Yang Kai had always been curious about Zhang Ruoxi's bloodline. He possessed a piece of Spirit Void Jade that resonated exclusively with her, and during those moments of resonance, strange and beautiful visions would flicker across its surface. All this time, Yang Kai had never been able to determine what the Spirit Void Jade was truly meant for.
Moreover, back in the Four Seasons Land, Zhang Ruoxi had mentioned encountering an ancient Sacred Spirit — the Qiong Qi. Rather than harming her, that fearsome divine beast had actually gifted her a Phoenix Radiance Garment. The Phoenix Radiance Garment was an Emperor Treasure, and an exceedingly high-grade defensive Emperor Treasure at that!
This matter had stuck with Yang Kai, and he vaguely suspected it had something to do with Zhang Ruoxi's bloodline, yet he had never been able to find an answer.
Perhaps once Zhang Ruoxi grew stronger, she would be able to figure out the truth of her bloodline on her own.
Time flowed on. After sorting through the contents of two spatial rings, Yang Kai made a trip to the Small Sealed World and distributed some cultivation resources to Hua Qingsi, Liu Yan, Zhang Ruoxi, and the others before finally returning to his room in the inn.
Before he could make any further moves, a suffocating pressure suddenly descended from the sky, there and gone in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai's expression shifted as he snapped to full alertness.
That sensation had definitely been caused by a powerful figure sweeping the area with divine sense. It vanished almost immediately, but Yang Kai had still sensed the person's might. An expert at the second level of the Emperor Realm could never have produced such pressure — only someone at the third level of the Emperor Realm could!
The Sect Master of the Wenqing Sect, Feng Xuan, had arrived!
The thought flashed through Yang Kai's mind, and he rushed out of the room without delay.
Outside the inn, An Ruoyun and the others all wore grave expressions, clearly having sensed the same thing.
The Emperor Realm experts who had come to offer their congratulations wore solemn looks as well. Even though they had known since yesterday that Feng Xuan would come today — and that once he crossed paths with Bing Yun, a clash of titans was all but inevitable — when the moment actually arrived, the oppressive atmosphere was still enough to make it hard to breathe.
Boom… boom… boom…
From far off in the sky, explosions rang out in rapid succession, each one drawing closer. With every blast, a figure hurtled toward them like a specter. At first it was too distant to make out clearly, but in the span of three breaths, it suddenly materialized above Ice Wheel City, arriving directly before the inn.
In that instant, an overwhelming, sovereign-like pressure erupted outward. The entirety of Ice Wheel City hummed and trembled, space itself shuddering, as though heaven and earth were about to bow in submission.
Hu Yuan and the others looked up and hastily bowed in salute: "We greet Sect Master Feng!"
In the sky above, a man stood with an air of commanding pride. He raised a hand and said, "No need for formalities!"
Every gesture he made seemed to contain profound mysteries in harmony with the fundamental laws of heaven and earth. The power of law swirled around him, and Hu Yuan and the others felt a subtle force lifting them back to their feet. Their hearts were filled with shock, for they understood that the gap between themselves and Feng Xuan was as vast as the distance between heaven and earth.
Yang Kai looked up and saw a middle-aged man dressed in the garb of a scholar standing in the sky. The man bore a thirty-percent resemblance to Feng Xi, but carried himself with far greater distinction. Moreover, he was remarkably handsome — even more striking and noble than Feng Xi.
This was unquestionably Feng Xuan, Sect Master of the Wenqing Sect. Whether he had been born with such features or owed them to the Supreme Art of Wenqing was impossible to say. Combined with the warm smile on his face, his appearance gave anyone who looked at him the sensation of bathing in a gentle spring breeze.
Yang Kai, however, felt profoundly uneasy. The reason was simple: Feng Xi and Yao Zuo were both standing behind Feng Xuan, each glaring at Yang Kai through gritted teeth with looks that could kill.
The night before last, both of their spatial rings had been seized by Yang Kai. Outnumbered at the time, they had been forced to capitulate — and Feng Xi had lost more face than he could ever hope to recover. Now that Feng Xuan had arrived, they finally had someone to back them up, and their confidence surged. They harbored a vicious resolve to settle the score and make Yang Kai pay for crossing them.
Feng Xuan merely spared Yang Kai the faintest glance before turning his attention elsewhere. After all, a Dao Origin Realm cultivator at the third stage was nothing but an ant in his eyes. His deep gaze seemed to pierce straight through the void as he looked toward a specific spot, and he smiled faintly. "Bing Yun, three thousand years have passed since we last met. Today we finally have the chance to reunite. This seat is overjoyed!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the surroundings erupted in turmoil.
Whether it was the dozen-odd Emperor Realm experts of Ice Heart Valley or the powerful figures from various sects who had come to offer congratulations, everyone had merely guessed that Bing Yun was staying at the inn. Not one of them had dared to send out divine sense to verify it.
An Ruoyun and the others had knelt at the inn's entrance for an entire day and night without Bing Yun making an appearance. Hu Yuan and the others had even begun to wonder whether Bing Yun was still in the inn at all.
If she were, then why hadn't she shown herself? Why make her own disciples kneel here for all to see?
But Feng Xuan's words dispelled every shred of doubt.
Bing Yun was absolutely in the inn! Otherwise, Feng Xuan could never have spoken those words.
Now that Feng Xuan had personally arrived in Ice Wheel City, Bing Yun had no choice but to appear and face him. Any further refusal would be nothing short of a deliberate insult.
Yet, to everyone's surprise, after Feng Xuan called out, the inn remained utterly still. There was not the slightest movement from within — and even An Ruoyun and the others, still kneeling at the entrance, showed no reaction whatsoever.