Shi Heng looked at Shadow with some astonishment.

He truly didn't expect that Shadow could ask such a question.

After all, in his eyes, Shadow would not pay much attention to these things.

"No, it's just that I simply cannot break through to the Imperial Lord Realm. Otherwise, even if I did break through to the Imperial Lord Realm, I would just need to refrain from causing trouble, continue to abide by our agreement, with no need to constrain my level."

Shi Heng's words made Shadow feel a sense of relief.

He didn't really think that Shi Heng was conserving his strength to catch him off guard after achieving the Imperial Lord Realm.

But if Shi Heng clearly could break through to the Imperial Lord Realm and yet didn't because of him, it would give him a feeling of indebtedness to Shi Heng.

"Then you should first consolidate your current realm."

After saying this to Shi Heng, Shadow just left.

Shi Heng watched Shadow leave, and smiled slightly.

This Shadow, on the surface, seems very cold, but in reality, he's someone who has a sharp tongue but a kind heart.

Otherwise, how could he be afraid of owing a favor?

As for whether he could ascend to the Imperial Lord Realm just now, Shi Heng certainly could.

After all, at that time, if Shi Heng hadn't seen the opportunity to advance to the Imperial Lord Realm, only reaching the Half-Step Emperor Lord Realm, how could he have spent his efforts to go to the Ice Sect?

The reason he didn't break through wasn't simply because of Shadow.

Shi Heng had many concerns.

Firstly, if Shi Heng were to achieve the Imperial Lord Realm, those other top powers sealed here would surely hope for him to get rid of Shadow, as well as those three who wield the power of the Golden Thunder Avenue, and let them out.

Leaving aside the consequences of releasing these top powers.

Just this one issue alone would force Shi Heng to choose between offending these top powers and offending Shadow.

This conundrum isn't something Shi Heng wants to choose.

Besides.

Shi Heng knew very well who the Lord of the Universe was.

When handling matters, the Lord of the Universe is meticulous.

So, although Shi Heng had forced Shadow out last time, he couldn't be sure that it was only Shadow.

Or perhaps.

Maybe it really was just Shadow alone.

But whether the Lord of the Universe had left any other backup plans in this place remained uncertain.

If Shi Heng broke through to the Imperial Lord Realm and the backup plans left by Guo Yi, the Lord of the Universe, were indeed to counter someone breaking through to the Imperial Lord Realm, then the day Shi Heng broke through would be his day of doom.

Shadow and the Lord of the Universe had no intentions of doing anything to Shi Heng.

So, naturally, Shi Heng wouldn't risk getting himself killed on purpose.

"Sometimes, it's better to be cautious. Being cautious can let one live a little longer."

Shi Heng sighed.

And Shadow is truly a straightforward fool.

He mentioned it casually, yet Shadow actually believed it.

Shi Heng sighed.

If he had told the truth earlier, Shadow would owe him a favor.

Although Shadow is just at the Half-Step Emperor Lord Realm, Shi Heng believed that with a prodigy like Shadow, his future achievements would be far beyond just the Half-Step Emperor Lord Realm.

Now, it might simply be because he's stationed here watching over them that he hasn't broken through.

A favor from someone at the Quasi-Emperor Realm, and someone the Lord of the Universe trusts entirely, is very valuable.

"Wang Ye, oh Wang Ye."

Shi Heng began to mutter his disciple's name again, saying, "The reason I didn't let Shadow owe me a favor this time is because I feel your upcoming achievements will surpass those of the Lord of the Universe or at least be on par."

"You must not let me down."

Shi Heng pondered.

...

Below.

After the battle of the Ice Sect ended, the entire sect began to fall into a period of recovery.

Because of the war, many things within the Ice Sect were destroyed.

In the coming period, the Ice Sect will have to repair everything damaged during the battle to restore it to its former state.

The battle between the Ice Sect and the Cold Sect, and the Ice Sect's triumph in vanquishing and exterminating the Cold Sect, was a message conveyed everywhere the moment the results came out.

Everyone was shocked upon receiving this news.

Because, although everyone knew that the image the Cold Sect had previously crafted was all a facade, the strength of the Cold Sect was indeed formidable.

There was no doubt about it.

Many had already gauged the number of strong figures within it previously.

Even though the Ice Sect had deep foundations, considering the number of powerful individuals was significantly less compared to the Cold Sect, the Ice Sect was highly likely to fail if the Cold Sect launched an invasion.

Yet.

The Ice Sect emerged victorious.

In the battle results, there was no detailed explanation of how the Ice Sect managed to deal with the Cold Sect on the battlefield.

These reports were disseminated by reporter cultivators.

As soon as they entered the Ice Sect, the battles at the Unity Realm Stage erupted, and these media reporters didn't get a chance to understand the situation from inside, so they could only gather the battle's outcome from outside.

Eventually, Meng Qian's voice reverberated across the sky, elucidating the means of their victory.

However, the fact that Wang Yan initially sent disciples to attack the Ice Sect, throwing lives into the fray, was something these reporter cultivators noted and recorded.

"Wang Yan... indeed ruthless, using such harsh methods just to resolve one Ice Sect, but it must be said, the method Wang Yan used was quite good. Under these circumstances, Wang Yan's invasion of the Ice Sect plan surprisingly failed, so what hidden strength did the Ice Sect have to resolve the Cold Sect at that time?"

"The Ice Sect is one among the major sects, and naturally has many areas to ward off enemy invasions, even if the sect's disciples are weaker, it's quite normal for the Ice Sect's infrastructure to resolve the invaders from the Cold Sect."

"Wang Ye has already reached the Fourth Rank Peak, now with the Cold Sect vanquished, the entire Cold Sect's resources belong to the Ice Sect. In this period, the Cold Sect was developing rapidly too. With resources from two sects and unlocking relics within the sect, the Ice Sect will undoubtedly develop at the fastest pace from now on."

"The rise of the Ice Sect is already unstoppable."

Various discussions emerged one after another, with those who received the news knowing that circumstances are about to change.

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