Jiang Yi had been to the Tiger Subdue Mountain before, but he had never met Cao Peiwen. This time, as he was being dragged out of the opening he had just entered, his eyes locked in on an elderly person standing on the ground. He was sure that it was Cao Peiwen.
The elderly man looked so old that his face looked like it had been carved straight out of the trunk of a tree. His skin was extremely wrinkled, and both of his arms were just skin and bones. His two eyebrows were almost completely gone by now, and the beard on his chin was thin as well.
However, Cao Peiwen’s gaze cut right through Jiang Yi. His eyes did not look in the least bit cloudy. Instead, they were extremely clear. They cut through Jiang Yi just like two blades, causing Jiang Yi not to dare to look directly at him.
Is that the Shield of the Earth?
Jiang Yi scanned the divine shield that was covering the elderly body. It did not look strange in any way. The only thing that was different about it was that the divine shield was the color of the soil. It looked like the one that belonged to Big Sister Xing, the maidservant of Yin Ruobing. However, Big Sister Xing’s had been a treasure—this was a real divine shield.
After Cao Peiwen broke out of the ground, he did not do anything else. Instead, he looked calmly at Jiang Yi and said, “Keke, Jiang Yi. You messed up the entire Snow Region and killed so many people as well as three Demigods. Did you really think you could just dust off your hands and walk out of here? You really think that there is no one else left in this Snow Region?”
Jiang Yi forgot about running away. With an opponent as strong as the one standing in front of him, there was no way he would be able to run away anymore. He knew that he was not capable enough to kill an eight-star formidable martial artist. His star sphere essence force aside—even if he could activate the Nirvana Flames once again, he was sure that it would not be able to burn Cao Peiwen.
Jiang Yi wiped the blood from his mouth and sucked in two breaths. Then, he said, “Sect Patriarch Cao, I have never looked down on you heroes; neither have I ever thought much about myself. In fact… if I could say so, I never wanted to come to the Snow Region. I did not want to take any lives either.”
“Hahaha!”
Cao Peiwen laughed maniacally as he shook his head. “The problem is you did come, and you did take many lives. Everyone should take responsibility for their own actions, don’t you agree?”
Jiang Yi nodded and said, “You’re right. Since I’ve killed people from the Snow Region, it’s normal for you to want to kill me. Sect Patriarch Cao, you can call the shots. It is my honor to die at the hands of the second-best in the Snow Region.”
“Not bad, not bad; you’re a man.”
He was an enemy, but Cao Peiwen appreciated Jiang Yi’s confidence. He held Jiang Yi’s gaze. A man’s eyes never lied. Jiang Yi was speaking from his heart. He was not playing any games at all.
Cao Peiwen paused. Suddenly, his heart stirred. He was indeed a Demigod, and Demigods did live long. However, Cao Peiwen suffered a serious injury when he was young and never recovered the lost essence force. Thus, he did not have much time left to live.
He suddenly said, “Jiang Yi, why not we make a deal? You join the Tiger Subdue Sect and work for us for fifty years, and I will spare your life. I will do my best to protect you at that. Hand your Soul Seal to Duantian, and I will make him swear to return it your freedom to you in fifty years.”
“Hahahahaha!”
Jiang Yi laughed out loud—almost ridiculously loud. He even used his essence force to amplify his laughter so that it could be heard from kilometers away. His laugh was mirthless. “You’re asking me to be Cao Duantian’s slave? Coarse Fellow Cao, I always thought you were a good character. I never thought you would be so stupid? Do you think Cao Duantian deserves it?”
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Jiang Yi’s voice was loud. Cao Duantian and all the elders far away heard what he said, and their expressions changed immediately. It was obvious that Jiang Yi looked down upon them. He was the Young Clan Head of the Tiger Subdue Sect—the best young master in the Snow Region. Yet, Jiang Yi thought nothing of him.
On hearing his words, however, the masses relaxed slightly. Cao Peiwen was going to take action. Jiang Yi would fall in the Snow Region after all.
“En?”
A hint of rage flickered across Cao Peiwen’s expression. Jiang Yi was almost at his death bed, and yet he was still so cocky and daring enough to spout nonsense? In a cool tone, he said, “Since you’re so foolish, I should send you on your way.”
Buzz!
A white light shone around Jiang Yi’s body. He quickly took on his original form. His black hair turned red, and his youthful face turned pale. His eyes finally looked free. Perhaps dying was a sort of freedom.
Looking toward the north, he felt a tinge of regret tug at his heart. How good would it be if he could see Su Ruoxue for the last time before dying?
Swish!
At that exact moment, something cut across the air. Five figures floated over. Their feet floated above ground as their bodies floated through more than thirty meters. Their blur bodies quickly cleared up before Jiang Yi’s eyes.
“Ruoxue?”
Jiang Yi called out meekly. He thought that he was hallucinating just before he died. Jiang Yi rubbed his eyes to make sure that he was not seeing things. Immediately, his face split into a grin. He had been ready to die, but now, he was very awake and excited. He quickly released his divine senses and said,”Ruoxue, Fifth Eldress, don’t come over!”
He had killed so many people. In Tiger Subdue Sect alone, he must have killed about ten thousand people. He even killed off three Demigods that day. Cao Peiwen would not let him off for sure. Even with Fifth Eldress around, Cao Peiwen would likely not spare his life. Otherwise, he could forget about taking any charge in the Snow Region.
Thus, if they came any closer—not only would they fail to save him, they might even anger Cao Peiwen. Even if he had to perish, Jiang Yi did not want Su Ruoxue to witness it.
Swish!
Fifth Eldress did not seem to have heard Jiang Yi speaking. She brought Su Ruoxue and the others even closer, landing on a hill a few hundred meters away. Fifth Eldress did not even spare Jiang Yi a glance. Instead, she turned to Cao Peiwen and said, “Greetings, Sect Patriarch Cao.”
Cao Peiwen nodded slightly, his face devoid of expression. “Fifth Eldress, why did you bring your people here?”
Fifth Eldress smiled gently and reached out. “I did not come here for anything else but Jiang Yi. I hope that Sect Patriarch Cao would let Jiang Yi live for my sake. I promise that he will stop treating the Tiger Subdue Sect as his enemy from now on.”
“Hahaha!”
Cao Peiwen laughed out loud as if he had just heard the biggest joke in the world. In a mocking tone, he said, “Fifth Eldress, are you out of your mind? You’re trying to protect a man like that? He has killed more than ten thousand men from my Tiger Subdue Sect, turned the entire Snow Region upside down, and even killed Huo Yan and Meng Nong. Do you think I will let him off on your word alone? Why don’t you ask the rest of the sects in the Snow Region and see if they’re willing? Do you really think you’re that important?”
“Little Fifth is not that important? Is the Highness important enough then?”
A gentle female’s voice cut across the air. Her voice was clear and crisp and sounded like it was coming from all directions. It traveled far and wide so that even Cao Duantian and the other elders could hear it.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Countless people trembled, and their expressions changed. Even Cao Peiwen’s expression changed. The expressions of a few of the elders from the bigger clans, Mantis Blade, and even Mo Shen changed as well.
On seeing the shock and anger on Cao Duantian’s face as well as the faces of the other elders of Tiger Subdue Sect, Cao Shishui asked in a confused tone, “Older Brother, who is she?”
Cao Duantian’s eyes carried a mixture of anger and devastation. Through gritted teeth, he spat, “The Saint Empress!”
“Ah?”
Cao Shishui’s youthful face fell at once. Many questions surfaced in her little brain.
The Saint Empress was the Sect Master of the Heaven Hidden Sect, and the uncrowned queen of the Snow Region!
As the owner of the Snow Region, the Heaven Hidden Sect has always had the duty of protecting the entire Snow Region. Historically, a lot of invaders were chased out because of the armies led by the Heaven Hidden Sect. Many people in the Snow Region thus looked up to the people from the Heaven Hidden Sect.
Mostly, the Heaven Hidden Sect stayed out of the conflicts within the Snow Region. As long as nobody caused trouble for them, the Saint Empress would not bother much about their business. Now, the Heaven Hidden Sect was going back on this unspoken code. What’s more, the Saint Empress herself was stepping in to interfere and protect an enemy who had just turned the entire Snow Region upside down. How could everyone not feel shocked and upset?
Who exactly is Jiang Yi?
A brave thought surfaced in Cao Shishui’s mind. Could Jiang Yi be the illegitimate son of the Saint Empress? Why else would the Saint Empress risk angering the ancestors and people of the Snow Region in order to protect him?
