Chapter 524 - 515: Xian’Er’s Ordeal

Chapter 524: Chapter 515: Xian’Er’s Ordeal

Meng Chuhai watched Mu Bingling’s departing figure and a cruel smile crept onto his face. He said coolly, "Hmph! A true Ice Beauty, just as they say. Only a woman like that is worthy of me! Before long, Grandfather will be coming out of seclusion! When that time comes, I’ll have him propose to the Valley Master for me. With Grandfather’s prestige and authority, the Valley Master is bound to agree! We’ll see how long you can run from me!"

Little did Meng Chuhai know that this very scheme, born of a moment’s impulse, would push both the Profound Ice Valley and Bingli to the brink of disaster...

The Ding Palace. At this moment, the Ding Palace was likely the only power on the entire Extreme Martial Continent not paying attention to the Ancient Will in the sky.

Inside the Ding Palace, all the Cauldron Masters were assembled, and every one of their faces was etched with worry.

"The young mistress’s condition has worsened again, Palace Master!" an old man in a gold-striped robe said quickly to Wan Xianzhong, his face filled with terror. "If we can’t find a solution, the young mistress... she might... she might..."

Upon hearing this, Wan Xianzhong asked in a panic, "She might what?"

The golden-robed elder hesitated before saying gravely, "I’m afraid she can only hold on for about a year at most."

"A... year?" Wan Xianzhong’s face was haggard and filled with sorrow. He asked in anguish, "Elder Jia, you are our Ding Palace’s most learned and experienced Holy Mark Tripod Master. Is there truly no way to save this child?"

The man called Elder Jia shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "Palace Master, I am truly powerless. In all my long years, I have never seen a case like the young mistress’s. Not only that, but there is no mention of anything like it even in the ancient records! Perhaps we might find a cure with the Supreme Medical Scripture and the White Dragon Cauldron. Otherwise, we can only do our best to suppress it, not eradicate it. A year and a half is still her absolute limit!"

Wan Xianzhong flicked his sleeve and sighed heavily. ’To think that I, the esteemed Palace Master of the Ding Palace, have saved countless people! What sort of phenomena haven’t I witnessed?! Yet in the end, I can’t even save my own child! How ironic! So be it! Just as you said, we’ll suppress it as quickly as possible!’

"Palace Master! Palace Master! The Ancient Will in the sky...!"

Just then, a Mid-level Cauldron Master came running in from outside. He looked panicked, pointing outside and shouting at Wan Xianzhong. But Wan Xianzhong had no time to deal with such things. Annoyed, he cast aside all decorum and cursed, "Ancient Will my ass! Hurry up and get me the Wu Ku Vine, Phosphorescent Ganoderma, Nine Transformations Spiritual Liquid, and Ink Jade! Now!"

"But! But!" The Mid-level Cauldron Master’s eyes were filled with conflict, but his expression suddenly firmed. He shouted, "Fine! I’ll go get them immediately! But Palace Master! The Young Miss saw the Ancient Will in the sky and left her room! She looked utterly desolate, you should go check on her!" With that, the Mid-level Cauldron Master turned and shot off, flying toward the Ding Palace’s Medicine Pavilion.

"What? Xian’er... that child... Elder Jia, I’ll leave the alchemy to you. I’m going to check on Xian’er first! What sins have I, Wan Xianzhong, committed to deserve this?!"

With a sudden, deep sigh, Wan Xianzhong’s figure vanished from the main hall, leaving Elder Jia to shake his head helplessly. ’How could this be? How could something like this happen? It’s simply unthinkable!’

...

"Mu Chen... is that you?"

Outside a side hall in the Ding Palace, a tall woman dressed in white as pure as snow walked with a delicate gait, her eyes staring blankly at the illusory figure that had appeared in the sky as she whispered to herself.

A light breeze caressed her face. The white-robed woman reached up with slender fingers to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, revealing an exquisitely beautiful face etched with desolation and grief. A tear slid silently down her cheek... She was none other than Wan Xian’Er, who had parted ways with Mu Chen at the Netherworld Purgatory three years ago.

The Wan Xian’Er of today no longer had the innocence and liveliness of the past. In their place were maturity, weariness, and a sorrow that could not be dispelled.

"You big jerk... you playboy... you bastard! You son of a bitch!! *Sob*... Why... why didn’t you come find me... Why did you leave me to bear this pain all alone... Why?!"

Her tears... faced with that imposing figure in the sky, she could no longer hold them back, no longer suppress them. They fell like a torrential downpour, streaming down her beautiful, haggard cheeks like a gushing spring...

"If anything happens to Xiao Ying... Mu Chen! I, Wan Xian’Er, will never forgive you! I’ll hate you! I’ll hate you for my entire life!! I’ll hate you for all eternity!!"

As heartbroken sobs wracked her body, Wan Xian’Er’s emotional turmoil caused the normally gentle Wood Attribute Elemental Power within her to erupt with terrifyingly destructive force, shattering the palace floor with a deafening BOOM!

This scene was witnessed by Wan Xianzhong, who had rushed over after hearing the news. He stared in astonishment at the daughter before him, who seemed like a complete stranger, and a whirlwind of emotions churned within him.

Ever since three years ago, when his own father, Wan Xianlin, had found and brought Wan Xian’Er back, everything about her had changed. She had become silent, melancholic. She was no longer noisy, no longer chattered, no longer acted spoiled. He had never understood the reason, not until Xiao Ying’s appearance. Only then did he faintly grasp a piece of the story... but Wan Xian’Er refused to speak of the details, remaining unmoved even when he and Wan Xianlin had tried both gentle persuasion and harsh coercion.

"Xian’Er..."

Looking at her violently trembling figure, at her anguished, haggard expression, Wan Xianzhong’s heart felt as if it were being pierced by ten thousand swords, wracked with searing pain. ’I only have this one daughter! This is my most beloved daughter!! Who was it! Who turned her into this! If I ever find out! If I ever find out who it was, I’ll slice them into a thousand pieces! And when I’m done, I’ll do it again!’

’Mu Chen! It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered him! But every time he thought of that name, he would remember Wan Xian’Er’s completely apathetic, utterly indifferent expression and immediately dismiss the idea. It wasn’t that he didn’t have his suspicions, but Wan Xian’Er’s performance was simply too nonchalant! If it was truly Mu Chen who had caused her such pain, she would never be so detached when he brought up the name.’

’But besides him, who else could have done this to her?’

Taking a deep breath, Wan Xianzhong suppressed all the fury in his heart. His calm eyes seemed devoid of any emotion as he slowly walked toward Wan Xian’Er. He placed a pair of warm hands on her shoulders and gently pulled her into his embrace.

"Silly girl, are you thinking about painful things again? Or did you have another nightmare?"

The sudden warmth and gentle words instantly calmed Wan Xian’Er’s turbulent emotions. She buried her face deep in Wan Xianzhong’s shoulder and said hoarsely, "Mmm... I had another nightmare... Daddy... Ying’Er... she..."

"She’s fine. Daddy promises you, even if it costs me my life, Daddy will save her!"

Gently patting Wan Xian’Er’s back, Wan Xianzhong looked up at the sky. All traces of the Ding Palace Master’s dignified aura were gone, replaced by pure anguish...

...

On Holy Beast Mountain, Mu Chen’s Soul Power had long since vanished from his Sea of Souls. In its place, he had entered an exceptionally profound and mysterious state. At first, he wasn’t fully aware of it, but when his consciousness became completely clear, he found that he had somehow arrived in the boundless sky.

His senses felt as if they had been sharpened tens of millions of times. The moment he opened his eyes, the entire Extreme Martial Continent seemed to be reflected within them. Every flower and blade of grass, every mountain and tree, even the Xuanling Empire millions of li away was no exception.

His eyes scanned his surroundings. But just as Mu Chen was immersed in this peculiar spectacle, two distinct gazes pierced through the clouds and mountains, crossed all boundaries, and entered his vision.

"Mu Chen... why haven’t you come to see me! Have you already forgotten Wu’Er? Have you forgotten the Wu’Er from Frost Cold Town?"

"You big jerk... you playboy... you bastard! You son of a bitch!! *Sob*... Why... why didn’t you come find me... Why did you leave me to bear so much pain all alone... Why?!"

"If anything happens to Xiao Ying... Mu Chen! I, Wan Xian’Er, will never forgive you! I’ll hate you! I’ll hate you for my entire life!! I’ll hate you for all eternity!!"

...

A wave of emotion washed over him, and the images of two devastatingly beautiful women surfaced in his mind. One danced gracefully in rainbow silks, the other was as lively and ethereal as a fairy.

"Qin Wu... Wan Xian’Er..."

He murmured their names, and for some unknown reason, a sharp pain shot through his heart. The massive Golden Array, as if influenced by his emotions, began to flicker erratically, on the verge of collapse!

"Guard your Spirit Sea and focus your mind. For now, forget everything you have seen. All else can wait until the Contract is successful."

The sudden arrival of this ancient voice in Mu Chen’s consciousness allowed him to suppress his turbulent emotions and swiftly enter an ethereal state. The Golden Array, which had been on the verge of collapse, suddenly solidified.

"Phew... This guy. To get distracted at a time like this... what a talent!" On Holy Beast Mountain, Zhu Jiuqian was sprawled on the ground. He fiercely wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and rolled his eyes as he spoke.

Beside him, Feng Chaoming wore a pained expression. He wasn’t interested in any of this, but the immense pressure was pinning him down so firmly that he couldn’t even get up. "This is exhausting. How much longer is this Contract going to last?"

"Who knows?" Zhu Jiuqian said irritably. "But the longer it goes on, the greater the benefits for that kid! You’re really not holding up well, are you?"

"Bullshit! It’s easy for you to say, you son of a bitch, you’re not the one in pain! I’m an invalid, you know that?" Feng Chaoming cursed back, which only made Zhu Jiuqian chuckle sinisterly.

...

"Mu Chen...? Heh... You really are no ordinary guy. It seems I’ll have to find time to return to my clan. Otherwise, even I will be surpassed by him in no time."

On the Fourth Level of the Inner Mountain of Holy Tomb Mountain, Shan Tianyu stood on a rooftop with his hands behind his back, gazing at the phantom image in the sky with an unprecedentedly solemn expression. Only now did he truly begin to see Mu Chen as a serious threat.

...

On the First Level of the Inner Mountain, Chu Aoqing leaned one hand on her windowsill, resting her chin on it as she gazed up at the sky. She whispered, "Creating a miracle... You really did it..."

As the words left her lips, Chu Aoqing suddenly shut the window and drew the curtains. She retrieved a form-fitting red dress from her ring, held it up against her body, and then pouted. ’A dress... will wearing one really make a difference?’