Zanxing didn’t seem to have any habit of sleeping in late, or perhaps it was because the Extreme Ice Abyss was simply too cold – in such a place, sleeping an extra moment wasn’t as good as getting up and moving around to warm the body. In any case, usually when Bujiang woke up, Zanxing had already begun the second day’s climb, but today there was no movement.

Bujiang looked carefully. Zanxing sat with her head down, her expression unclear. Mimi was hiding in her embrace, only her ears visible. The flames in the Heavenly Fire Basket had already extinguished, and a thin layer of white snow covered the top.

Bujiang’s heart tightened. Zanxing treasured this Heavenly Fire Basket extremely and used it very sparingly – she would never let the fire basket fill with ice and snow. Unless the fire crystals inside the basket had been completely exhausted, and Zanxing couldn’t even put the fire basket back into her Qiankun Bag.

“Zanxing!” She called Zanxing’s name while condensing demonic essence and transferring it toward Zanxing, trying to drive away the cold from her body. However, when the demonic essence fell on Zanxing, it only flickered briefly before being repelled.

“Snow?” She was stunned. Zanxing’s body was covered with a thin layer of ice and snow.

She had stayed in the Extreme Ice Abyss for a full two years. During these two years, Gui Yansheng had thrown many demon race members to this place. She had personally witnessed many people like Zanxing who wanted to climb out of this abyss, but in the end, they all became statues in the ice cave, growing together with the Ice Abyss.

Those people, before they died, were also like this. First, their movements slowed down, gradually becoming sluggish and stiff, then they stopped moving, their entire bodies covered with a thin layer of ice and snow. Next, the ice and snow gradually thickened, layer upon layer pressing down, until finally, the person was wrapped in ice and snow, only a vague shadow of their former whole shape visible. The ice cave would grow out and swallow the person, never to see daylight again.

But Zanxing had been talking with her perfectly well last night – how could she have reached such a state by early morning?

Could it be that the Extreme Ice Abyss had experienced an extreme surge of cold air last night, directly exhausting the fire crystals in the Heavenly Fire Basket, while Zanxing, unaware of this in her sleep, allowed the snow of the Extreme Ice Abyss to cover her?

In one night, it had become like this.

Demonic essence continuously flew toward Zanxing’s body, only to be blocked back by the ice and snow. That thin layer of ice and snow could restrain demonic essence – once it adhered to a person’s body, breaking free was no easy task.

Bujiang suddenly realized something and jerked her head up, sending a cluster of demonic essence from her hand to illuminate a certain corner of the stone wall.

The names of demon cultivators who died in this place would all appear on the ice walls of the Extreme Ice Abyss – densely packed names representing thousands upon thousands of lost souls. Because being trapped here was truly boring, she would always count the names on it over and over again, every name memorized by heart. And now, she didn’t know when, another name had been added to this ice wall.

Three characters, lightly written, yet they made Bujiang’s face turn pale with shock.

Yang Zanxing.

……

The sound of lightning strikes on the Five Thunder Platform seemed to never stop.

Autumn rain dyed the maple leaves on the mountain red layer by layer, and the pattering sound of rain covered people’s footsteps.

Someone took advantage of the rain curtain to sneak in secretly.

He slipped to the edge of the Five Thunder Platform, was stopped by the formation, so he stood outside the formation, anxiously shouting to the person in the formation: “Master Uncle! Master Uncle!”

The person in the formation was half-buried in the ground. Because the heavenly thunder had become fiercer with each strike, he had endured it for a full twenty days, and the ground platform of the Five Thunder Platform had been split and sunken several inches by the heavenly thunder. He lay prostrate on the ground, his face unclear, only his bloody and mangled spine pierced by the Heart-Piercing Lock visible, along with white robes stained red with blood, as if he were already dead.

Mendong stretched out his hand, and from his palm floated a white spiritual herb. The spiritual herb swayed and flew toward the person in the formation, landing on him and transforming into countless white streams of light that merged into his body, until the person on the ground slowly moved his fingers and awakened.

Mendong was delighted: “Indeed, bringing some Spirit Dew Grass was useful.”

On the other side, Gu Baiying awakened and slowly propped himself up.

Through the heavy rain curtain, he looked carefully for a long while before seeming to recognize Mendong: “Mendong?”

“It’s me!” Across the formation, Mendong hurriedly shouted to him: “Master Uncle, I came to see you.” When he saw Gu Baiying’s condition clearly, Mendong was stunned again, hardly believing his own eyes, and spoke angrily: “How could they treat you like this?”

The young man who had always been unrestrained in the Taiyan Sect now seemed to have difficulty even supporting his own body. The rain washed away the bloodstains on his white robe, then slowly created even larger mottled stains, until the entire robe turned pale red. The Heart-Piercing Lock had not only penetrated his spine and chest, but seemed to have pierced through his former pride as well. Everyone might have times of disappointment and dejection, but this young man’s wretched appearance was particularly heartbreaking.

“Master Uncle…” He suddenly became somewhat choked up.

“I haven’t even cried, what are you crying for?” Gu Baiying smiled. The prolonged thunder punishment had made him very weak, and his voice had become somewhat hoarse. He spoke nonchalantly: “Don’t worry, it’s just thunder punishment – it won’t kill anyone.”

“Don’t try to comfort me,” Mendong wiped his eyes. “You’ve never suffered like this before. Those rotten old men are truly inhuman!”

Gu Baiying glanced at him with disdain: “It’s just a small matter. If you keep crying like this, don’t claim to be Gu Baiying’s martial nephew in the future.” He paused, then suddenly seemed to remember something, looking at Mendong strangely: “But how did you get in? Those old fellows guard this place very strictly and should be keeping strict watch against Taiyan Sect disciples… Don’t tell me that during the days I’ve been locked up, you got angry and worked hard, your cultivation improved by leaps and bounds, and you could even deceive the guards?”

This was originally said with some teasing. In the past, Mendong would have eagerly refuted, but today he didn’t speak.

“Why aren’t you talking?” Gu Baiying asked.

“Master Uncle…” Mendong’s voice was very soft.

“What?”

“I’m sorry.”

The rain became heavier. Thick, dark clouds drifted over from the horizon, shrouding the autumn colors among the mountains. Though it was daytime, it was as dark as night. Lightning rolled in the thick cloud layers, occasionally spilling a line of bright light through the gaps, tearing the rain curtain down the middle.

Gu Baiying’s smile gradually faded as he asked: “What did you do?”

Mendong suddenly knelt. In the past days on Gufeng Mountain, whenever he had angered Gu Baiying or made a mistake, he would always proactively kneel before Gu Baiying with a “thud.” He knew that when Gu Baiying saw him like this, at most he would scold him verbally, and mostly would let it pass lightly.

But today was different.

Mendong pressed his head against the cold stone surface, not daring to look up at Gu Baiying’s expression. He said, “Senior Sister Zanxing’s life tablet has shattered. She’s dead. Daoist Lingxin’s anger has largely dissipated. Master said that as long as you soften your stance and say you were bewitched by Senior Sister Zanxing, Chihua Gate will have a way to back down and won’t take your life. After all, now that the demon race is eyeing us covetously, if Chihua Gate and Taiyan Sect fight at this time, it would be bad for the entire cultivation world.”

“But… Master Uncle, with your temperament, even if you were reduced to ashes on the Heavenly Thunder Platform, you wouldn’t splash a drop of dirty water on Senior Sister Zanxing.”

“The rumors outside are spreading more and more wildly. Disciples from other sects say that you and Senior Sister Zanxing behaved intimately and had a deep friendship, saying you protected her for personal feelings.”

When young men and women are involved with romantic matters, rumors inevitably spread faster than anyone else’s.

“I…” The child bit his teeth and mustered courage to speak: “I told them that the reason you protected Senior Sister Zanxing was because you had raised a Qin Chong seed for ten years that was in her body, so you had no choice but to protect Senior Sister Zanxing everywhere. Because once Senior Sister Zanxing was in danger, the Qin Chong seed would also disappear. Your previous care and concern for her were all pretense, not to be taken seriously. As for why you wouldn’t say it, it was because of your proud nature, and also because matters concerning spiritual veins couldn’t be easily known by outsiders.” He suppressed his sobbing and insisted, “Master Uncle, I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have spread nonsense everywhere, but… but only this way could save your life. Senior Sister Zanxing is already gone. If something happens to you, too, who will investigate the truth for Senior Sister Zanxing in the future? Who will avenge her? As long as the green hills remain, there’s no fear of lacking firewood. Only by staying alive first can we plan for the future, right?”

This child, who only knew how to secretly read romance poetry on Gufeng Mountain, seemed to have grown up overnight.

The rain pattered down, falling on people in bundles. Mendong wasn’t wearing rain clothes, and the rain soaked him completely. He felt very cold and also very confused.

He didn’t know if what he was doing was right or wrong for the future, but at least now, this was the only reasonable excuse. Zanxing was already dead – the dead cannot be brought back to life, but at least they had to save the other one. The people of Chihua Gate accepted such an excuse. For them, the instigator was already dead, Gu Baiying had suffered twenty days of thunder punishment on the Five Thunder Platform, and half his cultivation was ruined – they had vented their anger sufficiently. It was better to quit while ahead, and they still had to give Taiyan Sect some face, so Mendong could slip in under the guards’ turning a blind eye.

Mendong waited for a long time without hearing Gu Baiying’s answer, and finally couldn’t help but slowly raise his head.

Through the rain curtain, Gu Baiying looked at him quietly. He wasn’t angry, nor did he lose his temper. Rain threads formed a layer of fine water droplets in his hair and on his body. He moved his lips and finally spoke bitterly: “You said her life tablet has shattered?”

Mendong was stunned.

“Lies.” The young man said decisively.

When Putao came last time, she had mentioned that Zanxing’s life tablet had shattered. Gu Baiying didn’t believe it, thinking she was making up lies to make him compromise with Chihua Gate.

Yang Zanxing wouldn’t die. Since she was of the demon race, no matter how useless she was, as long as she left the Ten Thousand Kill Formation, she should have some means of survival. Didn’t she still have secret treasures on her? Since those treasures could help her escape danger time and again, how could they fail to work in this situation?

“You’re lying to me.” He looked at Mendong, not knowing if he was speaking to Mendong or himself.

“He’s not lying to you.” Suddenly, a man’s voice interrupted.

Mendong turned around abruptly. From the rain curtain, a handsome man in golden-red robes gradually emerged. The patterns on his robe were as lively as ever, and his white hair was as pure as snow.

“Sect… Sect Master.” Mendong stammered.

Shaoyang Zhenren looked toward Gu Baiying and spoke calmly: “Yang Zanxing is already dead.”