“I am your Third Martial Aunt!” Ji Yao said coldly.
Shi Tian He’s eyes lit up and she cried out, “You are… Martial Aunt Ji Yao!”
Back when she was still in Ice Heart Valley, Ji Yao had never appeared in the Sect as she had been wandering outside. She had thus never seen Ji Yao in person, but during the days she spent in the valley, she had often heard her Honoured Master speak of this Martial Aunt who had been missing for so long. The other Martial Aunts in the valley were all concerned about her safety, but none of them knew where to begin looking for her.
She had never thought that she would run into Ji Yao in Serenity City today.
Quickly, Shi Tian He was overjoyed, and the sorrow in her heart was greatly reduced by seeing Ji Yao. She hurriedly knelt down before Ji Yao and greeted, “Greetings to Third Martial Aunt from the expelled disciple of Ice Heart Valley, Shi Tian He!”
“Get up!” Ji Yao raised Shi Tian He to her feet with one hand, and said with a cold snort, “You were the disciple of Eldest Senior Sister, and yet you went against her for the sake of such a man. If I was her, I would’ve killed you right away and not let you live to this day!”
Shi Tian He smiled bitterly and said nothing.
Ji Yao continued, “But since Eldest Senior Sister decided to spare your life, I will not go against her wishes. Since you were cast out from Dong Family today, then you are no longer one of them. Come back with me to Ice Heart Valley and apologize to Eldest Senior Sister! Whether you live or die will be up to her to decide.”
Tearfully, Shi Tian He answered, “Many thanks, Third Martial Aunt!”
Ji Yao turned her head and looked coldly at the distraught Dong Hai below, then scolded, “Though Tian He is an expelled disciple of Ice Heart Valley, that doesn’t mean any random trash can mistreat her! If you had cared for her after she abandoned her Sect to be with you, then it would’ve been fine, but now that you’ve cast her aside for your own selfish needs, your death isn’t worth pity!”
As she spoke, she was about to strike downwards with her palm.
“No!” Shi Tian He turned pale, and in a flash she had thrown herself in front of Ji Yao, falling to her knees as she pleaded, “Third Martial Aunt, don’t kill him! I beg you, please don’t kill him!”
The Emperor Qi was surging in Ji Yao’s palm, but she held it back and did not unleash it. She glared at Shi Tian He and snapped furiously, “You would protect him even now?”
Shi Tian He shook her head, crying, “He saved my life all those years ago. Please spare his life today, Third Martial Aunt, and just take it as me repaying that life debt. From now on, there is nothing between us, and there will never be any further contact!”
Ji Yao was unbearably livid, and she almost wanted to kill her foolish Martial Niece here and now. The Emperor Qi in her palm surged several times, but in the end, she could not bear to do it. After all, Shi Tian He’s life had been difficult enough already.
Given no other choice, Ji Yao could only turn her head to look at Yang Kai, “Honoured Master, what do you think?”
“His life may be spared, but he cannot escape punishment!” Yang Kai answered coldly.
As he spoke, he appeared before Dong Hai and landed a palm strike on his chest. Dong Hai could not even react before he was sent flying and was knocked out as he crashed into a nearby building.
Since Yang Kai had already acted, Ji Yao naturally had no objections and retracted her Emperor Qi.
“We’re leaving!” Yang Kai waved his hand and flew into the air first.
Ji Yao hurriedly followed, with Shi Tian He turning to look at Dong Hai unconscious on the ground for a moment before ultimately also averting her gaze and quickly disappearing from the onlookers’ view.
Only then did the many cultivators at the city gates heave a sigh of relief. With an Emperor Realm cultivator present, they didn’t even dare to breathe loudly in case they somehow caused offence.
“So, she’s from Ice Heart Valley!”
Around the corner, Bai Lu looked like he had discovered some great secret treasure, and his face was full of excitement. Thoughts spun rapidly in his head for a while before he suddenly said, “Xue Man, hurry and tell your Father that an Emperor Realm cultivator from Ice Heart Valley has just left Serenity City. Tell him to quickly gather all his forces and chase after them! Remember to tell him not to alert them! He just needs to make sure they’re followed!”
“What about you?” Yan Xue Man stared at him.
“I’m going back to Profound Thunder Pavilion to tell my Father what happened here. I believe he will be very interested in that woman.”
Having said so, he dashed towards the Space Array in Serenity City from where he could directly return to Profound Thunder Pavilion and inform his Father.
“To think someone from Ice Heart Valley dared to come out and stir up trouble. Now, I can finally get revenge!” Bai Lu thought with a cold smile, feeling gleeful as he thought about what it would look like when his father stepped in and took down those two.