Inside Shadow Moon Hall, the lingering scent of cold incense had yet to dissipate, but it was nearly eclipsed by Ye Shuying's sword intent—a frost so biting it threatened to lift the very roof off the mountain sanctuary.
The High Immortal Sword Sovereign, usually a paragon of icy detachment, stood with reddened eyes. His gaze was fixed deathly on the uneven edge of Li An's hair. To him, those few severed strands were a wound more grievous than a blade through his own heart.
"Who did this?" Ye Shuying's voice was lethal, dropping like shards of ice. In his hand, the longsword Frost-Sever trembled with a restless, predatory hum. "I was gone for but a single night to reinforce the mountain seals. Who dared enter Shadow Moon Hall to touch you? Those two lunatics just back from the frontier... was it them?"
