Chapter 430: Chapter 427: The Price of Targeting Mo Qi (4)

"Hmph. He has no one to blame but himself," Huangfu Zhong muttered with a cold snort from within the crowd.

He knew the Silver-haired Granny’s temper all too well.

For Qian Duoduo to dare shout the two words "old hag" in front of everyone, he must have surely infuriated her.

There was only one consequence for infuriating the Silver-haired Granny: death!

"Not necessarily." Mo Qi shot Huangfu Zhong a cool glance. "I’m afraid you’re in for another disappointment."

At first, Mo Qi had been extremely wary of the Silver-haired Granny, but when the assembled experts shouted the three words "Cold Cicada Valley," he immediately relaxed.

Others might not know the purpose of the Silver-haired Granny’s visit, but how could he be unaware?

Wu Bainian possessed the Cold Cicada Bloodline and, due to his gender, had been tormented by it for over a thousand years.

If not for his father, Wu the Old Ghost, using a Secret Technique to seal him in ice, he would have died centuries ago, reduced to a pile of withered bones.

But now, the Cold Cicada Bloodline that had plagued him was not only subdued, with its drawbacks completely gone, but it had also mutated and evolved, unlocking its inheritance.

With the Cold Cicada Bloodline, females flourished while males were doomed to perish.

This had been an iron-clad rule in Cold Cicada Valley for countless years, one that had never been broken.

This was also why Cold Cicada Valley was composed entirely of women, with no men.

For this reason, the powerful ancestors of Cold Cicada Valley had tirelessly striven to find a way to break this curse.

Alas, all their efforts had ended in failure.

Wu Bainian’s appearance was, without a doubt, a miracle and a ray of hope for Cold Cicada Valley!

If they could study him and find a way to prevent the Cold Cicada Bloodline from killing its male bearers, the power of Cold Cicada Valley would skyrocket.

Therefore, the Silver-haired Granny’s appearance had been for Wu Bainian’s sake from the very beginning.

With Wu Bainian around, Qian Duoduo would be fine.

"You insolent brat, you know nothing of Cold Cicada Valley!" Huangfu Zhong said coldly.

In his eyes, Qian Duoduo was already a dead man.

Mo Qi shrugged, offering no explanation. Instead, he pinched his fingers together, seemingly calculating the time.

"Heh heh, old man, I have a big gift for you. Just you wait. There should be news very soon."

Seeing Mo Qi’s malicious smile, Huangfu Zhong’s heart skipped a beat, and a powerful sense of unease washed over him.

’A big gift?’

Huangfu Zhong thought it over and over again, recalling every single thing that had happened in the past month, from internal family affairs to his communications with the Sub-Palace, but he couldn’t find anything amiss.

Even if he racked his brains, he would never have guessed that Huangfu Jun, a key figure being groomed by the Huangfu Family, had fallen under Mo Qi’s control and was currently plotting to overthrow the family.

"Hmph, you’re just being deliberately mysterious," Huangfu Zhong said with a cold snort.

"Fine, believe I’m being mysterious if you want." Mo Qi waved his hand, disinclined to waste any more words on Huangfu Zhong.

Huangfu Zhong was speechless. He told himself over and over that Mo Qi was only saying these things to make him uncomfortable.

But the unease in his heart was persistent, as if something truly major was about to happen.

This sense of unknown dread was the most torturous feeling of all.

In the end, unable to set his mind at ease, Huangfu Zhong hastily sent a voice transmission to his family, ordering them to raise their guard, dispatch more men to patrol the stronghold, and prepare for battle.

What he didn’t know was that this very order had inadvertently done Huangfu Jun a huge favor.

It also served to hasten the Huangfu Family’s march toward destruction.

... 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Junior, you’re courting death!" the Silver-haired Granny shouted in a low voice, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

With no visible movement from her, a crystal-clear Frost Spear materialized out of thin air and shot toward Qian Duoduo’s heart.

Qian Duoduo’s face went pale with fright, and the hair all over his body stood on end.

In that instant, he was locked in place by an overwhelming chill, unable to move a muscle.

Even the speed of his thoughts slowed considerably.

The Frost Spear had not yet reached him, but he could already smell the reek of death.

’I’m done for!’

Qian Duoduo gave up struggling. Forget about breaking free from an Immortal’s aura lock; even if he could, he wouldn’t be able to dodge the subsequent attack from the Ice Spear.

Just as the Ice Spear was about to pin and kill Qian Duoduo on the spot, the emotionally unstable Wu Bainian suddenly lifted his head.

"Stop!"

Wu Bainian roared, and a strange wave of coldness radiated from his body.

The Ice Spear stopped less than a foot from Qian Duoduo’s heart, hovering in mid-air.

"Hm?" the Silver-haired Granny exclaimed in surprise. "How interesting. To be able to force my Ice Spear to a halt with such a meager Cultivation... his bloodline strength is beyond imagination. Not bad, not bad at all. It makes my trip here worthwhile."

The Ice Spear hadn’t stopped on her command, but she could clearly sense that her connection to it was gradually fading.

And the one seizing control of the Ice Spear was none other than Wu Bainian!

"Shatter!"

Wu Bainian spoke again.

The Ice Spear began to tremble violently as fine cracks spread from its tip down the shaft.

"Alright now, I can’t let you actually destroy my Ice Spear, I..."

The Silver-haired Granny beckoned, intending to retract the Ice Spear, but before she could finish her sentence, a formidable surge of Bloodline Power erupted from within Wu Bainian.

"I said, shatter!"

A layer of icy mist clouded Wu Bainian’s eyes, and his long hair instantly turned snow-white.

CRACK!

BOOM!

At his word, the Ice Spear shattered, exploding into countless tiny ice crystals that danced across the sky before drifting away on the wind.

The Silver-haired Granny was stunned for a moment, then she became overjoyed.

’This boy’s Cold Cicada Bloodline strength is absolutely beyond anyone else’s. Even the Valley Master, setting aside her Cultivation, would be no match for him!’

’What a pleasant surprise!’

The Silver-haired Granny had originally only planned to take Wu Bainian back to Cold Cicada Valley to use him for research.

’It seems the situation has changed. The plan has to be revised!’

"Silver-haired old woman, I know why you’re here. Help me with a few things, and I promise I’ll go with you!" Wu Bainian said, looking at the Silver-haired Granny.

"Heh. If I want to take you with me, you can’t refuse, and no one can stop me," the Silver-haired Granny said, her eyes crinkling in a smile as she ignored his disrespectful address.

Wu Bainian’s expression remained unchanged as he said coldly, "It’s true that no one can stop you. But by the same token, you can’t stop me from crippling my own Cold Cicada Bloodline. When that happens, your Cold Cicada Valley will get nothing."

Hearing this, the Silver-haired Granny’s smile vanished. "Are you threatening me?"

"That’s right." Wu Bainian didn’t deny it.

The Silver-haired Granny took a deep breath. True to her temperament, if anyone else had dared to threaten her, she would have long since clubbed them with her cane.

But Wu Bainian was different. The future of Cold Cicada Valley was at stake, so she had to suppress her temper, or there would be serious trouble.

"Fine, I agree to your terms!" The Silver-haired Granny finally relented. "But I must warn you, if you’re thinking of asking me to help you deal with the Hall of Envoys, then I’m sorry, but that’s off the table."

Although Cold Cicada Valley did not fear the Hall of Envoys, the Hall was, after all, affiliated with the Five Great Holy Lands of the Immortal Realm.

They had to respect the power behind the throne, even if they looked down on the envoy. Minor squabbles were one thing, but they couldn’t afford to cause too great an offense.