As soon as the figure appeared in the hall, it shuddered, spat out a mouthful of blood, and then dropped straight to the ground, its exquisite face and high nose bridge slamming heavily onto the floor. Strands of thick, viscous blood sprayed up from its hair, splashing onto the ground and forming little crimson dots like snowflakes.

Everyone stared at the figure, their expressions of shock seemingly frozen into ice; even their pupils had contracted to pinpricks. The hall suddenly felt like it had entered a vacuum, all sound having vanished.

In the deathly silence, someone’s mouth, unused for too long, ached slightly. The sound of saliva rolling down a throat as they swallowed broke the profound quiet, pulling everyone back to reality, and a collective sharp intake of breath echoed throughout the hall.

All eyes were fixed on the shadowy figure on the ground as if they had seen a phantom. Especially Nuwa and Pangu, whose faces betrayed unconcealed shock. The figure lying unconscious on the floor was clad in black sable fur, with tiny tears along the edges. There were two large rents across the chest and back. Its long, flowing black hair, now soaked in blood, was clumped together stickily. The skin visible outside the black fur robe was covered in countless small wounds, as if sliced by innumerable blades, leaving it fragmented, and astonishingly, the wounds showed no sign of healing.

"True Man Shi Ge!"

"What happened!"

Everyone's minds were reeling. Pangu, recovering quickly from his shock, flashed instantly to the side of the black-robed figure. His powerful frame bent, squatting before True Man Shi Ge, lifting his blood-soaked, battered body onto his knees. His palm pressed swiftly against the man's back, and surging internal energy flowed wildly, pouring into True Man Shi Ge’s body.

Everyone in the hall froze, standing motionless, merely staring at Pangu tending to Shi Ge’s injuries. In the still air, only the uneven sounds of breathing remained. All watched as Pangu’s brow slowly furrowed, like two sharp, wrinkled daggers. His usually wheat-complexioned face had turned somewhat pale, and fine beads of sweat surfaced on his forehead.

After a long time, True Man Shi Ge slowly opened his eyes. Deep terror resided in his narrow eyes. In the faint, blurry light, he saw the Ranjie lamps on the hall ceiling and quickly registered his surroundings. Only when he confirmed he had left that nightmare did a slight measure of relief ease his heart. He then took a deep breath, forced back the pain wracking his body, sat up, and broke free from Pangu’s energy transfer.

His chiseled face was sharp, his thin lips pressed together as he endured the unbearable agony. He sat cross-legged, mobilizing his internal energy to mend the wounds scarring his body.

Time passed tick by tick in the silence. For some unknown reason, everyone felt suppressed by the gravity of the atmosphere, unable to speak. Just then, True Man Shi Ge snapped his eyes open and turned sharply to Pangu beside him, asking quickly, "Where is the vessel heading?" Though his eyes remained calm and sharp, his voice betrayed an undeniable tremor of panic and anxiety.

Pangu blinked. "It's on the way to White Spirit Mountain, isn't it?"

True Man Shi Ge’s pupils constricted violently. Seemingly becoming neurotic, he ignored his wounds, jumped up suddenly, and roared, "Stop, stop! Turn around immediately! Get away from here, get away from here!!!"

Everyone’s hearts leaped, as if a ghost had secretly infiltrated their minds, fear gripping their hearts tightly. Pangu’s face grew pale. "Could it be that there is an enemy on White Spirit Mountain you cannot handle?"

True Man Shi Ge’s body trembled almost imperceptibly. He gazed out the viewport at the scenery whipping past into streaks of light, his voice laden with profound dread. "That is not a person; it is a Guai Chang (Monster Field)..."

Temple of Light, outer periphery of the mountain range.

Poof!

A pure white beam of light shot from the slender, jade-like fingers, vanishing instantly in the air. When it reappeared, it was directly before the forehead of the little black-haired boy, striking toward him like a sharp white light spear.

The little boy with the red hood and black hair remained calm, a faint, mocking, cold smile still lingering on his lips. At this critical juncture, time around him seemed to suddenly slow down. His body tilted backward slowly, and the blinding speed of the white light beam appeared to synchronize with his movement, sweeping past languidly. At the last possible moment, grazing almost against the skin of his forehead, it was evaded.

Ye Zhu’s pupils contracted slightly, her smoky black eyebrows knitting together softly. She murmured, "So, that’s how it is. It seems you must be a newer generation Mu Shi Ren (Corpse Herder), having planted two Shi Yin (Corpse Seals) within your body. No wonder your power is so immense, capable of controlling time and space. Calculating this, you should possess a cultivation level of the second or third layer of the Jiyuan Jing (Epoch Realm)."

"However..." She smiled and raised her snowy white hand again. "Strength like that is not enough to contend with me."

Soft, snow-white light slowly condensed in her palm. The light in the surrounding void seemed to be drawn in, coalescing into tiny white light points that contracted into her hand, rapidly forming a white flower.

This flower resembled the most venerable lilac; it was entirely white light, as if countless sharp needles radiated from it. The flower had nine petals, which rotated automatically in her palm, underscored by a mysterious power.

Ye Zhu’s cheek bore a mature and elegant smile. She delicately pinched the bloom as if plucking it from a tree, brought the white light flower to her nose for a gentle sniff, then looked up at the little black-haired boy with the red hood, her smile captivating. "Have you ever heard of Chan Na Fang Hua (Momentary Splendor)?"

The little black-haired boy’s pupils constricted as he stared at the white flower in Ye Zhu’s hand. The mockery and contempt vanished from his face, replaced by deep solemnity. "Legend says the Goddess of Light most loved appreciating flowers and once cultivated nine blooms, all of the world's rarest varieties. And Chan Na Fang Hua is one of them. It is said that because the Goddess of Light cherished flowers too dearly, many secret techniques she created were named after these blossoms."

"A correct answer..." A captivating smile curved Ye Zhu’s lips, sweet and alluring. "This Chan Na Fang Hua has another name: Sheng Ming Jue Ji (Life Extinction). Because anyone who beholds it will never live to see the next second..."

The black-haired boy’s face darkened, staring at the flower in her hand. He said coldly, word by word, "I see it now, and I am still perfectly fine. You cannot hurt me with this!"

"You see it? Oh dear, you don't actually think this is it, do you? No, its true form has not yet bloomed. I’ll show you now..." Ye Zhu displayed a very sweet smile, then raised her other hand, gently stroking the white light flower condensed from pure light, like a princess admiring blossoms in a garden, her expression both cherishing and ethereal, like an ice lotus blooming on a snowy mountain.

"Watch closely, this is it..."

The white flower in Ye Zhu's hand slowly unfurled in an instant. The milky white radiance instantly illuminated the entire heaven and earth. The churning, boiling clouds seemed to suffocate momentarily; all sound vanished.

The black-haired boy’s eyes shrank violently, his face instantly drained of color. A tragic, exquisite flower, delicate and beautiful, slowly opened its petals like a butterfly spreading its wings. This beautiful image flooded his pupils, and then, the entire world fell silent.

The world before him suddenly inverted. Everyone stood upright in his vision. In his last glance before closing his eyes, he saw his own body falling away beside him, headless. So, I am already dead...

Ice Snow Empire, Snow God Mountain.

Snow God Mountain was the core of the Ice Snow Empire, equivalent to an imperial dynasty in the mortal realm. It lay at the heart of the Flying Snow Mountain Range, which spanned an immense area of over ten light-years, stretching endlessly until the horizon disappeared. This vast range served as a layer of armor for Snow God Mountain. Many hidden sentries and entrenched soldiers manned the various peaks, and ancient formations were carved onto some peaks. Should any foreign enemy attack, they would be instantly discovered, triggering the mountain-protecting grand array to defend against the threat.

On Snow God Mountain, the Goddess of Ice and Snow sat enthroned on a seat forged from ice crystal. Her robe of ice and snow was long and pure white, like countless silks sewn into satin, draping long onto the icy floor without being dampened by the moisture of the frost.

The hall before her was also cast from pure white frigid ice. Ice crystal pillars supported the dome of the palace-like structure. On either side were ice-and-snow thrones seamlessly joined to the floor, currently empty. Only she occupied the hall. She enjoyed sitting here alone, quietly gazing outward, feeling the emptiness and loneliness below, which allowed her thoughts to drift far, far away, back to that joyous era of the past... Today, as usual, she bathed, changed into a clean, pure, long white robe, and sat quietly. However, today she was not alone. Behind the ice throne, over a dozen black shadows flickered indistinctly, like wisps of materialized ghosts. She seemed to be waiting for something, a faint worry etched between her brows, yet she was patient, lost in thought as she gazed at the distant sky.

Suddenly, a cold wind swept in, and before anyone could clearly see, a graceful woman appeared in the hall, cloaked in a black robe. Her skin, as white as snow and ice, was exquisitely carved, and her nearly perfect face bore an aloof indifference and a detached calmness that seemed to see through everything. (To be continued)

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