by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
Done with that, he muttered in satisfaction, "I believe with these crystals, I'll be able to save Han Qianwei and Han Xuewei."
He then started digging his way out of the chunk of ice, aiming to leave as soon as possible. It did not take him long to break free. Outside, he had no idea where to go, so he decided to go with the flow of water as he ascended. He believed that after reaching the water's surface, he would be able to determine which direction to go and look for Han Chenfei's group.
...
Above the iceberg, Han Chenfei and the sisters had long left the lake. They had been waiting for Xiang Shaoyun, but he was nowhere to be seen. As they waited, they grew anxious.
They even wanted to enter the lake again, but they found that the lake had suddenly gone berserk with violent waves, throwing them everywhere the moment they entered the water.
They were now sure that something must have changed within the lake. The sisters dove deep down without hesitation, but Han Chenfei, a rational person, promptly stopped them.
She would not let them rush to their deaths. Even if they were to dive into the lake now, it would be to no avail, and they might even get themselves killed. Xiang Shaoyun would have to rely on himself to stay alive.
Hence, they continued waiting above the iceberg while cultivating. However, a month had passed, yet Xiang Shaoyun was still nowhere to be seen. They had lost all hope. At that moment, Han Lingshuang arrived to report that the Glacier Palace members were under attack. Their help was required.
Han Chenfei dragged the sisters away and left without saying anything else. The sisters wanted to continue waiting for Xiang Shaoyun, but they couldn't ignore the plight of the Glacier Palace members.
Thus, they decided to first help the Glacier Palace members before returning to wait, or even to die with Xiang Shaoyun. They were completely unaware that this whole incident was merely a trap set by Han Lingshuang.
She had actually colluded with outsiders to harm Han Chenfei. While Han Chenfei was busy helping her own people, Han Lingshuang suddenly turned on her and dealt her a grave injury. The betrayal caught Han Chenfei by complete surprise.
"Lingshuang, why?" Han Chenfei asked, an unresigned look on her face.
Not only had she suffered Han Lingshuang's ambush, she had also been struck by another expert's sneak attack. The numerous attacks dealt her grievous injuries. Leng Feng tried his best to protect her, but he was not a match for the newcomer and was also heavily injured.
The newcomer was none other than Huo Xudong. Since joining the Dragon Phoenix Academy, Huo Xudong had maintained a low profile. It was almost as if he did not exist. He was a seed the Rat Assassins had planted in the academy, and with his talent, he was also one of the academy's more important disciples.
However, he had never involved himself in the competition for the academy rankings. His whereabouts were always indefinite, and because of that, others slowly forgot about him.
In truth, the moment he joined the academy, a previous generation elder had accepted him as a personal disciple. The previous generation elder was an expert assassin, and his methods were compatible with the likes of the Rat Assassins.
Studying under him, Huo Xudong had grown by leaps and bounds within two years. He was now a fifth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator, which was a shocking speed of growth.
With his strength, he could easily enter the top 20 of the Dragon Phoenix List. Even top 10 was possible. After all, even Xiao Xie was only a fifth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator. That was why Huo Xudong had been able to harm Han Chenfei. With Han Lingshuang working alongside him, they had successfully harmed Han Chenfei.
As for the Han Clan sisters, they were completely disregarded. Their current strength was insignificant in this situation, and Han Lingshuang subdued them without exerting much effort.
"Young palace master, I never planned to betray you. But ever since you got these two bitches by your side, you and I have drifted apart. Furthermore, you are so impartial that you even taught them the Glacier Sutra and the numerous secret techniques of the Glacier Palace. Don't you think you were very unfair?" said Han Lingshuang with a face of envy.
Han Chenfei explained, "Did I not explain my reasons? I did not want to disrupt your cultivation, while their physiques are different from yours—"
But before she could finish, Han Lingshuang roared with laughter, "Haha, good excuse. But in the end, isn't it because they share your surname?"
"Enough, no point talking about all that. Han Chenfei, if you submit to me, I will give you a chance to live. Otherwise...hehe...you know the consequences," said Huo Xudong with a sinister smile.
"You, scoundrel, and Han Lingshuang, you bastard, if you dare harm the young palace master, I won't spare you even in my death!" Leng Feng painstakingly stood before Han Chenfei and roared.
However, Huo Xudong only needed to lightly wave his hand to send Leng Feng flying. Not satisfied with that, Huo Xudong even drew his dagger and aimed it at Leng Feng's throat.
"Noo!" Han Chenfei roared and tried to help Leng Feng.
Unfortunately, Han Lingshuang blocked her path.
Sphhlt!
And just like that, Leng Feng was murdered mercilessly.
"Leng Feng!" Han Chenfei howled sorrowfully.
At this moment, she decided to disregard everything and use a forbidden technique to avenge Leng Feng by killing Huo Xudong and Han Lingshuang. Alas, Han Lingshuang knew her too well. Before she could activate her technique, Han Lingshuang attacked again, bringing her to the brink of death.
"Since you are unwilling to submit, I will just make you my woman. When the deed is done, you will be able to devote yourself to me," said Huo Xudong with a perverted look on his face.
Despair covered the faces of Han Chenfei and the Han Clan sisters. Right that moment, a cold voice rang out from far away, "Huo Xudong, you scoundrel, you're finally willing to show yourself? Time to die!"
Chapter 693: Prompt Rescue
Huo Xudong was planning to violate Han Chenfei before forcing her to submit. He had never expected that someone would appear to stop him. When he heard that familiar voice, he was greatly startled. He quickly withdrew his hands and retreated in haste. Huo Xudong's strength had grown by leaps and bounds, and he was fearless even when facing a genius on the Dragon Phoenix List's top 10. Who could cause so much fear in him?
Not far away, a figure was rushing over like a storm, numerous ice chunks and chill wind blasting away his surroundings. The newcomer was none other than Xiang Shaoyun, who had recently escaped a calamity underneath the sea.
After leaving the chunk of ice encasing him, he had rushed out of the water and found that he had arrived at the edge of the iceberg. He immediately understood that the black tortoise had blown him to a corner of the iceberg, and the ice lake was indeed connected to the sea. That was why he had been able to return so quickly.
But before he could return to the lake, he sensed something happening and rushed over instead. Fortunately, he arrived in time, or things might have turned out very badly for Han Chenfei and the Han sisters.
"It's Xiang Shaoyun! Xudong, I thought you wanted to kill him? With your current strength, you do not need to fear him!" said Han Lingshuang when she identified the newcomer.
Huo Xudong's expression changed, and he snapped, "What do you know? Kill the three of them. I'll deal with him."
"Ok," Han Lingshuang agreed with a ruthless glint in her eyes.
She drew her sword, prepared to kill Han Chenfei and the sisters. As for Huo Xudong, he summoned a combat puppet instead of personally fighting Xiang Shaoyun. The puppet he summoned was actually made from a goldman.
The goldman was no longer alive, and the gold on its body was without a glimmer. But from its sturdy body, it was obvious it was a sovereign-grade combat puppet. With the physique of a goldman, this puppet was probably durable enough to withstand attacks from sovereign weapons.
"To deal with your nether prison devil puppet, I hav
e personally begged my master for this goldman puppet. Xiang Shaoyun, today is the day you die!" Huo Xudong shouted, a ferocious look on his face.
The goldman puppet took wide steps as it strode toward Xiang Shaoyun, and it flung a shining gold fist at Xiang Shaoyun. With its cumbersome body, the puppet was naturally much slower. Furthermore, this puppet was only an early-stage sovereign-grade puppet.
Xiang Shaoyun used the power of wind and footwork intent to move at a rapid speed, brushing past the puppet instead of wasting time dealing with it. Now that the heavy broken armor no longer hindered him, he had a sensation when he started running that he was beginning to comprehend the shrinking space stage of footwork intent.
One could say that he currently had a speed comparable to a peak Emperor. Unfortunately, he could not stop Han Lingshuang in time when she attacked Han Chenfei and the sisters.
"If they die, none of you will live!" Xiang Shaoyun roared furiously.
"Die!" Han Lingshuang roared with a twisted look on her face.
Just as her sword was about to reap the lives of Han Chenfei and the sisters, Han Chenfei erupted with a burst of dreadful frost energy that surrounded the three of them.
Absolute Freeze!
Han Chenfei had released the technique with her final remaining strength. The sisters also worked with her to further strengthen the ice defense, as it was their only hope of survival.
Clank!
Han Lingshuang's sword struck the ice with a clink. The chunk of ice formed by Absolute Freeze was extremely tough, possessing a defense comparable to an emperor armor. Thus, Han Lingshuang's first strike failed to kill.
"Damn it! I will definitely kill all of you today!" Han Lingshuang howled in indignation.
If Han Chenfei and the sisters were left alive, she would no longer be able to stay in the academy. Otherwise, it would only be a matter of time before they killed her.
Unfortunately for her, before she could launch more attacks, Xiang Shaoyun arrived, his Overlord Skyslaying Saber swinging toward her.
Bang!
Han Lingshuang had not expected Xiang Shaoyun to arrive so quickly. By the time she noticed his approach, his blade had already reached her head, splitting it into two. Her crimson blood splattered on the ice around them, dying the ice with a gorgeous scarlet tint.
Han Lingshuang wanted to harm others, but she herself was harmed instead. She had ended tragically. Huo Xudong wanted to help her, but he couldn't arrive in time. In any case, he never planned to help in the first place. He only wanted to use Han Lingshuang as bait to create an opening for him to sneak an attack against Xiang Shaoyun.
A green dagger appeared in Huo Xudong's hand as he charged Xiang Shaoyun with the fastest speed he could muster. He had learned from his past mistake. With how skillful Huo Xudong was with his dagger, it was obvious he was already a cold-blooded assassin.
He had caught onto Xiang Shaoyun's opening and was aiming to kill with a single strike. However, Money suddenly appeared and shot toward Huo Xudong like a bolt of lightning. Money's body was the size of an arm, and he was able to move undetected.
Because Huo Xudong had rushed the attack and Money had appeared abruptly, Huo Xudong was caught completely by surprise. Startled, he hastily dodged to the side. He managed to avoid the fatal attack, but Money managed to deeply bite his shoulder, causing him to clench his teeth in pain.
Huo Xudong braced the pain and swept with his dagger, but Money immediately retreated after striking. At this time, the goldman puppet reached Xiang Shaoyun.
Xiang Shaoyun lifted Han Chenfei and the sisters before quickly dashing away, the goldman puppet stubbornly chasing after them.
"Money, take them away," Xiang Shaoyun said.
Money transformed into his original form, rushed over, and grabbed the ladies before fleeing. As for Xiang Shaoyun, he turned around and charged Huo Xudong. The goldman puppet was unable to do anything to Xiang Shaoyun, depressing Huo Xudong. He had not imagined that Xiang Shaoyun would possess such speed.
"Huo Xudong, time for you to die," said Xiang Shaoyun as he swung his saber. His aura surged and electrical currents roared like dragons as a saber energy formed and flew toward Huo Xudong.
When Huo Xudong sensed Xiang Shaoyun's oppressive aura and recalled the odd techniques Xiang Shaoyun had once used at the Devil Domain, he grew timid. Without any hesitation, he ran toward his goldman puppet. The puppet stepped forth and blocked the incoming attack.
"Go!" Huo Xudong decisively commanded the goldman puppet to leave with him.
Chapter 694: Let Go
Huo Xudong was greatly frightened. During his time at the Devil Domain, he had personally witnessed Xiang Shaoyun's extraordinariness. And now, even with a goldman puppet, he no longer had the courage to face Xiang Shaoyun.
He feared that if he was even a tad bit slower in his escape, Xiang Shaoyun would summon out the nether prison devil puppet. At that time, he wouldn't be able to flee anymore. He was unaware that the nether prison devil puppet had been destroyed. Xiang Shaoyun would have long taken it out otherwise.
Xiang Shaoyun could match the goldman puppet's speed, but he still decided to stop pursuing. Even without the nether prison devil puppet, he still had the Nether Soul Domain he could use to stop their escape. However, he did not have full confidence he could subdue the goldman puppet with his Nether Soul Domain. Furthermore, Han Chenfei and the Han sisters still needed his assistance.
Hence, he gazed at the fleeing Huo Xudong and roared, "The next time I see you, I'll take your life."
The next time we meet, I will ensure you have no chance of making a comeback! Huo Xudong vowed inwardly.
He had thought that he would be able to eliminate Xiang Shaoyun this time, but he found that he still wasn't confident enough. Moreover, his preparations still seemed insufficient. The next time he acted, he would ensure he set up a trap Xiang Shaoyun wouldn't be able to escape.
With Huo Xudong fleeing, Xiang Shaoyun called back Money. As Money hadn't gone far, it did not take him long to return with the ladies. When Money placed them on the ground, Xiang Shaoyun found that all three had fainted within the ice block they had encased themselves in. As for whether they were still alive, he would only know after removing the ice.
"Money, keep watch. I'll help them," said Xiang Shaoyun.
"Yes, boss," Money answered and soared into the sky to keep watch of their surroundings.
Xiang Shaoyun first observed the ice block encasing them. From the ice, he could sense an extreme chillness. Of course, it was still not as powerful as the crystal of extreme cold.
"I can't break the ice directly, and I can't melt it with flame, or I will harm them. I need to slowly thaw the ice by using the profundity of ice and water," Xiang Shaoyun muttered to himself.
He then made use of the profundity of ice and water, which he had grasped and newly comprehended while he was trapped underwater. Water and cold would result in frost, while ice and heat would result in water.
Placing both his hands on the ice, he shut his eyes and immersed his senses in the power of ice. He willed for the ice to warm, to melt the ice into water. Using his comprehension of the profundity of ice and water, it did not take him long before the ice block started melting slowly.
Their bodies were soon freed of the ice block, and Xiang Shaoyun's palms were now resting on something tender instead of the ice block. It gave him an odd sensation, causing him to open his eyes. Welcoming him was a pair of eyes that were staring straight into his eyes.
"Han Chenfei, you're awake?" Xiang Shaoyun asked with concern.
"Um. Y-you...let go!" Han Chenfei suddenly shouted weakly.
It was then that Xiang Shaoyun noticed that his palms were actually resting on her chest.
"S-sorry," he said awkwardly as he quickly withdrew his hands.
That tender and supple sensation felt rather good! he mused. It was unknown whether Han Chenfei had been greatly weakened or if she was merely feeling bashful, but she shut her e
yes once again and swayed to the side.
Xiang Shaoyun quickly held on to her. "Han Chenfei, hang on!"
He then fed her some emperor-grade healing liquid. Yet by doing so, their bodies were touching again, but in his rush to help, he couldn't be bothered about it. With the nourishment of the emperor liquid, Han Chenfei recovered slightly. She took the chance to start meditating and recuperating.
Xiang Shaoyun then fed the Han Clan sisters some emperor liquid as well. His current priority was to help them recover. Looking at the sisters, he sighed inwardly, Did I owe them a debt in my past life or something?
In truth, he only viewed the sisters as friends and nothing more, but he had also been the one to save them countless times. He did not even wish for any repayment. He only wished they would stay safe from then on so all his previous efforts of saving them wouldn't go to waste.
Done with all that, he waited by the side and stood guard for them as they healed. He took the chance to absorb more frost and water energies, trying his best to fill up his water star.
Back then, Huo Xudong's cultivation level had been higher than his. Xiang Shaoyun felt like he had improved considerably the past two years, but upon seeing Huo Xudong again, he found that the gap between their cultivation levels had instead widened, making the disadvantage of cultivating nine powers increasingly clear. A person cultivating one power could fully make use of that single power and advance rapidly.
"I need to comprehend the profundity of all nine powers as soon as possible," Xiang Shaoyun decided.
He had already gotten a clear taste of how much his strength would increase by comprehending the profundities. His water star was filling with frost and water energies. Before long, the water star would reach a level comparable to the dark star, reaching the limit of his current cultivation level.
Three days passed in a flash. Han Chenfei finally woke up. Her beautiful face was pale, making anyone looking at her feel a sense of sympathy.