"All right. Then there's no time to lose. Let's set off," Lin Xuanchen said with a smile.
Last time, Lin Xuanchen had snatched Electrolux, one of Huo Yuhao's two great opportunities, out from under his nose. This time, he planned to snatch the Ice Empress as well.
He had long since decided how to do it: first, he would steal two rods of ten-thousand-year profound ice marrow from the Earth Dragon Sect's Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Cave, then go claim the Ice Empress for himself.
As it happened, Lin Xuanchen could also use the ten-thousand-year profound ice marrow to keep the Ice Empress dangling on the hook. That was practically the same as finding himself a little-girl bodyguard, giving him a solid guarantee of safety while out and about.
Besides, he had a backup plan. There was no forgetting the Scourge of the Undead, the Holy Necromancer-Electrolux-in his Sea of Consciousness!
Electrolux possessed an Undead Demiplane, allowing him and Wang Dong'er to escape at any time.
Even if that failed, his Sea of Consciousness contained two strands of God King-level divine consciousness, more than enough to keep him and Wang Dong'er safe.
Without those safeguards, he would never have taken Wang Dong'er into danger. After all, Wang Dong'er was his woman.
Lin Xuanchen and Wang Dong'er packed a few essentials for the journey, and he took her to the Earth Dragon Sect in the Heaven Dou Empire.
After several days on the road, Lin Xuanchen and Wang Dong'er finally reached their destination-Dragon City!
Dragon City!
It was an exceptionally lavish city within the Heaven Dou Empire, with a population that rivaled even the empire's capital, Heaven Dou City!
Within Dragon City stood two powerful sects: the Heavenly Dragon Sect and the Earth Dragon Sect.
The Heavenly Dragon Sect had been founded by surviving disciples of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan from ten thousand years ago. Its inherited martial soul remained the orthodox Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
The Earth Dragon Sect, meanwhile, had been established by soul masters with sub-dragon species martial souls, though it was somewhat weaker than the Heavenly Dragon Sect.
At that moment, a curtain of night shrouded the Earth Dragon Sect. The wind howled, and neither stars nor moon were visible.
Only two patrolling disciples stood night watch before the entrance to the Earth Dragon Sect's compound, both looking sleepy and inattentive.
"Dong'er, this is our target," Lin Xuanchen said as he stood on a large tree not far from the Earth Dragon Sect, looking toward it.
"A-Chen, you aren't bringing me here to rob them, are you? And it doesn't look like we could take on the Earth Dragon Sect anyway..." Standing beside Lin Xuanchen, Wang Dong'er looked at the sect before them and spoke in surprise.
The Earth Dragon Sect was the strongest force in Dragon City apart from the Heavenly Dragon Sect. When Lin Xuanchen had brought Wang Dong'er to Dragon City, they had already heard its name and learned that it was no weak force.
What surprised Wang Dong'er, however, was that Lin Xuanchen had brought her all this way just to rob the Earth Dragon Sect before them. With their current strength, they certainly could not pull it off.
"Dong'er, what are you thinking?" Lin Xuanchen raised his hand and lightly tapped Wang Dong'er on the head. "Why would I bring you here to rob the Earth Dragon Sect? I'm not that stupid."
"Then why did you bring me here? Don't tell me we're going to steal something?" Wang Dong'er asked, her eyes darting thoughtfully.
"More or less." Lin Xuanchen nodded. "But aside from us, there probably isn't anyone in this world who can get their hands on this thing-not even the Earth Dragon Sect themselves."
"Huh? Then what exactly is it?" Hearing his words, Wang Dong'er could not help growing curious. She tilted her head toward Lin Xuanchen and asked.
"Hehe, you'll find out when the time comes." Lin Xuanchen glanced at the two patrolling disciples before the Earth Dragon Sect's compound, then turned toward Wang Dong'er. "Dong'er, knock out the one on the left. I'll take the one on the right."
"All right." Wang Dong'er gave a small nod and agreed.
The Earth Dragon Sect was quite a powerful force in Dragon City, and few people normally dared provoke it. That had caused the two patrolling disciples to let down their guard.
"Gang, I'm going to relieve myself. Keep an eye out. I'll be right back."
Just then, one of the two patrolling disciples spoke to the other and headed toward a flower bed not far from the Earth Dragon Sect's compound.
"Sure, just be quick!" The other patrolling disciple nodded and gave a bored yawn, utterly unaware that a graceful pink-and-blue figure had already crept closer through the shadows behind him.
Crack!
With that crisp sound, the patrolling disciple who had just spoken fell to the ground with a thud.
"Sorry, sorry. Just sleep for a while," Wang Dong'er murmured as she looked at the patrolling disciple she had knocked unconscious.
"Who's there! How dare you attack someone from our Earth Dragon Sect!" Hearing the noise, the disciple who had just headed toward the flower bed turned around and saw what had happened. He immediately pointed at Wang Dong'er and shouted.
"You can sleep for a while too." Suddenly, Lin Xuanchen flashed behind the patrolling disciple like a streak of lightning and knocked him unconscious with a knife-hand strike.
"Dong'er, let's go." After temporarily knocking out both patrolling disciples, Lin Xuanchen called to Wang Dong'er.
"All right." Wang Dong'er nodded her little head, then slipped into the Earth Dragon Sect with Lin Xuanchen.
The Earth Dragon Sect's grounds were not particularly large. Since it was late at night, silence filled the compound.
"I remember the well leading to the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Cave was in the Earth Dragon Sect's rear courtyard." Lin Xuanchen quickly recalled the cave's location, then led Wang Dong'er toward the rear courtyard.
Before long, a spacious garden came into view. Flowers and plants of every color filled it, and an old well stood quietly in its deepest reaches.
That's right. This is the place. The moment Lin Xuanchen saw the old well, he felt certain. As a wielder of heavenly flames, he was particularly sensitive to this opposing attribute.
"All right, Dong'er. This is our destination." Holding Wang Dong'er's hand, Lin Xuanchen walked up to the old well and spoke with a smile.
"A-Chen, the cold coming from down there feels so freezing." Sensing the chill spilling from the mouth of the well, Wang Dong'er could not help exclaiming.
"That's exactly how it should feel." Lin Xuanchen grinned. "This place is called the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Cave. I'll take you down now."
As he spoke, Lin Xuanchen bent slightly, slipped his arms securely beneath Wang Dong'er's knees and behind her back, then lifted her into a bridal carry with a little effort.
The sudden sensation of leaving the ground briefly startled Wang Dong'er. Then, with practiced ease, she wrapped her arms around Lin Xuanchen's neck.
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