The Ninth Elder of the Ice Spirit Clan looked at the blood at the corner of Lin Ming's mouth, his ice-blue eyes still devoid of emotion.
He stood with his hands behind his back, cold air slowly surging around him like a sea of ice. Looking down upon Lin Ming and the other three, he said slowly, "Surrender. In consideration of the hardships of your cultivation, I can spare your lives. If you dig in and resist, do not blame me for showing no mercy."
His voice was quiet, yet it carried an unquestionable authority, like an emperor pronouncing the fate of his prisoners.
At those words, Lin Ming suddenly smiled. The smile came abruptly, like a frost flower blooming in the bitter wind upon his pale face.
Lin Ming slowly straightened and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His eyes, as black as an abyss, calmly met the Ninth Elder's gaze.
Lin Ming said nothing and merely raised one hand. A cluster of dim light quietly appeared in his palm, followed by a figure.
The person who appeared was Purifying Lotus. The instant he emerged, he understood the situation before him.
His eyes swept over the Ninth Elder of the Ice Spirit Clan, then turned to the traces of blood Lin Ming had not quite wiped away. A faint chill crossed his eerily handsome face.
He then turned his head toward Lin Ming and asked in a low voice, "What, run into a tough opponent?"
Lin Ming nodded, then gave a brief reply: "Heaven refining."
Understanding flashed through Purifying Lotus's eyes, and he nodded lightly. His figure then drifted back several dozen feet, putting just the right distance between himself and Lin Ming.
Purifying Lotus slowly raised his hands, his fingers rapidly forming seals in the