Outside the ice mountains, Qing Ya, Ice Sect’s Sect Master had silently appeared but not only did she not show any dissatisfaction or hostility towards Yang Kai, she behaved in an amicable manner which made it difficult for Yang Kai to continue to make trouble.

He had originally decided to thoroughly cut off relations with Ice Sect, run amok to vent his dissatisfaction, and then take Su Yan away.

However, the att.i.tude of the Sect Master Qing Ya made him feel somewhat incapable of following through with his plans. If he were to continue to act standoffishly when the other side had greeted him with a warm smile, it really would be a bit unreasonable.

“You came looking for Su Yan? Meng Wu Ya mentioned you would,” Qing Ya continued in the same gentle tone.

Yang Kai nodded lightly.

“I’ll be honest with you, Su Yan has had an accident.”

Yang Kai’s expression immediately became cold upon hearing this, prompting Qing Ya to hurriedly say, “But you can rest a.s.sured that her life is not in any danger, she has just entered a frozen state.”

“A frozen state?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled.

“Her present condition is the result of her own decisions; of course, my Ice Sect also bears some responsibility. In any case, you will understand when you see her, it’s not something a few words can explain clearly,” Qing Ya beckoned to Yang Kai.

“Sect Master…” Qian Yue shouted hastily, obviously still wanting to prevent Yang Kai from meeting Su Yan, but she immediately shut her mouth after Qing Ya shot her a single glance.

“Right, before that, can you take back the little insects from my Ice Sect disciples’ Knowledge Seas? Since they were released by you, you should have a way to remove them, yes?” Qing Ya looked at Yang Kai with a smile.

“Please excuse me, before confirming my Senior Sister’s condition, I am not prepared to take back those insects,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head. Right now, the Soul Devouring Insects which allowed him to control the fate of more than two hundred Ice Sect disciples was the only bargaining chip he had. Although he felt Qing Ya was a trustworthy person, one could never truly know what was in the heart of another person. If he were to take back his Soul Devouring Insects and the other party suddenly attacked him, facing a Third Order Saint, Yang Kai would have no ability to resist.

“You’re certainly cautious enough,” Qing Ya shook her head, “In that case, are you certain my Ice Sect’s disciples won’t have any issue?”

“I already said that within half an hour, they won’t be in any danger,” Yang Kai replied flatly.

“Very well, you come with me first. Qian Yue, you come too. Qian Hao, you look after these disciples.”

“Yes,” The elders all respectfully replied, Qian Hao then turning to Yang Kai and coldly threatening, “Little brat, don’t play any tricks, or else I’ll tidy you up.”

Yang Kai was too lazy to pay attention to him.

Qing Ya flew forward and eventually brought Yang Kai in front of the ice mountain he felt Su Yan’s aura coming from. With a wave of her jade-like hand, Qing Ya revealed a hidden door in the side of the mountain.

This door was carved from fine ice crystals and a mysterious energy flowed through it. If one looked closely, they could see faint traces of Spirit Array lines running across its surface which obviously isolated whatever was inside any Divine Sense trying to probe it.

Once inside the ice mountain, a profound chill flooded towards Yang Kai from all directions, causing him to s.h.i.+ver slightly before he quickly circulated his True Qi, expelling the Cold Qi from his body.

Feeling the heat radiating from Yang Kai’s body, Qian Yue showed an unhappy expression, her pretty face filling with a look of disgust.

Everyone in Ice Sect cultivated Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Martial Skill, so they were greatly averse to the type of energy Yang Kai possessed.

The interior of the ice mountain was crystal-clear and the path the trio walked along was lined with softly glowing crystals, creating an astonis.h.i.+ngly beautiful sight and ambience.

As they proceeded deeper into the mountain, Yang Kai’s breathing gradually became heavy as he felt Su Yan’s presence getting closer and closer.

After walking for about half the time it would take to boil a cup of tea, the trio arrived at in front of a large ice door and Qing Ya looked back at Yang Kai and said, “Su Yan is here, but you must promise me, after seeing her don’t get agitated.”

“I know,” Yang Kai nodded faintly.

Qing Ya nodded in return and gently pushed open the door, revealing a large ice room, allowing Yang Kai to enter first before she followed behind with Qian Yue.

There was nothing in this ice room besides a large crystal bed carved of profound ice. Atop this ice bed lay Su Yan, her eyes closed and her body wrapped in a layer of ice, seemingly in a very deep sleep.

Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed and flames of anger erupted in his heart but he quickly suppressed these negative feelings and slowly walked toward the ice bed.

Qing Ya and Qian Yue were both staring at him, the two of them quite surprised to find that this young man who only moments ago was acting so violently and treacherously, upon seeing Su Yan’s face, actually wore such a gentle expression, the look in his eyes showing a deep care and affection.

The expression on Yang Kai’s face fluctuated rapidly between excitement, anxiety, antic.i.p.ation, and concern as he slowly stepped forward.

As he approached Su Yan’s side, his expression gradually became calm.

Arriving before the ice bed, staring down at the sleeping beauty in front of him, Yang Kai’s mouth curled into a light smile.

Lying atop the ice bed, Su Yan’s vitality was strong and there was no sign her life was in any danger, it was just that her whole body was wrapped in a strange layer of ice, seemingly frozen in place and unable to respond to the arrival of Yang Kai.

Yang Kai extended his hand but was unable to touch her.

Staring at her for a moment, Yang Kai noticed that Su Yan’s look was calm, her hands resting lightly atop her flat belly; obviously she had been fully aware of what she was doing before she had been frozen in this ice and had not experienced any pain in the process.

What was odd though was at the moment, Su Yan’s True Qi was still circulating, obviously her Secret Art was still operating, and at a significantly faster rate than normal.

Knowing that Yang Kai’s mental and emotional state were currently fluctuating, Qing Ya and Qian Yue both remained silent and did not bother him.

Time pa.s.sed by quickly and while Qing Ya’s expression did not change, Qian Yue’s was beginning to show some signs of impatience.

More than two hundred Ice Sect disciples were still in a precarious state outside. If Yang Kai didn’t take back his Soul Devouring Insects after the stated half an hour, these disciples would die, so Qian Yue couldn’t help urging him, “Boy, haven’t you stared at her long enough? No matter how long you stand there you can’t wake her up, not only is her body frozen, her consciousness is as well.”

Yang Kai simply glanced back at her coldly in response.

Qian Yue unconsciously s.h.i.+fted her eyes, seemingly feeling somewhat guilty.

“Is this some kind of Martial Skill?” Yang Kai s.h.i.+fted his attention to Qing Ya and asked.

Qing Ya nodded lightly, “En, it is my Ice Sect’s core inheritance Martial Skill, Frozen Body Sealed Heart! After displaying it, the body’s True Qi is condensed into a layer of ice that freezes the body and mind, causing all sensation of the outside world to be lost.”

“If that’s so, why is my Senior Sister’s Secret Art still circulating?” Yang Kai frowned.

Qing Ya smiled, “Frozen Body Sealed Heart is an auxiliary cultivation technique. When one of my Ice Sect disciples uses this Martial Skill, they can force themselves into a deep meditative state which allows them to cultivate faster. Many disciples will use the Frozen Body Sealed Heart when they enter secluded retreat. Depending on how much True Qi one uses when activating this Martial Skill, the longer they will remain in a frozen state of enlightenment.”

“How long will my Senior Sister remain in this state?” Yang Kai asked dimly.

Qing Ya complexion became somewhat gloomy as she shook her head, “I don’t know, possibly several years, possible dozens of years, possibly forever… Su Yan’s True Qi has formed a kind of cycle that is constantly maintaining the technique.”

Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he inquired, “Why did she freeze herself? What grievance or maltreatment did she receive in Ice Sect that forced her into this state?”

Saying so, he glared angrily towards Qian Yue.

“Brat, what are you staring at me for, I want nothing but the best for her, how could I possibly mistreat her?” Qian Yue was a little annoyed.

“You shouldn’t be too anxious little boy, Elder Qian Yue never mistreated Su Yan, in fact she wholeheartedly wanted to accept your Senior Sister as her disciple,” Qing Ya quickly consoled.

“I’m afraid she does not have such good fortune!” Yang Kai genuinely loathed Qian Yue.

“This matter truly has something to do with Elder Qian Yue though,” Qing Ya sighed softly, “Su Yan becoming like this is partly her responsibility.”

Qian Yue’s expression became pained as she said in a dispirited tone, “I didn’t antic.i.p.ate this, I don’t even know when she learned the Frozen Body Sealed Heart. If I had only known earlier… I wouldn’t have been so insistent, haa…”

Saying so, she turned her eyes to Yang Kai and coldly said, “Little brat, I do not deny my role in all of this, but everything I did, I did to benefit her, I never had any intention to harm her!”

“What exactly happened?” Yang Kai’s hostility did not decrease in the slightest. Although Qian Yue had said as much, that was, after all, only her side of the story, ultimately, he had to understand what had transpired before making a judgement.

“Qian Yue, you explain,” Qing Ya rubbed her forehead lightly.

Qian Yue nodded slightly and began narrating the matters that had occurred after Su Yan entered Ice Sect.

Two years ago, Meng Wu Ya had suddenly brought Xia Ning Chang and Su Yan to Ice Sect to see Sect Master Qing Ya and entrusted the latter with Su Yan temporarily.

Ice Sect secluded itself in this glacial world and generally did not allow outsiders into its territory, but Meng Wu Ya had some friends.h.i.+p with Qing Ya, so after shamelessly using some soft and hard forms of persuasion, Qing Ya eventually agreed to his request.

After settling Su Yan here, Meng Wu Ya and Xia Ning Chang left.

“That old fogey said he was going handle some kind of dangerous matter with his apprentice but didn’t want to expose Su Yan to that danger so he decided to secretly leave the latter here. It was only after he left that Su Yan learned the truth, but at that point she had no choice but to stay in Ice Sect,” Qian Yue explained.

Yang Kai nodded lightly, there was truly nothing wrong with Treasurer Meng’s decisions. Him not telling Su Yan in advance he was leaving Ice Sect was because he knew Su Yan’s personality; the latter would definitely try to follow him in order to help rather than stay behind in Ice Sect.

“And then?” Yang Kai pressed.

“Sect Master handed Su Yan over to me to take care of. At first I thought nothing about her. When she first arrived here, her strength was not low but nothing remarkable; however, I soon discovered that she possessed an unparalleled apt.i.tude, her cultivation speed was nothing short of astonis.h.i.+ng and most importantly, her cultivation techniques lines up perfectly with my Ice Sect’s Secret Arts and Martial Skills! Thinking back about it, that old fogey probably planned all of this out before bringing Su Yan to Ice Sect.”

Yang Kai’s mouth twitched slightly as he mused that Meng Wu Ya had definitely plotted for things to turn out this way. That old fart knew many powerful masters in Tong Xuan Realm, even Chu Ling Xiao and him were old friends, but despite that, he had specifically brought Su Yan here. Obviously, he did so because he knew that Ice Sect’s heritage was the best for Su Yan.

Meng Wu Ya acting so was his way of getting Ice Sect to cultivate Su Yan for free.

If Yang Kai was in his place, he would have done the same!