The vast ice cave was bone-chillingly cold. Over a dozen women huddled in the corner, their expressions fearful.
A person with an unclear appearance walked over and casually grabbed a woman, intending to drag her outside.
“No! Please, no! Help! Miss Sang, help!” That woman shouted and struggled as she was dragged, her skirt catching on an ice block. With a ripping sound, it tore open, and blood from the wound quickly spread across the icy surface.
“Who are you people?!” Sang Yun, already weak, was in a daze from the cold, but upon hearing the cry for help, she struggled to open her eyes.
The person laughed strangely. “Sang Yun… don’t be impatient, it will be your turn soon.”
“You dare cause trouble in Leyuan City. The Canghai Tower won’t let you get away with this.” Sang Yun tried to stand up by holding onto a rock, but she couldn’t muster the strength. A girl next to her saw this and helped her up.
Sang Yun nodded in thanks and slowly walked in front of that person. “Whatever you’re planning to do, let me take her place.”
The terrified girl with tears streaming down her face froze, and even the man was stunned for a moment. Then he laughed loudly. “You want to take her place? Haha, do you even know what I’m going to do, yet you want to take her place? Sang Yun, aren’t you being too much of a good person?!”
Sang Yun shook her head, seemingly unwilling to say more to him. “Just tell me if it’s possible or not.”
“Fine!” The man sneered, throwing the girl he was holding to the ground. He grabbed Sang Yun’s arm and dragged her out. Sang Yun stumbled along behind him.
The woman who fell to the ground scrambled back to the crowd, sobbing as she covered the wound on her leg.
“Miss Sang!” The girl who had helped Sang Yun earlier called out, but someone beside her covered her mouth.
“Yinan, don’t shout! What if he comes back?”
Yinan turned her head to see it was Gu Qiu, whom Sang Yun had just replaced. She pushed away the other’s hand and frowned, “Miss Sang saved you!”
Gu Qiu’s face was still tear-stained as she stammered, “Of course I’m grateful to Miss Sang… but I want to live even more! It wasn’t you who was dragged out just now…”
Someone nearby whispered, “Stop talking, all of you! Be careful not to attract that person back!”
Yinan turned away, no longer looking at her, worriedly gazing in the direction Sang Yun had left.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of silver bells rang out. The girls huddled in the corner knew that more people were being brought in. Sure enough, after a flash of light, three more women appeared before them.
They would surely cry and panic, thought Gu Qiu, who had just escaped danger and had no desire to deal with it. She deliberately hid further back. However, the cave remained surprisingly quiet. She couldn’t help but look up, her expression changing.
The three women were all tall and slender. The woman in white was stunningly beautiful but had a cold demeanor, like an untouchable snow lotus on a mountain. The woman in black had sharp eyes and an imposing aura that made her seem dangerous. The woman crouching in front of her—
Gu Qiu met her almond-shaped eyes and retreated a step in fright. “What are you doing?”
Pei Heguang handed her a handkerchief with a bright smile. “I saw you were injured. Here.”
Gu Qiu hesitated for a moment before taking the handkerchief. “Th-thank you.”
“Have you seen a girl named Sang Yun?” Pei Heguang asked, looking at the group of women.
Gu Qiu clutched the handkerchief without speaking, but Yinan quickly said, “About a quarter of an hour ago, someone took Miss Sang away! Through that cave entrance!”
Ning Buwei turned to pursue immediately but bumped into a man with an unclear face. The man grabbed his collar, laughing, “Today, everyone seems to be rushing to their deaths!”
After saying this, he tried to drag him into the cave entrance. Ning Buwei cooperated fully, taking large steps to follow.
The man turned his head to look at him suspiciously, “Aren’t you afraid?”
Ning Buwei paused, feeling he should act the part fully. He suddenly turned his head towards Chu Jun and shouted loudly, “Madam, save me!”
Chu Jun: “……”
Pei Heguang covered her face, unable to bear watching.
Ning Buwei symbolically struggled a few times before being dragged into the cave. Inside, dim stone lanterns were placed in the four corners, seemingly trapping countless souls within. Soul-calming stones were placed in the four corners for pacification. On a raised stone platform in the cave lay an ice coffin, inside which was a woman with tightly closed eyes – it was Wang Yirong, whom he had killed earlier in the Yumian Mountain secret realm!
Beside the ice coffin, Sang Yun lay lifeless on the ground, a large gash cut in her abdomen. Someone was attempting to extract her core. Seeing this, Ning Buwei suddenly struck with his Suzaku knife, directly threatening the person.
The person who had pushed him in clearly hadn’t expected his sudden attack and retreated a large step.
The person Ning Buwei attacked angrily said, “How does this woman have cultivation!”
Ning Buwei sneered, breaking their illusion with one strike. These two people were wearing light blue clothes – they were from the Wang family.
“Who dares to act wildly here?” A bell-like voice rang out, and a large mass of mist rushed towards Ning Buwei, pressing down on him.
Ning Buwei turned to fight, when suddenly the Purple Flame Knife he had placed in his storage ring appeared, rushing directly towards the mist. The sound of blades clashing came from within the mist.
“Come back!” Ning Buwei commanded coldly, and the Purple Flame Knife instantly flew back to his hand.
However, the deceptive mist was also dispersed by the true Purple Flame, revealing the true face of the newcomer.
“Wang Zizhuo?” Ning Buwei put away the Purple Flame Knife.
“Who are you? Why is the Purple Flame Knife in your hands?” Wang Zizhuo shouted angrily, striking a palm towards him, “Hand over the Purple Flame Knife!”
Ning Buwei hurriedly retreated, his Soul-Locking Whip lashing out, grabbing the cultivator still trying to extract Sang Yun’s core and smashing him violently against the ice coffin. The ice coffin immediately shattered into pieces.
A white figure suddenly appeared, reaching out to block Wang Zizhuo’s palm strike. The stone lanterns in the four corners of the cave suddenly burst, and the soul-calming stones also showed signs of cracking.
Wang Zizhuo’s face showed great alarm. He didn’t dare to act rashly again and looked at the woman in white before him, “Who are you!?”
Chu Jun tucked his sleeves behind his back and scanned the area before looking at Ning Buwei, “Do you want to keep this person alive?”
“Keep him alive. I have questions for him.” Ning Buwei went over to help heal Sang Yun.
Wang Zizhuo sensed Chu Jun’s powerful cultivation. Seeing the situation was unfavorable, he tried to escape, but was firmly trapped by a Taiji Seal that suddenly appeared above his head. Not even a trace of his divine consciousness could escape. He belatedly realized he had fallen into a trap – these three women had deliberately allowed themselves to be captured!
Sang Yun lay on the ground, slowly regaining consciousness. She looked at the somewhat familiar woman in front of her, but couldn’t remember where she had seen her before. “You are…”
“Zhenlong Chess.” Ning Buwei coughed lightly.
Sang Yun was a bit surprised, “How did you end up looking like this?”
“It’s a long story.” Ning Buwei helped her up and asked, “Who invited you to Tingsong Garden?”
“Wang Zizhuo…” Sang Yun smiled bitterly, “After all, Wang Bin saved my father. Even if I didn’t want to see him, I should have given him face.”
“Yet he wanted your life.” Ning Buwei gestured for her to look behind.
Sang Yun glanced at Wang Zizhuo trapped in the Taiji Seal and shook her head, “His brow is dark. His life won’t last long.”
Wang Zizhuo, trapped in the Taiji Seal, couldn’t hear clearly what she was saying, but his expression was very gloomy.
“Why didn’t you divine for yourself whether you should go out?” Ning Buwei helped her up.
“My fate is not yet exhausted. I will naturally turn danger into safety.” Sang Yun smiled faintly. “It’s just enduring some hardship. Some tribulations cannot be avoided. If one forcibly tries to change them, it will only lead to backlash.”
As she said this, she self-mockingly added. “I know you don’t agree. Perhaps this is why I cannot advance in other magical arts.”
Ning Buwei remained noncommittal.
After standing up, Sang Yun bowed to him and Chu Jun, “Thank you both for saving my life. Sang Yun can make the decision to lend the Soul-Calming Flowing Clouds of Canghai Tower to you two, until you completely find a method to calm Ning Xiu’s soul.”
Chu Jun nodded, “Thank you, Miss Sang.”
Sang Yun shook her head, “There’s also the remaining half of the divination: ‘Tracing to the source’ I’ll tell you both.”
Ning Buwei took out the Zhenlong Chess from his storage ring and gave it to her. Sang Yun looked at the miniaturized chessboard in her palm, sighing slightly, then handed a jade tablet engraved with her name to Ning Buwei, “You can use this token to retrieve the Soul-Calming Flowing Clouds from Canghai Tower. I have other matters to attend to, so I’m afraid I can’t accompany you.”
Ning Buwei took the token, “Are you not going to handle the affairs of Canghai Tower anymore?”
He had heard from Pei Heguang earlier that Sang Yun’s brothers and sisters were fighting fiercely, and this Discussion Conference would likely not be without incidents.
“All things have their limits. I’ve already sought a glimmer of hope for them. Whether they can grasp it depends entirely on themselves.” Sang Yun laughed lightly. “My fate with the Sang family has come to an end. After this matter is settled, I have more important things to do.”
Ning Buwei weighed the token in his hand, “Alright.”
Sang Yun walked a few steps forward, holding her abdomen. As she passed by Chu Jun, she suddenly spoke, “Venerable, some tribulations cannot be avoided. Each person has their own fate.”
Chu Jun’s expression remained calm as he glanced at her, “Thank you.”
Sang Yun knew he hadn’t taken it to heart, but didn’t try to persuade him further. Saying this much was already out of gratitude for saving her life. She walked out with a pale face.
Pei Heguang was stuck, unable to move due to the crying women clinging to him. Seeing Sang Yun come out, he felt as if he had been pardoned, “Miss Sang! I was sent by Miss Zhong’er to save you!”
Sang Yun nodded and looked towards Yinan in the crowd, asking, “Would you be willing to cultivate with me?”
Yinan was shocked, “But, but my spiritual roots are too mixed, my aptitude doesn’t even rank as low as C…”
“The path I cultivate only looks at one’s nature.” Sang Yun’s gaze swept over Gu Qiu, whose face held expectation, and she said to Pei Heguang, “I trouble you, Fellow Cultivator Pei, to send these young ladies home.”
Yinan stood up, excitedly saying, “I’m willing to cultivate with you!”
Inside the cave.
Ning Buwei looked at the exploded stone lanterns, picking up those “souls” that gathered but didn’t disperse, and asked puzzledly. “The more I look at these, the less they seem like souls?”
Chu Jun walked to his side and looked carefully, “These are people’s spiritual roots.”
Ning Buwei frowned, “So mixed?”
Chu Jun looked at Wang Yirong’s corpse on the stone platform, “Wang Zizhuo probably wanted to revive her. This woman’s spiritual roots are completely destroyed. He likely intended to use these spiritual roots to purify and reconstruct her spiritual roots.”
Ning Buwei put down those turbid spiritual roots, “Spiritual roots can be reconstructed?”
In the seventeen states, many ordinary people without spiritual roots couldn’t cultivate or enter the Dao, and had short lifespans. This was because spiritual roots couldn’t be created out of thin air. Otherwise, there would be far more cultivators in the seventeen states now, and the mortal realm would likely go crazy for it.
“It shouldn’t be possible under normal circumstances,” Chu Jun looked at the array patterns on the ground, “but this array is bizarre—”
He suddenly stopped speaking and communicated with Ning Buwei through divine consciousness. “Someone is sending a message to Wang Zizhuo.”
However, it was blocked by his Taiji Seal.
Ning Buwei swiftly added a formation to the Taiji Seal, and immediately a voice sounded in their ears.
“I’ve arrived in Leyuan City. Come meet me quickly. Also…the Respected Lord didn’t give you the Rejuvenation Array for you to entertain these crooked thoughts.”
