Chapter 70: The Glacial Snow Lotus

"Shi Haoyan—"
"You dare deceive me!"
In the sky less than a hundred miles from the Snow Valley where Lu Sheng was, the Sovereign of the Four Seas, Qian Baozhen, looked at the two severely wounded, nearly slain fourth-rank Snow Eagles before him, then at the fifth-rank Flying Ant and fourth-rank Vulture approaching from the distance, and cursed in fury.
Just moments ago, after breaking through the encirclement of four flying beasts, he found himself pursued by two fourth-rank Snow Eagles, who relentlessly assailed him with blades and arrows of ice. Fearing they would stir up trouble when he tried to seize the snow lotus, he resolved to finish them off first.
Unexpectedly, just as he was about to slay the battered Snow Eagles—
The fifth-rank Flying Ant and fourth-rank Vulture, having lost the trail of the Fire Sovereign Shi Haoyan, turned their pursuit toward Qian Baozhen and quickly caught up to him.
Facing a single fifth-rank flying beast, or three fourth-rank avians, Qian Baozhen would have nothing to fear on his own.
But now, united—
Even he had no choice but to retreat for the time being!
So, after cursing Shi Haoyan, Qian Baozhen could only abandon his plan to kill the two Snow Eagles. Taking advantage of the fleeting moment before the Flying Ant arrived, he expanded his domain and rushed toward the Snow Valley.
"Shi Haoyan has been a Grandmaster for less than sixty years and is only at the Initial Void stage."
"Now, he can easily escape from a fifth-rank Flying Ant and a fourth-rank Vulture—"
"He must possess other secrets!"
"I must reach the Snow Valley before him and seize the sixth-grade Snow Lotus!"
Before, Qian Baozhen was confident that even if Shi Haoyan obtained the Snow Lotus, he could exchange for it with other treasures.
But now, realizing Shi Haoyan had hidden strengths beyond his imagination, he was no longer sure—
After all, although Grandmasters could live four or five centuries, longevity elixirs took thousands, even tens of thousands of years to mature.
Such treasures, even Grandmasters might only encounter once or twice in a lifetime.
No one would willingly part with them if they had the means to keep them!
Though Qian Baozhen did not know what method Shi Haoyan had used, the fact that he could so easily escape the pursuit of those two beasts was clear proof—
Shi Haoyan now had the power to secure the sixth-grade Snow Lotus!
"Now, I can only hope my master arrives in time—"
"If he obtains the Snow Lotus, he certainly won't treat me, his disciple, unjustly!"
So Qian Baozhen thought to himself.
This incident of the Snow Lotus transforming could shift the balance of the world; even Lu Wanshan had come from the Central Plains to the Western Territories.
Yet, Qian Baozhen had no idea where his master was. All he could do now was hope his master received the news in time to reach the Snow Valley!

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Meanwhile, Shi Haoyan, hidden and making his way toward Murong Yu, was unaware that he had inadvertently disrupted Qian Baozhen's plans, or that the other man was cursing him furiously.
Following his senses, he arrived before a peculiar, jagged glacier.
"This is the place!"
"I can sense that after Murong Yu lost consciousness, she lingered here for a long time!"
Concealed, the Fire Sovereign pondered.
After entering the Snow Valley, Murong Yu had soon fallen unconscious. Because of this, although the Fire Sovereign could still sense her location and the general situation, he could no longer discern the details.
Uncertain of the circumstances, he dared not possess Murong Yu's body rashly—
That was why he let the Sovereign of the Four Seas go ahead, while he secretly came here himself!
"Whoosh!"
Just as the Fire Sovereign stepped onto the glacier, pondering how to enter without alerting others, a sudden opening appeared in the ice. A massive, snow-white fox sprang out, howling.
"The Mind Fox King!"
How could the Fire Sovereign not recognize this famed sixth-rank beast? Startled, he worried he had been discovered. But then, the fox leapt into the sky, heading off toward some distant point in the void—
It seemed another mighty figure had arrived besides himself!
"At last!"
Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, the Fire Sovereign had no time to rejoice before the glacier before him shimmered and shifted.
A gigantic white elephant emerged from the ice—
This was the Jade White Elephant, sovereign of the northern snowfields, peer of the White Eagle King, one of the twin monarchs of the region, and at the very peak of the fifth rank.
"Fire Sovereign, you are not welcome here!"
"Leave at once!"
The white elephant bellowed in his direction.
Though it did not speak human tongue, the Fire Sovereign, who had mastered the art of spirit communication, understood its meaning.
"The White Elephant King!"
"It can actually sense me?"
Though surprised, the Fire Sovereign paid it no heed. He advanced a few steps, intending to enter the glacier where the Mind Fox King had appeared.
As for the White Elephant King—even at the peak of the fifth rank, its inability to fly meant the Fire Sovereign felt no awe at all—

As long as he could fly, a Grandmaster could always escape at will.
Thus, even a fifth-rank peak beast like the White Elephant King was not enough to deter a newly ascended Grandmaster like the Fire Sovereign.
"Blare!"
Seeing the Fire Sovereign ignore its warning, the White Elephant King roared in anger. Its trunk blasted out a whirlwind of ice and snow, enveloping the Fire Sovereign and forcing him to reveal himself.
"So it really did sense me!"
Faced with this, the Fire Sovereign realized that continuing to expend faith power to hide was futile. He revealed his form and appeared before the White Elephant King.
"White Elephant King, are you truly willing to be Snow Eagle King's lackey?"
"I am not the only Grandmaster to arrive here, you know!"
Waving a streak of fire, the Fire Sovereign melted the elephant's icy assault and called out loudly.
Though he did not fear the White Elephant King, entering the glacier now meant he would have to break through its blockade—
And that was a challenge!
"A peak fifth-rank beast can only be matched by a Grandmaster at the Refined Void stage—"
"Although I am not afraid of it, I am still far from that level!"
"I must think of another way!"
Surveying the glacier and the endless snow around him, the Fire Sovereign conversed with the White Elephant King while weighing his options.
Yet, beyond the White Elephant King, there was another worry—
He did not know who had lured away the Mind Fox King, but he knew this was a rare opportunity.
Otherwise, had the Mind Fox King or that hidden master arrived, he would have stood no chance at all!
So, after a brief exchange with the White Elephant King failed to make it yield, the Fire Sovereign suddenly soared into the sky, as if leaving the area.
"Humph!"
The White Elephant King snorted, watching him depart without any intent to pursue.
Its duty was simply to guard this glacier; the rest was of no concern.
As for whether the Fire Sovereign might tunnel in elsewhere—
The White Elephant King had no worry at all—
For all these glaciers formed the body of the sixth-grade Snow Lotus!