Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

Shangguan Yutong could best sense just how powerful the expressionless middle-aged man before her was.

Although she had just reached the Sword Emperor Realm, her proficiency with sword arts and cultivation techniques, as well as her combat experience, were no match for those who had been at that level for a long time.

Song Mingyue looked at Ye Zi and said, "Those people from the Ice Sea Secret Race..."

Ye Zi’s brow furrowed. "Forget it," she said. "Those people are despicable. They won’t listen to anyone but Ling Xiao. And don’t be fooled by their strength—they’re all as timid as mice. That Clan Leader Quefeng is especially crafty! He goes on about how they can’t let anyone discover their existence. I think... they’ve spent so long in those dark caves that they’ve lost all their nerve! Forget it. Let’s not talk about them."

Song Mingyue fell silent. Having been back for some time, she was naturally aware of what had happened. When the Zhe Family had attacked, Ye Zi had gone to plead for help from Quefeng, the Clan Leader of the Ice Sea Secret Race. After all, it was Ling Xiao who had brought them out of their icy sea home. They were indebted to him. Moreover, Ling Xiao was the god worshipped by the Ice Sea Secret Clan People.

But when Ye Zi met with Quefeng, she was stunned to find her request refused!

Quefeng told her that he would only intervene if the enemy broke into the Viscount’s Mansion and threatened to harm them. Otherwise, he had a responsibility to the Ice Sea Secret Clan People! If the existence of the Ice Sea Secret Race was exposed, it wouldn’t be long before they would be forced to leave this land!

In Quefeng’s eyes, this condition was perfectly reasonable. If Ling Xiao himself had been asking, he would have agreed without hesitation. But anyone else, in Quefeng’s mind, could be ignored—even Ling Xiao’s women.

Furthermore, as soon as the new city was built, Quefeng had moved his people directly to the territory allocated to the Ice Sea Secret Clan People, leaving the Lord’s Mansion!

That was why Ye Zi was so furious with Quefeng! Even with trouble at their doorstep today, she never even considered asking them for help. After all, people have their pride.

Quefeng was not human. So, despite his long life, he still didn’t understand the subtleties of human interaction. Things that most humans would find intolerable, he considered perfectly natural.

Even if Ling Xiao returned and was furious with him, Quefeng believed he had sufficient justification. At the same time, Ling Xiao had a compelling reason to keep them around: only the Ice Sea Secret Clan People could cultivate the Ice Crystal Celestial Silkworm! And the Ice Crystal Celestial Silkworm was the best Spirit Medicine for rapidly increasing the strength of Ling Xiao’s followers!

This gave Quefeng the confidence to completely disregard Ling Xiao’s women.

Moreover, deep in his heart, Quefeng still harbored a certain thought. ’He had worshipped the Deep Sea Demon Chapter as the god of the Ice Sea Secret Race for ages, not just a year or two. How could his faith possibly change overnight?’

But Ling Xiao had refined that Deep Sea Demon Chapter and, in doing so, transferred that wisp of a soul connection to himself!

That’s right—Quefeng and the Deep Sea Demon Chapter had shared a spiritual connection!

So, something even Ling Xiao himself hadn’t paid much attention to was that Quefeng could sense his presence. But for several months now, Quefeng had been unable to feel Ling Xiao’s presence at all. He had seen that Song Mingyue, who left with Ling Xiao, had returned, while Ling Xiao himself had not. On top of that, everyone in the Lord’s Mansion had been gloomy ever since Song Mingyue came back... With the wisdom Quefeng had accumulated over his long life, it wasn’t hard to conclude what had happened. ’Ling Xiao has most likely met with disaster! He’s never coming back!’

With these two ideas in mind, Quefeng naturally decided to wait and see how things developed. If Ling Xiao was truly never coming back, then lending a hand now would very likely expose the Ice Sea Secret Race to the world.

That... was a scenario Quefeng was absolutely unwilling to see! He had even been debating recently whether they should migrate once more. With Ling Xiao gone, the Bauhinia Clan to the north might just expose their existence.

Quefeng would never admit that he was just being a coward.

...

Lie Feng stood coldly at the entrance of the Lord’s Mansion, an impatient look on his face. Truth be told, he could have arrived much earlier. He had delayed a bit on the road, wanting to use the opportunity to see just what was so great about this Mortal World that countless people yearned for it. In the past, he had always come and gone in a rush, never settling down to truly experience it.

This time, Lie Feng finally understood why so many ordinary people—ants in his eyes—could live such happy lives. The Mortal World, he had to admit, did have its charms.

And so, he had ambled his way to Penzes City, thinking, ’Once I kill this Ling Xiao, I’ll have to go back to the clan again.’ The thought soured his mood.

As a result, the killing intent radiating from him grew ever stronger.

...

Shangguan Yutong stepped forward with a composed expression, though her heart was pounding with nervousness. Facing the man’s immense pressure, she knew she had almost no chance of victory. ’But can I just stand by and watch as he goes on a killing spree?’

After her experience at the grand gathering of clans and sects, Shangguan Yutong had a much deeper understanding of the people from these so-called "hidden clans." ’My former sect, Lengning Palace, was actually one of the better ones,’ she thought. The vast majority of hidden clans and sects, even the third-rate ones, rarely held ordinary people in any regard!

Indeed, in the Mortal World, a Demon Sword Master was considered a peerless expert. But in the eyes of the hidden clans, a Martial Artist at the level of a Demon Sword Master was merely a beginner.