Chapter 68: Chapter 66: I Cannot Let Him Down
Above the Ice Palace, anomalies filled the sky. Accompanied by waves of draconic roars, everyone knew the Ice Dragon Flower was blooming.
One petal bloomed, and one dragon soared. Two petals bloomed, and twin dragons played with a pearl. Three petals bloomed, and three dragons roamed the seas...
When the seventh petal opened, the Void trembled. Seven Ice Dragons formed a circle, holding up the fully bloomed Seven-Petaled Ice Dragon Flower like stars arrayed around the moon.
A torrential dragon’s might washed over the world, suppressing heaven and earth. Everyone stared at the scene, utterly stunned.
It was just a flower blooming, yet it produced such a world-shocking anomaly. This alone was a testament to how extraordinary the Ice Dragon Flower was.
Seeing this, the crowd’s blood boiled with excitement. They were all determined to obtain the Ice Dragon Flower.
"Don’t even think about fighting me for it! The Seven-Petaled Ice Dragon Flower is mine! I’ll kill anyone who tries to take it!"
An Elder from the Mountain Sect roared, his body seething with Killing Intent. He was at the Innate Fourth Realm Perfect Realm, but he had been stuck in this Realm for far too long. The Ice Dragon Flower was his only hope of advancing.
"Hmph! Elder Liu, you’re dreaming. A Supreme Treasure like this... we’ll only know who it belongs to after we’ve fought for it!"
A cold, forceful voice retorted, showing no weakness. It was a genius Elder from the Five Spirits Sect, at the Late Stage of the Innate Fourth Realm. He was young, only in his thirties. To him, the Seven-Petaled Ice Dragon Flower was the Holy Medicine he needed to surpass the Grandmaster level. He would never miss this chance and was prepared to fight to the death for it.
"Both of you, stop fighting. I have already claimed the Seven-Petaled Ice Dragon Flower. No one else shall touch it!"
But immediately after, a sinister voice rang out. It belonged to a middle-aged man at the Innate Fourth Realm Perfect Realm, but the aura he emanated faintly held the might of the Innate Fifth Realm.
Someone recognized him—it was Huang Chuang, the top expert of his generation from Cyan Moon City’s Huang Family!
These three were clearly the most powerful combatants here, and it would be difficult for others to contend with them. But the Seven-Petaled Ice Dragon Flower was a Supreme Treasure of the Holy Medicine Level. Who wouldn’t be tempted?
Therefore, many experts who, while not as strong as those three, were not much weaker, also followed them and charged toward the depths of the Ice Palace.
An Elder from the Xiao Family at the Innate Fourth Realm, Middle Realm; the old poison master of the Golden Snake Sect; Murong Hai, the top expert of his generation from the Murong Family; and others—all the powerful Spirit Cultivators who had reached the Innate Fourth Realm surged to the very front.
But among this group of experts was an inconspicuous figure. With an Ancient Saber on his back, he silently slipped into the depths of the Ice Palace.
The remaining Spirit Cultivators below the Innate Third Realm scattered throughout the Ice Palace, searching for other treasures within.
Jiang Jichen had just arrived outside the gates of the Ice Palace. He was about to step inside when a terrifying force suddenly surged out from its depths.
BOOM!
Before he could even react, Jiang Jichen was sent flying by a wave of power. He then watched as the entire Ice Palace silently dissolved until it vanished completely. Above, the anomaly of the seven illusory Ice Dragons holding the Seven-Petaled Ice Dragon Flower shattered at the same time, turning into nothingness.
"Who was it?! Who dared to snatch food from the tiger’s mouth, trigger the Destruction Restriction, and steal the Ice Dragon Flower?! Aaargh..."
At almost the same instant, a furious, crazed roar echoed between heaven and earth.
"You little girl, to think you could sneak into the depths of the Ice Palace without a sound, avoid our Divine Senses, and be the first to take the Ice Dragon Flower... truly impressive. A pity that even if you have it, you won’t be able to take it with you. An Innate Second Realm Perfect Realm cultivator is nothing but an ant in our eyes, an existence we can crush with a casual flick!"
Huang Chuang, the top expert of his generation from the Huang Family, spoke with cold indifference.
"Jiang Ling’Er, so it was you. For the sake of us both being from the Four Great Noble Families of Cyan Moon City, give the Ice Dragon Flower to me. I can let you leave alive!"
Murong Hai’s voice sounded out faintly.
Hearing the name "Jiang Ling’Er," Jiang Jichen’s entire body jolted, and he looked up toward the distance.
At that moment, the Ice Palace, which had stood for a thousand years, had been reduced to nothingness by the power of the Destruction Restriction. Everything inside it was now exposed for all to see.
Everyone could see each other. Even those who had been fighting over treasures just moments before had now stopped, their gazes fixed on the far end of where the Ice Palace had once stood.
There stood a Dragon King’s Throne, radiating a dazzling, precious light. In front of the throne was a Blood Pool. The blood within had already dried up, but the stones of the pool were stained red, emitting a thick, bloody stench.
A woman of peerless beauty stood upon the Dragon King’s Throne, holding a Seven-Petaled Ice Dragon Flower as she looked down upon the assembled heroes.
It was none other than the Jiang Ling’Er he had been searching for so desperately!
’After searching for her in the crowd a thousand times, I suddenly looked back, and there she was, where the lantern lights were dim.’
The moment he saw that Jiang Ling’Er was safe, the heavy weight on Jiang Jichen’s heart finally lifted. But seeing her surrounded by powerful experts, his heart clenched once more.
Jiang Ling’Er had entered Moonlight Forest to help Jiang Jichen find a Spirit Medicine to repair his Qi Sea and Spirit Veins. But why was she now in Ice Dragon Valley? And why, with her weak cultivation at the Innate Second Realm Perfect Realm, would she snatch food from the tiger’s mouth while surrounded by so many powerful experts?
In anyone’s eyes, Jiang Ling’Er was undoubtedly courting death. Even experts at the Innate Third Realm Perfect Realm hadn’t dared to join the scramble for the Ice Dragon Flower, contenting themselves with searching for other treasures in the Ice Palace.
Surrounded by experts, Jiang Ling’Er had no path of retreat. Handing over the Ice Dragon Flower and withdrawing from the conflict was her only way to survive, and the wisest choice.
However, standing atop the Dragon King’s Throne, Jiang Ling’Er’s crisp and indifferent voice rang out: "I will not."
It was a direct refusal, with no room for negotiation. The faces of the powerful experts darkened.
Murong Hai’s expression turned ugly. "Do you realize," he said coldly, "that if you refuse, you will leave your life behind here? And the outcome will not change in the slightest!"
Jiang Ling’Er’s expression was serene yet resolute. Her voice was calm as she said, "My life is a small price to pay. But the Ice Dragon Flower is the medicine my Chen’Er needs to repair his Qi Sea and restore his Spirit Veins. It is his hope of becoming a powerful expert once more. For that hope, I will fight with everything I have. With my very life. Because I cannot let him down!"
Huang Chuang’s voice echoed, grim and sinister. "An ant. No matter how desperately you struggle, you can’t change anything. Enough with the nonsense. Kill her, and then we’ll fight for the Ice Dragon Flower based on our own abilities!"
As he spoke, Huang Chuang attacked.
He casually condensed his spirit energy into a palm, which blotted out the sky as it descended upon Jiang Ling’Er.
For an Innate Fourth Realm expert to kill someone at the Innate Second Realm should have been as easy as flipping a hand.
Everyone else also thought Jiang Ling’Er was as good as dead.
However, two layers of a blue Spiritual Pattern Space suddenly erupted from Jiang Ling’Er’s body, completely blocking Huang Chuang’s palm strike.
PFFT!
In the end, Jiang Ling’Er only swayed on the Dragon King’s Throne and spat a small mouthful of blood. Her face turned pale; she had suffered only minor injuries.
"Water Curtain Radiance... a Water Spirit Body?"
The crowd was shocked. They hadn’t expected that a single strike from Huang Chuang would fail to kill Jiang Ling’Er.
Shocked as they were, Jiang Ling’Er’s cultivation was still only at the Innate Second Realm. If Huang Chuang and the others used their full power, even with her Water Curtain Radiance, she would not be able to withstand three strikes.
