Chapter 1514: Teacher, Students Miss You So Much

"Hmm?"

Zhang Xuan's body stiffened. He quickly curled into a ball, clearing his mind of all thoughts, not letting a single wisp of his aura escape.

His Witch Soul, though massive, had been cultivated with Heaven's Path techniques and tempered by several lightning tribulations. It was now crystal clear, like a piece of jade. As long as he didn't intentionally reveal it, even cultivators at Saint 9-dan or higher would find it difficult to detect.

"What's wrong, Grand Elder?"

The other person was startled and quickly turned around.

The Grand Elder's eyes were like lightning as she scanned the snowy ground, then meticulously swept her spiritual sense over the area. Finding nothing, she rubbed her temples. "It's nothing. Perhaps I haven't been sleeping well lately; I'm a bit too jumpy!"

A moment ago, she had clearly sensed a mental fluctuation, but when she investigated closely, it was gone... However, she didn't believe anyone in this world could hide from her. Since she couldn't detect it, she must have been mistaken.

"While the Glacier Palace isn't as heavily guarded as the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, it's not a place just anyone can enter. Please rest assured, Grand Elder!"

Seeing that she hadn't found anything, the other person smiled.

"Hmm."

The Grand Elder nodded, no longer dwelling on it, and continued walking forward.

"So it really is the Grand Elder..."

Watching them walk away and recalling their conversation, Zhang Xuan knew it was indeed the Grand Elder. He slowly rose from the snow, his eyes narrowed.

From their discussion, it was clear that the other party wanted to force Zhao Ya to do something, but she disagreed, which led to the conflict.

"Whatever it is, Zhao Ya must be unwilling to do it..."

For the majestic Glacier Palace, one of the world's most powerful forces, to force its Young Palace Mistress to do something against her will, even resorting to imprisonment and threatening her teacher... what exactly could it be?

"I'll follow them and see!"

Puzzled, he flickered, silently giving chase.

Soon, he arrived at the entrance of Qingfan Hall, where he saw the Grand Elder and the other person also approaching. The Grand Elder pointed a finger, and a token floated before her. Immediately, a crack appeared in the seal of the palace.

The two stepped inside. As soon as they entered, the seal slowly began to close. Zhang Xuan's body blurred. Before the seal fully closed, he slipped through. The moment he entered, he felt completely cut off from the outside world, as if he had entered a folded space or a hidden realm.

"It's an illusion?"

Zhang Xuan's pupils contracted.

He had thought it was merely a defensive formation around a building. He hadn't expected the formation he saw earlier to be just an illusion. If he had forcibly entered it, he likely wouldn't have found anything. What they had entered was a folded space within the building!

Moreover, this space was incredibly stable, just like where the Gourd of Void once resided. Even with the Eye of Insight, if he couldn't pinpoint its exact location, he might not have been able to discover it!

Calming his mind, he looked forward.

This folded space wasn't large; it felt no different from entering an ordinary room. Had he not comprehended the third stage of the Heaven's Path Spatial Arts, he wouldn't have realized it was a separate space, and would have thought he'd merely entered the previous room.

He slowly walked deeper inside.

This was a folded space, and its spatial fluctuations were quite stable. Any movement could easily cause a disturbance. He dared not act rashly; if the Grand Elder discovered him, he wouldn't be able to escape!

He walked for about five or six minutes, covering only a dozen meters. As he reached the main hall of the room, he heard the Grand Elder's voice, tinged with anger.

"To fully activate a Pure Yin Physique, this is the only path. I don't understand why you refuse!"

Immediately, a clear voice responded, "I refuse! Even if it means I can't activate it!"

"So she's here after all..."

Hearing that voice, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

The voice belonged to none other than Zhao Ya.

Although they hadn't seen each other for more than half a year, her voice was clearly etched in his memory; there was no mistaking it.

Rounding a thick pillar, Zhang Xuan cautiously peeked forward and saw Zhao Ya indeed sitting there, without any shackles on her.

"It seems Elder Bai didn't know the full details..."

Elder Bai had previously said she was bound by the Heaven-Binding Chains, but he saw no such thing now. It appeared the information he received wasn't entirely accurate.

"I will give you time to consider, but you must think carefully. There has been one failure, and I will not allow another. If you don't agree, I will find a way to make you agree. I truly hope we don't have to resort to that!"

Seeing Zhao Ya's resolute gaze, the Grand Elder flicked her sleeve.

"There's no need to consider this. Even with more time, my choice would be the same!" Zhao Ya shook her head.

"Very well, then I'll see how long you can resist!"

With a cold snort, the Grand Elder turned and walked away.

The other elder, seeing the Grand Elder walk away, couldn't help but look at Zhao Ya. "You know the Grand Elder's personality. Why must you stubbornly resist her...?"

"Second Elder, you don't need to persuade me. On this matter, I will never compromise..."

Zhao Ya's face was resolute.

"What can activate your constitution can also destroy it. She... is an example. Do you really want to repeat her fate?"

The Second Elder looked anxious.

"Even if I'm crippled, I'll have no regrets!"

With raised eyebrows, Zhao Ya exuded a heroic spirit.

That was her temperament: once she made up her mind, not even nine oxen could pull her back.

It was precisely this trait that allowed her to become Zhang Xuan's student in the first place.

"Sigh, you... just reconsider!"

Seeing that she couldn't be persuaded at all, the Second Elder shook her head and also hurried outside.

Seeing them approach, Zhang Xuan hid behind the pillar, not daring to move or even look.

At the Grand Elder's cultivation level, even a glance could be detected by her, regardless of any mental fluctuations. Since he had already found Zhao Ya, the best course of action was to quickly figure out a way to rescue her.

"Hmm?"

Just as he completely concealed all his aura, the Grand Elder arrived, looking puzzled, and once again glanced towards the pillar.

"Grand Elder..."

The Second Elder came closer.

"It's nothing, I just feel something strange today, as if I'm being followed!"

Shaking her head, the Grand Elder's brows were tightly furrowed.

"Followed? How could that be possible? Even Zhang Wuhen from the Zhang Clan couldn't follow you without being detected!" The Second Elder chuckled softly.

"That's true..."

The Grand Elder nodded, still feeling uneasy. She instructed, "Alright, go out and check if there's anything unusual tonight. If there's any activity, report it to me as soon as possible!"

At her level of cultivation, any sensation she felt would not be unfounded. It was highly likely that someone was indeed monitoring their every move.

"Understood!" The Second Elder, understanding her concern, immediately nodded. The two walked outside, returned to the previously sealed area, took out the token, made a light swipe, and instantly vanished.

Seeing that the two had completely left, Zhang Xuan finally exhaled in relief. He emerged from behind the pillar and immediately saw Zhao Ya, resting her chin in her hands, gazing blankly at a book in front of her, her eyes filled with longing. A murmuring voice slowly emerged from her lips.

"Teacher... do you know? Your student... misses you so much!"