Duan Shenli's entire body shuddered.

The five junior brothers behind him were also stunned.

The voice that came through was unmistakably a woman's, yet it carried an undeniable authority that could not be resisted.

This feeling was something they only experienced when facing the Sect Master.

Oppressive, making one tense.

It was the sort of authority that one only possesses when in a high position.

Ice cannot form three feet deep overnight; such an authority usually comes only with a long tenure at the top.

Everyone held their breath, looking towards the entrance of the main hall.

An absolutely beautiful and pure white figure emerged, walking out calmly and gracefully.

Each step seemed measured.

Unhurried and poised, neither humble nor overbearing.

Long silver-white hair cascaded over her shoulders.

A white robe, white shoes, white pants...

Even her skin was white.

If not for her eyes dark as ink, she would be indistinguishable from a snow sculpture.

This was the Ice God, Xie Daoyun!

Xie Daoyun stepped slowly, turned around, and walked towards the courtyard's main gate.

Everything seemed to freeze, like a slow-motion scene from a movie.

All eyes were fixed on Xie Daoyun.

Ye Wenjun behaved very respectfully.

Ye Xingkong even bowed with hands clasped in front of him, whispering softly, "Predecessor..."

...

Xie Daoyun walked until she was only ten meters from the main gate, stopping her advance.

Her cold gaze fell on Duan Shenli and his junior brothers.

"Leave before we lose our temper—scram!"

Her tone was so chilling and her expression so heartless that it caused a shiver down their spines.

But...

As the eldest senior brother of Luli Sect, how could he be scared off by mere appearances.

Duan Shenli snorted coldly and said, "Putting on airs! And who might you be?"

A flash of anger crossed Xie Daoyun's beautiful face, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly, yet she remained silent.

A quiet but deadly aura rippled out from her.

Ye Xingkong felt a chill, and even Ye Wenjun, with his Extreme Yin Body, felt the cold.

Finally—

Xie Daoyun slowly raised her right hand.

Her fair palm facing forward.

Creak.

Creak, creak—

The sound of air splitting due to cold resonated.

Duan Shenli frowned, uncertain what was happening.

Abruptly.

A number of ice cones appeared straight ahead.

Whiz, whizz whizz...

Moving as swiftly as lightning.

They pierced towards them.

The six of them were struck with a great tremor, faces filled with shock. What kind of combat skill was this? How could ice cones appear out of thin air?

Thump!

"Ah—"

The ice cones hit them.

They had reacted with all their might.

One of the ice cones impaled Duan Shenli's thigh. The others were hit in the arms or shoulders.

One person, who didn't manage to react in time, had his heart pierced by an ice cone.

Blood gushed forth.

His life was ebbing away as the blood spilled out.

It wouldn't be long before he perished.

A storm surged within Duan Shenli's heart... He looked at Xie Daoyun with a face full of terror.

Just as he was about to ask who she really was—

Xie Daoyun raised her hand again.

"Retreat!"

At Duan Shenli's command, without a second thought, he grabbed another person and started to run wildly.

The other four also hurriedly turned around and fled.

Upon seeing this, Ye Xingkong shouted:

"Little brat, still trying to run? Watch as I chase you down and kill you!"

Xie Daoyun, however, raised her hand to stop him and said, "Do not pursue a defeated enemy."

"Why not? I see they have no more strength to resist." Ye Xingkong could not understand.

Xie Daoyun's expression was cold as she said,

"My purpose here is to temporarily protect the Ye Family, not to chase down these wastes..."

After finishing,

Xie Daoyun slowly turned around and walked back into the main hall calmly,

as if none of the preceding events had even occurred.

Ye Xingkong then thought it might be for the best, worried that the Luli Sect might be using a diversion tactic.

"I had no idea Fang Yu had such powerful support, truly terrifying..."

...

...

Meanwhile.

Duan Shenli was injured and hurried back to the Luli Sect.

At the foot of the Sect's gates,

some Luli Sect disciples saw their eldest senior brother fleeing back with the Sect's five sons-in-disgrace, all looking utterly ragged, and they were shocked, rushing to help them.

"Eldest senior brother, eldest senior brother... what happened? What's going on?"

Duan Shenli, holding his leg wound, exclaimed anxiously, "Hurry, take them to the doctor for treatment!"

Another disciple said, "Eldest senior brother, with such serious injuries, were you targeted by other cultivators? I'll quickly report this to the Sect?"

Hearing this, Duan Shenli grabbed him and said, "No need! We did not encounter cultivators, but some fierce beasts in the mountains; we were injured because of our carelessness... a few days of rest and healing should suffice!"

"Oh."

Duan Shenli knew he could not let the Sect Master know about this incident. Otherwise, the punishment would be more severe than their injuries. As for the disciples that died, he would just say they were killed by the beasts.

These were not the issues that troubled him.

The problem was, who was that extraordinary woman holding the fort at the Ye Family?

Why did she possess the power of ice?

With doubts in his mind, Duan Shenli hurried back to his own room.

Healing his wounds.

"This person is truly too terrifying, it seems I won't be able to avenge this grudge... and as for my junior sister Shangguan Linghui, sigh—" The thought of Shangguan Linghui's unreasonableness gave him a headache as the eldest senior brother.

Duan Shenli, with furrowed brows, continued healing.

But...

After some time of healing, he discovered that the wound on his thigh was not decreasing in size, it was getting more serious!

"What's happening?"

This left him both shocked and puzzled.

Duan Shenli immediately clapped his hands, and his Inner Essence burst forth, driving towards his thigh.

But no matter how he tried to manipulate it, the frozen damage on his thigh was unfazed.

"Bad news, I've underestimated this person... these ice cones actually contain Ice Attribute Gang Qi—"

Ice Attribute Gang Qi.

Unheard of, unseen before!

Just as he was about to continue healing, he heard urgent knocking.

Thud thud.

Thud thud thud.

Duan Shenli had no choice but to interrupt his healing, frowning as he said, "Who is it?"

"Eldest senior brother, the Sect Master commands you to come immediately!"

The Sect Master?

Duan Shenli's heart sank, realizing trouble was brewing.

...

Inside the Luli Sect Grand Hall.

The Sect Master Shangguan Hong, with an air of a celestial being, sat atop his throne with an emotionless face.

His daughter, Shangguan Linghui, with a tear-stained face, was complaining sorrowfully,

"Father! You must avenge me, my Cultivation has been ruined, all because of Yanjing's Ye Family! Wuuu... The eldest senior brother and the five Sect sons are injured, one senior brother even perished! Father, you may tolerate this, but I absolutely cannot!"

Listening to Shangguan Linghui's woes,

Shangguan Hong's brows furrowed tightly, and with a sudden slap of his hand,

Whack!

The entire Grand Hall fell silent.

"Has Duan Shenli not arrived yet?"

"Sect Master, the eldest senior brother is on his way..."

Not long after.

Duan Shenli, limping, arrived outside the Grand Hall.

Seeing the Sect Master's imposing and furious face, he immediately prostrated on the ground and said, "Sect Master!"

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