A biting wind howled across an endless expanse of pristine snow.
Few cultivators knew that amidst the golden autumn of the ninth month in the Jade Cauldron Domain, there was still a realm trapped in a world of ice and snow.
Yet this place was far from deserted.
On the contrary!
Amidst the swirling snow, streaks of escaping light flickered in and out of sight from time to time, revealing vibrant signs of life.
As the escaping lights returned, a domain whose architecture differed drastically from the rest of the Jade Cauldron Domain gradually came into view.
Circular at the base and tapering to sharp spires, towering ice castles rose into the sky.
From the perimeter inward, the massive keeps sculpted from frigid ice grew ever loftier.
Several female cultivators descended from the sky, entering one of the ice castles to submit their mission.
"Martial Uncle, this is the Tier 2 snow fox the three of us hunted together. It took a tremendous effort!"
"That's right, that's right! Martial Uncle, you have to award us extra merit points this time!"
"Hey, isn't this pelt in perfect condition? Why deduct thirty percent of our merit? Martial Uncle, you're so stingy!"
Amidst their chatter, the three early-stage Foundation Establishment female cultivators emerged from the Miscellaneous Hall.
A look of dejection hung upon their faces.
After working so hard together to hunt a Tier 2 snow fox, they had received only a measly amount of merit points.
At this rate, how long would it take to save up enough to exchange for a bottle of Jade Dew Pills?
"Rumor has it that Jade Dew Pills are exceptionally effective for female cultivators like us. I'd love to exchange for a bottle and try it!"
"That's no mere rumor! Don't you know about Junior Sister Shi Lan? How long has it been since she established her foundation? Barely ten years! Yet she has already crossed into the mid Foundation Establishment stage, and it was all thanks to a generous supply of Jade Dew Pills!"
"Hiss, could its medicinal effects truly be so miraculous?"
"Naturally, it wasn't entirely the pill's doing. Junior Sister Shi Lan is favored by Senior Sister Tantai, has the backing of her elders in the Shi family, and I hear she has her own ways of making money. Only with all that was she able to advance to the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment in such a short time."
"She isn't the only one with such advantages. If you ask me, the credit mostly belongs to the Jade Dew Pills."
"What a pity that Jade Dew Pills are currently reserved exclusively for true disciples—and only the most favored true disciples under the major elders at that."
"That raises the question: Shi Lan wasn't particularly outstanding back then, so how did she get access to a supply of Jade Dew Pills ahead of everyone else?"
"I actually know about that! Apparently, she has a very good relationship with the guest elder who concocts the Jade Dew Pills. After she reached Foundation Establishment, he even sent her a congratulatory gift in person."
At the mention of the guest elder who refined the Jade Dew Pills, a name naturally surfaced in the minds of all three women.
Danchenzi!
He was an alchemical grandmaster of renown across the Jade Cauldron Domain, someone who had overshadowed the new generation of the Seven Sons of Azure Pill!
Rumor even had it that his prowess in combat was terrifying, having slain a Golden Core master while merely in the Foundation Establishment stage!
Just hearing the name and discussing the exploits of such an existence filled one with reverent admiration.
It would be one thing if he hailed from a great sect.
Yet he had risen from the ranks of rogue cultivators.
That made him all the more admirable.
"I've kept hearing that he would come to our Ice Fort, yet to this day there's no sign of him. I'd love to catch a glimpse of his bearing!"
"Are you truly looking to admire his bearing? You probably just want to cozy up to him and get a few bottles of Jade Dew Pills!"
"Wretched girl, don't tell me you don't want to? When the time comes, I bet you'll throw yourself at him even faster than I would!"
"Tee-hee..."
A chorus of giggles washed away much of their earlier gloom.
Having turned in their mission, they had plenty of free time ahead, so they strolled idly through the sect grounds.
Upon arriving at the foot of Mount Tianshan, the three looked up, their eyes brimming with envy.
Mount Tianshan was the only Tier 3 spiritual land in the entire Ice Fort.
Scattered across the rolling ridges below were various Tier 2 spiritual plots, upon which corresponding Tier 2 cave dwellings had been established.
Yet even these Tier 2 cave dwellings were far beyond the reach of ordinary Foundation Establishment disciples.
One either had to become a true disciple, automatically receiving a cave dwelling, or take advantage of the annual rotation to enjoy the blessings of the spiritual ground for a short while, or else spend a massive sum of merit points to redeem a fixed period of cultivation time.
When all was said and done, the Ice Fort's foundation could not match the other major sects of the Jade Cauldron Domain!
Amassing nine Golden Core masters had pushed its resources to their absolute limit, leaving no room for further growth.
Suddenly, one of the female disciples stared in astonishment at a young man standing with his hands behind his back atop one of the peaks.
"Which senior brother is that? How have I never seen him before?"
"Strange, I haven't seen him either. He's so young, and his cultivation realm isn't particularly high, so why is he able to cultivate in a mid-grade Tier 2 cave dwelling?"
"Wait, I think I recognize him. Surnamed Xu... isn't he a subordinate of that Elder Danchenzi?"
At those words, an unusual gleam flashed in the eyes of all three women.
"How about we go up and greet him?"
"Wouldn't that be improper?"
"What's improper about it? He's standing outside his cave all by himself, clearly in no mood to cultivate. It's the perfect time to go have a chat and exchange insights on cultivation!"
"Come on, let's go. I want to know what the cultivation world outside the Ice Fort looks like these days anyway."
And so, Xu Xiaoliu, who had been anxiously waiting for the Ice Fort's response, was met with the enthusiastic greetings of three flower-like female cultivators.
***
High atop Mount Tianshan.
Two figures cast a fleeting, indifferent glance at the scene below the mountain.
Raising their gaze, they looked into the distance across the boundless wind and snow.
Amidst the endless blizzards, a faint black line emerged, revealing a contiguous chain of snowy mountains.
There lay the Great Snow Mountain!
Within it stretched rolling ranges and countless snowy peaks.
In that environment of extreme cold, it was rumored that a Tier 4 spiritual land existed.
"The Falling Cloud Sect's promises cannot be trusted."
In the desolate wind and snow, an elegant voice rang out, clear and melodious like the song of a siren or spirit, sounding to the ear like enchanted music.
Not only was her voice captivating, but her beauty was peerless.
Even Master Yinyue, renowned throughout the Ice Fort for her alluring charm, would appear lackluster before her.
Yet what drew the world's awe had never been her beauty, but her power.
Fairy Canglong!
A Supreme Elder of the Ice Fort, a mighty ninth-layer Golden Core cultivator!
Rumor had it that she was infinitely close to the Golden Core Great Circle, standing merely a thread away from the Nascent Soul stage.
Hearing her words, Fairy Jueqing furrowed her brow.
"Could the Falling Cloud Sect's promise to help us take the Great Snow Mountain be nothing more than empty words?"
Canglong smiled faintly. "They set no time limit. Ten years could count as fulfilling the promise, and so could a hundred or a thousand years. But after hundreds or thousands of years, once our generation passes away, could the Ice Fort ever recreate its current zenith?"
Nine Golden Core masters was the absolute limit of the Ice Fort's strained resources.
Advancing even one step further was impossible!
Even if one or two more Golden Cores emerged, the sect could not sustain them!
With the Ice Fort's current foundation, it simply could not support so many Golden Core masters.
When that time came, the Ice Fort would tear itself apart in bloody infighting over internal resources.
Could one not see that with just nine Golden Core cultivators, signs of internal factional strife had already begun to surface over the past century?
Nine individuals had fractured into five factions!
In any other major sect, such a state of affairs would be a laughingstock.
"Then what should we do?" Fairy Jueqing asked with concern.
If the Ice Fort could not expand, once the next generation of disciples—Bingpo, Tantai, and the rest—successively formed their cores, major internal turmoil would erupt.
Canglong pursed her lips, holding a sheet of Xuan paper between her slender fingers.
Under the cold sunlight, the handwriting upon the paper seemed to retain the lingering warmth of the writer.
"Xiaorou, isn't Danchenzi offering us help right when we need it most?"
Hearing the name Xiaorou, Fairy Jueqing's expression stiffened.
She said stiffly, "Do you intend to help Luo Chen?"
"He is a guest elder of our Ice Fort. When he is bullied by those above him, shouldn't we help him?" Canglong countered.
Her captivating eyes looked Fairy Jueqing up and down before she shook her head.
"With your temperament, Xiaorou, I truly don't know how you managed to encounter brilliant alchemical masters like Shang Hu and Luo Chen one after the other."
"Don't mention that man!"
"Heh, fine, fine, I won't mention him." Canglong smiled gently and delicately unfolded the letter, its writing clear to see. "Do you see? A hundred bottles of Jade Dew Pills a year is far from his limit. In order to seek vengeance against the Yan Alliance, he has offered a condition to refine one thousand bottles of Jade Dew Pills for us each year!"
"One thousand bottles! And high-grade ones at that!"
"What that signifies, you understand better than I do!"
Fairy Jueqing's slender eyebrows twitched. "Distributed evenly, it could accelerate the cultivation of over a hundred Foundation Establishment disciples. If concentrated, it could allow ten Foundation Establishment true disciples to swiftly cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Great Circle. Or more radically, with the aid of us Golden Core masters, an exceptionally talented late Foundation Establishment disciple could be forcibly pushed to the Great Circle within ten years to make a push for the Golden Core stage!"
"Tsk, it seems your understanding of the alchemical dao hasn't lapsed after all. That Shang..." Canglong shook her head, sighing with emotion. "An outstanding alchemical grandmaster can truly revitalize an entire sect. This time, you did very well."
Receiving praise from her eldest senior sister, who had been both a master and a mother to her, Fairy Jueqing let a rare smile show on her face.
Yet before her smile could fully bloom, Canglong sighed again. "However, you didn't do well enough! For a talent like Danchenzi, ordinary conciliatory methods are far from sufficient."
Fairy Jueqing muttered, "The benefits I gave him were already plenty."
"Yet he suffered grievances—many grievances! And most of the time, he didn't even turn to you when wronged." Canglong blinked. "Looking at it that way, do you still think you handled it well?"
Fairy Jueqing remained silent.
Some things could not be stated too plainly.
Her attitude toward Luo Chen was deeply complex.
On one hand, she despised men, yet Luo Chen was truly extraordinary, turning the tables time and again in ways that exceeded her expectations.
On the other hand, her lineage had previously been weak within the Ice Fort; showing excessive favor toward Luo Chen would only have drawn unwanted internal attention to him.
Even though she had been cautious at every turn, Luo Chen had ultimately been noticed and made a guest elder of the Ice Fort, rather than remaining an exclusive subordinate of her Jueqing lineage.
As for the third reason!
That was not her problem.
It was Luo Chen's problem.
He was simply not someone willing to remain subordinate to another!
When facing difficulties, he might seek her assistance, but the moment she applied a bit of leverage in an attempt to rein him in, he would prudently back off and rely on his own strength to resolve the issue.
Put plainly, he refused to become overly dependent on her.
Fairy Jueqing even felt that during that battle at Danxia Peak between the Danxia and Luotian factions, Luo Chen would have had some method to fight Qin Tairan to the death even if she had not arrived in time.
Amidst the silence, she asked in a low voice, "Then what should we do this time?"
"Send one person," Canglong said casually. "Either you go, or Bo Shuang goes. She is very interested in Luo Chen and previously sent Qiu Liangyue to Tianlan to take part in the battle between Danxia and Luotian. If you don't go, she would be more than willing to assist him."
At the thought of that woman Bo Shuang, Fairy Jueqing felt deeply uncomfortable.
Starting with that man, Bo Shuang had always loved competing with her for things.
Even if she no longer cared for men, how could she tolerate someone else coveting what belonged to her?
"I will go!"
Having given her answer, she asked with a trace of doubt, "Do we not need to consider the Sword Sect's reaction?"
The Yan Alliance had been an ally of the Sword Sect for centuries.
Rumor had it that the Yan Alliance had even participated in the refinement of the Sword Sect's sword pills.
Canglong gave a dismissive laugh. "There is no need. In the conflicts among the major sects of our new domain, the superior sects are forbidden from personally intervening for five hundred years; it was only the Falling Cloud Sect that broke the rules. What is more, they are more than happy to watch us tear each other apart!"
With her only lingering concern swept away in a few casual remarks by her senior sister, Fairy Jueqing felt a weight lift from her heart.
After exchanging a few more words, she turned and descended the mountain.
Yet halfway down, she felt that something was amiss.
*Right!*
*Just moments ago, she was saying that Mount Tianshan's spiritual grounds couldn't sustain too many Golden Cores, yet Senior Sister is so enthusiastic about recruiting Luo Chen and pinning her hopes on him to cultivate many more Golden Cores for the Ice Fort.*
*If the Falling Cloud Sect were to help take the Great Snow Mountain, that would be one thing, but she explicitly said the Falling Cloud Sect couldn't be trusted.*
*Calculated this way, isn't Senior Sister contradicting herself?*
Given Fairy Jueqing's understanding of her eldest senior sister Canglong, how could she possibly make such an error?
She turned around to look back. That figure still stood atop the peak of Mount Tianshan.
The swirling wind and snow could not hide her breathtaking, slender silhouette; only the dense, inky clouds drifting ten thousand zhang overhead occasionally dimmed her form.
Suddenly, an astounding thought surfaced in Jueqing's mind.
Nascent Soul!
***
Tianhuo Immortal City, inside a low-grade Tier 2 cave dwelling.
A formation enveloped the perimeter.
Abruptly, the formation parted, and a golden invitation fluttered inside.
The master of the cave opened his eyes. Without any visible movement, the invitation drifted into his hand.
*The Zhenlong Auction will commence in three days, featuring numerous specialty resources from the Jade Cauldron Domain. We look forward to your arrival; your presence will grace our humble hall.*
Beneath this simple message followed a list of specially highlighted resources.
The cave master's gaze swept downward, largely unconcerned with most of the items.
They were nothing more than artifacts, pills, and the like that Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators scrambled after.
Suddenly!
His pupils constricted, his gaze locking firmly onto a single item.
*Century Thunder Essence: Can be refined into a natal magical treasure to enhance its might and temper the yang spirit. Using it to cross the lightning tribulation yields unimaginable effects!*
"Hiss!"
"To think such a treasure exists in the Jade Cauldron Domain!"
"Isn't thunder essence tightly controlled by the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect? Even ten-year thunder essence is rare, so where did the Zhenlong Black Market, backed by the Falling Cloud Sect, obtain century thunder essence?"
"I cannot miss this. This treasure is fated for me—I must have it!"
***
Similar scenes played out across Tianhuo Immortal City.
In fact, it was not only Tianhuo Immortal City; even in neighboring cities like Daguang Immortal City and Yutao Immortal City, many Golden Core cultivators received invitations from the Zhenlong Black Market.
Not one of these Golden Core cultivators hailed from the Seven Jade Cauldron Sects.
Most were Golden Core masters who had come from neighboring great domains, such as the Medicine King Domain and the Tianfan Domain, drawn by the Deity Transformation ruins.
Having disguised their appearances and concealed their names, they had slipped into the Jade Cauldron Domain intending to catch a glimpse of the Deity Transformation ruins.
Yet because the two superior sects had sealed their borders and closed their doors, they had been unable to enter.
Thus, they had been stranded in the Jade Cauldron Domain.
Not long ago, the Falling Cloud Sect had launched a surprise assault on the Yan Alliance, slaughtering its cultivators en masse.
Hearing the winds of change, these outsiders had gravitated closer, hoping to fish in troubled waters and reap some easy gains.
To their surprise, there truly was a prize to be had!
All at once, several foreign Golden Core masters converged on Tianhuo Immortal City, each determined to bid for the century thunder essence that held such immense benefit for Golden Core cultivators.
And while all of this was unfolding...
Luo Chen, the man who had actually produced the century thunder essence, received an old acquaintance.
"I was wondering which master had been so generous as to put century thunder essence, an item prized even by Nascent Soul True Monarchs, up for auction. To think it was you, Fellow Daoist Luo."
Facing the visitor, Luo Chen's expression was somewhat complex.
Yet that fleeting emotion vanished in an instant.
A smile appeared on his face. "Fellow Daoist Tianxingzi, I trust you have been well."
Tianxingzi shook his head. "I am well enough. But you, Fellow Daoist—bearing a grudge against the Yan Alliance, you still dare enter a city of their own making. It is no different from stepping straight into the tiger's den. You are truly bold!"
"Could it be that you, Fellow Daoist, are not doing the exact same—knowing there is a tiger on the mountain, yet marching straight toward it?" Luo Chen countered.
Tianxingzi froze, and then met Luo Chen's gaze with a shared smile.
Everything was understood without a single word.
Chapter 424