Within the ruins of the Snow Moon Pavilion, a light snow began to fall, its chill piercing to the bone.
Frost began to form on the nearby pavilion and pond. The water's flow slowed, then began to visibly freeze over.
"The Jade Sea Celestial Heart?"
Zhao Tianhe recognized the object and was utterly astonished.
This was an Exotic Treasure ranked near the very top of the Celestial Secret Building's list of Celestial and Earthly Treasures. It was something that could only be formed in the depths of the Endless Sea.
The Endless Sea teemed with Exotic Beasts of the Sea Race. Even Cultivators of the Sixth or Seventh Realm wouldn't dare venture there recklessly, as any misstep could mean death.
It was said that there were only a few such pieces in the entire Great Xia Dynasty.
The only one known to have appeared before was apparently a tribute sent by a chieftain of the Sea Race.
This piece of the Jade Sea Celestial Heart was priceless.
To a Cultivator practicing an Ice Attribute Technique, it was tantamount to a Holy Object. By using it to extract and condense Cold Ice Attribute Spiritual Energy, their cultivation progress would be greatly accelerated.
"I understand, Young Master."
Ying's voice was grim, and killing intent flared in his eyes.
Seeing Lin Fan's figure about to vanish into the Void, he immediately stepped forward and took the wooden box.
He enveloped the Jade Sea Celestial Heart with a torrent of Magical Power and cast it forth. It transformed into a brilliant, crystal-like stream of light, shooting toward the patch of Void where Lin Fan was disappearing, and detonated instantly.
"You..."
'I thought it was over, that I'd be able to escape safely. I never imagined Jiang Lan had another trick up his sleeve.'
His recently calmed emotions erupted into rage once more. His expression grew so foul that his face became livid and distorted.
Watching this scene unfold, a flicker of conflicted hesitation, a hint of struggle, crossed Zhao Tianhe's aged face.
But in the next moment, all emotion vanished, replaced by an indifferent mask.
A torrent of righteous Confucian Energy surged from his body. As his aged palm reached out, the Void rumbled. The Heaven and Earth Void Qi converged, forming a massive, ancient golden handprint that slammed toward Lin Fan, intending to cut off his escape.
"Grandfather..."
Zhao Dieyi was completely stunned, unable to understand.
'Lin Fan never would have imagined that Zhao Tianhe would strike him at a moment like this.'
His face showed the same shock, which then twisted into a furious, mocking laugh. "Good. Very good..."
BOOM!
At that same moment, a boundless, icy aura erupted like a volcano, shaking the very firmament until it trembled and roiled.
Along with the vast, surging waves of righteous Confucian energy, the freezing aura ran rampant across the sky. It blotted out the heavens and swept in all directions, changing the very sky above Yu Yi City.
Countless snowflakes, mixed with bits of crimson viscera, fluttered down.
The patch of sky through which Lin Fan had just tried to escape was frozen solid.
A layer of brilliant, pale blue ice stretched out, reflecting the splendid moonlight from afar and glowing with a magnificent, dreamlike luster.
The dreamlike sight mirrored the crowd's own surreal, heart-pounding terror.
Ying couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, was it worth it?"
'He remembered that this Jade Sea Celestial Heart was one of Jiang Lan's life-saving treasures, something of immense value.'
'To use it here, in his opinion, seemed rather unnecessary...'
'Even if Lin Fan escaped, how long could he run? After today, there would be no place left for him in the entire Nine Provinces Land.'
The opportunity moments ago had been fleeting, leaving him no time to ask questions.
"If we can keep him here and uncover his background, it might solve a problem for my father. Besides, this man is shrouded in secrets."
"How is it not worth it?"
"Besides, it's just a little trinket my mother refined and gave to me. It's a waste to just keep it on me and not use it." Jiang Lan said with a faint smile, conveniently laying the blame at his father's feet.
In the eyes of the world, his father had countless enemies anyway. One more or one less wouldn't make a difference.
Zhao Tianhe's heart trembled. The world knew that the Prime Minister's Mansion wielded enough power to blot out the sky, but few people knew the truth.
The Prime Minister's wife was, in fact, the truly terrifying one.
"Is this really the same useless, live-in son-in-law of the Su Family we all knew? He hid his strength and laid low all these years just to assassinate the Son of the Prime Minister? That level of scheming is terrifying."
"With something this huge happening, the skies over Yu Yi City—no, the entire Jiangling County are about to change."
Everyone was still reeling from the extreme shock and disbelief.
Even Su Qinghan was staring at the scene before her, unable to snap out of her daze for a long time.
"Brother-in-law Lin Fan..."
"How could he be so powerful? To think he could still escape under these circumstances..."
"Why would he try to assassinate the Son of the Prime Minister?"
Su Qingyao's delicate, jade-like face was completely blank with shock.
'Is this really the brother-in-law she knew?'
Hearing her near-muttered words, Su Changkong's expression changed. He quickly whispered to her, "From this day forward, Lin Fan has nothing to do with our Su Family. And he is no longer your brother-in-law."
"Qingyao, don't be deceived by his appearance. Lin Fan is a wolf in sheep's clothing, with sinister intentions. He laid low in the Su Family for all these years just to assassinate Young Master Jiang. This is a heinous crime."
"You must not have anything to do with that man ever again."
'His heart still hammered with fear. To think such a dangerous man had spent all these years in his Su Family, acting as a useless, live-in son-in-law whom anyone could bully and mock.'
'Who knew if one day, someone might have pushed him too far, causing him to fly into a rage and slaughter the entire Su Family in a bloodbath?'