The Divine Mountain. Before the majestic, ice-crystal summit, sheer cliff faces were adorned with thick layers of rime ice at the edges, smooth as mirrors, reflecting the turbulent dark clouds and the howling gale. Standing against this backdrop were nine figures, straight and sharp as drawn swords.

“They…” The elder in the blue robe swallowed, his face etched with inexpressible sorrow.

“It’s the Bronze Supreme who has arrived. I never thought we’d actually stir this monster out. I assumed it would be the Third Supreme, the Cold Iron Supreme. If it were him, with our twelve, we might still put up a fight,” said a stern man, clenching his fists, his teeth grinding, his eyes bearing a savage, furious glare like a wild beast.

Another composed middle-aged man spoke quietly, “It’s useless. Even the Cold Iron Supreme is not someone we can resist. Don’t forget, among those twelve shattered worlds, besides the Ancient World, eight are currently occupied by these eight great families from the Primordial Era. Of the remaining three, one has been found, but the other two worlds are still drifting in unknown locations.”

“And within these eight great families, the Chaos Family ranks fourth. While they can’t compare to the top three, they are still unimaginably powerful. Even the weakest of the Three Supremes, the Cold Iron Supreme, could dispatch us with ease!”

Silence fell over everyone. Though the words were hard to swallow, they knew they were the truth.

“What do we do now?” someone asked.

“The Bronze Supreme will be here soon. We must retreat into the Light Barrier surrounding the corpse of the Goddess of Light first. This damaged barrier should be enough to hold him off for a while. Fortunately, over these countless ages, we finally managed to corrode a small opening in the Light Barrier guarding the Goddess’s body. Coupled with the illusionary barrier isolating it, outsiders wouldn't find that small opening immediately without us guiding them,” the blue-robed elder sighed.

“But even if we retreat inside, we will still be slain by the Bronze Supreme. We’d only prolong our suffering for a little while longer,” said a woman in a scarlet robe, her delicate eyebrows tightly furrowed. Her skirt, like mist wrapped in gauze, pooled on the snow like a smear of fresh blood, indescribably eerie.

“For now, we can only buy time. Once inside the Goddess of Light’s Light Barrier, we can request instructions from the Great Emissary,” the blue-robed elder sighed, slowly turning away from the icy cliff.

“The Great Emissary?!” Everyone was startled.

“We…” A woman in silver-white robes watched him, her pupils contracting and dilating slightly. “Do we really have to seek out that monster…” Her throat seemed constricted by fear, and her voice trembled.

“There is no other way. Otherwise, we all perish.”

The blue-robed elder sighed, turning back for a final glance into the distance. Images of distant ice mountains flickered in his obsidian pupils before they gradually reverted to a pure, pearl-like black. “Odd, where did that person holding the Goddess of Light’s sword go? Could he have already infiltrated the Divine Mountain?”

“What!” Everyone present changed expression instantly. One couldn't help but ask, “What about those Snow Slaves?”

The blue-robed elder focused intently into the distance before gradually drawing his gaze back, sighing, “Most are dead or wounded; only the higher-ranking Snow Slaves remain alive. Each of you prepare to take command of at least one Snow Slave above the Third Seal level and quickly assemble at the Main Hall.”

Faces were filled with shock and uncertainty. Someone was about to speak up, but the blue-robed elder cut him off, his brow suddenly furrowing. “Hurry! The Bronze Supreme will arrive here very soon.”

Everyone’s expression shifted again. Without another word, they swiftly turned and retreated into their respective divine halls.

The blue-robed elder also departed quickly.

The cliffside, moments before bustling with figures, became instantly empty and silent, save for the mournful, piercing cold wind that swept up from the deep valley below the precipice.

In that icy wind, a white shadow, luminous like light itself, slowly emerged a fraction from behind a colossal stone carved from ice crystal. As the light struck her form, it was revealed to be Ye Zhu.

Ice Wind Valley.

A blinding, explosive cyan light erupted, followed by a shrill, agonizing scream that resonated through the Ice Wind Valley, traveling to the distant mountains, echoing back and forth in a continuous roar.

Ye Chen clutched his forehead, a searing, fiery pain drilling into his mind, as if a pool of molten, crimson lava sought to invade his consciousness. His body trembled violently, his teeth grinding audibly. The exquisite carving placed on his forehead by the Bronze Supreme rapidly spread across his skin like a spiderweb, slowly permeating inward, moving visibly like blood vessels. Every curve of the carving seemed sentient, drawing out the vitality from Ye Chen’s core.

Ye Chen’s mind went blank, consumed only by this intense agony. He could hear nothing.

The Bronze Supreme watched his suffering, a slight, crooked smile playing on his lips. “For a mere ant at the Divine Emperor level to attempt to absorb the Talisman Seal of a peak Void Heaven Realm Emissary is indeed difficult. You must keep pushing, little one, or your mind will explode. At that point, I can’t help you.” As he smiled, Ye Chen, who had been twisting his head in torment, suddenly stilled, clutching his head without moving. As the Bronze Supreme watched in surprise, Ye Chen abruptly threw his head back and let out a long, piercing cry toward the sky. The invisible sound waves surged upward like an atomic blast, tearing a massive concave pit into the massed dark clouds, as if struck by a gigantic fist, denting the sky like a frying pan. The surrounding mist rippled outward like water disturbed by the blow.

“Aaaargh…”

Ye Chen’s throat felt ready to tear apart. His crimson eyes were like those of a maddened beast, and cyan light burst from his forehead, illuminating the entire sky like a third eye. His long hair whipped upward, every strand standing on end, his muscles swelling until his clothes strained tight.

The Bronze Supreme glanced at him with a hint of surprise, murmuring, “Strange. Such faint power, yet such formidable spiritual strength. This mental power should rival that of an early-stage Void Heaven Realm expert, perhaps? Hmm? There also seems to be a drop of blood from a powerful dark creature inside him. How interesting. It seems fortune smiled upon this…”

While he muttered to himself, Ye Chen’s high-pitched cry continued for several minutes before finally fading as he exhausted himself, his voice ragged from the shouting. He slowly lowered his head, and the sharp, raised hair lost its tension, falling softly back over his shoulders. The crimson glow in his eyes gradually vanished, restoring their clarity.

The sharp, drilling pain in his brain subsided, immediately followed by a surging energy flowing from the center of his forehead into every corner of his body, suffusing his limbs and bones. He felt filled with power, coupled with a lightness like the wind; it felt as if a slight movement would send him soaring.

Ye Chen looked up and saw the Bronze Supreme gazing at him with gentle eyes. Seeing that he had recovered, the Supreme smiled. “That was good. Now, you are truly a Wind Origin Emissary, completely unlike that half-baked version before.”

Ye Chen surveyed the energy within himself, immediately feeling his body fuller, as if packed into a soft cloud. “Where is he?” Ye Chen asked, looking up. The ‘he’ he referred to was naturally the Ten Pavilion True Person.

“Dead, of course,” the Bronze Supreme shrugged. “His Talisman Seal has been taken; he definitely won't survive.”

Ye Chen’s face darkened. Anger churned within him. He clenched his fists, wanting desperately to choke the man, but the vast disparity in their strength made him suppress the impulse. The rage in his eyes flashed briefly before vanishing, replaced by the deep, cold indifference of still water. He nodded once and said nothing more.

The Bronze Supreme gave him a meaningful look before returning to his calm demeanor. “That was the first repayment. The second is to make you my First Emissary!”

Ye Chen’s heart jolted, but his face remained impassive. He raised his eyes and asked, “First Emissary?”

“Indeed.” The Bronze Supreme slightly raised his chin. “Since you know this minor emissary of the Realm of Truth, you must be aware of some insider matters. You should also know that among the Eight Great Primordial Families, the Truth Family ranks behind our Chaos Family. No matter how strong the Truth is, it must eventually return to Chaos. Therefore, I am making you my First Emissary now. Although you inherently possess the Wind Origin power of the Realm of Truth, this doesn't prevent me from granting you the power of the First Emissary.”

Ye Chen stared at him silently for a moment, then suddenly asked, “You must already have a First Emissary, don’t you?”

“Correct.” The Bronze Supreme looked down at him and smiled lightly. “But once I have you, I won’t need him anymore. You will be First, and he will naturally become Second. As for the final Tenth Emissary, his qualification can be revoked.”

Ye Chen paused. “To become your First Emissary, what must I do?”

“Become my weapon,” the Bronze Supreme announced haughtily, lifting his chin. “Kill for me. If you can survive until the day I die, and you are still alive, then you might have a chance to become a Supreme of the Chaos Realm!”

“Does that mean…” Ye Chen looked up, meeting his gaze, “that you can easily kill me at any moment? If I haven't guessed wrong, when you bestowed the inscription upon me, you effectively planted a bomb and a control lever inside my body. If I disobey, you only need a single thought, and I will vanish.”

The Bronze Supreme chuckled. “Well said. There is nothing strange about that; every emissary is like this. Of course, since your internal essence was stripped away by me just now, in the perception of the Realm of Truth, only a Wind Origin Emissary has died, but they cannot control you.”

“I understand,” Ye Chen nodded. “What if I choose to refuse?”

The Bronze Supreme shrugged casually. “That’s up to you; I won’t force you. However, you must know this: I never owe anyone a favor.”

“I agree,” Ye Chen said, lowering his head.

He had no choice. From the Bronze Supreme’s words, he understood that since he never owed favors, if Ye Chen failed to allow him to ‘repay’ the debt, the Supreme would naturally eliminate the person who showed him favor, thus nullifying the obligation. (To be continued)