It was beyond a doubt that the old madam’s disappearance was no mere coincidence. Bai Fenglang was immediately locked onto as the prime suspect by Fang Junxue.
After all, her relationship with the old madam was no secret.
To put it without exaggeration, before Fang Junxue met Ye Ming, the primary reason she could still protect herself and live in seclusion was the old madam's covert protection.
Otherwise, no matter how outstanding Fang Junxue's talent was in business, she wouldn't have been able to withstand the Bai family's oppressive might.
Therefore, the old madam was the elder Fang Junxue respected the most.
Conversely, this was also her greatest weakness.
"It's best the old madam is alright, otherwise..."
Fang Junxue walked step by step towards Bai Fenglang, who had been frozen into an ice sculpture, her killing intent causing those around her to tremble.
With a palm strike, the ice covering Bai Fenglang shattered instantly. Due to the prolonged freezing, Bai Fenglang’s body was completely numb.
Even his consciousness had not yet cleared.
*Boom!*
Seeing this, Fang Junxue delivered another blow, sending Bai Fenglang flying back in the most brutal manner. As he tumbled through the air, a muffled groan was clearly heard.
It came from Bai Fenglang himself.
*Bang!*
His body then slammed violently against the surrounding wall, the immense impact causing the wall to crumble with a loud crash, spiderweb-like cracks spreading outwards before it collapsed.
Bai Fenglang himself was thoroughly awakened by the pain transmitted through his nerves, kneeling amidst the ruins, his eyes wide open in a daze.
Though awake, his thoughts remained in disarray.
The last memory lingering was of the scenes of him being crushed by Fang Junxue.
The terrifying memories that flashed through his mind instantly engulfed Bai Fenglang in despair. He shook his head wildly and stammered in panic, "No… no! Fang Junxue, you can’t kill me. The old madam is still in my hands. If you dare…"
Good heavens.
Before Fang Junxue could even ask, he was already so terrified by his past memories that he was speaking incoherently, talking to himself.
This scene also left the onlookers bewildered.
Clearly, Bai Fenglang had not yet realized that so many people were watching him.
Although he hadn't finished his sentence at the last moment, the first half of it had already revealed everything.
The old madam’s disappearance.
It was indeed his doing.
"You scoundrel! That’s your grandmother! How dare you do something like this, you beast!"
Upon learning the truth, before Fang Junxue could speak, Bai Tai, who was behind her, rushed in front of Bai Fenglang, roaring with fury.
"I…"
Only then did Bai Fenglang truly grasp the situation. He looked around and realized he was being stared at by everyone like a clown.
Recalling what he had just said, Bai Fenglang’s face turned pale, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
"Speak quickly! Where did you tie up Huixin? Tell me quickly!" Bai Tai grabbed him by the collar and demanded coldly.
He had initially placed great importance on this grandson, even grooming him to be the successor of the Bai family.
However, at some point, Bai Tai found himself unable to truly understand his grandson anymore.
He had become increasingly mysterious.
If it were just that, it would be one thing.
But what made Bai Tai feel the most disheartened was Bai Fenglang's attitude towards the members of the Bai family. It could be summarized in one sentence: outwardly amicable, but inwardly distant.
He had become increasingly cold towards everyone in the Bai family.
As if in his eyes, family ties had become a burden.
Something that could be completely disregarded.
It was only after fully realizing this that Bai Tai, disheartened, finally contacted his granddaughter, who was not recognized by the Bai family.
He knew that if anyone could save the Bai family, it would be Fang Junxue.
Fortunately, he had made the right choice.
But at this critical juncture, Bai Fenglang had abducted the old madam again.
This sent Bai Tai's heart plummeting to the depths, and he felt an urge to strangle Bai Fenglang to death.
He had finally managed to lessen Fang Junxue's animosity towards the Bai family. But now, Bai Fenglang's final act had completely erased all his previous efforts.
How could he not be enraged?
At this moment, Bai Fenglang, held tightly by the collar by Bai Tai, was red-faced and short of breath, his eyeballs almost bulging out of their sockets. He gasped desperately, nearly suffocating.
"Stop!"
Fang Junxue's indifferent voice came from behind Bai Tai.
Upon hearing this, Bai Tai released Bai Fenglang, but the anger in his eyes did not subside.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Regaining his breath, Bai Fenglang coughed repeatedly, looking very disheveled.
However, Fang Junxue did not intend to give him time to recover.
"I'll give you one chance to speak!" Fang Junxue's body radiated a chilling coldness, each word like an ice shard piercing Bai Fenglang. "Where is the old madam?"
At this, Bai Fenglang instinctively flinched, not daring to meet Fang Junxue's eyes. Standing before him was the very embodiment of an Ice Queen.
Under that extreme cold, everything he prided himself on seemed so insignificant.
"I… If I tell you, can you let me go?"
Bai Fenglang clutched the broken stones on the ground with both hands, proving the extreme turmoil within him.
Bai Fenglang’s pathetic and frightened demeanor was a stark contrast to his initial arrogance.
"I… I can tell you anything!" Bai Fenglang, seemingly feeling his sincerity was insufficient, added, "You… don't you want to know the truth about three years ago? I… I'll tell you everything!"
After hearing his words, no one noticed a young man in a dark corner begin to tremble. Large beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead, and fear and unease turned his face pale.
"Chuan'er, what's wrong?"
At this moment, Chi Lie seemed to notice his son's unusual behavior and asked with a frown.
He was, of course, the sect leader of the Qi Sect.
Due to their close relationship with Bai Fenglang previously, the Qi Sect was almost inextricably linked with him. Now that Bai Fenglang's power had waned, there was no doubt that the Qi Sect would suffer the greatest impact.
Because of this, Chi Lie's mood had become exceptionally gloomy.
Now, seeing his son's terrified state, he felt an even more ominous premonition surge within him.
"Fa… Father! Should… shouldn't we leave first?" Chi Chuan suppressed his inner panic and whispered into Chi Lie's ear, "It doesn't concern us anyway, let's go!"
This guy wanted to slip away unnoticed.
"You scoundrel! Are you trying to die?" Hearing this, Chi Lie growled in a low voice, "Stay put honestly. If you dare to move, I'll break your legs."
If not for the crowd present, Chi Lie would have slapped his foolish son away with a single palm.
Leaving now, what difference was there between that and courting death?
Even if they managed to escape, would they be safe?
The strength Fang Junxue now possessed was enough to instill fear in everyone. Not to mention the support of the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion and the Unrivaled Island, two hegemonic ancient martial forces.
Staying here might still offer a sliver of hope for salvation. But if they left, the reckoning would truly be their end.
In the arena, after hearing Bai Fenglang's words, Fang Junxue's expression did not soften in the slightest. Instead, it grew colder than before.
"I said you only had one chance to speak, but it seems you didn't listen!"
Fang Junxue spoke softly, slowly raising her jade-like hand. A wisp of pure white cold energy coiled around her fingertip. The moment this cold energy appeared, the space around her seemed to show slight cracks.
It appeared extremely fragile.
"You… What do you want to do?"
Seeing this, Bai Fenglang's scalp tingled. This power, which surpassed his understanding, seemed to be dragging him into an endless abyss.
He wanted to escape, but found that his body was completely immobile. Even every cell within him had ceased to move at that moment.
Finally, Bai Fenglang's look of terrified despair froze on his face.
He was completely petrified.
This!
This was the first time Fang Junxue had truly unleashed her awakened "Zero Point" attribute.
In the face of this power, all things could be frozen.
Of course!
The prerequisite was that Fang Junxue was sufficiently strong.
"Since you won't say, I'll go look myself!"
Fang Junxue beckoned lightly towards Bai Fenglang. To everyone's astonishment, a golden energy, enveloped in pure white cold energy, flew out from Bai Fenglang's brow.
It finally floated in Fang Junxue's palm.
This was actually… Bai Fenglang's soul.
Fang Junxue had directly frozen Bai Fenglang's soul and extracted it from his body.
It was truly terrifying.
Witnessing this, everyone around widened their eyes, their jaws nearly dropping to the ground. They dared not utter a sound.
They were all stunned.
When had they ever seen such a scene?
Even more preposterous was that very few people understood what was happening. As for the golden energy in Fang Junxue's palm, they naturally had no idea what it was.
In the arena, aside from Nangong Qianyu and others, perhaps only Fu Tianxing and his group could glean some clues?
"Master, the golden energy in Miss Junxue's hand, is that the fundamental essence of a person, the soul, that you told me about before?" Xi Yao asked, her beautiful eyes fixed on the object in Fang Junxue's palm, her voice filled with shock.
"Mm! It should be!" Fairy Luo Xia sighed. "This is also the first time I've seen it."
Although she had received some inheritance, some things she had only seen in her inheritance and had not actually experienced.
Today, she had indeed broadened her horizons.
"Dad! Isn't soul separation something only cultivators in the Origin Soul Realm can do?"
Fu Zhantian, standing beside him, also spoke in a deep voice. "Bai Fenglang only had peak Unity Realm strength. Now that his soul has been extracted, he's probably completely finished!"
Fu Zhantian's words were not wrong.
However, he was unaware that Bai Fenglang's soul was currently frozen by Fang Junxue's terrifying cold power and had not been severely damaged.
If Fang Junxue wished, she could restore Bai Fenglang to his original state at any time.
Of course!
The prerequisite was that she was willing.
But currently, this possibility was almost zero.
Fang Junxue looked at the soul in her hand, her eyes slightly closed. She forcefully projected her senses into Bai Fenglang's soul.
With a little time, she could find out the entire truth.
Including what happened three years ago.
Time ticked by, and for the ancient martial sects who had chosen the wrong side, it was a period of agony and torment.
However, there was nothing they could do.
They could only wait.
About ten minutes later, Fang Junxue opened her eyes. However, her pupils were filled with an icy chill.
In Bai Fenglang's memories, she not only found clues about the old madam and the truth of three years ago, but it also confirmed some of her initial speculations.
Of course!
There were also some unexpected gains.
"Ye Ming!"
At this moment, Fang Junxue transmitted a message to Ye Ming, who was in the shadows.
"What is it?"
Ye Ming quickly responded.
"Bai Fenglang is very cautious. The old madam has been sent out of the province, and there are people monitoring her," Fang Junxue said in a deep voice. "To prevent any accidents, I'll have to trouble you!"
The distance was too great, but Ye Ming possessed spatial power and could rescue her the fastest.
It was also the most reliable method.
"Alright!"
After Fang Junxue told Ye Ming the specific address, he set off.
With Ye Ming personally handling it, Fang Junxue could rest assured and deal with the remaining matters.
First and foremost was the truth of three years ago.
Although Fang Junxue had already guessed that Bai Fenglang was the mastermind behind the scenes.
And indeed, that was the case.
However, among these schemers, there was one more person.
More accurately, Bai Fenglang was the principal culprit, and the other person was an accomplice.
The cold poison that Fang Junxue had on her feet was provided by that person.
What was even more outrageous was that the reason the principal culprit and the accomplice acted in this way was to play a perverted game with malicious intent.
Game Background: In a business competition, the principal culprit lost to an opponent known as the "Business Queen," and harbored resentment.
Game Start: The principal culprit found the accomplice, obtained a terrifying cold poison from him, and then used various means to finally plant the cold poison into the Business Queen's feet.
Game Plot: The Business Queen searched everywhere for a cure, but in the end, she fell into despair step by step, completely falling from the throne of the Business Queen. The principal culprit and the accomplice watched all of this from a third-person perspective, reveling in it.
Desired Game Ending by the Principal Culprit and Accomplice: After the Business Queen was completely disheartened, she would choose to surrender and finally kneel before the principal culprit and the accomplice. As a reward for completing the game, the accomplice would gain ownership of the Business Queen.
All of this was originally under the control of the principal culprit and the accomplice.
However, the final game ending was changed by the appearance of a hero.
The true ending was: the hero cured the Business Queen's pain and captured her heart. Afterward, with the hero's help, the Business Queen was promoted to Empress of Commerce and even established her own business empire.
Finally, the hero freed the Empress of Commerce from the game's trap, shattered all the illusions of the principal culprit and the accomplice, and brought sunlight into reality, launching a counterattack.
Now, the truth was revealed, and the principal culprit and the accomplice had met their doom.