Chapter 186: Ice Does Not Form in a Day
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
As the competition between the Heavenly Sword Sect and Tai Bai Academy concluded, the top sixteen teams for the Sect Competition were finalized. Among these teams, the so-called “One Sect, Two Gates, and Four Clans,” representing the Seven Great Sects, claimed twelve spots, reaffirming their dominance in the cultivation world.
The ranking matches were scheduled to begin in three days, allowing participants some time to rest and adjust.
Yu Zhao returned to the Five Elements Dao Sect’s residence with Zhou Jin Yue, Zhang Jun, and others. After receiving words of encouragement from Sect Master Ji Yuan, she retired to her room. Barely seated cross-legged in meditation, a soft knock sounded at her door.
Scanning with her divine sense, a flicker of impatience crossed her eyes.
It was him again.
Outside, Fang Cheng Lang stood, knocking repeatedly without response. A hint of gloom shadowed his expression. He had seen Yu Zhao enter the room with his own eyes, so he knew she was there. Was she feeling guilty or just unwilling to see him?
“Little Six, I know you’re in there. I have something important to discuss,” he said solemnly, only to be met with silence.
Taking a deep breath, he continued, “It concerns Yao Wu Ji.”
The door opened abruptly.
A bitter smile tugged at Fang Cheng Lang’s lips. “I knew you cared about her.”
Yu Zhao’s brows furrowed slightly. “What do you want?”
“What do I want?” Fang Cheng Lang’s voice grew sharp with emotion. “She made Ah Jue suffer endlessly, leaving him bedridden to this day. If she dares to show herself, she should face the same torment!”
Yu Zhao’s heart sank. She had been careless. Yao Wu Ji’s poisoning of Fang Cheng Lang and Cui Jue had sown deep enmity. She should have advised Yao Wu Ji to avoid this competition altogether. Missing the Cultivation World Grand Tournament would have been better than exposing her to Fang Cheng Lang’s revenge.
“What are you thinking? Are you planning to help her escape?” Fang Cheng Lang pressed, growing more agitated as Yu Zhao’s gaze flickered.
“Little Six! Ah Jue is your senior brother! Have you forgotten how he cared for you? Are you willing to abandon him for an outsider? How could you betray him, me, and the Lone Moon Peak that raised you?”
Tears welled in Fang Cheng Lang’s eyes as his sorrow deepened. He had always believed that no matter how much Yu Zhao changed, she remained the kind, soft-hearted junior sister he once knew. But now, she was cold and unfeeling, as though her cultivation path had turned her into a heartless being.
“Fang Cheng Lang, do you believe in karma?” Yu Zhao asked, her voice eerily calm, as if she were discussing the weather rather than responding to his frenzied accusations.
“Karma? Are you saying Ah Jue’s suffering is retribution?” Fang Cheng Lang laughed bitterly, anger surging. “Yes, Ah Jue admits he sometimes neglected you and even wronged you over the medicine garden incident. But does that justify his agony? Yu Zhao, don’t you think you’re being overly harsh?”
“Fang Cheng Lang, the only reason you can stand here so confidently is that you’re not me. You have no idea what I’ve been through.”
“You’re wrong!” Fang Cheng Lang’s hands trembled. “You grew up on Lone Moon Peak. I know everything you’ve experienced! Even if we paid more attention to our little junior sister than you, does that mean you must sever all our bonds?”
“Don’t forget, it was Master who brought you to Lone Moon Peak, giving you a home. I took care of you, taught you to read and cultivate. Zi Yu crafted a bamboo flute for you. Ah Ming played with you, even got into trouble for you. Ah Jue refined pills for your use. And Ah Ye… he saved your life! Does all this kindness mean nothing to you because of a few years of neglect?”
Yu Zhao had no desire to revisit the past.
The memories of that time brought her nothing but pain and darkness—utterly worthless and meaningless. Yet, Fang Cheng Lang and the others insisted on appearing before her repeatedly, trying to bind her with the sentiments of the past. They had no idea that in her previous life, they had long since squandered any goodwill they might have earned.
Take Cui Jue as an example.
In her past life, was the Bone-Eroding Pill the only poison he fed her?
He had known full well how terrified she was of the dark after being imprisoned in the Black Prison, yet he still tricked her into ingesting a pill that sealed all five of her senses. As he watched her stumble in terror, groping around and sobbing uncontrollably, did he never once recall the bond they once shared?
Yes, Ye Cong Xin had made a deal with the Evil Spirits, acquiring countless insidious sorceries, some of which might have even included techniques to manipulate minds.
But why were others able to remain steadfast and resist her, while Fang Cheng Lang and Cui Jue became willing accomplices in her schemes?
Admit it.
Yu Zhao forced herself to confront the truth.
Admit that they never truly cared about her. To them, she was nothing, her worth insignificant.
She had seen through their lies, yet how ridiculous it was that Fang Cheng Lang and the others still wallowed in their self-crafted delusions.
“Fang Cheng Lang,” Yu Zhao said coldly, “ice doesn’t form overnight, and neither did my resentment. Don’t bother arguing with me. Let me say it one last time: since the day I left Lone Moon Peak, we have nothing to do with each other. I owe you nothing, nor do I owe anyone from the peak.”
Finished speaking, Yu Zhao prepared to leave.
Fang Cheng Lang drew his sword, blocking her path.
He spoke, his voice raw and trembling as though it carried his very soul, “You’re going to Yao Wu Ji, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
Yu Zhao didn’t hesitate for even a moment.
Fang Cheng Lang let out a bitter laugh. “If I’m here, you won’t take another step!”
Yu Zhao regarded him calmly. “You can’t stop me.”
Before she had crafted her Life-Bonded Artifact, perhaps Fang Cheng Lang could have matched her. But now, she no longer saw him as a threat.
The figure she once had to look up to was now far behind her, a mere shadow of the past. She had no need to chase anyone anymore. She was strong on her own.
“I can’t stop you,” Fang Cheng Lang murmured, “but someone else can.”
A wave of unease surged in Yu Zhao’s heart. Her soul force erupted, attempting to trap Fang Cheng Lang in an illusion.
But he was faster. He crushed a Jade Talisman hidden in his palm.
Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure descended, invading the space around Yu Zhao and rendering her body completely immobile.
“What’s going on?”
The voice of Master Qing Yan rang in their ears.
Fang Cheng Lang knelt with a thud. “Master, I beg you to seek justice for Fourth Senior Brother!”
As his words fell, Yu Zhao’s surroundings twisted.
When her vision cleared, she was already standing inside Master Qing Yan’s chambers.
Yu Zhao’s expression remained calm, though her mind raced to find a way out of this predicament.
The more she thought, the deeper her despair grew.
Master Qing Yan was authoritarian and unyielding—nothing she said would change his mind.
“Master,” Fang Cheng Lang declared, “during the cultivation world’s tournament, I saw the demonic woman who poisoned Fourth Senior Brother. She’s none other than Yao Wu Ji, who made it into the top twenty individual competitors.”
Having summoned Master Qing Yan, Fang Cheng Lang saw no reason to hold back and revealed Yao Wu Ji’s name without hesitation.
Master Qing Yan’s icy gaze swept over Yu Zhao, his eyes filled with suspicion and disdain.
Anyone with eyes could see how close Yu Zhao and Yao Wu Ji were; their relationship was far from ordinary.
Master Qing Yan suspected that Fang Cheng Lang and Cui Jue’s poisoning was orchestrated by none other than Yu Zhao herself.
Her heart was as venomous as a snake’s. She was utterly beyond redemption.