C249 But It Won't Work!

In the Serpent Spine Mountains, a hundred miles north of Gloomhollow, Guan Xianyun of the Binders of Shadows harnessed the power of a rune to travel at breakneck speed. Confronted by the looming threat of Wu Xiting, he recognized the gravity of his predicament. In a daring move, he relinquished his corporeal body to flee as a Lunar Spirit, betting that the young girl concealed within the miasma would grant him passage. His gamble paid off.

Empowered by the rune and unencumbered by his physical form, his Lunar Spirit managed to break free from the clutches of Gloomhollow. His velocity was so great that Shi Yuxuan, along with the other cultivators and herbalists of the Sacred Hands, were unable to respond.

In the blink of an eye, he had traversed a hundred miles, leaving Gloomhollow far behind.

"Chi la!" Out of nowhere, the rune enveloping him burst into flames. Startled, Guan Xianyun's Lunar Spirit hastily exited the rune, halting his flight. He then encountered a stranger emerging leisurely from the depths of the earth, who greeted him with an odd smile, "Guan Xianyun of the Binders of Shadows, on the cusp of achieving Spirit Walk."

Guan Xianyun, taken aback, demanded, "Who are you?"

Whoosh! Intense flames morphed into rivers of firelight, encircling him. From within these fiery streams, a hollow pill emerged. Before Guan Xianyun's Lunar Spirit could react, he was drawn into the pill by an overwhelming suction force, becoming its core.

"The Binders of Shadows' Lunar Spirit, at the pinnacle of its realm," the man murmured, his tone mild. "Let's see what exactly transpired within Gloomhollow."

With a gentle touch of his finger to the pill, Guan Xianyun's Lunar Spirit inside was sent reeling, his remnant soul twisting into terrifying undulations. The pill became luminous, revealing a series of events that unfolded on its surface like a vision.

The scenes depicted Guan Xianyun's initial foray into Gloomhollow with Zanas and Chou Wan, their discussions, the subsequent arrival of Loong Tianxiao, the drifting miasma clouds, Yu Yuan's entrance, Liu Zaihe's resurrection, and finally, the emergence of Wu Xiting.

Everything Guan Xianyun observed was vividly displayed on the surface of the pill.

The man gazed at the pill and instantly understood all the events that had transpired in Gloomhollow.

"So it all comes together. The young master of Asvetaesi, Yu Yuan, Chen Qingyan of the Sword Sect, Mei Qiurong of the Ebon Star, and the concealed Ann Jieshan have broken free from underground and ascended to heal in the sky," he mused, a peculiar smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

...

Deep within the cavern lay the lair of the Dragon Cave.

The frost wyrm, once sought after by the Dragon Attendant of Dragon Lake and numerous Naga elites for its renown in the Frozen Hellscape, lay coiled in its green skeletal form, its eye sockets empty.

The flood dragon, while of Naga lineage, was not of pure blood.

As such, flood dragons were often considered of lesser status in the eyes of many Nagas.

Yet, this particular frost wyrm, which roamed the Frozen Hellscape year-round, was an exception.

For millennia, the name of this frost wyrm in the Frozen Hellscape had been a source of consternation for cultivators across the Everlands.

Legend has it that the frost wyrm was born within the Frozen Hellscape.

At birth, the flood dragon was bathed in the ice force of the Frozen Hellscape, enabling it to perfectly adapt and grow powerful within its icy confines.

The Frozen Hellscape is one of the Everlands' most notorious and perilous domains, shrouded in countless mysteries.

For ages, the Frozen Hellscape has stood, attracting countless formidable beings from the Everlands and even distant realms to delve into its depths.

Yet, to this day, no person or creature has been bold enough to claim they have unraveled all its secrets.

Rumors abound of ancient beings who perished within the Frozen Hellscape, including Solar Spirits, Sky Fiends, and those of the Unbound realm.

Even cultivators of the Primordial Spirit realm have been ensnared within the Frozen Hellscape, unable to escape its icy grasp.

The frost wyrm, born of the Frozen Hellscape, moves freely within, unharmed by its many perils, and is thus esteemed by both the Dragon Attendant and the Naga.

Regrettably, the frost wyrm never ventured from the Frozen Hellscape, severing all ties with the so-called Dragon Attendants and the Nagas. Yet, this very frost wyrm mysteriously departed from its icy domain and surfaced in Gloomhollow, evidently long deceased, devoid of any lingering Dragon Soul.

From the skeletal jaws of the deceased creature, a stream of icy dragon's breath miraculously emerged. A single exhalation was enough to encase Wu Xiting in ice, transforming him into a frozen statue.

"Did you truly believe you could waltz into this perilous place unscathed?" Standing beneath the frost wyrm's head, he gazed at Wu Xiting's icy effigy. "So, you thought you could roam freely in Gloomhollow just because you can endure the Nightstorm?"

He was aware that Wu Xiting, even as an ice sculpture, could still listen.

Yu Yuan, holding the short spear, flashed a chilling grin. "Whether you hail from the Sunlit Order or Colddeath, your brazen intrusion into Gloomhollow and reckless behavior warrants death." The spear was aimed directly at the center of Wu Xiting's frozen brow.

Suddenly, his eyebrows twitched. Frowning, he peered toward the cave entrance and muttered, "What are you doing here?"

A blood shadow swiftly glided in from outside the cave. It halted abruptly before him, followed by two thunderous booms.

Mei Qiurong was flung to the ground by the blood shadow, the Mark of the Celestials still glowing in her palm, its divine light enveloping her.

The yellow gourd she clutched had shattered, its contents of lightning and thunder no more.

Loong Tianxiao, having infiltrated the depths, had transformed into a small, writhing snake, visibly distressed. Yet, upon beholding the frost wyrm, he surged with excitement, desperately attempting to draw near the dragon's skeletal remains, yearning to inhale its essence.

Ann Jieshan, manifesting as a blood shadow, nonchalantly struck down. The blow sent Loong Tianxiao, in his serpentine form, plummeting to the ground, where he lay next to Mei Qiurong, both seemingly drained of all power.

He appeared to be at death's door.

"The Honorable Ann?"

Yu Yuan squinted, first glancing at Wu Xiting, encased in ice, and then at the blood shadow. He spoke, "Did you come for him? Is he the rising star of your Colddeath Sect, who, like you once did, covertly joined the Sunlit Order to train? You didn't hurry back to the Land of Quiescence or to the Colddeath Sect. Were you waiting for him?"

"Did you know from the start that the Ebon Star Sect wouldn't let things slide and would send someone else to capture you?"

"You were aware, and so was Wu Xiting. Did the two of you conspire to outwit the Ebon Star Sect?"

The appearance of Ann Jieshan's blood shadow, accompanied by Mei Qiurong and Loong Tianxiao, came as no surprise to him.

He had already discerned that Wu Xiting, who claimed to hail from Mensend Hill, was unmistakably a newly minted powerhouse cultivated by the Colddeath.

A Spirit Walk practitioner was a force to be reckoned with, both in Euwrea and the Land of Quiescence.

And he could see that Wu Xiting was not only young but also brimming with potential.

Such a youthful Spirit Walk adept, mastering the Colddeath's mystique and blessed with the Sunlit Order's purifying legacy, was bound to shine brightly upon his return to the Colddeath!

Wu Xiting might even be groomed as a successor by the Colddeath's sect master.

Ann Jieshan, having made contact with him and orchestrated an ambush in the Serpent Spine Mountains, was unlikely to fail.

The fact that Wu Xiting remained unfazed, even as Mei Qiurong wielded the Ebon Star's Mark of the Celestials and other secret treasures, spoke volumes.

He and Ann Jieshan had been ready all along.

Ultimately, Ann Jieshan emerged from the depths, bringing Mei Qiurong and Loong Tianxiao with him, confirming his status as the ultimate victor.

Loong Tianxiao, once Ann Jieshan's equal and fellow captive under the Moonfall Sanctuary's suppression, was now firmly under Ann Jieshan's control.

Ann Jieshan remained silent, his gaze shifting from the ice-bound Wu Xiting to Yu Yuan.

The intent of his soul was clear.

"You want me to hand over Wu Xiting to you in exchange for Loong Tianxiao and this Mark of the Celestials?" Yu Yuan grasped the situation immediately. With a furrowed brow, he said, "Wu Xiting belongs to your Colddeath sect, and clearly, there's an understanding between you two. I get why you'd want to take him back with you when you return to Colddeath."

The blood shadow of Ann Jieshan remained utterly still, exuding an extraordinary sense of stability.

"However, it's not possible!" Yu Yuan's firm declaration caused ripples of bloody light to emanate from Ann Jieshan's blood shadow. "This man has gravely wounded a dear friend of mine in Gloomhollow. I cannot simply let you walk away with him."

Suddenly, Ann Jieshan's blood shadow released a strand of remnant soul, invoking the name of Chen Qingyan.

Keeping Chen Qingyan alive was another bargaining chip offered by Ann Jieshan.

Yu Yuan's expression shifted subtly.

"..."