"An Evil God?"
Xun Kun blurted out, his voice rising slightly in shock.
"Yes."
Yunxi gave a firm answer.
Xun Kun's lips pressed into a thin line. He too was stunned by this news and instinctively said,"The Evil God's return is connected to the Weiyu Realm? Why do you say we cannot stop it? Does this mean everything we've been doing is actually to prevent its return? Is it because that evil artifact, Long Ya, was sealed in the Weiyu Realm because of us? Why was it sealed there? Could it be that Huaxian Gate knows something?
Huaxian Gate took full responsibility for the Shanhe Scroll incident, but they've never given a clear explanation about how they handled Hua Bai."
"I have the same doubts as you. But our information is limited, and Huaxian Gate refuses to reveal everything, so I cannot make a definite judgment.
Still, I trust that Huaxian Gate wouldn't dare, and wouldn't choose, to side with evil cultivators. Hua Bai already made one foolish mistake. If they dare repeat it, not only will Huaxian Gate lose its status as the top sect of the Central Region, it will become the target of other sects and cultivators' attacks. There are no true fools in the cultivation world."
Xun Kun nodded and rubbed his temples through his black silk headband. Trouble never came alone, and the situation was growing increasingly unpredictable.
"Let's go. Thinking too much right now is pointless. Only by leaving the Misty Snow Domain can we deliver this information back to the sect."
"You're right. Based on our earlier analysis, there are definitely high-ranking evil cultivators here in the Misty Snow Domain. Their target is the entire secret realm. We cannot afford to be careless! If they manage to forcefully contract the Misty Snow Domain, we may not even have a chance to escape."
Xun Kun then packed away the portable law house, and the two of them continued moving forward through the endless white expanse.
Meanwhile, in the very heart of the Misty Snow Domain, evil cultivators were scouring the area in search of the realm spirit's true form. None of them realized that as soon as they crossed a certain boundary, their powers were gradually being suppressed. By the time they noticed, they could no longer draw on their spiritual energy, nor could they leave the core area.
"What is going on?"
"No idea. It must be the realm spirit's doing."
"Now it's as if we've stepped into a land devoid of spiritual energy. Even an ordinary cultivator could kill us. We should leave before the righteous cultivators find us."
"Hmph! Do you think I don't want to leave? The realm spirit itself won't allow it. It wants to trap us here and kill us."
"Then what do we do?"
"Find the realm spirit's true form. If we contract it, we will become the true masters of the Misty Snow Domain. That will ensure the Evil God's smooth return."
The evil cultivators then scattered, searching for the elusive realm spirit.
In a place unnoticed by them, a green speck of light darted away into the snowstorm, vanishing without a trace.
Elsewhere, Yun Chen and Han Lian were hurled into a nest on a jagged ice peak, nearly crushing two snow eagle chicks. This, of course, earned them a ferocious "welcome" from the chicks' enraged parents, who sent razor-sharp ice blades flying at them in a storm of attacks.
Fortunately, Yun Chen and Han Lian reacted quickly, dodging immediately and leaping out of the nest. But the moment they jumped, they realized they couldn't fly, and both of them plummeted straight into a deep ice crevasse.
The snow eagle parents circled over the crevasse, baffled by the humans' stupidity. Who jumped into a dangerous ice chasm willingly? Since they'd already avenged their chicks, the eagles returned to their nest.
Swept along by the red cord that bound them together, Yun Chen and Han Lian plunged deep into the fissure, eventually tumbling into an underground river. The current carried them far downstream until the darkness opened up into a wide cavern.
Han Lian was the first to leap ashore, scanning the cavernous mountain interior. Extending her spiritual sense, she quickly confirmed that this place was man-made. Several snow huts surrounded a freezing pond at the center.
"Amitabha. Han Lian Daoyou, where have we been taken? I feel my cultivation is being suppressed," said Yun Chen Fózǐ, palms pressed together as he chanted a Buddhist verse. He pulled a fur-lined robe from his prayer beads and donned it before releasing his spiritual sense to survey their surroundings.
Han Lian, like Yunxi, possessed an ice spiritual root, and this frigid environment only worked in her favor. She too changed into an ice-blue cloak before replying,
"If I'm not mistaken, we've been transported into the Misty Snow Domain itself. I suspect it happened because we were too close to the secret realm's entrance when rescuing someone earlier. This realm suppresses cultivation beyond a certain level, so our Divine Transformation cultivation has been forcibly suppressed."
Yun Chen frowned. "If we've been dragged in here, what about Ran Xi and the others?"
Han Lian thought for a moment. "They're likely here too. We were all in the middle ring of the Polar Extreme Wind Zone. Ran Xi was probably fighting the evil cultivators hiding in the storm."
Yun Chen took out his prayer beads, attempting to sense Ran Xi's location, but there was no response.
"Our cultivation is restricted, which also shortens the range of spiritual communication. We're underground now, so it's normal that there's no reaction."
Yun Chen nodded. "Then we should leave here as soon as possible. If we reach the surface, we might be able to contact them."
"Agreed. But since we're here, let's not go back empty-handed. This cold pool is valuable. We should collect some of it, and then search the snow huts for anything useful."
"Alright."
Yun Chen had no objections this time. Spoils from exploring a secret realm belonged entirely to the explorers, and they weren't about to waste this trip. The two immediately got to work.
Neither of them knew that Yunxi and Xun Kun were unaware of their safety, busy plundering resources elsewhere. Yunxi and Xun Kun, meanwhile, had stumbled upon a snow wolf pack attacking a Nascent Soul cultivator.
"It's someone we know," Xun Kun observed after a quick glance. "That five-person team we met before."
Yunxi had noticed them as well, but since the five seemed to be holding their own against the wolves, she had no intention of interfering with their training and was about to bypass them.
But as soon as the two moved to leave, one of the female cultivators spotted them and called out,"Daoyou, please lend us your aid."
The rest of her words died on her lips when Yunxi and Xun Kun turned their masked faces toward her. Even with their eyes covered, those two faces carried an unmistakable air of authority. There was no pretending she didn't recognize them—they had met in the Polar Extreme Wind Zone not long ago.
Because of her shout, half of the wolves attacking the five-person team turned to encircle Yunxi and Xun Kun.
Yunxi muttered in annoyance, "What a nuisance."
Xun Kun was unfazed. "Fourth-rank snow wolf pelts are top-grade materials for refining robes. Let's collect a few."
"Fine."
Yunxi agreed. With a thought, her Mystic Frost Needles shot out from her dantian, piercing the foreheads of several fourth-rank snow wolves with lethal precision. The wolves collapsed instantly, unable to even cry out.
The third-rank wolves were terrified by this display, letting out a howl before scrambling back, trying to drag their companions' bodies away.