The loose loess could not support such a vast cavern. The moment the ice crystals acting as the supporting surface began to melt, the entire cavern became teetering and precarious, sand and earth pouring downward along the points where the crystals had dissolved.
Tianyan did not strike immediately, but with Xu Yuan's understanding of this washboard Saintess, the moment she made her move could not be far off.
Amidst the rustle of trickling sand, the atmosphere within the cavern plummeted almost to freezing point.
And within this silence, Bai Muxi stealthily crept to Xu Yuan's side.
Noticing her, Xu Yuan glanced sideways at her.
Only to discover that this Biluochun hadn't just come over alone; in her hand, she was also dragging along the disgraceful succubus, who was still fast asleep.
She was clearly preparing to flee with the two of them.
And after meeting his eyes for an instant, Bai Muxi whispered her suggestion just as expected:
"Young Master... how about we wait outside?"
In her judgment,
The Saintess's anger, which had finally died down with great difficulty, had been rekindled by Mr. Ran. Under these circumstances, anything said would only fan the flames of the Saintess's fury; a clash was already unavoidable.
Still, considering the gap in cultivation between the Saintess and Mr. Ran, at most she would probably just teach Mr. Ran a lesson; it was unlikely she would strike with lethal force.
After all,
The Young Master was watching right beside them.
Xu Yuan stared at her without speaking, merely shaking his head at her suggestion in utter despair.
Tianyan was indeed far stronger than Ran Qingmo, but the problem was that she was currently injured.
Others might not be able to tell, but through his spiritual vision and certain little habits of hers when hurt, Xu Yuan could tell that Tianyan's injuries were by no means light.
They had likely been inflicted by Madame Wan.
With one waxing as the other waned, the outcome was genuinely hard to call.
Under these circumstances, if either of them failed to hold back, disaster would strike.
And more importantly, this precedent could not be set.
Engaging in petty squabbles and banter usually helped build closeness, but once fists started flying, a first time would inevitably lead to a second.
Sighing softly, Xu Yuan pushed against his knees and slowly stood up from the ground.
Seeing this, Bai Muxi breathed a slight sigh of relief. Gripping one of Su Jinxuan's ankles with one hand, she began dragging her toward the cavern's exit. The crimson gown slid down along the curves of jade-like legs, baring a swath of snow-white skin.
Sensing this, Xu Yuan immediately glared back at the Biluochun.
*Seeing that the little succubus isn't awake, you just treat her like baggage, huh?*
Seeing his glare, Bai Muxi had no choice but to bend down glumly and gather Su Jinxuan into a bridal carry. But noticing that the young master showed no sign of moving his feet, she asked hesitantly:
"Young Master... you aren't leaving?"
Xu Yuan rolled his eyes. Staring at the two women over there, he sighed.
"They're about to fight. I can't leave."
"But even if you stay, with your cultivation, you can't intervene."
"..."
*If you're so good at talking, why don't you talk some more?*
Grumbling inwardly, Xu Yuan paid the Biluochun no further heed, instead quietly extending his spiritual vision toward Ran Qingmo and Tianyan confronting each other in the middle of the cavern.
The moment it reached them, he immediately realized that both women had already locked onto each other with their Source Qi.
The guns were loaded; all that was left was pulling the trigger.
As far as the current situation went, Xu Yuan had come up with two possible solutions.
First:
He could undergo an explosive surge of power, overpowering both women and reasserting his patriarchal authority.
Second:
Force-feed the remaining half-packet of Meishen Cherry Powder to the unconscious Su Jinxuan, giving the big and small ice blocks over there a little taste of succubus shock.
Yet clearly, both solutions were somewhat divorced from reality.
For the former, the conditions for an explosive breakthrough simply did not exist right now.
For the latter, Ran Qingmo had already confiscated that half-packet of incriminating tools.
Thinking this through, Xu Yuan monitored every miniscule fluctuation from the two women while silently circulating the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art to its absolute limit.
As the old saying went:
So long as one's mind does not falter, solutions will always outnumber problems.
The crystalline cavern lapsed into silence, leaving only Tianyan's trembling breaths born of vexation.
Just as a scattering of sand drifted down along a hollow in the ice crystals,
Tianyan stared at Ran Qingmo and softly uttered a single word:
"Shatter."
In an instant, the surging blast of air kicked up by an immense repulsive force swept out in every direction!
Ran Qingmo, already on high alert, did not hesitate for a moment as she brought the ink sword horizontally before her.
Wisps and threads of frigid chill spread from the blade, rushing upstream against the repulsive force toward Tianyan's body.
Everywhere it passed, the repulsive force seemed to stall, as if frozen solid.
An amused glint flashed through Tianyan's deep golden pupils. Raising a slender hand, she formed a profound hand seal at point-blank range aimed at Ran Qingmo.
The moment the hand seal materialized, warning bells rang in Ran Qingmo's pitch-black eyes. She felt as though everything in all directions had been cut off, falling into dead silence.
In the next breath,
Countless profound markings suddenly manifested in the void, enveloping her within.
Tianyan gritted her teeth, her voice carrying a slight whimper:
"You meddlesome woman!"
"I'm not being meddlesome."
The ink sword in Ran Qingmo's hand slid out of its scabbard inch by inch. The chill that had briefly abated instantly filled the entire cavern again as she answered in a clear, serene voice, "Xu Yuan and I have already done what only husband and wife do. So you aren't allowed to hit him."
Hearing this, Tianyan bristled like a cat whose fur had been rubbed the wrong way. Her long hair and elaborate palace gown flapped wildly as she shot back:
"As if I haven't done that too! And not allowed to hit Xu Yuan? He told me himself that back then, the hand you laid on him was far harsher than mine!"
"..."
A trace of dejection flashed across Ran Qingmo's dark eyes. She pursed her crimson lips, remaining silent.
Tianyan sneered and pressed on:
"Making him get drenched in the winter rain without lighting a fire—he almost died because of you—"
"B-But you were the one who tricked me into doing that," Ran Qingmo protested with a hint of grievance.
"..." Tianyan choked on her words.
Ran Qingmo gazed at Tianyan somberly, her voice dead serious:
"And your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion ambushed Xu Yuan."
"..."
Tianyan's breath caught. Her slender figure hovering in midair trembled slightly, and the hand seal she had formed unconsciously slackened.
Affected by this, the Four Symbols Heaven-Sealing Seal already taking shape in the void began to flicker erratically.
An opening!
Ran Qingmo's dark eyes blinked. The unsheathed ink blade suddenly slashed toward Tianyan's waist.
Wherever the sword's edge pointed, time seemed to freeze.
Tianyan snapped back to her senses, her eyes widening. Glaring at this seemingly dim-witted woman, she retreated while reinforcing the seal:
"Despicable!"
As she spoke,
The seals around them crashed downward simultaneously.
In the split second before the majestic qi dynamics collided, Bai Muxi watching from the side hesitated no longer, preparing to drag the young master away by force and make a run for it.
Unfortunately,
Just an instant before her hand made contact, Xu Yuan's figure vanished from where he stood.
Void-Stepping Slash!
Xu Yuan gritted his teeth and steeled his resolve.
He teleported directly into the middle of the clash between Ran Qingmo and Tianyan.
On one side was the big ice block's edge imbued with Dao charm.
On the other was Tianyan's downward-pressing seal.
It felt like a split second, yet like eternity.
Perceived through his spiritual vision,
Xu Yuan caught a look of sheer terror dawning in the widening eyes of both Tianyan and Ran Qingmo at the same time.
At this moment, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
If only his cultivation were high enough...
If anyone at home ever dared fight again,
he would thoroughly spank her backside.
While savoring these delightful thoughts, the stench of death rushed straight into his face!
Chapter 590