Chapter 1160: Inhumane

Wang Chuanhe sat in the Lightning Cloud Sect's main palace, his face bleak. They hadn't killed Ye Mo, and he hadn't returned to Mo Yue City. Annihilating Mo Yue City would only provoke Pill City into war, and Wang Chuanhe had no interest in killing mere mortals. His grim expression stemmed from a newfound understanding of Yang Feicheng's desperate need to eliminate Ye Mo—for the Infinity Sect, Ye Mo's death was paramount.

Ye Mo, so young, was already a level seven pill king. He had slain hollow spirit state level seven prodigies from the Infinity Sect while only at level one himself, even annihilating Fire Eating Bugs. His abilities were preposterous. Among hollow spirit state cultivators, only Chu Jiuyu could compare to his audacity, and even Chu Jiuyu didn't reach this level.

A cultivator like Ye Mo could not be trifled with. Enmity with him meant death; otherwise, once he grew stronger, he would undoubtedly retaliate against those who had harmed him. Yang Feicheng understood their deadly feud with Ye Mo, hence their all-out gamble: mobilizing all their truth realization state cultivators and deploying their sect treasure. They knew that a powerful Ye Mo meant the Infinity Sect's demise.

Previously, they might have disliked Ye Mo, but he hadn't harbored such intense hatred. However, the Infinity Sect's annihilation of Sword Valley and their attempt to manipulate Luo Susu, coupled with Ye Mo's killing of many of their core disciples, had fueled an insane level of animosity. The Lightning Cloud Sect hadn't been significantly involved; even after Tian Aofeng's death, they hadn't directly clashed with Ye Mo or had the opportunity to do so.

Therefore, the conflict was one of life or death for the Infinity Sect and Ye Mo, but not for the Lightning Cloud Sect and Ye Mo—at least, not until their ambush of Ye Mo's ship plunged them into the same life-or-death struggle and incurred the wrath of Pill City.

Wang Chuanhe now fully grasped Yang Feicheng's grim determination. Agreement meant no turning back, especially considering the loss of a truth realization state cultivator. Faced with a choice between a truth realization state cultivator and Tian Aofeng, he would choose the former without hesitation. Yet, regret was futile. He was now bound to an alliance with, and the protection of, the Infinity Sect.

Tian Ji remained silent. The conflict between the sect and Ye Mo primarily stemmed from his actions, as Tian Aofeng had been his disciple. Killing Ye Mo would have been ideal, but his survival, coupled with their offense against Pill City, the Black Ice Sect, Heaven Demon Sect, Heaven Star Sect, Golden Sword Sect, All Formation Sect, and a land forgery god, had created a dire situation. Even a land forgery god would have allies; Ye Mo, certainly, had far more.

Three months passed since the battle, and South Peace State had quieted. Pill City, Black Ice Sect, and the other sects hadn't sought retribution. Lu Wuhu had seemingly vanished. Ye Mo's Mo Yue City remained unchanged, as did the level seven pill king and city lord Ye.

Meanwhile, far in the south of South Peace State, a blue flying ship, the Blood Moon, sped southward. More than three months into its journey, it still hadn't reached its destination. Ye Mo, who had learned of the Ice God forbidden grounds from Shan Bingfeng's map, hadn't realized it was one of South Peace State's four forbidden grounds—a fact revealed by Lin Yiban.

Those four forbidden grounds—Demon Prison, Flame Sea, Ice God, and Truth Fall—were ranked in decreasing order of danger. The Ice God forbidden grounds surpassed even the Truth Fall Palace in peril, a fact Ye Mo knew beforehand.

As the Blood Moon flew south, its speed decreased. Even its occupants felt the bone-chilling cold. Luckily, Ye Mo's mastery of formations allowed him to erect multiple cold-defense formations, preventing the weaker cultivators from freezing. He suspected that without the Blood Moon's extreme-grade artifact status, it would have shattered.

Spirit marrow here? Ye Mo found it hard to believe, but he trusted Shan Bingfeng's word. A month later, progress became even more arduous. Ye Mo's spirit sense felt the threat of freezing. Despite the Blood Moon's resilience, he dared not be careless.

He brought out his octagonal cauldron, exiting the inner chamber and venturing to the Blood Moon's bow. Even with the cauldron's protection, he shivered. The cauldron itself cracked, sounding like it was being bombarded by countless ice shards, though Ye Mo knew the source was a terrifying cold.

Formation flags shattered before he could deploy defensive measures. He resorted to activating the Blood Moon's own defensive formations. Luo Ying and Qingxue anxiously watched from the doorway. He signaled them inside and retrieved Winter's Arrival from the Golden Page World. Since his power and Shadowless had strengthened, he'd rarely used it.

He aimed to see if Winter's Arrival could absorb the extreme cold. To his surprise, upon its emergence, it immediately attached to the Blood Moon, drawing in a faint white stream of chi that rapidly thickened. Ye Mo rejoiced—Winter's Arrival could indeed absorb the intense cold.

The frost consumed, the Blood Moon accelerated, soon returning to normal speed. Ye Mo relaxed.

"How can it be so fast?" Lin Yiban exclaimed, shocked by the sudden increase in speed. "They say that even half-immortal artifacts slow down near the Ice God forbidden grounds."

Ye Mo felt the Shadowless worm's power. Not only was it adorned with treasures, but even Winter's Arrival, its birthright, possessed such might. What exactly was Shadowless? He regretted his earlier pretense of knowledge, his failure to question Lu Wuhu. He resolved to seek answers upon leaving the Ice God forbidden grounds.

With Winter's Arrival mitigating the cold, the Blood Moon's occupants emerged to take in the scenery.

"We're at the outskirts!" Lin Yiban suddenly cried.

Ye Mo, seeing the sight, was shaken. Ice mountains and ice figures—hundreds of them—greeted them. Almost all were breathtakingly beautiful women, frozen solid, seemingly alive yet lifeless.

"So pitiful…" Tang Beiwei whispered, shocked by the tragic scene. These women had been instantly frozen. What cruel, inhumane being had wrought this?