Chapter 28 Could it really be him?

Everyone looked toward the source of the sound.

They saw the Nine-Tailed White Fox lift its head with difficulty, its eyes seemingly filled with hesitation.

"Piaomiao Palace..."

The white fox gasped, "I once saw the token of Piaomiao Palace in my clan's ancient records... The aura on your body is of the same origin as that token."

Lin Qingyue stepped forward and gently tapped the center of the white fox's brow, helping it stabilize its Divine Soul.

"Correct. I am Lin Qingyue, Saintess of Piaomiao Palace. Since you are of the Qingqiu royal family, why have you fallen to this state? Although the Shadow Moon Leopard Clan is fierce, given the Foundation of the Qingqiu Fox Clan, it is impossible for their own royal Bloodline to be imprisoned here and suffer such torture."

This was also the question on everyone's mind.

The Qingqiu Fox Clan was a top-tier clan among the Yao Race. While not as tyrannical as the Dragon Clan, they were unrivaled in the arts of illusion and the Divine Soul.

How could a few immature Shadow Moon Leopards capture a Nine-Tailed Sky Fox at the Body Integration Stage?

A flash of pain crossed the white fox's eyes. It did not answer immediately, instead falling into deep thought.

A moment later, as if it had made a decision, it gritted its teeth and said, "Because... there was a traitor within the clan. Moreover, the Shadow Moon Leopard Clan is not the mastermind."

"Not the mastermind?" Su Zhentian raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Continue."

"The Shadow Moon Leopard Clan... they have wolfish ambitions!" The white fox's voice was shrill. "They have long since defected to the human Demonic Path Sect, the Blood Fiend Sect! Just half a month ago, a Mahayana expert from the Blood Fiend Sect, along with the Shadow Moon Leopard Clan Chief, used a Realm-Breaking Talisman to ambush our clan's training Secret Realm."

"To avoid detection, they did not kill us on the spot, but instead captured us alive and brought us here to set up this Blood Refining Great Array."

"Their goal is not just our Bloodline..." The white fox looked at Su Zhentian, "It is to target your Paradise Demon Sect!"

Su Zhentian's expression froze.

"In what way?"

The white fox said tremblingly, "I once vaguely heard the Shadow Moon Leopard Clan Chief talking with an Elder of the Blood Fiend Sect... They intend to extract the blood of the Nine-Tailed Fox to refine the 'Ten Thousand Spirit Blood Pill,' using it to break the eye of the Paradise Demon Sect's protective formation."

"It is said... the Blood Fiend Sect has now united with two other Demonic Sects and is besieging the Paradise Demon Sect. Once the blood pill is refined, they intend to... they intend to bathe Xiaoyao City in blood!"

Upon hearing this, the entire scene fell into a deathly silence.

Su Youwei's Face changed drastically. "Grandfather!? Our Sect is being besieged!?"

Lin Qingyue nodded. "That is indeed true. Before I came to the Far North, I saw their Sect Master arrive to report it."

She looked at Su Zhentian. "Senior Su, that Sect Master... your son, can he hold out?"

After all, with Su Zhentian, the pillar of stability, absent, the Paradise Demon Sect, while strong, would likely Face a grim fate against the combined siege of three Demonic Sects.

"Hold out?" Su Zhentian sneered. The violent aura suddenly retracted, and a trace of disdain appeared on his Face.

"Although that rebellious son of mine is a good-for-nothing, before I left, I set up forty-nine interlocking killing arrays in the core of Xiaoyao City and the outskirts of the Sect."

He stood with his hands behind his back. "Let alone three Demonic Sects, even if all the demonic brats in the North Province were called over, as long as no one at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage makes a move, even if they can't win, cowering like turtles is more than enough!"

"..." Everyone was speechless.

"However..." Su Zhentian's eyes turned sinister. "Daring to scheme against me, it seems the Blood Fiend Sect is tired of living. When I return, I will definitely let them know what real Demonic Path methods are!"

He looked at the white fox and waved his hand impatiently. "Enough, stop blubbering. I didn't come here to listen to your grievances. Since you are victims too, come back to Xiaoyao City with me. Although your blood cannot be used for Alchemy, using you as witnesses to testify that the Blood Fiend Sect colluded with the Yao Race will be somewhat useful."

The white fox: "..."

It had originally thought this great expert would offer some words of comfort, but it didn't expect the other party's focus to be entirely on how to utilize them.

At this moment, the scene returned to the "compensation" stage.

The canghai moon-bright pearl lay quietly in Su Changhe's hand, emitting a soft halo.

"Fairy Lin," Su Zhentian rubbed his hands. "Look, the situation is unstable now, and I must rush back to the Sect to preside over the big picture. This matter of compensation... shouldn't we settle it?"

"How about this: this canghai moon-bright pearl in exchange for your Revered Master's missing token, plus the ownership of these few Nine-Tailed White Foxes?"

Lin Qingyue looked at the pearl and remained silent for a long time.

She was weighing the options.

Her Revered Master's item was certainly important, but it was already lost, and continuing to dwell on it would be of no use.

And the canghai moon-bright pearl was an Innate Spirit Treasure, worth a fortune.

From a financial perspective, this deal not only meant she didn't lose out, but she actually made a huge profit, enough to make up for the loss of those two hundred million Spirit Stones from before.

"It can only be this way." Lin Qingyue sighed softly and nodded.

Su Changhe was overjoyed and quickly handed over the pearl. "Many thanks for your understanding, Fairy Lin! Thank you, thank you!"

Lin Qingyue took the pearl, but did not withdraw her hand, continuing to look quietly at Su Zhentian.

Su Zhentian's smile froze. "Fairy Lin, is there anything else?"

Lin Qingyue pursed her lips. Although it was a bit difficult to bring up, thinking of the Sect's current predicament and her own empty Storage Pouch, she still spoke tactfully: "Senior Su, although this pearl is good, the resources I need for this training session are slightly... tight..."

Su Youwei blinked and understood instantly. Oh, it must be Spirit Stones!

"Grandfather." Su Youwei tugged on Su Zhentian's sleeve, signaling with her eyes. "Just do the decent thing, take out some Spirit Stones."

Su Zhentian's mouth twitched. He, a dignified Tribulation Transcendence expert, the Old Ancestor of the Paradise Demon Sect, was actually being shaken down by a Junior?

But looking at Lin Qingyue's firm gaze, and thinking about how his family was in the wrong first, and that he had to rush back to save the situation...

"Fine, fine, fine!" Su Zhentian looked pained and turned to Su Youwei. "Wei'er, Grandfather left in a hurry, I don't have many spare Spirit Stones on me. Where is that Storage Pouch I gave you? Wasn't there fifty million High-Grade Spirit Stones in it? Take it out and use it to cover it first."

Once these words were spoken, the air suddenly went quiet.

Su Youwei's eyes drifted, looking up at the sky, while the tip of her spear drew circles on the ground.

"Um... Grandfather, what did you say? The wind is too loud, I can't hear you."

"Quit playing dumb!" Su Zhentian glared. "This is an underground cavern, where would there be wind! Where are the Spirit Stones?"

Su Youwei said softly, "Used... used them."

"Used them?!" Su Zhentian's voice rose an octave. "Fifty million High-Grade Spirit Stones! How many days has it been? Did you grow up eating Spirit Stones? Where did you use them?"

Su Youwei stammered, her pretty Face turning bright red.

Seeing that Su Zhentian was about to explode, Su Changhe on the side hurriedly coughed frantically, signaling with his eyes. "Ahem, ahem! Big Brother! Big Brother!"

Su Changhe blinked desperately. "The child is grown up, it's normal to have some privacy! This matter... we'll talk about it when we get back, let's talk about it later!"

Su Zhentian looked at Su Changhe's constipated expression, then at his blushing granddaughter, and seemed to understand something.

What a spendthrift!

Su Zhentian took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart. Family scandals shouldn't be spread abroad.

He could only bite the bullet and fumble for a long time within his personal storage ring. Finally, he pulled out a heavy Storage Pouch.

"Here!" Su Zhentian shoved the Storage Pouch into Lin Qingyue's hand and turned his head away, not wanting to look at it again.

"Inside is twenty million High-Grade Spirit Stones, plus the canghai moon-bright pearl from before... Fairy Lin, is this enough now?"

Lin Qingyue took the Storage Pouch without probing it with her Divine Sense to count.

As for Su Zhentian's character... although she had doubts in some aspects, on matters of great principle and Face, this Demonic Path titan was still trustworthy.

"It is enough." Lin Qingyue put away the Storage Pouch, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. "Many thanks for your generosity, Senior Su. This matter is now wiped clean."

She calculated in her mind. The canghai moon-bright pearl was a priceless treasure; if put up for auction, it would be worth at least three hundred million Spirit Stones... This wave, not only did she fill the two hundred million deficit she had been swindled out of, but she even made a tidy profit!

In a great mood, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed her mind. Wait. Two hundred million Spirit Stones... Back then at the Guanyun Platform in Xiaoyao City, when everyone was giving gifts, this Utility Disciple seemed to be nearby as well?

Lin Qingyue turned her head to look at Gu Heng, who was watching the show from the side.

Gu Heng felt Lin Qingyue's gaze, and his heart skipped a beat. Oh no. Is this woman's intuition this sharp?

Lin Qingyue scrutinized Gu Heng suspiciously. His Half-step Tribulation Transcendence cultivation... Could it be... could it be him?

Being stared at by those cold, clear eyes, Gu Heng felt as if he had been stripped bare. Although his strength was invincible, this matter was not exactly done in a very honorable way. And...

Although he still had over one hundred million Spirit Stones in his hands, it was still a bit tight for his upcoming plans.

"Ahem."

Gu Heng coughed, breaking the awkwardness.

He said with a serious Face, "Well... since everyone's business has been concluded and grievances settled, it is time to part ways."

"The green mountains remain, the flowing waters endure; we shall meet again if fate allows."

After saying this, he turned around and wanted to slip away.

"Young Master Gu." Lin Qingyue suddenly spoke, "Where... are you going?"

Gu Heng paused his steps and said without looking back, "Oh, I remembered I haven't collected the laundry at home, so I must hurry back. Besides, this Far North Ice Field is too cold; it's not suitable for someone frail and sickly like me."

Frail and sickly? What the hell kind of frail and sickly!

Su Zhentian didn't think too much about it; he was currently preoccupied with rushing back to the Sect to fight.

"Since Young Friend Gu has matters to attend to, I shouldn't insist on keeping you."

Su Zhentian waved his hand, "Changhe, take these foxes, let's go! Fairy Lin, what are your plans for next?"

Lin Qingyue took a deep look at Gu Heng's back.

"This Junior still needs to train in the Far North to consolidate my cultivation." Lin Qingyue said indifferently, "Senior Su, please do as you wish."

"Good! Then we shall meet again!"

Su Zhentian was a decisive man.

He tore through the Void Realm, and with Su Youwei, Su Changhe, and those few foxes, disappeared from the spot.

As the Su Clan members left, the underground cavern became empty.

Lin Qingyue did not stay long.

She bowed slightly to Gu Heng, her eyes complex.

"Young Master Gu, thank you for today's matter."

Although she didn't know why he was hiding his identity, if it weren't for him stepping in to deter the Old Dragon Emperor and traveling together to this point, she probably wouldn't have obtained the compensation so easily.

"You are too polite." Gu Heng turned his head slightly and waved his hand.

Lin Qingyue said nothing more and, taking her attendant, disappeared into the snowstorm.

Finally. Only Gu Heng was left alone.

He stood in a cavern and let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally, they are gone."

Gu Heng touched his chin, his eyes turning fiery.

"With this group of people here, I was too embarrassed to get to work."

He lifted his head and looked towards the deeper parts of the Far North Ice Field. There, stood a Dragon Palace.

"I only have over one hundred million Spirit Stones on me now, but with the increase in cultivation, this amount of Spirit Stone feels like a drop in the bucket."

"Since that Old Dragon Emperor was an old monster who lived for thousands of years, there must be many good things in the Dragon Palace, right?"

"If there are treasures of the level of the canghai moon-bright pearl, what about the others?"

"Since I'm already here, if I don't go in and 'pass by,' wouldn't that be a disservice to this trip to the Far North?"

He thought to himself, then proceeded to walk with a clear conscience.

With one step, his figure was already a hundred miles away.

The deeper he went, the more biting the cold became.

Goose-feather-sized snowflakes fell from the grey sky.

Gu Heng walked leisurely above the icy void. The gale winds automatically veered away before him.

Before long, a magnificently unimaginable complex of buildings appeared at the end of his vision.

That was the Dragon Palace.

Unlike the fantastical palaces located deep under the sea that people imagined, this Far North Dragon Palace was actually built on the ice field.

It occupied a vast area of over two hundred thousand square miles, with countless palaces and pavilions undulating under the cover of pure white snow.

It was like a white giant beast crouching between heaven and earth.

At this moment, outside the Dragon Palace, it was quite lively.

Gu Heng squinted his eyes and, from afar, saw two groups of people gathered densely in front of the Dragon Palace's main gate, confronting each other intensely.

On one side were the Yao Race existing in various forms; they surrounded a huge ice crystal throne, and upon the throne sat a burly figure.

Just by sitting there, his pressure enveloped ten thousand miles, and between heaven and earth, the Law of ice and snow bowed in submission to him.

It was actually a Tribulation Transcendence Stage!

"It seems this is the neighbor of that Old Dragon Emperor." Gu Heng examined that figure with great interest.

The fall of the Old Dragon Emperor was no less than a shocking earthquake for the entire Far North Ice Field.

Those enemies who had once been suppressed by the Old Dragon Emperor until they couldn't catch their breath, and had even had their territories seized or been expelled from the core area, could no longer restrain their inner greed after sensing that the familiar Dragon might had completely dissipated.

They came knocking one after another, demanding an explanation.

And the one before him was undoubtedly the strongest.

The last remaining Tribulation Transcendence Stage Yao Emperor in the core of the Far North Ice Field.

The Ice Soul Titan, Bing Kui!

The turtle-shelled old man leading the confrontation leaned on a cane.

This Prime Minister Turtle had cultivation at the Late Stage of the Mahayana, and at this moment, his old Face was pale, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

"Bing Kui! Do not go too far with your bullying!"

Prime Minister Turtle shouted sternly, "My Dragon King is only out traveling, and will return in a few days! If you dare to step into the Dragon Palace today, when the Dragon King returns, he will surely refine you ice-lump into ash!"

Bing Kui heard these words and laughed wildly.

"Hahaha! Old Turtle, how much longer are you going to deceive yourself?"

Bing Kui slowly stood up, looking down at the people in front of the Dragon Palace like a god or demon.

"The aura of that old loach has completely disappeared! He is dead! After being suppressed by him for three thousand years, this Emperor is finally free!"

"If you are sensible, then obediently open the palace-protecting array, offer up the ten-thousand-year savings of the Dragon Palace, and honor this Emperor as the new Revered Master of this Far North Ice Field! Otherwise..."

"This Emperor doesn't mind drinking a bowl of ten-thousand-year-old turtle soup tonight!"

"How dare you!" "Presumptuous!"

The Dragon Clan warriors behind Prime Minister Turtle shouted angrily, but the look of fear in their eyes was hard to hide.

The pressure of a Tribulation Transcendence Stage Yao Emperor was truly too terrifying for them. If not for the protection of the palace-protecting array, they probably wouldn't even be able to stand steady.

"Hmph, a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears brats." Bing Kui snorted coldly.

"Since you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, then this Emperor will personally shatter your turtle shell!"

As his voice fell, Bing Kui raised his right fist, and the power of the Law of ice and snow frantically gathered into a blue rotating ball of light.

"Break for this Emperor!"

The blue ball of light was like a falling meteor, smashing into the Dragon Palace's palace-protecting array.

Hum—a translucent light shield appeared, and on the light shield, dragon-shaped runes flowed ceaselessly, withstanding this blow.

But the light shield also shook, its color dimming by several shades, consuming a huge amount of energy.

Prime Minister Turtle's Face turned pale, and a mouthful of old blood surged to his throat, only to be forcibly swallowed back down.

"Oh? It is worthy of being something left behind by that old loach's ancestors; it is quite hard."

A trace of surprise flashed in Bing Kui's eyes, "This Emperor would like to see how many punches your turtle shell can withstand!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Bing Kui unleashed both fists, each punch faster and heavier than the last. The violent attacks were like a storm, slamming into the palace-protecting array.

The golden light shield flickered, and the dragon-shaped runes constantly shattered and reformed.

With every strike, the bodies of Prime Minister Turtle and those Dragon Clan warriors trembled, and their Faces became increasingly pale.

In the Dragon Palace buildings, ice chips fell from countless ice-carved and jade-built eaves.

Despair spread in the hearts of the Dragon Palace defenders.

"Chancellor... we... we can't hold on..." A young Dragon Clan warrior said with trembling voice, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, Chancellor! How about... we just surrender? The Yao Emperor Bing Kui only wants treasures; as long as we offer them up, perhaps we can still save our lives..."

"Shut up!" Prime Minister Turtle stomped his cane and shouted sternly, "For the Dragon Clan, there are only Dragons who die in battle; there are no Dragons who surrender! The Dragon Palace is the Foundation of our clan; how can we hand it over to outsiders! Everyone, perk up; we shall live and die with the Dragon Palace!"

Before his words fell, a crisp cracking sound rang out, making the hearts of all the Dragon Clan guards sink to the bottom.

"Hahaha! Old Turtle, your shell is about to break!" Bing Kui saw this.

His offensive became even crazier; he gathered all his Yao energy, preparing to launch a fatal blow.

It's over! Prime Minister Turtle closed his eyes in despair. Is the Dragon Clan going to be destroyed in his hands today?

Just at this critical moment. A somewhat impatient voice rang out abruptly from the edge of the battlefield.

"Um... I say, you can fight all you want, but could you make way?"

"Blocking the way like this, are you going to let people pass or not?"

The snowstorm roared. Bing Kui, who was preparing to launch the final blow, froze in his movements.