"This... this..."
Chen Xiuying and Qiu Bai had moved far enough from the bamboo house, but they still felt the cold air attack them when the cold stream burst forth, causing goosebumps to rise on their skin and their expressions to turn to extreme shock.
Looking at the bamboo house enveloped by the huge block of ice, deep concern shone through their eyes.
Yu Shenfeng was practicing the "Heavenly Frost Profound Cold Qi" to refine the bizarre cold Qi within his body. With such a change occurring, had their master succeeded in his cultivation? Or had the "Heavenly Frost Profound Cold Qi" triggered an explosion of the cold Qi within him?
They weren't sure and didn't dare to guess wildly, only hoping it was the former, and then Yu Shenfeng would be able to completely control the cold Qi within him, returning to his former glory as the second place on the Divine Rankings.
"Dragon Master, this..."
Qiu Bai finally couldn't suppress his curiosity and anxiety, and he turned his head to look at Mu Jinyu.
Mu Jinyu was the first to notice something was amiss and called for their departure. Perhaps he knew a bit more about Yu Shenfeng's condition, right?
Mu Jinyu saw the anxiety and unrest on Qiu Bai's face and shook his head slightly, "I'm not sure either. The cold Qi in his body is, after all, different from my Life Origin Qi. No matter how I mispractice my Life Origin Qi, it wouldn't endanger my life, but that cold Qi is too terrifying. If there's a mistake, I'm afraid that..."
The last part of his sentence went unsaid, but Qiu Bai and Chen Xiuying weren't fools. They naturally understood what Mu Jinyu meant.
At these words, their hearts couldn't help but sink.
Mu Jinyu thought for a moment, then spoke again to comfort them, "Don't worry. Your master is a genius, second only to Li Zhexiong. 'Heavenly Frost Profound Cold Qi' isn't one of the Five Emperors Technique, so he shouldn't make a mistake."
"Yes."
The siblings Qiu Bai nodded slightly upon hearing this, feeling much better, but they still couldn't help showing worry as they looked at the layer of ice outside the bamboo house.
Mu Jinyu had planned to extract the hidden Jade Dragon Vein in the valley while Yu Shenfeng was cultivating, but seeing them like this, he felt it wasn't right to act first.
...
In the Land of Shu, Qing City.
A tea house.
Ye Wushuang spent several days finally locating his senior brother Li Zhexiong and invited him out for tea and to discuss swordsmanship.
Sitting alone at a tea table, Ye Wushuang looked at the empty and not-so-busy tea house hall, his brows twitching, feeling an ominous sensation lingering in his heart for the past week.
"How strange, why is it like this? Could it be that Little Mo is in trouble? It can't be. Even if anything happened to Little Mo, he still possesses the Sixth Layer of the Divine Transformation Realm. The Dragon King couldn't possibly have gained the strength to fight him in such a short time."
Ye Wushuang furrowed his brows and muttered restlessly to himself.
He couldn't figure out the reason, but decided that after discussing swordsmanship with Li Zhexiong, he would personally visit Jiangnan Province to check on the situation.
If Chen Mo really died by Mu Jinyu's hand, then this time he wouldn't overlook Mu Jinyu's carefree life for the sake of face!
After all, Chen Mo was his most important disciple, the one meant to inherit his mantle!
"Phew, I've finally made it in time..."
Just as Ye Wushuang was pondering the source of his unease, a faint sound of footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a familiar exhalation and voice.
Clutching his teacup, Ye Wushuang's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he turned to look towards the entrance, only to see a man clad in snow-white clothes, holding a wine gourd, approaching the tea house entrance.
The man was extremely handsome with a chiseled look, as if finely sculpted by a blade and axe. His long, smooth white hair reached down to his waist, indicating that he was not as young as he appeared.
It was none other than the Banished Immortal, Li Zhexiong, the number one on the Divine Rankings!
The most important thing was that Ye Wushuang realized Li Zhexiong's strength was also at the Seventh Layer of the Divine Transformation Realm, which was on par with his own!
"Senior brother, you've finally come!"
A few minutes later, Li Zhexiong set down the wine gourd, stretched out a hand to wipe the alcohol stains at the corner of his mouth, and asked Ye Wushuang.
He wasn't a fool either; although he and Ye Wushuang were fellow sect brothers, their feelings actually were quite shallow, which could be deduced from their decades of separation.
Now, after thirty-three years of not seeing each other, with Ye Wushuang suddenly seeking him out, if it was said there was nothing important, he simply didn't believe it.
Upon hearing this, Ye Wushuang's expression grew serious, then he said, "It's nothing big, it's just that your junior brother has finally stepped into the Sword Realm of 'All Things Can Be Swords,' but I feel trapped in the rut of the Sword Dao, unsure of what lies ahead, so I specially came to seek advice from my senior brother!"
In the Martial Arts World, Li Zhexiong was known as a "Sword Immortal"!
The so-called realm where the plants, trees, bamboo, stones, everything can become a sword, he had entered it in his twenties. Back then, he was only at the Energy Transformation Cultivation, and after stepping into this realm, without using any Force Energy, merely snapping off a branch, he could cut through divine weapons as if slicing mud!
It shocked the Martial Arts World!
He was praised by their master as a sword realm prodigy!
Afterwards, he began to pursue the Sword Control Technique, not the kind where God Realm practitioners use True Yuan to manipulate Magic Treasures as a method of object control, but the real Sword Control capable of beheading someone from a thousand miles away.
With many years having passed since then, Ye Wushuang had no clear idea if Li Zhexiong had truly learned the Sword Control Technique.
As for what realm he was in now, nobody truly knew.
When he ascended to the top of the Divine Rankings, the reason he became the first wasn't merely because his cultivation was in the Fifth Layer of the Divine Realm. In fact, the top five individuals on the Divine Rankings were basically on par in terms of cultivation power; what set them apart was their martial arts realm.
Therefore, it was only after stepping into a new realm and finding himself trapped in the rut of the Sword Dao, uncertain about the path ahead and feeling a bit lost, that Ye Wushuang came to find Li Zhexiong for discussion on swordsmanship and to reminisce.
"The next realm, huh?"
Li Zhexiong paused for a moment when he heard Ye Wushuang, then slowly his gaze turned to one of confusion, muttering to himself, "The Sword has no end, everything can be 'Swordless.' Naturally, it won't be the final stage, there are many more realms beyond..."
"What other realms are there?" Ye Wushuang couldn't wait to ask.
From "With Sword" to "Swordless," to his current realm of "Everything Can Be a Sword," he had already spent too many years, essentially following the path that Li Zhexiong had traveled. If Li Zhexiong didn't tell him, he wouldn't know how to proceed next.
"What other realms are there?"
Li Zhexiong heard Ye Wushuang's urgent inquiry and repeated it in a murmur, but seemingly overtaken by drunkenness, the look of confusion in his eyes grew denser, eventually spreading into a silly smile on his face as he slowly shook his head and said, "How long ago was it, so many years ago? I've forgotten, I really can't remember..."