190: Dao Chu Zong went bankrupt

Su Lin stood in the eye of the storm, starlight swirling around him—it was the aura of the Great Perfection of the Body Integration Stage.

Although it couldn't match the explosive power of an extreme Mahayana Stage, by relying on the suppression of the [Myriad Heavens Star Chart], he forcibly pushed away the four destructive forces that were about to collide.

"Boom!"

The air currents surged, uprooting the few remaining crooked-necked trees in the Daochu Sect.

"Revered Master!"

The four stopped simultaneously, but their auras remained locked onto each other, looking ready to start fighting again at the slightest disagreement.

Su Lin ignored the three disciple who had been fighting side-by-side in the other world just moments ago but had now turned against each other.

His gaze fell directly on Mu Qingxue.

Too fast.

It was truly too fast.

Su Lin remembered clearly that when he saw Mu Qingxue at the Qingyao Sect, she was still at the Peak of Void Refining, preparing to break through to the Body Integration Stage.

There is no sense of time in cultivation; at high Realms, crossing every small step requires decades or even centuries of accumulation.

But now, she had not only crossed the major threshold of the Body Integration Stage, she had even soared directly to the Mahayana Middle Stage?!

This kind of speed could no longer be described as a Genius; it was simply a violation of the fundamental laws of cultivation under the Heavenly Dao!

Su Lin strode up to Mu Qingxue and, without a word, grabbed her wrist.

It felt icy to the touch, with a chill that seeped into the marrow of his bones.

His Divine Sense probed inside.

Ice-attribute Spiritual Qi, vast as the sea, surged within her body. Her Meridians were wide and tough, her Primordial Spirit was as condensed as a physical substance, and that Ice and Snow Dharma Image emitted a heart-palpitating Divine Might.

There was no instability; her Foundation was terrifyingly solid.

It was indeed a genuine Mahayana Middle Stage!

"Qingxue."

Su Lin lowered her hand, his expression solemn, even carrying a hint of severity.

"Tell me, how did you do it?"

"Did you use some forbidden technique that burns your Lifespan or overdraws your potential?"

"Or... did you sacrifice yourself to some ancient evil god of the ice plains?"

If he didn't ask clearly, Su Lin wouldn't be able to eat or sleep in peace.

These disciple were each crazier than the last, capable of doing anything for power.

Facing Su Lin's questioning, Mu Qingxue's face, which seemed frozen for ten thousand years, showed no emotional fluctuation.

She just looked at Su Lin quietly, turned her hand to grasp his palm, fingers interlocking, feeling the warmth coming from his palm.

"There is no evil god."

Her voice was very soft, yet very firm.

"And no forbidden technique."

"I just... went to the [Eternal Frozen Time Ravine]."

"Eternal Frozen Time Ravine?!"

Gu Qiuyue, who was nearby, cried out in alarm, her golden abacus falling to the ground.

"Seventh Junior Sister, are you crazy?! That's a desperate land that even those in the Tribulation Transcendence Stage wouldn't dare step into lightly!

There, the flow of time is extremely chaotic. One day outside could be a year, or even ten years inside!

And there's no Spiritual Qi inside, only the Nirvanic Cold Tide that can freeze time itself!

People who go in either go mad or die of old age!"

Su Lin's heart sank abruptly.

He naturally knew of that place.

It was the most terrifying forbidden zone in the Far North.

"How long were you in there?" Su Lin's voice was somewhat dry.

Mu Qingxue looked up, and in those light blue eyes, a flash of indiscernible vicissitude and exhaustion appeared.

"Not long."

She said indifferently.

"Ten days in the outside world."

"I stayed inside for three hundred years."

"Three hundred years."

As soon as those three words were spoken, everyone present fell silent.

Even Su Hongling, who had been clamoring for a fight, was stunned, her hand carrying the giant sword dropping slightly.

In a desperate land with no Spiritual Qi, only endless cold and loneliness, she had endured for three hundred years.

How dull must that have been? How desperate?

"Why?"

Su Lin looked at her, his heart aching beyond measure.

"Your Revered Master is right here, why did you have to push yourself so hard?"

Mu Qingxue looked at Su Lin, the ice and snow in her eyes melting, turning into an endless obsession.

She reached out and gently caressed Su Lin's cheek, her fingertips trembling slightly.

"Because... I was afraid."

"Afraid?"

"I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up with your footsteps."

Mu Qingxue's voice was low, carrying a suppressed sob.

"I want to become strong."

"Strong enough to freeze everyone who dares to harm you into ice sculptures."

"Strong enough... to keep you by my side forever, not allowed to go anywhere."

During her three hundred years in the Time Ravine, the only belief that kept her alive and supported her in reshaping her Physical Body during the Mahayana Lightning Tribulation was Su Lin.

She had carved her longing for Su Lin into every inch of the ice walls in the Time Ravine.

"So..."

Mu Qingxue's gaze moved past Su Lin to look at the three equally powerful Senior Sisters behind him, the chill in her eyes condensing once more.

"Now, I am qualified to stand by Revered Master's side."

"And qualified... to clean up these eyesores."

Su Lin: "..."

He was touched, but wasn't that last sentence a bit off?

"You guys..."

Su Lin looked at these four disciple who had carved "becoming stronger to better possess Revered Master" into their DNA, and felt his head throbbing.

They were all Prodigies.

All of them were yandere.

Could the small temple of the Daochu Sect really accommodate these four great deities?

"Alright."

Su Lin took a deep breath, exerting his authority as a Revered Master.

"We'll talk about the past later."

He pointed at their surroundings.

The originally picturesque Daochu Sect was now half ruins (blown up by the allied forces) and half ice plains (frozen by Mu Qingxue).

"Fix the home first."

"And..."

Su Lin pointed at the thousands of lifelike ice sculptures below.

"Get rid of this trash."

"Yes."

...The cleanup work proceeded very quickly, and very brutally.

Mu Qingxue simply snapped her fingers.

"Shatter."

Thousands of ice sculptures exploded simultaneously, turning into a sky full of crystalline powder that scattered with the wind.

No blood, no corpses.

It was as if they had never existed.

This was the method of a Mahayana Stage ice cultivator: clean, hygienic, and environmentally friendly.

Meanwhile, the reconstruction of the Daochu Sect became a stage for the four disciple to showcase their strength.

"This pillar is broken? I'll do it!"

Su Hongling carried a huge stone pillar that would take ten people to encircle (freshly pulled from the back mountain), slammed it into the ground with a boom, and used her fist as a hammer, thudding it into the Foundation with a few strikes.

"This wall collapsed? Simple."

Luo Ximei waved her hand, her black and white Devilish Qi turning into countless skillful hands that instantly reassembled the rubble, even adding a layer of defensive magic runes to the wall surface.

"The flowers and plants here are all dead..."

Chu Weiwei scattered a handful of seeds and dripped in a few drops of purple medicinal liquid.

In the next second, countless exotic flowers and plants grew wildly, instantly turning the ruins into a garden full of exotic flair (and poison).

As for Mu Qingxue... she wasn't idle either.

She walked to Su Lin's sleeping quarters and looked at the bed that had collapsed when Luo Ximei and Chu Weiwei were fighting over it.

"Dirty."

She snorted coldly and waved her hand.

The temperature of the entire sleeping quarters plummeted.

A large bed carved entirely from Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice, emitting curls of cold air, appeared out of air.

"Revered Master should sleep on this; it clears the heart and reduces heat."

She specifically emphasized the words "reduces heat," her gaze coldly sweeping over the other three.

Su Lin looked at the ice bed emitting white mist and felt a phantom pain in his loins.

If he slept on this for a night, he'd probably start the next day with prostatitis.

"Um... Qingxue."

Su Lin tried to reason with her, "Your Revered Master is getting on in years and can't handle the cold..."

"Don't worry, Revered Master."

Mu Qingxue turned around, a very rare, slightly shy smile appearing on her face.

"At night... I will help Revered Master warm the bed."

"With my body temperature."

"..."

The three people nearby instantly exploded.

"In your dreams!!"

"Old Seven, have you no shame!"

"What if you freeze Revered Master! My warm jade bed is still better!"

Seeing that they were about to fight again.

"Ahem!"

Gu Qiuyue emerged from the ruins, holding her golden abacus, her face covered in dust, but her eyes exceptionally shrewd.

"Senior and Junior Sisters, although I don't want to disturb your interest in vying for favor, however..."

She pointed at the bare mountain gate.

"Our Mountain Protecting Grand Array is shattered, the storehouse has also been shaken down, our Spirit Stone reserves are insufficient, and we don't even have ingredients for dinner."

"The Daochu Sect is now bankrupt. But it's fine, I'll go back to the Master-Seeking Alliance to get some Spirit Stones right now."

"Bankrupt?"

Luo Ximei waved her hand dismissively, pouring out a pile of top-grade Devil Crystals she had plundered from the other world.

"Take these and use them."

Su Hongling also poured out a pile of shiny Ores and Yao Beast bones.

"Can these be exchanged for meat?"

Chu Weiwei took out several bottles of precious poison.

"Take these to an auction; one bottle can buy a city."

Mu Qingxue was the most direct.

She casually condensed an Ice Lotus, inside of which was sealed a Top-grade Spiritual Artifact she had snatched from that Jin Xuanzi just now.

"Take it and sell it."

"Ensure Revered Master eats the best tonight!"

...Night fell.

Although the main hall of the Daochu Sect wasn't fully repaired yet, it could barely provide shelter from the wind and rain.

A huge round table was set in the middle.

This was not only a welcome feast but also a war without gunpowder.

Su Lin sat in the seat of honor.

To his left was Su Hongling, and to his right was Luo Ximei.

Opposite him were Mu Qingxue and Chu Weiwei.

Gu Qiuyue very tactfully squatted in the corner with her bowl, shoveling rice while calculating the accounts, determined not to get involved in this field of asura.

"Revered Master, eat meat!"

Su Hongling used her chopsticks to spear a huge Braised Lion's Head Meatball, shoving it directly to Su Lin's lips.

"I specifically had Sixth Junior Sister buy this Spiritual Pork; it's very nourishing!"

"Too greasy."

Mu Qingxue coldly pushed away the meatball and picked up a bowl of crystal-clear, steaming cold soup.

"Revered Master, this is Snow Lotus Heart-Clearing Soup; it's most suitable for conditioning your body right now."

"What soup! Can't you see Revered Master's complexion isn't good?"

Luo Ximei held up a glass of deep red wine. "This is Dragon Blood Wine; it strengthens yang and tonifies the kidneys. Revered Master, drink this!"

"All of you, move aside!"

Chu Weiwei squeezed in, holding a pair of silver chopsticks. "Let me test for poison first! What if there are bugs in the food?"

Su Lin looked at the bowl piled high like a mountain in front of him, then at these four faces that were either expectant, cold, or fanatical.

He felt like he wasn't eating a meal, but undergoing torture.

"Everyone, sit properly."

Su Lin tapped the table.

Although the four were reluctant, they still obediently sat back.

"From today on, we're establishing rules."

Su Lin looked at them, his tone serious.

"First, when eating, you are not allowed to use Spiritual Qi, you are not allowed to fight, and you are not allowed to poison each other."

Chu Weiwei silently tucked the laxatives back into her sleeve.

"Second, your Revered Master has hands and feet and can eat by himself; no feeding is required."

Su Hongling regretfully put down her spoon.

"Third..."

Su Lin pointed at his own neck.

There, after a whole afternoon of fussing, the original three marks hadn't faded; instead, because Mu Qingxue had tried to cover them with frost, that patch of skin was swollen and red, looking even more miserable.

"In the future, if anyone dares to doodle on your Revered Master again..."

Su Lin narrowed his eyes, his gaze dangerous.

"I will lock them in a small dark room to reflect on their mistakes for a hundred years."

"A hundred years?!"

The four cried out in unison.

"That won't do! I'll die if I don't see Revered Master for a hundred years!" Luo Ximei was the first to object.

"Exactly! I can't take it if I don't eat meat for three days!" Su Hongling seconded.

"Revered Master... would you have the heart?" Chu Weiwei said with teary eyes.

Only Mu Qingxue nodded thoughtfully.

"If I'm locked in a small dark room together with Revered Master... that seems not bad?"

"..."

Su Lin pressed his hand to his forehead.

The focus of these wicked disciple was always so bizarre.

After dinner.

The most critical question arrived.

Sleeping.

There were originally seven guest rooms behind the main hall, but five had collapsed in the previous battle, leaving only two relatively intact.

Su Lin's original sleeping quarters had been forcibly repaired by Mu Qingxue using ice Spells, but that ice bed inside was truly too cold.

"Revered Master, go to my place."

Luo Ximei extended an invitation. "My [flowing sunset cloud brocade] has a traveling palace; it's both large and warm."

"Don't go! That's a devil's den!"

Su Hongling immediately objected. "Revered Master, let's sleep in the main hall! I'll turn my giant sword sideways to use as a bed frame; it's very spacious!"

"Sleep on an iron plate? Do you want to bruise Revered Master to death?"

Chu Weiwei pulled out a huge Magic Treasure that looked like a flower bud from her storage ring.

"This is the [Hehuan Lotus Pedestal]; lying inside is like being on a cloud..."

"Hehuan?" Mu Qingxue's gaze turned cold. "I think you're looking for death."

Seeing that they were about to argue again.

Su Lin waved his hand.

"Stop arguing."

He pointed to a relatively intact empty space in the center of the hall.

"Tonight, right here."

"Another floor bed?" Su Hongling was somewhat disappointed.

"Those who are unwilling can go sleep on a tree branch outside," Su Lin said coldly.

"Willing! Willing!"

And so.

An extremely spectacular scene appeared in the main hall of the Daochu Sect.

Thick Yao Beast furs were spread on the ground (contributed by Su Hongling).

Calming incense was lit all around (provided by Chu Weiwei).

Luminous pearls were hung overhead for illumination (brought out by Luo Ximei).

There was also a circle of ice walls separating them from the cold wind outside (cast by Mu Qingxue).

Su Lin lay in the very center.

To his left was Su Hongling; this girl still had a terrible sleeping posture, with one leg sprawled across his stomach.

To his right was Luo Ximei, who lay on her side, one hand tightly gripping Su Lin's sleeve as if afraid he would run away.

At his feet was Chu Weiwei, curled into a ball, hugging Su Lin's calf.

And at the head... Mu Qingxue did not lie down.

She sat cross-legged at the position above Su Lin's head, eyes closed, like a guardian deity.

But her hand was gently placed on Su Lin's shoulder, her fingertips occasionally smoothing Su Lin's long hair.

In the dead of night.

Su Lin, however, had no desire to sleep.

He felt the four different sounds of breathing from around him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Was this his retribution?

He had taken in seven disciple, every one of them a peerless Genius, and every one of them a life-threatening foe.

"Revered Master... are you not asleep yet?"

Mu Qingxue's extremely faint voice came from above his head.

Su Lin opened his eyes and happened to meet that pair of light blue eyes that remained clear even in the dark.

"I can't sleep."

Su Lin gave a bitter laugh. "With a mountain pressing on me, a snake wrapped beside me, and a hand warmer at my feet... it's hard for your Revered Master to fall asleep."

The corners of Mu Qingxue's mouth curled up into an extremely faint arc.

"Is Revered Master blaming us?"

"Blaming you for what?"

"Blaming us... for being too presumptuous."

Mu Qingxue's finger lingered by Su Lin's ear.

"We've tied you to our side, not letting you leave, and even... had rebellious thoughts toward you."

Su Lin was silent for a moment.

He reached out and grasped Mu Qingxue's icy hand.