Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Get down to business?
The three snow maidens trembled in unison upon hearing this.
They had already expended far too much energy during the battle with the Dragon Tribe. From the combat prowess that An Lin and the others had demonstrated, the snow maidens wouldn’t stand a chance if An Lin were to attack them.
“What do you want?” Palace Leader Qi asked in a cold voice.
Lu Wei was also staring nervously at An Lin while gripping her longsword tightly in her hand.
An Lin smiled and shook his head. “Since you already know who I am, can’t you guess what my intention is? If it wasn’t for Shangguan Yi, you would all be dead by now.”
He clasped his hands behind his back before continuing, “Now then… I’ll begin with some questions. Number one, what is Shangguan Yi doing in the crystal?”
The three snow maidens stared silently at An Lin with cold expressions.
An Lin: “You’re not going to say anything?”
“This is a confidential matter, so I can’t tell you anything,” Palace Leader Qi replied firmly.
“You won’t talk even if I kill you?” An Lin asked.
“No,” Palace Leader Qi replied again with a resolute expression.
An Lin narrowed his eyes as he unleashed his killing intent without reservation.
At the same time, a golden light flashed through his eyes as a golden ripple began to proliferate outward.
Lu Wei and the other snow maiden stared at An Lin with their bodies fully tensed up, as if he were a supreme war god about to deliver his judgment.
Even so, they still gritted their teeth and refused to say anything.
Xue Zhantian’s body also trembled when he experienced this aura.
It’s here… Master’s invincible, regal aura! I’ll definitely be able to reach new heights if I follow him!
An Lin heaved an internal sigh upon seeing the snow maidens’ reactions. If he wasn’t concerned about whether Shangguan Yi would need the soul maidens’ help to get out of the crystal, he would’ve killed them a long time ago.
Thus, the two sides came to an impasse.
Lu Wei’s eyes lingered on Xue Zhantian and Xue Mengmeng with a scorching desire reflected in her eyes.
Those were snow soul beasts… They were the beast pets of her dreams!
They were so cute! She wanted to touch them so badly!
It was a shame that her mission prohibited her from leaving this mountain; otherwise, she would definitely try to capture a snow soul beast for herself.
“An Lin, what do we do next?” Ling Ying asked as she floated toward An Lin.
An Lin was also at a bit of a loss for what to do. The snow maidens refused to run even when they were faced with such powerful Dragon Tribe cultivators, so there was no way he could get an answer from them by force.
“How about we just smash the crystal open?” Hong Dou suggested.
An Lin’s lips twitched as he glared wordlessly at Hong Dou.
If this dumb c*nt were responsible for rescuing Shangguan Yi, she would definitely end up suffering from Qi Deviation.
“Let me ask you another question then. What is Shangguan Yi’s status in the Holy Glacial Lands?” An Lin asked.
Lu Wei smiled in reply. “You don’t have to worry about that, she’s Meng Zhi…”
Slap!
The back of Lu Wei’s hand received a vicious slap from Palace Leader Qi as she copped an enraged glare as well.
She immediately fell silent and lowered her head like a sagging balloon.
An Lin rolled his eyes but he was not deterred. “How long is Shangguan Yi going to be like this for? When is she going to come out?”
The three snow maidens remained silently.
An Lin: “Sigh… Alright, let’s all make some self-introductions then. What are your names?”
The three snow maidens: “…”
Palace Leader Qi considered his question for a moment before replying, “My name is Qi Yiyao. If you’re planning to take Shangguan Yi back with you, then I’d advise you to forget about it. She is already an official member of the Holy Glacial Lands, and she’s cultivating in the cultivation method of us snow maidens. Aside from that, she is also fundamentally a snow maiden herself.”
An Lin splayed his hands open. “You don’t have to worry about that, I’ll ask her these things myself.”
As if in response to An Lin’s words, a clear, crisp crack suddenly sounded.
Crack…
A circular hole suddenly cracked open in the crystal as blue ripples proliferated outward, causing the surrounding temperatures to drop drastically.
Everyone instantly turned their eyes on the crystal with excitement on their faces.
Shangguan Yi stepped out from the circular hole as her blue dress flowed in the wind, making her appear as if she were a blue lotus flower blossoming on the summit of the mountain.
She opened her golden eyes, from which a faint regal might emanated forth, as if she were an unapproachable queen.
“Sister Shangguan, congratulations on your successful awakening.” Qi Yiyao smiled as she offered a congratulatory smile.
“Sister Shangguan, I’m here to take you back with me!” An Lin smiled and waved.
Shangguan Yi turned to An Lin before shaking her head with a cold expression. “Thank you for saving us, An Lin. However, I am already a member of the Holy Glacial Lands, and I won’t go back.”
An Lin faltered slightly upon hearing this. “Have you encountered some difficulties that you can’t resolve on your own? Or perhaps something holding you against your will? It’s ok, I can help you.”
“No, it’s nothing like that. I made all these decisions voluntarily.”
Shangguan Yi shook her head before walking toward the three snow maidens with no hint of hesitation on her face.
An Lin gritted his teeth. “Didn’t you say the Vermilion Bird Sect is your home? There are so many people waiting for you to come back! Why won’t you come back? And how could you join the sworn enemy of the sect?!”
Shangguan Yi’s footsteps faltered as her golden eyes rippled and her fingers trembled slightly.
“The sworn enemy of the sect…
“People change. It’s not impossible for friends or even family members to become enemies…”
She turned to An Lin with a smile before speaking in a soft voice, “I really must thank you, but we’ve all picked our sides. You’re a human, while I’m a snow maiden. So please don’t be like this next time we meet.”
“Palace Leader Qi, let’s go.” Without even looking at An Lin’s expression, she merely turned away to leave.
The three snow maidens took one last look at An Lin and the others before following behind Shangguan Yi.
“Wait!”
An Lin’s voice sounded again.
Shangguan Yi and the snow maidens turned to him in confusion while Qi Yiyao asked in a cold voice, “Shangguan Yi has already clarified the situation to you, what else do you want?!”
“Give me your storage rings!” An Lin commanded.
The three snow maidens: “???”
“Oh, with the exception of Shangguan Yi, of course,” An Lin said as he amended his previous sentence.
Shangguan Yi: “…”
“What… what do you want with our storage rings?” Qi Yiyao looked down at An Lin in astonishment.
“Do I seriously have to explain this? We saved your a*ses, so you have to pay us! Leave me your storage rings, or I’ll take them by force,” An Lin threatened in a cold voice.
Ling Ying, Hong Dou, Tina, and the two snow soul beasts began to surround the snow maidens as An Lin spoke. He was clearly serious about taking the storage rings by force…
Qi Yiyao’s lips twitched slightly. She had clearly not expected things to progress in such a direction.
The other two snow maidens were also completely dumbstruck as they stared blankly at An Lin.
Couldn’t everyone just separate on good terms? Why was he suddenly robbing them?!
Shangguan Yi heaved a resigned sigh. “So be it, Palace Leader Qi, we don’t really have any choice…”
Qi Yiyao glared bitterly at An Lin as if she was trying to commit his face to memory.
“Take it!” She pulled the storage ring off her finger before tossing it to An Lin.
Lu Wei stared at An Lin with an expression that was on the brink of tears. Never would she have thought that this human was going to stoop so low as to rob her of her storage ring. Where was his humility? Where was his poise as a powerful being?!
She pulled off her storage ring silently before tossing it at An Lin while a certain image in her heart completely crumbled into pieces.
The remaining snow maiden’s chest rose and fell in a rage, yet she had no choice but to relinquish her storage ring too.
“Alright then, see ya!” An Lin waved his hand to dismiss them with a satisfied expression.
There was actually another reason why he let Shangguan Yi so easily; if Shangguan Yi sided with him, then she would be viewed as a traitor to the Holy Glacial Lands. However, Shangguan Yi’s teleportation badge would teleport her straight back to the Holy Glacial Lands, where she would be considered a traitor…
She would be well and truly screwed then!
Hence, he had to devise a plan before staging a rescue mission for Shangguan Yi.
The three snow maidens departed with thunderous expressions on their faces, as if they had just swallowed flies.
They vowed there and then that if they were to meet again, they would slaughter An Lin and recover their storage rings!