Wen Qingye walked slowly into the stone cave, a biting chill relentlessly assaulting him.

Along with the biting cold, a faint, sweet fragrance wafted out. It was so subtle that if not for Wen Qingye’s keen senses, he would have hardly noticed it amidst the chill.

’Snow Lotus?’ The moment Wen Qingye caught the scent, his heart couldn’t help but stir.

A Snow Lotus was a type of Heavenly and Earthly Treasure. Its grade was determined by its age; some grew for extremely long periods and might even undergo other special mutations, making them exceptionally rare prizes.

Snow Lotuses typically grew in extremely frigid environments. It seemed the cave ahead possessed a uniquely cold and yin-aspected climate; otherwise, a Heavenly and Earthly Treasure like a Snow Lotus wouldn’t be growing here.

As Wen Qingye ventured deeper into the cave, several figures gradually came into view.

"Someone’s coming!" a voice suddenly called out.

The group turned to look at Wen Qingye, their expressions wary.

The leader of the group had triangular eyes, thick lips, and a bloodthirsty glint in his gaze. He glanced at Wen Qingye’s attire and couldn’t help but laugh. "Oh? Someone from the Celestial Martial Country?"

Wen Qingye also got a clear look at them. They were from the Yul Country. Among the Sixteen Countries, the Yul Country was of average strength, but they were still considerably stronger than the Celestial Martial Country.

On the way here, Ling Xiao had told them about the Sixteen Countries, including the Yul Country. It was home to many geniuses and was quite formidable. One of them, a man named Jiangg Tian, was even fairly well-known throughout the Sixteen Countries. His cultivation was said to be at the peak of the Refining Spirit Fifth Layer Heaven.

Wen Qingye swept his gaze over the group. While their cultivation levels weren’t bad, none of them were at the Refining Spirit Fifth Layer Heaven.

Just then, the men from Yul Country moved to stand before Wen Qingye, looking as if they intended to surround him.

"Brother Feng, looks like this kid is here to deliver his Talisman Seal right to you! Hahaha!"

"Hahaha!"

The men from Yul Country stared at Wen Qingye, their eyes filled with ridicule, before they all burst out laughing.

Jiangg Feng was the man who had spoken first. He stared at Wen Qingye now, a hint of delight in his eyes. He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips. "Kid, I just came up with a new method of torture. You’re in luck."

Jiangg Feng’s words were so sinister they seemed even more bone-chilling than the wind in the cave. Even the men behind him trembled slightly. They knew him all too well; Jiangg Feng loved nothing more than torturing people. The Yul Country had thirty-seven forms of extreme torture, all of which he had used. In fact, he had personally invented four of them.

It was safe to say everyone in the Yul Country knew of his brutality. The mere mention of Jiangg Feng’s name was enough to make some people’s faces pale.

Wen Qingye smiled. "And what method would that be?"

A fanatical gleam appeared in Jiangg Feng’s eyes. "I have some Bone-Eating Ants. In a moment, I’m going to carve all the flesh from your body. I guarantee you won’t die—don’t worry, my sword is very fast. Then, I’ll let you watch as these Bone-Eating Ants devour your bones, bit by bit."

Even Jiangg Feng’s own companions felt a chill run down their spines at his words.

Carving off a man’s flesh and forcing him to watch his own bones being devoured... it was a truly monstrous form of torture!

Wen Qingye listened quietly. When Jiangg Feng finished, he gave a faint smile. "You know, I once met someone who proposed a method a hundred times crueler than yours. Do you know what I did to him?"

"What did you do to him?" Jiangg Feng asked reflexively, raising an eyebrow.

Wen Qingye replied calmly, "I plucked out his liver with a single sword strike. He stared at his own liver for three or four seconds before he finally died."

"Hahahaha!" Jiangg Feng roared with laughter. "You think I’d believe that? Is your sword really that fast?"

Wen Qingye nodded earnestly. "That man had a tenacious hold on life. I imagine most people would only last a second or two. I wonder how many seconds you’ll manage?"

"Kid, you’re courting death!" Jiangg Feng roared, enraged by Wen Qingye’s words.

Jiangg Feng sprang forward, his longsword striking out like a venomous snake. The sinister thrust was as fast as lightning.

Wen Qingye could now sense Jiangg Feng’s cultivation. He was at about the peak of the Refining Spirit Fourth Layer.

CLANG! CLANG!

Wen Qingye drew his One Thought Sword. With a rapid twist of his wrist, slivers of cold light flashed as he slashed toward the ’venomous snake’.

Jiangg Feng felt a tremor run through his sword and heard several piercing metallic screeches by his ear.

"My sword!" Jiangg Feng stared, stunned, at the short sword in his hand.

"So fast!"

"That guy’s sword is unbelievably fast!"

"I just saw a flash of cold light. I couldn’t see a thing."

The men from Yul Country behind Jiangg Feng exclaimed in stunned surprise.

Though vicious, Jiangg Feng was also perceptive and quite clever.

"All of us, attack together! This guy is no simple opponent!"

Hearing Jiangg Feng’s order, the men from Yul Country exchanged a look, then braced themselves and closed in on Wen Qingye.

As his men surrounded Wen Qingye, Jiangg Feng took a small step back, his eyes fixed coldly on the scene.

"Kill him!"

One of the Yul Country men suddenly threw a punch. Violent Primordial Qi exploded outwards, dispersing much of the surrounding cold.

A fiery glow ignited on Wen Qingye’s sword, like a thread of fire, and the ambient temperature instantly shot up by dozens of degrees.

"Four Symbols Sword Technique, First Form! Huo Changxiong!"

With a single sweep of his sword, raging flames seemed to erupt from the blade, sweeping forward with an aura that threatened to incinerate everything in its path.

BOOM!

The Yul Country man’s cultivation was only at the early stages of the Refining Spirit Fourth Layer; how could he possibly withstand such a blow? He was sent flying by the strike, crashing heavily against the stone wall.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

The aftershocks of the Sword Qi radiated outward, and the remaining three men from Yul Country staggered back, shaken.

A smile touched the corners of Wen Qingye’s lips. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his aura surging.

The One Thought Sword flashed like cold light as it danced through the air, exuding an ethereal and almost otherworldly aura.

"Silver Moon Wushang!"

With every step he took, Wen Qingye unleashed another strike.

The sword light danced, trailing crimson blood in its wake—a heart-stopping sight.

HISS!

Wen Qingye stood with his sword in hand, chuckling as he watched the dumbfounded Jiangg Feng a short distance away.

THUD!

The bodies of the other men fell to the ground. The so-called geniuses of the Yul Country would now remain in the Thousand Rivers Secret Land forever.

Jiangg Feng’s face was grim as he retreated, step by step.

"Your Excellency, what a fast sword!"

Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind Jiangg Feng. Hearing it, his expression turned to one of delight.