LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Divergence
"Senior, are you all right now?" Lin Xiao asked.
Liao Pantou nodded and, after stepping out of the ice coffin, turned around and absorbed the entire ice coffin into his soul body.
Lin Xiao wasn't particularly surprised to see him store the coffin within his soul, having already seen Liao Pantou retrieve various items from his soul before. "What's the use of this ice coffin?" Lin Xiao inquired.
After safely stowing the ice coffin, Liao Pantou explained, "This is a Cold Ice Coffin. It's not particularly useful—just good for nurturing souls. I thought it suited the environment here, so I used it as a bed."
Since he created the "Soul Refining Technique," Liao Pantou had collected many items related to souls.
Lin Xiao then picked up the Soul-Nourishing Pendant and asked, "Senior, do you still need this pendant?"
"Of course," Liao Pantou responded as he quickly retreated back into the pendant. "This pendant works well for my soul fragment. Maybe someday, when you have the time and the materials, you can upgrade it for me. Let's hurry and leave before we run into anyone."
With that, the two left the underground chamber. As they walked, Lin Xiao remarked, "Sure, when I have the materials, I'll definitely upgrade it for you. So, Senior, how about giving me that Soul-Nourishing Giant Wood bed of yours?"
"No way! But you can sleep on it occasionally," Liao Pantou replied.
"Come on, think it over," Lin Xiao coaxed.
...
Meanwhile, at the center of the ice cave, where many buildings once stood, Hu Guanyu stood in shock, staring at the large, uneven pits left behind.
After waiting for Lin Xiao for a long time without seeing him, Hu Guanyu had become concerned and returned to check on him, only to find the buildings gone—presumably taken by Lin Xiao.
Beside him, Jiang Cheng was equally surprised. He stammered, "So, when he was digging earlier, he wasn't trying to dig his way out..."
Suddenly realizing something, Jiang Cheng turned to Hu Guanyu and exclaimed, "Hu, that guy must know something! What if these ice houses are the key to getting out of here? We need to find him—quickly! We can't let him run off alone!"
Hu Guanyu frowned, disapprovingly, and said, "Don't jump to conclusions. We don't even know if he's the one who took them. And even if he did, maybe he just likes the houses. If you start spreading baseless accusations and someone decides to trouble him, what then?"
Jiang Cheng was surprised by Hu Guanyu's response, but he quickly retorted, "What kind of cultivator would go to such lengths just because they like a bunch of useless houses? And those houses are too large for a typical storage ring or bag! There's no way they aren't valuable. That Lin Xiao must have treasures on him—and those ice houses might be treasures too!"
Seeing Jiang Cheng's excitement at the thought of Lin Xiao's potential treasures, Hu Guanyu suppressed the disgust rising within him and calmly asked, "And what does it matter to you if he has treasures?"
Taken aback, Jiang Cheng glanced at Hu Guanyu's Tianxuan Sect robes and sneered slightly. "I'm not like you, Hu. You're from a big, prestigious sect like Tianxuan, but I'm just a lone rogue cultivator. If I don't fight for what I want, I'll get nothing. A rogue cultivator who doesn't fight can't survive in this world. If you're not interested in Lin Xiao's treasures, fine—just don't get jealous later when they're all mine."
At first, Jiang Cheng had thought Lin Xiao might be a strong ally, given that he couldn't gauge his cultivation level and he looked quite young. But later, when Lin Xiao readily agreed to let Hu Guanyu lead and didn't object, Jiang Cheng assumed Lin Xiao wasn't anything special.
Now, learning that Lin Xiao might have valuable items and possibly know a way out, Jiang Cheng's greed ignited.
He thought, if you want something, just take it. That's how things work in the cultivation world. If he didn't kill Lin Xiao, someone else would. So, why not take the spoils for himself?
Over the past two days in the ice cave, Jiang Cheng had found many corpses, some with storage bags that likely belonged to those who had entered the cave last year. These bags were filled with spirit stones and treasures, far more valuable than anything he'd earned from his yearly ventures into secret realms or beast forests. He'd even found a small storage ring.
The loot he'd gathered in these two days was worth more than what he could earn in years of hard work. Just think how much cultivation time that would save him.
As far as he was concerned, a weakling like Lin Xiao would end up dead one way or another, so why not be the one to take advantage?
But Hu Guanyu wasn't pleased and sternly reminded him, "Lin Xiao is our teammate. If you try to harm him, you'll be causing division within the group. As the leader, I can't allow that."
Jiang Cheng was surprised by Hu Guanyu's naivety but quickly adapted. "You're right, Hu. I was wrong to say that. I got too excited thinking he might have a way out and lost my head. Please, don't hold it against me. I only said that because I trust you as a teammate."
Hu Guanyu stared at Jiang Cheng, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he finally said, "I'm glad you understand. As teammates, we need to work together. So, Jiang, don't say anything like that again."
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the ice cave, Yuan Zhiyun finally encountered two figures after leaving the underground chamber and walking for a while. Since the cave was one of several unexplored regions in the Icefield Secret Realm, it wasn't unusual that she hadn't encountered anyone immediately.
Seeing two people moving around with compasses, Yuan Zhiyun decided to approach them, cupping her hands in greeting. "Fellow cultivators, I am Yuan Zhiyun, young master of the Yuan family in Yuanling City. I have something I'd like to discuss."
Liang Zhonghuai and Yu Guang, surprised to hear this, paused their surveying work and looked at her. "What can we do for you, Young Master Yuan?"