Crowds on the square had waited anxiously for a long time, yet Xu Nian's figure never appeared. At that moment, the Xuantian Mirror where Xu Nian was located had darkened, and his figure could no longer be seen.
Everyone's heart sank—had Xu Nian truly fallen into Life-breaking Cliff and died?
If he had really crushed the Golden Crow Token, he should have appeared on the square long ago.
But since he hadn't appeared until now, only one thing could be explained, Xu Nian had truly jumped off Life-breaking Cliff.
Leng Yanran also sat back down on her chair, but her expression was somewhat vacant. The moment Xu Nian jumped, she distinctly felt her heart wrench painfully and then felt an emptiness inside as if she had lost something.
This feeling made Leng Yanran feel very uncomfortable. Was it because of that night of intimacy that she had started to develop feelings for him?
Or was it his unyielding face when facing Qin Yuanshan that struck her heart?
If not, why else would she keep him by her side under the pretense of taking him as a Direct Disciple?
And now that she had seen him jump off Life-breaking Cliff, why did it tug at her heartstrings so?
At this moment, Leng Yanran's heart was in turmoil, and her limbs were ice-cold.
While viewers outside felt pity and confusion over Xu Nian's actions, Xu Nian himself was dangling from the edge of Life-breaking Cliff.
The Blood Dragon Qi formed Dragon Scale Boxing Gloves covered his right hand, and his fingers hooked tightly into the rock face, suspending him mid-air.
Of course, Xu Nian couldn't just jump off recklessly—the cliff was at least a thousand yards high. Even a Xuantian-level Battle General jumping off would be severely injured, let alone him, a mere youngster not yet of Silver Moon Battle Sect caliber.
"Whew, that was close! I almost didn't catch it!" Xu Nian let out a deep breath, looking downward.
Below him, dense clouds obscured the view, making it impossible to see what was at the bottom. What caused Xu Nian's heart to pound was that within these clouds, there were bolts of Electric Snakes moving about, the power they emanated made Xu Nian's mind tremble.
It wasn't just about falling to his death; passing through these clouds might result in being electrocuted by these Electric Snakes.
"What exactly is below? Why are there such terrifying Thunder Electric Snakes in these clouds?" Xu Nian asked Yetian God Emperor in his mind.
"Why don't you go down and see?" Yetian God Emperor's light laughter resonated in Xu Nian's mind.
Xu Nian was speechless for a moment. Yetian God Emperor was good in all aspects except he enjoyed toying with people. It seemed that seeing Xu Nian in a bind made her very happy.
With so many terrifying Electric Snakes moving within the clouds, if Xu Nian tried to descend, he would surely be struck.
"Boy, let go! There's a lake below, you won't die of a fall, and as for these Electric Snakes, don't worry, you won't die with me here." Yetian God Emperor's voice rang out again.
Hesitating for a moment, Xu Nian ultimately chose to trust Yetian God Emperor's words and let go, jumping down.
Then Xu Nian felt his body plummet rapidly, quickly passing through the clouds.
However, the protection from Yetian God Emperor he had imagined didn't appear. The Thunder Electric Snakes struck against Xu Nian's chest like multiple heavy hammers, leaving him disoriented and foaming at the mouth.
Most embarrassingly, his clothes were completely shredded by the attacks of the Thunder Electric Snakes, and he fell into the water completely naked.
The moment he hit the water, Xu Nian knew it was over. He had laughed at Lin Han before, but now it was his turn.
The most infuriating thing for Xu Nian was that Yetian God Emperor then remarked, "Not bad, much bigger than that Lin Han!"
Xu Nian sank to the bottom of the lake but quickly surfaced and rapidly scrambled to the shore, curling up at the edge shivering.
"This… what lake is this water from, it's so cold!"
Xu Nian's teeth were constantly chattering. The water in the lake was terrifyingly cold, especially since he was naked; the chilly Gangfeng wind made him feel as if he had dropped into the Arctic Ice Field.
"Kid, this is water from the Tianyuan Cold Pool. Cultivating here for one day can be equivalent to a month of cultivation in the outside world, and it is greatly beneficial for both Spirit Cultivators and Body Cultivation," the voice of Emperor Ye Tian echoed in Xu Nian's mind.
"One day is equivalent to a month?" Xu Nian's eyes widened with surprise, and then they lit up. Without hesitation, he jumped into the cold pool.
He began to operate the "Dan Sea Species Green Lotus," and indeed, his cultivation speed was more than thirty times faster than usual.
Next, Xu Nian tried the "Divine Demon Refining Body Technique," and the effect was equally terrifying.
Feeling such changes, Xu Nian's face immediately lit up with joy, and he prepared to continue cultivating.
However, just then, Emperor Ye Tian's voice rang out again.
"Kid, don't get too happy so soon. The Tianyuan Cold Pool water is indeed a rare treasure, but it's impossible for you to cultivate safely here. Since this place is named 'Life-Breaking Cliff' by your academy, it's naturally very dangerous. Did you really think it only had those electric snakes and thunder?"
"Yeah, given that this is 'Life-Breaking Cliff,' it should be dangerous. Those thunder and electric snakes are terrifying, but they haven't killed everyone; is there something else dangerous here?" Xu Nian wondered to himself.
Xu Nian glanced around.
The area pressed down was not large, only about a hundred square meters.
The surroundings were all hard rock walls, and apart from some strange flowers, herbs, and moss, there wasn't anything else noteworthy.
However, several skeletons at the edge of the cliff stunned him.
These skeletons were all charred black, obviously electrocuted to death.
Since they could crawl from the lake to the shore, it indicated that they were not electrocuted during their fall, but rather while in the valley.
Moreover, though the cloud fog thunderbolts were fierce, they weren't enough to electrocute someone to such an extent. Clearly, there were even more powerful thunderbolts hidden here.
Thinking so, Xu Nian felt a shiver run down his spine.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, Xu Nian dove headfirst into the pool, and when he resurfaced, his eyes were blank.
Beneath the bottom of the pool lay hundreds of skeletons, some ancient, seemingly from a bygone era, and of course some newer ones, also students who had fallen into the Life-Breaking Cliff over the millennia.
At that moment, Xu Nian finally understood why this place was called 'Life-Breaking Cliff.'
Since ancient times, it had always been a pit of death for thousands.
Xu Nian felt a chill of fear. Had it not been for Emperor Ye Tian's warning, he might have been immersed in cultivation, unaware of how he would die.
"Kid, now you know what fear is? But I must tell you, this place contains a huge opportunity. Do you still dare to take it?" Emperor Ye Tian's playful voice echoed in Xu Nian's mind.
"A huge opportunity? Is it even more precious than this Tianyuan Cold Pool water?" Xu Nian asked in astonishment.
"Of course, it's a hundred times more precious than the Tianyuan Cold Pool water, but to obtain it, you will have to pay a price," Emperor Ye Tian's voice resonated once more.
"What price?" Xu Nian stiffened, feeling an ominous premonition.
"Actually, it's nothing much, just being bombarded by a few hundred thunderbolts!" Emperor Ye Tian laughed.
"What?" Xu Nian's eyes bulged as he roared, almost thinking he had misheard.
However, just at that moment, a violent rumbling sound came from above the clouds, as if thousands of thunderbolts were rolling.
Hearing this sound, Xu Nian's scalp went numb, and at that moment, he finally understood where those terrifying thunderbolts were coming from.