconsciousness, vomiting blood before collapsing to his knees, his expression dazed.
With one hand gripping each captive, Zhen Yunzi summoned a portal and vanished into it in the blink of an eye.
Qin Yangling was furious that Zhen Yunzi had taken Jiang Li Fei, that little girl. A notorious lecher, he had long coveted her beauty. Though he wished to tear her limb from limb, he wouldn’t be satisfied until he had his way with her first.With his greatest pleasure gone, Qin Yangling didn't dare argue with Zhen Yunzi. He turned back, slowly scanning the four people frozen in the ice. The two remaining girls were quite attractive, yet they paled in comparison to Jiang Li Fei. Moreover, Baili Changyue had been acting like a corpse earlier—no matter how he tore her clothes, verbally humiliated her, or even broke her bones, she wouldn't make a sound, which thoroughly killed his appetite.
He simply walked toward Lei Xiuyuan instead. Most of the young man's body was encased in ice, his eyes tightly shut. Zhen Yunzi's earlier Cloud Thrust Technique had clearly been heavy-handed; if the impact had landed poorly, it might have snapped his spine. The usually arrogant brat was finally in a sorry state, blood still trickling from his nose and mouth, unconscious to this point.
Qin Yangling hadn't forgotten the sudden dominance Lei Xiuyuan had displayed during their magical combat that day. The blind Celestials of No Moon Court surely didn't understand why he had abruptly summoned Dark Clouds Obscuring the Sun—only he knew! In that pitch-black darkness, he had seen with his own eyes the brilliant Golden light shimmering in Lei Xiuyuan's gaze. And it wasn't just his eyes—his entire body had radiated a dazzling yet icy Golden glow.
This guy must be some kind of Demon! That was how he had broken through the third Bottleneck in just a few years. All his so-called genius was because he wasn't human!
Qin Yangling drew his dagger, testing it against Lei Xiuyuan's neck. Should he slice slowly, savoring the blood, fear, and pain? Or should he just behead him in one stroke to avoid complications?
This time, he wouldn't make the slightest mistake. Never again.
He raised his hand and slashed down without mercy. The sharp blade cut into Lei Xiuyuan's neck—blood sprayed instantly, scalding like embers. Qin Yangling shuddered, but for some reason, the dagger could cut no further, as if it had struck steel.
Suddenly, Qin Yangling noticed movement from the youth whose neck had just been split open. Then, Lei Xiuyuan turned his head—those golden, icy pupils locking onto him in an instant.
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