The No.1 Undercover in the Immortal World-Chapter 716 - 224: Snow Maiden Returns to the Mountain
Yuan Zihe felt death creeping closer.
The woman before her instilled a sense of foreboding she had never experienced before.
Imposing, icy cold.
Like a Great Snow Mountain about to crush her in an instant.
Yuan Zihe’s heart raced in panic, and suddenly she remembered the question the Snow Maiden had asked earlier—a spark of inspiration flashed in her mind.
It was time to take a gamble.
"I am Lin Yun’s captive."
The Snow Maiden could sense that Yuan Zihe was very afraid, and she could differentiate that it was the truth.
"So you mean to say, you escaped on your own?"
The gaze of the Snow Maiden was anything but friendly; considering this person was Lin Yun’s captive, she was also an enemy.
An enemy who disobeys and runs away by herself, the correct action would be to kill her.
The Snow Maiden was just like that, ruthless with few words.
With a raise of her hand, she was about to execute her killing blow.
Yuan Zihe hastily said, "Wait, Lin Yun didn’t plan to kill me!"
The Ice Blade in the Snow Maiden’s hand hung suspended in mid-air, not launched, as she looked at Yuan Zihe with an interrogative gaze.
She conveyed one meaning: you have one sentence to save yourself.
"He wanted to train me into his female slave; I vowed to resist unto death, and that’s why I fled."
Yuan Zihe was indeed quite clever, perceiving the degree of the Snow Maiden’s regard for Lin Yun, she knew their relationship was likely nothing proper.
It was already known from intelligence that the Snow Maiden and Lin Yun were close; Lin Yun was the Divine Child, the Snow Maiden a Goddess.
So the two were supposed to have a brother-sister relationship, and yet they were planning to marry?
The Grassland People truly did not adhere to human ethics.
However, for those in intelligence fields, unconfirmed information must be chosen with utmost care.
Take, for example, this piece of information: did Lin Yun truly have the ability to make the Snow Maiden like him?
Yuan Zihe had not truly believed it before, but now, seeing the Snow Maiden’s reaction, she had no choice but to take the risk.
As they say, fortune favors the bold. Since the Snow Maiden was already set on killing her, she might as well seek a chance to survive by reversing her approach.
"Train, female slave!?"
The Snow Maiden was shocked on the spot and for a moment, an intense killing intent radiated from her entire being.
Seeing her like this, Yuan Zihe knew her ploy had been effective.
There might be a chance she wouldn’t die, or perhaps she would die even more miserably. Either way, for that glimmer of hope, this was her only option.
"That’s right, look, he had me tied up like this, and demanded that I submit to him."
The Snow Maiden: "..."
She could tell, Yuan Zihe was not lying.
This was where Yuan Zihe’s scheme came into play; she knew that some powerful cultivators could peer into the minds of others, so to deceive someone else, one must first deceive oneself.
After giving herself a mental suggestion, she now truly believed that Lin Yun wanted to train her as a female slave.
However, after a moment of speechlessness, the Snow Maiden seriously said, "I think you have made a mistake, this is how we have always tied people up here."
Yuan Zihe: "???"
Such a shameful method of binding is a basic operation in your Grassland?
Are you even human?
Yuan Zihe started to question her life, while the Snow Maiden reminisced about the days spent with Lin Yun, binding people together, those were happy times.
At that thought, her mood improved considerably.
Yuan Zihe felt her chances cooling down; she had calculated countless possibilities, yet never expected the Grassland People to bind captives in such a manner, all the while thinking Lin Yun was specifically trying to humiliate her!
Now, her recent claims were baseless, and the Snow Maiden would probably deal with her!
"Lin Yun’s reputation must remain unsullied. Since you have said this, I won’t kill you. I will take you to confront him and restore his innocence!"
Yuan Zihe: "..."
Was this also an option?
The Snow Maiden’s word was her bond; she said she wouldn’t kill, and she wouldn’t. To prevent Yuan Zihe from escaping, the Snow Maiden used Fulong to cast the Trapping Mantra.
Qiaobian was a tool of war, perhaps not adept at capturing, but combined with Fulong, it was a different matter.
Now, Yuan Zihe was inescapably trapped, and for the Snow Maiden, she saw this as an opportunity to actively seek out Lin Yun.
Before, it had only been communication, but with a hostage in hand, a personal meeting was surely warranted!
As the Snow Maiden pondered this, she ordered her subordinates to clear the battlefield.
Not killing captives was also the Snow Maiden’s current constraint on her subordinates, but those who continued to resist and died at the hands of the Grassland Warriors—she couldn’t be blamed for that. War is never without bloodshed.
Yuan Zihe followed closely by the Snow Maiden’s side, relieved to see the entire Yuan Family retreating to the sea.
Of course, the Yuan Family suffered heavy losses in this battle, but as long as they were not completely wiped out, there was always a chance for a comeback.
She just didn’t know what her brother was up to at this moment.
Yuan Zidan: "I am in Cloud Dream Marsh, currently facing an ambush."
It didn’t take long for Snow Maiden to completely conquer Haizhou.
As the forces of Azure Dragon Island, led by the Yuan Family, were skilled in naval battles, and there were many sea beasts in the sea, Snow Maiden did not rashly pursue them into the ocean. She merely instructed the Grassland Warriors to station troops at the port for defense, while she herself intended to take Yuan Zihe with her to search for Lin Yun.
However, before she could leave the Central Military Camp, a figure shrouded in a black robe appeared before her.
This was a Shaman-Priest, yet she couldn’t discern which one.
Each Shaman-Priest had roughly the same build, their faces covered; probably only the Grand Shaman knew their identities.
Although Snow Maiden couldn’t identify each Shaman-Priest by name, she could sense that the one before her now was not the same one who had descended the mountain with them initially.
"Princess Snow, the Grand Shaman commands, ’The situation in the Central Plains changes in the blink of an eye, the battle among the four kings is about to conclude. You must return to Great Snow Mountain to receive the God’s baptism in order to secure victory in this war and unite with the Divine Child.’"
A command from the Grand Shaman...
Snow Maiden was somewhat conflicted.
Lin Yun had said the Grand Shaman didn’t seem like a good person. Although he had no evidence, that indeed was his feeling.
Also, thanks to Lin Yun’s efforts, he had gradually gathered some clues. Although they couldn’t yet condemn the Grand Shaman, Snow Maiden naturally put ninety percent faith in Lin Yun’s words.
The remaining ten percent was due to the fact that the Grand Shaman had never made a mistake and was the spokesperson for the Father God. Snow Maiden couldn’t completely turn against the Grand Shaman based on Lin Yun’s words alone.
To harbour ninety percent suspicion against the Grand Shaman was already the greatest level of trust Snow Maiden had in Lin Yun.
Having stayed at the mountain’s base for so long without receiving many commands from the Grand Shaman — only to seize Ziyang City and marry Lin Yun — that seemed like a splendid task to Snow Maiden, who was thrilled by the idea of marrying Lin Yun. However, the masters of the Central Plains did not play fair, besieging her one after another.
This time, it was again about uniting with Lin Yun. Yet, Lin Yun also said, ’Do not return to Snow Mountain if there’s nothing important.’
"That’s right, Lin Yun said not to return to Snow Mountain if there’s nothing important. Now that I have something important, doesn’t that mean I’m not going against Lin Yun’s words?"
With this thought, Snow Maiden finally let go of her indecision.
Many claimed she was naïve, but most of the time, she proved herself cunning, artfully resolving the conflict at hand, just as she did this time.
Snow Maiden also believed in the necessity of the Snow Mountain God’s baptism mentioned by the Grand Shaman.
Although she had already broken through to a new realm, it still wasn’t perfect.
The fight with Lin Yu also made Snow Maiden realize her own shortcomings.
She wasn’t weaker than Lin Yu, but her control over her own power was inadequate. Returning to Snow Mountain now for baptism would not only enhance her strength but also would not violate the agreement with Lin Yun.
She made her decision cheerfully.
Taking the little captive, Yuan Zihe, Snow Maiden called for Snowstep and headed straight to Snow Mountain.
She couldn’t place this captive casually; Snow Maiden hadn’t forgotten that Yuan Zihe had previously lured away Lin Yun’s Divine Weapons.
Although Lin Yun would surely find them, doing so would waste some time.
Just like her Fulong, she could find it, but searching took time; bringing the captive along posed no problem.
Hu Yuling and Wu Xin, who had been observing in stealth, were speechless on the spot.
Was Snow Maiden really coaxed into returning to the mountain like that?
Fortunately, Lin Yun had arranged for them to protect Snow Maiden in secret; otherwise, by the time Lin Yun returned, Snow Maiden might have been gone.
Wu Xin and Hu Yuling hadn’t been observing from the same location, but now, because of Snow Maiden’s movements, they converged.
Although Hu Yuling’s cultivation level was lower, due to the traits of the Demon Race, she went undetected by Snow Maiden. However, Wu Xin, also from the Demon Race, managed to find her.
Seeing Hu Yuling, Wu Xin taunted her: "I thought by siding with a new master, you would enjoy wealth and comfort. In the end, you’re still being driven to labor and toil for others, tsk tsk tsk!"
Obviously, Wu Xin, who held grudges, still remembered being betrayed by Hu Yuling. Even though Lin Yun had mediated the situation, now that Lin Yun wasn’t around, she still carried the air of a former boss, making sarcastic comments.
Hu Yuling had felt guilty before, but after being mocked repeatedly by a little one, even a clay Buddha would get angry, let alone Hu Yuling.
She was always bullied by Lin Yun, but she used to be a powerful and revered Great Elder. She had never suffered such indignity before.
"I serve my master and am driven by his commands without complaint, which is certainly better than having a tough mouth while inwardly yearning for the master’s affection."
"Who are you calling tough-mouthed?"
Wu Xin bristled on the spot, while Hu Yuling smiled faintly: "It’s clear who has a tough mouth. Don’t you like our master?"
"Like that jerk? I wish I could return to the Demon Land now. Once I become a Heavenly Demon, even a Demon Monarch, I will definitely settle accounts with Lin Yun!"
"See, you’re being tough-mouthed!"
Wu Xin: "..."
After a fit of frustration, Wu Xin stiffened her neck and retorted: "I’m not being tough-mouthed; I’m just speaking the truth!"
"Enough, we both currently serve the same master, and the task at hand is what’s important. Can you still contact the master?"
"I can’t, who knows where that guy has run off to this time."
The two demons had grown accustomed to Lin Yun’s disappearance.
As long as the two of them were alive, Lin Yun was alive as well; they weren’t too worried.
Besides, it was nothing unusual for Lin Yun to go missing for a while.
After all, his absence did not prevent the two from carrying on with their tasks.
The two little demon maids had a strong sense of self-management.
Once they reached the Grassland People’s territory, their strength was unaffected, which gave Wu Xin a bit more confidence.
If a fight broke out, they should at least be able to escape...
