Becoming an immortal against the will of heaven

Fearing the formidable cultivation of these two individuals and the terrifying power of the Immortal Cultivation Alliance, the crowd, though unwilling, had no choice but to reluctantly yield.

It was a joke to oppose the Immortal Cultivation Alliance; one might as well find a rope and hang oneself. None of them were fools, so naturally, they dared not disobey the orders of the Crimson and Azure Venerables. Thus, amidst a chorus of sighs, they swiftly retreated.

In a short span of time, the tens of thousands of people who had been present dispersed like a swarm of locusts, vanishing without a trace.

"Hmph, it's good they know what's good for them!"

Upon witnessing this, the Crimson-Robed Venerable snorted coldly and turned back towards Emerald Cloud Valley.

At this moment, the ice seal within Emerald Cloud Valley remained intact. The valley was adorned with a silver coat of snow and ice, making it exceptionally conspicuous!

Especially in such sweltering weather, the waves of cold air emanating from Emerald Cloud Valley were truly refreshing.

However, as the Crimson and Azure Venerables observed the strange situation within Emerald Cloud Valley, a sense of bewilderment arose in their hearts! They were both extremely curious about what exactly had transpired within Emerald Cloud Valley.

"Azure Brother, what do you make of this?" After observing the anomaly within Emerald Cloud Valley for a while, the Crimson-Robed Venerable turned to the Azure-Robed Venerable standing beside him and asked.

"Strange! Truly strange! Never heard of anything like it!"

The Azure-Robed Venerable, usually a man of few words, couldn't help but exclaim at the bizarre sight before him, as if deeply moved.

The Crimson-Robed Venerable frowned even more deeply upon hearing this. "The Alliance Leader sent us here with a clear purpose. However, what exactly is that purpose? We have no way of knowing."

Indeed, on the way here, the Crimson-Robed Venerable had been pondering why the Alliance Leader would suddenly send them both to this place. Could there be some hidden secret? Especially after witnessing the anomaly in Emerald Cloud Valley with his own eyes, the Crimson-Robed Venerable's doubts only grew. He vaguely felt that something was amiss!

"Hmph, why bother with so much speculation? We'll understand everything once we go inside and take a look!" The Azure-Robed Venerable's expression was as cold as the frost in Emerald Cloud Valley. With a swift movement, he prepared to fly inside.

"Azure Brother, hold on!"

Just then, the Crimson-Robed Venerable seemed to have noticed something and stopped the Azure-Robed Venerable.

"Hmm? What is it?" Startled and doubtful, the Azure-Robed Venerable turned his head and asked.

"Azure Brother, have you noticed? Someone is sleeping and resting within Emerald Cloud Valley!" The Crimson-Robed Venerable said with a serious expression.

"Hmm?" The Azure-Robed Venerable was shaken upon hearing this. After scanning the area with his spiritual sense, he nodded and said, "Indeed, this person's aura is weak, clearly suffering from severe injuries."

Hearing this, the serious expression on the Crimson-Robed Venerable's face suddenly relaxed, and he said with a smile, "Azure Brother, judging from the Alliance Leader's tone, he doesn't seem to want to antagonize this person, but rather to befriend him. So, I think that rashly barging in would inevitably cause displeasure and suspicion. If our recklessness were to ruin the Alliance Leader's grand plan, none of us could bear the responsibility."

"Junior Brother is right!" After understanding the Crimson-Robed Venerable's concerns, the Azure-Robed Venerable nodded. However, he quickly reverted to his previous cold demeanor and asked, "Then, according to Junior Brother's idea, what should we do now?"

"It's simple. One word: Wait!" The Crimson-Robed Venerable spread his hands, replying helplessly.

"What, wait?" The Azure-Robed Venerable seemed moved upon hearing this and immediately asked in surprise, "Then when exactly are we going to wait until?"

"Alas, there's no way to know!" The Crimson-Robed Venerable said with a wry smile, "Since the Alliance Leader is so concerned about this person, then we must not be disrespectful to him. So, we have no choice but to wait here for him to wake up. If he sleeps here for a day, then we'll wait here for a day; if he sleeps here for a month, then we'll wait for a month; similarly, if he were to sleep here for a year, then we'd have no choice but to wait here for a year, or even longer! In short, no matter how long he sleeps, we must wait here for him to wake up and not disturb him easily. Otherwise, I'm afraid we won't have a good time when we return."

"Alas, it seems that's all we can do!"

After listening to the Crimson-Robed Venerable's suggestion, the Azure-Robed Venerable nodded in agreement, then sighed, "Let's just hope this person can wake up as soon as possible!"

Having said that, the two of them fell silent and waited quietly.

As they waited, half a year passed!

In the past six months, the number of cultivators outside Emerald Cloud Valley not only didn't decrease, but more and more people gathered from all directions.

After all, the news of a treasure appearing in Emerald Cloud Valley had spread like wildfire through word of mouth, and people wanted to see what kind of magical treasure had emerged from Emerald Cloud Valley.

So, within these six months, the number of people waiting outside Emerald Cloud Valley had doubled, reaching nearly two hundred thousand.

However, when those joyful cultivators arrived and saw the Crimson and Azure Venerables, the enthusiasm in their hearts was like fire meeting cold water, instantly extinguishing more than half of it.

After all, with the Crimson and Azure Venerables guarding the area, no one could sneak into Emerald Cloud Valley.

What puzzled them, however, was that for the past half-year, the Crimson and Azure Venerables had only surrounded the area without attacking, their eyes tightly closed, as if waiting for something.

In the blink of an eye, more than three months had passed.

Three months later, just as the two were waiting quietly as usual, they suddenly seemed to have sensed something and abruptly opened their eyes.

At this moment, the thick snow and hard ice in Emerald Cloud Valley suddenly showed a trace of cracks, and finally, with a "bang," it turned into a patch of melted snow and disappeared instantly.

Although it had been frozen for more than half a year, after the ice and snow had just melted, the plants and lakes in Emerald Cloud Valley began to operate normally, as vibrant as before.

"Splash..."

A maple leaf, frozen in mid-air for more than half a year, fell rapidly after the ice that had frozen it melted, dropped into the lake, and floated slowly forward along with the lake water.

Everything was exactly the same as before the ice seal, as if only time had been frozen!

Upon seeing the ice and snow in Emerald Cloud Valley melt, the Crimson-Robed Venerable and the Azure-Robed Venerable were greatly surprised. They exchanged glances and began to fly inside cautiously.