Chapter 1219: Proceeding to the Ice Goddess Hall (Two)
Jian Chen felt rather pained when he saw just how distressed Yu Fengyan was. His second aunt held an extremely important position in his heart, even greater than his own father.
This was because when he was young, Yu Fengyan cared for him the second most behind his own mother. Even his father’s care was nowhere near how much Yu Fengyan cared for him, especially after he had undergone the Saint’s Test. Once he had been tested to be unable to use Saint Force and was labeled as a cripple, Changyang Ba visited him even less. Back then, only Bi Yuntian, Yu Fengyanc, and Changyang Mingyue out of the entire clan cared for him.
Jian Chen could feel exactly how Yu Fengyan felt when he watched her in so much heart-aching pain. He could also sense her feeling of helplessness.
Ignoring the fact that the arctic Ice Goddess Hall was not on the Tian Yuan Continent and was extremely far away, just the icy climate there was enough to prevent Heaven Saint Masters from getting anywhere close. Even fire-attributed Heaven Saint Masters could be frozen into an ice cube, so only Saint Rulers could survive there.
Although the clan now had around a dozen Saint Rulers and several Saint Kings, every single one of them possessed great statuses. Even the patriarch of the clan, Changyang Ba, needed to greet them politely when he saw them, let alone Yu Fengyan who was only one of Changyang Ba’s many wives.
On the surface, Yu Fengyan was the second madam of the clan and possessed great status, but she was nothing in front of the people who had broken away from the protector clan. Without any doubt, requesting one of the Saint Rulers to take her to the arctic was an absurd dream with her current status. She did not even have the right to meet them.
As a result, Yu Fengyan could only find Jian Chen. She had already begun to treat Jian Chen as her only hope to see her daughter again.
Jian Chen pondered the request. Although some people had managed to flee from the Underworld sect, including the former sect master who was even more powerful that Luo Qi, he was not exactly helpless against them. At the same time, it had been such a long time since he had last seen his sister that he missed her as well.
Jian Chen made up his mind with that. He said, “Aunty, don’t be so sad. Let me organize some things and then I’ll take you to the arctic to go look for sister.”
“Really? Xiangtian, are you really going to take me to see Mingyue?” Yu Fengyang was overjoyed. She grabbed Jian Chen’s hands excitedly. She knew that if Jian Chen turned her down, she would probably never see her daughter ever again unless Changyang Mingyue returned herself.
Jian Chen nodded, “Of course I’m going to. Aunty, go rest for a while. I’ll go organize some things immediately, and then I’ll take you with me to the arctic.”
Jian Chen left the garden and made his way to the back courtyards of the clan.
The back courtyards had already become the forbidden grounds of the Changyang clan. No guard was allowed to approach them, and even the patriarch and other important figures of the clan were forbidden from entering the place without giving a prior warning because that was where Changyang Zu Xiao stayed.
Other than Changyang Zu Xiao, even Changyang Zu Yunxiao, Changyang Zu Yeyun, and the dozen or so Saint Rulers that had left the protector clan lived there as well. Meanwhile, all the people that guarded the place were replaced by the Heaven Saint Masters that had left the clan with them.
Jian Chen saw four Heaven Saint Masters sitting at the entrance to the back courtyards as soon as he approached the area. The surroundings were in utter silence.
The four Heaven Saint Masters opened their eyes at the same time when Jian Chen arrived. After recognizing Jian Chen, they immediately stood up and politely bowed to him.
Even the patriarch of the clan, Changyang Ba, needed to send a message before he could to enter, but Jian Chen did not need to. He could go in and out as he wished and no one would stop him.
Jian Chen amicably nodded to the Heaven Saint Masters before entering the forbidden grounds without any resistance. He had not seen the four Heaven Saint Masters before, but he knew they all belonged to the Zu branch of the protector clan. They had all come with Changyang Zu Xiao.
Jian Chen had heard about how the back courtyards had become the forbidden grounds long ago. He did not mind, and even supported the changes. After all, the people who had settled down here had been lead over by Changyang Zu Xiao and Changyang Zu Yunxiao. Changyang Zu Xiao was a Saint King who was already approaching Great Perfection.
Most importantly, Changyang Zu Xiao and Changyang Zu Xiao had left the protector clan to help him, so even though Jian Chen’s relationship with them was not deep, he still felt respect for them from the bottom of his heart.
Jian Chen met Changyang Zu Xiao in a simply-adorned hall. Changyang Zu Xiao’s hair was pale gray. He seemed even older than he had been back in the protector clan, and he seemed rather haggard as well.
Clearly, leaving the protector Changyang clan had affected Changyang Zu Xiao on a psychological level. After all, it had been his home for several thousand years. He had deep feelings for it.
Jian Chen first bowed toward Changyang Zu Xiao, greeting him as a junior, before explaining the reason why he had come. He had come to find Changyang Zu Xiao this time to ask him to prepare against the Saint Kings of the Underworld sect, to make sure they couldn’t do anything detrimental to the clan.
“Xiang’er, you don’t need to worry about that. Although I can’t find Saint Kings hiding in the Gesun Kingdom, no Saint King can escape my senses if they enter this small city. The ancient secret techniques of the protector clans are not as simple as that. However, if the Saint Kings choose to attempt an assassination, I can only protect this city. I am helpless to help the royal family of the kingdom. Considering the fact that your fiancee is a part of the royal family and is the daughter of the king, I’ll get Yunxiao to guard the palace. Yunxiao might only be at the Fifth Heavenly Layer, but he knows quite a few secret techniques. Ordinary Saint Kings are not his opponent in a fight,” Changyang Zu Xiao said amicably. He treated Jian Chen with great importance, so he completely considered everything related to Jian Chen in this matter.
Jian Chen completely stopped worrying after listening to what Changyang Zu Xiao had to say. Hesitating slightly, he asked again, “Great-grandfather, may I ask how much you know about the arctic Ice Goddess Hall?”
Changyang Zu Xiao frowned slightly when he heard the name arctic Ice Goddess Hall. Only after a moment of silence did he say, “All of my understanding of the Ice Goddess Hall comes from the ancient records of the protector clan, which all originate from the ancient times, personally written by Saint Emperors. I only know that the organization is extremely powerful, such that even the four sovereigns from the ancient times did not venture there. No one knows when the Ice Goddess Hall appeared, but they never interfere with the matters of the continent, nor do they ever appear on the continent. No one else even knows of their existence other than Mercenary City and the ten protector clans. Their descent over a decade ago was the first time in the past million years, and it was all recorded by the protector clans.”
Changyang Zu Xiao suddenly stared at Jian Chen's sternly. He asked with a heavy voice, “Xiang’er, do you plan on visiting the Ice Goddess Hall?”
“Correct. My sister is there and I want to visit her,” Jian Chen confessed.
Changyang Zu Xiao stayed silent for a while before replying with a heavy voice, “Although I've never been to the Ice Goddess Hall, I do know that it is extremely terrifying, because every single record from the Saint Emperor ancestors have warned the descendents to never offend them or try look for them. They must possess some terrifying person, but after so many years, that person feared by our Saint Emperor ancestors must have passed away. However, I still hope you can reconsider your choice. It's best if you don't go.”
“Since the Ice Goddess Hall is so mysterious and power at the same time, why did they make my sister their holy maiden? I don't know if they’re scheming something, but you’re right. No matter how powerful that person was, even if they had already surpassed Saint Emperor, it's impossible for them to live for so long, so they can’t be as terrifying as the past. I need to go,” replied Jian Chen.
“Since you've already made up your mind, I won't stop you. But do be careful,” Changyang Zu Xiao gave up on stopping Jian Chen seeing how he could not persuade him.
Jian Chen left the back courtyards before going to find Rui Jin, Hong Lian, and Hei Yu again. Jian Chen needed to be cautious with the mysterious and powerful Ice Goddess Hall, so in order to deal with unforeseen events, he ended up deciding on bringing the three of them with him.