The ice and snow had sealed the entire mountain range.
The Abyss of Extreme Ice was deep and long; the mountain peak was like a crystalline sword piercing the heavens, while the abyss at the mountain’s base was bottomless. No one knew where the end was because no one who entered the Abyss of Extreme Ice ever came out alive. Thus, it was also known as Hell Mountain.
In the silent cave, a faint beastly cry had suddenly emerged.
At first, it had been soft and weak, hardly louder than a mosquito’s buzz. After a while, it had started to grow clearer. The sound was persistent, one cry after another, without interruption, until the fingers of the person on the ground twitched slightly.
The first thing Zanxing saw when she opened her eyes was Mimi, with a charred head, screaming right in front of her, startling her so much that she nearly swatted the fat cat away.
“I… am still alive?” Zanxing rubbed her eyes, struggling to get up from the ground and sit up. Mimi let out a cry, jumped into her arms, and affectionately rubbed her head against Zanxing’s face, smudging her with soot.
Zanxing still remembered the Asura Umbrella used against her by Gui Yansheng. It had been the first time she had experienced the taste of death so closely. It felt as if her soul was no longer her own, being slowly peeled away from her body, while her original body gradually became an empty shell. That Asura Umbrella was indeed powerful… but why was she still alive?
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something. Zanxing reached into her robe and pulled out a yellow talisman, which was the Decoy Talisman given to her by Mu Cengxiao. It had originally depicted a small figure, but now the talisman was empty. As soon as Zanxing took it out, the talisman ignited, turning to ashes in an instant.
“Decoy talisman…” Zanxing realized. It must have been the Decoy talisman from Mu Cengxiao that had blocked the attack from the Asura Umbrella, allowing her to survive under those circumstances.
Every item in Mu Cengxiao’s possession was indeed useful. Zanxing thought, suddenly sneezing.
“Achoo—why was it so cold here?” She looked around.
This was an ice cavern.
The cavern was not very large but quite tall. Looking up, the top was out of sight, shrouded in darkness. Throughout the cavern, flowers that emitted blue hue were in bloom, illuminating the area. The snow was thousands of feet deep, and the cold was even harsher than the Snow Valley at the treasure trove, as if staying here any longer would turn one into an ice sculpture.
“What exactly is this place?” Zanxing wondered, calling out tentatively to her surroundings. Apart from the empty echoes, no one answered her. It seemed to be a desolate place.
Why had Gui Yansheng brought her to this place?
Zanxing couldn’t figure it out, and Mimi seemed to feel the cold even more, burrowing further into her arms.
Her vision was clearer than before. Mimi, the fat cat, had been well-fed and chubby at Taiyan Sect, its fur smooth and glossy. Now, its fur was scorched in patches by divine flames, its body had slimmed down considerably, and it looked quite pitiful. If Hong Su had seen it, she would surely be heartbroken.
Thinking of Hong Su, Zanxing sighed again. Now that she had become a sinner in the cultivation world, having fled and leaving Hong Su and Gu Baiying to face the world’s criticism, she couldn’t help but wonder what might happen to them.
Mimi scratched her gently, and Zanxing looked down to see the cat vomiting up her Qiankun Bag.
“Luckily, this is still here.” Zanxing was overjoyed, quickly emptying the bag’s contents.
“Qi-boosting Pills, these will be useful.” Zanxing took a handful, feeding some to Mimi and putting a few in her own mouth to chew. Mimi, being a spiritual beast with its spiritual energy intact, could recover its strength by consuming the pills. For Zanxing, who was now no different from an ordinary person, the pills wouldn’t benefit her cultivation anymore, but they were good for satisfying her hunger.
“Flower Fox Fur.” Zanxing picked up a snow-white fox fur from the ground and put it on without a second thought. Instantly, a warm sensation spread through her body. She grabbed Mimi, who was eating Qi-Boosting Pills, and hugged the cat. Both she and Mimi felt much warmer. This fox fur had been a gift from Meng Ying on her birthday, given to replace the cotton pants she wore under her robe during winter, which Meng Ying had found unbecoming. Though Meng Ying had spoken lightly of it at the time, now that Zanxing wore it, she realized it was an extraordinary treasure. In times like these, it could even be a lifesaver.
There were also the shoes given by Liu Yunxin. These shoes were waterproof, and although the soles were thick, they were soft. Zanxing quickly changed into them, which made walking on the ice much less frigid than before. What else? There was also the Peerless Heart Sutra and the Fire Basket gifted by Tian Fangfang.
Zanxing held the Fire Basket, feeling somewhat hesitant.
Tian Fangfang had said that the basket contained three fire essences, which could conservatively burn for three years, though she wasn’t sure how intense the fire would be. Given the ice and snow around her, and with nothing else in sight, this might be useful for warmth if needed.
With this in mind, Zanxing put the Fire Basket away and had Mimi swallow the Qiankun Bag again.
“Receiving more birthday gifts really has its benefits,” Zanxing murmured to herself. “Who knows when they might come in handy? I should probably collect more gifts every year from now on.” At this point, Zanxing suddenly paused, her gaze growing dim again. She wondered if there would ever be more days of gathering with friends to joke around like her birthday, and whether she would even be able to leave this dreadful place.
There was still some residual pain in her chest. Gui Yansheng had forcibly extracted the Xiao Yuan Pearl from her body. Though the Decoy Talisman had blocked the fatal blow, the physical pain could not disappear. Her dantian, once full of qi flowing through the Golden Core, was now empty, like a dried-up riverbed, with only remnants of desolation left.
She was no longer a cultivator and had lost her vital “golden finger.” Now, she was no different from an ordinary person, even weaker.
Mimi seemed to sense Zanxing’s low mood and licked her palm with its tongue.
Zanxing stroked its head and suddenly noticed something. She stared at her palm in shock.
The intertwined Begonia flower in her palm had vanished without her noticing.
“What is this…” She was somewhat stunned.
The red mark had appeared shortly after she entered Taiyan Sect. Zanxing had noticed that every time she violated the ‘Heavenly Dao’ and altered what was supposed to happen, the red mark would deepen. In the end, the Begonia flower in her palm had become quite complete, almost as if it was growing out of her hand. She had always suspected that when this Begonia flower fully detached from her palm, it would signify the time when the Heavenly Dao demanded her death.