The Divine Nine-Dragon Cauldron
chapter-142

The leader of the six-man team was naturally the Fifth Level Lower Tier Holy King Inner Sanctum disciple, Song Qingshan.

He was muscular, draped in a leopard print coat. He gave people the impression that he was a barbarian.

Many of the Inner Sanctum disciples secretly creased their brows. Song Qingshan's abilities were too strong. Should there be any survivors of the six, it would be Song Qingshan. If by any chance he managed to kill the leader of the enemies first, then the rewards would be considerably lower for everyone else.

"Song Qingshan, I shall entrust this team with you, you must capture or kill the culprits." The Third Elder ordered sternly.

Song Qingshan cupped his fists, accepting the order respectfully. His voice was like a gong. "Yes! But I have a request."

"Speak!" The Third Elder nodded.

Song Qingshan shot a cold look to Su Yu, pointing toward him. "I wish to change him for someone else! This mission is dangerous, I cannot carry a burden with me."

The crowd agreed silently. Su Yu was only a Third Level Lower Tier Holy King. The rest of the people were Fourth Level Peak Holy Kings. Changing him away would naturally increase the overall strength of the team.

Many wanted to enter the team, but there were no more slots. The eyes of those disciples who wanted to enter sparkled.

The Third Elder had the same sentiments. Changing Su Yu out would be the smart choice. But he had personally promised Su Yu a spot, how could he go back on his word in front of everybody?

"Su Yu is a newcomer in the Inner Sanctum, you senior disciples are to guide him along. This time, we shall treat it as practice for him."

Hearing this, Song Qingshan was reluctant to agree, angrily glaring at Su Yu.

Every member of the team besides the six in the team other than Li Hao creased their brows.

Su Yu's gaze was calm, silently bearing the weird looks.

"Since the preparations are complete, set off." The Third Elder announced.

The team left the faction, heading toward the site of the ambush. Three days later, they arrived at the Wolong Snowfield.

The Wolong Snowfield was a snowfield spanning a hundred thousand miles. It had been there ten thousand years ago. Snow fell consistently.

Suppressed by the ages, the snow had turned into crystal-like ice like an expansive mirror, reflecting the sunlight.

Six people appeared in the silent world of ice, near a canyon. Their expressions were grave as they stood there. Broken limbs and decapitated corpses shocked them. The bright red blood was splattered all over the valley. The chill of the Wolong Snowfield preserved the gruesome scene of that day.

"None of the corpses are intact… Just what did they go through?" Song Qingshan crouched to examine a corpse. All that remained was the lower body, the rest had been chewed up.

Thinking back to the chest of Wu Qingzhou, they pictured the large claw mark on his chest. They all shuttered.

Their enemy could be human or demon.

"Su Yu! Scout out the area within a fifty-mile radius immediately!" Song Qingshan did not raise his head, coldly issuing an order.

Su Yu creased his brows but still flew to the skies, looking down from his high vantage point.

After the cleansing of the red dragon, Su Yu's vision had once again improved.

In the past, he could only observe everything within twenty miles, but now he could do it up to fifty miles.

Surveying the surroundings, it was dead silent everywhere within a fifty-mile radius.

Other than the majestic snow, there were only a few wild snow rabbits, wolves and dead bodies. There were no signs of any enemies.

Descending, he reported, "There are no traces of the enemies within a fifty-mile radius."

"Are you trying to tell me that you can see what's happening fifty miles away just by taking a look in the air?" Song Qingshan's large eyes showed fury, glaring at Su Yu.

Su Yu calmly nodded. "Yes."

The rest of the team looked at each other, involuntarily creasing their brows.

"Su Yu, know your place. Since you insisted on coming, you should be ready to accept your orders!"

"Hmph! If you feel indignant, you are free to go back!"

"Team leader, for our own safety, we should kick Su Yu from this team. I would not dare entrust my life in his hands."

Obviously, everyone thought that Su Yu's actions were too much.

Song Qingshan's had a serious expression. "Su Yu, you had better…"

"There's a snow wolf munching on the remains of a person thirty miles Northeast, probably one of our disciples… There are two snow rabbits falling into an ice ditch fifteen miles to the south… Nine miles to the west, there's… there's a discovery! There are multiple fresh footprints!"

Su Yu was standing in the air, surveying the surroundings as he calmly spoke. But when he scanned past the West, his expression suddenly changed!

It was only after close observation that he had noticed something strange!

Whoosh—

Without waiting for Song Qingshan and the rest to react, Su Yu flew toward the West himself—leaving behind a bunch of dumbfounded people.

"He could really see that far?" A disciple could not believe it.

Looking at Su Yu's back, another laughed. "I think he's finding an excuse to leave. He knew that he was not liked by the team and found an excuse to leave the team early."

Song Qingshan did not believe that Su Yu could see that far, but as the leader, he could not let his emotions impede with his decisions. "It is better to believe that there's really a clue. We would know the truth if we follow him!"

Whoosh, whoosh—

Five air crackling sounds reverberated around the canyon.

A few moments later, nine miles away, Su Yu was standing in the air and thinking with his hands crossed.

The expressions of the disciples who followed changed when they saw the scene.

There was a row of footprints in the snow!

A pair of human footprints, and a pair… of footprints from a giant demonic beast!

The footprint was about as big as a small house, a thick demonic aura still emanating from it.

"There really are footprints! He can really see up to fifty miles?" A deep shock spread through the disciples.

Their impressions of Su Yu were gradually changing!

In the vast snowfield, if he could see up to a fifty-mile radius, it was hard to even fathom how useful that was in tracking or defending against the unknown enemy!

In terms of importance, he was even more useful than the Fourth Level Peak Holy Kings!

Looking back at the rest, Su Yu cupped his fists. "My abilities are weak, I shall not be a burden to you seniors. I shall act on my own, goodbye."

After saying this, Su Yu followed the footprints as he flew away.

The rest of the team was anxious. Such monstrous vision was irreplaceable in helping them stay safe and capture the enemy. How could he leave just like that?

But no one had the spirit to stop him. Along the way, they had looked at him with disgust. They had even ordered Su Yu to leave the team just now.

Now that Su Yu had really left the team, who had the cheek to keep him?

The color on Song Qingshan's face changed. He wanted to ask Su Yu to stay, but could not put down his position, only grunting. "Completely without team spirit! Since he wants to act alone, we shall let him. He best not come back and beg us to let him back!"

The faces of the rest felt hot.

Was it them who had forced Su Yu to leave?

The one who had no team spirit was them, not Su Yu.

"Let's go! Press on along the direction of the footprints!" Song Qingshan suppressed his frustration, leading the team forward.

Half a day later, crazy winds howled in front of a canyon. The snow covered the entirety of the footprints. In half a day, they had lost Su Yu and they had lost the tracks of the human and demonic beast.

"Unlucky!" Song Qingshan was extremely frustrated about Su Yu leaving the team.

"Leader, look. There's a weak flame within the canyon." A member of the team was sharp, reminding him quietly.

It was close to evening, the light of the setting sun reflected onto the snow, scattering weakly.

"It could be Su Yu, but… it could also be the enemies! One person would stand guard here. If there are any emergency situations, immediately awaken. The rest follow me in!" Song Qingshan instructed.

The four of them carefully walked toward the deep end of the canyon, coming to where the weak flame was.

If was a natural stone cave. The winds howled outside the cave. The cold went straight to the bones.

Inside of the cave was warm, the flame gentle. But there was no one there!

"Could it be left behind by Su Yu? The flames are still here, he must still be in the vicinity." Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when they discovered nobody in the cave.

Song Qingshan cautiously surveyed the surroundings, confirming that this wasn't a trap. He coldly grunted. "Why care about him? It's turning dark. We have spent a full day tracking, we should rest here for the night."

Everyone else nodded. The sky was turning dark and it would be harder to track the enemies. They could only wait for tomorrow.

They entered the stone cave. Before entering, Song Qingshan looked at the entrance of the canyon. He could faintly see a figure. He grunted. "Zhao Dan, come in!"

But the figure did not move.

His sound seemed to have been drowned out by the howling winds.

Song Qingshan was frustrated. If Su Yu was still around to help out, would the situation be this complicated?

Opening his mouth to shout once again, a shrill voice laughed beside his ear. "Hehe, he might not be able to hear you anymore."

Pitter, patter—

A bloody ball of meat fell from Song Qingshan's head toward his foot.

It was a lightly beating heart, still emanating a bit of warmth!

At the entrance of the canyon, the still figure fell down!

Zhao Dan had been silently killed! He could not even shout before he died. His heart had been dug out!

How could anyone be so terrifying?

Looking up, it was a lady in a snow robe, floating in the air. Her appearance was petite and beautiful, her physique slender. The large snow robe could not disguise her curvaceous body.

She was supposed to be a beautiful lady in the snowy night, but the blood on her hands added a sinister layer to her beauty!

But what shocked Song Qingshan was not the lady, but the large object under her feet!

It was a Great Snow Lion, its abilities rivaling that of a Fifth Level Lower Tier Holy King!

The metallic smell of blood came from the mouth of the Snow Lion. It was ferocious, its eyes still bearing a murderous intent.

"Interesting, I had only left for a short while and there's now a group of people in my cave. You should be the disciples sent by the Liuxian faction to investigate." The slender lady harbored a cold gaze as she laughed meaningfully.

"Not good! Leave the cave quickly!!" Song Qingshan knew that the situation was bad when he saw the terrifying Snow Lion, howling loudly.

It would be hard for them to do battle while they were trapped in a cave. They could very well be killed.

Song Qingshan turned into a sharp sword, flying out of the cave.

Of the four of them, Li Hao was the most cautious and thus was the last to enter the cave. He did not hesitate and followed Song Qingshan out of the cave.

"It's too late to escape now." The expression of the slender lady turned merciless.

Roar—

With a loud howl, the Snow Lion opened its mouth and shot out a blue aura. It looked like a flame, but it was actually a ball of blue Ice Flame!

Creak—

The fire in the cave was immediately extinguished!

At the same time, a thick layer of blue ice covered the entrance of the cave, gradually spreading inside and attempting to freeze Song Qingshan and the rest to death in the cave.

"Not good! Quick, circulate your spirit energy to destroy the blue Ice Flame!" Song Qingshan could not escape successfully, letting out a furious howl. He used all of his spirit energy to dispel the ice.

With a grave expression, he struck with Li Hao, attempting to crush the ice!

But the ice was terrifying. At that moment, even with the five of them striking together, they could only lower the speed of the ice spreading!

Song Qingshan was regretful. If Su Yu were still on the team, would they have been spotted by this lady and her horrifying pet? Would they die trapped in this place?

The rest of the disciples were all screaming in grief, their hearts full of despair.

Seeing them struggle stubbornly, the slender lady's eyes turned cold. "Hmph! Pointless struggle!"

Then her lips formed a cold smile. "Alright, I have never had the chance to try this ever since I got it. I guess I shall try it on you guys."

Whoosh—

The lady took out an ancient jade box from her sleeves. The box was scarred and marked with age.

Within the jade box was a drop of liquid with an immensely chilly energy. It was like a crystal, but also looked like liquid. The cold energy it emanated caused the temperature to drop in the cave!

"This is one of the treasures the Liuxian faction dug out from the Abyss of Wutong, the Ice Crystal Marrow! It gathers an extreme chilly energy!" The slender lady had a mocking tone. "I can't help but say that the Liuxian faction discovered an incredible relic. To think that there remained so many complete ancient treasures!"

The mocking tone of the slender lady grew heavier. "It's a pity that it would all be used for the bridal gown of the Empire of Darkness!"

This lady was from the Empire of Darkness!

Creak—

The slender lady flicked with her bare fingers. The Ice Crystal Marrow flew toward the entrance of the cave.

Crack—

The horrifying chilly energy caused a large portion of the entrance to freeze!

The progress they had made with the entrance was instantly nullified!

Ah—

A pathetic cry sounded as a Fourth Level Peak Holy King turned into an ice sculpture!

Song Qingshan gasped. What in the world was the Ice Crystal Marrow? Just being close to it gave off such power. If it were to crack…

A skin crawling feeling welled up within him!

Whoosh, whoosh—

Multiple crystal-like, transparent threads descended from the sky!

Without giving any time to react, the threads surrounded the flying Ice Crystal Marrow, suspending it in the air!

At the same moment, a collected laugh filled everyone's ears. "What a waste to throw such a treasure away! I shall keep this!"

Looking up under the moonlight was a silver-haired, purple-robed figure, standing elegantly.

On his palm was the Ice Crystal Marrow.

The horrifying chilly energy had no effect on him but was instead absorbed into his body.

It was Su Yu!

With Su Yu's vision, he had long since discovered the existence of the lady and the Snow Lion. he had been hiding fifty miles away, cautiously observing the situation.

When an opportunity appeared, he had shown himself.

"There's another fish that escaped my net!" The slender lady was genuinely surprised. Why would the disciple of the Liuxian faction be acting independently?

Song Qingshan was like a dying man clutching at straw, visibly elated. "Junior Su! Please save us!"

"Hmph! A mere Third Level Holy King wishes to foil my plans?" The slender lady asked mockingly, flying into the air.

His expression calm as Su Yu muttered silently. "Fourth Level Lower Tier Holy King, killing you would get me five glory points, capturing her would double that to ten… What a pity…"

Looking at the terrifying Snow Lion, Su Yu abandoned all thoughts of capturing her.

The slender lady had struck with a legacy level technique, and it was a Stage One Upper Tier technique!

Her hands were like a white jade dragon, piercing through the air, grabbing toward Su Yu's chest at lightning speeds. She wanted to grab Su Yu's heart with one stroke!

Zhao Dan, who was at the entrance of the canyon had been frozen by the Snow Lion before getting his heart pulled out by this vicious woman!

Su Yu's expression was cold, gathering a long spear made of purple Lightning Flares and azure ice Flames in his palm.

"Heavenly Punishment of Ice and Thunder!" Su Yu grunted. The long spear of Ice and Thunder flames harbored a devastating energy, turning into a row of light, piercing through the air.

"What, a Half Divine grade Holy Decree? That's the same kind of Holy Decree as that demonic woman!" The slender lady's cold laugh turned rigid, replaced by a mixture of fear, surprise, and retreat.

But it was too late!

The impact trembled the surroundings.

With a pitiful howl, the chest of the lady from the Empire of Darkness had been pierced through, her heart decimated!

Her life ended that instant!

The Fourth Level Lower Tier Holy King had been killed with one technique!

Whoosh—

An Icy Divine Thread flew over, encircling her body.

Su Yu quickly searched around, finding two old jade boxes.

Could they be the treasures of the Abyss of Wutong that they had snatched?

Glancing toward it, Su Yu squinted. A look of joyful surprise flashed through his eyes!