Hearing the girl’s cry, Mu Qingyan, still two or three zhang from the ground, casually tossed Qian Xueshen aside. His left foot touched the ice wall, and his long sleeves spread like flowing clouds or a bat’s wings as he swiftly flew to Cai Zhao’s side, pulling her into his embrace. Cai Zhao’s teeth chattered lightly as she tried to calm herself.
By now, everyone had landed and began to survey their surroundings.
They were in an enormous ice cavern with an irregular circular bottom, about 50-60 zhang wide. Holes eroded by glaciers were everywhere. The top, where they had fallen through, was 70-80 zhang above the ground. From below, the huge crack looked only as big as a well opening—the entire ice cavern resembled a giant hollow ice urn, with them at its belly.
Most terrifying were the numerous grotesque corpses encased in the surrounding ice walls.
Through the semi-transparent ice, everyone could see these blue-purple, rigid bodies—faces twisted from starvation, unwilling expressions of those who died from exhaustion, the agony of those wounded and poisoned by the cold, and even some who had taken their own lives in despair after getting lost. The millennia-old ice preserved them lifelike, chilling everyone to the bone.
Cai Zhao asked through chattering teeth, “Are these all martial artists who died on the mountain?” She pointed at the weapons near the frozen corpses.
Mu Qingyan’s eyes were deep and his voice calm: “This snow mountain is divided. Some areas allow people to hunt and gather to make a living, but others are forbidden territories—these dead entered places they shouldn’t have.”
Cai Zhao grew anxious: “Have we entered a forbidden area now?”
Mu Qingyan remained silent.
As Cai Zhao was about to speak again, her gaze suddenly fixed on something beyond his shoulder, both frightened and confused. “…This person was still alive when they died.”
This strange statement made Mu Qingyan turn to look. In the upper southeast corner of the ice wall was a seated corpse, hands grasping a wooden fork skewering roasted sausages, one cheek bulging, clearly in the act of eating.
However, its expression was one of shock, eyes wide open, as if it had seen something terrifying—and then, everything had been frozen at that moment.
Mu Qingyan’s expression grew even more serious as he gripped the girl’s small hand painfully tight.
As everyone began to recover from their shock, Zhou Zhiqin shoved Jin Baohui to the ground and furiously berated Hu Tianwei: “You greedy, unprincipled scoundrel! Lan Tianyu warned you not to move the statue, but you stubbornly did it anyway. Now you’ve caused us all to fall into this hundred-zhang deep pit. It’s all your fault!”
Hu Tianwei coldly replied, “I’ll move the statue if I want to. No one can stop me!”
Dong Fangxiao also raged, “Your master, Elder Tianji, was a formidable figure who once struck fear across the land, with hundreds or thousands of followers. How could a mere jade statue bewitch you so?”
Mu Qingyan laughed coldly, “Don’t be fooled by Mr. Hu’s fine clothes, elders. He’s likely putting on airs while struggling to get by. When Duan Jiuxiu died, their faction became like crippled wild dogs—either killed under Cai Heroine’s execution order or hiding in deep mountains and cold valleys, living in constant fear. Later, when they heard Nie Hengcheng had died, they tried to return to the demonic cult to stir up trouble.”
“But while Nie Zhe failed in external conflicts, he excelled at internal strife. Moreover, Duan Jiuxiu had made too many enemies in his time. In short order, the original Tianji faction was completely expelled from the demonic cult. Rejected by both the righteous martial world and ostracized by the demonic cult, Mr. Hu has likely been in hiding these past years, unable to maintain his former lifestyle.”
These words were extremely cutting. Hu Tianwei’s face fluctuated between red and blue, filled with both shame and venom.
Dong Fangxiao suddenly understood, “I see now. I heard Nie Zhe wanted to elevate a demonic cult vixen to an elder position. With so many vacant elder positions from those who had passed, he specifically chose to have that vixen succeed Elder Tianji. So that’s why. Indeed, when people leave, the building empties; when people go, the tea grows cold…”
Hu Tianwei roared in anger and lunged at Dong Fangxiao. Zhou Zhiqin stepped forward with his sword to protect his dear friend. There was a metallic clash as the two were forced back several steps.
Only then did everyone see that Hu Tianwei was holding a pair of iron-colored ghost-headed judge’s pens.
Zhou Zhiqin flourished his sword before him, its edge emitting a faint hum. He declared proudly, “Demonic cult fiend, utterly shameless, resorting to sneak attacks as usual. If you want to fight, then fight! I’ll gladly oblige!”
As they were about to clash, Lan Tianyu quickly intervened, “Enough, enough! This isn’t a martial arts arena, it’s an ice cavern in the mountain’s belly. There are millennia of accumulated snow hanging above our heads! If we make too much noise, we might collapse the cavern. Then none of us will be able to get out!”
Jin Baohui, sitting on the ground and panting, said, “Old Lan is right. Everyone, calm down. Let’s at least get out of this hellhole before settling scores. I don’t want to be buried alive in this ice cavern.”
“After all that trouble and nearly falling to our deaths, where’s the jade goddess statue?” Qian Xueshen limped around, searching.
Mentioning this angered Jin Baohui, who pointed at a foot-wide ice hole on the ground, “It rolled in there. We’ve truly lost both people and wealth!… Why are you just standing there? Come help me up!” The latter half was directed at his two remaining guards.
Before falling into the ice cavern, he had four guards left. During the fall, one had landed headfirst, his skull cracking open and killing him instantly. The second landed on his body, breaking his arms, legs, and several ribs which punctured his lungs, leading to his quick death.
The two guards who fell later were luckier. One happened to land on the bodies of the first two, while the other was caught by Zhou Zhiqin, who had managed to free a hand. Both only suffered minor injuries.
The two guards helped Jin Baohui to the side as Lan Tianyu lit a torch to survey the surroundings.
Qinong huddled in a corner, holding the feverish Chen Fuguang, her tears falling on his flushed face.
“There are many tunnels around, but we don’t know where they lead. It’s best not to risk exploring them,” Lan Tianyu said, putting away his torch. “We have no choice but to return the way we came.”
Jin Baohui looked grim, pointing at the concave ice walls around them. He shouted, “The walls are already slippery, and they curve inward. How can we climb out?!”
Given his obesity and weight, it was manageable for someone to catch him while falling, but climbing would be challenging. It would take at least Zhou Zhiqin and Dong Fangxiao working together to carry him.
What about the others with poor lightness skills?
Lan Tianyu remained composed. He took iron caltrops from his boot soles, wrapped them in cloth bands on his palms, and with a clang, struck them into the slippery ice wall as handholds. With a kick of his feet, he began climbing the wall like a gecko.
Seeing this, others followed suit, finding it effective.
Hu Tianwei finally showed a hint of a smile: “As expected of an expert. This is a good idea.”
At this moment, Qinong approached timidly, begging to bring along the feverish Chen Fuguang. Hu Tianwei backhanded her, sending her flying, and sneered, “You shameless slut, already going soft after touching a man?” The rest of his words were too vulgar to repeat.
Ignoring her split lip, Qinong knelt and repeatedly kowtowed, begging. Within moments, her forehead began to bleed.
Chen Fuguang struggled to stop her, but could barely move.
The scene resembled a melodramatic soap opera, beloved by village aunties.
Zhou Zhiqin couldn’t bear to watch and wanted to help, but Jin Baohui stopped him: “We both belong to the Six Northern Chen Sects. You and Dong Fangxiao will help me up later. Surely you don’t intend to abandon me to save that demon Chen Shu’s brother?”
The Northern Chen Sects and the Demonic Cult were mortal enemies for generations. Hearing this, Zhou Zhiqin halted.
Cai Zhao also wanted to help, but she couldn’t be sure if Chen Fuguang had never done evil. What if she saved a bad person?
Unexpectedly, after humiliating Qinong, Hu Tianwei suddenly agreed to help. After all, Chen Fuguang was thin, only half Jin Baohui’s weight, making him much easier to carry.
Everyone prepared and began carefully climbing the ice wall.
Lan Tianyu climbed first, followed by the others, with Mu Qingyan, Cai Zhao, and Qian Xueshen last.
Qian Xueshen urged anxiously, “Let’s hurry up! They might seal the opening after climbing out, leaving us to die!”
Cai Zhao objected, “Even if Hu Tianwei has ill intentions, Uncle Zhou is there. They’ll wait for us at the opening.”
Mu Qingyan said nothing, silently observing Hu Tianwei’s climbing form before moving.
Following Lan Tianyu’s guidance, everyone avoided the ice corpses to prevent breaking the relatively weak ice layers.
Every few people’s distance, Mu Qingyan created small holes in the ice wall, making climbing easier for the girl and Qian Xueshen behind him. The two guards, being the least skilled, fell behind, naturally following Mu Qingyan’s group.
The ice, formed over centuries or millennia, was incredibly hard. Striking it with bare hands was like hitting iron, rapidly depleting one’s inner strength. Zhou Zhiqin looked slightly worried, while Hu Tianwei watched Mu Qingyan with a smug smile, seemingly waiting for him to exhaust himself.
However, after sixty or seventy strikes, climbing halfway up the wall, Mu Qingyan remained unfazed, his strikes unwavering.
Now it was Hu Tianwei’s turn to change expression.
“We’re almost there!” Lan Tianyu called out joyfully.
The bright opening was within reach. Zhou Zhiqin and Dong Fangxiao, close behind, also smiled, along with Jin Baohui, suspended between them by cloth straps, his grin nearly splitting his face.
Suddenly, Mu Qingyan stopped, his expression grave: “Do you hear footsteps above the ice layer, coming towards us?”
Cai Zhao was startled. Qian Xueshen, sweating profusely, said, “What? Footsteps? I don’t hear anything.”
“No, there are footsteps,” Cai Zhao focused, listening intently.
By now, Zhou Zhiqin, Hu Tianwei, and others also heard the footsteps above. Before anyone could react, a familiar, chilling howl pierced the air as a massive, ferocious white figure lunged at the ice opening.
“It’s the Snow Mountain Bai Mane Beast! Ah…” Lan Tianyu screamed frantically.
Half his body was caught in the beast’s jaws, his agonized screams echoing.
The sudden attack left everyone momentarily stunned.
Zhou Zhiqin reacted first, freeing a hand to draw his sword. But the clever beast swerved, lunging straight for Jin Baohui. Its sharp claws slashed out, cutting through the two cloth straps.
Terrified, Jin Baohui fell, screaming like a slaughtered pig, his flailing limbs useless.
If allowed to fall, Jin Baohui would surely die.
With one hand on the ice wall and the other holding his sword, Zhou Zhiqin couldn’t act. Seeing this, Dong Fangxiao leaped towards Jin Baohui, barely catching his belt.
Freed from his burden, Zhou Zhiqin roared, swinging his sword at the Bai Mane Beast, seeking vengeance for his beloved disciple. Hearing movement behind it, the beast turned, thrusting Lan Tianyu, still in its mouth, towards Zhou Zhiqin.
Seeing Lan Tianyu’s blood-covered face and half his body in the beast’s massive jaws, Zhou Zhiqin had to change tactics mid-air. He twisted, concentrating all his power into a heavy side slash.
The powerful strike made the beast release Lan Tianyu in pain. He fell straight down before everyone’s eyes.
With Dong Fangxiao holding Jin Baohui and Hu Tianwei carrying Chen Fuguang, no one was free to help. As Lan Tianyu was about to fall to his death, Cai Zhao quickly threw out her silver chain to catch him. Due to the distance, Lan Tianyu’s momentum nearly pulled Cai Zhao down, but Mu Qingyan leaped down to grab her.
Hu Tianwei, now enraged, tossed Chen Fuguang to Qinong and the mute old servant, leaping up to join the fight against the Bai Mane Beast.
Zhou Zhiqin continued slashing with his sword, but the beast’s body was incredibly strong its hide-like metal. The sword could only inflict minor wounds, further enraging it. With a howl, it suddenly lunged at Dong Fangxiao below.
Caught off guard and with both hands occupied, Dong Fangxiao was kicked hard in the chest by the beast’s hind legs. He coughed blood and slid down seven or eight zhang with Jin Baohui before managing to grab the ice wall.
Zhou Zhiqin knew the beast was injured and needed to finish it off quickly.
Hu Tianwei finally reached them, throwing one of his judge’s pens. It struck the beast’s right eye, causing thick reddish-brown liquid to spurt out. The Bai Mane Beast howled in agony.
Zhou Zhiqin grinned, “You beast, your time has come!” He moved to deliver the final blow.
Suddenly, another familiar, owl-like screech came from the ice cavern opening above. An even larger Bai Mane Beast leaped down, roaring.
There were two Snow Mountain Bai Mane Beasts?!
Everyone was shocked.