Chapter Ten: Snow Falls Upon the Profound Void

As the two sages of the capital, Wu Zisheng and Ge Dawei, were dispatched on their respective missions, and Chu Linfeng remained at the Hundred Flowers Valley to linger, Li Xiaoxue’s carriage had already arrived before the Xuanming Sect.

"Miss, we have arrived. Please step down." The man in sunglasses who had just stepped off the vehicle bowed, opening the door with a gentlemanly flourish.

Li Xiaoxue felt something was amiss, though she could not pinpoint exactly what. "Are you certain your sect truly has youths without cultivation?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Plenty of them! Follow me up the tower, Miss, and you will see for yourself once we enter!" The man in sunglasses said, a sinister smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Very well. Since I am here, I shall seek him out. I only hope I can find him." With that, she lifted her skirt, stepped out of the carriage, and began to ascend the stairs toward the Xuanming Sect.

Before long, the two reached the entrance of the main hall of the Xuanming Sect. The man in sunglasses said, "Please wait outside for a moment, Miss. I shall go in and announce your arrival." Li Xiaoxue turned slightly and bowed to him, saying, "Then I shall trouble you, sir!"

"Heh-heh-heh—you are too kind, Miss!"

Li Xiaoxue was just wondering why the man had let out such a chilling laugh when she saw him hopping like a monkey toward the main hall.

Inside the hall, a group of people were trembling as they knelt on the ground. On one side of the dais sat a man in black robes, chirping wildly.

"Chirp-chirp-chirp! You bunch of useless trash! You couldn't even capture two girls! What use are you to this sect? All of you, commit suicide and return to the heavens!"

"Sect Master, have mercy! Sect Master, have mercy!" Everyone in the hall prostrated themselves. The man at the head of the group looked particularly shocked. "Father! Father! Are you asking me to... commit suicide and return to the heavens as well?"

"Chirp-chirp-chirp! Is my meaning not clear enough? All of you! Everyone! Including you!" He pointed heavily at the man.

"Father! Father!" The man scrambled on his knees, attempting to collapse at the black-robed man's legs. "It’s me, Lu Chengzong! Your own son!"

"Chirp-chirp-chirp! I’ve wanted to kill you for a long time. Will you do it yourself, or shall I help you?" The black-robed man rubbed his crotch lightly.

Lu Chengzong was the only child of Lu Yufei. Named "Chengzong" with the hope that he would inherit the sect, his father’s doting love for him was profound.

Since returning from seclusion in the mountains three years ago, his father’s cultivation had improved significantly, but his temperament had changed drastically; his words and actions were like those of a different person. When Lu Chengzong asked why, his father merely said he had studied an ancient, esoteric book that was heavy on yin energy.

Lu Chengzong thought this was reasonable; perhaps it was a side effect. Later, he discovered his once-upright father had developed a penchant for luring women from the streets to play in the gardens. He observed secretly and found that the black-robed man would simply expose himself, let the women look, and occasionally rub against them before letting them go without committing rape or murder. He concluded that this was just a bizarre side effect of the yin book.

To protect the sect’s reputation, Lu Chengzong took on the role of cleaning up the mess. Whenever a girl left the garden crying, he would give her a large sum of money to send her down the mountain happily. Some even brought their sisters along to earn money.

Later, the Sect Master lost interest in ordinary beauties and began targeting young, attractive women, especially those with cultivation who would resist, until he was toyed with by the Tang sisters of the allied sect yesterday and suffered the consequences.

Lu Chengzong never expected that his father would hold the entire sect responsible for his own mistakes, and even intend to kill his only flesh and blood!

"Father! Father! Those Tang sisters were not at fault, and the Hundred Flowers Valley is our ally! Sect Master Tang is your sworn brother! If you like this sort of thing, I will personally find you plenty! Why speak of killing to scare your son?" Lu Chengzong cried, clutching the black-robed man’s leg.

Lu Chengzong believed his heartfelt, logical plea would awaken his father, but he was kicked aside.

"Chirp-chirp-chirp! Your enlightenment is lacking! I shall send you on your way myself!" Seeing his father walking toward him, Lu Chengzong felt his heart turn to ash. Closing his eyes, he said, "My body, hair, and skin were given by my father; now, I return them to my father!"

"Heh-heh-heh—Sect Master, Sect Master, I’ve brought you a great treasure!" Just as the black-robed man was about to strike, the man in sunglasses rushed into the hall. Seeing the tense atmosphere, he quickly turned to leave.

"Stop!" the black-robed man bellowed. "How many times must I tell you! It is 'chirp-chirp-chirp,' not 'heh-heh-heh'!"

"Oh, oh, this servant forgot again. Look at my mouth—chirp-chirp-chirp!" The man in sunglasses hurriedly corrected himself.

"Chirp-chirp-chirp, and what is this treasure you speak of?" the black-robed man asked.

"This..." The man in sunglasses looked at the people in the hall. With the Young Sect Master still there, he felt it was inappropriate to speak.

"Speak! Never mind these pieces of trash; they will be corpses soon! Chirp!" the black-robed man commanded.

"Uh..." The man in sunglasses was bewildered, but he dared not disobey the Sect Master. He hurriedly began, "Sect Master, I have found a stunningly beautiful girl outside. That face, that little mouth! That figure! *Suck-suck-suck!* She is a true masterpiece!"

"*Suck-suck-suck?* Ah! You infuriate me!" The black-robed man slapped the man in sunglasses against the wall with one strike!

"Sect... Sect Master, this 'suck-suck' is just a filler word... ah..." Before he could finish, he collapsed to the ground, dead or dying.

The hall was exceptionally quiet...

"Hmm, hmm, chirp-chirp-chirp... I am aware they are filler words, but he had to die. From now on, whoever speaks without adding three 'chirps' will die! Do you hear me?" He glared at the others. "Do you agree or not?"

The crowd, terrified, bowed their heads and replied, "Yes, yes, yes!"

The hall was silent enough to hear a pin drop.

"Excuse me, is anyone here?" An ethereal voice broke the silence.

Li Xiaoxue had waited outside for a while. Seeing no one emerge and growing anxious, she simply walked in.

Entering the hall, Li Xiaoxue saw the crowd kneeling and the man in sunglasses lying in a pool of blood. Adhering to the principle of "avoiding unnecessary trouble," she bowed her head slightly and turned to leave.

"Stop!" the black-robed man said in a deep voice.

Li Xiaoxue paused but did not turn around. She bowed sideways and said, "I did not know the sect was discussing important matters today. My intrusion was a discourtesy." She then turned to leave.

"Heh-heh-heh! Fairy, please stay!"

The crowd: "???"

"Heh-heh-heh! I do have important matters today. We were just discussing how to welcome you, Fairy. This man actually brought you into the hall instead of letting us welcome you at the gate. It was a dereliction of duty, so I have already punished him for you!" He then looked at the crowd. "Do you agree or not?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"...

Looking at the lifeless man in sunglasses, Li Xiaoxue frowned. "I had heard the Sect Master was hospitable, so I was curious to see. Today, having seen it, I have no other business. I shall take my leave." She cupped her hands and hurried toward the door.

"Heh-heh-heh, since you are here, there is no need to rush off!" With a sudden, whirlwind-like movement, he blocked her path.

Li Xiaoxue watched the black-robed man’s shifting movements. She could not identify his style of cultivation; she had never seen someone create such a fierce wind just by moving. She quietly spread her spiritual sense, but could not detect any cultivation!

"May I ask what the Sect Master desires?" Li Xiaoxue asked vigilantly.

"Desire? I wouldn't dare! Heh-heh-heh... I merely wish to invite you to the back garden to enjoy the sights," the black-robed man leered.

"Enjoy what?" As she spoke, Li Xiaoxue secretly circulated the True Energy in her dantian, waiting for a chance to escape.

"Heh-heh-heh... in the back garden, one enjoys flowers, birds, and the breeze." The black-robed man could not suppress his excitement.

"I apologize, Sect Master, but I am allergic to flowers. I cannot go to the back garden."

"Oh? That is fine. We can go to my room instead. I recently obtained a 'Heavenly Key' that can open the 'Heavenly Box.' It is said to have been a gift from an immortal over a decade ago. I have yet to open it and would love to invite you to watch!" He shook the key in his hand.

"Sect Master, I truly apologize. I am not feeling well and would like to return home. I shall come back to watch once I have recovered!" Li Xiaoxue had already channeled her last bit of True Energy, ready to bolt.

"Heh-heh-heh... then you should rest in my room even more! I shall help you..." Before he could finish, a loud "Bang!" echoed, and Li Xiaoxue shot out like a missile.

"Heh-heh-heh, to have such cultivation with such a fairy-like appearance—I’ve never encountered this before! It makes me all the more excited!" The black-robed man transformed into a meteor and gave chase, the fierce wind shattering the six-paneled hall doors as he flew out.

Li Xiaoxue fled at full speed, daring not to slacken her pace. Yet, the nauseating laughter grew closer.

Li Xiaoxue was only at the third level of the Mountain-Shaking Realm. Previously, at the Half-Step Void-Flying Realm, she could barely glide through the air, but the Mountain-Shaking Realm required landing to leap; each leap covered a hundred paces, and at the third level, she could cover three hundred.

The black-robed man, however, was truly flying. Li Xiaoxue was puzzled; why could he fly without any detectable spiritual energy? But she had no time to ponder.

After fifteen or sixteen miles, Li Xiaoxue’s spiritual energy faltered, and she slowed down. She was caught by the black-robed man just as she landed.

Without a word, they both struck a palm blow without using weapons. Li Xiaoxue felt a sharp pain, as if she had struck a copper pillar!

"Could he be in the Great Diamond Realm like my father?" she exclaimed. Then she realized that couldn't be right; if he were in the Great Diamond Realm, she wouldn't have even been able to leave the sect.

She knew the power of that realm well. The body is like diamond, unbreakable. Below the Void-Flying Realm, one could not even break his skin with a full-force strike. A single punch could send air flying like a cannonball, shattering mountains.

"Heh-heh-heh! Beauty, be obedient and come back with me, so I don't have to get rough and hurt you!" the black-robed man leered.

"In your dreams!" Knowing she could not escape, Li Xiaoxue opened her communicator to call for her father, but it was unresponsive.

"Heh-heh-heh... looks like you have helpers, but that palm strike likely shattered your little toy. It’s useless now!" the black-robed man laughed.

This was why cultivators disliked carrying these things. First, they were distracting; second, if nearby, they could teleport or transmit sound, and if far, they were usually with their sect. The third point was the most fatal: modern communicators were too delicate. Cultivators were always shattering mountains and splitting rocks; how could such a thing survive?

"I am a member of the Capital Kunlun Academy. My father is Li Chenqian, one of the Four Heavenly Guardians of China. If you let me go today, I shall be eternally grateful!" Li Xiaoxue played her trump card.

"Heh-heh-heh, talk of gratitude—if you don't forget me after tonight, that would be wonderful!" The black-robed man completely ignored her threat.

"Did you not hear me? My father is Li Chenqian!" Even Li Xiaoxue was stunned. How could this man be so irrational?

"Heh-heh-heh! If he is my father-in-law, I should respect him—but only after you and I have consummated our marriage!" He lunged at her like a claw. Li Xiaoxue blocked, her arms aching with every strike.

How could his muscles and bones be so solid if he wasn't in the Diamond Realm?

She had no choice but to use that technique. She would rather die than be captured. She struck him with a palm to create distance and then turned her hands.

"Nine Heavens of Profound Frost!"

As she spoke, the frost from her palms surged toward the clouds. Nine giant frost dragons spiraled down from the sky, accompanied by a blizzard that blanketed the earth in white. The temperature dropped sharply for ten miles; rivers, mountains, and trees were frozen in an instant. After the technique, Li Xiaoxue spat out a mouthful of blood, her spirit withered.

This technique was something she was born with; she had simply given it a fitting name.

However, the consumption was immense. Having just integrated the essence of the Peach Blossom Succubus, her foundation was unstable. This was her ultimate move, with a long cooldown. Her father had once guided her to use it, warning her that she should only use it after breaking into the Void-Flying Realm.

"Go!" Li Xiaoxue pushed with her sword finger, and the nine dragons roared toward the black-robed man.

But when the dragons collided with him, the expected explosion of gore did not occur. Instead, they swirled around him playfully, as if nine dragons were playing with a pearl.

"Haha, itchy! Itchy! Stop it, haha, it feels good! Come again! Chirp-chirp-chirp! Chirp-chirp-chirp!" The black-robed man rolled in the waves of dragons, laughing lustfully.

"Impossible! Impossible! You are not human!" Li Xiaoxue felt dizzy and collapsed into a pool of blood.