The deeper Xiao Yufan walked, the more uneasy he felt, as if something was watching him, making him feel extremely uncomfortable…
It wasn’t just the bone-chilling cold; even in his heart, Xiao Yufan felt a creeping chill. No wonder this place was forbidden territory for the imperial Pu family. Just this sensation alone was enough to make anyone hesitate to proceed.
“Ancestors of the Pu family, please protect me! I merely touched a woman from your Pu family—was it really necessary to treat me like this? After all, I could be considered half a member of the hidden Pu family in the future. Give me a little face, so we can meet again amicably later!”
Xiao Yufan kept muttering to himself, but he swallowed his words at the end. What did he mean by “meeting amicably again”? He certainly had no interest in meeting the ancestors of the hidden Pu family…
At that moment, Xiao Yufan’s eyelid twitched. Not far ahead, he noticed some scattered bones, likely left behind by those who had entered before him. Seeing this, he felt a sudden panic.
“Could I be so unlucky? Could it really be true that one can enter Coldwater Ravine but never leave?”
Even though Xiao Yufan was bold, he couldn’t help but have dark thoughts. He had barely escaped death not long ago, surviving narrowly from the hands of that old villain. He hadn’t even had a chance to enjoy life yet—he certainly didn’t want to die here.
“Hmph, an outsider? When did someone like him become able to enter Coldwater Ravine!”
Suddenly, a faint voice echoed over. Xiao Yufan’s body stiffened, nearly crying out in shock. He clearly heard a man’s voice—there was no mistake about it. That meant there was someone inside Coldwater Ravine!
“May I ask who the senior is? I entered Coldwater Ravine unintentionally, or rather, I didn’t come here by choice. If I have offended you in any way, I beg your forgiveness!”
Facing the slightly open space ahead, Xiao Yufan frowned slightly. From where the voice had come, he could vaguely guess that someone must be there, or perhaps ahead was the very center of Coldwater Ravine.
At this point, the cold was already piercing and oppressive. Despite the warmth provided by the Dragon-Taming True Technique, it was insufficient to resist the slow infiltration of the icy chill. With just one breath, Xiao Yufan felt that half of his arm had become stiff and numb.
After his words, there was no response—only the echoes reverberating endlessly. The atmosphere felt extremely eerie. Under such circumstances, any normal woman would have screamed by now…
A glint of coldness flickered in Xiao Yufan’s eyes. He couldn’t tell whether someone from the hidden Pu family was playing tricks, since many people probably didn’t want him to leave Coldwater Ravine. If that were the case, it wouldn’t be too strange—after all, this was their territory. Doing something like this should be simple enough.
However, according to what Pu Xian’er and his future father-in-law had said, no one dared to enter Coldwater Ravine. Even if someone wanted to harm him, they wouldn’t dare to risk their own life, knowing that even he himself had to exert his full strength to resist the cold.
Just as Xiao Yufan was feeling increasingly suspicious, in the center of Coldwater Ravine, an old man slowly lifted his pair of slightly weathered eyes. His eye sockets were sunken, as if he were an ancient statue that had remained unchanged for eons…
“Born under an extreme yin fate, the star of destruction, yet the Heaven’s Heart individual isn’t from our hidden Pu family. What a pity, what a pity! If a person like him were part of our hidden Pu family, how could our Pu family not flourish and prosper!”
The hollow voice carried a trace of regret, while a strange smile appeared on the old man’s withered face. Clearly, Xiao Yufan’s arrival had surprised him…
Of course, if Xiao Yufan had known of this old man’s existence, he would have been even more astonished. Judging by appearances, this old man was no less ancient than the Second Elder—if anything, he might even be older. He must be another one of those ancient beings hidden away.
And yet this man had immediately revealed Xiao Yufan’s secret. Even Xiao Yufan himself didn’t fully understand what the “star of destruction” and “Heaven’s Heart individual” truly meant…
“The revival of ancient martial arts heralds a new era. The ancient families and forces hidden beyond the mundane world are also beginning to resurface one by one. I wonder what some people are really planning to do!”
The old man murmured softly, his voice low yet clear. With each word, the surrounding air seemed to subtly shift. Truly formidable inner-force experts could often influence the entire atmosphere with their very presence.
At this moment, Xiao Yufan had already gradually recovered from his initial shock. Slowly, he moved his feet forward. Since he had already come this far, thinking too much would be useless. He should instead focus on figuring out how to leave. Retracing his steps was impossible—he didn’t even remember where he had come from.
“Tch, it’s just a mountain cave, why so many branching paths!”
Looking ahead at yet another three-way fork, Xiao Yufan frowned in annoyance. It seemed Coldwater Ravine wasn’t particularly unique in any way—except for one thing: its many branching paths. Each fork looked almost identical!
Wait, identical!
Xiao Yufan’s heart skipped a beat. Slowly, his mouth opened wide. He squatted down and examined the ground, noticing footprints. Suddenly, he realized something—after all this time, he seemed to have been going in circles. No wonder he hadn’t reached the end despite walking so far.
“This time, I’ll try another path. This one must be the one I haven’t walked before!”
After carefully inspecting the three paths, Xiao Yufan finally decided on the one he should take. It was the only path he hadn’t yet explored. As for what lay ahead on this road, only those who had walked it would know.
The other two paths had been safe, yet no one who had entered Coldwater Ravine had ever returned. That could only mean one thing—the final fork was where the danger lay…
“Who cares! I’ve got a strong fate. I refuse to believe Coldwater Ravine can trap me here forever!”
Trying to appear calm, Xiao Yufan coughed dryly, cold sweat forming on his back. Thinking of all the women waiting for him outside, he suddenly felt a surge of motivation. He had already caused them enough heartbreak by getting injured—he certainly didn’t want to make them even more sorrowful by failing to return.
Without hesitation, he strode forward down this path. This winding trail led directly to where the old man was waiting…
Meanwhile, outside Coldwater Ravine, within the hidden Pu family’s domain, many distinguished guests had arrived. These guests were the Heaven Alliance cultivators who had recently appeared at the hidden Guo family’s stronghold. Among them, leading the group, were Situ Lingyu and Xiao Yufan’s father, Situ Yonghui…
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