In the ice landscape where snow never ceased, over 100 young men, clear-browed and with comely eyes, were frozen still, not dead but deeply chilled. Their lips turned white and their ears cracked and bled in the harsh frost of the Harmony Divine Palace, making for a pitiable sight.
Yun Xiao stepped forward and greeted the group with a nod. “Hey, what brings you all here?”
The young men silently turned and glanced at him. None spoke; they merely shuffled quietly, making room for Yun Xiao to squeeze in.
In the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm, no man was an exception.
“Why not flee, with no one watching?” Yun Xiao's words hung in the air, instantly recognizing them as futile.
There was but one exit in the whole realm, and all men lived here as prisoners. Where could they possibly escape to?
They seemed even more numb than the four youths he had encountered earlier.
“To them, perhaps even speaking has lost its meaning...” Yun Xiao mused silently, unsure of what to say to comfort them.
“Let it be. When the chance arises, I’ll solve this at the root once and for all.”
He patted his brothers on the shoulders, planning to leave.
Just then, two dazzling streaks of sword light blazed from a distant icy peak, spiraling down through the fog with ferocious speed, reaching overhead in an instant.
It was too late for Yun Xiao to escape!
He looked up sharply, his keen eyes catching the figures atop the swords in a single glance.
They were two young Sword Immortals, twins by the look of them, with identical stances and visages, regal as ice princesses with frost-laden blue hair streaming behind them.
In the eyes of the 100 or so slaves, they were nothing less than snow goddesses, exalted and untouchable, their dignified noses and detached expressions speaking volumes of their nobility and the sanctity that forbade any profanity.
"Keep up!" snapped one of the ice-cold Sword Immortals, not even glancing at the throng of slaves as she moved forward.
Instantly, the slaves, who had stood as if frozen moments before, sprang to life. They summoned all their celestial power, gritted their teeth, and charged forward like wild oxen, following the twin celestial maidens into the fray.
Yun Xiao found himself caught up in the surge, almost carried along without a moment to think. If he fell slightly behind, the Good Samaritans around him would shove him forward.
Amid this chaos, Yun Xiao lifted his head. Looking up from the perspective of the slaves, the two celestial maidens above seemed to oppress them so heavily they could hardly breathe. It was an untouchable, unreachable kind of feeling.
Being looked down on was one thing, but being powerless added a layer of true despair. Despair so profound, it turned them into walking corpses.
Following the 100 or so slaves, Yun Xiao traversed mountains and valleys, leaving trails of blood on the sharp ice spikes. Even when slashed by the ice, these young men felt nothing; their bodies were already battered and bruised beyond their years.
With a huff, the younger twin, strong in her fury, could hurl even a giant beast into the furnace.
However, when she flung the slave, he did not fly off but landed smoothly, standing right before her.
"Huh?" The younger twin was about to throw another slave but was momentarily dumbfounded by the unexpected resilience of the first.
She clearly remembered the force of her throw, which under normal circumstances would turn a slave into pulp, fueling the fire directly.
How had he slipped through the air like an eel? And how dare he?
The younger twin stood frozen, her eyes wide with astonishment at this peculiar slave. That look might have been akin to suddenly finding a cow rather handsome... Of course, handsome or not, it was still a cow.
There was no fluttering heart, just an eerie feeling.
"You dare to defy me?" she asked, incredulously.
"Yup, just did," the handsome slave replied.
"What...!?" The younger twin was completely taken aback.
"Hurry up, Shuiyue!" the older twin called from above the furnace, tending to the fire.
Hearing this, the younger twin Bing Shuiyue, without further attention to Yun Xiao, grabbed another slave and hastily threw him toward the furnace.
WHOOSH! Yun Xiao darted forward, caught the swiftly flying slave, and set him down gently, once again facing Bing Shuiyue.
Now, not only Shuiyue but her sister took notice as well.
"Sister, there seems to be a clown among the slaves," Shuiyue said, tongue-tied.
"Kill him, don't waste time," the older twin instructed.
"Alright then!" Bing Shuiyue rolled her eyes and summoned a fearsome Sword Soul, wielding the power of 300 Sword Prisons...
JustLivingJL's Thoughts
The younger twin stood frozen, her eyes wide with astonishment at this peculiar slave. That look might have been akin to suddenly finding a cow rather handsome... Of course, handsome or not, it was still a cow.
Speak for yourself....