Death… and me

The white-masked woman replied somewhat joyfully, "Such a fine coincidence. Then, I would trouble you, Master."

The black-masked woman somewhat bitterly looked at her as she sighed. She floated down the summit, and spoke as they descended side by side, "Your junior sister-apprentice has a physical foundation that’s far better than yours. You have a ‘Jade Bone’ constitution whereas she has a ‘Delicate Icy Heart’ physique."

"Delicate Icy Heart?" the white-masked woman’s tender body trembled as she joyfully replied, "Congratulations, Master."

The black-masked woman snorted and spoke, "Your Icy Heart Jade Bone Saintly Technique had already been cultivated to a critical moment twenty years ago. You were only a step away from attaining the highest level. But then, you got enticed by Chu Fei Ling, and went crazy for him. You even… lost your virginity! You shattered your Master’s life-long dream. I hated you so much back then. I felt like killing you with my own hands on so many occasions! Unfortunately, I couldn’t hurt you because of the deep affection between us master and disciple…"

The white-masked woman shivered slightly as she replied, "Yes. Master trained me with hope. But I – Ruo Lan – have failed to live up to the Master’s expectations by committing such a sin. I deserve to die ten-thousand times as punishment…"

"Forget it, ok. It’s all in the past now. Would talking about the past do any good?" the black-masked woman sighed and continued, "I felt as if someone was twisting a knife in my heart on your wedding day. I had sent someone to deliver the congratulatory gift to you. But, I couldn’t bring myself to go in-person to congratulate you. Instead, I had set out to travel the Nine Heavens alone."

"I arrived in the Lower Three Heavens that day. Coincidentally, Iron Cloud’s crown principle had taken birth on the same day. So, the entire nation was in celebration! It was very lively. I was also curious. So, I went to see. But, I accidentally discovered… that the crown prince who was wrapped in swaddling clothes turned out to be a baby girl. Moreover… she even had the peerless physique of ‘Delicate Icy Heart’. I was so overjoyed!"

There had been a trace of relief in the tone of the black-masked woman as she had spoken this part.

"Master genuinely possesses an all-seeing mind. But, my junior sister’s luck is also the reason. And, this is also the heaven’s way of compensating the Master," the white-masked woman spoke sincerely, "It’s truly fortunate for me that Master found the junior sister. Otherwise, I would have felt guilty my entire life…"

"Humph! Humph! You better not talk about that, girl. Aren’t you the one who deceived me into being overjoyed, and then ran away with someone else in the end?" the black-masked woman snorted, "Anyway, the Iron Cloud Nation’s Emperor was regarding ‘her’ as the ‘crown prince’ because he had only fathered daughters one after another…

"So, this little girl turned into a ray of hope in those desperate times.

"So, I found the-then Emperor, and showed him a few martial art tricks. Then, I took the little baby girl and returned to the sect. I even granted her the ‘Secret Unfathomable Phantom Jade’ pendant!" The black-masked woman heaved a sigh of relief.

"Master seems to have taken a lot of trouble for the junior sister." The white-masked woman couldn’t help but feel excited. [Even a Supreme Expert can’t see the depth of one’s cultivation once that 'Secret Unfathomable Phantom Jade’ is worn on the body. Master has always carried this treasure on her person. It’s difficult to find another one in the entire Nine Heavens. Yet, Master gave up such a treasure, and gave it to junior sister.]

"In addition, I didn’t hesitate to violate my own rules, and acted in secrecy to guard against any probably contingencies. I destroyed the fertility of Iron Cloud Nation’s Emperor Tie Shi Cheng…" the black-masked woman spoke with some guilty conscience…

"What? Master!" The white-masked woman’s tender body shuddered. She looked at her Master in disbelief.

"Tian Tian is the only heir to the throne as the matter stands. In addition, there’s also the ‘Secret Unfathomable Phantom Jade’ pendant. On top of that, she has the imperial status, and that keeps her deep in the palace. She basically can’t get in touch with many men. So, I don’t have to worry about her getting emotional entanglements…" the black-masked woman heaved a long sigh and said, "It’s just that I can’t help but feel sorry for the Iron Cloud Nation’s Emperor…"

The white-masked woman was speechless. She thought to herself, [you only feel ‘sorry’? You made the man die without grandchildren…]

They two of them floated down the mountain, and continued to talk along their descent. The black-masked woman exclaimed in amazement, "It’s her! But… what is this silly child doing just standing there and staring blankly?"

The white-masked woman heard this, and looked on. She saw two solitary figures standing within the army protection. They seemed spellbound. Both of them were completely motionless, and were merely looking up.

These two women seemed to have well-coordinated movements. They simultaneously flew over in that direction, and landed on the ground.

"Who are you people?!" a guard shouted loudly, "Protect the Emperor!"

The imperial soldiers immediately moved into action. And, they nocked the arrows on the bows in unison!

Countless experts swiftly jumped out to the front!

However, the two ‘shadows’ showed-up like ghostly apparitions. They saw those two figures, and their bodies suddenly shook. They shouted without a moment’s hesitation, "Don’t release the arrows! These people are on our side!"

Meanwhile, Tie Bu Tian also saw these two figures, and a complicated look appeared in her eyes. Then, she regained her calm, slowly raised her hand, and commanded, "Don’t shoot the arrows!"

The imperial soldiers stood still. The countless experts – who had jumped out to protect the Emperor –fell back.

It took longer to describe this, but those two women had already arrived in front of Tie Bu Tian by now. The black-masked woman looked at Tie Bu Tian, and a look of satisfaction appeared in her eyes. She nodded her head and asked, "Tian Tian, how are you?"

"Master…" Tie Bu Tian stepped forward to greet her master respectfully.

"Let’s go to your main camp. There are too many people here. After all, you still have to maintain the dignity of the Emperor." The black-masked woman suggested in an understanding manner.

"Yes."

The four people arrived in the tent. It was strictly ordered to forbid anyone from entering the tent. The two shadows stood guard outside with a look of worry on their faces.

Wu Qian Qian wanted to stay behind because she knew that Tie Bu Tian was in a big danger at the moment. However, Tie Bu Tian requested her to go out. [Master will get furious as soon as she finds out about this matter. And, Wu Qian Qian will inevitably become an innocent victim of the disaster of my doing if she stays here.]

"Master, you haven’t visited in a long time," Tie Bu Tian personally came over to serve her.

"I missed you. So, I came to see you," the black-masked woman smiled and said, "Besides, your senior sister-apprentice has something she needs to do. I want you to help her."

"Eh? This is my Senior Sister?" Tie Bu Tian looked at the white-masked woman, and hurriedly bowed to salute.

"Easy there, junior sister," the white-masked woman quickly helped her up, and spoke-up in an affectionate manner, "My name is Yang Ruo Lan. You can you call me Elder Sister Lan… or simply call me ‘Sister’. Ha-ha, there’s no need for such formalities between us sisters."

"Yes, thanks Sister."

"There’s no need to thank me. Instead, I should be the one to thank you for inheriting the legacy of Master. You made her wish come true," Yang Ruo Lan spoke with a smile.

Tie Bu Tian repeatedly said ‘yes-yes’, but had a strong guilty conscience underneath. She couldn’t help but be in a dilemma.

"Take off the Phantom Jade. Let me see how much your cultivation has progressed," the black-masked woman gently said, "Considering your aptitude and diligence, you must’ve met my requirements by now. Ha-ha."

Tie Bu Tian was startled. And, she stayed like that for a long time. Then, she suddenly knelt down and spoke, "Master, please forgive me! Your disciple has…"

"What's wrong?" The black-masked woman was taken aback. She soon realized that something was wrong. The smiling expression on her face slowly receded as she asked in a heavy tone, "What’s the matter? What sin did you commit?"

Tie Bu Tian mustered her strength, and took off the ‘Phantom Jade’ pendant. Then, she lowered her head and stood in front of the black-masked woman.

Her cloud-like luxuriant hair, her large eyes, her peach-like cheeks were the mark of a charming girl with peerless beauty and elegance. [Such a stunning beauty!] Yang Ruo Lan was going to say these words of praise, but suddenly seemed to discover something. She suddenly opened her small mouth, and nearly exclaimed in surprise. But, she hastily covered her mouth with her hand.

The black-masked woman jumped up abruptly from her seat with a ‘teng’ sound, and stood-up fiercely! Even her chair got knocked over to the ground with a ‘bang’!

In fact, the chair had been knocked over by her mere cultivation. So, it could obviously be seen that the vibrations in her heart had reached the extreme extent!

"What the hell happened?" the black-masked woman asked one word at a time. Her black mask silently turned to dust. And, a burst of dreadful murderous aura engulfed the entire Beyond the Heavens Mountain Range!

The thousands of troops stationed outside trembled with fear. And, their hearts began to beat like drums. They felt as if the weather had transformed from blistering hot summer to cold winter in a split-second!

"Master… I…" Tie Bu Tian said in a plaintive voice. She was still kneeling on the ground.

"Don’t call me Master!" the black-masked woman bellowed. Her voice condensed and burst out like a great thunder. It obviously didn’t resound within the tent. But, the sound waves burst out of the tent with explosive power.

Several horses in the surroundings neighed miserably as they collapsed on the ground. They bled profusely from all orifices on their heads, and died soon after! The hundreds of imperial guards who were guarding the Emperor’s tent bled out from the seven orifices of their head, and collapsed.

Even the two shadows were left to tremble to some extent. Their faced had already turned deathly pale.

"Master… calm down…" Yang Ruo Lan looked at Tie Bu Tian in a concerned manner, and quickly stepped forward to mediate.

The black-masked woman’s mask had already crumbled, and had revealed her old yet still graceful face. There were wrinkles on her face, but they weren’t obvious. This face was usually calm and gentle. In fact, it was normally full of genial grace and elegance. However, a cold frost-like look had taken over her face at this time. She was fuming with anger, and her murderous aura was going out of control. A seemingly uncontrollable feeling of rage had shrouded her entire body.

"Your… eyebrow peaks have dissipated. Your skin has stretched, and your waist and hip have changed in shape and size. You no longer have the body of a virgin!" the black-masked woman lowered her voice and clenched her teeth as she spoke one word at a time, "Icy Heart Jade Bone, Icy Heart Jade Bone… where’s the scope for icy heart once your heart gets taken over by lust? How can it exist if that happens?!"

Tie Bu Tian’s entire body trembled. She couldn’t speak.

"Who did it!?" the black-masked woman asked sharply in a loud voice.

"Master…" Tie Bu Tian repeatedly kowtowed, "Please forgive your disciple…"

"Forgive you…" The black-masked woman’s body flashed. She suddenly grabbed her wrist, and used two fingers to examine. The expression on her face became even more shocked as she suddenly faced upwards and let out a wild laughter. Her voice sounded mournful, "Good! Very good! It’s superb! I – Lan Mei Xian – am the Icy Heart Plum Immortal, and I’ve genuinely received an excellent disciple. She has practiced Icy Heart Jade Bone Saintly Technique, yet she has a bastard child in her womb!"

Yang Ruo Lan’s tender body shook fiercely at this time. She looked at Tie Bu Tian in disbelief. [I would’ve never thought that this junior sister would turn out to be so audacious! She has clearly surpassed the ‘me’ of those days several times over…]

[She hasn’t only destroyed the Icy Heart Jade Bone Saintly Technique, but she also has a child in her womb…]

"Whose vile spawn is it?!" Lan Mei Xian fiercely asked as her graceful face twisted.

Tie Bu Tian kept her mouth shut.

"Whose child is it?" Lan Mei Xian asked furiously, "Who got you pregnant?!"

"It’s…" Tie Bu Tian clenched her teeth. Then, she suddenly determined herself to fight back. She raised her head with a firm look on her face and replied, "Master, you don’t have to ask. This is the child of my man… I beseech you to consider the fact that there’s a fetus inside me. Kindly spare your disciple’s life for the time being… for old time’s sake. I’m willing to accept whatever punishment the Master deems fit once the baby is born!"

"You dare to talk back instead of giving an answer?" Lan Mei Xian was so angry that her chest was moving up and down in a fierce manner. Suddenly, a frantic murderous intent flashed in her eyes as she spoke in a stern voice, "You think that I won’t dare to kill you?! I will kill you right now!"

She raised her palm. Her murderous aura welled-up crazily, and struck down towards the top of Tie Bu Tian’s head like a lightning!