Chapter 96

In his hands, Ting Mo released a sharp sword arc and slashed at the ice coffin.

The ice coffin was surrounded by a boundary set by the ice crystal, and these few swords only added a few scratches.

"The boundary set by Qi Meng Sheng is not easy to break ah." Fan Wu She snorted coldly, "Let's see how long it can last." He poured his spiritual energy into Ting Mo, and Xie Bi An also took out his sword at the same time.

Even though they were still young, they were already at a high level of cultivation that most people would never reach in their lifetime. Even the strongest boundary could not withstand the continuous onslaught, and cracks appeared on the ice coffin.

A fine cracking sound filled their ears and they jumped backwards keenly.

Several ice arrows brushed past them and landed where they had been standing.

"Come out! What's the point of hiding?" Xie Bi An called out.

Two silhouettes stepped out of the darkness. They were none other than the Flying Plume Ambassadors of the Cangyu Sect that they had seen at Luojinwu - Yun Xiang Yi and Hua Xiang Rong.

They held longbows and were valiant and heroic. Although their faces were delicate, people dare not underestimate them.

Xie Bi An was startled, not knowing where the two women had come from. If they had been in this room all along, they could not have failed to notice.

Fan Wu She whispered, "This is the Cangyu Sect's cold ice spell. They can travel through condensed ice, we must be careful."

Xie Bi An took a deep breath. He had always heard that the Cangyu Sect's spells were very demonic, how could he not be careful? However, how did junior brother know that? Junior brother seemed to know a lot of things he didn't know ...

"How dare you run to the Spirit Palace. You Two Impermanence Immortals are throwing yourselves into the net." Yun Xiang Yi looked at them indifferently.

"Previously, we thought that it was your impulsive and rash actions, but it turns out that it was all directed by Qi Meng Sheng." Xie Bi An said angrily, "For your own selfish reasons, you stole the most precious treasure of the Chunyang Sect, killed Immortal Lord Xu, and now you want to harm even more people. Even your own fellow disciples!"

Yun Xiang Yi was dissatisfied, "There is a reason for what Master has done. Once the Ice crystal Body is accomplished, Master will lead the Cangyu Sect to reach the top of Jiuzhou. Those small sacrifices on the way to the top, what does it matter?"

"This is simply insane!" Xie Bi An gritted his teeth and said, "Aren't you guys afraid of karma?"

"Why care so much about the future things after death?" Hua Xiang Rong said arrogantly, "But you guys, as generals of the underworld, have often interfered in human realm affairs, and you guys also created karma. Some people only have a limited life span, and you can care about that?"

"If you want to harm people, we will have to care about it." Xie Bi An pointed his sword at the two women, "Who is the person sealed in this ice?"

There was a hint of an oddity in their expressions, and Yun Xiang Yi said, "It has nothing to do with you."

"What about Yun Zhong Jun?"

"Also none of your business."

"Senior brother, there is no need to talk nonsense with them." At that time in Luojinwu, Xie Bi An had even complimented them on their beauty, and Fan Wu She had secretly held a grudge in his heart, so once Ting Mo was out, he went straight for the vital parts.

The two women bent their bows at the same time, and three ice arrows emerged from their fingers, leaving their strings as fast as lightning.

Xie Bi An's sword knocked away the ice arrows and he darted towards Hua Xiang Rong.

The archers could not meet the swordsmen head-on, but they were so agile and nimble that they flew around the Spirit Palace like they were walking on flat ground, dodging the long swords and attacking at the same time, closing more and more distance between them. But the two, seemingly scattered, were able to use their familiarity with the terrain to gradually spread out a two-man formation in the darkness, forming a handful of each other. They moved in arcs left and right, actually drawing a circle with their bodies, while shooting arrows at fixed points of the formation. For a while, arrows rained down, alternating like a weave, and a circle was clear. But when they were almost against the ice, not only did he get a good look at the man's face and figure, he could also vaguely see what appeared to be a scar on his waist and stomach, hidden by his underpants. His heart stirred and blurted out, "A Chunyang Sect cultivator."

"What?" Xie Bi An also looked back, "You say this man is a Chunyang Sect cultivator? How do you know?"

"His figure is typical of a high ranking Chunyang Sect cultivator. Do you remember, back at Diancang Peak, when Elder Zhao Wen examined Zong Ming He’s corpse? He said that the bones of a Chunyang Sect cultivator would be different from the normal people in several ways, and ..."

Before the words left his mouth, an ice spike suddenly grew out from the ice coffin and penetrated Fan Wu She's lower ribs with a plop.

"Wu She!" Xie Bi An slashed the ice spike with his sword and grabbed Fan Wu She away from the ice coffin.

The two women once again dragged the ice coffin back.

Fan Wu She quickly sealed his acupuncture points as he endured the severe pain and said soothingly, "It's alright. It didn't hurt anything vital."

Xie Bi An put a blood-stopping talisman on him, anxiously checked his injuries and said upsettingly, "An ice coffin is also ice, I was so stupid to hide behind it!"

"I don't blame you, we were all careless."

Xie Bi An gritted his teeth and said, "Why are you always injured when you're with me?"

"It's the enemy's fault that I'm injured, it's not your fault." Fan Wu She took a deep breath and used his spiritual energy to adjust and heal his injuries. He didn't want to always get hurt in front of Xie Bi An, seemingly too useless. In his previous life, he had called the shots and trampled the entire immortal cultivation world under his feet, even almost unifying the mortal and ghost realms, but now two little girls could hurt him, it was really fucking sullen.

Xie Bi An carefully removed Fan Wu She's clothes: "It's a bit cold, bear with it." He infused his spiritual energy into Fan Wu She's body to warm him up.

Fan Wu She's face was pale and white, not knowing whether it was because of the loss of blood or the cold.

Xie Bi An carefully stopped the bleeding, applied medicine and wrapped several loops of white gauze around his waist before carefully putting his clothes back on.

Fan Wu She said in a trembling voice, "Senior brother, I'm so cold."

Xie Bi An touched his head dearly and wrapped his arms around him, "Bear with it. When your wound stops bleeding, we'll find a way to leave."

Fan Wu She leaned into his arms reassuringly. He originally had some thoughts of dally, but this embrace was too warm and tender. He did not want to ruin the atmosphere in front of him for a while.

"Wu She, you just said that the person in the ice coffin was a high-ranking cultivator of the Chunyang Sect?"

"Mm."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, I saw his body."

"Who is this man and why did Qi Meng Sheng do this?" Xie Bi An only felt that he couldn't get a clue.

"I have a suspicion about his identity." When Fan Wu She saw the scar on the man's waist, his mind was almost able to determine that, even though he could not fully recall the man's appearance, since the face gave him a sense of familiarity, they must have crossed paths.

"Really? Who?"

"I saw a scar on his waist, mostly hidden by his underpants, and I just got close enough to notice it."

"A scar?"

"Mm, it was in the dantian area."

"The Golden Core?!" Xie Bi An said in surprise, "You mean he's been gutted of his core?!"

"Right."

"Chunyang Sect, high ranking cultivator, gutted of his core..."

This story was not new to them. They had just heard it not long ago.

"According to Xu Zhi Nan and Zhao Wen, the only high-ranking cultivator of the Chunyang Sect who had his core stolen in this century was Cheng Yan Zhi, Xu Zhi Nan's junior brother."

"But Xu Zhi Nan said that his junior brother was cremated by his own hands."

"What if he lied?" Fan Wu She narrowed his eyes. Originally he could not possibly think in this direction, but when the man in the ice coffin appeared in front of him, if this man was Cheng Yan Zhi, with reversed inferencing, many things would make sense. In fact, Cheng Yan Zhi's death had once struck him as strange. As long as a high-ranking cultivator of the Chunyang Sect did not die immediately, with the strong physical body he had forged plus the healing power of his fellow disciples, there was a great possibility that he would survive. But at least two or three months had passed from the time Cheng Yan Zhi was injured to the time he heard of his death.

But he didn't think much about it at that time. After all, he didn't care one bit about Cheng Yan Zhi's death or survival.

Now it seems that if that man was Cheng Yan Zhi, and Xu Zhi Nan had been using the Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp to hang on to his life, it would explain why Xu Zhi Nan, a man who valued friendship, would not save Qi Meng Sheng from death. Of course, it is also possible that Xu Zhi Nan saw through Qi Meng Sheng's true colors long ago, but unfortunately he was unable to protect himself and still let Qi Meng Sheng have her way.

However, there is still one major doubtful point.

Xie Bi An asked about this doubtful point: "Even if he had lied, why would Cheng Yan Zhi appear here?"

The journey from Jingzhou to Kunlun was more than a thousand miles, not to mention a living dead person hanging on by the Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp, even a living person might not be able to reach halfway for various reasons.

Fan Wu She thought of one possibility - Gong Shu Ju. But he couldn't tell Xie Bi An. Based on his current identity, he shouldn’t know so much, so he could only shake his head.

"This whole thing is too bizarre." Xie Bi An said blankly, "If that man is really Cheng Yan Zhi, then these last hundred years ... he has been trapped in the Seven Star Lamp all along?"

"Maybe he's not Cheng Yan Zhi, but other than Cheng Yan Zhi, I can't think of any other possibility.”

Xie Bi An shook his head, “Wu She, these Immortal Lords who have lived from the era of Emperor Zong to the present, who have reached the top of the immortal cultivation realm, each one of them have so many secrets."

"Yeah."

"Moreover, I always feel that their secrets are more or less related to Emperor Kong Hua."

"..." Fan Wu She’s state of mind became sluggish.

 

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Edited on 12 Apr. 21 (Emzie)

 

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