Chapter 429: The Ling Pulse Caught in a Crossfire

"Many thanks to you for your help!"

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with lingering fear, Elder Bing Yi thanked Xiao Han, who wore a stern expression, only after the fact.

He knew this was a warning from Bing Lingkun to him; although he was an Elder, and his seniority was technically one level higher,

when it came down to it, not to mention the gap in strength between the two, the disparity between the main pulse and the branch pulse was equally immense. By all logic, Elder Bing Yi had no qualifications to question the other party.

Just as Elder Bing Yi was preparing to signal Xiao Han to leave, the latter did not respond in the slightest.

"Master Xiao Han?" Bing Yi asked with confusion.

However, Xiao Han was staring fixedly at the departing figure of Bing Lingkun. Bing Yi called out to Xiao Han a few more times before he finally came back to his senses.

"Apologies, I was a bit distracted."

"Is Master Xiao Han still thinking about the matter regarding Bing Lingkun?"

"That is correct." Xiao Han did not deny it.

"Great Perfection Earth Sovereign."

He made a judgment in his heart. After the fleeting exchange of blows just now, Xiao Han was very certain that Bing Lingkun's strength had already reached the Great Perfection Earth Sovereign realm, rather than the Upper Earth Sovereign Peak as rumored in the outside world.

"Elder Bing Yi, I must trouble you to let me learn more about the intelligence on the geniuses of your clan."

"Master Xiao Han, you are too polite."

The two walked slowly across the plains, and Bing Yi spared no effort in introducing the intelligence on the experts of the various pulses of the Ice Spirit Clan to Xiao Han.

After what had just happened, Bing Yi was very clear that his side had reached a life-or-death juncture. Now, the only path to survival was to have Xiao Han advance as far as possible in the Ice God Festival; therefore, intelligence on the experts could be considered the most important of priorities.

At this time, on another snowfield several hundred miles away from the two, Bing Lingkun's group also began to analyze the intelligence on Xiao Han.

"Ling Ye, how is that person's strength?" Bing Lingkun said without stopping his pace or looking back; the person he spoke of was naturally Xiao Han.

Upon hearing this, the composed middle-aged man named Bing Lingye stepped forward on his own initiative, his tone solemn.

"Reporting to Young Master, this person's actual combat power may have already reached the Great Perfection Earth Sovereign."

"Combat power?" Bing Lingkun frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of doubt. "Not cultivation level?"

Regarding the former's question, Bing Lingye was not annoyed. As a genius of the Ling Pulse, Bing Lingkun was a standout among his peers in both talent and combat power.

However, beyond his talent, he possessed a significant flaw: once a battle began, he easily overlooked details outside of the combat itself. Being able to restrain himself from testing Xiao Han this time had already required his greatest effort; one really could not ask for too much.

And this was the reason Bing Lingye followed by Bing Lingkun's side at all times, acting as a strategist and a limiter.

"Not cultivation level," Bing Lingye answered affirmatively.

"Based on the Spirit Power fluctuations that person erupted with just a moment ago, his cultivation level should only be at the Upper Earth Sovereign; it absolutely cannot be any higher."

"How is that possible?"

Bing Lingkun retorted subconsciously, saying excitedly, "How could an Upper Earth Sovereign be my opponent?"

Bing Lingye detected the faint jealousy in the former's words and sighed inwardly; his Young Master still could not keep his composure!

But then again, anyone would find it hard to remain indifferent upon hearing that an evenly matched opponent was actually a level lower than themselves, let alone a heaven-favored child like the Young Master.

But some things had to be acknowledged; arrogance would only invite death. Having a clear self-awareness was an important factor in why Bing Lingye was chosen to be Bing Lingkun's strategist.

Yet he would not be foolish enough to be blunt, instead comforting him:

"Young Master, although that Xiao Han has some methods to erupt with power equivalent to a Great Perfection Earth Sovereign, he is ultimately not a true Great Perfection Earth Sovereign; he cannot maintain that strength for very long."

"So..."

Bing Lingkun's eyes lit up. "You mean..."

"Just drag out the time."

Bing Lingye answered with a smile. He was very happy that his Young Master, who possessed the face of a Reckless, was not the type of blockhead to fight head-on with an opponent; to him, victory was everything.

"And..."

"Has the Young Master forgotten?" Bing Lingye closed the distance to Bing Lingkun and lowered his voice.

"Those two Young Masters have not yet made their move, have they?"

"Clan Leader Bing Linyan, can you give me a straight answer? By what right is a small branch pulse being collectively ostracized by the three main pulses and all the other branch pulses?"

"What exactly has your pulse done to incur such wrath from heaven and resentment from men?"

Xiao Han's tone was angry and his expression serious; his spit was almost spraying onto the faces of the several old men opposite him.

A tiger's den and a wolf's lair!

This was Xiao Han's evaluation of the Ice Spirit Clan.

This Ling Pulse was not just being ostracized; it was practically an enemy of the whole world!

Xiao Han could even suspect that if not for the fact that the Ling Pulse still had some old foundation left by their Ancestor, and that fratricide was considered a Forbidden act, the other party might have already ceased to exist by now.

Although...

The Ling Pulse was now already on the verge of dissolution.

Xiao Han had originally thought that only one main pulse and its subordinate branches had designs on the Ling Pulse; who would have thought the situation had deteriorated to such a degree.

If one were to say there was no other reason for this, Xiao Han could only say one thing...

"Heh!"

To hell with this!

Good riddance!

Making an Ancient Race an enemy for no reason—he, whose strength had not yet recovered to its peak, was not that kind-hearted.

Xiao Han's anger was almost undisguised. The group of high-level members, including Ling Pulse Clan Leader Bing Linyan, were not blind; they exchanged glances and nodded secretly.

Bing Linyan opened his mouth to speak.

"What, willing to talk now?" The indignation in Xiao Han's tone had already vanished, replaced by a stillness as quiet as a deep pool.

"This must be told starting from three hundred years ago..." Bing Linyan sighed.

Half an hour later.

"That's it?" Xiao Han said, stunned, his eyes filled with deep confusion.

Simply put, three hundred years ago, a top genius of the Lin Lineage encountered a soulmate while training in the outside world; the two fell in love and pledged their lives to each other, then prepared to return to the clan to marry the young woman in a grand ceremony.

At this moment, a marriage alliance candidate miraculously popped up, and the clan forcibly demanded he sever ties with the nameless woman from some unknown corner of the world and accept the clan's arrangement; when the genius refused to budge, they prepared to manually eliminate the threat.

However, the former discovered it in advance, directly defected from the Ice Spirit Clan, caused a huge scene within the clan, successfully escaped, and went off to live happily in the Da Qian World with his soulmate.

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After this battle, the Ice Spirit Clan lost all face, and the Lin Lineage, caught between the clan and their own kin, ended up being wrong no matter what they did.

Why does this story sound like something I've heard before?

You're telling me that just because of a story trope that's been written to death even in folklore, the Lin Lineage ended up in such a state.

Furthermore, the setting of the Ice Spirit Clan in the story is just too terrible; not to mention being stubborn and pedantic, they were actually broken through by a junior—their strength is a bit too weak.

It really is...

Sigh!

As expected!

It really is true that art comes from life, isn't it!

The key is that the protagonist of the story is someone he has actually heard of: Saint Linyan, Palace Master of the You Ye Palace, a super power in the north of the Da Qian World, an Immortal Grade Heavenly Sovereign; it is said that his wife is also a powerful Heavenly Sovereign, and the couple's affection for each other is beyond compare.

Where did the Ice Spirit Clan get the confidence to look down on a daughter-in-law who possessed the potential to become a Heavenly Sovereign?

Not to mention that Saint Linyan's strength has already surpassed the Ice Spirit Ancestor.

Now they're screwed, aren't they?

They made enemies of two Heavenly Sovereigns for no reason at all.

"The Ice Spirit Clan truly has guts!"

After a long while, this was all Xiao Han could say in praise, though whether it was sarcasm or a genuine remark was a matter of opinion.

At the same time, a sense of sympathy for the Lin Lineage rose in his heart; in the story, the Lin Lineage was caught in the middle and took flak from both sides.

They wanted to find a compromise, yet were treated by the protagonist as a cold-hearted home that abandoned him, and treated by the clan as selfish people attempting to shield an unfilial descendant—they truly took flak from both sides.

Although one shouldn't listen to only one side of the story, the current bleak state of the Lin Lineage seems very persuasive.

"Then, Your Excellency..."

Bing Linyan asked cautiously.

"This matter is a bit difficult."

Xiao Han's tone was solemn.

"That is true."

Bing Linyan thought Xiao Han was going to refuse; although he felt disappointed, he understood, as after all, not everyone would provoke a behemoth like the Ice Spirit Clan for someone they had only just met.

"Your Excellency may stay for a while; after the Ice God Festival ends, we will naturally see you off."

Although his hopes were dashed, his good upbringing still made him refrain from acting out on the spot; at the very least, as Bing Yu's teacher, he was obligated to host him.

After the Lin Lineage disbanded, the helpless Bing Yu would still have to rely on Xiao Han for care.

"It will cost extra."

Xiao Han said suddenly.

One thought of hell, one thought of heaven.

It is nothing more than this!