Yan Jiaojiao had no strength to fight back, only able to watch as the golden sphere of light drew nearer. The suffocating sensation of death had never felt so close.
In despair, Yan Jiaojiao closed her eyes.
Suddenly, a fan flew rapidly to block Yan Jiaojiao's path. As it spun and grew larger, it intercepted the sphere of light before exploding outwards. The fragments scattered like snowflakes, and even the smallest pieces, infused with spiritual energy, left gouges on the ground!
It was the stinging pain from these tiny cuts that made Yan Jiaojiao open her eyes. Before her, the dust slowly settled, revealing Shangguan Yuan kneeling between Xuan Chen and Yan Jiaojiao.
"Master, my incompetent disciple is unruly. Please show her mercy and spare her this once," Shangguan Yuan said, lowering his head.
Xuan Chen withdrew his hand and said coldly, "You actually used the Mo Yu Fan I gave you to block my killing strike."
Shangguan Yuan avoided the question and countered, "Master, you must know that when I took Yan Jiaojiao in, I used my authority to amend the academy rules. This means that at the time, I accepted Yan Jiaojiao as the successor to the sect leader."
The surrounding onlookers were shocked. Ordinary students were, of course, unaware of such a rule between sect leaders, and even Yan Jiaojiao heard this for the first time.
No wonder the other sect leaders had been so surprised when Shangguan Yuan said he wanted to change the academy rules, only to then not object once it was declared Shangguan Yuan's decision.
Yan Jiaojiao couldn't help but look at Shangguan Yuan's kneeling back. So, she had been valued so highly by Shangguan Yuan back then!
Xuan Chen, however, remained indifferent. "I already favored her once in the matter of the Scripture Repository. This time..."
He spoke, glancing at Tang Xiye, who was still leaning weakly against his arm, then slowly turned his cold gaze back to Yan Jiaojiao. "She offended someone she shouldn't have. You should understand, she has no hope of becoming the sect leader's successor."
Shangguan Yuan pleaded urgently, "Then strip her of her status as successor to the sect leader. Consider it punishment for offending a fellow disciple. Master, she has already sustained severe injuries after enduring two of your moves. Must you truly let Tang Xiye bear the infamy of killing her for this?"
Tang Xiye wished she could speak out, saying she didn't care about any infamy. If it meant killing Yan Jiaojiao, what was so bad about that?
But she had always presented herself as kind and innocent before Xuan Chen. Thus, Tang Xiye carefully glanced at Xuan Chen, who was protecting her, feigned an innocent demeanor, and weakly called out, "Master, she must know she was wrong."
Seeing this, Yan Jiaojiao felt like vomiting but could only endure the pain and prevent herself from crying out. She hated that her skills were rendered useless. If only she could unleash her power, she would have crushed this Xuan Chen into dust!
But now, her powerful spiritual energy was unusable. She had the skills but could do nothing. Seeing Shangguan Yuan kneeling before her, such a dashing and arrogant man begging for her sake, Yan Jiaojiao's heart ached, a pain more unbearable than her physical wounds.
Xuan Chen continued to look at Yan Jiaojiao, taking in her angry and wronged expression. After a long pause, he said, "This woman is rebellious and untamed. Her death sentence is commuted, but she cannot escape punishment. I sentence her to six months of confinement and self-reflection in the wind cave of Lone Ridge Peak."
Yan Jiaojiao's brows twitched. In two months, it would be the annual autumn assessment. If she couldn't participate, she would have no chance to obtain the token to enter the Scripture Repository.
She wished she could retrieve the demon-locking bell from the Scripture Repository immediately, refine her spiritual energy anew, and avenge all the indignities she had suffered since arriving in this world. If she had to wait another year, she truly couldn't bear it!
"I don't..."
Before Yan Jiaojiao could utter her protest, Xuan Chen waved his sleeve impatiently. A gust of wind roared forth, directly lifting her into the sky. He then carried her, tumbling and spinning, straight towards the towering peak within the dense forest.
Shangguan Yuan didn't dare to look up. He only said to Xuan Chen in a low, dejected voice, "Thank you, Master, for sparing Yan Jiaojiao's life."
Xuan Chen cast no further glance at Shangguan Yuan on the ground. With another wave of his sleeve, he disappeared with Tang Xiye. Only the students kneeling on the ground were left with a deep sense of dread…
The wind cave of Lone Ridge Peak had always been a place for students who had made mistakes to be confined. However, even a confinement of over a month was already a severe punishment. For Yan Jiaojiao to be confined for half a year was unprecedented in the history of Gunan Academy.
In an instant, the understanding that Tang Xiye was not to be provoked was once again deeply etched into the minds of everyone at Gunan Academy.
Lone Ridge Peak was perpetually snow-capped. Even in summer, it was bone-chillingly cold. The wind cave at the summit was constantly swept by icy winds. Even wearing thick cotton clothes, one's bones would ache from the cold, let alone Yan Jiaojiao, who was in light clothing and severely injured.
With a gust of wind, Xuan Chen swept her into the wind cave. The restrictive barrier at the cave entrance immediately took effect, trapping Yan Jiaojiao securely inside.
Yan Jiaojiao, who had almost lost consciousness from tumbling and falling upon arrival, was instantly jolted awake by the piercing cold wind.
She sat up and looked around. It was a rough stone cave. On the left wall, a hollow had been carved, containing a stone bed attached to the wall, which offered minimal shelter from the wind. On the other side, another hollow contained a stone table and a stone stool. These were the only furnishings.
Outside the cave, only snow-white expanses and bare terrain could be seen. The cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, blew from the other end of the cave. That opening, from large to small, was only about the size of a fist, and it was so dark that its end was invisible, as if it were carved solely to allow the cold wind to howl incessantly.
Yan Jiaojiao felt as if her entire body had fallen apart. Every movement of her broken ribs sent a sharp pain through her chest. The scratches on her face and body stung like fire, not to mention the incessant cold wind that chilled her to the bone day and night.
This was truly torture.
Although Xuan Chen had not personally killed her, by placing her here for half a year, he had effectively left her fate to chance.
Yan Jiaojiao gave a bitter smile. Recalling all that had happened since arriving at Gunan Academy, she realized she had indeed been too conspicuous, still seeing herself as the all-powerful Old Ancestor Qian Sui. Now, she had finally kicked an iron plate.
However, she stubbornly refused to yield. If Xuan Chen wanted her dead here, she would defy him!
Yan Jiaojiao forced herself to sit up and moved to the hollow with the stone bed. She then sat cross-legged, circulated her energy, and released the remaining spiritual energy in her dantian. The warm current flowed through her limbs, gradually warming her body, which had been chilled by the wind.
At the very least, she had to ensure she didn't freeze to death here.
But how long could her already meager spiritual energy last? Yan Jiaojiao felt her body ache more and more, and the warmth weakened as her spiritual energy depleted...