The young man from the Shang family had reached the Tenfold Heaven Nirvana realm, his spirit energy carefully concealed. The glacial chill in his gaze was unmistakable - clearly one of those prodigies among the family's direct lineage who'd mastered their cultivation. Beside him stood two ice-servants, also at the Nirvana realm, yet their swirling cold mist paled against the youth's formidable aura.

Though both shared the same cultivation level, this young man exuded an intrinsic chill in his very bones - sinews and marrow seemingly forged from crystallized frost. He'd learned to mask his icy energy so well that those nearby would fail to recognize him as a Shang heir unless they possessed exceptional perception abilities.

With deliberate pacing, he maintained a respectful distance behind three veiled Youmei Clan maidens wandering through the bustling marketplace. The crowd surged around them like an unrelenting tide, yet the masked beauties remained oblivious to their pursuer's presence.

A hundred paces further back in the throng, Ji Changkong moved silently as a shadow, his gaze fixed on the trio of veiled beauties.

Veiled from head to toe, the Youmei sisters drifted through the eastern district into the western quarter and onward toward the southern market area. Their luminous eyes darted between every stall with furtive intensity, clearly searching for something specific.

When they finally abandoned their search hours later, disappointment clouded their features as they whispered amongst themselves before departing northward from the marketplace.

The moment the trio disappeared beyond the market walls, the Shang youth immediately tensed. He murmured instructions to his two ice-servants who promptly vanished into the distance after the Youmei sisters. Rather than rushing forward, he leisurely perused more stalls before fading into the crowd himself.

Ji Changkong silently marveled at this twist of fate - without those two ice-servants as obstacles, dealing with the youth would be far easier. As soon as his rival left the market district, the Youmei heir dissolved like a wisp of frost, vanishing in an instant through spatial distortions.

Closing his eyes briefly to trace residual cold energies, Ji Changkong quickly located the direction of their escape. After obtaining "Yao Ming Leng Yan," his perception of icy forces had reached new heights. With mental senses expanded, the Youmei heir's hidden form gradually materialized in his awareness.

With a single motion, he bridged spatial distances. Through rippling distortions, he suddenly emerged over one hundred li away - where five elderly men wreathed in glacial mist surrounded the Youmei sisters in a mountain ravine. Their ice chains slithered like serpents through the air, weaving an eerie white barrier that encircled the trio.

Among these attackers were the youth's two accompanying ice-servants, while three additional middle-aged figures also bore soul-sealed frost crystals - likely more of his master's disciples. The mountain stream exhaled mist laced with biting cold as each writhing chain lowered temperatures dangerously. Cracks spread through the air itself as space began to freeze around them.

The Youmei sisters gritted their teeth, shivering violently against the encroaching chill that left them vulnerable within the icy prison.

"Great Ice Seal!"

The five elders roared in unison as their chains entwined. A crushing wave of cold erupted from the interlocked weapons, dragging up frozen river currents like coiling dragons. The water burst skyward before freezing instantly into a massive square block of ice - five chains now constricting its walls with relentless force.

Within this prison of frost, three figures struggled desperately, their movements becoming increasingly sluggish as the sealing technique's effects took hold.

Finally emerging from behind a nearby ice boulder, the Shang youth smiled faintly. "Well done," he said to his waiting followers.

"Your praise is too generous, Young Master," they bowed collectively.

"You!" A veiled voice erupted from within the ice block. Though filled with fury, the young woman's tone carried melodic clarity. "Who are you? Why have you captured us three sisters?"

"My name is Shang Shaowu." The youth smiled smoothly.

"Shang Shaowu!" She gasped in recognition before hissing, "I've heard of you - a rising prodigy from your clan! Why attack us? We don't even know you!"

"I'm well aware you don't recognize me," he mused. "But I certainly know who you are - the Rose Trifecta of Youmei Clan: Ye Meizi, Ye Yue, and Ye Xiang!"

"What do you want?" Her eyes now held genuine fear.

"Tell me what you're searching for." Shang Shaowu chuckled darkly. "Unlike other young masters in my family, I have no interest in beauty. You needn't worry about being humiliated. Simply reveal your mission at the marketplace and I'll release you immediately - with apologies and generous gifts."

"We were merely collecting cultivation materials!" The defiant voice snapped. "And now you imprison us? Is this how noble Shang clan treats guests?" She lifted her chin defiantly. "Do you think other star races won't notice if they discover your cruelty?"

"Your Highness," an ice-servant suddenly interjected, "our Great Ice Seal can only hold for another half-cycle."

Nodding solemnly, the youth abandoned his pretense of civility. "Very well - let's be direct." A breath of frigid mist escaped his lips before vanishing into the ice block. Instantly, visible white vapors began slithering from the girls' nostrils and eyes like spectral worms.

Their bodies convulsed violently as even their soul oceans shimmered with cold glimmers. Hidden in darkness, Ji Changkong could sense those frigid currents invading their very souls - the most vulnerable sanctuaries of any Immortal's power. The resulting agony would be amplified exponentially through their consciousness itself.

The two younger sisters began wailing like tormented spirits as their elder sister fought to remain composed.

"Miss Ye Meizi," Shang Shaowu said mockingly, "your little sisters need not suffer so much. King Bing and your Youmei Clan have no history together yet you still aid him? If you cooperate fully, my family will reward your clan handsomely - ten thousand Yuanjing crystals immediately. How about that?"

"King Bing is indeed in our territory," she gritted out through tears. "But I don't know his exact location!"

"Why not?" His expression darkened. "As daughters of the Youmei Clan's leader, you should certainly be aware! Or perhaps you believe my mercy has limits? Shall we try another approach?"

"I truly don't know!" She sobbed desperately. "Only our elders might have that knowledge! Kill me if you must - I cannot help further!"

"Ah," Shang Shaowu sighed dramatically, "then it seems your cooperation won't come easily." He raised a hand as if to finish them...

"Just a moment!" A new voice suddenly cut through the air. Ji Changkong materialized from nowhere, his gaze fixed on the trapped beauties rather than their captor. "Such exquisite Youmei sisters dying here would be tragic indeed! While your noble self resists temptation, I personally find it hard to resist..." With a sudden gesture, he unleashed an enormous claw-shaped shadow that crashed into the ice block.

Crumbling sounds erupted as the prison shattered mid-air - freeing all three captives. The five ice-servants collapsed bloodied and pale from the strain of their failed technique.