Chapter 750: Magical Passage

Yun Ziyi shivered, her eyes fixed on Ye Mo with fear. He stood motionlessly amidst the bloody corpses, his sword still in hand, blood staining his body and dripping from his hair. He was impossibly powerful; he had single-handedly slain countless Great Heaven Masters. Yun Ziyi saw him as a god of slaughter, a war god, capable of anything.

Meanwhile, Ye Mo's cultivation essence was depleted, his spirit sense heavily drained. His stillness was a necessary effort to recover some essence. He’d seen Yun Ziyi arrive but hadn't moved until he'd regained some strength. Then, he said, "Come over."

"Brother Ye," Yun Ziyi quickly approached. She'd silently shared Xiao Ling's view of Mo Ying as the undesirable soil in which Mu Xiaoyun's flower bloomed. But now, she understood Mu Xiaoyun's sharp judgment in finding someone as incredibly powerful as Ye Mo.

"Take me to Ice Lake," Ye Mo instructed. He believed his essence would recover sufficiently by the time they reached Ice Lake, and the cart journey would provide further opportunity for recuperation.

Yun Ziyi, momentarily dazed, quickly understood, nodding with joyful assent. "Yes, Brother Ye, I'll take you there now."

She then produced the pill Ye Mo had given her. "Brother Ye, I don't need this pill."

Ye Mo regarded her strangely. "Your internal injuries are serious. Without this, they may worsen, even robbing you of your power."

Yun Ziyi looked dejected. "Brother Ye, you promised to repay me; I’d rather you do something else for me."

Ye Mo waved his hand, unimpressed by her maneuvering. Though she was pretty, he disliked her calculations.

"Just take the pill," he said plainly. "Once we reach Ice Lake, I'll help you with something else."

"Yes, Brother Ye!" Yun Ziyi wisely dropped the subject.

Ye Mo picked up Len Quan's axe, sensing its extraordinary nature. His flying sword, imbued with his cultivation essence, had been ineffective against it. Lacking time for examination, he stowed it in his ring and entered Yun Ziyi's cart.

Witnessing Ye Mo effortlessly vanish the massive axe, Yun Ziyi's fear intensified. She briefly considered addressing Ye Mo with a more formal title, quickly dismissing the thought. Reaching the mountain base, she instructed the half-step Great Heaven Master and Xiao Ling to await her in Chan City while she transported Ye Mo to Ice Lake.

Ye Mo remained unaware of her actions, unconcerned by them.

…

"Grandma, thank you," Mu Xiaoyun expressed her gratitude to Elder Feng from within the cart bound for Ice Lake. Without Elder Feng's assistance, she would have been a burden on her husband, a thought that filled her with self-reproach.

Elder Feng smiled. "Xiaoyun, you'll always be an Ice Lake disciple in my heart. Sending you to Taiyi after the tournament was a ruse. Now that your husband has returned, I can rest easy. I treat all Ice Lake disciples the same."

Fei Qin and Qi Shuo, within earshot, also expressed their gratitude.

Ji Yilan added, "Yes, Xiaoyun, don't worry. With Grandma here, Ice Lake will be fine, and so will you."

Elder Feng's cart was swift, but after two hours, Mu Xiaoyun noticed their destination wasn't Ice Lake.

Before she could inquire, Elder Feng steered the cart into a hidden valley. A nearby warrior, witnessing the Ice Lake cart, quickly concealed himself, only emerging after the cart had fully entered the valley. He muttered, patting his chest, "I should leave; witnessing hidden sect matters means certain death."

"Grandma, is this another Ice Lake outpost?" Ji Yilan asked on Mu Xiaoyun's behalf.

Elder Feng nodded, accelerating the cart.

"Aunty Miao and Elder Luo aren't here," Fei Qin observed.

Elder Feng remained silent, but Ji Yilan explained, "Grandma is likely prioritizing Xiaoyun's safety, bringing us here first. Aunty Miao and the others should be fine. Who knows if someone might try to harm Xiaoyun upon our return to Ice Lake?"

This explanation brought immediate understanding.

An hour later, the cart emerged into a flat, open area.

"Grandma, I've never seen this place before! It's incredibly well-hidden," Ji Yilan remarked as they disembarked.

"You'll understand later. We need more outposts for Ice Lake's growth," Elder Feng replied, producing five white stones. She glanced in a specific direction before tossing them out. The stones landed in five distinct locations. Mu Xiaoyun was astonished; these were spirit stones! And Grandma possessed this many?

"Grandma, were those chi stones?" Ji Yilan exclaimed, recognizing the stones and their immense value. Even Ice Lake's collective wealth couldn't purchase one, yet Grandma had casually discarded five.

Elder Feng offered no response, but the plain mountain wall suddenly opened, revealing a passage. Ji Yilan and the others were shocked.

Elder Feng stated simply, "This tunnel will only remain open briefly. Everyone, board the cart quickly; we're going in."

The reason for such an expensive concealment remained unknown, yet they obeyed without question.

The tunnel sealed shut behind them, instantly reverting the mountainside to its previous unblemished state. The transformation was magical.

Elder Feng led the four into a stone room. Inside, to their surprise, was a clean, round chamber containing nothing but five oddly shaped sinks near the wall and strange markings on the floor that, upon closer inspection, proved to be ordinary.