The change happened in the blink of an eye, leaving everyone's eyes dazzled. The woman in red and her companions hadn't even figured out what had happened before Jiang Zhouzi was already gravely wounded.
Every person from Taiqing Island was struck with bewildered terror, their faces pale with panic.
"Senior?" The woman in red muttered in disbelief. She had just heard Jiang Zhouzi address that young girl as senior! Lord Jiang Zhouzi was a first-level Emperor Realm powerhouse. Someone he would call senior... could she be a peak Emperor Realm expert? Realizing this, the woman in red's slender body trembled, all her previous arrogance and disdain completely gone.
"That was rather decisive!" Ice Cloud gazed indifferently at Jiang Zhouzi, who had severed his own arm. She showed no intention of pushing for a killing blow—whether it was her kind nature or the fact that she was injured and it wasn't convenient to continue fighting, no one could tell.
However, Jiang Zhouzi was indeed a decisive man. Had he not severed his own arm at that critical moment, he would certainly have died right here. Though he now looked wretched, at least he had saved his life.
"Senior... I, Jiang, was blind and offended you before. Please, Senior, show your magnanimity and spare our lives!" Jiang Zhouzi spoke through the heart-rending pain, begging for mercy.
Now the lives of everyone from Taiqing Island were entirely in this young girl's hands. If she didn't feel like letting them go, the entire group would certainly die. What was a bit of pride compared to one's life? Begging for mercy from a third-level Emperor Realm powerhouse was nothing to be ashamed of.
Ice Cloud gazed at Jiang Zhouzi with an emotionless expression, devoid of joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. This made Jiang Zhouzi feel as though he were suffocating, not knowing what fate awaited them.
After a long moment, Ice Cloud finally parted her red lips and waved her hand. "Scram!"
Jiang Zhouzi was overjoyed and quickly said, "Thank you, Senior, for the mercy of not killing us!" After that, he turned to the Taiqing Island group and hissed, "Go!"
None of the Taiqing Island people dared hesitate. They all followed him, fleeing rapidly from this stretch of sea, straining with all their might for fear that Ice Cloud would change her mind.
Yang Kai had no intention of stopping them either. He could see that Ice Cloud really wasn't suited for further combat right now. After all, the other side still had an Emperor Realm expert, and pushing them into a corner where they'd fight to the death might not end well. In any case, they hadn't suffered any real losses this time, and less trouble was better than more.
After the Taiqing Island people had departed, Ice Cloud looked around and sighed softly. "I didn't expect that we'd have returned directly to the Northern Domain!"
"Senior, is this really the Northern Domain?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow.
Ice Cloud nodded. "Yes. This is the Ice Sea of the Northern Domain. That Taiqing Island is a force on the Ice Sea—fairly notable. And the Wenqing Sect is also from the Northern Domain; it's one of the most prominent sects in the region."
Ice Cloud was, after all, the founding ancestor of Ice Heart Valley in the Northern Domain. She had lived in this region for an unimaginable number of years, so she knew its powers and terrain like the back of her hand.
As she spoke, she turned to glance at Fan Xin and the others. "Would you like to visit our sect?"
At these words, Fan Xin and the others nodded so enthusiastically their heads bobbed like chicks pecking at rice. Though they had already been taken in as Ice Cloud's disciples, they had never visited Ice Heart Valley. They had long yearned to see the sect their master had founded, and now that they had suddenly arrived in the Northern Domain, they naturally wanted to take a look.
"Then let's go. It's been a long time since I went back myself." Ice Cloud smiled faintly, then added, "I wonder how those little girls are doing these days."
The "little girls" she referred to were probably the first batch of disciples she had taken in after founding Ice Heart Valley. Yang Kai estimated they must all be Emperor Realm powerhouses by now—though only Ice Cloud could get away with calling them little girls.
"Senior, your injuries..." Yang Kai looked at her with some concern.
"I still need to recuperate. As long as I don't fight anyone, I'll be fine," Ice Cloud replied. Though she had gravely wounded Jiang Zhouzi with a single move just now, she hadn't actually used much of her power. Achieving that with just a light finger tap was partly because Jiang Zhouzi had been careless, and partly because of the overwhelming gap in their realms. For a third-level Emperor Realm expert like Ice Cloud to deal with a first-level like Jiang Zhouzi truly required very little effort—even while injured, it was just a casual strike.
Since Fan Xin and the others wanted to visit Ice Heart Valley, Yang Kai naturally had to go along. There was no particular reason except that he was thinking that if Su Yan ever came to the Star Realm in the future, she might be able to rejoin Ice Heart Valley. After all, the cultivation technique and physique she possessed were directly in line with Ice Heart Valley's heritage.
Moreover, Yang Kai wanted to arrange for Liu Xianyun to be taken in by Ice Heart Valley.
Liu Xianyun shared at least some bond of senior and junior fellow disciples with him, and during this time they had faced hardships together, supporting each other. But he had his own matters to attend to and couldn't keep dragging Liu Xianyun along with him.
Ice Heart Valley was absolutely the best place for Liu Xianyun. The valley only accepted female disciples, and Liu Xianyun had a first-level Dao Source Realm cultivation. She had also made her way here from a lower star domain—her talent and resilience were both first-rate. Though her current cultivation wasn't high, that was because she had never had access to good cultivation resources. With a sect to nurture her, Liu Xianyun's future achievements would undoubtedly be impressive.
Any martial artist who had journeyed from a lower star domain was capable of remarkable accomplishments, and Yang Kai believed Ice Cloud wouldn't refuse her.
But he hadn't found the right opportunity yet, so Yang Kai couldn't very well bring it up with Ice Cloud.
As for Ling Yinqin and her group, Yang Kai wasn't sure what they intended to do.
Thinking of this, Yang Kai turned to look at Ling Yinqin and asked, "Sister Ling, where are you planning to go?"
Ling Yinqin pondered for a moment and said, "I want to go to the Eastern Domain!"
"The Eastern Domain?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow, unsure what she wanted to go there for.
Ice Cloud spoke up from the side. "Since you are Yang Kai's friend and your cultivation is rather impressive, if you wish to join Ice Heart Valley, I can take you in."