Chapter 33: The Great Crisis

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“Little sister!” Zhang Hu’s eyes instantly reddened.

Zhang Fang had shielded him and was now reduced to ashes. Her final tear fell onto Zhang Hu’s hand, as though it had burned straight into his heart.

Fang Zhiyi witnessed everything, yet her expression did not change in the slightest.

It had nothing to do with her. The ice explosion had not affected Fang Zhiyi at all. She and Wang Lin were carried outward by the aftershock.

When Elder Li saw them, he threw his head back and laughed. “It seems young people like you are truly capable. I expect that sooner or later, this cultivation world will belong to your generation.”

Wang Lin merely remained calm and composed, neither arrogant nor servile.

Elder Sun, however, was beginning to feel restless. After all, Fang Zhiyi had just rejected him, and that rejection had only intensified his determination to possess her.

A woman like her was useful for far more than merely warming a bed.

When Wang Lin sensed Elder Sun’s disgusting gaze, he could not help clenching his fists. Someone had actually dared to look at his master that way. It was a desecration.

Sooner or later, he would kill that old bastard. Just wait and see.

Just then, Zhang Hu returned. He looked somewhat dejected. In front of the disciples, Elder Li had always cultivated the image of a good man.

At this moment, he put on an expression of concern and asked, “Why have you returned alone? Where is your sister?”

Zhang Hu swallowed hard, hatred showing on his face. “My sister is dead. She died inside. It’s just that…”

As he spoke, Zhang Hu knelt before Elder Li. “This disciple wishes to expose someone to Elder Li.”

Elder Li’s gaze briefly fell on Wang Lin before he asked with apparent curiosity, “Oh? Whom do you wish to expose?”

“These two! They are not members of our Wuji Sect, much less of our Everlasting Spring Hall. I am a disciple of the Everlasting Spring Hall and have never seen either of them before. They are very likely spies sent by another sect.”

Elder Li spoke thoughtfully. “You were the one who claimed that they belonged to the Everlasting Spring Hall, and now you are also the one saying they do not. How can you expect this old man to believe you?”

Zhang Hu grew anxious. “Every word this disciple has spoken is true. If even one sentence is false, may I die without a complete corpse!”

Zhang Hu had no idea whether Elder Li believed him.

Elder Li merely waved his hand and said indifferently, “Once we return to the Wuji Sect, their identities will naturally be revealed. There is no need to settle this in such haste.”

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“But our task now is to search for opportunities within the Void Islands. In this matter, I hope all of you will remain united and refrain from turning on one another.”

As he spoke, Elder Li’s gaze settled on Zhang Hu. It was obvious whom he was addressing.

“Do not allow personal grudges to interfere with the sect’s affairs.”

Elder Sun, standing nearby, clapped his hands. “Elder Li is absolutely right.”

A mocking smile flickered deep within Wang Lin’s eyes. Fortunately, his master was Fang Zhiyi. At the thought, his gaze once again fell upon her.

The group continued onward without stopping. After the iceberg exploded, the temperature quickly returned to normal.

…

No one knew what Elder Li and Elder Sun were searching for, but they had already spent a full year and a half here.

Throughout that time, they had taken turns searching every day, refusing to overlook even the slightest clue.

Yet despite all that, they had found nothing. They had even established a permanent camp here.

Wang Lin’s tent was very close to Fang Zhiyi’s.

This was a dangerous place; everyone had known that from the moment they entered the Void Islands.

Because of this, the tents had been arranged relatively close together.

The most unusual, however, were Wang Lin and Fang Zhiyi. They stayed far away from the others and rarely interacted with them. Thus, even after a year and a half, the rest of the group still knew very little about them.

Fang Zhiyi lowered her eyes. “We have stayed here too long. Today it is your turn to search for an opportunity. But if you still find nothing today, we will leave.”

Wang Lin obediently nodded, though the disappointment in his eyes was impossible to conceal.

Over the past year and a half, his relationship with Fang Zhiyi had progressed by leaps and bounds. Because outsiders were present, he no longer addressed her as his master.

Even so, he had served Fang Zhiyi exceptionally well in every respect. From a certain perspective, Wang Lin always felt that something between them had changed.

But if someone had asked him exactly what had changed, he could not have said.

Wang Lin lowered his head. “I understand. I will go first.”

Fang Zhiyi gave a slight nod.

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Not long after Wang Lin left, Elder Sun arrived—the man who coveted Fang Zhiyi’s beauty.

With an obscene smile on his face, he approached her. There was no one else nearby. Even Zhang Hu, who had clung to the two of them like a persistent parasite for the past year and a half, was nowhere to be seen.

A trace of disgust flashed through the depths of Fang Zhiyi’s eyes, but Elder Sun could not see it beneath her veil.

“Beauty, why are you still unwilling to remove that veil after all this time?”

The moment Elder Sun saw Fang Zhiyi, his heart began to itch with desire. A year and a half had passed, yet she remained as cold and unyielding as a block of ice. But today, he had decided to take her by force.

Why should he care? She had been indulged for too long and had forgotten her place.

“Let this old man have a look.” As he spoke, Elder Sun stepped forward and reached for Fang Zhiyi’s veil.

She slipped aside and avoided him. “Elder Sun, please conduct yourself with dignity.”

“Dignity?” Elder Sun burst into laughter. After a pause, a vicious smile spread across his face. “You are still too young and naive. In this world, strength is supreme! I am the law. I am reason. What is there that I cannot do?”

“And the man who has been following you—is his name Wang Lin? That’s right, isn’t it? He dared to compete with me for my woman. He will not live past today!” Elder Sun’s voice turned cold.

Fang Zhiyi immediately understood why Zhang Hu was absent. Elder Sun had certainly sent someone to deal with Wang Lin, ensuring that he would not return alive today. And how could Zhang Hu, who hated them with all his heart, possibly let such an opportunity pass?

Fang Zhiyi knew that Wang Lin was the Child of Heaven’s Will and would not die. But if he were injured, he would become a burden in the days ahead.

The Child of Heaven’s Will would not perish on these Void Islands. But Fang Zhiyi was not the Child of Heaven’s Will. Without Wang Lin, she would most likely die here.

No. Whatever the circumstances, she could not risk her own life.

Fang Zhiyi had no intention of answering Elder Sun and rose directly into the air.

Elder Sun snorted coldly and drew a strip of red gauze from his waist. The gauze immediately moved as though it were alive, wrapping Tang Nian tightly from head to toe.

Fang Zhiyi was startled to discover that she could no longer move. It seemed this magical treasure was capable of restraining a cultivator at the Divine Transformation stage. It was indeed a useful item.

With an obscene smile, Elder Sun slowly approached her.

“Today, you will not escape my grasp.”