Chapter 383

Chapter 383: Dead Even

Lou Yun defended, while Ye Piaoling attacked; the power of both men emanated formlessly. Thus, when that wave of cold finally struck Lou Yun’s body, it vanished soundlessly under the radiating heat of his Heavenly Flames. Lou Yun’s demeanor and posture likewise remained unchanged.

This signified the first exchange was dead even between them!

A flash of surprise crossed Ye Piaoling’s face. Clearly, it was hard to believe that Lou Yun had silently and effortlessly withstood the chill he emitted. However, it also gave him a preliminary understanding of Lou Yun’s strength.

Although Lou Yun, using the heat of his Heavenly Flames to shield the other two, was the only one who directly sensed that cold, both Wen Zhi Lao Ren and Xia Zhilan naturally witnessed Ye Piaoling’s sudden turn and heard his words.

Cold sweat trickled down Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s forehead. Lou Yun hadn’t mentioned anything about seeking Ye Piaoling out to discuss cultivation techniques earlier, and now it finally clicked. He hastily waved his hands, “Elder Ye! Elder Ye! It’s a misunderstanding! We truly haven’t come for your cultivation technique! We really are here for the Night Spirit Flower!”

“Shut up!”

Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s words didn’t quell Ye Piaoling’s anger; instead, they fanned it fiercely. As he roared, an even more intense wave of bone-chilling cold, like an erupting volcano, surged towards Lou Yun once more.

Lou Yun’s expression instantly turned grave. Every pore in his body opened momentarily, and the heat blended from his three Heavenly Flames within him surged forth abruptly, unleashing a similarly powerful torrent.

“BOOM!”

In sharp contrast to the silent clash moments ago, this time, their opposing forces—one scorching heat and one piercing cold—merely the collision of their auras, produced an earth-shattering boom.

Before Wen Zhi Lao Ren and Xia Zhilan could even process what was happening, they saw only a transparent sphere materialize at the exact midpoint between Lou Yun and Ye Piaoling, which then instantly exploded.

After this collision, neither man’s bearing nor position showed even a hint of change. This indicated the second exchange also ended in a tie—still dead even!

The anger on Ye Piaoling’s face vanished, replaced by deep solemnity. He had clearly underestimated Lou Yun’s strength. Yet, his own two aggressive attacks had been countered without the slightest harm done to the opponent. This suggested the power this young man possessed likely matched his own. And most bizarrely, the energy within Lou Yun seemed the polar opposite of his own glacial cold—it was an aura radiating intense heat!

Of course, Ye Piaoling couldn’t possibly imagine that this emanating aura actually stemmed from Lou Yun’s fusion of three Heavenly Flames. He racked his brain, wondering if anyone in this world cultivated by absorbing intense heat. And even if such a thing existed, where would they get such heat?

Cold energy could be absorbed in frigid lands—places like the Great Snowfield, perpetually blanketed in ice and snow. But heat energy? While Spirit Weapon Star had its extremely hot regions, Ye Piaoling had been there and knew it was utterly uninhabitable. He refused to believe someone could survive there, let alone cultivate using its intense heat as a source!

Yet, Ye Piaoling could clearly feel the high temperatures radiating from the very essence of Lou Yun’s aura. This placed him in profound internal conflict. For the moment, he found himself fully occupied by the puzzle of Lou Yun’s origins, forgetting to launch another attack.

Since Ye Piaoling didn’t strike, Lou Yun certainly wouldn’t initiate either. Though he yearned to unleash his full power and spar with Ye Piaoling, eager to discover whose strength prevailed—the absorbed glacial cold or his sky-earth infused Three Flames fusion energy—he had to consider Wen Zhi Lao Ren and Xia Zhilan behind him. Without his protective heat, they would freeze solid in an instant; the temperature within Ice Ruins had plummeted to an extreme low.

As both men stood locked in their stalemate, they suddenly looked up in unison. They both sensed several distinct energy signatures rapidly approaching Ice Ruins.

Ye Piaoling shot a glance at Lou Yun, his eyes filled with intense suspicion and anger. Since he claimed Ice Ruins as his domain, no one came here save for a few hapless souls from the Great Snowfield who might stumble in by accident. Hence, he suspected these incoming energy signatures were Lou Yun’s accomplices.

Lou Yun was equally puzzled. He recalled Wen Zhi Lao Ren saying Ice Ruins was virtually unvisited. So why were so many people arriving now? Could it be enemies of Ye Piaoling?

Reading Ye Piaoling’s accusatory look, Lou Yun grasped his suspicion. He quickly held up both hands placatingly, “Elder Ye! There’s only three of us! These people have nothing to do with us!”

Ye Piaoling offered no reaction to Lou Yun’s explanation. He just said lightly, “Dare you join me above to meet those who have arrived?”

“Why wouldn’t I dare? I’m equally curious about who these visitors are. Let’s go!”

After speaking, Dream Emperor Sword materialized beneath Lou Yun’s feet. He nodded at Wen Zhi Lao Ren and took Xia Zhilan’s hand. The three of them soared towards the cave opening leading out of Ice Ruins.

Ye Piaoling naturally followed close behind. As Lou Yun watched his counterpart’s movements, he noticed an intriguing detail: besides Ye Piaoling’s magical weapon, a layer of hazy white mist enveloped it—similar to the mist within his own dantian—obscuring its exact form, yet it didn’t hamper his flying speed in the slightest.

All four emerged from the cave mouth practically simultaneously.

Scanning the distance, Lou Yun saw the newcomers numbered twenty to thirty. They seemed to have converged from various directions, scattered around the entire periphery of the Ice Ruins’ entrance, forming a loose, encircling formation.

Lou Yun didn’t recognize a single one of them!

To his surprise, Ye Piaoling also appeared baffled—he clearly didn’t recognize these people either!

However, Wen Zhi Lao Ren suddenly spoke up, “Huh? What brings all of you here to Ice Ruins on this fine day?”

He addressed an elderly man whose appearance seemed even more aged than his own, the wrinkles on his face deeply piled. Seeing Wen Zhi Lao Ren also startled the old man, who asked, “What brings you emerging from beneath Ice Ruins?”

From this brief exchange, Lou Yun already grasped the situation. But to prove his and his companions’ innocence to Ye Piaoling, he deliberately played ignorant and asked, “Brother, who are these people?”

The moment the four burst out of the cave mouth, the eyes of the sudden arrivals mostly fixed upon Lou Yun and Ye Piaoling. Their own cultivation levels were no small matter, yet they couldn’t pierce the depths of either man’s power. This sparked strong curiosity. Lou Yun’s youth especially demanded attention. With their cultivation base, they naturally discerned his face wasn’t artificially maintained through power—he genuinely was that young!

Now, hearing Lou Yun casually address the respected Wen Zhi Lao Ren as ‘Brother’ further flabbergasted them. Wen Zhi Lao Ren laughed smoothly, “Ah, they are all reclusive masters dwelling within the Great Snowfield. By proximity, I suppose they are our neighbors.”

Just as Lou Yun had deduced. He smiled faintly, cupping his hands in a general salute, while Ye Piaoling, upon hearing this, merely twitched the muscles of his face and remained silent and unmoving.

Though he now knew their identities, Ye Piaoling’s suspicion towards Lou Yun didn’t abate. His initial conviction that Lou Yun coveted his cultivation technique held firm. In Ye Piaoling’s mind, it seemed perfectly logical that Lou Yun might rally these snowfield masters as a united front against him.

Wen Zhi Lao Ren continued conversing with the old man, “I accompanied my brother here to search for something. Why has everyone gathered here?”

The old man glanced at Ye Piaoling. “We all just heard that earth-shattering boom! Wondering what misfortune struck this place, we hurried over to investigate!”

He spoke the truth. Ordinarily, such a mighty blast elsewhere—even the collapse of a mountain—wouldn’t merit their attention. But for that sound to originate from Ice Ruins? That made it exceptionally different.

Which seclusive master within the Great Snowfield didn’t know the eccentric Ye Piaoling resided within Ice Ruins? And who wasn’t aware of his bizarre cultivation method and overwhelming power, far beyond their own means to confront? Thus, Ice Ruins effectively stood as a forbidden zone within the Great Snowfield.

Hearing such an apocalyptic thunder erupt from here strongly suggested someone was engaging Ye Piaoling in battle. Unable to contain their intense curiosity, they came specifically to witness what bold soul dared to provoke Ye Piaoling.

Wen Zhi Lao Ren chuckled amicably, “Nothing serious! There was merely a minor misunderstanding between Elder Ye and us. My brother and Elder Ye briefly… tested each other.”

He didn’t actually know the cause of the immense noise, having seen no visible action from either Lou Yun or Ye Piaoling. But since neither he nor Xia Zhilan (clearly incapable of it) made a move, it must have been those two who clashed.

Upon hearing this, expressions of shock rippled across the twenty to thirty onlookers. Though they couldn’t fathom Lou Yun’s cultivation level, and though his bearing and presence were undeniably striking—someone impossible to ignore—it did not necessarily translate to him possessing strength that could rival Ye Piaoling.

Ye Piaoling was the acknowledged, immensely powerful eccentric of the Great Snowfield. None of the two dozen plus gathered here dared claim they could best him, so they avoided his territory. To learn from Wen Zhi Lao Ren himself—a reliable source—that this composed, steady young man, barely twenty, had actually sparred with Ye Piaoling simply defied belief!

Suddenly, Ye Piaoling snorted coldly. Ignoring everyone, he turned to fly back down into Ice Ruins. But at that very moment, Lou Yun’s voice rang out, stopping him: “Wait! Elder Ye! Earlier we had no victor. I wish to experience your supreme technique once more, right here and now!”