The gate of the Ice Cavern stood wide open, faint traces of sinister qi seeping out from within. Yao Lin, who was leading the way, stiffened in surprise. When he had left to report the situation moments ago, the cavern door had been firmly shut.
"Not good!"
As Yao Lin was about to rush inside, a sudden surge of energy burst from the entrance. Jian Dan instantly expanded her magnolia domain, while Senior Sister Jian Jing used her finger as a sword, slicing through the erupting energy with a flash of sword light. Jian Po raised a hand and yanked Yao Lin away from the entrance.
By the time Yao Lin steadied himself, he found himself outside Jian Dan's spatial domain, unable to re-enter. The entire Ice Cavern was now sealed inside her domain, magnolia blossoms blooming in the courtyard. The sight alone had already drawn the attention of several high-ranking Yao family cultivators.
Yao Lin could only wait anxiously outside, explaining the situation to his clan members as he prayed for Jian Lu Zūnshàng's barrier to be lifted soon.
"Patriarch, you've been reckless in this matter. If something were to happen to the Ancestor, what would you do then?" A Yao family cultivator standing nearby spoke with a tone dripping in sarcasm.
"Yao Si, shut your mouth!" A sharp female voice snapped through the air, silencing the Divine Soul stage cultivator immediately.
The gathered crowd parted to make way for a woman in a fitted teal robe. She carried herself with calm authority as she approached the Yao Patriarch.
Recognizing the voice, Yao Lin felt relief wash over him. He turned and respectfully bowed.
"Greetings, Second Elder!"
This Second Elder was the only female elder of the Yao family, Yao Yingying, a Void Refinement cultivator. Aside from her own cultivation, she had dedicated herself entirely to training the family's younger generation. Many of the clan's most promising disciples had been personally nurtured by her, and even the Ancestor held her in high esteem.
Her presence quickly quieted the restless crowd.
"Yao Lin, what is going on here?"
Yao Yingying's gaze settled on the magnolia blossoms blooming in the courtyard, her eyes reflecting their dazzling glow. She was no fool. The aura radiating from this domain was overwhelmingly powerful, even their Ancestor might not match the wielder of this strength. And beneath that overwhelming pressure, she sensed a faint trace of familiarity.
Yao Lin knew there was no hiding this anymore, but with so many people present, he chose caution. He retrieved a jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to Yao Yingying.
Understanding his concerns, Yao Yingying said nothing. She swept her divine sense over the jade slip, quickly grasping the entire situation.
"So that was the reason for the Ancestor's haste. And you didn't stop him? I was wondering why our most talented disciple was suddenly arranged to be paired with the Jin family's poison girl." Her voice was calm, but the rebuke was clear.
"The Ancestor wished for secrecy. He thought to first ensure Bin'er's safety and discuss the rest later." Yao Lin could only explain quietly.
"And now, this has happened."
Lowering his head, Yao Lin said no more. Words were useless now. Everything depended on the skill of the Heavenly Sword Sect's Zūnshàng cultivators.
Inside the cavern, the five intruders moved swiftly. Jian Jing and Jian Dan were the fastest, having blocked the initial attack and deployed their spatial domain. In an instant, they flashed forward, arriving at the spot where they had seen Yao Bin yesterday.
There, the Yao Ancestor stood locked in a standoff with a hovering creature—a crimson-black insect exuding tendrils of blood-red and black qi.
This blood insect was no larger than fifty centimeters, similar in size to a black-armored beetle, but its entire body was crimson. Jian Dan's divine sense swept over it, noting the dense web of crimson veins crisscrossing its shell like a grotesque "blood sac" draped over its body.
Those crimson veins extended outward, forming whip-like tendrils that lashed toward the Yao Ancestor, seeking to latch onto him.
The Yao Ancestor remained composed, wielding a branch-like brown artifact radiating soft green light. He met the blood insect's attack head-on, defending against its creeping tendrils while shielding Yao Bin's body behind him. His fingers formed intricate seals, preparing to sever the last vein tethering the blood insect to Yao Bin.
But Yao Bin's body was already deteriorating. Starting from his legs, his flesh was turning to ash, dissolving bit by bit.
"Bin'er!"
Jian Dan and Jian Jing exchanged a glance, their understanding unspoken. Jian Jing's fingers traced the air, sending a slash of sword qi streaking toward the exposed blood insect.
As a sword cultivator on the cusp of Mahayana, Jian Jing rarely unsheathed her blade except in dire battle. This restraint was an unspoken rule across Lingyun Continent; the destructive power of high-level sword cultivators was too overwhelming.
Even so, her finger-sword was devastating enough to shred the blood insect's extending tendrils to pieces.
Jian Dan flashed forward, appearing above Yao Bin's head. Her finger tapped his brow, and with a precise pull, she yanked his Primordial Soul from his sea of consciousness. His soul was dim, nearly fading, but she quickly sealed it inside a Soul-Nurturing Pearl in her other hand.
The moment his Primordial Soul was extracted, Yao Bin's body completely disintegrated into ash within two breaths.
All of this had happened in mere seconds. Jian Po, Liuli, and Jin Ai arrived just in time to see the grotesque blood insect writhing in the air, their expressions darkening.
They quickly formed a battle formation, assisting Jian Jing Zūnshàng in trapping the creature. Unable to escape or find a new host among cultivators of their caliber, the blood insect was soon confined within Jian Jing's spatial prison.
The Yao Ancestor retracted his staff and turned immediately to Jian Dan.
Jian Dan smiled faintly and tossed him the Soul-Nurturing Pearl.
"Fortunately, we arrived in time. Yao Bin's soul is weak, but intact." Her unspoken meaning was clear: as long as his soul was healed, there was still hope of body-seizing. The outcome was not disastrous.
Though his expression remained grave, the Yao Ancestor carefully secured the pearl in his sleeve and bowed deeply. "Many thanks, Jian Lu Daoyou. Without your intervention, Bin'er would not even have had the chance to reincarnate."
"You're too polite, Yao Daoyou. We were actually in the middle of discussing strategies when this sudden change occurred. Yesterday, Yao Xiaoyou's aura was still stable. What happened?"
Jian Dan smiled lightly as she questioned.
Just as the Yao Ancestor was about to answer, chaos erupted.
The blood insect, though trapped in Jian Jing's spatial prison, had corroded a tiny hole into the barrier with its tendrils. Wincing from the searing pain of the prison's suppressive force, it was still wriggling, forcing its way out.
Jian Jing's expression turned grim. A spatial prison crafted by someone at her cultivation level—nearing Mahayana—should not be so easily breached.
Face dark, Jian Jing layered another spatial barrier over the first. Yet the blood insect continued its assault, its crimson tendrils blackening as it battered against the walls.
"Junior Sister, may I kill it?"
Her voice was cold enough to make Jian Po lower her head. Jian Dan gave the Yao Ancestor an apologetic look, then flashed to Jian Jing's side.
Studying the writhing insect, Jian Dan released her own spatial barrier, encasing her Senior Sister's prison within. This time, she forged it with chaotic spiritual power and infused it with threads of karmic golden light.
She wanted to see what this creature truly feared.
All eyes turned to the suspended blood insect. It had shrunk to a third of its size, sacrificing its own strength to tear open a hole in Jian Jing's prison. Squeezing through, it once again set to work, gnawing at Jian Dan's barrier.
But this time, it met its match. The invisible golden light shimmered within her layered space. The moment it touched the blood insect, sparks erupted. The creature let out a piercing shriek of agony.