3 Looming Crisis

Because Yun Lintian's back was facing the crowd, no one noticed his current expression. Yun Lintian frowned deeply, lost in thought, until the girl returned with the medical ingredients.

Yun Lintian retrieved all the medicinal ingredients and began concocting a pill using a small copper cauldron. An intense fragrance immediately spread through the hall as soon as Yun Lintian finished refining the medicinal ingredients.

The process was smooth sailing, and he also took the opportunity to teach everyone from time to time throughout. Thirty minutes later, the medicinal liquid in the cauldron slowly blended together under Yun Lintian's intricate hand-seals and started to take shape. It soon transformed into nine blue pellets, each the size of a thumb.

Yun Lintian carefully placed the nine pellets into a jade bottle and approached Yun Xiaotong. He then administered one pellet to her. Following that, he focused his profound energy on the tip of his index finger and directed it towards the silver needle positioned between her eyebrows. This was done to safeguard her Soul Gate while waiting for the pill to take effect. In the next moment, a cold sensation gradually spread throughout Yun Xiaotong's body, causing her once red skin to slowly return to its normal color.

It took twenty minutes for the pill to reach its maximum effect. Yun Lintian retracted his hand and observed Yun Xiaotong again. After confirming that everything went well, he turned to Yun Xiaohong and handed her the jade bottle. He said, "Give her a pellet every half an hour, for a total of three pellets, and call me again once it's done."

Yun Xiaohong tightly gripped the jade bottle and nodded firmly, saying, "Understood. Thank you, Senior Brother Yun." Her eyes filled with gratitude and admiration.

Yun Lintian waved his hand dismissively, walked over to the snake's remains, and took them with him as he left the recovery hall. He headed to a building that stood at the topmost of Misty Cloud Peak.

The Misty Cloud Sect had around one thousand disciples, all of whom were females. The sect would only select females as their disciples. It had been a long-standing tradition since the sect's founding over five thousand years ago. The arrival of Yun Lintian broke this tradition, and he became the first male disciple in the sect's history. However, this was limited to within the sect only, outsiders never knew about his existence at all.

Yun Lintian grew up as the foster son of the Sect Master. Surprisingly, no one opposed him even once. The relationships of everyone in the sect were extremely harmonious. It had reached the point of turning Yun Lintian's belief upside down.

Yun Lintian had witnessed many dark sides of humanity while he was on Earth. Even blood-related siblings could kill each other for personal gain, and this occurred in a modern society that was governed by laws and regulations. Then, what about Azure World, where lives were worth less than grass? He firmly believed that no organization in the world was entirely without internal conflict.

Perhaps it was because the Misty Cloud Sect primarily recruited orphans most of the time, and everyone had come to consider this place as their home deep down in their hearts, which allowed the sect to achieve such a high level of harmony. Anyway, it was a myth to Yun Lintian until now.

The hierarchy of the Misty Cloud Sect was similar to that of other sects. Except there was no vice-sect master, the sect consisted of a Sect Master, a Supreme Master, four Hall Masters, and twelve Elders. As for disciples, there was only one classification: direct disciples, which could be counted on one hand.

Yun Lintian initially wanted to change this hierarchical system, but his authority and status were too low. It could easily cause a conflict among them if he were to suggest a change. Therefore, he ultimately gave up on this matter completely.

Arriving in front of a distinctive ice building, Yun Lintian stood before an icy curtain and calmly said, "Disciple Yun Lintian requesting permission to see the Sect Master."

"Come in." A cold and arrogant female voice emanated from within the ice chamber.

As the voice fell, the curtain of ice before Yun Lintian slowly opened. Countless ice crystals dispersed from within the room and remained suspended in the air for a long time.

In the center of the chamber, a woman with a voluptuous figure sat upright on a throne made of ice, colored in shades of blue. The throne constantly emitted an icy-cold aura, enveloping her entire body in a hazy fog of frost. Upon Yun Lintian walking into the chamber, her closed eyes gently opened. This was a pair of magnificent eyes brimming with boundless coldness and arrogance, deep in the bone. It was as if nothing could be worthy in her eyes.

She had long, black-as-ink hair that stretched all the way to her waist, shimmering with a mysterious blue glow. A captivating face, incredibly attractive. Crescent-shaped eyebrows, cherry-red thin lips that could be compared to the most delicate petal in the world.

Wrapping herself in snow-white robes, with a blue ribbon cinched around her waist, she accentuated her seductive curves and ample chest. Her body exuded an indescribable charm that could easily enchant any man in this world. She was Yun Qianxue, the current Sect Master of Misty Cloud's Sect, known as the Snow Cloud Fairy.

Her cold and indifferent expression quickly dissipated when her gaze fell upon Yun Lintian's body. It was replaced with a gentle, full of love and affection instead. Her lips parted gently, "Come here, let Mom take a closer look at you. Mom hasn't seen you in a day. I don't know how much you have grown."

Yun Lintian was speechless. Although he was accustomed to his godmother's unusual behavior, he would get frustrated every time he faced her. Yun Lintian admitted that the woman in front of him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his two lifetimes. As a man, he often had wild thoughts about her. It was just that unless he could become stronger than her, it would only be a dream to bring this goddess down.

Nevertheless, Yun Lintian still took a step closer to Yun Qianxue after discarding the snake's remains. The woman reached out her slender hands to pull him into her embrace. With a blissful smile, she said, "Mhm, Mhm. You've grown up a little half centimeter."

Ah, here we go again... As Yun Lintian thought of this, a distinct scent enveloped his nostrils. With a few gentle touches, it made his blood start to boil. Yun Lintian quickly calmed himself down and gently pulled away from the embrace. He spoke. "Mom, please stop doing this already. Aren't you afraid someone will see this?"

Yun Qianxue smiled charmingly and replied in a domineering tone, "Who cares? I am the Sect Master, anyway. Whoever dares to peek, I'll punish them!"

Yun Lintian was once again rendered speechless. He let go of the topic and quickly explained the matter, saying, "Mom, I've discovered something. You can check out this snake."

Yun Qianxue tilted her head slightly to look at the remains of the snake. Her expression hadn't changed in the slightest as she asked, "How did you find it?"

Yun Lintian briefly recounted Yun Xiaotong's situation and concluded with his conjecture, "Therefore, I believe that the Sacred Flame Sect has likely reached an agreement with other sects already. From my estimation, they should take action during the exploration of the Blazing Sun Mythical Realm."

Yun Qianxue nodded slightly and motioned with her chin, indicating to Yun Lintian to continue.

"I can complete the Heaven Suppressing Formation within this week. Unless they could find a Ruler Profound Formation Master, there shouldn't be a problem dealing with any practitioner of the Heaven Profound Realm." Yun Lintian paused for a moment and then continued. "I will be participating in the exploration of the Blazing Sun Mythical Realm over the next two months. Mom will have to sacrifice your reputation a bit. I hope you don't mind it."

Yun Qianxue laughed gently and said, "When did I start caring about my reputation? However, are you sure you want to expose your identity now?"

Yun Lintian nodded and said, "There is no better time than this. We could delay them and attract their attention by doing this. The problem is that many senior sisters have to take risks in this operation."

Yun Qianxue pondered for a moment before she responded, "Let Mom go with you then. It's too dangerous."

Yun Lintian shook his head, "No, Mom. You need to stay here. Let Third Aunt take us there. Her spatial technique is unrivaled throughout the Heavenly Fortune Nation. She could easily escape the siege. Besides, I will search for a location to set up another secret transmission point in order to bring everyone back as soon as possible."

"Naturally, when they are attacking our sect. They have definitely set up a formation disruptor, but I have found a way to bypass it. You don't have to worry about this. I only have one request. I want to choose people who will participate in this expedition."

Listening to Yun Lintian's plan, Yun Qianxue nodded approvingly. At the same time, she was proud of her son. Although his talent in profound ways was ordinary, his mind and other aspects far surpassed his peers.

"Let's do as you said." Yun Qianxue said softly, lovingly patting Yun Lintian's head.

Her actions annoyed Yun Lintian a little. Being treated like a kid like this. It made him feel uncomfortable deep down.

"Then, Mom. I'll take my leave first." Yun Lintian stepped back and quickly slipped away under Yun Qianxue's reluctant gaze.

The room returned to its usual calmness, and Yun Qianxue's expression reverted back to her previous cold and indifferent state. She frowned, briefly pondering something before asking, "What do you think?"

All of a sudden, a hazy mist gradually formed in the empty space beside Yun Qianxue, and a female figure instantly emerged from it. She had a tall, slender figure and was dressed in snow robes. Her long, lustrous hair cascaded freely over her shoulders, and a black veil covered her entire face, concealing most of her features except for her sparkling eyes. She was Yun Meilan, the Supreme Master of the Misty Cloud Sect.

"He could detect a trace of Spiritual Imprint left within the Fire Spirit Snake, despite having profound strength at the third level of the Essence Profound Realm. This being said, his perception is extremely keen. I have always doubted his spiritual strength since he was young. If I guess correctly, he must possess an extraordinary soul, and this incident has once again proven it." Yun Meilan paused briefly before she continued, "Regarding the plan he proposed, it was due to his inability to access crucial information, which led him in the wrong direction." Her voice was incredibly cold, devoid of any emotion.

Yun Qianxue did not respond immediately. She pondered for a moment and then asked, "What I'm trying to say is, should I be more proactive?"

Yun Meilan glanced at Yun Qianxue, rendered speechless.

Yun Qianxue sighed, "Alas, I shouldn't have made him my foster son in the first place."

Yun Meilan was silent for a moment before she uttered, "Old cow![1]" Following that, her figure instantly vanished from the place.