Zhuanxu smiled. “You don’t have to be so pessimistic. She might not be able to leave the Frost Palace, but you can drop by often to visit her. Once the war settles down and order is re-stablished, it won’t be as difficult for you to enter the Celestial Court.”
Zu An fell silent. He knew that the war between the Shamans and the Fiends would cause both races to retreat into the shadows. On top of that, Zhuanxu wouldn't necessarily be the one calling the shots in the Celestial Court by then.
Besides that, he would eventually have to leave this world. There was another world waiting to be rescued, and he also needed to complete the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
Once he left this world, the Mermaid Queen would have to spend a long time alone. Who knew whether she could endure it until their reunion?
Just then, Zhuanxu turned to Yun Yuqing and remarked, “Ah, you must be the lady Wuhui mentioned. Indeed, you have the purest Celestial Emperor bloodline. It’s a pity that you have yet to awaken your bloodline power. Child, follow me. I’ll help you awaken your bloodline.”
Yun Yuqing glanced at Zu An.
Noticing their reservation, Zhuanxu smiled. “You can say that she’s my descendant in a way. I have no reason to harm her. Awakening her bloodline power requires the invocation of ancient rituals...”
Zu An finally nodded. “Yuqing, I’ll look for you later.”
At the same time, he shot her a glance. Yun Yuqing nodded. He had given her a teleportation talisman; she could use it if she felt that she was in danger, and he would rush over.
Zhuanxu lifted Yun Yuqing onto a cloud, and the two of them flew off into the distance.
Zu An quickly made his way toward the Frost Palace. The further he flew, the colder the resplendent immortal palaces became. Even the air was no longer as sweet; it was tinged with cold as well.
A forlorn palace floated in the distance, as if signaling the world’s edge. The words on the plaque, ‘Frost Palace’, made Zu An frown. Just looking at these characters made him feel empty and cold.
He gently pushed the door open. The courtyard was barren except for a withered, ancient tree, a stark contrast to the other vibrant immortal palaces that cultivated flowers and herbs.
Zu An was perplexed. Didn’t the Frost Palace in the legends have an osmanthus tree? Could this be the osmanthus tree? But it's already withered!
Creak!
The door in front of him suddenly opened. A beautiful figure stood in the doorway, staring at him in disbelief.
“Big brother Zu?”
“Suyin!”
Even though it hadn’t been that long since they parted ways, the Mermaid Queen looked much frailer. Her eyes were red and puffy. She had to have cried a lot over the last few days.
Zu An's familiar voice made her eyes light up with joy. Unable to hold herself back anymore, she leaped into Zu An’s arms and embraced him tightly. “It really is you. It really is you...”
Her arms were wrapped around him so tightly that it hurt a little, but that only made Zu An’s heart hurt more. She'd no doubt suffered much turmoil. Zu An said, “Don’t worry, I'm here now...”
Pearls fell to the ground with crisp clacks. Zu An felt the Mermaid Queen's tears drenching his chest. He gently patted her shoulder as he said, “I know what happened. Before coming here, I killed Feng Meng to avenge you.”
“I don’t want vengeance. I just want to be with you,” the Mermaid Queen whimpered.
Zu An had never seen her so frail. She was a strong-willed woman who had mesmerized an entire world’s experts. She was mature and graceful. And yet, she was now acting like a child. This incident had undoubtedly frightened her. He recalled what Zhuanxu said earlier, and that made him feel even more awful.
The Mermaid Queen cried for a long time before gradually drifting off to sleep. Looking at her sleeping visage, Zu An gently wiped her tears and tidied up her unkempt hair. She probably hasn’t slept a wink since coming here.
He carefully carried her into the nearby room, which only contained the bare necessities—a table, a chair, and a bed. He noticed that the bed was made out of ice and frowned. He couldn’t bear to lay her on it, so he sat on the bed himself and laid her down in his embrace.
This movement, albeit gentle, caused the Mermaid Queen to jolt awake. She anxiously clutched onto Zu An’s sleeves as she exclaimed, “Don’t leave me!”
Zu An’s heart ached. He patted her head and said, “I’m here, I’m here.”
The Mermaid Queen exhaled in relief. She took a few seconds to compose herself before replying, “I’m sorry. I made a fool of myself.” Even though she had only rested briefly, she was in a much better condition than before.
“I doubt I would have fared any better than you if I were placed in the same position,” Zu An replied with a bitter smile.
“Nonsense. You’re the most incredible person I know. You always overcome the hurdles standing in your way, no matter how tall they may be. I love how you remain composed no matter how hopeless the situation looks.” The Mermaid Queen hooked her hands around Zu An's neck. There were no more tears in her eyes; only tenderness remained.
“I'm not that incredible...” Zu An replied. Just like how I have no way of rescuing you from the Frost Palace now. Unwilling to resign himself to fate, he stood up and said, “I’ll take you out of here!”
He carried the Mermaid Queen up and flew her to the South Celestial Gate. He kept a close eye on her condition and was delighted to see her safe and sound. Who in the world said she can’t leave the Frost Palace?
The Mermaid Queen guessed his thoughts and bitterly explained, “It’s futile. I’ve tried it. I can leave the Frost Palace temporarily, but I’ll find myself suddenly reappearing there shortly after.”
She vanished right after saying that. Startled, Zu An rushed back to the Frost Palace and saw her standing by the doorway, waiting for him. When she saw him, her worry faded to joy.
“There’s something amiss about this Frost Palace.” Zu An drew his Tai’e Sword and slashed the palace door. With his current cultivation and the Tai’e Sword’s prowess, he could even slice a mountain, let alone a mere palace door.
Much to his astonishment, his slash failed to slice anything off the door. Not only that; divine runes also started lighting up around the Frost Palace and a terrifying aura began to build up.
Zu An was stunned. These divine runes resembled those he had seen from the sacred tree Jianmu.
The Mermaid Queen immediately stood in front of him and protected him with both hands. “Stand down! He’s my man!”
The divine runes slowly extinguished as if they understood her words.
Zu An blinked in confusion.
The Mermaid Queen explained with a bitter smile, “After it acknowledged me as its master, I have become one with the Frost Palace. I am now the Frost Palace, and the Frost Palace is me.”
Zu An had been wondering whether to draw his Sun Slaying Bow to give it another try, but after hearing her words, he had no choice but to give up on that plan.
“Big brother Zu, you don’t need to worry about me. I understood everything from the moment the Frost Palace acknowledged me as its master. There is no way for me to leave this place.” The Mermaid Queen grabbed his hand and consoled him.
Zu An fell silent. If she'd truly come to terms with her plight, she wouldn’t have cried earlier.
“Big brother Zu, I have an unfulfilled wish. Can you help me with that?” The Mermaid Queen looked at Zu An with glistening eyes reminiscent of the evening sky’s afterglow.