Summit of the Old Gods

With clear intelligence, the hiding spots of the sentinels were easy to find.

In this vast white world, the Black Lotus stood out stark and large, making the sentinels squatting near the flower easy targets for Lu Yan and his companion.

The unexpected happened with the ninth sentinel.

On a similar mountaintop lay a woman, buried beneath a heavy layer of snow.

Though seemingly well-hidden, Lu Yan and his companion discovered her human silhouette under the snow through conscious searching.

Lu Ran employed the same method, flashing behind the enemy and swiftly executing the Silk Thread technique.

The North Wind Sect reacted quickly, with even faster speed.

However, faced with the unexpected assault by a Sea Realm Great Power, the woman sentinel was caught off guard.

Next, it was supposed to be Yan Shuangzi's moment of slaughter, but this time, she hesitated.

"Evil Shadow?" Lu Ran questioned, glancing at Yan Shuangzi who was half-kneeling on the ground.

He watched as Yan Shuangzi extended her hand, lifting the woman's chin to raise her face.

"Yan... Junior Sister?" The woman was incredulous.

She remained prostrate on the ground, unable to move, her head lifted high.

Her long neck thus "exposed," perfectly suitable for a throat slit.

"Buzz~"

The Eight Desolate Blade in Yan Shuangzi's hand trembled slightly, urging its master to act quickly.

The previous sentinels all met gruesome deaths at the blade's edge; the Eight Desolate Blade relished this mission!

And loved its new master immensely!

Slaying with decisive clarity, taking joy in settling old scores!

To live once as a human, to follow one master—what should have been so!

But this time, the master delayed, and the killing intent within her heart subsided slightly.

Yan Shuangzi bowed her head, gazing at the shocked and terrified face. She spoke softly:

"Senior Sister He."

"Junior... Junior Sister, please... don't..." The woman named He spoke with a trembling voice, her eyes filled with pleading.

Yan Shuangzi's fingers gently brushed He's face, her gaze inscrutable: "What do you think would have happened if I had heeded your warning then?"

He Jing's expression darkened.

For this dazzling younger junior sister, He Jing had once offered advice.

But Yan Shuangzi was too proud.

This outstanding figure among the younger generation from Beifeng Ancient City, she was proud to the point of arrogance.

Or perhaps it was Yan Shuangzi's nature, unable to blind her eyes and cover her ears, to continue serving that ugly deity.

In the end, this brilliant star fell.

Once she stood aloof, scornful of mingling with filth.

Later trampled under "filth," her dignity crushed.

"You were the only kindness I felt on Sword Ridge Peak." Yan Shuangzi spoke softly, sensing the trembling head she held.

Lu Ran watched quietly, understanding the reason.

In Yan Shuangzi's eyes, the woman named He was more than just a life saved — she represented a fragment of goodwill during those cold, harsh days.

Yan Shuangzi looked up at Lu Ran: "Master, can I..."

"Yes," Lu Ran nodded gently.

Yan Shuangzi hesitated for a moment, then said: "I haven't said yet..."

"It's all okay," Lu Ran interrupted again, nodding lightly.

Yan Shuangzi looked at the gentle-smiling young man in the Emperor Robe, and slowly, she lowered her head.

Gazing at the woman's face, Yan Shuangzi eventually spoke: "I'm giving you a chance to live."

Hearing this, He Jing's eyes gradually brightened.

That was a longing for life.

He Jing, who once couldn't bear to see the falling star, meddled with uninvited advice.

Little did she realize that this act would one day save her life.

Reflecting on all that Yan Shuangzi encountered on Sword Ridge Peak...

He Jing really never thought she would survive.

She indeed wasn't a direct perpetrator, but she was part of the colossal entity that was Sword Ridge Peak.

Also part of the vested interest group.

Anyone who endured what Yan Shuangzi did, when they had the power to exact revenge, would probably dismember each snowflake from the avalanche.

"Let's return to the cave." Yan Shuangzi suggested, looking at Lu Ran.

Lu Ran was obedient, immediately opening the Transmission Mirror, lifting the woman with the Silk Thread, and stepped into the mirror.

In the pitch-dark cave, silence reigned.

Yan Shuangzi's calm voice echoed: "Tear up the contract with the deity."

He Jing's face froze instantly!

Then she realized she could move freely, her internal Divine Power no longer in chaos.

Clearly, the young man in the Emperor Robe had retracted the Silk Thread.

But He Jing still dared not act recklessly, though she was at River Realm Peak, in front of the Sea Realm Great Power, she had no ability to resist.

Not to mention, the young man wielded both the Tethering Evil Technique and Evil Mirror Magic, which had thoroughly disoriented her mind.

The fear in her heart outweighed the astonishment.

"You know what to do, you were there to witness the day I was forced to tear the contract," Yan Shuangzi's voice sounded again in the darkness.

He Jing wore a bitter expression and pleaded: "Junior Sister, I'm helpless too, I couldn't alter anything..."

Yan Shuangzi's voice turned cold: "I have no time to listen to such things."

Those who benefited had no right to speak.

He Jing enjoyed Sword Ridge Peak's protection, benefited from the service of lower servants, and by her own ability, maintained the sect's operation.

What else was there to say?

He Jing opened her mouth again and again, but heard Yan Shuangzi's countdown:

"3."

He Jing painfully closed her eyes, recalling the day Yan Shuangzi was executed in public.

After being forced to tear up the contract, would she also have her arm cut off?

Would her eyes be gouged out?

"2."

The cold countdown, like a sharp sword hanging over He Jing's head, left her with no choice. She mobilized the Divine Power within her, rushing madly to her mind.

"1."

"Ah..." A piercing scream echoed through the cave, as He Jing clutched her head tightly, her brain roaring.

The extreme pain,

was the supreme deity's punishment for the despicable human clan daring to resist.

With a thud, He Jing collapsed to the ground.

She trembled uncontrollably, her face twisted, her eyes wide open, yet they were utterly vacant.

In a daze, she seemed to hear her junior sister's words, faintly, seemingly from the horizon:

"Stay here."

And then, the pitch-black cave fell into silence.

Lu Yan and his companion returned to the mountain peak.

Yan Shuangzi, with a serious expression, looked at Lu Ran: "I spared her life out of benevolence and advice. I will discipline her well, let her serve Ran Sect, and atone for her sins with her remaining life."

Lu Ran didn't say much, just nodded and said, "There are still 7 sentries, let's go."

The other purpose of this trip is to help Yan Shuangzi advance to the Sea Realm.

So, naturally, it's up to her how she wants to do it.

"Yes." Yan Shuangzi replied softly, following Lu Ran in an instant teleportation disappearance.

When facing the remaining sentries, Yan Shuangzi killed them swiftly and decisively!

Near dusk, the two finally cleaned out all the sentries.

At Yan Shuangzi's suggestion, the two returned again to the dark cave and picked up the limp He Jing.

Lu Ran generously gave the woman a Resurrection Carp.

Yan Shuangzi held the blood-stained Owl Ling Blade, exuding a murderous aura, and stated her purpose: "I hear your hiding place is very concealed, take us there."

"Y-yes." He Jing stammered.

The two took her back to the previous mountain peak to help He Jing identify the location.

Having lost the servant contract with the deity, He Jing no longer had the North Wind Divine Skill to use. She could only support herself with the remaining Water Flow Armor, trembling as she followed along.

Of 35 North Wind Disciples, 16 had been lost, leaving 19 remaining.

Among them were 6 at the Sea Realm, and 13 at the River Realm.

"My lord." During the journey, He Jing suddenly spoke up.

Lu Ran was still vigilantly scanning the vast snow-capped mountains, ignoring her.

Yan Shuangzi turned her head to look at her former senior sister.

He Jing spoke in a trembling voice: "There are two Ice Butterfly disciples guarding near the hiding place."

Although the Ice Butterfly Sect was not particularly powerful in combat, they had a rather effective auxiliary Divine Technique called Ice Perception!

Using this technique, the Ice Butterfly disciples could connect with frost and snow, perceiving everything within a certain range that was stained by frost and snow.

As the saying goes, there's no gain without a reason!

Elder Xing and others, even while fleeing, had the energy to capture Ice Butterfly disciples because their sect's believers were highly useful!

To avoid being hunted by the Peak Master, Elder Xing went to great lengths to be the first to perceive the enemy's arrival.

"I thought you wouldn't remind me." Yan Shuangzi said, staring directly at He Jing.

Obviously, Yan Shuangzi knew this information.

Lu Yan and his companion had killed up to 15 sentries, naturally acquiring a lot of intelligence.

He Jing's heart trembled, and she slightly lowered her head, appearing meek as she continued providing other information.

Whether Yan Shuangzi knew or not, He Jing had already recognized the reality, trying hard to secure a lifeline for herself.

Until the young man in the Emperor Robe interrupted: "Isn't it that middle snow mountain?"

He Jing hurriedly looked up, peering through the thin frost mist, seeing the undulating mountains.

The direction Lu Ran was pointing was a rather inconspicuous low mountain peak among the mountains.

"Yes." He Jing responded.

"Shush~" Lu Ran's outstretched finger suddenly opened up, and an Ancient Bronze Mirror swiftly emerged, transforming into a floor mirror.

A long leg stepped out, dressed in green rain gear and a young bamboo hat, identical to Yan Shuangzi.

Deng Yuxiang, Luo Ying, Wu Xiao, Yu Changsheng, He Yingcai, Gao Yunyan, Xue Fengchen, Shangguan Hongfu, Si Xianxian...

And last to fly out, in a flowing white dress, was the Lady of Ran Sect, Jiang Ruyi.

Uh, seemed like something strange got mixed in there?

The imposing figures left He Jing astonished, her body trembling all the more violently.

Bear in mind, the North Wind Sect's hiding place had only 6 Sea Realm individuals!

This group of people... what?

What lay before her eyes was the vast Yangyang Sea!

What kind of organization did Junior Sister Yan join after all?

Could the remnants of Sword Ridge Peak really be enough for this group of world-destroying Great Powers to divide?

"Clap!"

Lu Ran casually grasped, and the Eight Desolate Blade automatically unsheathed, its hilt landing in its master's palm.

He gently raised the blade, pointing it at the mountain peak.

Without the Master of Divine Weapon needing to speak, the Eight Desolate Blade began to tremble violently.

"Buzz!!"

Tearing the earth! Shattering the mountain!

Eight Directions Annihilation, slaying to the last!

...