"Ah!" Xiao Yuxian cried out in alarm and tried to flee, only to discover that her lower body had already been frozen solid, firmly fixed to the ground.
Shen Fan had naturally been the one to act. With a single move of Cold Shadow Art, he had frozen her into a block of ice!
The fear of watching yourself inch closer to death was the most agonizing kind of torture.
Sure enough, as the ice spread up to Xiao Yuxian's waist, she could bear it no longer and began to scream:
"Senior Brother, hurry and save me! What's going on? Why am I suddenly freezing?"
Even now, Xiao Yuxian still hadn't realized who she had offended. The only person on her mind was her "invincible" senior brother.
She had no idea that Liu Yucheng was struggling to save himself, too.
He was standing nearby, so he could naturally feel the intense chill radiating from her body. He was certain that the unfathomable man before him had done this to his junior sister.
But there was nothing he could do. He could sense that the moment he made a move, death would come for him.
So Liu Yucheng's best option was to offer the man something in exchange for sparing his junior sister.
Xiao Yuxian was still shrieking beside him. The pain of being frozen had twisted her pretty face into a hideous grimace, and she kept begging her senior brother to save her.
Seeing her like this, Liu Yucheng finally couldn't hold back any longer and made up his mind.
"Senior, wait! Don't kill my junior sister. She's still useful!"
Shen Fan turned to look at him, seemingly waiting for him to continue.
Liu Yucheng understood at once and hurriedly said, "Senior, please don't doubt me. We're both from the Qingcheng Sect, and we carry one of its core inheritances. My junior sister can't die—the most important part of the inheritance is still in her hands!"
After saying this, Liu Yucheng stared intently at Shen Fan, hoping his words would have an effect.
Sure enough, the moment Shen Fan heard the word "inheritance," he became interested.
"Go on. What inheritance?"
Liu Yucheng was overjoyed.
"Senior, it's a martial art that can be cultivated all the way to the True Condensation Peak: Azure Dragon Transformation. My junior sister must have the inheritance with her. I hope you'll spare her life for its sake!"
Liu Yucheng knelt on the ground, looking utterly obedient.
Shen Fan's expression shifted. "A martial art from the True Condensation Realm? That's rather interesting."
As he spoke, he stopped whatever he had been doing in secret, and the frost on Xiao Yuxian gradually melted away.
But the first thing Xiao Yuxian did after thawing wasn't thank her senior brother for saving her. Instead, she spat venomously, "You country bumpkins actually think you can learn my Qingcheng Sect's secret martial art? Shameless!"
"Want to learn it? Then beg me. As long as you make me happy, I might even teach you a move or two!"
Xiao Yuxian was positively radiant, as if she'd found Shen Fan and the others' weak spot.
At her words, Liu Yucheng's face went pale. It's over!
Sure enough, Shen Fan couldn't stand it for another second. He glanced at Liu Yunfeng and tossed out, "I'll leave the rest to you." Then he walked away.
Liu Yunfeng bowed respectfully, then turned to Xiao Yuxian and Liu Yucheng, who wore a look of utter despair.
"Hmph! Men, seize that woman! Where's Black Dog? Time to put his skills to the test!"
Several burly men pounced on the weakened Xiao Yuxian, hoisted her up, and carried her off to a secluded place.
Liu Yucheng watched, still kneeling on the ground, not daring to resist. He knew he couldn't make a reckless move. As long as he was alive, his junior sister still had a chance to survive.
But if he died, she would have no hope of surviving!
Before long, a woman's cries of agony came from the little room. Liu Yucheng knew it was his beloved junior sister, but he was powerless to help her.
Despair and regret overwhelmed him. He clutched his thighs, driving his fingernails deep into the flesh!
Liu Yucheng didn't dare hate Shen Fan. He knew that his predicament was almost entirely his junior sister's own fault. But reason made him see reality, while his heart seared Shen Fan's face into his memory.
Liu Yucheng would probably never forget what had happened that day—or the man who had brought it all upon him.
One day, he would have his revenge!
Shen Fan returned to his Wooden House, confident that Liu Yunfeng would bring him a satisfactory answer the next day.
As for why he hadn't killed Liu Yucheng, Shen Fan didn't think it mattered.
After all, it was just a matter of deciding whether he wanted to.
How could an ant's grudge matter to the strong?
Besides, Shen Fan thought, having another Xiantian Expert at his disposal couldn't be a bad thing. As long as he was around, those little fleas wouldn't dare jump.
He, Shen Fan, had a talent that came along only once in a century!
Sure enough, early the next morning, Liu Yunfeng brought him several secret manuals. The one that pleased Shen Fan most was undoubtedly Azure Dragon Transformation, the martial art that could lead all the way to the True Condensation Peak!
There was also Beast King Art, the martial art Liu Yucheng practiced. It was a powerful Xiantian martial art, and it would add to Shen Fan's foundation.
"Now I can go into seclusion for quite a while again. Wonderful!"
With the manuals in hand, Shen Fan went back into seclusion.
Meanwhile, Liu Yucheng and Xiao Yuxian were thrown into the dungeon by Liu Yunfeng.
With Liu Yucheng, a Xiantian Expert, there, the badly battered Xiao Yuxian wouldn't die just yet.
And without Shen Fan's orders, Liu Yunfeng wouldn't act against the two of them on his own. He simply locked them up and waited for Shen Fan's next instructions.
"Boss, why don't we kill these two? Keeping them around will always be a threat," Black Dog said, offering his suggestion as one of Liu Yunfeng's Confidants.
But Liu Yunfeng merely glanced at him and smiled. "Black Dog, this is why you're not as good as me!
"Whether we kill someone isn't for you or me to decide. It depends on that man's mood. We just need to be good and do as we're told!"
"How did it feel, seeing that man's strength today?" Liu Yunfeng asked, his gaze growing somber.
Even mentioning Shen Fan brought with it a crushing pressure.
"Strong? Damn right, he's strong! I've never seen anyone so powerful! That lord is practically a god come down from the heavens!"
Black Dog answered without a moment's thought. His words were crude, but Liu Yunfeng didn't mind. He nodded in emphatic agreement.
"Exactly. A man that powerful becoming our backer is a stroke of fortune. We need to grab onto his leg—whether we'll ever get ahead in this life depends on this chance!"
Liu Yunfeng sighed with deep emotion. After spending this time around Shen Fan, he understood that Shen Fan was a martial arts fanatic. As long as they satisfied his desire to practice martial arts, they had nothing else to worry about.
And following such an outstanding man could bring them extraordinary benefits with ease.
How did Liu Yunfeng think he'd broken through to the Xiantian realm? It was because Shen Fan had practiced Black Tiger Fiend and then given him some insights.
Otherwise, Liu Yunfeng would never have broken through so quickly!
"Black Dog, I've always treated you like a brother, so I won't hide this from you. From now on, whenever that lord gives us an order, we have to carry it out properly. That's how we seize our chance!"
"Here, take this Black Tiger Fiend and practice it. Reach the Xiantian realm soon, and become that lord's right-hand man!"
Without hesitation, Liu Yunfeng took out the copy of Black Tiger Fiend with Shen Fan's insights written in it, winning himself another wave of loyalty from his underling.
Black Dog left, overwhelmed with excitement. From that day on, the person he was most loyal to changed. It was no longer Liu Yunfeng, but Shen Fan.
"Yeah, knowing how to grab onto someone's leg is a remarkable skill, too. Boss, thanks for teaching me so much. But I'd like to try sitting in your seat someday..."
Clutching the manual, Black Dog smiled faintly in the darkness.
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