Yan Zhaoge sneered, as he directly broke off his absorption of the Glacial Dragon Bone Soul, instead striking out at the small metal plate with his palm.
With a violent shudder of the small metal plate, the entire skeleton of the Glacial Chi-Dragon began shaking violently along with it as well.
The Glacial Dragon Bone Soul let out a long, majestic roar, at a level where it could cause one’s eardrums to vibrate so much they wished they were deaf.
As Yan Zhaoge’s palms left the dragon bones, his connection with the Glacial Dragon Bone Soul was severed as well.
Ye Jing as well as Meng Wan would now find it hard to once again discern the current situation over at Yan Zhaoge’s end.
Just as they were stunned and at a loss as for what to do, the Glacial Dragon Bone Soul began to erupt with a huge force, the massive skeleton of the Glacial Chi-Dragon beginning to thrash its body about crazily.
A whirpool once again appeared within the icy cold pond, as the violent waves and collapsing rocks began to descend on all over its surroundings.
The skeleton of the Glacial Chi-Dragon abruptly lifted its head, hitting Meng Wan’s body straight on.
Unable to withstand its blow, Meng Wan’s entire body shook, finding it hard to continue keeping ahold of her damask.
Ye Jing gave a muffled groan as, having lost the lifeline from Meng Wan, his entire person was enveloped by the pond water and swept into an underground river, his whereabouts instantly unknowable.
The sun and sky could not be seen; within the water, there was only total darkness.
Ye Jing was swept away by the currents, his entire body colliding with the stone walls of the watercourse repeatedly. He could only see stars, having lost the ability to determine where was up and where was down.
“Yan…Zhao…”
Ye Jing wanted to bellow in rage, but no sound was emitted from his mouth, as the icy cold river water whose icyness penetrated all the way down to his bones was slammed unceremoniously down his throat instead, causing the later part of his words to be forcefully shoved back in.
His body was once again riddled in wounds, but what went flying this time was not his flesh and blood, but, rather, streams of fire.
Sadly, the flames just having appeared, they were instantly quenched by the icy cold, turbulent river water.
Meng Wan had regained her senses, but there was just nothing she could do.
Within the turbulent waters of the pond, even taking care of herself was already hard. She could only stabilise her own figure after much effort, only daring to move after the flow of water had calmed down.
Within the glacial valley at the other end, Yan Zhaoge was leisurely and contented as he once again placed his palm on the dragon tailbone, beginning to continue absorbing the remaining portion of Glacial Dragon Bone Soul that still resided within.
“What should have been a glorious, magnificent first meeting, actually ended up with him in this kind of pathetic state; I wonder how high a certain person’s psychological shadows are currently piled?”
Yan Zhaoge smiled, “You think this is over, just with that? Little fella, it’s only just begun.”
“Go look around, taking direction from the intensity of the quakes. North of here, you should be able to find a cave, within which, at the lowest point, you will find a pond.” Yan Zhaoge ordered.
“The Sacred Sun Clan’s Maiden of Extreme Yin, Meng Wan, should be located in that surrounding area.
“Although Ye Jing was swept into an underground river, he should still be located within that same region. With the pond as the central point, begin expanding the radius of the search area.”
Ah Hu nodded, “Yes, Young Master.”
Yan Zhaoge continued staying at the bottom of the ice lake. As the Glacial Dragon Bone Soul was absorbed, the restless movements of the skeleton of the Glacial Chi-Dragon gradually began to abate.
Having finally finished absorbing the large amount of Glacial Dragon Bone Soul, Yan Zhaoge’s hands finally left the dragon tailbone, moving to retrieve the small metal plate from the gap where the two dragon bones met, where he had wedged it in.
“Ah, thinking about it, this little plaything was actually Ye Jing’s originally,” Yan Zhaoge laughed unconcernedly, “Well, I’ll just consider it as a bit of interest.”
The ice-blue Profound Jade within his other hand had actually turned the shade of pure white. The figure of a dragon could faintly be seen within, its chest rising and falling.
As the roars of a dragon resounded from within, the Profound Jade seemed as though it had a life of its own, as it began jumping about independently.
Despite Yan Zhaoge’s grip strength, he actually had the feeling of not really being able to grasp it firmly.
Emerging from the ice lake, Ah Hu having, by his orders, gone off to find the icy cold pond, there were still some black-clothed Martial Scholars waiting for him there.
“Leave two people here at the glacial valley to stand guard, and also notify the clan about this, so that they’ll send some experts over to retrieve the skeleton of the Glacial Chi-Dragon.”
Hearing Yan Zhaoge’s instructions, one of the black-clothed Martial Scholars answered, “Yes, Young Master.”
Although the most valuable Glacial Dragon Bone Soul was no more, the skeleton of the Glacial Chi-Dragon could still fetch a very high price.
Yan Zhaoge left the glacial valley, headed north to find that icy cold pond.
On the way there, he infused some of his aura-qi into the piece of Profound Jade that he was holding onto, causing the Glacial Dragon Bone Soul to shudder.
In the form of a streak of white light, the Glacial Dragon Bone Soul had been roaming about the piece of Profound Jade. Now, stimulated by Yan Zhaoge’s aura-qi, it instantly began surging into his body.
The strength of the power held within was such that it caused a feeling of numbness to spread.
Still, Yan Zhaoge did not take it to heart. With an inward cry, the qi ocean within his dantian began producing a clear qi. This was the Clear Qi Profound Art which was only possessed by direct lineage disciples of Broad Creed Mountain.
However, unlike for ordinary Broad Creed Mountain martial practitioners, faint signs of chaos could actually be seen in the clear qi within Yan Zhaoge’s dantian.
This was a fundamental of the martial dao which Yan Zhaoge had learnt from the peak martial manual, the Peerless Heavenly Scripture, stored within the Divine Palace before the time of the Great Calamity.
All things in the world, originate from boundless, peerless chaos.
And from that boundless chaos, all things in the world can be birthed.
Stimulated by the icy qi of the Glacial Dragon Bone Soul, the mass of chaos instantly transformed into a matchlessly hot qi. After merging with the icy qi, it once again returned to its initial chaotic state.
And through this process, the aura-qi that was circulating around Yan Zhaoge’s entire body, became much more forceful and domineering!
The various major acupoints within his body faintly began to show signs of an ice-blue fog residing within, in the form of an ice dragon.
In each acupoint, coiled a single ice dragon.
The thunder of dragons roared in unison, the scales on their entire body crackling as they revealed a surging power.
After having circulated his aura-qi for thirty-six major rotations, Yan Zhaoge decided to stop for the moment. He kept the Ice Dragon Profound Jade well, before once again retrieving that small metal plate.
As he looked, it was apparent that the patterns on top were no longer fragmented and incomplete. It was now possible to identify the meaning contained within the ancient writings.
“The numerous stars converge
Dragons enter the sea
The ancient, cold abyss
Reverse scale shocks moon
…”
“The Glacial Chi-Dragon, whose bones were buried here, indeed had something to do with that Glacial Dragon Martial Saint
. That Glacial Dragon Martial Saint seemed to have been implicated in some abstruse mystery regarding dragons entering the sea. Are these words a clue, a message, or, perhaps, a warning?”
Yan Zhaoge shook his head as he laughed, “Interesting, interesting…”
Yan Zhaoge did not really care about the martial legacies that the Glacial Martial Dragon Saint might have left behind. However, his Sacred Artifact that had gone missing along with him, to the current Yan Zhaoge, held a very huge allure.
However, with few clues at the moment, this remained a thing for the rather far future.
What Yan Zhaoge was most interested in now was first Ye Jing’s whereabouts, then that of Meng Wan, who had previously also been within the icy cold pond.
“Maiden of Extreme Yin…” Yan Zhaoge laughed bitterly, “Within the incomparably vast Heaven Domain, unable to find a single Maiden of Extreme Yin, Broad Creed Mountain’s luck sure is bad indeed.”
Maidens of Extreme Yin being so rare, not every Sacred Ground possessed one.
Thus, during the previous two Extreme Yin Bouts, Broad Creed Mountain had only been able to stare silently by the side, watching the representatives from the other powers slug it out, the winner taking the Crown of Extreme Yin into her possession.
This caused Yan Zhaoge to feel very unhappy.
While he did not have that much of an understanding towards the Crown of Extreme Yin which had only appeared in this world following the Great Calamity, amongst the precious secret manuals that had been stored within the Divine Palace before then had been a peak martial art which female martial practitioners of the Extreme Yin Physique were especially suited to train in, an art which was definitely superior to all the other such arts that now existed within the Eight Extremities World.
If Broad Creed Mountain had such a disciple, even if that disciple possessed the most ordinary of talents apart from her Extreme Yin Physique, Yan Zhaoge would also have full confidence in raising that disciple up to compete for the Crown of Extreme Yin.
However, one cannot make bricks without straw; without even a single suitable candidate, there was nothing he would be able to work from, and anything he said would, therefore, also be meaningless.
Yan Zhaoge rolled his eyes, his body tensing with phantom aches at it all.
History's Strongest Senior Brother Chapter 40: The Lin family maiden leaves seclusion
HSSB40: The Lin family maiden leaves seclusion
In the Central Heaven Region, where Broad Creed Mountain’s headquarters were located, within the depths of the multiple mountains existed an enormous cave, a peaceful place within which disciples of Broad Creed Mountain opted to go into secluded meditation.
The stone door outside the cave, which previously been closed, suddenly began to open little by little.
From within, a maiden of only fifteen or sixteen years of age stepped out. Dressed completely in white, her beauty cast a radiant glow onto the surrounding forest, as she resembled a water lily blossoming in the evening.
Outside the cave, there were two youths waiting. Upon seeing the young maiden, smiles appeared on their faces: “Junior apprentice-sister Lin is leaving the gate?”
Lin Yushao gracefully laughed as she greeted the two: “Senior apprentice-brothers.”
The two youths returned her greeting. One of them laughed and responded: “Congratulations to junior apprentice- sister Lin for making a breakthrough during your seclusion. If you can complete a few tasks for the clan, you’ll soon be able to wear a blue qingpao.”
According to Broad Creed Mountain’s rules, all normal disciples would have to wear white robes. Of the previous Ye Jing, Lan Wenyan, and Lin Yushao, none were exempt from this rule.
For innately gifted disciples, after their cultivation reached a certain realm, they would be
rigorously tested by the clan. If they passed, they would wear blue robes instead, and, being considered Chosen amongst the disciples, would be nurtured by the clan, like Sikong Qing.
At a level above that, like Yan Zhaoge, their robes would be lined with a black trim. Any disciples at this level would be considered core disciples of the clan, and would have a greatly different position from the other disciples. Each core disciple would wield considerable influence—correspondingly, while their privileges and prestige could be considered the highest, their numbers were also the lowest.
Lin Yushao lightly smiled and responded: “I’ve only cultivated for a short period, and my foundation is unsteady. I also am lacking in experience from outside training. As for becoming a blue robed disciple, I’m still a great distance from reaching that level.”
“If at some later time I have a chance to travel outside the clan with senior apprentice-brothers, I hope that you can give me some pointers.”
The two youths exchanged glances for a moment, then laughed. In their hearts, they were thinking: “With senior apprentice-brother Yan acting as a strong tree to block the wind and rain for you, what sort of trial could possibly stop you?”
However, the other party was polite and deferential, without any hint of trying to exploit her connection to Yan Zhaoge. Naturally, this made the attitude of the two youths soften. Laughing, they responded: “With senior apprentice-brother Yan guiding you, there shouldn’t be a need for us.”
“Rather, if we had the opportunity to train with senior apprentice-brother Yan, that would be a fortuitous opportunity for us. At that time, we’ll have to trouble junior apprentice-sister Lin to mention our names.”
Lin Yushao lightly laughed again: “Senior apprentice-brother Yan’s experience has surpassed ours by too much. Naturally, he’ll have his own ideas.”
“Nonetheless, from the perspective of this junior sister, I would naturally hope to be able to travel alongside you two senior apprentice-brothers.”
The two youths laughed as well, but everyone present knew full well that the one to make the decision would ultimately be Yan Zhaoge. Still, with what Lin Yushao had already said, it was enough for the two of them.
Lin Yushao asked: “I don’t know if senior apprentice-brothers know, but…regarding senior apprentice-brother Yan, is he in the clan right now?”
One of the disciples shook his head: “A short while ago, senior apprentice-brother Yan went to lead a group of our fellow disciples on a mission to the Sealing Dragon Abyss near the East Heaven Region’s Eastern Tang Kingdom. Later, he stayed there for unknown reasons, and hasn’t yet returned to the mountain.”
“East Heaven Region…Eastern Tang Kingdom…” Lin Yushao became quiet for a moment as her expression briefly showed an inscrutable expression before quickly returning to normal.
The Broad Creed Mountain disciples briefly examined her for a moment, slightly hesitating before saying:
“Junior apprentice-brother Ye also went with them. From what I’ve heard, it seems as if he’s gone missing.”
Lin Yushao’s gaze shook slightly and her body stiffened as she heard him continue: “However, he seems to only have been lost. Whether he’s alive or dead is still uncertain.”
The other youth looked at Lin Yushao, then suddenly spoke in a low voice: “Senior apprentice-sister Sikong Qing also went with them. According to some rumors, after leaving the Sealing Dragon Abyss this time, there have been some changes in her attitude towards senior apprentice-brother Yan….”
Lin Yushao was silent for a moment as she processed everything, before her expression reverted to normal.
She softly said: “I hope that Ye… Junior apprentice-brother Ye will be helped by the heavens*.”
Regardless of the affairs between the two of them in the past, everyone was still ultimately part of the same clan, so what she said couldn’t be considered inappropriate.
Only, the two disciples exchanged glances again, their smiles becoming slightly odd. They nodded in agreement: “Of course, we hope that the heavens will help those who are deserving.”
*TN Note: These two are actually the same idiom, but in Lin Yushao’s sentenc
e, it implies that she wants him to be safe, while the two other youths are simply saying the idiom – “Heaven will help those who deserve it.”
After the three parted ways, Lin Yushao almost seemed like a statue as she stood outside the cave, unmoving.
Only after a long time had passed did she softly sigh, finally revealing the slightest hint of anger.
After reporting to the clan elders about the progress of her secluded cultivation, Lin Yushao applied for permission to leave to clan and go to the East Heaven Region’s Eastern Tang Kingdom.
That place was also her hometown.
When the Assignment Hall Elder heard her request, his expression became somewhat ambiguous, since the fact that Yan Zhaoge was currently in the Eastern Tang was common knowledge.
However, the Elder did nothing to block her request, even seeming quite open and frank when approving it.
Lin Yushao greeted everyone she saw as she always had, then returned back to her dwelling. After gathering up her belongings, she departed from the clan.
Yet, under her calm exterior, her emotions were in turmoil. Even she herself was unable to understand why she so urgently wanted to travel to the Eastern Tang Kingdom…
…..
At this moment, Yan Zhaoge was in the Luliao Mountains, waiting for the men he dispatched to report back on Ye Jing and Meng Wan.
“If they’re able to be found, then we’ll find them. Even if we fail to find them, it’s still not a big deal.” Yan Zhaoge carelessly said. “However, if you’re able to find Ye Jing’s whereabouts, don’t attack him. Finding his whereabouts will be enough—I’ll personally go to resolve this matter.”
The other people thought that Yan Zhaoge wanted to personally go just to vent his anger. Thus, they quickly responded in the affirmative.
“As for that Meng Wan…” Yan Zhaoge pondered: “Chao Yuanlong… Xiao Sheng… Meng Wan… the Sacred Sun Clan seems to have densely occupied the region around the Sealing Dragon Abyss and the Luliao Mountains. What could they be planning?”
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Yan Zhaoge began to take an interest in what the Sacred Sun Clan was planning.
History's Strongest Senior Brother c1-1474 Page 32
