In the Abyss of Extreme Ice, an unbearable cold emanated from the depths, growing more intense as one ascended. The chilling air froze even the words spoken, turning them into fragments of ice in the frigid atmosphere.
Zanxing looked up.
Having climbed tirelessly from the abyss’s bottom, she had reached this point and met Bu Jiang. Yet, even now, when she gazed upward, the view remained one of utter void, with no sign of an exit in sight.
The mountain was towering, its height seemingly insurmountable.
After a long silence, she turned to Bu Jiang and asked, “What if I continue climbing up as I did before?”
“The fur you’re wearing is a fine magical item,” Bu Jiang said. “However, the cold of the Abyss of Extreme Ice is not merely physical. It will erode your will, freeze your spirit, and gradually turn you into a block of ice, unable to advance any further.” After a moment’s contemplation, her gaze became distant, and she continued, “This place was not carved by anyone. It has existed since the dawn of the Demon Race. It is said that the first demon in the Three Realms was born from a block of ice here. He emerged from the Abyss of Extreme Ice and became the first demon to walk under the sun.”
“Over the years, from your father’s birth to your presence here, no one has ever left this place. Even Gui Yansheng, when he came to speak with me, only dared to stay close to the entrance of the Abyss of Extreme Ice for a brief moment.”
It was as if this place was an inescapable mire—those who stepped into it would only sink deeper and deeper.
Zanxing asked, “What about you?”
“I cannot leave either.” The Demon Queen’s voice was calm and composed. “When I fell here, a portion of my demon essence was consumed. The Binding Demon Chains restrict my movements. Although I can still barely hold on, it is only a matter of time before I become part of the ice. When my name is fully etched into the ice wall, I will become a part of the Abyss, growing with it.”
Zanxing couldn’t help but shiver at the thought.
“You’re holding a magical beast that is on the brink of death. If things continue like this, it will die.”
“That’s why I need to get out.”
Bu Jiang lowered her gaze. “Haven’t you noticed? Your fur coat isn’t as effective as it was before.”
Zanxing didn’t respond. She had already realized this. The once-warm fur coat now lacked its warmth. While it could still offer some protection against the cold, it was no longer sufficient. As she climbed higher, it could barely shield her from the cold, rendering it as ineffective as ordinary clothing.
“Do you have a better plan?” she asked Bu Jiang.
“I initially thought you might have come here with companions or someone waiting outside for you,” Bu Jiang sighed. “Then I considered that since you possessed the Xiao Yuan Pearl, your cultivation might not be at its worst. I didn’t expect you to have neither companions nor cultivation. Since I came here, you are the first I’ve seen in such a dire situation. Now you are just an ordinary person. Continuing upwards would be equivalent to seeking death. You’d better find a nearby cave to stay in. I still have some demon essence left, which I can share with you. It may help you survive for a while.”
“That lunatic is wreaking havoc outside and will surely attract many cultivators. In times of chaos, heroes emerge. Perhaps one day a talented youth from the demon realm will appear. If you and I manage to survive until then, there might be a glimmer of hope.”
Her words were spoken lightly, but Zanxing’s brow furrowed. Not only was there no guarantee that they would survive until such a “hero” emerged, but even if a chosen one did come, they might not be willing to rescue them from this abyss. Wouldn’t it be better to become the new Demon King?
“How can we rely on others for hope?” Zanxing retorted. “What if the talented youth never appears?”
“That won’t happen. Heaven’s Dao has its own rules,” Bu Jiang smiled, a smile tinged with subtle sarcasm. “When the cultivation world prospers for long enough, a genius will emerge in the demon realm. And when the demon realm thrives, the cultivation world will rise. It’s always been this way with the cycles of time. You and I are insignificant, mere parts of the grand scheme of heaven. Your father,” she sighed, “once tried to be the mayfly shaking the tree, attempting to change the rules, but he failed.”
“In recent years, the cultivation world has pursued the demon race to extinction, and thus, Yansheng emerged. Yansheng wreaked havoc among humans, but he only repeated the mistakes of your father. No one escapes, everyone is the same. They believe they can control the will of heaven, but they are merely pawns in its game. If that lunatic were to wipe out the cultivation world, twenty years later, another ‘Yansheng’ from the human race would inevitably rise, stepping into the cycle of fate.”
In the abyss of ice, the blue Yao flower quietly bloomed, its light cold, like fireflies in the dark night, flickering intermittently, like scattered morning stars.
The woman’s voice echoed, calm, gentle, and tinged with a hint of reluctant anger. She said, “If he failed, must everyone else fail too?”
Bu Jiang was taken aback.
“Since a genius is destined to appear in the demon race, can’t I be the one to change the fate of the demon race?”
The icy silence remained, as it always did. Many demons thrown into this place had struggled to escape, leaving traces of their desperation on the ice walls. In the end, apart from the names inscribed in clear and complete form, nothing else remained.
Zanxing said, “If the first demon could leap out of the Abyss of Extreme Ice, then there will surely be a second.”
“But that’s just a legend…”
“Turning it into reality will make it no longer just a legend.”
Bu Jiang stared at her for a long time, finally asking softly, “What exactly are you trying to say?”
“Aren’t I a demon? Aren’t I of the Demon King’s bloodline?” Zanxing’s eyes shone brightly, as if she had found new hope. Her tone became resolute: “Why can’t I awaken the Demon King’s bloodline and have the power of the Demon King like Yansheng did? You said that when I was sent to the human world, my demon essence was sealed by my father’s magic seal. Since I am now no different from an ordinary person, can you lift the seal for me? Having the Demon King’s power is surely better than having no power at all.”
Bu Jiang’s crimson dress fluttered slightly in the snow, like a scarlet spring flower blooming amidst the ice and snow, brilliant and captivating.
She looked at Zanxing, and as she continued to look, she slowly smiled. “I’m glad you think this way. It makes me feel that, although you didn’t inherit the unparalleled beauty of me and your father, you’re not too bad. However,” she changed her tone, “when I took you to the human world, I used the magic seal left by your father to suppress your demon essence. In this world, only the blood of the Demon King can control the Demon King’s bloodline. If you want to lift the seal and awaken the Demon King’s power again, either your father must come back to life, or your cultivation must surpass your father’s. Only then can the bloodline suppression be lifted and your power be reawakened.”