Yizhou, Among the Colorful Clouds.
“Hurry up, Second Senior Sister, my stomach is about to shrivel from hunger!”
Huang Doudou urged as she lay limply on the dining table.
“Don’t rush me. Instead of just waiting here, why don’t you go to the martial arts field and call our Little Junior Sister over?”
Blue Ling’er, wearing an apron, held a rice ladle in one hand and controlled the magical treasure, Bixu Lingyuan, with the other.
A steady stream of water poured into the large pot.
“Between the two of you, one is incredibly impatient while the other forgets to eat every time she cultivates. Honestly…”
“Then, Second Senior Sister, which behavior do you think is more correct?”
“Naturally, waiting quietly for the meal to be served is the most correct,” Blue Ling’er said crossly.
“If I had to compare, our Little Junior Sister is still a bit better than you. You clearly succeeded in your Breakthrough to the King realm, yet you haven’t put in the effort to cultivate and stabilize your foundation. If you were as diligent as her, Master wouldn’t have to worry nearly as much.”
The three of them had completed the mission assigned by Yu Yi.
The factions behind those who had previously intruded into Among the Colorful Clouds had been almost entirely wiped out by the three sisters.
Those were all organizations below the Heaven grade that had tried to take advantage of Among the Colorful Clouds’ situation to rise to power.
During this round of purging operations, Huang Doudou’s cultivation had finally progressed from the peak of the Grandmaster rank to Level 1 King realm.
“Uh… Second Senior Sister, you know me. I’m not like Little Junior Sister. Without motivation, it’s very hard for me to concentrate fully on cultivation,” Huang Doudou said bashfully, her small face turning red.
Blue Ling’er glanced at her and immediately guessed what the little girl was thinking.
‘She probably wants to wait for Yu Yi to return, tell her about the breakthrough, seek a “reward,” and then start training hard.’
‘As for before that, she’ll just slack off.’
“Doudou, is your skin itching for a scolding?” Blue Ling’er asked with a “kind” smile. “If you lack motivation, I could certainly help you, you know?”
“Really? Uh… but Second Senior Sister, your eyes look so scary. Am I going to die?”
Before Huang Doudou could even be excited for half a second, she swallowed hard and immediately behaved herself.
“Don’t worry, Senior Sister will take very good care of you~”
“I—I think I’ll pass!”
Just as Blue Ling’er was intentionally teasing Huang Doudou, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from outside.
In the next second, Chi Ming rushed in.
She was drenched in sweat and seemed extremely anxious.
“Oh? Little Junior Sister, you’ve made progress today. Did you remember it was almost time to eat?” Blue Ling’er asked with a smile, seeing Chi Ming’s frantic arrival.
However, Chi Ming simply scratched her head and asked in return, “Huh? It’s time to eat?”
Blue Ling’er: “…”
Huang Doudou: “…”
“Wait a moment…”
Blue Ling’er frowned slightly and asked Chi Ming in confusion, “Little Junior Sister, if you aren’t rushing here to eat, then why are you in such a hurry?”
Chi Ming quickly replied, “Shan Xia! Someone is trying to break the Mountain-Protecting Array! I originally wanted to handle it alone, but after thinking it over, I felt it was better to notify my two senior sisters first.”
Upon hearing this, both Blue Ling’er and Huang Doudou were stunned.
The Mountain-Protecting Array of Among the Colorful Clouds had only been established for a few days.
Had someone already grown arrogant enough to come and offend them so soon?
Furthermore, it was worth noting that Chi Ming said “someone is trying to break the formation,” which meant they hadn’t simply stumbled into it by accident.
This indicated that the intruder had clearly noticed the formation protecting Among the Colorful Clouds and, instead of leaving, intended to force their way in!
“You two, follow me.”
The moment Blue Ling’er removed her apron, her beautiful face was suddenly covered in a layer of frost.
She released a chilling aura that sent waves of cold through the room.
Subsequently, Huang Doudou and Chi Ming followed behind Blue Ling’er as they hurried down the mountain.
***
At the foot of Among the Colorful Clouds, in front of the Mountain-Protecting Array, stood a woman.
She wore a white gauze veiled hat that completely obscured her face, and her black hair fell straight like a waterfall.
She carried a long sword on her back that had not yet been unsheathed.
Just as she was pondering how to break the formation before her, she suddenly felt the wind blowing from not far ahead.
It was piercingly cold, like a frigid gale from a snowy realm blowing into a land that had not yet reached winter.
“Who goes there? How dare you set foot in Among the Colorful Clouds?”
Blue Ling’er’s voice was cold and low, yet it was deafening and full of momentum.
However, the white-clothed woman was not affected in the slightest.
The cold wind blew aside the white gauze in front of her, revealing a beautiful face.
She looked at Blue Ling’er and asked coldly, “Where is your Master?”
“What business do you have with my Master?”
Blue Ling’er retorted.
“Just call your Master out. Don’t waste time with so much nonsense,” the white-clothed woman said impatiently.
“There is no point in telling you the news.”
“One with impure motives dares to wish to see my Master?”
Blue Ling’er did not wish to waste any more time. She acted decisively, intending to expel the woman.
A massive amount of water gushed from the magical treasure Bixu Lingyuan, instantly freezing into several ice swords.
They wove together in the air like an inescapable net, surging toward the woman.
The white-clothed woman did not panic.
She silently drew the long sword from her back and slashed at the air!
Sword Qi surged through the sky, blocking Blue Ling’er’s summoned ice swords from all directions.
The powerful impact from the violent collision of the two forces forced both of them back several steps.
“Such Sword Intent… could it be that you are from the Sword Pavilion?”
Blue Ling’er asked coldly.
“As expected of the strongest ‘Snow Empress’ under that Demoness. Your reputation is indeed well-deserved.”
After one move, the white-clothed woman also acknowledged Blue Ling’er.
Then, she actually sheathed her sword and said to Blue Ling’er, “I am Liu Mingyan, the fourth disciple of the Sword Pavilion. My visit to Among the Colorful Clouds today is not to compete with you, but to notify that Demoness of an important matter. So do not waste time here, hurry and…”
Before Liu Mingyan could finish her sentence, Blue Ling’er’s freezing coldness struck again.
Liu Mingyan frowned and was forced to dodge.
The spot where she had been standing was instantly pierced by several sharp ice spikes.
“You keep calling her a Demoness. Such disrespect toward my Master will come at a price!”
Blue Ling’er said without hesitation.
“Doudou, Chi Ming, prepare to join me. We’re taking down this insolent person!”
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, Liu Mingyan clicked her tongue.
She quickly placed an object on the ground and vanished without a trace at an extreme speed.
“Why did she run away? I thought she was so brave.”
Even though Huang Doudou hadn’t done anything, she stood proudly with her hands on her hips, mocking the escaped Liu Mingyan.
“The Sword Pavilion has been silent for many years, and it has been a long time since we’ve heard any news about them. That Liu Mingyan likely didn’t expect that Among the Colorful Clouds is no longer what it used to be. That’s why she dared to be so presumptuous earlier,” Blue Ling’er said.
“Does that mean she tried to destroy the formation just to draw Master out and speak with her face-to-face?”
Chi Ming said with some surprise.
“Isn’t that a bit too reckless?”
“Perhaps they still believe even now that their Master, the Sword Emperor, holds authority over ours,” Blue Ling’er said.
She then looked at the item Liu Mingyan had left behind and found it was an exquisite jade box.
Blue Ling’er picked up the box, her heart full of doubt.
‘The Sword Pavilion wants to give this to Master? What exactly is inside?’
With the determination to test for danger, Blue Ling’er slowly opened the jade box.
The contents inside were far beyond her expectations.