Chapter 229

“I hope it’s Zhou Xingyun’s,” Zhu You quietly wished.

Ye Qinghan had been to Zhou Xingyun’s domain before, making it the most familiar and least unpredictable one for them.

The most enigmatic domain was Ye Qiao’s.

None of them had ever entered Ye Qiao’s domain.

Ye Qinghan remembered the name of her domain, “Mainly a healing type, not much of a threat.”

The young man held his sword, calmly analyzing the situation, “Besides, her domain is less harmful than ours.”

Ye Qiao had mentioned during a casual evening chat that her domain was relatively harmless for the first four colors and only became lethal after that.

This meant it was harmless until those four colors were encountered.

Ye Qinghan was confident he could control the situation before it got out of hand.

The Senluo Mirror quickly constructed a scene. The moment they saw it, they were greeted by a vast expanse of white, an icy and snowy domain spreading beneath their feet. As soon as Ye Qiao made contact with the ground, she felt herself becoming numb from the cold.

Their movements became sluggish. She exhaled and looked at Ye Qinghan. “Your domain?”

“Damn, it’s so cold.” Chu Xingzhi’s teeth chattered, making it hard for him to speak.

Ye Qiao felt the same. She had been in Ye Qinghan’s domain once before, and to her, it was utterly unreasonable. At least her domain started off friendly, but Ye Qinghan’s domain froze the blood the moment one stepped in.

She shivered and dragged out KFC (Ken De Ji), which was reluctant to come out. The bright flames enveloped her, barely melting the quickly forming ice.

Instantly, everyone gathered around her, trying to stay close for warmth, as she was the only one with some semblance of heat.

KFC spat out some fire and then wilted, “I can’t maintain this for long. If you don’t find a way out, you’ll eventually die trapped in this domain.”

Ye Qinghan tried to connect with his domain through his consciousness, attempting to open an exit. After all, it was his domain, and as its master, he should be able to control it. The young man closed his eyes and quickly tried to find a way to open an exit.

Qin Huai cursed softly, “Why is your domain like this?”

The temperature inside the domain was unimaginably low.

Chu Xingzhi exhaled vigorously, trying to ignite a fire charm for warmth, “My senior brother’s domain is strong, but so cold.”

Ye Qiao handed out her few remaining fire charms, but their effect was minimal. The cold seemed to freeze her brain, making her expression appear dull.

In simpler terms, she was frozen silly.

“Qiao Qiao.” The Han Shuang hesitated for a few seconds, looking at its dazed master, wanting to help her.

The small girl spread frost from her fingertips, attempting to use poison to warm her. She looked up with her ice-blue eyes, gazing silently at the Zhao Xijian, appearing very obedient. “Can I freeze her a bit?”

This might help Qiao Qiao.

It’s said that in extreme cold, people can feel a false sense of warmth.

“…” Uh.

The Zhao Xijian pressed her furry head down, “If you want her to die faster, go ahead.”

The Han Shuang pondered seriously for a moment. Unable to reach a conclusion after a long time, she finally heeded the advice and retracted the snowflakes from her fingertips.

Now, they could only rely on the fire element cultivators. Mu Chongxi ignited his primordial fire at his fingertips, and a group of people crowded around the tiny flame, desperately trying to warm themselves.

At that moment, he was practically the hope of the entire group.

After a long while, Ye Qiao, who had been frozen silly, slowly recovered. She exhaled a cold breath, conjured lightning, and struck the falling icicles above. A moment’s delay, and the next sharp ice would have targeted her skull.

The formation she set up was fragile in this domain, breaking easily. Without Mu Chongxi’s fire for warmth, her fingertips froze from prolonged contact with the domain. Ye Qiao quickly shattered the ice forming on her fingers, the cold numbing them, creating an illusion of warmth due to the temperature imbalance.

Not only was she repeatedly encased in ice, but the others were also. They had to constantly shatter the ice before it solidified completely, causing more mental than physical torment.

“So cold.” Mu Chongxi, slightly more resistant to the cold—perhaps due to his dragon lineage—looked at his nearly frozen companions and anxiously shook Ye Qinghan. “What do we do? They’re about to freeze silly.”

However, Ye Qinghan wasn’t much better off. To prevent his domain from taking dangerous actions, like completely freezing his comrades, he kept his consciousness tightly connected to it. The young man opened his eyes, exhaling cold breath. “I’m trying to control it.”

“But I have a question.” Ye Qinghan stared intently at his domain. “Is it really only fifty percent power?”

It felt more like seventy or eighty percent dangerous to him.

Even though it was his domain, controlling it with his current consciousness was very difficult.

Mu Chongxi: “Forget fifty or sixty percent, can you open the domain and let us out?” He was the only one still somewhat mobile, while the others were frozen stiff.

Mu Chongxi barely maintained action by the heat from his sword spirit. “If you can’t open it, then break through it.”

Ye Qinghan pulled on the domain with his consciousness, trying to stop its attacks. He turned his head slightly, considering Mu Chongxi’s suggestion, then said flatly, “Who will break it? Can you?”

And what kind of weak domain could be broken through by sheer force?

He scoffed.

Mu Chongxi shrugged, “But it’s your domain. You know its weak points.”

Ye Qinghan did know.

But breaking the domain alone was too difficult.

Ye Qinghan pursed his lips, still hesitating. Mu Chongxi grabbed his collar. “Stop dawdling. People will die. Those old ancestors are determined to train us. They won’t intervene unless it’s the last moment.”

Ye Qinghan frowned, “Give me a bit more time, I can open it…”

Then blood dripped from his earlobe. Ye Qinghan gritted his teeth, “Fine, break through it.”

“Break through the domain?” The ancestor of the Wenjian Sect nodded. “That is a way.”

Making a domain completely obedient is impossible in a short time. Even with more time, Ye Qinghan’s consciousness couldn’t fully control it, especially in its current unstable state.

And it was clear Ye Qinghan had reached his limit. Breaking the domain forcefully was understandable.

Ye Qinghan wiped away the blood from his overstressed consciousness before it froze. “Your idea might not work, but I can’t perform the full sword technique alone.”

“It requires a lot of spiritual energy and consciousness,” he said coldly.

It was one of the few sword techniques of the Wenjian Sect that consumed a lot of consciousness. Ye Qinghan looked at his nearly unconscious companions, took a deep breath, and reluctantly prepared. As he drew his sword, both the Han Shuang and the Unseen Monarch returned to his side.

The innate sword aura’s absolute, overwhelming force.

Except for Mu Chongxi’s sword, all others were irresistibly drawn to him. The pale yellow sword shadows converged, forming countless semi-real sword images, ready to fall in an instant. Ye Qinghan’s face turned pale as he gripped his sword hilt. The Duan Shui Sword buzzed under immense pressure, threatening to snap at any moment.

“Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect.” Mu Chongxi watched the spectacle, “Wenjian Sect’s swordsmanship is indeed simple and unadorned.”

“He can’t hold on.” Zhou Xingyun exhaled, watching the breath freeze instantly. “This sword technique is beyond his current level.”

But—

Zhou Xingyun: “Wenjian Sect can perhaps help complete the technique.”

Their sword techniques were from the same lineage. If Ye Qinghan couldn’t sustain it, others could. His Duan Shui Sword was at its limit. Trying to command so many sword shadows at once was too much. Zhou Xingyun glanced at the semi-real sword shadows around Ye Qinghan, pressing his lips together.

Next to him, Ye Qiao was so cold she began to imagine herself as an unfreezable penguin from the Antarctic. While she exhaled, Chu Xingzhi had already started helping, clearly also struggling with the cold. Their hands, stiff from the cold, barely managed the sword technique.

It was still too difficult for them to break the domain alone. Despite having strong spirit swords, sustaining the Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect technique was too high a level jump.

“Wanjian Guizong, huh?” The ancestor of the Changming Sect drawled, “That’s pretty crazy. He hasn’t even reached the Nascent Soul stage, and a little Foundation Establishment brat is trying to use Wanjian Guizong.”

“But he succeeded, didn’t he?” The usually indifferent elder of the Wenjian Sect had a hint of meaning in his eyes.

With the help of Wenjian Sect’s disciples, who cooperated to continue the sword technique, the domain seemed to sense the danger and frantically tried to repair the places pierced by the sword shadows. Ye Qinghan was attacked by his own domain, the connection causing a sharp pain as if his eardrums were being pierced, and blood dripped onto his clothes.

“Senior Brother…” A worried voice of his little sister sounded in his ear.

Ye Qinghan spoke calmly, “Continue.”

He knew he couldn’t sustain the sword technique alone. This technique required at least the Nascent Soul stage, and forcibly using a technique beyond his level brought severe backlash.

Ye Qiao shook her frozen wrist. As the sword light flickered, the domain kept attacking Ye Qinghan, its master. She ignited a Fire Talisman, barely able to move.

She quickly reached out to hold Ye Qinghan’s sword hilt before the domain could backlash again.

Ye Qinghan, caught off guard, saw that it was Ye Qiao and spoke coldly, “What are you doing?”

Ye Qiao waved her hand, “You can step back now.”

She shook her head; remembering the sword technique had almost made her brain explode. It was hard to imagine how much pain Ye Qinghan endured to perform it.

Ye Qiao wasn’t joking. She pointed to a spot beside her, indicating he could step aside. Under Ye Qinghan’s skeptical gaze, she replaced him and completed the final move.

She cast the Feixian Sword, forming a massive sword shadow. The entire trial ground was bathed in its bright light.

Other swords might not withstand the myriad sword shadows, but for the Feixian Sword, which grew stronger when faced with challenges, no sword technique was too much as long as the sword master could hold on.

Ye Qiao stabilized the wavering sword shadows with one strike. The bright white sword shadow soared into the sky, converging. Her palm warmed up, and a long-lost heat rose in her dantian. The sword shadows merged and, without hesitation, she completed the final move, piercing and tearing through the weak point completely.

At the moment she broke through the domain, Ye Qiao vaguely felt the sword collide with something unknown, making a crisp breaking sound.

Ye Qiao’s movement froze for a moment. Did she break something again?

Seeing his domain pierced by Ye Qiao, Ye Qinghan took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, “Let’s go.”

The previously excited ancestors watching the scene all had their smiles freeze. When Ye Qiao completed the sword technique, they vaguely heard a sound.

The Mirror of Senluo cracked like a spider web, shattering before their eyes.

Broken?!

The Mirror of Senluo had eight faces, and one shattered unexpectedly, leaving the ancestors looking at each other. Finally, someone expressed condolences to the ancestor of the Chengfeng Sect.

“What happened inside?” The ancestor of the Yueqing Sect’s forehead twitched violently, “The mirror was broken by them.”

“To be precise, it was pierced by Ye Qiao with one strike,” the Chengfeng Sect ancestor stood up, tightly gripping the mirror fragment. Saying he wasn’t heartbroken would be a lie; it was a spiritual artifact.

That someone could shatter a domain with one strike.

His mood was like a roller coaster, angry at her for breaking the mirror and excited by her strength.

The ancestor of the Wenjian Sect waved his hand, his voice cold and indifferent, “The kid who completed the final move. Wasn’t she holding the Feixian Sword?”

With Golden Core stage strength, she not only memorized the sword technique without injury but also pierced the domain. The Feixian Sword indeed found a good master.

…

Escaping from Ye Qinghan’s domain, the disciples almost died from the extreme temperature difference. The scene before them was full of birdsong and fragrant flowers, with a gentle breeze, looking much more normal than Ye Qinghan’s domain.

Ye Qinghan, his consciousness nearly exhausted, looked around after recovering from the domain. He pursed his lips and spoke coldly, “Where is this?”

“Whose domain is this now?” Qin Huai shook his wrist, cutting through the densely wrapping willow branches, his mood obviously irritable, “Control it quickly.”

The domain spread rapidly. Faced with the unknown, people naturally felt fear, especially when they couldn’t tell whose domain it was.

Someone had to step forward to test it. The domain wouldn’t stop attacking otherwise.

The mirrors created by the elders were hardcore enough to perfectly replicate everyone’s domain functions and systems.

Senior Brother’s domain was barely manageable. The Void Domain was uncomfortable but safe as long as no killing moves were involved, safer than her and Ye Qinghan’s domains.

Ye Qiao raised her hand silently, “It might be mine.”

“Aren’t you a healer?” Ye Qinghan’s expression was cold, gripping his sword at his waist tightly, his body tense. As someone extremely sensitive to danger, he was now on high alert. This domain was definitely not harmless.

Ye Qiao was also surprised and turned to ask, “When did I ever say I was a healer?”

“Didn’t you say it was called ‘All Things Grow’?” Ye Qinghan’s voice suddenly rose.

“Don’t worry about the name.” Ye Qiao quickly stepped to a higher spot, “Move to higher ground, don’t get caught by the vines or touched by the flowers.”

Everyone felt a chill in their hearts. This was Ye Qiao’s domain; she wouldn’t give baseless warnings.

“It’s harmless when no one’s inside, and my domain is indeed healing!” she loudly defended her domain.

It could heal people at crucial moments.

Ye Qinghan was distracted for a few seconds, narrowly avoiding a giant vine. He watched the seemingly soft vine sprout sharp thorns, rushing at him with lethal intent.

Seeing the aggressive domain, Ye Qinghan clutched his nearly pierced left shoulder, his eyes wide. Harmless? Healing?

With a blank expression, he uttered a deeply philosophical statement, “I am truly foolish, really.” He couldn’t believe he had actually fallen for Ye Qiao’s nonsense.