Chapter 486: Missing?
"Speak, what's going on?"
In Jiangjing Manor, in Shen Anyu's study, Shen Anyu looked coldly at his subordinate who was kneeling, his voice calm, showing no emotion.
The atmosphere in the expansive study had grown unnervingly still, the air so thick and heavy it felt like a physical weight pressing down on the man kneeling before the desk. Although this subordinate was a Martial Arts Grandmaster, a powerhouse in his own right, he felt a profound chill seep into his very bones, causing his entire body to tremble uncontrollably. Every molecule of air seemed to vibrate with a silent, oppressive menace that emanated from the young man sitting before him. The Young Master wasn't releasing any overt aura, yet his mere presence felt like being in the shadow of a terrifying demon god clad in human skin, an ancient predator whose stillness promised nothing but swift, merciless violence. The man's forehead was slick with cold sweat, but he dared not raise a hand to wipe it, keeping his gaze fixed on the polished floorboards as if meeting Shen Anyu's eyes would mean instant annihilation.
"Reporting to Young Master," the subordinate began, his voice strained and cracking under the immense pressure, "you instructed your subordinate to monitor and protect Lu Chanxi, but just now, Lu Chanxi was taken away by a passing beautiful woman."
Lu Chanxi. The name resonated with a certain significance. She was one of the Sword God Ye Linyuan's seven legendary Senior Sisters, the sixth among them. More than that, she was the youngest daughter of the illustrious Lu Family, one of the most prominent and powerful clans in the Jiangnan region. She was renowned for her quiet and ethereal beauty, her graceful and charming demeanor.
Shen Anyu had been planning to find the time to formally pursue her, to add another piece to his collection. And now she was gone?
Who was this beautiful woman?
Shen Anyu's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. His index and middle fingers began to tap a slow, deliberate rhythm on the mahogany surface of his desk. Each soft tap... tap... tap... echoed in the suffocating silence, striking the subordinate's frayed nerves like a war drum counting down to an execution.
"Continue," Shen Anyu said, his voice a flat, cold monotone that offered no hint of his thoughts.
The subordinate flinched at the command, forcing himself to swallow the lump of fear in his throat. He didn't dare move to wipe away the sweat that was now stinging his eyes, continuing his report with a voice that quivered with pure, unadulterated terror. "That... that woman was wearing a Daoist robe, and her speech carried a strange, hypnotic rhythm. The moment she opened her mouth to speak, your subordinate's entire body went completely rigid. I was utterly paralyzed, unable to move a single muscle."
His mind replayed the horrifying sensation—his limbs turning to stone, his blood feeling like ice in his veins, his very will to move stolen from him by a mere sound.
"I could only listen as the woman told Miss Lu Chanxi that she possessed a Physique rarely seen in a thousand years, one that was perfectly suited for their... their Ice Snow Immortal Palace. Miss Lu Chanxi was initially unwilling to leave with her."
The subordinate's recollection sharpened, the sheer shock of the event momentarily overriding his fear. "But then... with a single, casual wave of her hand, that woman instantly froze the entire lake next to them. The lake... it's several li in circumference, Young Master."
"Miss Lu Chanxi, though she still seemed reluctant, had no choice but to follow the woman and leave."
As he spoke of this, an obvious expression of shock and deep reverence colored the subordinate's features. His voice dropped to an awed whisper. "Based on your subordinate's guess, that beautiful woman's cultivation... her strength... it is very likely that of a legendary Land Immortal."
Even now, hours later, the Martial Arts Grandmaster was still reeling from the aftershocks of what he had witnessed. A single, graceful wave of a hand had transformed a massive lake into a solid block of ice. He had returned to the scene afterward, his legs still unsteady, to investigate. It was worse than he imagined. Not just the surface, but the entire body of water, down to the very mud at its bottom, was frozen solid. The fish, shrimp, and aquatic plants were all trapped in their final moments, suspended in the ice like macabre statues.
Such a display of power was nothing short of miraculous, a feat that bordered on the divine. Even a peak Heaven-Human Realm expert, a being who could level a small mountain, would be incapable of such a precise and overwhelming elemental manipulation. The only explanation was that she had transcended the known limits of martial arts and stepped into the fabled world of the Land Immortals.
"A beautiful woman in a Daoist robe? Ice Snow Immortal Palace? A suspected Land Immortal?" Shen Anyu's tapping ceased.
His eyes narrowed further, a glint of sharp, analytical light flashing within their dark depths. A thought was already forming in his mind, a contradiction to his subordinate's terrified conclusion: 'Perhaps she wasn't a Land Immortal at all.'
Shen Anyu had a clearer understanding of the capabilities of a martial artist who had reached the Land Immortal stage. Their power was explosive, cataclysmic. A Land Immortal could shatter a skyscraper with a single punch, their might focused on pure, overwhelming destructive force that could reshape landscapes.
But to freeze a lake several li wide with a single gesture? This was a different kind of power entirely. It spoke not of raw destruction, but of absolute and subtle control over the very laws of nature. This was not the methodology of a Land Immortal.
'It could be a master of arcane arts,' he mused, 'or perhaps an exceptionally powerful ice-elemental ability user.'
There was another, more intriguing possibility. 'She could be a Cultivator.'
As the Young Master of the millennium-old Yanxia Shen Family, there were precious few secrets in the world that could remain hidden from him. He was aware of the various hidden families and reclusive sects that lurked in the shadows of society. If they were too weak, they naturally wouldn't register on his radar, but any faction with even a modicum of real power was documented in the family's vast archives.
And yet, this "Ice Snow Immortal Palace"... Shen Anyu was hearing the name for the very first time.
Given the terrifying strength displayed by this woman, if a sect of such power existed on this Earth, it would be impossible for there to be no record of it, no trace of its activities throughout history. The only way it could remain completely unknown was if it wasn't from this world at all. They had to be the elusive, legendary Cultivators.
At that exact moment, the Black Jade Qilin Pendant, which had been resting quietly and warmly against Shen Anyu's chest, suddenly vibrated with a faint, almost imperceptible pulse.
Shen Anyu's expression shifted, the cold calculation in his eyes instantly replaced by something softer. He waved his hand dismissively, signaling for his subordinate to withdraw.
The Grandmaster felt a wave of relief so powerful it almost buckled his knees, as if he had just been granted a great pardon from the emperor himself. He bowed deeply, his forehead nearly touching the floor, before scrambling out of the study, eager to escape the suffocating pressure.
"Xian'er, you're awake?"
Shen Anyu's Divine Sense flowed from his mind, instantly penetrating the mystical space within the Black Jade Qilin Pendant. His consciousness entered an ethereal realm where he gazed upon the soul-form of Huangfu Xian, a figure so beautiful and graceful she seemed to be an immortal fairy sculpted from moonlight. His sharp, peach blossom eyes, usually filled with cold amusement or deadly intent, were now overflowing with deep, genuine affection.
Earlier, at the Zhenxiu Pavilion, he had acquired this very pendant from Long Hao, the Child of Destiny from the "Rebirth Investment Flow" trope. Within this artifact resided the dormant soul of Huangfu Xian, a truly peerless female Cultivator from a higher realm known as the Xuanhuang World.
However, Huangfu Xian's soul was grievously wounded and far too weak, forcing her into a deep slumber within the pendant, which served as a soul-nourishing jade, slowly mending her spiritual essence. It was she who had previously guided Shen Anyu to obtain the inheritance of the Immortal Doctor Lu Ran, a quest that had allowed him to acquire the Two-Aspects Life-Death Medical Scripture, a priceless Nascent Soul True Scripture.
Huangfu Xian's beautiful, ethereal eyes were still somewhat dazed, clouded with the haze of a long sleep. Her memories had not yet fully recovered. Her hazy gaze fell upon Shen Anyu's spiritual projection, and her jade-like lips pouted slightly in a charming, sleepy manner.
"I was still sleeping just now, but I heard a very familiar name and then I woke up."
A spark of realization ignited in Shen Anyu's mind. His heart stirred as he gently probed, "Ice Snow Immortal Palace?"
"Mm," Huangfu Xian hummed softly in affirmation, her delicate, spiritual brows furrowing in concentration. "Ice Snow Immortal Palace... The name feels so familiar, but I can't seem to recall the specific details."
Her form flickered as a wave of emotion passed through her. "It seems... I have a strong aversion and dislike for the Ice Snow Immortal Palace."
Shen Anyu's eyes narrowed once more, his mind racing through the implications. 'So, Huangfu Xian knows of them. That all but confirms it: the Ice Snow Immortal Palace is a Cultivation Sect located in the Xuanhuang World. And from her reaction, one that had enmity with her in the past?'
Shen Anyu gently pressed for more information, but the moment he did, Huangfu Xian's soul-form showed a clear sign of pain, her expression twisting as if fighting a severe headache. She couldn't recall anything more.
Seeing her distress, Shen Anyu immediately stopped. He didn't want to press her further and risk damaging her fragile soul.
As for Lu Chanxi's safety, Shen Anyu wasn't particularly worried. He had never even formally met the woman, so why should he fret?
Furthermore, Lu Chanxi was a Destined Heroine, blessed by the world's providence and carrying a significant amount of destiny value. It wasn't easy for someone like her to encounter a fatal accident. Even if she did face mortal danger, she would most likely turn misfortune into a fortuitous encounter. Since the woman from the Ice Snow Immortal Palace explicitly stated she was taking Lu Chanxi as a disciple, her methods were forceful, but it was unlikely she intended to harm her, at least not in the short term.
'I'll look for her later, when I finally ascertain the location of the Xuanhuang World and make my way there,' he decided. If something truly unexpected happened to her before then, Shen Anyu didn't particularly care. Lu Chanxi wasn't his woman yet.
He would move heaven and earth to protect his own women, but he didn't have the leisure or the inclination to worry about those who weren't.
"Xuanhuang World... Ice Snow Immortal Palace... Cultivators..."
Muttering these names under his breath, a dark, ambitious glow flickered deep within Shen Anyu's eyes. He would go there one day. It was not a question of if, but when. He would step onto that bigger stage.
"Oh, by the way, Xian'er," he said, his tone shifting back to one of gentle affection. "Do you know about the Heavenly Emperor Palace?" Shen Anyu looked at Huangfu Xian's soul with deep fondness, asking softly.
His understanding of the Xuanhuang World was currently pieced together from three sources: information gleaned from the System, the fragmented memories of Huangfu Xian, and scattered, cryptic fragments found within the ancient texts of the Yanxia Shen Family library.
As a family with a history stretching back over a millennium, the Shen Family's heritage was extraordinary. The records claimed that many Shen Family ancestors had left this world to join Cultivation Sects, seeking immortality and power. There was even a mention of one particularly gifted ancestor who had successfully joined a sect named the Heavenly Emperor Palace.
However, as the spiritual energy of this world gradually thinned and depleted, the Cultivators departed one by one for the Xuanhuang World. Over the centuries, many of the family's records were lost to wars and the simple passage of time, leaving much of their ancient history unknown.
Now that he had a genuine immortal soul from the Xuanhuang World right here with him, Shen Anyu naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to ask. He didn't hold out much hope, however. Huangfu Xian's soul was severely damaged, and her memories were a chaotic mess. He was just asking casually; it would be a bonus if she knew something, but it didn't matter if she didn't.
"Heavenly Emperor Palace?"
However, upon hearing Shen Anyu's question, Huangfu Xian's soul visibly trembled, not with confusion or pain, but with a violent, soul-shaking tremor.
"Xian'er, what's wrong? Is there a problem with the Heavenly Emperor Palace?" Shen Anyu asked with immediate concern, a dozen possibilities flashing through his mind. 'Does she also have an enemy in the Heavenly Emperor Palace? Just how many enemies does she have? How could such an immortal, graceful, and peerless fairy provoke so many powerful factions? She isn't some demonic seductress or an enchantress who causes trouble everywhere she goes.'
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Huangfu Xian's favorability +1, plunder +3000 destiny value!]
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]