Chapter 63: An Unexpected Conclusion

Tsering cast a surprised glance at the ground where the ice spikes were erupting. Before they could pierce his legs, the bone-chilling frost had already penetrated deep into his marrow. As he prepared to retreat, he found that the ground within a radius of several zhang had been completely covered by ice spikes.

Xie Peng was concentrating all his mental energy on controlling the sharp ice spikes forged from the power of the ice talisman, not expecting that Tsering, with wisps of vital energy wrapped around his feet, would violently stomp down onto the ice surface beneath him!

Boom! A deafening roar shook the inner valley, and the massive sheet of ice split open with a fissure a man's width wide! The ice spikes planted beneath Tsering's feet shattered instantly. Xie Peng was evidently implicated, suffering a sharp, agonizing pain in his mind as he let out a miserable howl.

"Are you still going to continue? Your previous disadvantages have already sealed your defeat. If you had unleashed this freezing technique earlier, perhaps you could have put up a real fight against me." Tsering halted his movements, as if satisfied with reaching this extent. Perhaps he feared that if he struck again, he would inevitably end up finishing off the person before him.

Xie Peng stared fixedly at Tsering with venomous eyes. Finally, he abandoned his futile resistance, wanting to say something, but his lips remained unmoving.

On the other side, the battle between Suochi and Xing Ye was also drawing to a close. However, looking at the stark contrast between Xing Ye—now covered in tattered clothes and bloody gashes—and his immaculate opponent, one could easily guess that Suochi had emerged the superior fighter in this protracted duel.

In the distance, the members of the Meng family all wore grim, ashen expressions. Things had reached a point where salvation seemed nearly impossible. "Fan'er, if there's an opportunity later, take Rou'er and fall back first!" Meng Yu instructed in a low voice, his tone heavy with gravity.

"Father!" the two shouted softly in unison.

"The family head is right, Yuerou, you and Xingfan retreat first, we will handle the rest," Meng Renchong said solemnly, secretly wiping the sweat from his palms. This was perhaps the most perilous predicament the Meng family had ever encountered in its history.

Just at that moment, a cry of pain echoed out. Seizing an opportunity, Xing Ye lunged forward and grabbed Suochi's arm viciously, his five fingers sinking deep into the bone. Under the excruciating pain, Suochi threw a fierce punch. With a sharp snap, Xing Ye's grabbed arm broke, twisting into a grotesque shape, and he could no longer hold back a scream of agony.

Meanwhile, Tong Jin slowly opened his eyes and stood up. Feeling the genuine Qi once again flowing steadily within his body, the corners of his lips curled upward. He thought to himself, "Although the genuine Qi in my body has only recovered to less than half, achieving this kind of result in such a short time proves that the Azure Condensation Pill is indeed effective."

As his gaze slowly swept across the entire inner valley, his brows involuntarily knitted tightly together. Had those two both suffered defeat? This was starting to get tricky.

Nearby, Ban Jue, who had almost entirely sunk into the ground, looked on with astonishment as he saw Tong Jin recover his internal energy in such a short span of time. He then loosened his neck, felt the slight recovery of his own genuine Qi, and with a burst of strength, shattered the surrounding earth and climbed out.

Ban Jue stood up and dusted the soil from his clothes. While his opponents-turned-spectators Tsering and Suochi walked over leisurely, Tsering laughed heartily, "Hahaha, our third younger brother has finally met his match this time."

Ban Jue resumed his harmless, boyish smile, grinning to reveal two rows of pearly white teeth. "Senior brother, he is truly strong!"

Tsering and Suochi exchanged a smile, their dark red faces taking on a remarkably honest and endearing expression upon laughing. Tsering nodded and said, "I know." Then, turning his gaze to Tong Jin, who stood quietly nearby, he asked, "Little brother, may I ask your name?"

Tong Jin held no ill will toward the three men. Compared to the petty and jealous Xing Ye or the two-faced Xie Peng, he found these three far more sincere and straightforward. With a gentle expression, he replied, "I am Tong Jin." He then turned his head to glance at Ban Jue, who still looked somewhat weak, and flashed a wide grin.

During his bout with Ban Jue, a tacit form of communication had formed between them—more akin to a mutual admiration between martial rivals. At the very least, amidst the seemingly perilous clashes, Tong Jin had harbored no murderous intent, largely because he had sensed not a shred of murderous intent from Ban Jue either. The force pulling them together was nothing less than a towering ocean tide of battle intent! Thus, when his genuine Qi was completely exhausted, he had lowered his guard entirely and meditated right beside Ban Jue.

Ban Jue laughed heartily as well. This kid before him made him feel a sense of mystery, coupled with profound respect.

Tsering stepped forward and strolled toward the Gu family's side, muttering a few words in a low voice. Before long, he turned around and walked back. "Brother Tong Jin, the three of us from the Poison Sect would like to invite you as a guest. Would you be willing?"

Tong Jin was clearly taken aback. Although he held a favorable impression of the trio, they had been adversaries mere moments ago; inviting him as a guest out of nowhere left his mind struggling to keep up.

"Brother, don't worry! My two senior brothers and I simply appreciate you and want to make a friend!" Ban Jue said openheartedly, reaching out to pat Tong Jin on the shoulder.

Tong Jin hesitated slightly, turning to glance at the members of the Meng family not far away, whose faces were all cast in gloomy, ashen shades.

Tsering spoke up, "Brother Tong Jin is a man of deep loyalty and righteousness. Rest assured, I have already informed family head Gu Ming; I imagine he knows how to handle this." As Tsering spoke, he held Gu Ming in utter disregard.

Just as Tong Jin was pondering the matter, Gu Ming walked over with a fawning, flattering smile on his face. "Little brother, I hope you'll overlook any previous misunderstandings. Since everyone is a friend of the Poison Sect, let us look out for one another from now on." He then turned and hypocritically bowed toward the Meng family's location. "Family head Meng, let us treat today's events as a mere sparring match between our two clans. I hope you can be magnanimous about it!"

The members of the Meng family, including the scarred and battered Xie Peng and Xing Ye on the field, were all utterly bewildered. At that moment, Tong Jin slowly walked over to the Meng family group. "Elder uncles, Yuerou, Big Brother Xingfan, the three brothers of the Poison Sect have invited me as a guest. I presume today's matters can be laid to rest for now. Once I have some free time, I will return to the Meng family to recount everything in detail." After offering a respectful bow, he did not wait for them to react, turning instead to follow behind Tsering and the other two as they darted toward the valley exit.

"Hahaha, Family Head Meng is truly blessed to have found such a backing. Setting the Poison Sect aside, that young brother's martial prowess alone surpasses both yours and mine. His future achievements will be simply immeasurable." Gu Ming also prepared to leave with his people. Passing by Meng Yu, he paused to deliver these words. The first half of his remark was dripping with sarcasm, while the latter half turned into a sigh of genuine awe. Without lingering further, he gradually vanished into the howling winds of the outer valley.

"Father!" Meng Yuerou let out a soft cry, snapping everyone back from their daze.

"Fan'er, go quickly and check on our two nephews, Xie Peng and Xing Ye. Let's head back first and discuss this!" Meng Yu commanded. At this moment, his mind was thoroughly in chaos. Not only him, but even Meng Renchong, a generation his senior, furrowed his brows tightly. After a long silence, a soft sigh drifted into everyone's ears. "Perhaps, this time truly is a monumental stroke of fortune for our Meng family!"