Chapter 602: The Secret of Bing Yun's Ancestor
Crack!!!
A crisp, sharp, piercing sound of shattering rang out, spreading across almost the entire Tian Jian Villa. All of the Tian Jian disciples who were practicing their swords, and even elders, instinctively covered their ears, desperately suppressing the discomfort that seeped into their souls, while simultaneously looking toward the source of the sound with shocked expressions.
The Tian Jian Ancestral Hall, located at the core of Tian Jian Villa, could be said to be the most sacred place in the entire villa. With a series of hurried footsteps, the door to the ancestral hall was pushed open. Ling Yuefeng stepped inside and immediately saw Ling Tianni, who was supposed to be in seclusion, standing beside a jade platform on the right side of the hall.
"Yuefeng, you're here." Ling Tianni did not turn around, still silently gazing at the jade platform before him.
"Father, what happened?" Ling Yuefeng quickly walked over. That unusual sound from earlier was definitely not ordinary, and its source was right here. Now, seeing his father, who had been in seclusion for a year, appearing here, he knew the matter was likely even more serious than he had imagined.
As soon as his voice fell, his gaze landed on the jade platform in front of Ling Tianni... Ever since he could remember, a one-foot-diameter, ice-blue jade bead had always been placed on this platform. This bead emitted no aura at all; its only peculiarity was that it released a faint ice-blue glow even at night.
From Ling Tianni, he knew that this bead was called the "Bing Yin Glass". It was a gift from Bing Yun's ancestor, Mu Bingyun, to Tian Jian's ancestor a thousand years ago, at the founding of Tian Jian Villa. As for its purpose, Ling Tianni had never told him, and he had never paid it any mind.
Now, the "Bing Yin Glass" was gone, replaced by a pile of ice-crystal-like fragments covering the jade platform.
"That sound just now... was because the 'Bing Yin Glass' shattered?" Ling Yuefeng said. If it were just a jade bead breaking, even if it was left by an ancestor, it wouldn't be a big deal. But Ling Tianni had broken out of seclusion for this, and his expression was extremely grave. Ling Yuefeng knew it was far from simple.
"Sigh." Ling Tianni gave a heavy sigh and said, "A major incident has occurred at the Bing Yun Fairy Palace... a calamity enough to destroy the entire palace."
"What?" Ling Yuefeng's brows jumped sharply.
Ling Tianni spoke slowly: "This 'Bing Yin Glass' was given by the Bing Yun ancestor Mu Bingyun to our Tian Jian ancestor a thousand years ago. But its significance is by no means merely a gift. Back then, when Mu Bingyun gave it to our ancestor, she said these words: 'A thousand years from now, the Bing Yun Fairy Palace will inevitably face a great calamity. At the moment this Bing Yin Glass shatters, that calamity will have arrived...'"
"In other words... Bing Yun's ancestor hoped that when this day came, our Tian Jian Villa would extend a helping hand?" Ling Yuefeng said.
Ling Tianni nodded: "Correct. This 'Bing Yin Glass' is spiritually linked to the Bing Yun Fairy Palace's ultimate defensive forbidden formation, the 'Ice Snow Goddess's Veil'. The 'Ice Snow Goddess's Veil' was set up by Bing Yun's ancestor alone. It is a forbidden defensive formation that only opens when the Bing Yun Fairy Palace is pushed into true desperation. Once the 'Bing Yin Glass' shatters and emits a long ring, it means the 'Ice Snow Goddess's Veil' has been activated. For the next seven days, the Bing Yun Fairy Palace will be under the protection of the 'Ice Snow Goddess's Veil'. Back then, Bing Yun's ancestor hoped that when this day came, Tian Jian Villa could provide aid within those seven days."
"Seven days..." A complex expression appeared on Ling Yuefeng's face: "If the Bing Yun Fairy Palace has been pushed to desperation, then the enemy must be extremely powerful. Perhaps it's an Overlord Emperor level figure. Bing Yun's ancestor and our Tian Jian ancestor were both at the High-level Throne realm back then. The defensive profound formation she set up was at most at the King Xuan level. If they really encounter an Overlord Emperor level enemy, it should be easily broken, let alone last seven days... Even if we set out to help now, it would take several days to reach the Bing Yun Fairy Palace... There's no way we'd make it in time, right? Besides, the current situation in the Cang Feng Kingdom..."
"No..." Before Ling Yuefeng could finish, Ling Tianni interrupted him: "If it were as you say, would I be this hesitant?"
Ling Tianni fell silent. After a long while, he turned around to face Ling Yuefeng: "Yuefeng, regarding some matters about the Bing Yun Fairy Palace, I originally planned to tell you when my lifespan was nearing its end. But since the day of calamity for the Bing Yun Fairy Palace has arrived, and it involves the trust Bing Yun's ancestor placed in us back then... As the master of Tian Jian Villa, the decision is yours. So I must tell you these things now."
"...Does the Bing Yun Fairy Palace have some secret unknown to the world?" Ling Yuefeng asked solemnly, seeing Ling Tianni's serious expression.
"The one with the secret is not the Bing Yun Fairy Palace, but its ancestor... Mu Bingyun." Ling Tianni said slowly: "For the next seven days, the Bing Yun Fairy Palace is absolutely safe. Because once the 'Ice Snow Goddess's Veil' is activated, no one in this world can break through it. Even if the four sacred grounds—Huangji Sacred Domain, Supreme Sea Palace, Sun Moon Divine Palace, and Tian Wei Sword Domain—join forces, there is absolutely no possibility of breaking it."
"What?" Ling Yuefeng was greatly shocked: "That... how is that possible? Even if the four—Saint Emperor, Sea Emperor, Heavenly Lord, and Sword Master—joined forces with all their might, it would be impossible to create such a powerful profound formation... Mu Bingyun was at the High-level Throne realm; how could she have such ability? Was she using some incredibly powerful treasure?"
Ling Tianni shook his head again, lifting his head slightly, his expression taking on a completely instinctive reverence: "Wrong... Mu Bingyun's strength was far beyond what you and the world know."
Ling Yuefeng: "..."
"A thousand years ago, before our Tian Jian Villa was established, the Bing Yun Fairy Palace already existed. Our Tian Jian ancestor had traveled all over Cang Feng at that time, challenging every expert in Cang Feng without a single defeat. Later, he happened to learn of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace's existence and went to challenge its palace master, Mu Bingyun... What those who heard of that battle know is that our ancestor fought long and lost. But the true account left by our ancestor is that he was defeated by Mu Bingyun in a single move."
"This..." In his shock, Ling Yuefeng's pupils uncontrollably contracted for a moment.
"The Ice Extreme Snow Domain was not always called the Ice Extreme Snow Domain. It used to be almost completely devoid of rain and snow, with nothing but endless desolation and bitter cold. But a thousand years ago, a great snowfall lasted seven days and seven nights, sealing thousands of miles in snow. And then the Bing Yun Fairy Palace was established... Our ancestor left this record: that seven-day, seven-night snowfall was caused by Mu Bingyun."
Ling Yuefeng: "!!!!"
"The strength of the Bing Yun ancestor Mu Bingyun was unfathomably deep. The description left by our ancestor is that Mu Bingyun's strength was on a level he simply could not comprehend. And these were secrets that our ancestor swore to Mu Bingyun he would never tell anyone. Because Mu Bingyun founded the Bing Yun Fairy Palace with the initial intention of rescuing and nurturing women with tragic fates and no home, and she did not want the world to take notice of their existence."
"..." Ling Yuefeng's mind went blank. Tian Jian Villa stood proudly as the number one power in Cang Feng. A thousand years ago, the founder of Tian Jian Villa had roamed the land undefeated, recognized as the strongest in Cang Feng. Only the direct inheritors within the villa knew that he had once lost to Bing Yun's ancestor Mu Bingyun... but it was just a close defeat.
He never imagined that Mu Bingyun was such a terrifying existence back then.
Defeating Tian Jian's ancestor in one move... If she had ambition, how could Tian Jian Villa have dominated Cang Feng for a thousand years?
"Then what was Mu Bingyun's origin? Was she also from the four sacred grounds, like our ancestor?" Ling Yuefeng asked with astonishment. Such power could only come from the four sacred grounds.
"No." Ling Tianni shook his head again: "No one knows her origins. Even our ancestor did not know. Not just her person; the profound art she used back then—the Ice God Divine Art—was incredibly powerful, yet no one had ever heard of it. Not just in our ancestor's time, but even up to today, even among the four sacred grounds, no one knows where the Ice God Divine Art originated."
"The 'Tian Wei Sword Art' that our Tian Jian Villa practices came from the Tian Wei Sword Domain. Our ancestor said that Mu Bingyun's 'Ice God Divine Art' was far more powerful than the 'Tian Wei Sword Art', no less than the core profound arts of the four sacred grounds. For a profound art to reach such a level, it would require at least several thousand, even tens of thousands of years of heritage and transmission. But Mu Bingyun's 'Ice God Divine Art' seemed to fall from the heavens. Even scouring the history of the preceding several thousand years, there was never a single trace of it."
"Moreover, because the 'Ice God Divine Art' was too high-level, the female disciples Mu Bingyun took in at the time were all of excellent talent, yet none could master it. So Mu Bingyun created the 'Ice Cloud Art'... Although the 'Ice Cloud Art' is weaker than the Ice God Divine Art, in Cang Feng, and even throughout the entire Tian Xuan Continent, it is definitely a superior profound art. And Mu Bingyun created this profound art in just seven days."
"..." Ling Yuefeng was speechless for a long time. Then, puzzled, he asked: "If Mu Bingyun was really that strong, possibly even approaching the level of a sacred ground elder, why was her lifespan so short? At that level, shouldn't she have a lifespan of several thousand years?"
Ling Tianni closed his eyes: "No one knows the answer to that. What the Bing Yun Fairy Palace has passed down is that Bing Yun's ancestor passed away in the palace's 'Ice God Divine Hall'. Our ancestor, who knew the level of Mu Bingyun's strength, personally went to the Bing Yun Fairy Palace to confirm the matter. He learned that Mu Bingyun dissipated into a mist of ice within the Ice God Divine Hall, leaving no remains behind—only some parting words."
"Because no remains were found, our ancestor always suspected that Mu Bingyun had not actually passed away... But the 'Bing Yin Glass' she left for our ancestor also meant that she would indeed no longer be able to protect the Bing Yun Fairy Palace from that point on, making it possible that she had truly ceased to exist in this world... So whether Mu Bingyun lived or died, our ancestor could not fully put his mind at ease until his own passing."
"Now, a thousand years have passed, and there is no trace of Mu Bingyun in the world. She must have indeed passed away. The reason she entrusted the Bing Yin Glass to our ancestor was likely because she sensed her own lifespan was nearing its end. Otherwise, with her abilities, why would she need to proactively seek help from Tian Jian Villa?"
"After Bing Yun's ancestor passed away, the original purpose of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace continued to change. When Mu Bingyun founded the palace, she only took in women who were orphaned and helpless. But even without Mu Bingyun, the strength of the Ice Cloud Art gradually made the palace's reputation grow. New disciples were no longer selected solely based on being orphaned and helpless; the criteria became stricter with each generation, until ultimately, talent and appearance became the primary requirements..."
"Such changes are understandable." Ling Yuefeng said: "The Bing Yun Fairy Palace consists entirely of women, making them susceptible to covetousness and bullying. So what they had to do was make their overall strength even greater. Only then could they protect everyone in the palace."
"You're right." Ling Tianni spoke slowly: "Constant change has also made the Bing Yun Fairy Palace of today no longer the same palace that our ancestor knew a thousand years ago. However, before our ancestor passed away, he demanded that this Bing Yin Glass remain in the ancestral hall until the day it shattered, showing that he valued and insisted on keeping the promise from back then."
"Now, Cang Feng's fate is nearing its end, and the Bing Yun Fairy Palace happens to be facing a calamity of annihilation at this very time. Do we continue to seal the villa and ignore outside affairs? Or do we follow our ancestor's promise and extend a helping hand to the Bing Yun Fairy Palace? The former safeguards a thousand years of legacy from falling into chaos but loses faith and righteousness; the latter upholds faith and righteousness but may invite disaster onto the villa..."
"Yuefeng, you are the master of Tian Jian Villa. The decision is yours to make."