Xueze Enters the Ice Palace

Could this be a crystal palace?

"Why... am I here?"

Ice-clear as water, pure as jade. Irregular angles and polygonal platforms; every tier was transparent and luminous, yet the distant scenery remained obscured.

It was biting cold here, resembling a realm of snow, and successive waves of chill awakened Xue Ze.

Opening her eyes, she found herself in an icy crystal palace, vast, empty, and entirely devoid of furnishings. The hall was sealed, yet filled with light—a beam refracted from the crystals themselves. Beams converged from all directions, shining straight down onto the central platform, and Xue Ze had just stepped down from it.

"Where is this place?" Xue Ze climbed to her feet and took a few cautious, astonished steps.

There was no echo, no sound at all. She had no choice but to walk a little further to examine her surroundings clearly.

How strange. Why did this place feel so familiar, as if she had seen it before? Why did merely lying here for a short while feel so immensely comforting?

Xue Ze felt completely light-bodied, as though she had consumed an entire snow lotus. Her internal spiritual energy had surged dramatically, and every meridian was clear and functioning normally. This sensation was like walking upon the clouds—completely unhindered and effortlessly free.

"Is there no one here? Then how did I get in?"

Xue Ze wandered through the entire space, finding only a door. Passing through it led to another identical palace, which in turn led only to yet another door...

After spending a long time searching, she could neither find a way out nor discover anything out of the ordinary. She wanted to use spells to determine her bearings, but no form of magic worked here.

That incomparably pure spiritual energy could now only sustain her endless physical stamina.

***

Qian Gui and Jiu Cang arrived outside the ice palace. Both sensed a succession of intense shockwaves that made it difficult to stand steady, let alone approach any closer.

Twenty meters away from the ice palace, the two could advance no further and could barely maintain their balance to avoid being blown away. The ice palace was built at the highest peak of Mount Tian, extremely cold and pure; even Heavenly Venerates could not contend with such frost storms.

"Qian Gui, what should we do?"

"Wait, look at the gate of the ice palace—something is amiss!"

Both looked up simultaneously to see a golden light flashing across the palace gates, bearing the inscription: *Xue Ze is here. Do not worry. Please return!*

Qian Gui was startled, then let out a sigh of relief as peace finally settled in his heart.

"Fortunately, Xue Ze hasn't gone anywhere else. Can you rest easy now?"

"Yes, I can rest easy!" After a moment of thought, Qian Gui descended alongside Jiu Cang.

The smile on Jiu Cang's lips never faded. The contemplation in his heart settled into a joyful serenity, completely opposite to Qian Gui's mood.

"Xue Ze is fine. Let's head back!"

"But what will the pure spiritual Qi of the ice palace do to Xue Ze? Even we cannot withstand it. Can she endure?"

"If you ask me, your disciple likely possesses immortal bone and spiritual roots. Perhaps she is the next Heavenly Maiden!"

Qian Gui glared at Jiu Cang. "Don't you dare harbor any schemes against my disciple!"

Jiu Cang laughed heartily and said dismissively, "What of it? Is this something either of us can decide?"

"Although the Mandate of Heaven cannot be defied and human lives must experience ups and downs, I would rather Xue Ze live a mundane, peaceful, and beautiful life!"

"I understand your meaning, but matters of destiny are not ours to dictate. We both witnessed the immense spiritual energy Xue Ze displayed at the Blue Lake last time. I advise you to prepare early!"

Qian Gui let out a cold snort and asked with dissatisfaction, "That kind of spiritual energy was produced by the Blue Lake's Spirit-Gathering Array. How can that be used to judge Xue Ze's immortal aptitude?"

Jiu Cang smiled and sighed, "Even if the Spirit-Gathering Array gathered the spiritual energy within her to make her manifest such extraordinary power, she must have possessed that vast reservoir of spiritual energy to begin with. Have you not felt it? The power within her is even greater than yours or mine!"

Before long, the two had descended to the snowfields. Standing at the edge of the snowy expanse, both looked somewhat worried.

"I heard Jian Rong say that Suo intends to enter the snowfields. Do you think he can get in?" Jiu Cang asked anxiously.

"The defenses of Mount Tian are probably insufficient to stop him, and with Xue Ze currently trapped in the ice palace, the burden falls entirely upon us. If he ascends, he will come fully prepared. We cannot interfere in mortal affairs, so we can only keep the people of Mount Tian under control and ensure no internal traitors stir up trouble!"

"Rest assured, I have already pacified Jian Rong. As for Bai Yu, we will have to rely on your senior disciple!" Jiu Cang patted Qian Gui's shoulder. "Forgive the grievance for a few more days; everything will be fine once the Heavenly Master comes out of seclusion."

Qian Gui nodded. "Very well, let us go modify the snowfield array first, lest any leaks occur and invite disaster!"

***

In the Profound Heart Mirror.

Just as Suo finished speaking, the Empress Dowager was both shocked and furious, utterly unable to suppress her emotions any longer.

"Why have you failed repeatedly of late? This is deeply disappointing!"

Suo remained unconcerned, even letting out a chuckle.

"Why despair? This is a good thing! A blessing in disguise—do you understand?"

The Empress Dowager tossed the mirror onto the table, refusing to look at Suo's face any longer.

"What on earth are you trying to do?"

"Though Jian Rong has been persuaded, it is only temporary. I still have many trump cards. Take this Profound Heart Mirror, for instance; I can make Bai Yu serve my purposes, and then drag Jian Rong down with her. As long as the women fight among themselves, the realm will fall into chaos, which suits my intentions precisely!"

"Hmph, how can you be certain everything will go as you wish?"

"As long as I can see Bai Yu, everything is negotiable. To some extent, Bai Yu is far more useful than Jian Rong. Jian Rong is full of malicious schemes and easily swayed, lacking Bai Yu's composure and tact. Furthermore, Bai Yu will be a great help in assisting me up the snowfields!"

The Empress Dowager smiled and picked up the mirror again. "Then I wish you success in subduing Bai Yu, and remember to return to the snowfields to fetch three snow lotuses for me!"

"Hahaha! Very well. But your vision is too narrow; I will bring back other things for you as well. This time, we can only succeed; failure is not an option. To ensure this, you must quickly persuade the West Sea Mansion and the Pingliang State to hand over their treasures!"

The Empress Dowager nodded. "I shall have to pay a heavy price then, as borrowing those treasures is exceedingly difficult! You had better not waste my efforts!"

"As long as you provide me with the treasures from those three places and I secure Bai Yu, none of this will be a problem. No matter how deceitful Jian Rong's honeyed words are, and no matter how formidable the snowfield barriers become, nothing on Mount Tian can stop me!"

"That is true. Your master's profound arts are already perfected, so what is there to fear from those people? However, you must not muddy the waters too deeply in this scheme. If you trigger the Great Tribulation of Mount Tian once more and a Heavenly Maiden descends out of nowhere, our plans will be ruined!"

"No rush, that would also have its benefits!"

The Empress Dowager flared up in anger. "I know you want to use the Heavenly Maiden to activate your divine artifact, but wouldn't two spirit maidens suffice? Do not cause any trouble that will make things difficult for me to handle!"

"No matter. If all goes smoothly, I naturally won't stir up trouble."

Suo smiled inwardly, thinking: *With your temper, I can tolerate you for at most a few more months. Once you hand over the treasures to me and help me unearth the Liguang Mirror, things will no longer be under your control! Why would I go through such elaborate pains to reach Mount Tian merely to fetch snow lotuses for you?*

"Once the three treasures are gathered, will you truly be able to find the Liguang Mirror? I still don't understand why you insist on bringing the Liguang Mirror up Mount Tian when you already possess the Fire Fan! Could it be to awaken it early and achieve your goal?"

Suo smiled wickedly. "Women are truly troublesome; that is not the case at all. The techniques I practice are designed to counter Mount Tian, as are my magic tools and spiritual pearls, which will inevitably clash with the snowfields. If I cannot protect myself and am discovered, wouldn't that be dangerous? The Liguang Mirror is a sacred artifact of Mount Tian that was lost to the mortal world, and it requires three treasures to resonate and reveal it. If I hold it, I can certainly enter the snowfields safely!"

"Is that so? Then I wish you success in advance!"

"Ah, right—do your snow lotuses have seeds?"

The Empress Dowager was taken aback. "Didn't she say that snow lotus seeds cannot be used? What, you don't believe her?"