*Crack, crack, crack...*
The sound of splintering ice echoed through the ice cavern.
Failing to breach the protective barrier, the pink lightning fragmented into countless electric filaments. They spread across the floor, creeping beneath Qin Sang's feet and driving straight into the ice sheet.
The lightning carried terrifying corrosive power.
A gaping pit instantly melted open directly beneath Qin Sang. Wherever the stray filaments wandered, the ice silently dissolved across a vast expanse, triggering a massive collapse of the frozen ground.
This ice cavern was a gathering place of cold evil energy, and the mystic ice here was deeply infused with it. This ambient evil energy differed from what was condensed within the cold crystal; Qin Sang surmised that the cold evil energy in the crystal had been refined and transformed by the spirit formation, allowing cultivators to absorb it directly.
Nevertheless, even mystic ice formed from impure cold evil energy possessed a hardness far beyond that of ordinary ice on the outside. Had that pink lightning struck their bodies, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
This vixen was vicious enough to go straight for their lives on her opening strike—how could Qin Sang and Old Man Yanshan not be furious?
Qin Sang glanced sideways at Old Man Yanshan.
Before entering, Qin Sang had explicitly asked whether there were any major factions near the snow plain, and Old Man Yanshan had answered with absolute certainty that there were none. To capture the snow fox, Old Man Yanshan had ventured into the snow plain many times and scouted thoroughly. No matter how large a disturbance they caused here, no one should have arrived so quickly. That was why they had felt safe blasting through stone and shattering walls in their pursuit.
Yet now, a strange vixen had appeared—and with a cultivation level as high as mid Nascent Soul.
Qin Sang had branded her a vixen in his mind not merely out of anger. For all her cruelty, he had to admit that every frown and smile of hers oozed captivating charm. What was more, Qin Sang was certain this was no bewitchment technique; she required no false posturing, possessing a born, ruinous allure that could bring down nations.
"Hmph! You dodge quickly enough!"
Having missed her strike, Lady Yue sneered and flickered back into a corner of the cavern, remaining motionless as though guarding against their counterattack.
Just as Qin Sang was about to ask Old Man Yanshan about her identity, his eyes swept over her and immediately caught something amiss. *Not good!* he thought, slashing out fiercely with his Snow-Treading Divine Saber.
A surge of saber qi swept forward like a tidal wave, hacking toward the open ground beside the ice pillar holding the cold crystal.
Yet he was a step too late.
The icy floor bulged slightly, and a pillar of ice shot upward—sculpted into an exact, life-sized replica of Lady Yue. The ice sculpture's eyelashes fluttered, and it transformed into genuine flesh and blood. Through some unknown secret art, she had closed in on the cold crystal right before their eyes.
Without even glancing at the saber qi coming from behind, Lady Yue reached for the ice pillar, a pearl concealed in her palm. The pink lightning had originated from that very pearl.
A loud crackle erupted.
She condensed countless minute electric filaments within her palm and hurled them into the pillar, attempting to shatter it and seize the cold crystal within. To her shock, when the lightning struck, the pillar remained entirely unharmed.
Lady Yue froze. Then she noticed the spirit formation beneath her blazing with light. A beam of blue light shot from within the pillar like a sharp sword, thrusting straight toward her face.
An ice sword in front, a divine saber behind.
Lady Yue's expression flickered rapidly. Knowing she could not take the cold crystal by force, she kept her cool in the face of peril and tossed her gossamer veil into the air. It billowed into a multicolored cloud, intending to withstand both attacks simultaneously with this single magic treasure.
*Thwack! Thwack!*
The ice sword and the Snow-Treading Divine Saber struck one after another.
The colored cloud first entangled the ice sword, churning inward to crush it, only for the trailing Snow-Treading Divine Saber to strike its weakest point dead center. Unable to endure the brunt, the veil collapsed with a sharp tear, its tattered scraps fluttering down to the ground. A fine defensive magic treasure had been destroyed just like that.
Lady Yue seized the opening to retreat, surviving the ordeal at the cost of her treasure.
Seeing this clearly, Qin Sang realized the truth: her foundational Dao was the Dao of Ice, just like his incarnation's. No wonder she craved the cold crystal as well.
"So you're just a thief!"
Old Man Yanshan had not managed to intervene in time. Watching Lady Yue close in on the cold crystal had given him quite a fright, and only the protective restriction on the pillar had saved it. Clearly, she was just as ignorant of the restrictions here.
After such a rollercoaster of emotions, Old Man Yanshan flew into a rage. He immediately lashed out with the thin cord in his hand, aiming straight between Lady Yue's brows.
Qin Sang was similarly vexed. This vixen was not even the owner of the place, yet she dared to strike first. Truly, she did not know the meaning of death!
"Who in the world are you, witch? State your name!" Old Man Yanshan barked.
The cord proved as nimble as a serpent. Though it appeared to pierce toward her brow, the moment Lady Yue moved to defend herself, its trajectory shifted sharply, sending out ring after ring of ripples. These ripples possessed binding power, the very technique Old Man Yanshan had used earlier to hunt the snow fox.
Lady Yue ignored him, keeping her eyes fixed greedily on the cold crystal. Sensing the ripples closing in, she finally shifted her gaze, hastily slipped a silver bangle from her wrist, and flicked it forward. The bangle vibrated, shattering the ripples and intercepting the cord, locking it in a dead heat.
Old Man Yanshan discarded any lingering contempt. "She possesses quite a few treasures and likely has a significant background. Who knows if she has accomplices—Fellow Daoist, strike quickly!"
Qin Sang, however, did not follow Old Man Yanshan's bidding. He said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist, you should be able to pin her down, yes? I pride myself on some attainments in the art of formations, and my ocular technique will aid in breaking it. Buy me some time. Once it is done, we split the cold crystals equally."
Qin Sang observed Old Man Yanshan as he spoke.
A strange woman appearing the very moment they found the cold crystal—could she truly just be passing by? Qin Sang harbored doubts about Old Man Yanshan as well. Since he had come for the cold crystals, securing the treasure naturally took priority. Once they held the cold crystal in hand, it would not be too late to decide her fate. His true body remained outside, capable of detecting any approaching experts well in advance, so there was no need to worry about that for now.
Old Man Yanshan paused, exchanged a look with Qin Sang, and nodded in agreement. "Fine! We do as you say! My abilities are limited, and I fear I may be no match for this vixen, so do not hold back, Fellow Daoist!"
With a tap of his foot, Old Man Yanshan darted close to Lady Yue, wielding his three Dragon Head Shields as weapons.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
The three Dragon Head Shields turned into streaks of dark light, dancing around Lady Yue in a dazzling flurry.
Wondering if he was overthinking things, Qin Sang pushed away his stray thoughts and flashed beside the ice pillar. Coordinating with the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, he set about comprehending the spirit formation inscribed on the icy ground.
At first, the dense sea of talismans made Qin Sang dizzy. But soon, he made a pleasant discovery. The person who laid this formation possessed profound attainments in the Dao of Ice, having woven cold evil energy into the array. Since his incarnation had previously refined a cold crystal, he could use that as an entry point to dismantle it.
Both Old Man Yanshan and the woman were mid Nascent Soul cultivators; even if he could not defeat her, stalling her should be no problem. Of course, Qin Sang did not forget to keep part of his attention alert for surprises.
Gradually unraveling the formation's principles, Qin Sang cupped his hand. The Snow-Treading Divine Saber shrank to the size of a dagger, its blade light drawn inward as it touched the ground and began carving into the array. Wherever the blade tip passed, it left white scores where concentrated saber qi lingered without dispersing, forming runes that severed the internal flow of qi within the formation.
Qin Sang worked swiftly, only pausing occasionally to ponder. The formation was on the verge of being broken.
Suddenly, an exclamation startled him.
Glancing sideways, he saw the combatants had stopped fighting at some point. Old Man Yanshan was staring at Lady Yue's forehead in shock. "The Nether Moon Seal! You are one of Luye's Nether Moon Guards?!"
When Old Man Yanshan had attacked her brow with his cord just now, he had forced out a blood-moon insignia.
The Nether Moon Seal. Luye...
Qin Sang's eyelid twitched. Which Luye?
Following Old Man Yanshan's gaze, Qin Sang also saw the blood moon upon her brow.
Old Man Yanshan's voice transmission came through: "The cultivation world has always relied on two signs to identify devil cultivators hailing from Luye: one is the Dragon-Slaying Devil Force, and the other is the Nether Moon Seal between their brows, marking them as Nether Moon Guards. However, Old Demon Lu has been gone without a trace for centuries, and the Nether Moon Guards have rarely shown themselves. Fewer and fewer people still remember them..."
Realization dawned upon Qin Sang, but his vigilance tightened even further. This vixen had such a formidable background!
What a coincidence that a Nether Moon Guard would seek them out the moment they entered the ice cavern. Could the legendary Luye be nearby? Or, an even more terrifying possibility: had the spirit formation and cold crystal in this cavern been created by Old Demon Lu himself?
Even with his incarnation and true body present, Qin Sang had no desire to challenge a Deity Transformation cultivator.
Lady Yue scoffed petulantly. "Now that you know my identity, why haven't you scrambled away?!"
Old Man Yanshan's face drained of color before flushing red. Suddenly remembering something, the shock faded from his features, replaced by a cold sneer. "What outsiders fear is Old Demon Lu, not Nether Moon Guards like you! Merely a blood slave summoned and dismissed at will, yet you dare style yourself as 'Lady'! Old Demon Lu never indulged in female company. Furthermore, centuries ago, that demon traveled alone to meet the orthodox Deity Transformation cultivators in the Nineteen Misty Rain Prefectures of the Central Plains, before departing like the wind. Rumor has it that Bajing Abbey and Ganlu Zen Monastery hold the secret to ascension. Whenever a Deity Transformation cultivator appears in the outer territories, they are invited to make a journey to the Central Plains. Most, like Old Demon Lu, vanish without a trace thereafter, widely believed to have ascended. Old Demon Lu hasn't been seen in centuries; even if he hasn't ascended, he must be in secluded cultivation, wholeheartedly preparing for it..."
The seductive smile on Lady Yue's lips grew fainter and fainter.
Warming to his subject, Old Man Yanshan showed a look of sudden understanding. Eyeing Lady Yue up and down with disdain, he mocked, "Once Old Demon Lu reached Deity Transformation, the Nether Moon Seal became a full moon. The one inside you could never be Old Demon Lu's handiwork! Old Demon Lu has an adoptive son, rumored to be an insatiable lecher who gathers beauties far and wide. Judging by your cultivation and looks, you must be quite favored by him. Yet he wouldn't even dispel your Nether Moon Seal. Heh... in the end, you're nothing more than a plaything!"
Qin Sang was still digesting the information in Old Man Yanshan's words.
Surely no cultivator did not yearn to ascend and attain immortality, but the 'ascension' Old Man Yanshan spoke of was clearly not the same as ancient ascension.
Xiaoxiangzi had left behind an eight-character maxim: *Upon Deity Transformation, one shall know one's destination.*
Qin Sang had constantly pondered its meaning. Since arriving in Zhongzhou, he had made inquiries regarding the whereabouts of the realm's Deity Transformation cultivators, only to gather ambiguous legends. Deity Transformation figures were elusive as dragons, seemingly vanishing without explanation in the end; he had never heard of any falling to heavenly tribulations or passing away from depleted lifespans.
There was always a way forward when the time came. With Xiaoxiangzi's maxim and these discoveries, Qin Sang had stopped fretting over the path beyond Deity Transformation, focusing instead on raising his cultivation and power.
Was the place of ascension the same as the 'destination' in the maxim?
Deity Transformation cultivators could 'ascend,' and Bajing Abbey and Ganlu Zen Monastery held the secret to it. It seemed that Bajing Abbey and Ganlu Zen Monastery's status as the paramount Daoist and Buddhist sects—ruling supreme over the realm—was not simply due to their frequent production of Deity Transformation masters.
To think Old Man Yanshan knew so many hidden secrets. Just what was his background?
Qin Sang had originally taken him for an unworldly rogue cultivator. Rumor had it that Luye was in the Northern Barrens, where Old Man Yanshan's cultivation cave was also located. Knowing about Old Demon Lu's adoptive son was normal enough, but the other secrets were hardly things an ordinary rogue cultivator could uncover.
"You court death!"
A furious shout snapped Qin Sang from his reverie.
Struck right where it hurt, Lady Yue flew into a rage. With a violent flick of her jade-white hand, the pink pearl shot directly over Old Man Yanshan's head.
*Crackle!*
A thunderous blast erupted.
Bolts of lightning flared from the pearl, weaving into a web of thunder in midair that crashed down upon his head.
This woman might look bewitchingly seductive, but her attacks grew fiercer by the moment.
Not daring to be careless, Old Man Yanshan gestured at his shields. Amid roaring winds, the three Dragon Head Shields shot upward through the air, linking end-to-end into a bizarre triangular shield. The three dragon maws spouted torrents of water simultaneously, forming a thick watery barrier.
*Splat! Splat! Splat!*
The lightning web plunged into the water barrier, instantly dyeing it pink. After holding out for only a breath, the water was completely eaten away by the corrosion.
Seeing things turn sour, Old Man Yanshan hurriedly shifted his hand seals. The Dragon Head Shields expanded rapidly, sheltering him completely to weather the lightning web with their solid bodies.
A heavy thud rang out as the Dragon Head Shields shuddered violently.
Lady Yue showed no mercy. The pearl incessantly discharged lightning, a tempest of thunderous arcs hammering the shields in a frenzy.
At the same time, Lady Yue rubbed her fingers together.
The ice sheet beneath Old Man Yanshan's feet shattered with an earth-shaking boom. From the depths below came a roar like a dragon's bellow as an ice dragon burst through the debris. Slender and majestic, it was formed entirely of ice—horns, claws, and scales all closely resembling those of a true dragon of legend. It moved with astounding agility, looking almost alive.
The ice dragon snapped its cavernous maw, lunging straight for Old Man Yanshan's legs.
Every strike of Lady Yue's was lethal.
Old Man Yanshan's expression shifted slightly. Shifting his palms, a drop of silver water slid from his hand and abruptly burst beneath him, turning into a plume of silvery mist. Though seemingly weightless, the mist proved as heavy as a mountain. When the ice dragon slammed into it, a metallic crash rang out, and its ferocious momentum was severely blunted.
Old Man Yanshan seized the chance to dodge aside, escaping the dragon's jaws.
Though he had been on guard after provoking her, he had still been startled. He urgently sent a voice transmission: "This witch was definitely not sent by Old Demon Lu—do not let her bluff you, Fellow Daoist! The Nether Moon Guards are merely Old Demon Lu's slaves. Countless Nether Moon slaves have perished outside; dead is dead, and Old Demon Lu has never been heard avenging any of them. However, there are quite a few experts among the guards. If this drags on and she summons reinforcements, it will be even more troublesome. Take the cold crystal quickly and let us leave this place!"
Thoughts flashed through Qin Sang's mind.
Things had come to this; the arrow was on the string and had to fly. Old Man Yanshan's words were reasonable enough: as long as Old Demon Lu did not personally intervene, Qin Sang had no reason to fear his so-called adoptive son or the Nether Moon Guards. The one truly coveting the cold crystal was clearly this woman.
If they took the cold crystal swiftly and made their exit, would Old Demon Lu truly come out of secluded cultivation for the sake of his adoptive son's concubine?
Hardly likely.
In this era, Zhongzhou publicly possessed only four Deity Transformation cultivators. True Monarch Danyu, Saint Huiguang, and the Demon Saint King had all vanished. Old Demon Lu had disappeared even earlier; could he alone be an exception, remaining untouched by whatever had claimed the others?
Chapter 1572