Mu Qingyan heard the girl's startled cry and casually tossed Qian Xueshen aside when they were still two or three zhang from the ground. With a light tap of his left foot against the ice wall, his long sleeves billowed like flowing clouds or bat wings as he swiftly leaped to Cai Zhao's side, pulling her into his embrace. Cai Zhao's teeth chattered faintly, but she forced herself to remain composed.
By now, everyone had landed and began surveying their surroundings.
They found themselves in a massive ice cavern. The floor formed an irregular circle spanning fifty to sixty zhang in diameter, riddled with openings carved by glacial erosion. Above them was the ice layer they had fallen through, nearly seventy to eighty zhang high—the enormous fracture from below appearing no larger than a well's mouth. The entire cavern resembled a colossal hollow ice urn, with them now trapped deep within its belly.
Most horrifying were the numerous corpses frozen within the surrounding ice walls, their forms twisted in agony.
Through the translucent ice, the group could clearly see the stiff, bluish-purple bodies—faces contorted from starvation, expressions of unwillingness from exhaustion, the torment of those who succumbed to cold poison after injuries, and several who had taken their own lives in despair after losing their way. Preserved vividly by the eternal ice, these sights sent chills down their spines.
Cai Zhao's teeth trembled as she spoke, "Are... are these all Martial World travelers who died on the mountain?" She pointed at the weapons beside the frozen corpses.
Mu Qingyan's eyes darkened, his voice calm. "This snowy mountain has clear boundaries. Some areas allow hunting and gathering to sustain families, while others are forbidden territories—these corpses ventured where they shouldn't have."
Cai Zhao grew fearful. "Have we entered a forbidden area now?"
Mu Qingyan remained silent.
Just as Cai Zhao was about to speak again, her gaze suddenly fixed on something beyond his shoulder, filled with both terror and confusion. "...This person was still alive when they died."
The odd statement made Mu Qingyan turn. In the southeastern corner of the ice wall sat a corpse in a seated position, hands clutching a wooden skewer threaded with roasted sausage, one cheek bulging—clearly frozen mid-meal.
Yet the expression on its face was one of utter shock, eyes wide as if witnessing something terrifying—then everything was frozen in that instant.
Mu Qingyan's expression grew graver, his grip on the girl's hand tightening painfully.
As the group began recovering from their shock, Zhou Zhiqin shoved Jin Baohui to the ground, roaring in fury, "Hu Tianwei, you avaricious, dishonorable wretch! Even Lan Tianyu warned against moving the statue, yet you stubbornly refused to listen. Now you've doomed us all to this hundred-zhang-deep pit—this is all your fault!"
Hu Tianwei sneered coldly. "I'll move whatever statues I please—no one has the right to stop me!"
Dongfang Xiao also fumed, "Your master, Elder Tianji, was once a formidable hero who commanded thousands. How could a mere Jade Goddess Statue drive you to such madness?!"
Mu Qingyan let out a cold laugh. "Esteemed elders, don't be fooled by Young Master Hu's lavish attire—he's likely just putting on airs while living in hardship. After Duan Jiuxiu's death, their faction became nothing but broken-backed strays, either slaughtered under Heroine Cai's execution orders or hiding in remote mountains, trembling in fear. When Nie Hengcheng later died, they tried slinking back into the Demonic Cult to stir up trouble again.""Who would have thought that Nie Zhe, though incompetent in external conflicts, was quite adept at internal strife. Coupled with Duan Jiuxiu having made too many enemies in his time, Nie Zhe swiftly expelled the entire Tianji faction from the Demonic Cult. Neither accepted by the righteous factions nor tolerated by the Demonic Cult, this Hu fellow must have been hiding and fleeing all these years, hardly enjoying the luxuries of his former life."
These words were utterly cutting. Hu Tianwei's face flushed with alternating shades of anger and humiliation, his expression a mix of shame and venom.
Dongfang Xiao suddenly understood, "Ah, now I see. I’d heard before that Nie Zhe wanted to elevate a demonic enchantress to the position of elder. With so many vacancies left by deceased elders, he insisted on having her succeed as Elder Tianji. So that’s how it was. Truly, when the man’s gone, the house is empty; when the tea’s cold, the guests leave..."
With a furious roar, Hu Tianwei lunged at Dongfang Xiao. Zhou Zhiqin swiftly stepped forward, sword raised to shield his close friend. A metallic clang rang out as the two were forced several steps apart by the impact.
Only then did the others notice that Hu Tianwei had somehow produced a pair of sinister, iron-gray Judge’s Pens.
Zhou Zhiqin flicked his sword before him, its blade humming faintly. He declared boldly, "Demonic Cult scum, devoid of shame—ambush is second nature to you. If you want a fight, I’ll gladly oblige!"
As tensions threatened to erupt into violence, Lan Tianyu quickly stood up. "Enough, enough! This isn’t a training ground—it’s an ice cavern inside a mountain, with millennia of snow hanging above us! Too much commotion might collapse the cavern, and then none of us will get out!"
Jin Baohui, panting on the ground, added, "Old Lan’s right. Everyone, calm down. Let’s at least get out of this damned place first. I don’t want to be buried alive in this ice cave."
"After all this trouble and nearly falling to our deaths, where’s that Jade Goddess Statue?" Qian Xueshen limped around, searching.
At the mention of this, Jin Baohui grew furious, pointing at a foot-wide hole in the ice. "It rolled down there! Damn it, losing both the treasure and my men!... What are you all standing around for? Come help me up!" The latter was directed at his two remaining guards.
Before falling into the cavern, he had four guards. During the fall, one had landed headfirst, his skull splitting open on impact—dead instantly. The second had landed body-first, snapping his arms and legs, with broken ribs piercing his lungs—he soon stopped breathing.
The last two guards were luckier. One had landed on the corpses of the first two, while Zhou Zhiqin, now free-handed, had managed to pull the other to safety. Both suffered only minor injuries.
The two guards helped Jin Baohui to the side as Lan Tianyu lit a firestarter to survey their surroundings.
Qi Nong huddled nearby, cradling the feverish and burning-hot Chen Fuguang, her tears dripping onto his flushed face.
"There are many passages around, but we don’t know where they lead. Best not to risk it," Lan Tianyu said, extinguishing the firestarter. "No other choice—we should retrace our steps."
Jin Baohui’s face darkened as he gestured at the concave ice walls. "They’re already slippery, and the walls curve inward! How are we supposed to climb out?"
Especially for someone as heavy as him—being caught during the fall was one thing, but climbing out would require assistance, likely from both Zhou Zhiqin and Dongfang Xiao working together.
But what about the others whose lightness skills were lacking?Lan Tianyu remained composed. He retrieved iron caltrops from his boot soles, wrapped them in cloth strips, and with a clang, embedded them into the slippery ice wall to serve as handholds. Pushing off with his feet, he began scaling the wall like a gecko.
Seeing this, the others quickly followed suit and found the method effective.
Hu Tianwei finally cracked a smile. "As expected of an expert. This is a fine idea."
At that moment, Qi Nong approached hesitantly, pleading to bring along the feverish Chen Fuguang. Hu Tianwei backhanded her, sending her flying, and sneered, "What a shameless harlot, going weak at the knees the moment you cling to a man?" The rest of his words were even more vulgar.
Ignoring her split lip, Qi Nong knelt and kowtowed desperately, her forehead soon bleeding from the force.
Chen Fuguang struggled to stop her but could barely move.
For a moment, the scene resembled the melodramatic tragedies beloved by village gossips.
Zhou Zhiqin couldn’t bear it and moved to intervene, but Jin Baohui blocked him. "We both belong to the Big Dipper Six Sects. Later, you and Dongfang Xiao will help pull me up. Do you really intend to abandon me to save Chen Shu, the Demon’s brother?!"
The North Star and the Demonic Cult had been mortal enemies for generations. At these words, Zhou Zhiqin halted.
Cai Zhao also wanted to step in but hesitated, unsure whether Chen Fuguang was truly innocent. What if she ended up saving a villain?
—Unexpectedly, after humiliating Qi Nong, Hu Tianwei suddenly agreed. After all, Chen Fuguang was slender, weighing only half as much as Jin Baohui, making him far easier to carry.
Once prepared, the group began their cautious ascent up the ice wall.
Lan Tianyu led the climb, followed by the others, with Mu Qingyan, Cai Zhao, and their companions bringing up the rear.
Qian Xueshen urged impatiently, "Hurry up! If they seal the entrance after climbing up, we’re done for!"
Cai Zhao frowned. "Even if Hu Tianwei has ill intentions, Uncle Zhou is still there. They’ll wait for us at the entrance."
Mu Qingyan remained silent, quietly observing Hu Tianwei’s climbing form before finally moving.
Following Lan Tianyu’s guidance, they avoided areas with frozen corpses to prevent cracking the weaker ice layers.
Mu Qingyan periodically struck small handholds into the ice wall at intervals, easing the climb for Cai Zhao and Qian Xueshen behind him. The two guards, lacking both cultivation and climbing skills, quickly fell behind and naturally joined Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao’s group.
The ice, hardened over centuries, was as unyielding as iron. Striking it barehanded drained Inner Force rapidly. Zhou Zhiqin showed slight concern, but Hu Tianwei watched with glee, as if anticipating Mu Qingyan’s exhaustion.
Yet after sixty or seventy strikes, halfway up the wall, Mu Qingyan remained composed, his palms steady without the slightest tremor.
Now it was Hu Tianwei’s turn to pale.
"We’re almost there!" Lan Tianyu exclaimed joyfully.
The bright opening above was within reach. Zhou Zhiqin and Dongfang Xiao, close behind, smiled in relief, as did Jin Baohui, suspended from them by a makeshift harness, his grin nearly splitting his face.
Suddenly, Mu Qingyan froze, his expression grave. "Do you hear footsteps above the ice? They’re heading our way."
Cai Zhao paused, startled. Qian Xueshen, drenched in sweat, stammered, "F-footsteps? No, I don’t hear anything."
"No, there are footsteps," Cai Zhao murmured, straining to listen.At that moment, Zhou Zhiqin, Hu Tianwei, and the others also heard footsteps above the ice layer. Before anyone could react, a familiar, chilling howl pierced the air as a ferocious, massive white shadow lunged toward the opening in the ice.
"It's the Snow Mountain White-haired Hou! Ah—" Lan Tianyu screamed hysterically.
Half of his body was clamped in the beast's jaws, and he let out a bloodcurdling shriek of agony.
The suddenness of the attack left everyone momentarily stunned.
Zhou Zhiqin was the first to react, freeing one hand to draw his sword. But the White-haired Hou was cunning—it swiftly circled around and pounced straight at Jin Baohui, its razor-sharp claws slashing horizontally. With two sharp rips, two of his belts were severed.
Terrified out of his wits, Jin Baohui plummeted downward with a pig-like squeal of fear, flailing his limbs uselessly.
If left to fall like this, he would surely die.
However, Zhou Zhiqin had one hand gripping the ice wall and the other holding his sword. Seeing the situation, Dongfang Xiao had no choice but to leap toward Jin Baohui, barely managing to grab his belt.
Now unhindered, Zhou Zhiqin roared and charged at the White-haired Hou with his sword, seeking vengeance for his beloved son. Hearing the commotion behind it, the beast turned its head and thrust Lan Tianyu—still clamped in its jaws—straight at Zhou Zhiqin.
Seeing Lan Tianyu, his face covered in blood, weakly moaning with half his body trapped in the beast's maw, Zhou Zhiqin had to abruptly change tactics. Mid-air, he twisted his body, channeling all his strength into a powerful diagonal slash.
The force behind this strike was extraordinary. The White-haired Hou yelped in pain and released its grip, sending Lan Tianyu plummeting right before everyone's eyes.
Dongfang Xiao was holding Jin Baohui, and Hu Tianwei was carrying Chen Fuguang—no one had a free hand. Just as Lan Tianyu was about to meet his death, Cai Zhao swiftly flung out her silver chain, wrapping it around him. The distance was great, and Lan Tianyu's momentum was fierce—Cai Zhao nearly got pulled down herself, but Mu Qingyan leaped down just in time to steady her.
Hu Tianwei, now enraged, tossed Chen Fuguang to Qi Nong and the mute old servant before charging upward to join the fight against the White-haired Hou.
Zhou Zhiqin continued slashing and thrusting with his sword, but the beast's body was sturdy, its hide like metal. No matter how he struck, he could only inflict superficial wounds, which only enraged it further. With a furious howl, it suddenly lunged at Dongfang Xiao below.
Caught off guard and with both hands occupied, Dongfang Xiao took a brutal kick to the chest from the beast's hind legs. He spat out a mouthful of blood and, still holding Jin Baohui, slid down seven or eight zhang before barely managing to grab the ice wall again.
Zhou Zhiqin knew the White-haired Hou was already injured—now was the time to press the attack and finish it off.
Just then, Hu Tianwei finally reached the beast and hurled his judge's pen, striking the White-haired Hou squarely in its right eye. Thick, reddish-brown fluid gushed out as the beast let out an ear-splitting howl of agony.
Zhou Zhiqin laughed coldly. "White-furred beast, your time has come!" He moved in for the kill.
—But at that very moment, another familiar, owl-like screech echoed from the ice cave opening above. An even larger White-haired Hou roared as it leaped down.
There were actually two Snow Mountain White-haired Hous?!
Everyone was stunned.
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