"Save… save me!" Li Jiao couldn't break free from Zhu Lie's grip, feeling as though his neck was about to be crushed. The cold killing intent in Zhu Lie's eyes terrified him to his core, and he could only twist his head toward Yang Kai for help.
Since they had come together, Yang Kai surely carried some weight with the other man.
But Yang Kai just shrugged. "Sorry, Brother Li, but I'm afraid I can't help with this one."
Li Jiao's throat produced only hoarse, gurgling sounds — he could no longer form words. The crowd of Li Dragon Palace Elders were burning with anxiety, watching their Palace Master suffer such humiliation, unsure whether to intervene or hold back, trapped in an utterly awkward position.
"Oh, I forgot to mention — this dragon is Zhu Qing's younger brother, also from Dragon Island. You remember Zhu Qing, don't you? The she-dragon who went to that place. In a way, Brother Li, you bear a great deal of responsibility for that." Yang Kai sighed leisurely. "Zhu Qing went to that place and hasn't returned to this day — seems she ran into some danger. Then her younger brother came out from Dragon Island, wanting to rescue his sister. Tsk tsk, sibling devotion — truly moving. But he found out that it all started with you, so his impression of you isn't exactly favorable..."
Li Jiao's eyes had rolled so far back that only the whites were visible.
"Ah, that's right." Yang Kai continued pouring oil on the fire. "This gentleman seems to have a strong distaste for impure bloodlines — he kills one when he sees one, and two when he sees a pair. I did mention your situation to him before, Brother Li, but I'm not sure he took it in. In any case, this is a matter between Dragon Island and your Li Dragon Palace — an outsider like me really shouldn't interfere."
Only now did Li Jiao understand what Yang Kai had meant by "danger."
This was indeed a grave crisis. No matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't figure out why dragons — creatures ordinary people could hardly ever glimpse — kept appearing before him one after another, and all of them connected to this Master of Lingxiao Palace.
He was now more convinced than ever that Dragon Island's shadow loomed behind Lingxiao Palace. Under these circumstances, even if this dragon truly killed him, he would have nowhere to seek justice, let alone expect his subordinates to avenge him.
He tried to speak but couldn't produce a single word. Left with no alternative, he raised one hand and held up three fingers, shaking them frantically.
"Brother Li, what does that mean? I can't read a hand gesture," Yang Kai said with a look of complete bewilderment.
Li Jiao kept shaking his hand.
Yang Kai paid no attention.
Three fingers became two, and finally one.
Only then did Yang Kai speak. "I think I'm starting to understand. Since Brother Li is so sincere, I suppose there's room for negotiation." He turned to Zhu Lie. "Let him go first. If you actually kill him, don't expect to find your sister."
Zhu Lie snorted coldly and flung Li Jiao aside like a ragdoll.
With a thunderous crash, Li Jiao slammed into the ground nearby, rolling several times before he managed to steady himself. He scrambled to his feet, coughing violently.
Once he had finally recovered, he didn't even have the courage to glance at Zhu Lie. His gaze darted about, filled with extreme terror. Had this been any other third-level Emperor Realm cultivator, he would never have crumbled so pathetically. But facing a pure-blooded Dragon Clan member, he simply could not muster any thoughts of resistance or resentment from the depths of his bones — only a pervasive sense of inferiority, as though he deserved every bit of this mistreatment.
"Brother Li, time is of the essence. We need to set off now," Yang Kai said, looking at Li Jiao.
Li Jiao nodded weakly.
Yang Kai smiled. "Don't look so aggrieved — it's not like I'm actually after your life. I just need you to show us the way. Besides, it's not as though you've walked away empty-handed. This Palace Master is happy to extend your repayment deadline by a whole year."
Li Jiao's mouth twitched endlessly, his regret turning his insides to ash. Had he known Yang Kai was bringing a dragon along, he would have agreed to whatever was asked of him — no bargaining, no nothing. And now look where things stood: the original three-year deadline had been slashed to one year, and he had practically asked for it himself.
Li Jiao turned around and addressed the gathered Emperor Realm cultivators. "I trust you will look after the Palace in my absence. I'll return before long."
The Elders nodded repeatedly, gazing at Li Jiao with undisguised sympathy. They understood his situation — they knew he wasn't a coward by nature. But when faced with his natural nemesis, there was simply nothing he could do.
Not daring to linger any longer, Li Jiao urged Yang Kai to set off immediately.
The Flowing Cloud Shuttle was produced, and the three boarded it, transforming into a streak of light that shot toward the north.
Among the Star Boundary's four great domains, each one harbored its own perilous regions and forbidden zones.
The Southern Domain had the Southern Swamp, the Eastern Domain had the Wilderness, the Western Domain had the Western Desert, and the Northern Domain had the Frozen Earth — these were merely the most infamous among countless other dangerous places, large and small.
But if one spoke of sheer lethality and mortality rates, the Northern Domain's Frozen Earth, if it ranked second, then no other place could claim first.
The Frozen Earth was universally recognized across the entire Star Boundary as the most dangerous place of all — a forbidden zone of life that even Great Emperors dared not venture deep into. Other places, like the Southern Swamp or the Wilderness, still harbored many pockets of life hidden within; dangerous as they were, they also concealed ample opportunity. The Frozen Earth, however, held nothing but death and cold — nothing else.
No one knew what lay within the Frozen Earth, because everyone who entered never returned.
Li Jiao's narrow escape from the Frozen Earth had been due in part to good luck and in part to the fact that he had never ventured too deep. The area he had visited was merely on the Frozen Earth's outskirts.
That had been several hundred years ago, in the year Li Jiao had just advanced to the third level of the Emperor Realm. Flush with excitement and burning with ambition, he had felt the world was vast and every corner of it open to him.
On a whim, he had ventured into the Frozen Earth.