Chapter 494: Chapter 166: Invasion of the Ice Barbarians, Rebirth in Flames (Long Chapter)

"Don’t wait anymore, he’s probably already dead.

He’s been punished by the Divine Spirit, the spirit wants him to perish in flames.

Waiting is in vain."

Yet Zhenyan Xue remained unmoved; she went nowhere, just silently keeping vigil in front of the dilapidated little stone house, waiting... for the moment her beloved returns.

...

...

A month later...

In front of the Black Market Ghost Realm, Li Yuan had been sitting for a long time.

He neither ate nor drank, yet showed signs of life.

Flames ignited every part of his body, yet didn’t consume him entirely, maintaining a continuous state, similar to the eternal fire of the Zhenyan Clan...

The fire burned without needing fuel, nor did it burn anything.

But if food was placed over it to roast, it would cook quickly; if steel was forged upon it, it would swiftly become molten iron...

The fire on Li Yuan’s body was akin to this.

Moreover, these flames formed an egg-like shape, enveloping Li Yuan as if nurturing something.

This somewhat reassured Lady Yan who watched from the side.

Yet she continued to observe, never pausing her vigilance, ready to pull Li Yuan into the Ghost Realm to extinguish the flames with Yin Qi if needed.

However, at this time, the Yang Qi on Li Yuan’s body grew stronger, to a degree that she even felt threatened.

Lady Yan was certain that if only Feng’Er, the vendor ghost, or the Ice Coffin Ghost faced Li Yuan alone now, they would gain no advantage.

If a fight were to break out, Li Yuan could suppress these single ghosts.

But this required Li Yuan to successfully merge with the fire.

At this moment, figures appeared not far away.

Xiaozhao returned with a puppet.

She looked unhappy, her displeasure clearly displayed on her face.

Lady Yan asked, "What happened?"

Xiaozhao plopped onto the rock at the Black Market Ghost Realm and said, "Sister Nian told me to come back, she won’t allow me to go to the Tang Sect for the time being."

"Did someone invade from the west?" Lady Yan asked.

Surprised, Xiaozhao replied, "Mom, how did you know?"

Lady Yan took out a letter and handed it to Xiaozhao, "Go deliver it to your Sister Nian."

Xiaozhao grinned, "Alright, Mom, if you send me to deliver a letter, Sister Nian can’t send me away."

Saying this, she tucked the letter into her clothes, but then worriedly glanced at the burning Li Yuan and asked, "Dad..."

Yan Yu smiled, "He’s fine, just normal cultivation, you go mind your business."

Xiaozhao blinked her eyes.

In her eyes, her parents seemed very powerful.

So...it was better for her to obey.

Then, she ran off again.

The puppet followed her.

With a flick of her hair, she released a flock of crows into the sky.

The crows transformed into a black cloud, carrying her into the air.

Yan Yu called after her, "Don’t use the crows! Don’t get noticed!"

Xiaozhao shouted back, "Once I’m past this mountain, I won’t use them!"

Yan Yu watched her go, then turned his gaze back, worry showing in his eyes.

She glanced at Li Yuan, murmuring, "What you feared... has really happened..."

...

...

June.

The snow on the Cloud Mountain Path had long since melted.

The Barbarians had fully sounded the depths here.

They began to realize their invincibility.

Previously the clan leader had cautiously led a hundred tribesmen to attack cities, but now even a dozen Barbarians could besiege a city successfully, as long as they retained their strength, they were unbeatable.

However, they started to encounter strange attacks—poisons, mechanisms, hidden weapons, puppets...

These caused them some casualties.

But not severe ones.

Victories on the front line left Barbarians still in the Eternal Night Permafrost restless.

Another wave of Barbarians charged out.

Soon, the Barbarians identified the threat as a force called the "Tang Sect."

Gradually, they found out that the Tang Sect headquarters was located in Longwan City.

Hundreds of Barbarians launched a siege on this headquarters, storming the city, capturing a large number of Tang Sect disciples, then finding fine wine and celebrating with drinks.

Unexpectedly, the poison erupted without warning.

Every drop of these wines contained poison.

Suddenly, one by one, puppets and Tang Sect disciples emerged, patrolling outside the city, trying to kill any Barbarians attempting to escape.

In a red robe, Mrs. Tang watched the battle from afar on the Gu Ya.

She concocted the poisons using Heart-Burning Flower and Soul Corroding Grass.

The Heart-Burning Flower could intoxicate Fifth and Sixth Grade cultivators, its effect paralyzing Sixth Grade, causing them to lose balance.

Soul Corroding Grass was extremely expensive, able to poison Sixth Grade to death, acquired by Tang Nian through trades with some merchants. However, it wasn’t an instant poison; it required time to take effect.

Otherwise, if a Sixth Grade realized what was happening, they could resist the Soul Corroding Grass using their power.

However, combining the Heart-Burning Flower and Soul Corroding Grass formed a perfect match.

This battle resulted in the death of 126 Barbarians, an unprecedented defeat.

The remaining Barbarians were driven out of Longwan City under the assault of the Tang Sect, Noble Families, and puppets.

Tang Nian never appeared at the front line; she orchestrated from a safe location.

She knew the Barbarians’ weaknesses well: muscular strength, simple-mindedness... yet to experience human deceit.

She drew out Li Yuan’s letter from her bosom but silently put it back.

This invasion was something she could resolve on her own.

No need for her father’s letter.

Mrs. Tang, with a cold smile that startled the disciples, murmured, "It’s time to let you see the most terrifying thing in the world."

Then, she looked at the disciple beside her and asked, "What is it?"

"Reporting to teacher, it’s the muscles," Tang Ling seriously replied.

Mrs. Tang, clad in a red robe, chuckled alluringly, then raised Tang Ling’s chin with a finger, saying, "Xiaolingzi, the most terrifying thing in the world... is the human heart."

As she spoke, she clapped her hands, and soon... a woman with a terrified expression was brought over.

This woman was a notorious thief of the Cloud Mountain Path, having harmed countless families, but she moved like a ghost and was hard to catch.

In truth... her identity was that of a corpse puppet.

Tang Nian had connections with Pang Yuanhua, and with Ghost Street under Yan Yu’s control, naturally, they could find her.

She jumped off her puppet and disguised the woman, transforming her gradually into her own likeness.

Then she cut off her tongue, pierced her eardrums, and with a kindly smile said, "Do you think... if someone were to defect now, taking this Mrs. Tang to the Barbarians, they might be considered a friend? Then, could we poison them again?"

Tang Ling rose and respectfully declared, "Teacher, I am willing to go."

Tang Nian watched her quietly, her smile fading, then said, "Return alive, and you’ll be the next Sect Leader Tang."

...

July...

The Barbarians, faced with various traps, began to doubt their existence, the death toll reaching over four hundred.

It was four hundred and not more because all the poison capable of killing Sixth Grade... was used up.

...

August...

Though four hundred was a heavy loss, it was tolerable for the Barbarians.

By the end of the month, the Barbarians launched a counterattack, battling against the Tang Sect and Noble Families in a place called Giant Horse Valley.

The Tang Sect and Noble Families... were defeated.

...

Early September...

Autumn arrived early.

Amidst falling leaves.

Mrs. Tang finally let out a sigh and sent the letter in her bosom to the Barbarian camp.

However, the messenger was skinned alive and hung high.

The contents of the letter naturally received no response from the Barbarians.

...

Late September...

The Cloud Mountain Path was in chaos.

At this moment, after nearly ten months of sitting, Li Yuan seemed to have gone through "gestation," slowly opened his eyes, and the egg-like flames surged back into his body, making his flesh appear flawless.