The Bloodfiend-Gang Dragon-Elephant truly lived up to its name.
The Chixiao People also truly lived up to theirs.
The Bloodfiend-Gang Dragon-Elephant, born from the fusion of the Bloodfiend-Gang and Dragon-Elephant Spirit, was ferocious to the extreme. The strength of a Chixiao Person who had stepped into the Earth Immortal realm was also incomparably fierce.
The roar of the Bloodfiend-Gang Dragon-Elephant not only shattered the frozen Great Earth, but also caused the ice covering the grand hall to crack and burst. The hundred-odd elders of the Mountain-River Branch Hall who had been frozen in ice broke free one after another.
However.
Although Lian Hao's Supreme Frozen Ice Finger had failed to kill Grand Elder Luo Yi, or even freeze him, he seemed unconcerned and utterly dismissive. As a trace of arrogant amusement curved the corner of his mouth, a piercing cold light erupted from his entire body. He himself seemed to transform into a man of ice. Simultaneously, an extreme, bone-chilling coldness exploded forth.
In an instant, the shattered Great Earth was frozen once more. The cracked ice once again enveloped the grand hall. The hundred-odd elders of the Mountain-River Branch Hall who had just broken free were turned into ice sculptures again. In this moment, the surrounding hundred meters became a world of ice. Even Grand Elder Luo Yi, with his Earth Immortal cultivation, began to have frost form on his body.
He showed no fear, his expression remained impassive. Only the Bloodfiend-Gang Dragon-Elephant coiled around him grew even more savage. And in his hand, a Crescent Greatblade had appeared at some unknown time. As he raised it, the Bloodfiend-Gang Dragon-Elephant roared, entwining the blade. Just as he was about to cleave this icy world apart with a single slash, a sudden change occurred.
A lotus flower, shimmering with a faint blue light, bloomed in mid-air. As it blossomed, it seemed to contain boundless profundity, unleashing wave upon wave of immense power.
With a thunderous explosion, the world of ice instantly shattered and dispersed. Everything returned to how it was.
The lotus vanished, but a person now stood in the air.
A woman.
A woman dressed in blue robes, with a serene and beautiful countenance, exuding calmness.
It was her.
Liu Yue.
Liu Yue's appearance caused the twenty-odd Earth Immortals and twenty-odd Fated Prodigies from the Mingyu Branch Hall to be greatly astonished. Even Shang Gong and Zhongxing, the two Fated Prodigies with Earth Immortal cultivation, had a slight change in their expressions.
Regarding Liu Yue.
In the minds of many, she was known as a low-key yet unfathomably talented daughter of heaven.
She was so low-key that her whereabouts were rarely seen in ordinary times.
However, no one overlooked her existence because of this, for her unfathomable strength made many wary. Whether it was Shang Gong with his two-hundred-fold Natural Colored Spirit, or Zhongxing, the Earth Immortal with two-hundred-and-forty-two folds, both had suffered setbacks at her hands.
Liu Yue's very existence was already unfathomable. Coupled with the fact that no one had seen her since the Heavenly Mandate descended nine years ago, no one knew to what terrifying degree her current cultivation had reached.
None of them had ever imagined that Liu Yue would appear at the Mountain-River Branch Hall.
That wasn't important.
What was important was that Liu Yue was already at the Mountain-River Branch Hall, and with a single move, she had effortlessly shattered and dispersed Lian Hao's ice seal.
This made them even more wary. Even the arrogant Lian Hao, upon seeing Liu Yue, had his playful expression turn solemn. Although he had never crossed hands with Liu Yue, or even met her more than a few times, he had heard much about her unfathomable strength. Combined with having just witnessed her break his ice seal with a single move, Lian Hao naturally dared not look down on her.
"This young master thought the Mountain-River Branch Hall had invited some formidable expert. So it's the renowned Miss Liu Yue," Lian Hao said, arrogant and conceited, but he was absolutely not the brainless, blindly arrogant type. Facing the unfathomable Liu Yue, he did not attack again, instead laughing, "It's just that the prestigious Mountain-River Branch Hall, with over a dozen Chixiao People stationed here, and the former Banner Master of the Golden Glory Banner among them, now only dares to hide behind a woman. Truly an eye-opener for this young master."
Lian Hao's clearly mocking words caused Heng San and the other Chixiao People's faces to alternate between green and white. If not for Grand Elder Luo Yi holding him back, he would have certainly charged forward to fight Lian Hao to the death.
Although the taciturn Grand Elder Luo Yi held him back, the expression on his own face was also unnatural.
Though he hated to admit it, he had to acknowledge that the fortunes bestowed upon these young people of the Present-Ancient Era were truly too powerful. Especially this Lian Hao before him. Even with his Earth Immortal cultivation and the Bloodfiend-Gang Dragon-Elephant, he had no absolute confidence in being able to kill him.
At times like this, he felt ashamed before the name 'Chixiao' and ashamed before the Monarch.
He hated his own inadequacy, his lack of strength. If not for this, the Chixiao name would not be disgraced, nor would the Monarch be shamed.
At the entrance to the grand hall.
Liu Yue stood quietly. Earlier, she had been hesitating whether to intervene. She knew that if she did, the Mingyu Branch Hall side would likely seize the opportunity to mock and ridicule. But if she didn't intervene, she simply couldn't stand watching Lian Hao and his group swaggering about the Mountain-River Branch Hall. What displeased her was that even after she intervened, the people from the Mingyu Branch Hall still spoke words to humiliate the Chixiao veterans of the Mountain-River Branch Hall.
She stared at Lian Hao and said, "Do not forget, you yourself are also a member of the Crimson-Letter Sect. Your grand-teacher Tan Tong was once a Chixiao Person of the Chixiao Sect."
"Oh, is that so?"
Lian Hao stood with his hands behind his back, his demeanor haughty and overbearing. "My grand-teacher was indeed a Chixiao Person back in the day, but that was only back then. The past is the past; it doesn't mean he is one now."
"You say this young master is a member of the Crimson-Letter Sect. I don't deny that. However, you must not confuse the Crimson-Letter Sect with the Chixiao Sect. The Chixiao Sect is just the Chixiao Sect. The Crimson-Letter Sect is just the Crimson-Letter Sect. There is no connection between the two. Whether the Ancient Era belonged to the Chixiao Sect, this young master doesn't know. This young master only knows that the Present-Ancient Era will definitely be the era of our Crimson-Letter Sect."
Having said that, Lian Hao turned his gaze to Elder Fengxu. "The era belonging to you Chixiao People has passed. The Present-Ancient Era is the era of our Crimson-Letter Sect. One must have self-awareness. Old is old. Since you're old, stop making a fuss. Wouldn't it be better to find a place to retire in peace? Why cling stubbornly to the position of Branch Hall Master and pretend to be capable? Leave the great trends of the world for us young people to master. Don't you agree with what this young master says?"
On the opposite side.
Elder Fengxu did not respond. He was waiting. Waiting for the Branch Hall Master of the Mingyu Branch Hall, and also waiting for Tan Tong, the former Banner Master of the Mingyu Banner. He knew Tan Tong had come.
Sure enough.
Just as Lian Hao finished speaking, a voice of reproach came from the distance: "Hao'er, the Chixiao People of the Mountain-River Branch Hall are all brothers who shared hardships with this old man back in the day, and they are your seniors. How can you be so disrespectful? Hurry and apologize!"
Although these words sounded like a reprimand, everyone who heard them could tell there was not the slightest hint of reproach in the voice. Instead, it carried more a sense of gratification, pride, and smug satisfaction.