Suddenly, one of the male deer shook his ears, his eyes showed puzzlement, and immediately burst into a short scream. The deer herd got into a panic and like a running flood, they ran away.
The next moment—
“We finally came out… Whew!”
A string of heavy and joyful shouts came from under the ice cliff.
A figure rose up from the bottom of the ice cliff, just like an arrow from the string, landing beside the broken ice cliff.
It was Ding Hao who had been trapped in the ice cracks for more than five months.
“Meow. I finally see the sky again!” Evil Moon, the fat cat, shouted like being in heat. He jumped from Ding Hao’s shoulder and rolled on the grass, giving himself to sensual pleasure.
Ding Hao also issued long shout.
“Yes, I finally see the sky again.”
After five or six months, they had finally seen the red sun in the sky and the endless mountains and snowfields. The earth was recovering, and a new season was coming.
Out of the Underground Crystal Dragon Palace, Ding Hao, who had improved strength, climbed upwards with his sword and saber cutting the mysterious ice walls. It took Ding Hao ten full days to finally climb out of the bottomless underground ice cracks.
“It’s time to go back… Swordsmanship-seeking Sect, I am coming back!”
Confirming the direction, Ding Hao stepped down the mountain.
…
Peaceful City.
The long winter was about to pass, and it was good news for the people in Peaceful City.
The arrival of spring meant that the earth was about to become fertile again. The human tribe and the demon tribe no longer worried about food, and the atmosphere between them would ease. The ban in Peaceful City was also abolished, and merchant groups gradually increased and streets became lively again.
Glutton’s House was a very famous restaurant in the city.
It had been open for just five months, but its business was very good because of its outstanding culinary skills and fair price.
At lunch time one day, the restaurant began to vocalize again. With the lifting of the ban, a large number of rogue cultivators and warriors, mercenaries and merchant groups poured into the city, and the business of major inns and restaurants became increasingly popular. They were full every day.
Where there were people, there was a jianghu world.
Where there was a jianghu world, there would be various news about it.
“Have you heard? A few months ago, the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect and the Tranquility Academy had a conflict in the Heavenly Valley. This time, the two sides fought hard, resulting in many deaths and injuries. Even some superiors at the primordial level were killed… Alas. If the nine sects of the human tribe become totally incompatible as fire and water, I am afraid that an internal strife will start!”
“I heard that the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect first had the upper hand. Unfortunately, Mu Tianyang personally came and killed Ma Yifei, the primordial superior of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect, and almost killed all masters of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect!”
…
Nobody noticed that hearing the news about Ma Yifei’s death, the person sitting near a window on the second floor trembled a little.
Beside the square log table, only one person was sitting, looking a little lonely and wearing a white gown. The gown looked extremely worn; some places even had rough patches, and the gown’s robes and cuffs had worn rough. The man was penniless and frustrated.
The table was full of hearty meals, mostly meat. And a fat little white cat was chewing on his own.
…
“The Swordsmanship-seeking Sect and the Tranquility Academy actually had such a large-scale conflict, and what was it for?”
“It’s not very clear. Maybe they are fighting for some natural treasures!”
“Hehe. You don’t know that it is said that the Falling Star Sect actually participated in the battle in the Heaven and Man Valley on that day. A lot of people in the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect were plotted against!”
“The situation is getting more and more chaotic.”
“Fortunately, a troublemaker in the Demon Tribe showed up. It is said that a guy claiming to be “the Great Sage of Phoenix Fairy”, but nobody knows where he is from. He’s extremely arrogant. The guy established the “Phoenix Fairy Palace” in the south of Snow Province and threatened to unify all demon tribes in Snow Province, so he set off a civil war so that the Demon Tribe would have no time to distract its attention from it. Otherwise, if the Demon Tribe avails himself of an opportunity to sneak in, this world would have been really chaotic!”
“This is really a restless winter!”
“The geniuses come forth in large numbers in all sects, and it seems that a troubled world is approaching… Whenever troubled times arrive, it’s also time for heroes to become well-known. But, it’s an Asura hell for ordinary people!”
“As for geniuses, Mu Tianyang, the Prodigy and the three scholars in the Tranquility Academy, four eagles in the Falling Star Sect, six knives in the Chopping Sun City, three outstanding disciples of the Introspection Sect, two distinguished disciples of the Dependent Arising Clan and four swords of Wind, Snow, Thunder and Lightning of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect are all the best and brightest in the Cenozoic Era. Those people are bound to be masters at the dominator level in the future of the Snow Province!”
“Good. However, men of talent came out in succession in the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect in recent years, nearly catching up with the Tranquility College. It is said that there are two talents of dragon and tiger in the newly-enrolled disciples, named Liang Feixue and Li Muyun respectively and they are pretty amazing!”
“Hey, I’ve heard that Ding Hao, the first sword of the Eastern Academy of Green Shirts in the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect does not lose to them. Is that so?”
“Haha. Your news are out of date. Now the registered disciples of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect are quite different from before.” A handsome swordsman laughed. The man came out of a group of warriors in green shirts, dressing neatly and sitting at a distant table.
“Oh?” The crowd was appeased by that handsome swordsman.
After all, the stories of the geniuses in major sects were what everyone liked to hear.
Someone immediately stood up, said while cupping his fist before his chest. He said, “This brother seems to know some interesting things about the registered disciples of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect. Please tell us about it so that we can widen our vision!”
The handsome swordsman had an intention to show off and he smiled proudly. “Ding Hao, who you are talking about, was once somebody. From the second competition among five academies, he said that he would not participate in the competition with an excuse of cultivating in seclusion. He even disappeared without leaving a trace. Somebody said that he disdained fighting with other registered disciples. Others said that his strength was declining; he was afraid of losing his past glory. Some even said that he was dead… Anyway, in the past six months, Ding Hao has never shown up.”
“Missing?”
“Seclude himself for cultivating?”
“Did he pretend to be dead since he was afraid of fulfilling his three-year appointment with Mu Tianyang?”
That was the first time for people to hear such a story.
That handsome swordsman in green shirt enjoyed the other people’s surprised expressions.
When the crowd focused their eyes on him, he went on telling the story slowly and leisurely.
“Since Ding Hao was missing, Li Lan, the Magic Palm with Jade Face, became the first master in the Eastern Academy of Green Shirts. With Liang Feixue, Feixue with One Sword and Li Muyun, Cloud Rolling around the World in the Central Academy of White Shirts Cloud, they were called the Three Outstanding Men of the Registered Disciples. They spent only four months to achieve the Completition of the Martial Soldier Realm. So they were favored by superiors of six peaks and six bases, becoming successor disciples of the inner core. Now they follow some masters in the Sect to conduct their cultivation.”
