In her mind, even if a mortal martial artist tempered their physical body to the absolute limit and possessed incredible combat power, wanting to cross the chasm to contend with cultivators who could fly and burrow into the earth was almost a pipe dream.
As for a Tenth Realm demon beast... that was a terrifying existence comparable to the top powerhouses of the cultivation world!
Could it be that her master could even slay immortals above the Tenth Realm?
How was that possible?
But at the thought of her master casually slapping a peak Fourth Realm cultivator into a mist of blood back in Luochuan City, Han Yu's conviction wavered.
Her seemingly gentle master was shrouded in a layer of mist in her eyes, making her completely impossible to see through.
While she was dazing out, two people walked up to the second floor of the restaurant.
Leading them was a young man dressed in a gold-trimmed brocade robe, holding a folding fan, with a hint of lofty nobility between his brows.
Beside him followed a stalwart, steady-looking middle-aged man.
The young man in the brocade robe looked around, his eyes landing on Su Yueli and Han Yu, and a flash of astonishment instantly crossed his eyes.
The style of their clothing clearly did not belong to Great Qian, and coupled with their stunningly beautiful features, they stood out exceptionally in this small border city.
“You two ladies look quite unfamiliar. Are you also here in Zhenyuan City to sightsee?” The young man in the brocade robe stepped forward and greeted them politely.
Su Yueli originally had no intention of paying attention to these ordinary passersby.
But on second thought, she was new to the Great Qian Dynasty and unfamiliar with the place. If she wanted to find out the whereabouts of the Nine-Leaf Nirvana Ice Marrow, asking these cultivators who possessed cultivation bases was obviously much more effective than asking ordinary mortals.
Thus, she nodded slightly and gestured for the two of them to sit.
After a few words of small talk, Su Yueli saw through their cultivation bases and learned that their identities were extraordinary.
The young man in the brocade robe did not look very old, yet he possessed the cultivation of a Seventh Realm cultivator. He was faintly surrounded by imperial qi, and was none other than the Crown Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, Jiang Yunsheng.
The unremarkable, stalwart man behind him possessed a terrifying peak Tenth Realm cultivation and served as a close bodyguard, named Pang Lie.
As they chatted about the state of the world, Jiang Yunsheng smiled and said, “Recently, the Great Li Dynasty has been in turmoil. I heard that the Wei Dynasty and Great Li have had many frictions on the border, and war could break out at any moment.”
“Additionally, Great Li's Fourth Prince, who was previously in the limelight, reportedly lost the struggle for the throne and has now been exiled to this desolate border.”
Su Yueli was somewhat surprised to hear this.
She had spent a long time in seclusion and had never paid much attention to the changes of imperial power in mortal dynasties. She did not expect such a dramatic change to have occurred in the Great Li court.
Several hundred years ago, after the Martial Arts Tournament, the Fourth Prince, Zhao Yan, had helped her a bit, which she still remembered.
She did not expect him to end up in such a state now. Truly, a trick of fate...
However, Han Yu, who was sitting to the side, was completely dumbfounded.
She carefully shrank back beside Su Yueli, a tempest raging in her heart.
Her master was actually chatting on equal terms with a peak Tenth Realm powerhouse and the Crown Prince of Great Qian?
Even the top secrets of the Great Li royal family sounded as casual as ordinary gossip to them!
As they laughed and talked, Su Yueli naturally brought up her topic: “Does the Crown Prince know where the Nine-Leaf Nirvana Ice Marrow can be found within Great Qian's borders?”
Upon hearing the name of this herb, the Crown Prince's folding fan paused slightly before he snapped it shut. “The lady is looking for this item? The Nine-Leaf Nirvana Ice Marrow grows deep underground in the Ice Soul Abyss, located in the extreme north of Great Qian. The extremely cold fiend energy there is incredibly overbearing, and there are ancient demon beasts lurking about. If an ordinary martial artist steps foot in there, they will be instantly frozen to dust. It is extremely dangerous.”
Hearing this, Su Yueli's expression did not change as she said flatly, “Thank you for letting me know. However, this item is of some use to me, so I must still make the trip.”
Seeing her resolute attitude, a trace of surprise flashed through the Crown Prince's eyes.
A mortal martial arts woman with absolutely no spiritual energy fluctuations on her body didn't even bat an eye upon hearing about a dangerous place filled with Tenth Realm threats?
How interesting indeed.
“What a coincidence.”
The Crown Prince laughed heartily. “This prince also happens to be heading to the Ice Soul Abyss to retrieve an extremely cold item. If you two don't mind, why don't we travel together? We can look out for each other along the way.”
Su Yueli did some quick calculations. Having someone from the Great Qian royal family lead the way would indeed save a lot of trouble in finding the route, so she nodded in agreement. “Then we shall trouble you.”
...
After settling the bill, the group departed from Zhenyuan City, heading straight for the Far North Ice Plains.
Along the way, Han Yu looked at the extraordinary Great Qian Crown Prince and the Tenth Realm bodyguard ahead, feeling somewhat uneasy in her heart.
She leaned closer to Su Yueli and whispered, “Master... they are both immortals. If we travel with them, what if a conflict arises...”
Su Yueli saw through her young disciple's nervousness. She reached out to pat her shoulder and spoke in a gentle tone, “There is no need to look down on yourself. Cultivating immortality and practicing martial arts are merely different paths. As long as you focus on circulating your breathing technique and lay a solid physical foundation, you will also become extremely powerful in the future.”
Han Yu nodded slightly, most of the timidity in her heart instantly dispelled.
But she still lacked confidence. Could the martial path really contend with the immortal path?
The gap between them was far more than just a chasm.
Meanwhile, a short distance ahead.
Pang Lie sent a voice transmission, asking with a look of confusion, “Your Highness, our trip to the Ice Soul Abyss this time is of great importance. Why are we bringing along these two mortal martial artists from Great Li?”
“Although that blue-robed woman has a somewhat peculiar temperament, she has absolutely no spiritual energy. Once we reach the depths of the abyss, she will likely become a burden.”
Jiang Yunsheng gently swayed his folding fan, a smile on his lips, with a hint of admiration deep in his eyes. “The beauty of that blue-robed woman is something this prince has never seen in his entire life. Since we happened to run into such a celestial beauty, what is wrong with keeping her by my side to feast my eyes upon?”
Pang Lie gave a bitter smile, scratched his head, and advised, “Your Highness, she is ultimately just a mortal martial artist from Great Li. Her lifespan is a mere hundred years, and there is a world of difference between immortals and mortals like us. Moreover, the border situation between Great Li and Great Qian is delicate. Let us not invite trouble.”
Jiang Yunsheng waved his hand dismissively, perfectly composed. “She is just a martial artist with no background; what trouble could she possibly cause? If I can truly take her into my harem, this prince will simply bestow some life-extending pills upon her.”
As he spoke, Jiang Yunsheng looked back at the peerless beauty, Su Yueli, becoming increasingly satisfied.
Looking across the entire Qian Dynasty, one would likely be unable to find such an exquisite beauty.
A beautiful woman—who wouldn't love one?
With this thought, he gently swayed his folding fan and smiled, complimenting, “Miss Su is otherworldly, and every gesture of yours is far beyond that of ordinary women. I imagine you must not be a nameless figure in the Li Dynasty either.”
Su Yueli was slightly taken aback, feeling a bit of a headache from his gaze. It felt like he was trying to hit on her.
But she still politely replied, “Your Highness flatters me. Your Highness is the Crown Prince of a dynasty and possesses an extraordinary bearing. You are the one who is truly young and promising.”
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Jiang Yunsheng shifted the topic and sighed, saying, “Miss Su, the journey to the Ice Soul Abyss is long. If we ride horses on the ground, I am afraid it will take us over a dozen days. However... if we fly through the air, we can arrive in two days at most.”
The underlying implication of these words was obvious—he was subtly pointing out that the two of them were merely mortal martial artists who could not fly, and traveling on foot would only slow down their speed.
Su Yueli naturally understood his meaning, but her expression remained completely calm.
“Since Your Highness is in a hurry, feel free to fly through the air. We will keep up from behind.”
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