Uncle Ming, anxious to move the valuable Pope’s corpse, acted without hesitation. The moment his ice pick pierced the ice layer beneath the "Snow Mountain Mummy," the entire golden corpse was engulfed by a column of blue flame erupting from below. The flame resembled a fire dragon spewing immense fire, shooting straight up into the sky beyond the ice cavern.

According to the scriptures of the Reincarnation Sect, blue flames differ from all others. The Reincarnation Sect calls this "Immeasurable Karmic Fire," a legendary blaze capable of burning souls to ashes. No one had anticipated that beneath this golden mummy of the Snow Mountain lay such an ancient and venomous trap.

Fortunately, Fatty's reflexes were swift. The instant the flames jetted upward, he yanked Uncle Ming backward. Inley Yang and I also pulled Ah Xiang back to dodge, and we all crowded into the corner of the ice chamber. Our tongues felt dry, as if all the moisture in our bodies was rapidly evaporating. We had no choice but to press our faces against the ice wall, desperately licking the frozen surfaces of the entombed corpses.

At a time like this, every second felt incredibly long. Coupled with the sharp, whistling sound of the "Immeasurable Karmic Fire" shooting up, the noise in the narrow, cramped ice chamber was acutely terrifying. But there was nothing to be done now; we could only pray for this spectral fire to dissipate quickly. If fresh air didn't return, none of us could last long.

The roaring sound of the Immeasurable Karmic Fire finally ceased. Since we had lost all sense of time, we couldn't tell if several seconds or much longer had passed. We exchanged glances; thankfully, no one was injured, though Uncle Ming, who hadn't been wearing his climbing helmet, had bumped his head against the ice wall in the panic, but he was otherwise fine.

The "Golden Mummy" in the ice chamber had been burned to a pile of charcoal by the "Immeasurable Karmic Fire." Shaken, no one had the heart to look at it. Suddenly, we heard frantic shouting from above—it sounded like the guide, Chu Yi.

Perhaps the wolves had snuck up under the cover of darkness, but why hadn't anyone fired a shot? I didn't pause to think. I scrambled up onto the ice surface first and saw Peter Huang and Chu Yi frantically trying to attend to Han Shuna. As I approached, my heart tightened. Han Shuna's face had been obliterated by the "Immeasurable Karmic Fire." She must have been leaning over to look down when it erupted. Because it was dark, our close proximity gave us an immediate reaction time they lacked. She had been directly hit in the face. Her nose and eyes were gone. The area beneath her nose was comparatively intact, but that was only in contrast to the parts of her forehead that had already burned to ash. Almost all the skin below was incinerated. Since her lips had also vanished, all that remained on the charcoal-black face were two rows of bare teeth and the pitch-dark tongue inside, a horrifying sight.

Han Shuna lay motionless on the ground. Chu Yi shook his head at me; it seemed she had died instantly. "Look," he said, "her brains are cooked dry. Her entire head has sunk in by a third, burned into a mess inside the skull, leaving a large black cavity."

Seeing Han Shuna’s agonizing death, I felt a pang of sorrow. I grabbed a blanket and covered the body, just to spare Uncle Ming the sight should he see it and be unable to cope.

Uncle Ming and the others soon climbed up. He looked at us a few times, then glanced toward the body covered by the blanket. Just as he was about to ask where his wife was, he noticed the large, curled lock of hair peeking out from under the blanket. Han Shuna’s face was burned away, but the "Immeasurable Karmic Fire" seemed not to have spread to her hair. Upon seeing the hair, Uncle Ming instantly knew what had happened. He swayed, nearly fainting, and Peter Huang quickly supported him.

I exchanged a look with Inley Yang, signaling her to take Ah Xiang to the tent first. Although I didn't know the relationship between Ah Xiang and her godmother, given the girl's timid nature, seeing a corpse without facial skin would surely cause psychological damage.

I couldn't bear to watch Uncle Ming succumb to grief, yet I couldn't think of how to comfort him. I called Chu Yi aside and discussed whether he could take Uncle Ming, Ah Xiang, and Peter Huang back first. The Dragon Summit Glacier was fraught with danger; keeping them here endangered them further.

Chu Yi looked troubled. "Brother Du Jin," he said, "I’m afraid we can’t leave now. Look how thick the clouds are overhead. We saw the black-necked waterfowl flying far away at the Karami’er Pass; it seems a cold front is truly approaching. Mountains experience four seasons, and the weather changes too fast here to predict. We can only enter the glacier during periods of low wind and no snow, May being the most suitable. It’s mid-September now, which should also be an auspicious time, but the weather on the snowy peaks defies logic. It changes in an instant. In less than two hours, heavy snow will fall."

While it might not lead to being sealed in by snow here, the terrain of the Dragon Summit Glacier is extremely complex. It is theorized that this area was a vast mountain lake in ancient times, hence the name "Sea of Disaster." Later, the mountain-building movements of the Himalayas caused the altitude to rise and the temperature to drop, transforming the entire lake into a massive glacier. Occasional avalanches have only thickened the glacier and complicated its internal structure further.

In the summer, a thick layer of glacier melts, significantly reducing the ice depth. That's why Han Shuna could break through an ice cavern. In cold seasons, this wouldn't happen. Now, in the Dragon Summit Glacier, many crisscrossing crevasses, ice shafts, and ice caverns are exposed.

It was fine when we entered without snow, but once a cold front hits the mountains and snow begins to fall relentlessly, it will cover the glacier in two or three hours. Vulnerable spots under the ice won't have frozen solid yet; falling in means doom. Even the most experienced guides dare not lead a team through such danger at this time, let alone with wolves following us into the mountains—if trouble arises, they will certainly take advantage. To retreat, we must wait until the snow stops and the glacier completely freezes over before leaving.

We observed the highest carvings and paintings on the Lin Ta structure, similar to the Silver Eye murals in the Reincarnation Temple ruins of the Guge Kingdom. Strange beasts marked the positional coordinates, with a **semi-transparent woman in the center—that must be the Glacier Crystal Corpse. Based on the placement of this burial pagoda and the descriptions in that ancient scripture, the Demon Tower worshipping the evil god lies within thirty meters to the west of this ice cavern. On the Dragon Summit Glacier, there are at least a hundred, perhaps hundreds, of tombs belonging to successive leaders of the Reincarnation Sect. What we found is only one of them. These tombs are arranged according to the esoteric star charts, encircling the Nine-Story Demon Tower left over from the ancient Demon Kingdom. There's no need to search further; with this reference point, combined with the scripture’s records, we will definitely locate the final objective tomorrow.

The walls of this ice chamber were carved with images of many malevolent ghosts. It appeared the treasures in the spirit pagoda were all cursed. In my opinion, too many lice don't bite, and too many debts don't matter; even if we overturned all these treasures, it wouldn't matter. However, with the main task at hand, I had no inclination to bother with these yellow and white things. So, Inley Yang and I returned the "Spirit Pagoda" to its original position and ascended back onto the glacier.

I told everyone to rest, and I took the first watch shift with the guide, Chu Yi. We both lay behind the ice wall, observing the surroundings for movement while drinking to stay warm. The wolf tracks that had been faintly visible not long ago were now completely obscured by the wind and snow. Chu Yi said that if the pack didn't attack tonight, they had probably retreated into the forest to shelter from the snow.

Noticing Chu Yi's deep familiarity with wolf nature and hearing that he once served as the captain of the Karami’er Wolf Extermination Task Force, I couldn't help but feel curious and inquired about his past.

Chu Yi recounted his history. Before the Liberation, his family had served the chieftain for generations. When he was a child, at the age of seven, a wolf pack killed dozens of sheep in one go—an extremely abnormal event. The chieftain believed someone had offended the mountain god and had Chu Yi’s grandfather publicly flayed alive, intending to sacrifice Chu Yi next. His entire family then fled a thousand miles away to settle in Karami’er. On the way, his father was killed by pursuing horsemen...

After every segment of his story, Chu Yi would fall silent for a long time, clearly finding these tragic memories difficult to face. Seeing his reluctance, I didn't press further. By then, the night was very deep, and the snow cover on the ground was thickening. By the firelight, we could see a lump rising in the snow not far off—the spot where Han Shuna’s body had been placed. I suddenly noticed that lump of snow move and immediately gripped the scattergun in my hand, raising the flashlight to shine on it. I thought perhaps a hungry wolf was sneaking over to steal the corpse, but I immediately realized that wasn't the case. Han Shuna was slowly climbing out of the snowdrift with stiff limbs. The beam of the flashlight pierced the snowy night, landing directly on her face, which was stripped of skin and charred black as charcoal. Only her two rows of **bare teeth were most prominent.

As Chu Yi and I were talking, we felt a chill on our faces; the snow had begun to fall. I rushed back to gather everyone, explaining the current situation. We would need to wait at least two more days before we could leave. Furthermore, Fatty, Inley Yang, and I were determined to see this through, resolved not to leave until we had dug up the Demon Tower of the Evil God of the Demon Kingdom completely. Never mind snow; we wouldn't retreat even if daggers fell.

Uncle Ming was weeping torrentially, murmuring about his true love for Han Shuna, how he’d never left her side in the perilous mountains, and how he often woke to find her by his bed after sobering up. Fatty and I thought he was speaking nonsense in his extreme grief and were about to advise him to rest when Uncle Ming suddenly declared, "We can't lose the wife and the soldiers too; we press on now. We aren't going back until we dig out the Glacier Crystal Corpse." He then instructed us that if anything happened to him, we absolutely had to take Ah Xiang back.

Seeing Uncle Ming's obsession, I had nothing more to say. I thought to myself: weren't Fatty, Big Gold Teeth, and I the same? Our minds were clouded by greed. Often, failure isn't due to a lack of strategy or courage; it's simply that profit mists the mind. Although we all understood this principle, when placed in that situation ourselves, no one could remember it. After all, we are all just mortals. None of us possesses the Buddha's eyes that can see eternally from beginning to end. And truth be told, we were all too poor before.

By the time we finished our discussions, it was nearly midnight, and the snow began to fall harder. Wolf howls from the distance surfaced and vanished intermittently in the wind and snow. We placed Han Shuna’s body near the campsite, covered by a blanket. Fatty and Peter Huang were tasked with cutting ice bricks to build up the edges of the tents for wind shelter and defense against wolf attacks.

Inley Yang and I descended back into the ice cavern, hoping to find clues to confirm the location of the Nine-Story Demon Tower, ideally excavating it before nightfall tomorrow.

The graves of the Demon Kingdom possess transparent beetles known in the Esoteric Sect as "Dapu." Anyone who approaches them will be burned to ashes by the Immeasurable Karmic Fire. Before entering Tibet, we had anticipated a countermeasure: the water in our canteens would freeze quickly in the intense high-altitude cold, making it useless. However, a pressurized sprayer filled with ginger juice would be enough to extinguish the "Dapu" spectral flames.

But the colossal blue flame that suddenly erupted in the ice chamber housing the golden body of the Reincarnation Sect leader was beyond our expectations. After Inley Yang investigated, she concluded that this fire column might be an ancient mechanism. The Reincarnation Sect wouldn't use the Demon Kingdom's spectral fire; they merely imitated it, creating an artificial flamethrower apparatus. Beneath the golden body was a sealed space filled with a large quantity of secret medicinal compounds. Years of absolute confinement caused these compounds to mix with the stagnant air, forming a unique substance. Disturbing the Snow Mountain Mummy would trigger its combustion upon breaking the ice layer. The tomb's master preferred his body to burn to ash rather than be disturbed by outsiders.

In the deepest part of the ice chamber, behind the ice wall melted by the flames, was a larger ice grotto. Inside, we discovered a hidden ice chamber, seemingly used to house the sect leader's burial objects. A three-tiered spirit pagoda, symbolizing heaven, earth, and the human realm, stood in the center. The pagoda was one and a half meters tall, cast entirely in gold, inlaid with various pearls, precious stones, and adorned with dazzling splendor.

Inley Yang set up several fluorescent tubes for illumination. I used the Yin-Probing Claw to pry open the pagoda door. The middle tier held over a dozen protective jewel boxes similar to Gau, along with treasures like red and white coral, agate, and jasper. The bottom tier, representing the underworld, held foodstuffs like grain, tea, salt, dried fruit, and medicinal herbs. The upper tier contained a set of gold-threaded robes and (openwork) carvings.

We saw the highest carvings and paintings on the pagoda, similar to the Silver Eye murals in the Reincarnation Temple ruins of the Guge Kingdom. Strange beasts marked the positional coordinates, with a **semi-transparent woman in the center—that must be the Glacier Crystal Corpse. Based on the placement of this burial pagoda and the descriptions in that ancient scripture, the Demon Tower worshipping the evil god lies within thirty meters to the west of this ice cavern. On the Dragon Summit Glacier, there are at least a hundred, perhaps hundreds, of tombs belonging to successive leaders of the Reincarnation Sect. What we found is only one of them. These tombs are arranged according to the esoteric star charts, encircling the Nine-Story Demon Tower left over from the ancient Demon Kingdom. There's no need to search further; with this reference point, combined with the scripture’s records, we will definitely locate the final objective tomorrow.

The walls of this ice chamber were carved with images of many malevolent ghosts. It appeared the treasures in the spirit pagoda were all cursed. In my opinion, too many lice don't bite, and too many debts don't matter; even if we overturned all these treasures, it wouldn't matter. However, with the main task at hand, I had no inclination to bother with these yellow and white things. So, Inley Yang and I returned the "Spirit Pagoda" to its original position and ascended back onto the glacier.

I let everyone rest in rotation, and I took the first watch shift with the guide, Chu Yi. We both lay behind the ice wall, observing the surroundings for movement while drinking to stay warm. The wolf tracks that had been faintly visible not long ago were now completely obscured by the wind and snow. Chu Yi said that if the pack didn't attack tonight, they had probably retreated into the forest to shelter from the snow.

Noticing Chu Yi's deep familiarity with wolf nature and hearing that he once served as the captain of the Karami’er Wolf Extermination Task Force, I couldn't help but feel curious and inquired about his past.

Chu Yi recounted his history. Before the Liberation, his family had served the chieftain for generations. When he was a child, at the age of seven, a wolf pack killed dozens of sheep in one go—an extremely abnormal event. The chieftain believed someone had offended the mountain god and had Chu Yi’s grandfather publicly flayed alive, intending to sacrifice Chu Yi next. His entire family then fled a thousand miles away to settle in Karami’er. On the way, his father was killed by pursuing horsemen~

After every segment of his story, Chu Yi would fall silent for a long time, clearly finding these tragic memories difficult to face. Seeing his reluctance, I didn't press further. By then, the night was very deep, and the snow cover on the ground was thickening. By the firelight, we could see a lump rising in the snow not far off—the spot where Han Shuna’s body had been placed. I suddenly noticed that lump of snow move and immediately gripped the shotgun in my hand, raising the flashlight to shine on it. I thought perhaps a hungry wolf was sneaking over to steal the corpse, but I immediately realized that wasn't the case. Han Shuna was slowly climbing out of the snowdrift with stiff limbs. The beam of the flashlight pierced the snowy night, landing directly on her face, which was stripped of skin and charred black as charcoal. Only her two rows of **bare teeth were most prominent.