"Since the Wenqing Sect won't give up easily, doesn't that mean Ice Heart Valley is the one going back on their word?"
"I heard the Vice Sect Master and Young Sect Master of the Wenqing Sect are both inside Ice Heart Valley, so why can't anyone see them?"
"The storm is gathering — the Northern Region is probably about to undergo a major upheaval."
"Brother Zhou, you're joking, right? Ice Heart Valley may have some strength, but how could they possibly stand against the Wenqing Sect? Everyone in the Northern Region knows that Ice Heart Valley's reputation as a top sect is already hollow. If the Wenqing Sect truly comes to hold them accountable, Ice Heart Valley won't stand a chance!"
"I heard that on the day of the grand ceremony, Sect Master Feng Xuan of the Wenqing Sect will personally come to Ice Heart Valley. By my calculations, that would be tomorrow! If he learns that Ice Heart Valley has rejected the marriage proposal…"
Several Emperor Sovereigns chattered amongst themselves, none of them able to make sense of the situation. The only thing they knew for certain was that Ice Heart Valley was in serious trouble this time. They had no idea where these women had found the gall to break off an engagement at a critical juncture like this — wasn't it essentially slapping the Wenqing Sect across the face in front of the entire Northern Region? How could Feng Xuan possibly let that slide?
"Brother Hu Yuan, shouldn't we go and try to persuade Valley Master An and the others? I recall your wife hails from Ice Heart Valley. If something truly happens to Ice Heart Valley, your Huayi Sect won't be able to stay out of it either."
At these words, Hu Yuan's expression shifted slightly. He hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly shot off in the direction An Ruoyun and her group had departed, apparently intending to try to talk some sense into them.
The other Emperor Sovereigns exchanged glances and quickly followed after him.
They had originally come only to offer congratulations, but with things having developed to this point, they were also burning with curiosity about what had happened inside Ice Heart Valley to give them the nerve to break off an engagement with the Wenqing Sect.
Before long, the group arrived in front of an inn somewhere in Ice Wheel City. There, they found An Ruoyun and her companions standing in silence. More than a dozen Emperor Sovereigns wore solemn expressions, not a single word spoken, all gazing intently in one direction with looks of reverence and excitement on their faces.
Within a hundred-zhang radius, there was not a soul in sight. All uninvolved parties had retreated far away, watching from a distance.
Hu Yuan flew over and hurried forward, about to speak — only to see An Ruoyun lower her body and suddenly drop to her knees.
Following her lead, all the Ice Heart Valley Emperor Sovereigns knelt down in unison.
Hu Yuan's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He froze on the spot, staring blankly, unable to fathom what An Ruoyun and the others were doing.
The other powerhouses who arrived one after another were similarly dumbstruck, their hearts shaken to the core.
"Brother… Brother Hu, what in the world is going on?" someone sidled up to Hu Yuan and whispered.
Hu Yuan's mind was reeling. He shook his head repeatedly. "I don't know. When I got here, they were already like this."
"Who on earth could be staying in that inn to merit such a grand gesture of respect from Valley Master An and Elder Sun?"
Among this group from Ice Heart Valley, An Ruoyun and Sun Yunxiu were both at the second level of the Emperor Sovereign Realm. Apart from one disciple at the third level of the Dao Source Realm, the rest were all at the first level of the Emperor Sovereign Realm — a truly terrifying concentration of power.
Yet here they were, kneeling right in the middle of the street, before the entrance to this inn, in broad daylight and under the watchful eyes of the crowd, without the slightest hint of reluctance. In fact, they looked as though this was only natural.
An Ruoyun was the acting Valley Master of Ice Heart Valley, and Sun Yunxiu was the Grand Elder. Every word and action of the two represented the dignity of Ice Heart Valley, yet here they were, kneeling without a care. Their silence spoke volumes — whoever was inside that inn must be someone before whom even they would willingly submit.
Hu Yuan's expression changed, as if something had just clicked. He murmured, "Could it be…?"
He didn't finish the sentence, but his face was alight with barely contained excitement.
"Brother Hu, what do you mean?" someone asked urgently, not understanding.
One of them spoke up thoughtfully. "In this world, not even the Ten Great Emperor Sovereigns would be enough to make Valley Master An and the others perform such a grand gesture. There is only one person who could make them willingly do this!"
"The founding ancestor of Ice Heart Valley. Senior Bingyun?" someone exclaimed.
"Could it be that Senior Bingyun is staying in that inn?"
"But wasn't it said that Senior Bingyun has long since perished? There hasn't been any news of her in three thousand years."
"No news doesn't mean she's dead. Perhaps Senior Bingyun has been living in seclusion somewhere all along, or perhaps she's been trapped in some place. She was already at the third level of the Emperor Sovereign Realm when she disappeared — someone with that level of cultivation, how could she possibly perish so easily?"
As the founding ancestor of Ice Heart Valley, Bingyun had been missing for three thousand years, yet her illustrious name still thundered like a storm. Once the others guessed that she might be residing in that inn, their expressions became all sorts of different. Among this crowd, some were close to Ice Heart Valley, others close to the Wenqing Sect — and naturally, their feelings about the situation diverged accordingly.
"At a critical juncture like this, Senior Bingyun suddenly appears, and Sect Master Feng Xuan arrives tomorrow as well. If these two powerhouses were to meet…" The speaker shuddered involuntarily and trailed off, not daring to continue.
Under normal circumstances, a meeting between Bingyun and Feng Xuan wouldn't necessarily be a problem. Both were the helm-holders of top sects in the Northern Region and had crossed paths countless times over the years. But the trouble was that An Ruoyun had just declared that the marriage arranged between the two sects was off. Once Feng Xuan arrived, he would undoubtedly demand justice for his son.
No wonder An Ruoyun and the others had dared to break off the engagement at a time like this — it was because Bingyun had already returned.
But for some reason, even though An Ruoyun and the rest were kneeling before the inn, there was still no sign of Bingyun herself. None of them dared carelessly send out their divine sense to probe the premises, so they could only stand in place, waiting with bated breath.