"Hanze?"
"What? What's up?"
Hong Chaoyang curiously poked her head out from behind Shen Qing and looked at the person in front of her.
The moment she saw Hanze's appearance, Hong Chaoyang's eyes widened in surprise.
His long, silky white hair reached all the way to the ground. Coupled with his delicate facial features, he had an air as cold as jade, like crystal ice, which was truly eye - catching.
"He's so good - looking! How can there be someone who looks like ice crystal and at the same time like a fine, transparent crystal? Oh, I don't even know how to describe him."
Hong Chaoyang rummaged through all the words in her mind that could describe Hanze, but found that her head was full of words like "white" and "ice".
Xue Ling pursed her lips and leaned over to Hong Chaoyang, asking, "You're even more of a looks - lover than I am. As soon as you see a good - looking man, your eyes can't move. Be careful of being deceived by men with that attitude."
Hong Chaoyang glared at Xue Ling. Even though Xue Ling's perfect side - profile was right in front of her at this moment, just thinking about the scene on the stairs earlier and what Xue Ling had said, Hong Chaoyang felt that Xue Ling was just an ordinary person now.
"You're the one who will be deceived by men. I just like good - looking people, but I'm not obsessed with them. I'm good - looking myself. I can satisfy my own aesthetic by looking at myself in the mirror."
Hong Chaoyang said crossly. Her attitude towards Xue Ling now was just like that towards an ordinary friend.
The aura of a master that Xue Ling had in Hong Chaoyang's eyes when they first met had now completely disappeared.
"Tsk, I just said one thing to you. Why are you getting so worked up?"
Hong Chaoyang glared at Xue Ling again and then continued to hide behind Shen Qing to admire Hanze's good looks.
Shen Qing felt rather helpless. Listening to the conversation behind her, she thought these two were really carefree. Facing a powerful and unpredictable opponent, they could still talk as casually as usual.
Hanze walked closer slowly, still smiling on his face. "There's no need to be so tense. I just came to see you."
With each step Hanze took closer, Shen Qing felt the air around her gradually filled with a sense of oppression.
"What on earth do you want? Something happened to the Ling family, and you stopped us from going to the mortal world. It was all your scheme, wasn't it? But the Ling family has never lived in the Nine Wastelands Continent for generations. Why did you target them?"
"After thinking it over and over, I always feel that it's related to the matter of you releasing the demons into the mortal world. You didn't want the Ling family to be saved, but what good would it do the Main God Temple?"
"So, I can't help but think that the Ling family has always been deeply loved by the common people in the mortal world. Some common people even built temples for them and offered longevity memorial tablets because they used their knowledge to bring benefits to the people."
"What you're after is the power of faith from the common people towards them. Am I right?"
Hanze raised his eyebrows in surprise, but there was admiration in his eyes. He reached out his hand and gently clapped twice.
"Shen Qing, you're truly a member of our Dragon Clan. You're so smart. With just a little thought, you can figure out my intention."
"Since you know that, you also know why I'm here, don't you?"
Hanze's tone suddenly turned cold, and the smile on his face faded a bit.
The divine altar was not far away, but it was already covered by a thick layer of ice. The wind on the mountaintop blew the snowflakes onto everyone. They felt cold both physically and mentally.
Shen Qing and Hanze confronted each other silently, which made Hong Chaoyang feel a bit panicked.
She was just admiring Hanze's good looks and didn't know his identity at first. But after hearing what Shen Qing said, she thought this person was just good - looking on the outside but evil on the inside.
After analyzing Shen Qing's words, she knew that this person was related to the Main God Temple, and might even be the leader of it. This made Hong Chaoyang even more convinced that one shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
Li Xian stood firmly beside Shen Qing. Although he knew that with their current cultivation levels, they were definitely no match for Hanze.
But as long as it was something Shen Qing wanted to do, he would surely do his best!
After a while, Hanze was the first to let out a soft laugh. "Do you think that if I let you pass, you can successfully save the people of the Ling family?"
"The Ling family has been under the jurisdiction of the mortal emperor for generations, and the emperor in the mortal world is the Human Emperor. Are you sure you want to go against the Human Emperor and get involved in karma?"
Shen Qing's face showed anger, and her eyes suddenly became sharp. "You said I'm getting involved in karma, but what about the Dragon Clan?"
"If you really care about karma, you should let the Dragon Clan perish according to the Heavenly Way, instead of letting the souls of the Dragon Clan wander in the world and become systems to deceive others into working for the Main God Temple."
"I really don't understand. What's the ultimate goal of this huge scheme you've set up?"
When it came to the matter of the destruction of the Dragon Clan, a crack appeared in Hanze's expression, and he could no longer maintain the smile on his lips.
He spoke again, but his tone was as cold as ice. "Shen Qing, didn't Huaying tell you that you're also a member of the Dragon Clan? Don't you have any thoughts about this matter?"
Shen Qing shook her head and looked directly into Hanze's eyes, as if she wanted to see through his soul.
"I've never had any memories of the Dragon Clan or the Main God Temple. Since I had memories, I've just been Shen Qing, the Shen Qing from Xiaolin Village, the Shen Qing from Qingyun Sword Sect, not the Shen Qing of the Dragon Clan or the Main God Temple."
For some reason, one of Shen Qing's words seemed to anger Hanze. All four of them felt that the temperature around them dropped significantly.
Hong Chaoyang exhaled a puff of white air, with worry in her eyes.
"Hehe... What a Shen Qing from Xiaolin Village, what a Shen Qing from Qingyun Sword Sect."
Hanze lowered his head, his facial features hidden in the shadow, making it hard to detect his emotions.
After a moment, he looked up again. His eyes were filled with anger, and his tone was as sharp as a knife. "Shen Qing, I'll tell you. Everything I've done is to revive the Dragon Clan and let my clansmen come back to life!!"
"And you!! You're the most important part of my plan."
"I've waited for so long. Finally, I've waited for you to grow up. I've watched you climb up step by step from that dirty village. I've witnessed your sadness and desolation in your childhood, and your helplessness and sorrow in the Qingyun Sword Sect."
"You didn't live happily in Xiaolin Village, and you were the one being insulted and bullied in the Qingyun Sword Sect. Why on earth can you still be kind - hearted towards those people!!"
By the end, Hanze lost his usual calmness and sobriety. The last few words were roared out.
This was the first time Shen Qing had seen Hanze like this. There was stubbornness and confusion in his eyes, which made Shen Qing feel very strange.
Hanze now looked like an elder who was disappointed with a junior for not growing up as planned, and thus felt extremely angry.
It was as if all his painstaking efforts had gone to waste.
Shen Qing frowned and replied coldly, "Because there were also people in Xiaolin Village and the Qingyun Sword Sect who were very kind to me."
"Why on earth do you keep targeting me? The Dragon Clan and the Main God Temple have left no trace in my memory at all. What I'm doing now is what I think I should do!"
Hanze's face turned ashen. He was almost laughed at by Shen Qing's words.
"Shen Qing! If you knew the truth, you'd surely be crying at how stupid you are now!"
"I'll tell you now why I've been keeping an eye on you!"
"Because, you're my sister!!"