Chapter 60

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Chapter 60: You Are a Burden

As Bing Yuyan’s voice rang out, the palace roof began to collapse, cracked apart, and rained down stones as black as ink. The moment they fell, they radiated a terrifying sharpness, as if transforming into dark killing swords.

“Damn it!” Bing Yuyan’s expression darkened. “The Ghostly Divine Platform and the Demon Sword Forbidden Area have joined forces. We need to retreat!”

Panic spread through her voice.

Two of the four major forbidden areas in the Southern Region had launched an attack together, setting a deadly trap against the Ice and Snow Divine Palace.

The people who had been searching for treasures immediately abandoned them and retreated without hesitation.

Only a portion of the Ice and Snow Divine Palace had sunk underground, but the remaining area was still vast.

Unfortunately, it was not far from where Zhang Yang and the others had been waiting.

As the top layer fully cracked open, the falling stones poured down densely like dark killing swords.

Zhang Yang looked at Bing Yuyan, his brow furrowed.

“What are you staring at?” Bing Yuyan snapped, clearly agitated.

“Can you please use your brain?” Zhang Yang scoffed. “What were you doing earlier? If you’d just left sooner, we wouldn’t be in this mess. If I hadn’t reminded you, would you have even thought of this? Did you seriously not consider that the Ghostly Divine Platform and Demon Sword Forbidden Area might set a lethal trap for the Ice and Snow Divine Palace? Was that so hard to imagine?”

Bing Yuyan’s chest heaved with anger.

Zhang Yang huffed. “What’s the point of being a backseat driver now?”

Such a thoughtless person, and yet she was always so used to acting proud and calling others fools.

Then it occurred to him that perhaps he himself had underestimated the situation.

Given their experiences with Wolf God Mountain and the Diamond Temple, he should have anticipated this. However, it was best not to voice it now.

He hurried Yuluan and Yuan Tong to retreat quickly.

The two had gathered a substantial haul, each filling their storage bags with over ten items.

Bing Yuyan swiftly left with Feng Daoer and the Ice and Snow Divine Guards.

Unfortunately, there were too many Ice and Snow Divine Guards, and their return speed still seemed sluggish. As a result, a group of over ten guards found themselves trapped beneath a massive falling stone, large enough to cover a ten-meter area.

They joined forces to strike back.

Bang! Bang! Bang…

The combined strength of the dozen or so guards made the falling stone tremble, sending black debris flying everywhere, but it still continued its descent.

At the critical moment, Zhang Yang darted forward, reaching out with one hand to catch the massive stone, halting its fall effortlessly.

“Run!” Zhang Yang shouted.

Only then did the group of Ice and Snow Divine Guards react, fleeing swiftly.

Bing Yuyan commanded, “Everyone, get out! Yuluan, lead them ahead.”

Yuluan acknowledged the order and immediately took the lead.

She hadn’t considered Zhang Yang’s safety—not because she didn’t care, but because, in the Vast Forest, she didn’t believe anything could harm him.

Bing Yuyan maneuvered skillfully, quickly making her way to Zhang Yang.

“You want to retrieve some treasure, don’t you?” Zhang Yang asked.

“So what if I do? Can you handle it?” Bing Yuyan still wore a grim expression. “The forbidden laws enforced by the two major forbidden areas are incredibly dangerous. If there are too few people, they can form a combined attack.”

Even as she spoke, the cracks in the top layer began to shift. As Yuluan led the others up the steps, the cracks reformed into a massive protrusion resembling a sword. It harnessed the strength of the entire top layer, exuding a terrible dark aura and razor-sharp intent, striking down toward them like a lethal force.

Zhang Yang swung his fist to meet it.

Bang!

The tip of the structure shattered.

The descending top layer was blasted upward by seven or eight meters.

Bing Yuyan’s pupils constricted as she watched, realizing the sheer force behind his attack.

She could only describe it as terrifying.

The more she observed Zhang Yang, the more puzzled she became—just how did he possess such strength?

“Can’t believe it didn’t break,” Zhang Yang said, sounding disappointed. “Your judgment is actually accurate.”

Bing Yuyan’s face turned ashen with anger.

Zhang Yang continued, “I thought you were just a brainless woman with no sense of judgment.”

Bing Yuyan gritted her teeth. “Zhang Yang, don’t push your luck.”

“Am I wrong? Fine, I’ll leave it to you this time.” Zhang Yang crossed his arms.

The top layer reformed into the shape of a black killing sword.

The forbidden laws remained unchanged, continuing their relentless assault.

Bing Yuyan, proud and arrogant by nature, possessed extraordinary talent, strength, and potential, making her highly likely to reach the holy level.

Never in her life had she imagined that after awakening, she would face continuous setbacks.

Clenching her jaw, she threw her fist at the attack.

She wanted to see for herself if it was truly as powerful as the legends claimed.

Bang!

The falling stone trembled slightly upon impact, sending dark debris scattering everywhere, but it continued its descent, undeterred.

“Burden.”

Zhang Yang muttered the word before casually swinging his fist and knocking the stone away once again.

Bing Yuyan felt a surge of rage—it was the first time in her life that someone had called her a burden.

Not only was she incredibly strong, but she was also the renowned first beauty of the Southern Region. No one, not even other women, could feel confident standing before her.

Who dared to insult her?

This was the first!

What frustrated her most was that she could only grit her teeth and endure it.

“Burden,” Zhang Yang repeated. “At least you know where the treasures of your Ice and Snow Divine Palace are, right? If so, lead the way.”

Bing Yuyan remained silent, grinding her teeth in frustration.

Seeing Zhang Yang’s strength only made her more determined to retrieve the treasures—otherwise, how could she tolerate his cold, mocking words?

She picked up her pace.

Zhang Yang executed One Step of Mountains and Rivers, casually keeping up with her.

Bing Yuyan’s phoenix eyes flickered with surprise. She immediately recognized the technique—this was one of the Nine Steps of Mountains and Rivers, an elite martial art reserved for true saints.

She couldn’t understand how someone in the Returning to Origin realm had managed to comprehend it.

The forbidden laws of the two major forbidden areas were indeed profound and enigmatic.

As they advanced, the falling stones—shaped like swords—seemed to shift positions, continuously following them and launching attacks.

Zhang Yang could only keep striking the falling attacks back.

“Do you really need to search for your own belongings?” he taunted.

“This is just too pathetic.”

With each mocking remark, Bing Yuyan felt as if she were on the verge of madness. She swore that as soon as they left the Vast Forest, she would teach him a lesson he would never forget—a lesson that would show him exactly why the flowers were so red.

Gritting her teeth, Bing Yuyan forced herself to endure.

Her movements became swift and focused, but with the Ice and Snow Divine Palace severely damaged, many areas were barely intact, making it difficult to locate the treasures she sought.

By the time she locked onto a specific location, Zhang Yang had already knocked back the collapsing top layer six times in a row.

Bing Yuyan stopped in front of a palace wall that remained frozen.

Once she confirmed her target, a look of excited joy appeared on her face.

It was clear there was something behind that wall that made her heart race.

Without hesitation, she executed the highest secret technique of the Ice and Snow Divine Palace, casting her abilities in quick succession.

Snowflakes began to emerge on the surface of the palace wall.

Each snowflake was vivid and lifelike, as if real snowflakes had been sealed into the wall. They were each the size of a human head, spreading across the area in an intricate pattern.

With a dignified expression, Bing Yuyan formed a series of hand seals as a tremendous force of ice and snow surged around her. Then, gathering that power, she suddenly unleashed it, shouting, “Open!”

The enormous snowflakes on the wall reacted immediately, continuously blooming new snowflakes from their centers. After nine cycles, they converged at the center, intertwining to form a massive, radiant snowflake.

The entire palace wall shimmered with light, transforming into an image of a vast, snowy landscape.

Bing Yuyan swiftly altered her hand seals and struck the center of the giant snowflake with force, shouting once more, “Open!”

The palace wall trembled, and the snowflakes quivered.

In that moment, a low rumble echoed throughout the air.

Zhang Yang suddenly felt a sharp sense of danger. Without thinking, he instinctively wrapped his arms around Bing Yuyan’s slender waist and pulled her into his embrace.

“Get off me!”

Bing Yuyan was both embarrassed and furious. In her entire life, she had never been in such close contact with any man, yet here she was, being held by the very man she had planned to teach a lesson. Enraged, she didn’t hesitate to punch Zhang Yang squarely in the chest.

Bang!

Zhang Yang braced himself for the blow, still managing to pull her back—but his reaction was just a fraction too slow.

From the center of the snowflake on the palace wall, a Demon Sword shot out, brimming with Demon Intent.

It grazed Bing Yuyan’s back, slicing into Zhang Yang’s left arm, the very arm that had been holding her waist.