"Hmph. Wei Zhao can't stay here forever. I'll lie low and wait out the storm, and once he's gone, I'll settle accounts with that dead-faced bastard and Leng Leng!" Xue Jianming gnashed his teeth. Loath as he was to do it, before Wei Zhao's overbearing might he had no choice but to swallow his pride and cling to life.

Yet before Xue Jianming could even catch his breath, a mighty aura descended from the mountain summit and enveloped him. His heart lurched. This aura was actually stronger than his own—at least mid-Nascent Soul, no, peak mid-Nascent Soul!

"Yu Taikang?!" The moment he made out the newcomer's features, the name nearly flew from his lips. It was none other than the Grand Elder Yu Taikang. But had the old man not been in seclusion all this time? Why had he suddenly emerged?

"A Nascent Soul monster? Who are you, to dare trespass in the forbidden ground of my Snow Sword Sect?" Yu Taikang was equally startled once he sensed the other's aura. His first thought was that the Snow Sword Sect had been invaded—perhaps even wiped out to the last soul. After all, if the enemy had deployed a Nascent Soul monster, it could only mean a fight to the death, and apart from himself, who in the entire Snow Sword Sect could possibly stand against such a foe?

But after a brief moment of shock, Yu Taikang quickly realized the man before him was no outsider. Xue Jianming had, after all, once been the very model of a Snow Sword Sect disciple, and as Grand Elder he had seen him several times; he was not about to fail to recognize him entirely.

"Elder Yu, you've come out of seclusion?" Xue Jianming caught on as well and hastily changed his tune, playing it shrewd. His strength ranked at the very bottom even among peers at peak early Nascent Soul, while the man before him was a genuine expert at peak mid-Nascent Soul—how would he dare show the slightest disrespect?

"You're Xue Jianming? What on earth happened? How did you suddenly become a peak early Nascent Soul expert?" Yu Taikang's face was a mask of bewilderment. To go from great perfection of Foundation Establishment to peak early Nascent Soul in less than two years—such a thing utterly overturned one's worldview. No ordinary person could accept it.

"It's a long story—a stroke of fortune and adventure beyond what ordinary minds can imagine. Of course, the main thing was my own heaven-defying aptitude. But that's something I'll have to explain to you in detail another day, Elder Yu." Xue Jianming glossed over the essentials.

"Heaven-defying aptitude?" Yu Taikang made no effort to hide his skepticism. Xue Jianming's aptitude was indeed good, but by his judgment it fell far short of heaven-defying—at the very least it could not bear comparison with Bing Wushuang's. Just what kind of heaven-defying fortune had this brat stumbled upon?

"Never mind that for now. Elder Yu, our Snow Sword Sect is in grave trouble!" Xue Jianming rolled his eyes and put on a show of great anxiety.

"What grave trouble?" Yu Taikang had been all set to press him further, but his attention was diverted at once. Glancing at Xue Jianming's left arm, he said in a low voice, "You've been wounded?"

Whoever could wound Xue Jianming, a peak early Nascent Soul existence, must possess strength that could not be underestimated in any respect. One misstep, and it might well spell the doom of the entire sect.

"Yes. The one who wounded me is a newly emerged grand-uncle of the Cangwu Sect of North Island. His name is Wei Zhao. He has colluded with our sect's renegade disciples Leng Leng and Bing Wushuang. Not only did he seize the chance to wound me, he has taken control of the entire sect from within and without!" Xue Jianming seized the moment to fan the flames. His calculation was simple: since he could not best Wei Zhao himself, he might as well set this peak mid-Nascent Soul Yu Taikang on him. If he won, so much the better; if he lost, there was nothing to lose.

"Such a thing has happened!" Yu Taikang took the bait, as expected, and flew into a rage at once. That someone would dare collude with renegade disciples and seize control of the Snow Sword Sect—this was beyond all forbearance!

Yet before Xue Jianming could savor his triumph, Yu Taikang reined in his anger and looked him up and down, his tone unreadable. "You're not pulling the wool over this old man's eyes, are you?"

"How could I! Whether what I say is true or false, with your wisdom, Elder Yu, you need only take a stroll down the mountain and it will be perfectly clear. What would be the point of deceiving you here?" Xue Jianming said without a flicker of change in his expression.

"Is that so?" Yu Taikang remained half doubtful. He was, after all, an old monster grown cunning with age; no matter how well Xue Jianming controlled his expression, he could not conceal certain exceedingly subtle flaws. Still, Yu Taikang could sense that the man's words were half true and half false. One thing at least was certain: that Wei Zhao of the Cangwu Sect on North Island must possess extraordinary strength—otherwise he could never have taken one of Xue Jianming's arms.

"Absolutely true. If this goes on, our Snow Sword Sect will fall entirely into the hands of outsiders. You are our anchor in the storm, Elder Yu—you cannot stand idly by!" Xue Jianming urged hastily.

"Even if it is as you say, I'm afraid there is nothing this old man can do at present." Yu Taikang gave a bitter smile. At any other time, hearing such words, true or false, he would certainly have gone down the mountain to verify them—but now was truly not the moment.

"Uh…" Xue Jianming was struck dumb. He had not been so naive as to think a few words would completely fool Yu Taikang. In his plan, all that mattered was that Yu Taikang go down the mountain; once the two met face to face, they would inevitably clash. After all, no matter how one looked at it, the fact that this fellow Wei Zhao had meddled in the internal affairs of the Snow Sword Sect was indisputable, and so was his collusion with Leng Leng and Bing Wushuang. Either one of these, in the eyes of the one who controlled the sect, was an unforgivable crime!

"Wh—why?" Xue Jianming asked, unwilling to let it go. A thug delivered right to his doorstep was a rare gift; he had no intention of letting him slip away so easily.

"Because I have only just come out of seclusion." Yu Taikang glanced at him.

"Isn't that all the better? It's the perfect chance for you to stretch your limbs, Elder Yu, and let everyone witness your newfound strength?" Xue Jianming would not give up.

"The trouble is, my seclusion this time ended in failure. Not only did I fail to advance a stage, I suffered a rather severe backlash…" Yu Taikang shook his head with a bitter smile. This seclusion had lasted a full three years, and the effort he had poured into it was beyond counting; his aim had been to break through to late Nascent Soul. Instead, the breakthrough had failed and his own power had rebounded on him—a truly galling, blood-spitting result.

He had never met Wei Zhao face to face, but since the man could cripple Xue Jianming's left arm, his strength must surely stand above peak early Nascent Soul. At the most conservative estimate, he had to be mid-Nascent Soul. In his present condition, Yu Taikang might not gain the upper hand—he might even suffer a heavy loss.

The older a man grows, the more he treasures his life. Yu Taikang was a textbook case: unless there was absolutely no alternative, he would never take any risk.

"Uh…" This time Xue Jianming had nothing to say. (To be continued.)