But upon reflection, that seemed rather unlikely. Ice Heart Valley was such a massive sect, with tens of thousands of disciples—it was inconceivable that someone could secretly keep a man here without being discovered. Moreover, Ice Heart Valley didn't prohibit marriage or romantic relationships. If a disciple fell in love with some man, she was free to wed him. She simply wouldn't be a member of Ice Heart Valley anymore after the marriage.
In matters of love and romance, Bing Yun had never laid down overly strict rules. She knew that all people were governed by the seven emotions and six desires—it was perfectly normal for disciples to encounter men they fancied while out adventuring in the world. By the standards of the cultivation world, this was an remarkably open-minded policy.
Still, encountering a man here did catch Yang Kai slightly off guard, because unless someone held an extraordinary status, it was impossible to live within Ice Heart Valley.
Curiosity piqued, he had been about to stealthily investigate what those two men were doing here, but the moment one of them inadvertently let slip a wisp of his aura, Yang Kai immediately thought better of acting rashly.
Because that man was actually a Second Level Emperor Realm powerhouse!
Yang Kai had clashed with First Level Emperor Realm cultivators before—even killed a few of them—but he had never fought a Second Level one. He had no idea just how powerful a Second Level expert truly was.
He had come here on a separate mission, and the last thing he needed was to create complications.
So after only a brief moment of deliberation, Yang Kai promptly fled into the distance.
"Who's there!" A thunderous shout erupted from within the pavilion, and in the next instant a figure shot out like a bolt.
Yang Kai was startled. He had underestimated just how sharp the Second Level Emperor Realm expert's awareness was—he had merely passed by the vicinity, yet he had been detected.
At this critical moment, he didn't dare hesitate. He immediately executed a Short Teleportation and vanished from the spot.
The next second, an imposing figure appeared exactly where he had been hiding. The man's expression was grim as he released his Divine Sense to sweep the surroundings, but he found nothing.
A young man rushed out shortly after, coming to stand beside the middle-aged man. He frowned and asked, "Martial Uncle Yao, what happened?"
The middle-aged man said, "Someone was just here!"
The young man was taken aback. "Who?"
The man shook his head. "Not sure. But whoever it was, they left very quickly. And there's… a trace of residual spatial energy fluctuation here."
"Spatial power?" The young man's face changed drastically. "You mean there's someone in Ice Heart Valley who commands spatial power?"
The middle-aged man considered for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "As far as I know, no one in Ice Heart Valley masters that peculiar force. The residual spatial fluctuations here might simply mean someone set up a teleportation array in advance."
His explanation put the young man at ease somewhat. He smiled and said, "I was wondering if Ice Heart Valley had some genius who actually cultivated spatial power. So it's just a teleportation array. What a waste of time—whoever set it up must have been awfully bored."
The middle-aged man said, "Xi'er, you should know that this marriage has many opponents within Ice Heart Valley—especially that Acting Sect Master. This incident might very well be her doing."
The young man smiled faintly. "Even if it is, so what? The auspicious day is just two days away. When the time comes, I'll bring Zi Yu back to our sect, and from that point on she'll have absolutely nothing to do with Ice Heart Valley."
The middle-aged man nodded. "That Zi Yu is the foremost of Ice Heart Valley's younger generation—her reputation echoes throughout the entire Northern Region. Her cultivation and talent are in no way inferior to yours. She's a fitting match for you indeed."
At the mention of Zi Yu's name, a tender, affectionate look surfaced on the young man's face. He said softly, "Naturally. If she weren't worthy, how could Xi'er possibly have set his sights on her?"
The middle-aged man regarded him with a frown, offering a pointed warning. "You know that our Wenqing Sect's Supreme Art of Wenqing must enter the Dao through emotion—the deeper one falls in love, the faster the cultivation progresses. But Xi'er, you also know this: if the other party doesn't develop feelings for you in return, the backlash when the technique reaches completion will be devastating. Are you certain you can win her over? Make her devoted to you and you alone? Your father nearly perished because of this very matter. At the last moment, your mother was moved by his devotion and relented. I don't want anything going wrong with you. You carry the future of our Wenqing Sect on your shoulders."
The young man replied with unwavering confidence, "Rest assured, Martial Uncle. Once Zi Yu returns to the sect with me, I will conquer her heart and body. The Way of Subjugating Women—Xi'er has inherited Father's teachings in full!"
"Confidence is a good thing. Go rest now. In two days, the auspicious day will arrive. The Sect Master himself will be coming—you need to be well rested!"
The young man looked surprised. "Father is coming personally? Isn't that giving Ice Heart Valley far too much face?"
The middle-aged man smiled. "Ice Heart Valley may have fallen somewhat from its former glory, but it was once one of the most preeminent sects in the Northern Region. During the era when Ice Heart Valley's Founding Master still lived, they stood on equal footing with our Wenqing Sect. A little courtesy costs us nothing. Besides, this is your joyous occasion—the Sect Master would never miss it."
"That's wonderful!" The young man said, delighted.
…
Yang Kai wove his way through the various restrictions and arrays of Ice Heart Valley, holding the token Bing Yun had given him. With it in hand, he had no worry about accidentally triggering anything.
He pressed deeper and deeper inward, skirting every potential danger. After roughly an hour, he suddenly arrived at a place of extreme, biting cold.
The entirety of Ice Heart Valley was already a frigid, bone-piercing environment, since the disciples who trained there practiced ice-attribute techniques and secret arts—in such a setting, their cultivation yielded twice the result with half the effort.