After a sumptuous meal, Yun Han finally voiced the doubts that had been lingering in his mind.
"Yun Xi, you spoke rather vaguely just now. I got the general idea. Could you explain it in more detail?"
Ji Yun Xi nodded. "Uncle, the matters of the Moonlit Palace are not the greatest danger for now. According to Feng He Yang, the eldest disciple of the Wind and Radiance Palace, Yue Chen is currently injured. He even had to rely on Jiang Yao Ji to kill me."
"Who is this Jiang Yao Ji?"
The group exchanged glances. "We have no impression of her. It seems that she didn't appear back then."
"Is she not from the upper realm?"
"She should be. She has divine power, but she never showed up when we were around."
Yun Han frowned slightly. "Back then, the Cloud Rising Palace was destroyed. Could there have been someone ascending after that?"
"That's not the most important thing." Ji Yun Xi explained. "The crucial thing is that she has a secret technique that can alter people's memories. Now, Feng Xing Zhi has been victimized by her. He has joined forces with the old subordinates of the Wind and Radiance Palace and is forging the God-Slaying Blade."
"The God-Slaying Blade goes against the will of heaven." Yun Han's face darkened. "It seems this woman is truly extremely vicious. Do you have any countermeasures, Yun Xi?"
Ji Yun Xi took out something wrapped in a handkerchief from her bosom. "Uncle, this is the Nine Heavens Crimson Cloud Iron. That day, we guessed they were going to get this item, so we snatched a part of it. Without this part at least, the God-Slaying Blade can't be forged. But we're not sure if they can find other Nine Heavens Crimson Cloud Iron."
Yun Han sighed. "The Nine Heavens Crimson Cloud Iron is no ordinary object. It'll be extremely difficult to obtain more. You've done a good job."
Ji Yun Xi pursed her lips. "If it weren't for Feng Xing Zhi's defection, Jiang Yao Ji would be nothing. But..."
Yun Han waved his hand. "What's done is done. There's no use dwelling on it. What are your plans next?"
"For now, what we can do is continue to contact our old subordinates and stop Jiang Yao Ji from forging the God-Slaying Blade."
Yun Han nodded. "Good. Don't act rashly. Just do it like this."
With Yun Han's support, Ji Yun Xi finally let out a sigh of relief.
The group fell silent. The tantalizing aroma of the meat filled the air, but their hearts were still heavy.
The atmosphere was as cold as the room made of ten-thousand-year-old ice. Yun Hui wanted to lighten the mood and asked, "Uncle, how did you survive back then?"
Yun Han replied, "It was quite a coincidence. I happened to be in seclusion back then. By the time I emerged, the Cloud Rising Palace was already gone. At that time, the people of the Wind and Radiance Palace were still fighting desperately. I wanted to seek refuge with them, but then I heard that Emperor Feng Ji had died. So, realizing the situation was bad, I had to flee to the mortal realm first."
Ji Yun Xi thought to herself that it was fortunate that Yun Han was quick-witted. "Then why didn't you contact the others, Uncle?"
"Contact?" Yun Han glanced at Yun Luo Tian and said without hesitation, "On my way to escape, I heard that many people from the Cloud Rising Palace had defected. So, even if there were people from the Cloud Rising Palace who wanted to contact me, how could I dare to respond?"
It seemed that over the years, everyone had been living in fear and unease.
"I thought that Senior Brother Yun Yang and you, Yun Xi, were both dead. I had no motivation to go back. So, I came to this place, where I had once trained in the lower realm. Then I lived a secluded life on the ice field. It's only in the past century that I've had contact with the outside world."
Just as they were chatting animatedly, a young man rushed in. "Uncle! Something's wrong!"
He looked panicked, as if something terrible had happened.
Ji Yun Xi instinctively stood up, trying to recall if they had been followed on their way here. But after thinking it over, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary.
"Don't be so flustered! What's going on?" Yun Han scolded softly, but his tone was still gentle, indicating that he had some affection for this young man.
The young man lowered his head. "Yes, Uncle."
Ji Yun Xi and the others looked at him and felt that he was familiar, as if they had seen him somewhere, but they just couldn't remember.
Yun Han cleared his throat. "Speak. What's happened?"
The young man then said, "The Merman Clan has suddenly come to our door. They said they saw their enemy here."
Ji Yun Xi was puzzled. There were only their group here, which meant they were the so - called enemies. But when had they ever had a conflict with the Merman Clan?
Yun Han was also confused. "You? Have you had a conflict with the Merman Clan?"
Yun Luo Tian stepped forward. "Uncle, we did have contact with the Merman Clan not long ago, but there was no conflict. I even let one of them go."
"This is strange. Normally, the Merman Clan wouldn't come looking for trouble on their own initiative." Yun Han murmured a few words, and finally waved his hand. "Go and tell them that the people have already left. There's no one they're looking for here."
Yun Han decided not to hand them over, no matter what conflict there was.
The young man nodded and rushed out.
On the ice, there was a group of people. Their blue eyes showed that they had no intention of hiding their identities.
"Honorable guests, my master is not available. The guests you're looking for have already left."
"Left?" The man sneered. "You're just a young kid telling lies! We, the Merman Clan, are here to seek an explanation. Do you think I'll let anyone leave here?"
The man pointed at the young man. "Go and convey our message again. We always act with courtesy first and then with force. I'm giving you face!"
Seeing this, the young man knew that this matter would not be easily resolved. So, he rushed back in a hurry.
"Uncle!"
Yun Han had just cut off a piece of meat when he heard the young man running in shouting. "Uncle, they don't believe us. They said that since they've come here, they won't let anyone leave."
Ji Yun Xi stood up. "A clean conscience fears no accusation. Uncle, since they've come looking for us, let's go and see what's going on."
"Don't have a conflict with them. These mermen have bad tempers." Yun Han was a bit worried. If they really got involved, it might hold them back, and making enemies at this time was definitely not a wise choice.
Ji Yun Xi understood his concern and asked, "Uncle, are you familiar with them?"
"Although I've lived in the northern land for a long time, the mermen usually live in groups. I only know one or two of them, but I can't say I'm familiar with them." Yun Han replied.
Yun Luo Tian was impatient. She stood up. "Senior Sister, we're not afraid of them! When did we ever have a feud with them? If they insist on saying so, we could even say that they scared us first!"
Qing Xuan also joined in, but was silenced by a look from Ji Yun Xi. "Don't talk nonsense!"
The two of them shut their mouths awkwardly.
"Making enemies at this time is definitely not a good thing. Control your tempers and go and see what's really going on."
Yun Han led the way, and the others followed. The young man obediently walked beside Yun Han.
Only then did Ji Yun Xi take a good look at him. The more she looked, the more familiar he seemed. It was as if he had shown up in the upper realm.