Chapter 240

Chapter 240: Come and Torment Me

After a moment of silence, a chilling, ruthless aura suddenly erupted from Bing Yuyan’s body, transforming the courtyard into a world of ice and snow.

Her stunning face was filled with murderous intent, and her beautiful eyes swirled with madness. She felt an overwhelming urge to fight to the death, to perish alongside Zhang Yang. How dare this man harbor such thoughts toward her? He deserved to die!

At that moment, she was truly on the brink of madness.

“How about I torment you until you wish you were dead? What do you think?” Bing Yuyan said coldly.

Zhang Yang closed his eyes, stretched out his arms, and tilted his head back. “Go ahead, feel free to ravage me.”

“You—!”

Bing Yuyan gritted her teeth in fury, her fingers trembling with the urge to strike this despicable man for his shameless words.

Earlier, she had merely wanted to intimidate him into releasing her vow, but now things had taken a turn for the worse. The most infuriating part was realizing that, after not seeing him for over six months, this vile man had become even more unbearable—his shamelessness reaching new heights. She felt utterly powerless against him.

Frustrated, she stomped her foot and stormed away.

Zhang Yang cracked open his eyes just a little, watching her enchanting figure disappear into the distance. He couldn’t help but chuckle. “You want to challenge me? Just wait—you’ll keep losing.”

“I’ve only been gone for a few days, and now you’ve become arrogant again, daring to use that attitude with me. This time, I’ll make sure to wear you down until you behave like a proper beauty for my enjoyment.”

As the courtyard returned to silence, Zhang Yang tuned in to the many voices within the Green Sparrow Palace. The palace was filled with female cultivators, their chatter never ceasing.

Some were discussing him, clearly intrigued by his presence.

More were captivated by Bing Yuyan, marveling at her unparalleled beauty.

Zhang Yang shook his head in amusement and cleared his mind.

Time to cultivate.

His focus returned to his training.

Now that he had left the Daybreak Phoenix Ruins, he was no longer dealing with the Ascending to Heaven realm but rather a higher stage—possibly the Opening the Sky realm or even the immeasurable stage.

He needed to make the most of every moment.

The environment within Green Sparrow Palace was excellent, clearly designed for cultivation. With an ample supply of Spirit Stones, he had more than enough resources to support his training.

Calming his mind, he dispelled all distractions and began practicing the Divine Strength Technique.

Unbeknownst to him, the technique had already undergone subtle changes.

Having reached Perfection in the Returning to Origin Realm and having survived the Ascending to Heaven calamity, the overall form of the Divine Strength Technique remained the same. However, upon closer inspection, many intricate changes had taken place.

His foundation in the path of sainthood had become increasingly solid. The deeper he delved, the more profound the transformations became—leading to astonishing cultivation results.

However, his current training had unexpectedly become difficult.

Especially when it came to Nine Extremes True Essence—whenever he attempted to summon it, he felt an unusual, sticky resistance.

Zhang Yang was shocked by this abrupt change.

He quickly delved deeper to investigate.

To his surprise, he discovered faint strands of light swirling within his dantian, entangling the Nine Extremes True Essence and preventing him from summoning it forcefully or operating it fully. Each time he tried to activate it, it felt as if he were trapped in a swamp, facing significant interference.

“Damn it!”

“I’ve been schemed against.”

“This is a special forbidden law targeting me.”

“Who is it?”

Zhang Yang’s eyebrows shot up.

When it came to cultivation—especially regarding the Nine Extremes True Essence—it was the foundation of his martial arts. This interference had a profound impact on him.

Anger flared in his heart, and the first person who came to mind was Bing Yuyan.

Without hesitation, he stormed out of his courtyard, making his way to hers.

As he stepped through the doorway, he found Bing Yuyan sitting in the courtyard, sulking. She was angrily plucking flower petals and tossing them to the ground. Upon seeing him, she froze in surprise.

Zhang Yang frowned and muttered to himself, “No, it’s not you.”

Bing Yuyan, already in a foul mood, huffed, “What do you mean it’s not me?”

Zhang Yang replied, “Even though you’re annoying, a bit brainless, hot-tempered, and overly delicate, at least you still have some sense.”

Bing Yuyan’s expression darkened in fury. She looked like she was ready to scratch Zhang Yang’s face.

How infuriating!

Did he come here just to humiliate her?

Annoying? She was the most beautiful woman in the Southern Region!

Brainless, hot-tempered, overly delicate? She was the palace master of the Ice and Snow Divine Palace—wise, composed, and magnanimous! Just look at her!

Zhang Yang didn’t argue further. Instead, he casually tossed her a Great Path Sacred Fruit and said, “You should contemplate it. The mysteries within the fruit run deep.”

The Flower Phantom had gained insight from merely remembering a single leaf from the Great Path Sacred Fruit Tree. How much more profound would the fruit itself be? For Bing Yuyan, breaking through was important, but understanding the mysteries of the Great Path was crucial.

His decision to give her the fruit stemmed from a growing sense that trouble was approaching.

Someone had schemed against him. The attack was not meant to kill him but to suppress his cultivation by targeting his dantian—an act that clearly carried ulterior motives.

He had to be fully prepared.

Yet, he couldn’t figure out who was behind it.

God King Taiyi?

Impossible. After escaping the space-time confinement, he had even made a breakthrough.

Qiu Yinong?

Even less likely. She had not been his match even within the Daybreak Phoenix Ruins.

So who could it be?

After much thought, he arrived at a single explanation.

The scheme had likely been executed right after he left the Daybreak Phoenix Ruins. But Bing Yuyan had arrived almost immediately after him. Unless a saint had intervened, she would have certainly noticed any attack in front of her.

This meant that he was ambushed during the brief moment between his pursuit of the Seventh Prince and Bing Yuyan’s arrival.

Mu Yujing?

It was possible. After all, she had stepped in to stop him from chasing the Seventh Prince.

Yet, he found it unlikely. When Mu Yujing had appeared, his focus had been entirely on her. Although she was at the Great Boundless Perfect Stage, he had been acutely aware while operating his holy power—how could he not have sensed even the faintest trace of an attack?

He believed it was more likely that while Mu Yujing had hindered him, someone else had seized the opportunity to strike.

“Who could it be?”

At that moment, Zhang Yang still couldn’t figure it out.

He turned and left.

Meanwhile, Bing Yuyan, holding the Great Path Sacred Fruit, looked utterly confused. She muttered, “What does this despicable man mean? He storms in to scold me and then gives me a Great Path Sacred Fruit? What kind of scheme is this?”

She hesitated to use the fruit, instead standing by the doorway, watching Zhang Yang’s retreating figure with a puzzled expression. Then, suddenly remembering his insults, she angrily exclaimed, “Despicable man! Calling me brainless and overly delicate—how infuriating!”

Zhang Yang’s mind was filled with doubts.

After careful contemplation, he still couldn’t pinpoint the culprit.

However, he was certain it could only be a handful of individuals:

Yilie! Liu Taixu! Ying Wuji! Ghost King Futian! Su Baishi!

Any one of them could be responsible.

All were at the Great Boundless Perfect Stage, and all had continuously spoken about wanting to kill him.

Despite these suspicions, he couldn’t piece everything together.

His focus returned to the faint strands of light in his dantian. He attempted to summon the Nine Extremes True Essence with unwavering intent—but it remained unmoved.

He had chosen not to let Bing Yuyan examine him. He wanted to confirm the situation on his own first.

Of course, he also didn’t want to give Bing Yuyan a chance to exploit his vulnerability. He had long sensed that she was waiting for an opportunity to turn the tables on him.

This was a battle—a special battle between a man and a woman.

He couldn’t afford to lose.

As he continued his investigation, his expression darkened.

The situation was far more serious than he had initially thought.

This was not just some ordinary interference—this was a holy power forbidden law at play.

In other words, this was not merely the power of the Immeasurable Stage.

This was the forbidden law of a saint!

That realization made the situation even more terrifying.

Who could have possibly sought out a saint’s holy power forbidden laws to strike against him in secret?

This forbidden law had to be broken, yet no one within the Green Sparrow Palace had the ability to do so.

He had to return to the Vast Forest.

But the real question was—would the one who attacked him allow him the chance to leave?