Yang Kai hadn't had much contact with Bian Yuqing. Apart from this meeting, they had only crossed paths once before.
The first time he'd met Bian Yuqing, Yang Kai had simply sensed that the woman was powerful — after all, she possessed the cultivation of the third level of the Dao Origin Realm — but as for her temperament, he had no way of gauging it.
This second meeting, however, made Yang Kai realize that she was a woman of unpredictable moods!
Extremely difficult to deal with!
Her casual strike hadn't used much strength, but it wasn't something Yang Kai in his current state could withstand. After slamming into the wall, he felt his chest roiling with blood and qi, and his ribs ached dully.
By the time he managed to stand up, he happened to hear Bian Yuqing's lilting laughter.
Yang Kai pressed a hand to his chest and focused his gaze on Bian Yuqing.
The latter's beautiful eyes were fixed on him, a trace of approval shimmering within them. She inclined her delicate chin slightly. "This Palace Master likes men with backbone. You performed adequately — at the very least, you didn't tarnish this Palace Master's reputation!"
Yang Kai frowned but said nothing.
"However…" Bian Yuqing's tone shifted abruptly. "What happened today could be considered either a minor or a major matter. This Palace Master doesn't want to give Zhu Junshan an excuse to cause trouble for me. After all, you've only been in the Sect for just over a month, and you already dared to act against a superior. In a way, it reflects poorly on this Palace Master's failure in supervision. How about this — you'll go to the Ice Cliff for three months. Consider today's matter settled."
She spoke with casual indifference, but a sense of unease washed over Yang Kai. He asked in a low voice, "May I ask, Protector — what exactly is the Ice Cliff?"
He had been at the Azure Feather Sect for over a month, but he had never heard of any place called the Ice Cliff.
"The Ice Cliff…" Bian Yuqing's lips curved into a sweet smile. "Hmm, it's where disciples who have committed infractions are sent for confinement. The conditions there… heh, you'll see for yourself when you arrive."
Yang Kai's expression darkened involuntarily.
Kou Wu turned his head to glance at him, his eyes full of sympathy, as though the Ice Cliff were some truly dreadful place.
"Take him away!" Bian Yuqing waved her hand with an air of disinterest, then closed her beautiful eyes once more.
"Disciple takes his leave!" Kou Wu retreated respectfully, and as he did, he tugged Yang Kai along with him.
Yang Kai was brimming with questions, but seeing Bian Yuqing's demeanor, he knew there was no hope of extracting any answers. He had no choice but to follow Kou Wu out.
Once they were outside the palace, Kou Wu let out a quiet breath. Every time he was summoned before Bian Yuqing, the pressure was immense.
"Senior Brother Kou…" Yang Kai turned to look at him.
"Ai, Junior Brother Yang!" Kou Wu sighed and patted Yang Kai on the shoulder, speaking with heartfelt gravity. "Don't bother asking. You'll understand once you get there. All Senior Brother can say is… the Protector has been exceptionally lenient this time. After all, the duration isn't long — three months. You can just spend it in seclusion, and it'll pass in no time. I'll personally come to pick you up when it's over."
Hearing this, Yang Kai felt even worse, becoming increasingly certain that the Ice Cliff was no pleasant place.
But unless he could carve a bloody path out of the Azure Feather Sect right now, his only option was to obediently follow Kou Wu to the Ice Cliff.
Silently calculating his own strength in his mind, Yang Kai had no choice but to swallow his frustration deep inside.
Kou Wu once again summoned his tower-ship flying Artifact. After the two of them boarded, the vessel shot forward at tremendous speed toward a distant destination.
From the vantage point above, the buildings of the Azure Feather Sect blurred past at an astonishing rate.
And the further they traveled, the more acutely Yang Kai could sense the biting cold seeping through the air.
At one point, Kou Wu suddenly pointed ahead. "Junior Brother Yang, that's the Ice Cliff. Whenever any disciple in the Sect commits a fault and is sentenced to confinement, they're thrown in there. Hmm, and don't even think about escaping. Although it's quite far from the main headquarters — in fact, there isn't a living soul within ten thousand li in any direction — if you were to leave the Ice Cliff without permission, the Protector would know immediately. And when that happens…"
Kou Wu left the sentence unfinished. As if Yang Kai wouldn't understand his meaning? He simply nodded slightly and raised his gaze to look ahead.
In the distance ahead, white clouds swirled and eddied, obscuring the true landscape. All he could make out was the vague silhouette of a towering mountain, but the mountain appeared to have been cleaved clean in two from the top. The cut was perfectly straight, and the chasm between the two halves was like a rift in the heavens — a sight that inspired dread.
As they drew closer, the frigid cold in the air grew even more pronounced. Even with the tower ship's protective barrier shielding them, Yang Kai could feel the bone-piercing chill.
And mixed within that cold was another presence — something that felt both familiar and foreign to him.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, pondering for a long while, before suddenly letting out a low exclamation. "Emperor Might?"
Kou Wu turned to Yang Kai with a look of astonishment. "Junior Brother Yang, you can sense the Emperor Might here? Have you encountered an Emperor-level powerhouse before?"
Without having encountered an Emperor-level powerhouse before, it would be impossible to know what Emperor Might looked like. When Kou Wu had first come here years ago, he had only noticed that the cold was unbearably uncomfortable, as though it carried an innate suppression against martial artists, but he hadn't understood why. It wasn't until Bian Yuqing had explained it to him that he finally grasped the reason.