Even Feilian, who had been trading shameless tricks with Duan De, went pale. He looked as though he had remembered something terrifying!
Ren found the change in Xingtian and the others strange. He could not help asking, "Brothers... what's gotten into you? You're all tough men. Why are you acting so timid?"
Xingtian gave a bitter smile. "Ah... Brother Ren, you have no idea! A hundred years ago, Xuanming Ancestral Shaman returned from the Underworld to the Ancestral Witch Hall. He was wreathed in cold, and his strength had soared! His grasp of the Ice Dao had become especially fierce. Normally, his growing stronger would be good news for the Wu Clan. But who knew his temper would turn so unpredictable? In the past, when we made a ruckus, he'd only scold us a little. Now he beats us senseless! That alone wouldn't be so bad, but then he uses his ice to freeze us solid. It's a cold that goes beyond words. It seeps into your bones, as though it could freeze your very feelings!
"Since then, whenever we cause trouble or do something wrong, Xuanming Ancestral Shaman beats us up and seals us in ice! Feilian had it worst. Once, after some mischief made him furious, Xuanming Ancestral Shaman froze him for three whole years! He spent those years as a lump of ice on the square outside the Ancestral Witch Hall, with countless people staring at him. It was miserable! These days, we're all afraid of Xuanming Ancestral Shaman!"
Xingtian's complaints and helpless expression made it clear how hard life had been for him and the others over the years.
If even these battle-loving men had been driven to fear being frozen, Xuanming Ancestral Shaman must have become truly terrifying!
Ren was at a loss for words