Chapter 735: Chapter 161: Just Be at Ease Being a Pretty Boy
Zhou Yan stood before a group of seven Cultivators, who were dumbfoundedly observing the world around them, seemingly still unable to adapt to the hierarchical structure of the Ancient and even Tai Chu Eras.
It was akin to Cultivators from ancient times suddenly appearing on modern Earth. Such a sensation was undoubtedly very strange.
Zhou Yan also found it odd, but since he had learned everything about the Tai Chu Era from the Tai Chu Runes, he did not feel out of place, even though it felt alien to him.
“Hehe, to think we’ve really returned to the Realm of the Nine Changes of the Sword Void? But it’s not a problem, breakthrough it is! I’ve always wanted to experience a breakthrough here, to undergo the Heavenly Tribulation once again.
The Heavenly Tribulation of the Tai Chu Era must surely temper my Divine Soul even better, allowing my Combat Power to undergo a remarkable transformation in an instant!” said a young man in a yellow brocade robe confidently.
His demeanor was mighty and invincible, his life force robust. Though he was within the Realm of the Nine Changes of the Sword Void, Zhou Yan saw that his Combat Power was already close to the Third Nine.
This level of Combat Power was terrifying. This man must also surely have a formidable reputation across the planes.
His vigorous blood essence burst forth, causing a change in the weather. The six Cultivators surrounding him quickly dispersed, standing around to watch.
The snow of the Ancient Ice Glacier suddenly stopped.
The sky grew slightly darker.
Then, a Heavenly Tribulation materialized, taking the form of a Goddess clothed in Flowing Light Battle Armor, radiating seven colors and exuding a bone-chilling cold.
With a “whoosh”, she brandished a long spear and struck down from the Void.
“Bring it on!”
The young man in the yellow brocade robe met the attack head-on, his blood essence exploding and his Combat Power clearly reaching the terrifying level of the Third Nine.
But as he soared upwards, his body was pierced in an instant by the long spear held by the Female War God.
“Thump—”
His Soul shattered!
Yet, the Void remained untroubled by any special fluctuations; there wasn’t the slightest hint of outside forces from the Heavenly Tribulation intimidating the world. The Heavenly Tribulation, now a seven-colored, icy Female War God, slaughtered the young man as effortlessly as if he were a chicken, her speed so fast that one’s Soul couldn’t even react before she effortlessly struck him down!
The seven-colored Goddess of the Heavenly Tribulation, clad in Flowing Light Battle Armor, dissolved into light and retreated back into the tribulation as if time were flowing backward.
Eventually, everything calmed down, the entire event having taken place in less than the blink of an eye.
The young man in the yellow brocade robe, facing what appeared to be an inconsequential Heavenly Tribulation, had his Soul crushed in an instant and perished.
He died a remarkably tragic death.
The remaining five male and female Cultivators among the seven were all utterly shocked and trembling with fright.
Among them, a woman in a light apricot sheer gown who showed no shock at all and had been observing coldly all along, seeing the others scared, finally spoke up in a cold voice, “I’ve already said it, the Heavenly Tribulation of the Tai Chu Era contains Immortal Divinity, Immortal Will, the Profound Meaning of Tai Chu Runes that are everlasting and untouchable, yet none of you believed me.
Now that Guanghua has perished, Guang Cheng, the Supreme, will go mad. Your days from now on will not be easy.”
“What are we to do now?”
“Xiao Fei at the Mystic Level, what should we do? It’s all our fault for not advising Guanghua, the Spiritualist, more.”
“I never imagined, that he couldn’t withstand even a single blow, that even the Supreme Guardian Battle Armor would disintegrate into nothingness. Is this Heavenly Tribulation really so fierce?! But there are many Spiritualists and even those at the Mystic Level who wish to undergo the Tribulation here for a ‘Rebuilding Bones’!”
A pale-faced woman in white spoke with a trembling voice, her speech no longer fluent.
“This Heavenly Tribulation, let alone the Nine Changes of Sword Void, even if a Supreme were to come, I’m afraid they would be slain in one blow. To undergo the Tribulation here? How foolishly ignorant, as if weary of living!” said Xiao Fei, laughing coldly.
“Xiao Fei, spouting such cool remarks, aren’t you with us? With Guanghua, the Spiritualist in trouble, you cannot escape blame!” a woman in a red robe said, unwilling to accept the situation and immediately mocking Xiao Fei.
“Feng Yangyan, let me tell you first that I never had anything in common with you at all! My arrival here was merely convenient! Moreover, in terms of Combat Power and strength, you are not worthy of being associated with me. Besides, I had already kindly warned you all earlier. Guanghua wanted to show off his talents and charm in front of me, hoping to win my special regard, but I merely saw him as a jumping clown! Furthermore, if you have any grievances against me, feel free to take action! Heh, in the Planes, you are all inferior to me. Here, perhaps we are all at the level of the Nine Changes of Sword Void, but to slay you, I, Xiao Fei, have more than a hundred methods,” Xiao Fei said, coldly staring at the trio of men and the two women Cultivators, her face displaying indifference and contempt, her murderous intent fierce and overpowering.
At these words, the faces of the other five turned beet red.
“Hmph, I, Feng Yangyan, will remember this!” Feng Yangyan said angrily.
“Remember all you want, but be careful not to die here by accident! This is a place with no pity for the fairer sex, and if you die, no one will retrieve your corpse for you,” Xiao Fei threatened.
“You—” Feng Yangyan looked somewhat ugly.
“You all might as well leave, while I’m not in too foul a mood. As for Guanghua’s matter, don’t even think about framing me. I have the ‘Mystic Pearl’ which records everything truthfully, and with it, I can easily clear myself of any wrongdoing. Guang Cheng may be a Supreme, but what of it?”
As Xiao Fei spoke, her Energy erupted, pressuring all directions.
“Thump, thump, thump, thump—”
The five Cultivators were unexpectedly sent flying, all vomiting blood, sustaining injuries on the spot.
The five Cultivators staggered to their feet in the snowy field, looking at each other in horror and with trepidation, they hesitated before finally turning into streaks of light and fleeing, not daring to linger in this place any longer.
They really feared that Xiao Fei would ruthlessly strike.
…
Zhou Yan watched this scene unfold before his eyes and gained a new understanding of the struggles in this upper-class plane.
In fact, it was not much different from the Sword Burial Ancestor Star, but the cultivators of the upper-class plane were more arrogant and unyielding. A woman, could actually be so domineering.
Zhou Yan mumbled to himself, but he didn’t avoid this woman named ‘Xiao Fei.’ Instead, he continued on his way as if nothing had happened. When Xiao Fei had made her move earlier, she hadn’t affected Zhou Yan, who was quite close to the scene.
Zhou Yan naturally didn’t have a bad impression of this woman, and as for life or death of others, he didn’t care.
Although in this ice and snow world one could escape using the technique of flowing light, Zhou Yan, possessing the Void Sword Body and soul core, could sense the remnants of broken void nodes scattered throughout this heaven and earth. If one were not careful while flying about, they could be sucked into these nodes and be shattered to pieces.
Having the Void Sword Body made him extra cautious. He moved forward quickly, step by step.
Ahead, the woman named ‘Xiao Fei’ floated through the air in an apricot yellow chiffon dress, occasionally looking down at Zhou Yan. After a moment, she immediately descended to continue walking on the snowy ground, much like Zhou Yan.
Not only that, but she also consciously closed the distance between them after walking for a while.
Zhou Yan thought to himself, this female cultivator Xiao Fei was not foolish. She seemed to know that one had to walk in a special way here to have a chance of finding the scent of the Ice Soul Stone.
“This woman knows her stuff, ah. To think she has a faint idea about my Tai Chu Rune analysis? But the Tai Chu Rune is profound knowledge in the upper-class plane, even the Goddess Mu Qingyan doesn’t know as much as I do. It requires understanding of the Ancient Array, and in this place, I do have a considerable advantage. But I’ve been so low-profile, how has she noticed anything?
She’s also been stealing glances at me before; could it be that I’m so charming she’s taken a fancy to me?”
Zhou Yan let his thoughts wildly wander.
…
This part of the world was so vast, with nothing but silver and white lending it an even greater sense of emptiness and desolation. The falling snow paused for a moment before resuming, rustling softly.
Footsteps on the snow made a ‘squeak, squeak’ sound.
Although Zhou Yan could have moved without leaving a trace in the snow, in this place, he was judging the Tai Chu Rune and simply walked in a natural manner in this ancient environment.
Xiao Fei at first would deviate a few steps from his path, but then she began to walk slower and eventually stepped exactly where Zhou Yan had trodden, which sped her pace once again as she caught up step by step.
“Young master, please wait.”
Just a moment later, Xiao Fei caught up and indeed took the initiative to greet him.
“Hmm? Mystic Xiao Fei, do you have any instructions?”
Zhou Yan had a vague guess about her intention, but remained unruffled, calmly asking.
“Young master, please excuse my impudence, but may I ask if you are proficient in more than eighty percent of the Tai Chu Rune?”
Xiao Fei had now approached from behind Zhou Yan, a position posing a significant threat to him and from where a fatal blow could easily be landed.
But Zhou Yan did not mind, nor did he guard against Xiao Fei; instead, he turned around and faced her with a calm gaze, saying, “Yes, exactly eighty percent.”
“Then young master must also know the Killing Spirit Divine Tao, right?”
Xiao Fei’s eyes relaxed slightly, and then she displayed a wisp of Killing Spirit Divine Tao aura. However, it was faint.
In Zhou Yan’s eyes, that trace of Killing Spirit Divine Tao was merely superficial, not even skin deep.
“I know that as well.”
Zhou Yan saw something about Xiao Fei. This woman was likely from the Netherworld Demon Soul Palace of Xiao Wanting.
However, Zhou Yan didn’t say much else and simply acknowledged his knowledge of the Killing Spirit Divine Dao.
“In that case, young master must surely know the Soul Cutting Supreme Tao, right?”
The woman suddenly asked another question, but this time she didn’t show any sign of the Soul Cutting Supreme Tao, instead looking rather excited.
“I do.”
Zhou Yan intended to deny, but after thinking it over, since everyone was on the same realm here, there was nothing to worry about, so he directly admitted it.
If one feared to take action or hesitated within the same realm, Zhou Yan felt that his cultivation would be utterly meaningless.
Besides, this woman had clearly noticed him multiple times before, obviously harboring some inside information.
“So everything the Palace Master said is true. Young master, I ask for your understanding. I am Xiao Fei, the eighth true disciple of the Netherworld Demon Soul Palace Master. When I came here, the Palace Master mentioned that if I encountered a man whose bloodline attracted me, I should observe his conduct within the Ancient Ice Glacier and see if it corresponded with the natural ancient Dao of runes. If it did, I could try asking him a few questions. If the answers were affirmative, then…”
Xiao Fei spoke, and despite her usually cold demeanor, a strange blush crept onto her face, which confused Zhou Yan.
“Your Palace Master is Xiao Wanting, right? Did she send you in to help me?”
Zhou Yan was speechless, thinking to himself that Xiao Wanting, even though she was disagreeable in speech, actually took good care of him in her actions.
“Um… the Palace Master fears you might… perish here, saying that your strength has not yet recovered, and you won’t withstand anybody’s moves and will be killed in an instant. So she told you to be at ease and just be a pretty boy, and even had me teach you the techniques of ‘Rebuilding Bones and Tai Chu Soul Refining,’ stating that only with your Soul Cutting Technique could you cultivate it.”
“But she was afraid you couldn’t bear the pain of Soul Cutting, so she asked me… to take good care of you, to distract your attention…”
Xiao Fei’s face turned red, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s.
Zhou Yan was stunned; he was completely shocked by what Xiao Fei said.
“They think of me as a pretty boy? I’m going to be killed in one blow? Am I that useless now? Xiao Wanting, have you got it all wrong?!” Zhou Yan felt a touch of madness rising within him.