Chapter 189: Wings of Frost
Chapter 189: Wings of Frost
Azure Dragon did not know he had been cheated by Tang Jinbiao. Of course, apart from this, he had no other choice.
Why was Azure Dragon deceived by Tang Jinbiao?
Tang Jinbiao’s words might seem profoundly moving and brimming with emotion, but in truth, they were nothing more than making empty promises.
What did he mean by “on his deathbed”?
Simply that Tang Jinbiao was close to death. Once dead, how could any promises be fulfilled, and who would hold him accountable if they weren’t?
What did he mean by his “cultivation level overriding” Azure Dragon’s?
Simply that this old man’s cultivation level would be higher. Even if he were released, how could Azure Dragon possibly make any trouble? If this old man dared to release him, he certainly had ways to kill him!
Thus, Tang Jinbiao’s grand play, this trickery combined with persuasion, could be called ingenious, yet was also utterly shameless.
He cleverly exploited Azure Dragon’s entrapment by the Divine Confinement Seal, then framed it aggressively: either you brat listens to this old man, obediently working for me, and I’ll treat you well!
If you brat dare cause trouble for this old man, I’ll make your life hell, yet you’ll still have to begrudgingly work for me!
Azure Dragon faced only these two choices.
Quietly accept the role assigned to him, and perhaps his days could be comfortable.
If he insisted on causing trouble, not only would his life be filled with anxiety, but he’d also torment himself day after day.
So, even if Azure Dragon detected the trickery, he could do nothing about Tang Jinbiao; he could only swallow his anger and follow Tang Jinbiao diligently.
(To quote Mr. Lu Xun: An era when one cannot even become a slave, and an era temporarily settled as one!)
At this point, he had more or less accepted his fate. Of course, he still held hope—though that hope was terrifyingly slim. But having hope was still better; at least there was something to yearn for.
…
“Master, once we catch that wretched boy later, could you hand him over to me? That vile creature dared to plot against my Master! I will make him suffer immense pain!”
Having clarified his own position, Azure Dragon felt no more need to dwell on it. He could not complain to Tang Jinbiao, nor did he dare. So, he transferred this resentment, directing all his pain towards the fleeing Captain Wang, and began proposing plans to Tang Jinbiao while simultaneously accelerating his pace dramatically.
Hmph, you old fox! I never expected you to change your tune so swiftly! But the faster you bend, the more caution I must exercise. This old fox is defiant inside; he just won’t dare speak it. The slightest relaxation of my guard, and he might devour me without warning!
Noticing how swiftly Azure Dragon’s attitude shifted, Tang Jinbiao snorted coldly with utter disdain. He utterly disbelieved such a dramatic about-face—or rather, he found Azure Dragon unworthy of trust.
But Tang Jinbiao showed nothing on his face. He replied tonelessly, “That man is mine to deal with personally. If you need to vent, wait until after he’s been dealt with. Then you can go slaughter the cultivators or demon beasts yourself. Besides, we are deep in the Hundred Thousand Mountains now—there are plenty of cultivators and demon beasts!
I give you one hour. Catch up to him by then. If you’re late and attract other cultivators, then prepare to spend the rest of your days wearing fetters!”
“Yes, yes, yes! This lowly one understands! This lowly one doesn’t even need an hour—just half an hour shall be sufficient!”
Azure Dragon’s head bobbed up and down like a pecking chicken. As if injected with a stimulant, his internal spiritual energy surged, propelling him even faster.
Yet, despite this display, dissatisfaction still brewed deep within Azure Dragon. He thought darkly, Damn it! Am I destined to be a slave for life? Bah! The day this old man gains freedom, even if you’re dead, I will desecrate your corpse! I curse you to be forever stuck at the Body Refining Third Tier! As long as you don’t reach the Fourth Tier—that’s only a hundred years or so—this old man can wait! Heh heh… Though reaching the Fourth Tier is beyond most people anyway.
Heh heh, quick to adapt all right. But ingrained evil is hard to change. I cannot trust this Azure Dragon. Yet, right now, I needn’t worry. His very life force is firmly gripped in my hand. I could give him two more guts and he’d still lack the nerve to transgress.
Seeing Azure Dragon’s seemingly devoted expression, Tang Jinbiao felt not joy but an icy sneer inside.
…
One quarter of an hour later!
Tang Jinbiao closed the distance to Captain Wang, now separated by barely ten miles. At their current speed, catching him would take no more than a meal’s time. Moreover, Captain Wang’s internal spiritual energy was draining rapidly; they might catch him even before a meal was finished.
“Captain Wang! Wang Wanshan! I don’t care why you tried to murder me back then, but that sword strike will be avenged! I, Tang Jinbiao, will have my revenge! Today is the day you die! Mid Core Formation Stage? Ha! Pathetic! Perfect timing—today, I’ll test the might of God of War’s Stride!”
Watching Captain Wang’s figure grow clearer up ahead, Tang Jinbiao’s lips curled into a fierce smile, his eyes brimming with mockery.
This Captain Wang, who’d risen from a mere Mortal to a Mid Core Formation Cultivator in just three years, wasn’t worth Tang Jinbiao’s concern. To him, this was nothing but a slaughter against a hopelessly outmatched opponent.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Captain Wang up ahead seemed to realize escape was impossible. He stopped fleeing forward and instead plummeted downward, landing amid a vast field of scattered boulders.
“Master, that wretched boy has landed on the ground!” Azure Dragon spoke up immediately upon seeing Captain Wang descend.
“Hmm? A boulder field?” Tang Jinbiao frowned slightly as he watched Captain Wang land and spotted the jumble of rocks below, his thoughts unreadable.
He’d once ambushed Wei Wuya in a strange Stone Forest, and now Captain Wang was pulling a similar trick.
Yet, after a moment’s contemplation, a faint smile touched Tang Jinbiao’s lips. “Got it. Take me over first.”
“Very well, Master!”
Azure Dragon had also noticed the boulder field. He paused briefly, as if realizing something, but remained silent. Acknowledging Tang Jinbiao’s order, he flew toward the spot, carrying his master.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Azure Dragon brought Tang Jinbiao directly above the rocky terrain.
The boulder field spanned roughly a mile, not exceptionally vast, but the stones were densely packed, severely obstructing the view. With his naked eye, Tang Jinbiao couldn’t discern Captain Wang’s hiding place within the chaos.
Though he couldn’t pinpoint the exact location, Tang Jinbiao clearly sensed something unnatural: the entire field wasn’t a natural formation but subtly enveloped by a faint layer of Spiritual Energy—a rarity within the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
Tang Jinbiao narrowed his eyes. As he did, the scene below shifted. The jumbled rocks vanished from his sight, replaced by a dense mass of swirling Spiritual Energy.
An enormous Formation enveloped the boulder field.
Within this energy, one point shone exceptionally bright—the unmistakable signature of Spiritual Energy radiating from Captain Wang’s body itself. A few other, dimmer lights glowed nearby, likely marking the Formation Core positions of the array.
“Heh. An invitation to step into a trap?” In the blink of an eye, Tang Jinbiao grasped the true nature of the scene below, a cold sneer spreading across his face.
“Ah Huang, guard this spot. Don’t let him slip away. If he tries to emerge, capture him alive! I’ll descend and finish him myself!”
Tang Jinbiao rose to his feet on Azure Dragon’s broad back, Frost Silver Spear gripped firmly in hand. A surge of fierce pride filled him. He was ready to leap down and confront Captain Wang head-on.
Of course, for Tang Jinbiao, this wasn’t a confrontation; it was merely a game of slaughtering a helpless child.
“Master, please be cautious. That Formation below offers protection; there might be trickery within. Perhaps I should descend first and clear the path for you?”
Azure Dragon hesitated but voiced his concern. Though his Cultivation Level and Divine Sense were suppressed, his experience and keen insight remained. He’d immediately recognized the strangeness beneath them.
Naturally, he was unaware of Tang Jinbiao’s possession of a Spirit Eye. Such a thing, even during Azure Dragon’s former life in the Demon Realm, had been a legend he’d heard of but never encountered.
“Heh. I know, Ah Huang. Just hold this position. If this hunt yields profit, you’ll get your share!”
Tang Jinbiao shot Azure Dragon a knowing look, then dismissed him from his thoughts. With a light push from his feet, he leaped off Azure Dragon’s back and plummeted toward the ground.
Indeed, Azure Dragon’s warning was partly an attempt to earn Tang Jinbiao’s trust and favor. But Tang Jinbiao seemed to have pierced this motive with uncanny perception.
Jumping from this height—over a hundred feet—even an ordinary Body Refiner at the Fourth Rank of Body Refining would hesitate. After all, a Body Refiner’s flight relied solely on propelling Qi Energy against the ground. Tang Jinbiao’s reckless plunge defied reason.
“This?”
Seeing Tang Jinbiao show no concern and leap from such height, Azure Dragon felt a slight shock. He immediately wanted to dive down to catch him, fully aware that Body Refiners were weaker than Cultivators early on precisely because they couldn’t fly until reaching Fourth Tier.
Whoosh!
At this realization, Azure Dragon grew frantic and pursued instantly.
Hoooosh!
Tang Jinbiao resembled a soaring fish, holding the Frost Silver Spear with one hand while diving face-down, letting the biting wind whip through his hair and clothes.
“Heh heh, this feeling really is amazing!”
The faster he fell, the greater the pressure became. An ordinary Mortal would suffocate from lack of oxygen and lose consciousness long before reaching the ground.
But Tang Jinbiao was different. He wouldn’t suffocate or black out.
Because he was no Mortal, nor an average Body Refiner—he was Tang Jinbiao!
“Master!”
Azure Dragon watched Tang Jinbiao plummet earthward with increasing speed. Panic surged within him; if Tang Jinbiao died from the fall, all hope was lost. He’d be forever stuck at Early-stage Golden Core—a fate worse than death. Instantly accelerating, he chased faster, desperate to intercept.
Slap!
As velocity mounted and air currents raged, Tang Jinbiao’s eyes strained under the pressure. Squinting slightly, tears welled at the corners and instantly vaporized into mist streaking behind him.
If I didn’t have a backup plan, wouldn’t I feel terrified falling endlessly like this?
Watching the ground’s features sharpen—trees and boulders growing larger and larger—Tang Jinbiao unwittingly recalled the scene of Tang Yilin’s fall.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a roaring thunderclap exploded in his mind as he remembered something critical.
No! That Tsundere Woman behaved unlike herself back then! That couldn’t have been her true intention!
Instantly, Tang Jinbiao understood he’d overlooked something crucial.
Damn it! How could I be so blind? Just letting her walk away when she said she’d leave?
He vividly recalled their parting: though Tang Yilin wore a frosty expression, fire burned beneath the surface. Had she felt otherwise, she would never have spoken those words.
This was Tang Jinbiao’s folly—arrogant presumptions, belated realizations.
He’d thought silence and no pleas were his greatest gifts for Tang Yilin’s happiness. But he was wrong, utterly and catastrophically wrong.
Damn it! Has this brat lost his mind?!
Frustration gnawed at Azure Dragon—utterly unable to match Tang Jinbiao’s descent speed. If things continued this way, a fatal crash seemed inevitable. Yet just then, he realized he’d worried needlessly.
“Wings of Frost!”
The thought of possibly losing Tang Yilin forever sharpened Tang Jinbiao’s focus. A quiet command surged from within.
Thrum! Thrum! Thrum!
With his internal shout, Qi Energy erupted violently from his fist-sized silvery frost pool, instantly flooding his entire body as it coursed through his meridians.
Simultaneously, an immense pair of transparent, Frost Crystalline bone wings materialized behind him.
WHOOOSH!
The Wings of Frost snapped open, spanning nearly ten feet as they began their slow, powerful beats…