“Whoosh… whoosh…” Just then, a fierce gale swept around the Rushi Gate, and from the highest heavens, a majestic eagle descended, transforming mid-fall into a man who landed steadily before the crowd.

“Birdman!” Ye Xiu recognized him instantly just by the cloth strip covering his face and called out. He extended his hand for a high-five. “Didn’t expect you here, too.”

“Oh ho, another dead bird!” Seeing an old acquaintance, Old Liu cracked a joke as well. “Your eyes still haven't recovered, huh?”

The Birdman nodded to Ye Xiu, retracting his wings. However, this time, seeing Ye Xiu brought a hint of doubt: “Damn, my Riyang Clan and the Jiuhua Buddhist Village are already close allies, and I’m especially close with Changkong. But Ye Xiu, it’s been a while, and I sense a lot of chaotic soul energy stirring within your body.”

“We’ll talk about that later. Changkong, please lead the way,” Ye Xiu urged, feeling that adding more strength to their party increased their odds of success. He was eager to step through the Rushi Gate.

At that moment, Changkong moved his prayer beads, and golden radiance erupted from the entire frame of the Rushi Gate. An aura of profound distinction poured out from within the doorway. Changkong then took out another string of beads and hung them over the threshold: “Once the Rushi Gate is opened, it must be closed before this entire string of beads falls. Otherwise, not only will the Dizang Sarira seal be broken, but a brand-new, aberrant life force will coalesce. Whether that benefits all living beings or harms them, I cannot say.”

“Eighteen beads, and one already fell!” Old Liu exclaimed in surprise. At that instant, a bead slid silently off the string onto the threshold. He urged them quickly, “Aren’t we going in? One already dropped! Your timing mechanism is completely unreliable.”

Changkong and the Birdman exchanged a look, and Changkong stepped through the Rushi Gate first, followed by the Birdman, and then Old Liu. Ye Xiu gazed at the cloud cover inside the gateway and was the last to enter. He didn’t care about the new aberrant life force; in his view, what Kasyapa mentioned—Hong Ling and himself—were both aberrant life forces, making little difference to the entire mortal realm, good or bad. The instant he crossed the threshold, a merciless north wind howled through, and snow as large as goose feathers lashed his face, making him let out a shiver and a yawn.

“Achoo…” Old Liu, dressed in summer clothes, was naturally freezing. He hugged his arms, observing their surroundings. The four of them now stood inside a palace of white snow, the entire grand hall constructed from tens of thousands of tons of ice. Though the hall had no doors, it branched off in all directions, and the transparent ice formed a mirror almost everywhere.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be the Wumang Mountain? Why is it a palace instead of a peak?” Ye Xiu walked to the edge and tested an ice pillar with his black flames, but no matter how he burned it, the pillar showed no sign of melting.

The well-traveled Birdman explained, “This must be ten-thousand-year-old Profound Ice. The one sealed inside should be Beiming Snow Marquis Mei Lengshuang.”

Changkong stared intently at their surroundings. Strange silhouettes occasionally flickered across the mirror-like ice walls. He murmured, “The Dizang Sarira only seals the Five Lords of the Underworld in one place to prevent their escape. However, everything within this sealed domain is governed by the power of the Five Lords themselves. Since this place is filled with snow, this must be Mei Lengshuang’s palace.”

“Whoosh! Whoosh!” As the four hesitated, a fierce gale, sharp as blades, scraped from the depths of the palace, and a wave of cold air condensed mid-air, howling fiercely.

“Be careful!” Changkong shook his prayer beads, summoning a golden lotus which rose up, perfectly shielding the three of them. With a resounding clang, a long blade made of ice shattered against it.

“Whoa!” Ye Xiu, standing further away, suddenly found himself isolated in a corner. Seeing the icy projectile of cold air fly toward him, he instinctively drew his sickle to block. Although the ice blade shattered into two pieces, it heavily grazed his cheek. Black blood instantly oozed out and froze over.

“Who dares trespass into the ice palace of this Marquis of the Northern Darkness?” A woman’s voice resonated, carrying an overbearing aura despite the cold air. As she spoke, several more ice blades rushed out, borne on the north wind.

Clang, clang… Ye Xiu darted behind Changkong. At this moment, Changkong held the golden lotus higher before him; it functioned like an unbreakable wall, steadily shattering the attacking ice blades.

“What? The Beiming Blood Marquis is a woman?” Old Liu was both surprised and delighted. He quickly called out to Ye Xiu, “Leave this Beiming Snow Marquis to me. You guys find a way through to the next area.”

“Good!” The Birdman and Changkong spoke in unison, already searching the surroundings for gaps to fly through. Time was critical within the Rushi Gate, leaving no room for undue hesitation or entanglement.

Ye Xiu followed close behind Changkong as they rushed out of the palace, sparing Old Liu a look—a glance that held a meaning deeper than any words.

“Seven Swords of Demon Quelling, Form Up!” Old Liu was resolute about staying in the snow palace. Firstly, he wanted to see if Mei Lengshuang was indeed a beauty. Secondly, he wanted to test the people of the Underworld to see whether the Dao or the Asura was ultimately superior. At that moment, the shadows of the Seven Swords of Demon Quelling materialized, taking shape directly in front of the golden lotus to form a sword array. The array weaved back and forth, shredding the incoming ice blades into fragments.

“Go!” Outside the palace, Changkong’s golden lotus ascended again, carrying Ye Xiu and the Birdman into the air. Though a massive range of snow-covered mountains lay behind the snow palace, they couldn't stop the golden lotus from soaring over them.

“Just how high is the cultivation of the Five Lords of the Underworld?” Ye Xiu watched the snow palace shrink, unable to stop worrying about Old Liu. Now atop the Wumang Mountain, he surveyed the subsequent terrain: towering mountain pillars like scattered fingers, a vast ocean shimmering like a bright mirror, ruthless flames resembling a sea of fire, and a darkness as empty as the void. Time did not allow them to pause any further.

The Birdman observed the sharp peaks, flying off the golden lotus directly, and called back to Changkong and Ye Xiu, “Leave the Ximing Peak Marquis to me. I’ll see you both in that darkness.”

“En, be careful!” Changkong activated his prayer beads again, setting the Birdman down, and then accelerated toward the deep sea. He glanced at Ye Xiu and added, “The strength of an aberrant life form cannot be measured by normal cultivation standards. In extreme situations like the Rushi Gate, where good and evil intermingle, they might become uncontrollable. You should stay with me.”

Ye Xiu was curious about aberrant life forms, so he readily agreed to stay by Changkong’s side. As the golden lotus plunged into the vast ocean, the water seemed to sense an external intrusion. In that instant, waves soared to the heavens, and torrents rushed forward with such force that even Changkong’s golden lotus couldn't withstand the impact. The two were violently thrown down into a sea of illusions.