If Yu Manyu had heard this, she would have been thrilled to bits.

“See, he really cares about me!”

When Yu Manyu came to sign the alliance agreement herself, she knew that one of the alliance conditions was that she might need to assist the Ice Prison Sect with the exploration of the Frozen Moon Cold Stream, potentially requiring her to intervene. However, Yu Manyu had a high opinion of herself and lacked a reliable advisor to caution her. Consequently, she never saw any issue with this alliance condition from beginning to end. She believed it was only right for an ally to assist, and the Frozen Moon Cold Stream was strategically irrelevant to the Underworld Palace anyway.

Unbeknownst to her, her sister and Lu Xingzhou, by impersonating her this time, had actually bailed her out…

Ye Tinglan stared coldly at Ling Qixuan. Based solely on their recent conversation, she felt absolutely no goodwill towards this kind of demonic cultivator who showed no regard for the common people. If Lu Xingzhou had given the word, she might have attacked.

Feeling the killing intent emanating from “Lord Yama,” Ling Qixuan was drenched in sweat. “How dare we try to trick Lord Yama?” he stammered. “Didn’t Lord Yama not ask about it last time…?”

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

*Stupid woman.*

If she had asked last time and then asked again, it would have risked revealing the truth, requiring further explanation to make it consistent. Now, all the excuses I’d prepared are useless because she simply didn’t ask… Even stupid women have their uses.

Ye Tinglan interjected at the opportune moment, “Because I didn’t ask last time, did you think you could just gloss over it and not mention it at all?”

“By no means, by no means!” Ling Qixuan hastily replied. “The truth is, we don’t have much information about the Ice Demon ourselves… To be honest, we revere the Ice Demon; we are not asking Lord Yama to oppose it.”

“Elaborate.”

“Lord Yama should know that innate spirits can be called either demons or spirits; these are human designations, and the distinction largely depends on whether they possess destructive capabilities.”

“Are you saying this Ice Demon isn’t a demon?”

“As long as water reaches freezing conditions, that temperature is unbearable for humans. To judge whether something is a demon or a spirit based on this is fundamentally illogical. Of course, the ancient Ice Demon refers to the primordial essence of intense cold and ice, which is naturally far more extreme than the climate of ordinary water freezing…”

*Isn’t that just a demon…?* Lu Xingzhou scratched his head, yet he found himself slightly convinced.

*If something is judged solely by human standards of adaptation, perhaps it isn’t entirely fair. At the very least, one should consider whether it actively causes destruction. If we call something a demon simply because it’s inherently cold, without any active intent to harm, that doesn’t seem quite right, does it?*

Ling Qixuan stated, “What we pursue is the fundamental essence of cold. Therefore, to us, this Ice Demon can even be considered the deity we worship. Welcoming the Ice God into the world has been the dream of our lineage for millennia. If humans call us demonic cultivators, then I accept it.”

By the end, his voice had taken on a tone of firmness and ruthlessness, as if he would not waver, even if Lord Yama disapproved.

In that moment, he bore the demeanor of a demonic hegemon, a stark contrast to his earlier fawning smiles, drenched in cold sweat.

Ye Tinglan, on the other hand, regarded him with newfound respect because of this. She slowly said, “According to you, if this Ice Demon is an innate spirit, representing intense cold and frost… then it is likely what the ancients called the Formless Realm. Once it emerges, let alone me, even all the Supremes in the world combined would not be able to withstand a single blow from it. Does it know you? What makes you so sure you won’t die?”

A trace of fanaticism flashed in Ling Qixuan’s eyes. “As long as I can witness the ultimate source of worldly ice and cold,” he declared, “I would die without regret.”

Lu Xingzhou couldn’t help but retort, “If you want to die, why drag us into it? An alliance? Do you think our minds are as unhinged as yours?”

*It seems like a fish’s brain is indeed abnormal.*

Ling Qixuan replied, “But the Ice Demon has been sealed for so long; it’s impossible for it to still possess Formless abilities right after breaking free from imprisonment.”

“This is just your conjecture; we need corroboration.”

Ling Qixuan hesitated for a moment, then whispered, “To be honest, Lord Yama, based on our years of research, it’s almost impossible for the Ice Demon to achieve its current signs of escape by itself. There’s only one possibility… if its spirit can be separated, it might be able to escape suppression and leave the ice layers as an ethereal consciousness. This ethereal spirit could then begin cultivation from scratch until it awakens… and the suppressed body, feeling the spirit growing stronger, with both mutually drawn to each other, could then cause the body to break free from the ice.”

Lu Xingzhou and Ye Tinglan exchanged glances once more, both feeling a jolt in their hearts.

Lu Xingzhou pressed him, “Are you sure what left was just an ethereal consciousness?”

“Certainly, only an ethereal essence could possibly escape the suppression of these tens of thousands of feet of profound ice; any physical body could not.” Ling Qixuan stated, “Lord Yama, having cultivated to this level, should also be very clear about the principle that the body is limited while the will is boundless.”

Lu Xingzhou took a breath with a pained expression, as if suffering a toothache, and remained silent for a long moment.

*According to his explanation, it’s remarkably similar to Little White Hair.*

*It just so happens that this anomaly occurred right after Little White Hair broke through to the third stage. Does this precisely correspond to ‘mutual attraction after the spirit grows stronger’?*

*But if it’s a formless consciousness, how did it take on human form, and how could Ye Tinglan not detect any problems?*

*Furthermore, Little White Hair possesses the Frost Sword Physique, which is strongly associated with swords. Swords are typically metal, and the Ice Demon doesn’t seem to possess this attribute. To this day, Little White Hair remains a martial artist; her frost power is derived from sword intent and the inherent effects of her Frost Sword Physique, not from magical spells. It would be rather odd if the Ice Demon didn’t use ice spells…*

*As these crucial points remain unresolved, one cannot definitively conclude that it is Little White Hair.*

*Is there a possibility she was possessed? What if the frost essence escaped suppression and happened to be absorbed by Little White Hair? Is that why she, originally an ordinary sword physique, became a Frost Sword Physique?*

*If that were the case, it would be a tremendous stroke of luck, but could things possibly be that good…?*

Ling Qixuan saw that neither of them spoke, and secretly let out a breath. He then continued, “We are all cultivators, and we know very well that if one’s innate essence is gone, or the spirit has left the body, then the body at most would be at the Qianyuan stage. And having been suppressed for so long, I would be overestimating it if it could even exert Huiyang stage power for a while. Of course, even then it’s a Supreme, and my Ice Prison Sect might not be able to deal with it, but Lord Yama certainly can. This is my complete rationale for needing Lord Yama’s help; this time I’ve laid all my cards on the table.”

His words were indeed true. This alliance, for instance, was only established after Yu Manyu reached the Supreme stage. Before that, the Ice Prison Sect might not have held the Underworld Palace in such high regard, nor would they have been so obsequious. Ling Qixuan genuinely believed that having a Supreme was sufficient to accomplish this task.

However, these were all just Ling Qixuan’s speculations. Should the Ice Demon truly break free, things might turn out completely different from what he imagined. Ling Qixuan had, of course, preferred to remain silent before; if Lord Yama didn’t press him for details, he certainly wouldn’t volunteer all the information.

This time, laying bare all the facts, he felt quite apprehensive, unsure of Lord Yama’s reaction.

Ye Tinglan didn’t react; she was still considering the connection between this matter and Dugu Qingli.

Lu Xingzhou said, “Sect Master Ling hasn’t laid all his cards on the table yet…”

Ling Qixuan was startled, “What do you mean, sir?”

Lu Xingzhou said, “Firstly, if the Ice Demon breaks free, you must have a way to subdue it or form a connection with it. Otherwise, what exactly are you expecting? Do you truly only wish to see the frost essence and then die without regret? I don’t believe it.”

Ling Qixuan: “…”

“Secondly, you claim the Ice Demon broke free merely due to mutual attraction with its external essence; I don’t believe that either.” Lu Xingzhou continued, “This matter must require some intervention or manipulation, whether by the essence itself, or by your actions… In short, it’s impossible for the body below to break free from imprisonment without any external force, and unbeknownst even to the essence itself. Does that even make physical sense…?”

Ling Qixuan: “…”

Lu Xingzhou said, “I surmise you have already determined, through some means, that the essence had detached, and then actively activated some sort of summoning array, which caused the current changes in the Frozen Moon Cold Stream. Is that not so? Simultaneously, because you concluded that its body was lacking its essence, you are confident you could control it with a certain secret technique, and the main purpose of controlling this body is, in fact, to use it to seek the essence. Is that not so?”

This time, Ling Qixuan was drenched in even more sweat than when he had faced the oppressive aura of a Supreme.

*Where did this monster come from?*

*Did Lord Yama specifically bring him back this time because this monster wasn’t here last time?*

Lu Xingzhou, however, was quite amiable. “Actually, your concealment of these things is simply out of fear that we would compete with you. But rest assured, Sect Master Ling, our Underworld Palace’s cultivation has absolutely no connection to ice and frost; we are not interested in it. If there’s any interest, it’s a natural curiosity regarding the event itself. Sect Master Ling, how did you manage to draw out the Ice Demon’s body, buried tens of thousands of feet deep within the ice? Could you perhaps demonstrate it?”

Ling Qixuan hesitated for a moment, then said, “We do have some ancient array formations passed down to us, but their efficacy isn’t very good; after all this effort, they’ve only caused some minor disturbances. There is another method now, but I dare not attempt it on my own… Since Lord Yama is here, perhaps we could try it?”

Ye Tinglan raised an eyebrow. “What method?”

“There’s a true successor of the Heavenly Jade Holy Land, Dugu Qingli. I discovered today that she is actually an innate Frost Sword Physique. If she were to be the core of the formation, the effect might be very effective… But her background makes her untouchable to me. The Underworld Palace is already in opposition to the Heavenly Jade Holy Land, so Lord Yama should have no qualms dealing with her…”

“Bang!” Ye Tinglan’s teacup shattered instantly, and a furious surge of energy swirled around her.

Ling Qixuan didn’t even have time to react. The dignified cultivator, a peak First-Grade Upper Realm practitioner, was sent soaring by a flick of Ye Tinglan’s sleeve, crashing violently against the great hall’s wall, leaving spiderweb-like cracks with a resounding thud.

Ye Tinglan’s voice was truly like Yama himself. “You want me to deal with the Ice Demon’s body, and out of the spirit of our alliance, I was willing to grant that. But now you also want to use me to deal with the Heavenly Jade’s true successor and engage in a death match with the Heavenly Jade Holy Land. Do you truly think I am a fool to be commanded by you!”

Ling Qixuan’s bones almost came apart. He fell to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of congealed blood, and said, aghast, “Lord Yama, please calm your anger; this was just a suggestion, I had absolutely no intention of inciting anything… I thought, I thought Lord Yama was in opposition to the Heavenly Jade Holy Land…”

“Even if I am against Heavenly Jade, there’s no blood feud. You just came here and asked me to deal with their true successor?” Ye Tinglan flicked her sleeve and said, “If I were to deal with Heavenly Jade’s true successor, it would be to uncover the Heavenly Jade Holy Land’s hidden truths, not to use someone as a formation core for your petty affairs. Where is she?”

“In… in the guest courtyard.”

Ye Tinglan grabbed an Ice Prison Sect disciple. “Lead the way!”

Ling Qixuan watched helplessly as “Lord Yama” went to the guest courtyard, lifted the white-haired girl as easily as an eagle seizing a chick, and strode away with her attendants.

“Sect Master!” An elder helped Ling Qixuan to his feet and whispered, “Lord Yama’s visit is suspicious, and her questions are somewhat peculiar. Could she be an imposter?”

“Imposter, my foot!” Ling Qixuan roared. “Just now, she briefly lifted a corner of her mask to drink tea, and I secretly glimpsed her. That chin, those lips—who else could it be but Lord Yama?”

“Uh…”

“Do you think just anyone can injure me with a single blow, leaving me no room for retaliation? Lord Yama’s strength is even greater than I imagined…” Ling Qixuan took a few calming breaths and whispered, “Her strength is formidable enough, but the man by her side is astounding. Although his cultivation is low, he can practically read people’s minds. With this combination of wisdom and might, who can resist them?”

The elder mused, “I heard that Lord Yama used to have a Judge by her side who possessed similar qualities and was as handsome as he is. Now that the Judge is gone, has Lord Yama taken a new Judge as a replacement?”

“…It seems that even the fiercest and most powerful women have their needs.”