The Ascension of Contracted Spirits

Chapter 849 - 342: Clan Leader Candidate

Within the palace hall, Ye Wen Fei, holding her straw cape, moved as if she stepped right out of a painting. With her delicate features and lustrous skin, she emanated an air of pure elegance and intelligence. She was both playful and vivacious.

But just an arm’s length away from Ye Hanjun, with his insight, how could he not be aware?

This woman, tender on the outside yet cold within, the demure lady was all a façade.

Her true nature was like that of a demon of eternal ice from the land of perpetual winter, capable of freezing a thousand lakes with just one glance.

A slight motion of her hand, and it was as if one were caught in an unyielding ice storm, with the skin cut as if by knives and the skull invaded by frost. The air was deathly cold, devoid of any warmth.

"Ice..."

Ye Liuying’s eyes twitched twice before she narrowed them slightly.

From the other side, Ye Wen Fei walked over, leaving behind a clearly visible path of ice and snow, slowly freezing everything it touched.

Including herself, for standing beside Ye Hanjun, she naturally felt the effects as well.

"A smile that hides a knife, quite the sister, young empress," said Ye Liuying with a cold huff, not backing down a step.

Behind her, six pitch-black wings twisted space, instantly vaporizing the frost and snow that radiated from them.

Dusk was dim, and darkness was vast; this was a coldness of a wholly different nature, nothing like that of ice.

"Only the fifth status and yet so showy; be careful not to die young," Ye Liuying said bluntly.

"Hee hee, big sister, you’re not too shabby either~~~"

"Taking advantage of your older age, you bully me like this. I’m petty and hold grudges, you know~~~"

Ye Wen Fei, with a blossoming smile, clung to Ye Liuying’s arm, displaying an affection and liveliness that made them seem like actual sisters.

Little did they know, between the lines, they were locked in contention, with sparks flying in the clash of their gazes.

"I’m freezing! Don’t try to cozy up to us!"

Ye Liuying shoved Ye Wen Fei, pushing her away, the furrowing of her brows clearly expressing her displeasure.

Ye Hanjun saw it all, without emotion or thought, indifferent, he said:

"If it’s the 72nd, then it’s the 72nd, the ranking doesn’t matter."

"You’ve awakened the power to slaughter with ice, capable of freezing souls with frost? Now that’s rare."

"S-rank, Soul-rending Cryomancer."

Ye Wen Fei licked her tongue, the lithe and sensuous organ contrasting sharply with the triangular ice shards in the depths of her pupils:

"What a pity; if only I were born earlier, I would not have missed the Tomb of Asura."

"Just shy of a hundred years, a miss as good as a mile, so frustrating it could kill me."

Ye Wen Fei showed an expression of a wounded kitten, pitifully saying:

"Dear clan brothers and sisters, you must share the secrets of the tomb with me, let me broaden my horizons."

"And, what about the fragments of the divine bow you’ve collected?"

"It’s seldom that all four emperors emerge from the same tomb, all alive. Wen Fei is curious, which of you collected the most?"

In just a few sentences, the variety of gazes once again wandered to linger between Ye Hanjun, Ye Qiyu, Ye Nishang, and Ye Mochou.

The palace hall fell into a brief silence, only Ye Wen Fei batting her eyelashes, similar to a calf unafraid of tigers.

"Swish-swish—"

The Nether attire peeled away from Ye Nishang’s limbs, leaving only her torso covered.

On her exposed skin, the dark red Armor reflected an eerie light, as though it could Devour one’s heart, aiming straight for the depths of their soul.

Without a sound, Ye Ying left the throne, appearing before Ye Nishang in a flash.

In her hands was nothing trivial, but a long case instead.

The case seemed to weigh thousands, such that Ye Ying’s already hunched back was nearly touching the ground.

The case’s mystery went far beyond, covered in Runes of ghosts and gods, with eighteen circular cuts like buckles holding it tightly shut.

The weight of the deep sea, the expanse of the sky, the solidity of mountains, the magnanimity of the earth, the inclusiveness of the Sun... it all seemed chaotic, yet pointed to a supreme and distant greatness, enveloping Ye Nishang like a cloud of mist.

"This is the bow case used by our ancestor, forged from divine metal, used to nurture the Divine Enthronement Bow."

"After the divine bow fell, it was used to store the fragments, ensuring the divine essence could reunite."

Ye Ying spoke softly to herself, her pale nails edging bit by bit into the case’s locks.

Then, as a slit opened, every clan member felt as if a cold arrow stood upright at their brow, daring to conceive disrespectful thoughts would bring enormous disaster upon them.

"Hmm..."

Ye Hanjun stifled a certain longing, with his flesh and soul trembling from within.

Within him, as if an ancient life began awakening.

It was as if a voice echoed in his ears, urging him forward, go for it, go for it, it was His object, take it all, without leaving a single piece behind.

However, before Ye Hanjun could act on it, the demonic notion shattered, and his consciousness cleared.

No one noticed the anomaly, for all attention was focused on Ye Nishang.

"Click-click—"

The cracks in the glass spread like a spider’s web.

Large and small metal fragments fell from Ye Nishang’s form, each piece dark and gleaming with a sinister red light.

Ye Hanjun could see clearly eighteen fragments circling the bow case.

As the bow case exploded with black hole-like suction, all the fragments disappeared, not a single piece left behind.

"Eighteen..."

Ye Ying closed the bow case and couldn’t help but exclaim:

"Even among the generations of young emperors, this number would rank near the front."

"Nishang, well done."

"With the status of The Son of Shura and a contribution of eighteen pieces of the divine bow fragments."

"You have the right to freely use the resources of the clan’s treasury, even those reserved exclusively for Saints."