The howling black vortex wrenched the body of True Man Shige, dragging him toward the void of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. A streak of azure light flashed through the air, slicing toward the Six Paths.

Time seemed to slow to an agonizing crawl, space itself stretching thin.

The Six Paths Ghost Servant watched with cold contempt, his gaze fixed on the approaching azure ray, supremely confident in his mastery over reincarnation.

Yet, in the next instant, his eyes widened in shock.

The blue light flashed!

Swish!

It was as if the entire world had been bisected by a razor-thin sliver of light.

Then, the rotating vortex of the Six Paths of Reincarnation exploded outward, collapsing like a singularity. The violent surge of energy it unleashed dragged the surrounding land into a convulsive tremor, threatening to pull everything down into its depths.

True Man Shige frowned. If this continued, the entirety of Dragonfang Mountain would be consumed by this terrifying energy, leaving nothing but dust. Even things within tens of thousands of light-years would vanish, rendering the expanse barren of all matter and energy.

He furrowed his brow, then suddenly performed a complex series of finger movements. His fingers snapped sideways like blades—

"Wind Prison!"

Clang! Clang! Clang!

In the area where the Six Paths exploded, dozens of transparent, azure walls materialized out of thin air, firmly sealing the shockwave of the blast, forming a perfect cube.

Then, a sinister grin flashed across True Man Shige’s eyes. He slowly moved his middle finger upward. On the side of the Wind Prison facing the Six Paths Ghost Servant, a circular opening, tall enough for two people, cracked open.

The Ghost Servant’s pupils constricted—

BOOM!!

The entire forest erupted as a black beam of light, distant as an aurora, carrying the aura of pure annihilation, scorched across the Ghost Servant’s body. This ray, appearing as energy compressed to its absolute limit, shot out from the single circular aperture in the azure cube.

Ye Chen and Bai Yijun, watching from high in the sky, saw clearly as the vast forest was instantly pierced by a single black beam. This beam shot straight toward the distant horizon, moving faster than light, vanishing perhaps countless light-years away. The only certainty was that anything struck by this sudden shaft of black light would be utterly annihilated into the most fundamental particles.

Heaven and earth seemed skewered. All other light lost its color, as if recoiling from this pure, absolute blackness. After a long moment, the inky black ray finally disappeared. The transparent walls of the Wind Prison collapsed simultaneously, shattering into glittering fragments that drifted away on the wind.

The figure of the Six Paths Ghost Servant was gone.

True Man Shige gazed at the distant sky, muttering to himself, "Wind can sever everything, including emotion and time. So-called reincarnation is merely the linkage of cause and effect. If time itself is severed, then naturally, there is no reincarnation..."

He stood suspended in the air above the ravaged forest. His solitary shadow fell against the backdrop of broken, shattered trees and upturned stones littering the ground. He lowered his head silently, his posture suggesting a deep melancholy. After a pause, he spoke with detached indifference, “Have you seen enough? Come out.”

Ye Chen and Bai Yijun heard the voice as if it were a close whisper, realizing it was meant for them. They exchanged a glance, their eyes flickering with alarm. Ye Chen calmed his spirit and commanded, “Go down.”

Xiao Zhongsheng piloted the spacecraft into a steep dive. The powerful downwash from the ship’s stabilizers kicked up dust devils across the ground.

Click—

The hatch opened, and two figures materialized.

Ye Chen, holding Bai Yijun’s hand, approached True Man Shige and said quietly, “We meant no offense, Lord. We were merely standing guard because the Progenitor of Air Defense was ambushed by this villain.”

True Man Shige waved a dismissive hand and turned away. “Go. Clean up the remaining weeds inside.” He stepped forward, moving slowly, yet in a blink, he had traversed ten thousand li.

Ye Chen frowned slightly but said nothing more. He swiftly recalled the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark, kept hold of Bai Yijun’s hand, and they quickly followed.

True Man Shige seemed to be strolling, yet Ye Chen and Bai Yijun had to exert themselves considerably just to keep pace. They would have to constantly utilize teleportation, but while short-range teleportation was trivial for them, sustained use was considerably draining.

Golden mist hung heavy in the forest. Two colossal mountains ahead gradually converged, forming a narrow, ever-tightening valley. Deep within this misty valley, the entrance to a pitch-black cave flickered into view.

Upon reaching this spot, the surrounding wind sounds grew strangely muted. Fierce gales that howled from afar suddenly fell silent here.

An invisible steel cable seemed to tighten around Ye Chen’s heart. For some reason, despite hunting numerous monsters alongside True Man Shige on the journey here, he hadn't sensed a single creature within a hundred thousand li of this valley. Yet, the sensation of being watched by an unseen darkness caused the hairs on his spine to slowly prickle erect.

This intense shadow settled over him like a massive stone in his chest, growing heavier with every step.

True Man Shige stared into the black cavern, his eyes alight. After a moment, he spoke softly, “You two wait here. If I do not return within an hour, you must leave immediately and ensure they do not enter this mountain range.”

Ye Chen’s heart jolted. He recognized the gravity in those words. He couldn't help but glance at the dark maw of the cave; the intense shadow felt like a sharp spike piercing his core. He clenched his fist and nodded heavily.

True Man Shige’s lean figure flickered once, and he stood before the cavern entrance. Sunlight slanted down from above, illuminating his black sable coat, and then he plunged directly inside.

The wind howled at the cave mouth, seeming to emanate from the deep recesses, sounding like eerie, ghostly weeping that sent chills down the spine.

...

The Ice and Snow Empire, borderlands, the small town of Wilman.

Sunlight fell upon the snow-covered streets where pedestrians ambled, creating an atmosphere brimming with lightheartedness.

The tavern owner felt deeply unlucky lately. After finally dispatching that demonic woman in the silver-white robe, he hadn't only lost the cost of her room and board for the entire night, but Bart’s corpse remained inside the establishment, scaring away most potential customers the moment they stepped through the door.

Business had become abysmal. He had no idea how long the corpse would remain, and he was secretly planning a way to dispose of it without drawing attention.

Just then, the motionless woman in the black robe slowly stood up. After sampling the warm tea, she stepped out of the tavern with precise, straight strides. The hanging curtain cut off her figure from the sight of the patrons, as if cleanly severing every gaze fixed upon her.

The tavern owner's intuition told him this woman was no ordinary person. The reason was simple: she possessed a unique aura, like a snowflake in winter—sharp and chillingly cold. Most importantly, she had eaten but had not paid.

Given her exquisitely refined attire, anyone daring to dine and dash surely possessed extraordinary capabilities.

Long after the black-robed woman departed, the tavern owner finally rose to wipe down the remaining bowls and cups left by customers, cleaning the tables. There were no servers; he handled all the work himself. Not long after he began wiping, he felt a blast of cold air strike his back and instinctively looked over his shoulder.

The curtain was swept open by the biting wind, and two figures slowly entered from outside. The one in the lead was imposing, with a long, silver-white robe draped over his shoulders. Gold embroidery lined the lapels. His smooth, jet-black hair flowed down to his waist. His features were exquisitely sharp, as if sculpted by the frigid wind, with gentle yet bright eyes deep as the star-filled sky. A faint, subtle upturn graced the corner of his mouth as he walked directly into the tavern and took a seat at a table near where the owner was cleaning.

Following him was a man in black robes, hands clasped behind his head, his back seeming to support something. Beneath his eyebrows, which feathered up like wings, were deep-set, sunken eyes. His face held a mischievous, childlike smile mingled with a trace of ruthlessness. He casually pulled out a chair and sank into it.

“Boss, a pot of tea,” he drawled lazily, without glancing around, as if he knew the owner would appear before him the moment he spoke.

Indeed, the tavern owner materialized right in front of him.

“Honorable sirs, you don't appear to be locals. How may I serve you?” The tavern owner presented the teapot, bowing and scraping respectfully. His face was plastered with fawning smiles, for he sensed instantly that these two men were also unusual.

From the gold embroidery on the silver-white robe alone, it was clear that this attire was worth a fortune, far beyond what ordinary nobility could afford. However, the owner would never know the true value of that garment.

Di Zangchuan accepted the teapot, waved a hand, and said casually, “Nothing else needed... what I require, you cannot provide.”

The tavern owner chuckled awkwardly and quickly retreated.

“It’s not far from here to the headquarters of the Ice and Snow Empire, Snow God Mountain, correct?” Lian Guang gazed out at the snow, tapping his finger on the tabletop. Without visibly moving his lips, a transparent barrier rose up, enveloping the area around their table.

“That’s right. We’re almost there, just ahead,” Di Zangchuan replied, shaking his head while sipping his tea, though his mouth remained still as the sound emanated.

“It seems a powerful figure visited this area before,” Lian Guang said, withdrawing his gaze and taking a sip of hot tea.

“Oh?” Di Zangchuan raised an eyebrow. “On what grounds do you say that?”

“The dead body next to us,” Lian Guang stated flatly.

“Just an ant of a corpse. Never mind dead—even alive, it’s insignificant as an ant. It must have died fighting someone here. What’s strange about that? Just ants fighting,” Di Zangchuan declared with disdainful arrogance.