The guard saluted respectfully and said, "So it's Lord Xueqi and Lady Bingyao. I pay my respects. These demonic wolves are yours..."
As the guard captain cautiously inquired, a glint of excitement appeared in his eyes. If the two ladies had subdued these demonic wolves for Xuefeng, then Xuefeng's strength would surely increase, and their own status would rise accordingly.
Seeing the guard's gaze, Xueqi guessed his thoughts. She quickly waved her hand and said, "It's not what you think. We don't have that capability. These ice and snow demonic wolves were subdued by Brother Yinlong..."
At her words, the guard captain immediately looked at Ye Cangtian, his eyes filled with admiration.
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and said, "It wasn't subduing them. It was just that the journey was a bit tiring, so I asked them to help out. They were quite agreeable..."
This... Help out?
The guard captain's mouth twitched. Who would consider enslavement as help? Was that not going too far? But the other party said it so casually, it seemed he must be a top figure from some powerful faction.
With that thought, he quickly saluted and then asked, "Senior, Xuefeng is ahead. Is there anything you need to do at Xuefeng?" After all, he was responsible for guarding the path up the mountain, so he had to question anyone brought by Xueqi and Bingyao.
Ye Cangtian smiled and said, "I'm traveling and passing by Xuefeng, so I'm here to rest for a bit and visit the Peak Master. Nothing else..."
...
At the summit of Xuefeng.
An old man in white Taoist robes sat on an ice dragon throne, looking at the guard who had entered in a hurry.
"Peak Master, a distress signal was sent from the foot of the mountain just now. Xuefeng has been attacked!"
The Peak Master's eyes flickered upon hearing this. He had already foreseen that the emergence of the Four Seals would stir up the situation within the ruins. He had remained inactive, hoping to avoid this calamity. That way, as various factions competed for the Four Seals, their strength would surely be depleted, and Xuefeng might then be able to ascend to the ranks of peak powers! However, he never expected that before the chaos erupted in the ruins, Xuefeng would be implicated. It seemed someone had seen through his plan and wanted to drag Xuefeng into the fray, preventing Xuefeng from becoming the sole dominant power after the conflict!
With this in mind, the Peak Master looked at the guard and coldly ordered, "Instruct all Xuefeng disciples to form ranks on the summit and kill the invaders!" Regardless of the enemy's motives or the timing, since they dared to attack Xuefeng, the Peak Master had to teach them a lesson.
"Yes!"
The guard immediately went to deliver the message without hesitation.
...
On the other side, after passing the foot of the mountain.
Ye Cangtian and the others did not release the snow wolves but had them continue pulling their sleds, as there was still a long way up the mountain. Ye Cangtian and Ye Zhenghao took the opportunity to admire the scenery of Xuefeng. Of course, the scenery of Xuefeng was quite ordinary, with only vast expanses of white snow. What was interesting, however, was that amidst this snow, Xuefeng had dug many caves. According to Xueqi's introduction, the area at the summit was limited, and as Xuefeng developed, the summit could no longer accommodate more people. Therefore, they came up with this method of digging caves in the mountain for people to live in. Those who generally lived in these caves had a relatively lower status... This was a good method.
Listening to Xueqi's explanation, Ye Cangtian thought of the Imperial Dragon Villa. In this regard, the Imperial Dragon Villa was quite similar to Xuefeng, which was why many guard disciples had to set up camps in the nearby forests to station themselves. If they could dig some caves on Mount Imperial Dragon, it would not only solve the accommodation problem but also serve a certain military purpose in case of war. With this thought, Ye Cangtian decided to promote this idea when he returned.
While contemplating, Ye Cangtian suddenly came back to his senses after an unknown amount of time. The ice and snow demonic wolf king pulling the sled had stopped and lowered its body, emitting a fierce growl, clearly in a posture to attack. Peeking through the gaps, Ye Cangtian's mouth twitched. They had reached the summit of Xuefeng, but before them, thousands of guards were assembled, blocking their path. It was clear that the distress signal from the guards at the foot of the mountain had caused this. Thinking this, Ye Cangtian stepped off the sled.
On the other side, a young man in white, riding a warhorse, stood out prominently among the assembled guards. This person was none other than the third disciple of the Xuefeng Peak Master, Zong Luan! At this moment, Zong Luan's face was exceptionally grim. He had expected an attack from some faction, but instead, he saw these beasts! Who gave these ice and snow demonic wolves the courage to come to Xuefeng and run amok! With that thought, Zong Luan let out a clear and cold voice, "Form ranks..."
As soon as his voice fell, the guards were ready to attack. However, at that moment, two figures emerged from among the demonic wolves. Were these demonic wolves driven by them? This was truly courting death... Zong Luan's eyes flashed with cold killing intent. Just as he was about to order an attack, two white-clothed women darted out from behind the two men. These two women had the symbol of Xuefeng on their chests, and their faces were very familiar to him.
"Xueqi! Bingyao! What are you doing!" Seeing the two women, Zong Luan instantly became furious. They were all disciples of Xuefeng, and it was impossible for them to attack Xuefeng. Clearly, this whole situation was a misunderstanding. Causing such a stir for nothing, anyone would be angry.
"Oh, so it's third senior brother!"
"We haven't seen each other for so long, and third senior brother misses me so much?"
"To make such a grand display to welcome me, junior sister is truly flattered..."
Xueqi immediately spotted Zong Luan on the warhorse and said playfully with a slight smile.
Hmm?
Hearing Xueqi's words, Ye Cangtian frowned. From his understanding of Xueqi over the past few days, she was definitely a gentle and accommodating woman. Xueqi's current tone clearly indicated that Zong Luan must have a deep-seated grudge against her! With that thought, Ye Cangtian didn't say much, choosing to observe quietly. He had only one principle: as long as they didn't bother him, he would act as if he saw nothing.
"You scoundrel! What are you talking about? Do you think I came to welcome you?"
On the other side, hearing Xueqi's voice, Zong Luan was so angry his nose almost crooked. She had caused such a commotion, and now not only did she not admit her mistake, but she also challenged his authority! How could he stand for that!
The next moment, he looked at Xueqi and said fiercely, "Xueqi, if you don't give me a reasonable explanation, don't blame me for taking you down and delivering you to Master!" In his anger, Zong Luan had already devised a plan. Xueqi had caused such a stir and showed no remorse; he could perfectly frame her for rebellion. After all, so many guards could testify. At that point, Xueqi would be guilty no matter what she said, and perhaps even expelled from the mountain by their Master. At worst, even if she wasn't expelled, Xueqi would completely lose her Master's favor.
"Heh heh, third senior brother, are you not awake yet!"
"I've returned to the mountain, why do I need to give you any explanation?"
"Besides, I haven't done anything evil, so why would you take me down?"
Xueqi glanced at Zong Luan. She had quarreled with Zong Luan for so many years and naturally knew his ulterior motives. As she spoke, a mocking smile appeared on her face, and she continued, "And to take it a step further, you think you can take me down? Aren't you overestimating yourself?"
"You!"
After these successive remarks, Zong Luan's face turned red, and his chest heaved with anger. There were thousands of guards around! In front of so many guards, for her to show him such disrespect, if he let her go like this, how would he have any face to stay in Xuefeng in the future! With that thought, Zong Luan said fiercely, "Xueqi, you are so arrogant, it seems you don't even put Master in your eyes! Since that's the case, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
As he spoke, Zong Luan leaped from his horse and landed directly in front of the guards. With a clang! As his long sword was drawn, a chilling aura spread from Zong Luan.
"Hmph! All show and no substance, do you think I'm afraid of you?"
Xueqi glanced at him dismissively and snorted. The next moment, instead of rushing forward to engage in battle, she turned to Ye Cangtian and said, "Brother Yinlong, I apologize for making a fool of myself. Please wait a moment, I'll teach this ignorant fellow a lesson first!"
Ye Cangtian nodded upon hearing this, not saying much. This was considered Xuefeng's internal affair, and as an outsider, it was not convenient for him to intervene.