Chapter 806: Tea Party and the Secret of the Ice Abyss

Chapter 806: Tea Party and the Secret of the Ice Abyss

"Four days have passed since I made that pact with him." Ye Jiuyou closed her eyes, feigning cultivation, but her lips teased: "There's still no sign of Zhao Changhe around Kunlun... Has he given up?"

Piaomiao frowned: "Why are you so chatty now? You haven't been quiet for days. You weren't like this before..."

"I'm speaking to little Cui Yuanyang; whether you listen or not is none of my concern." Ye Jiuyou chuckled. "Why don't you ask little Yangyang if she needs someone to talk to, cooped up here all these days?"

Piaomiao: "...I'll talk to her myself."

"Fine, fine." Ye Jiuyou said, "I'm just trying to give you two some conversation topics, or else with you being a mute gourd who can't squeeze out a word in eight hundred years?"

Piaomiao ignored her, speaking secretly to Cui Yuanyang: "Yangyang, your husband is a big jerk."

Cui Yuanyang hugged her knees, sitting in a corner of her consciousness, looking pitiful: "Yangyang just hopes Brother Zhao doesn't come. You'll beat him to death."

Ye Jiuyou sensed the soul-wave dialogue between them; their communication wasn't deliberately hidden from her, as they were all companions in this vast secret realm. Hearing Cui Yuanyang's words, Ye Jiuyou seemed to catch a whiff of tea, glancing sideways without comment.

In recent days, Piaomiao's cultivation had been recovering more and more, and their shared memories gradually increased. Cui Yuanyang grew increasingly familiar with the mysteries of the soul. But this girl—who knew what she was thinking—the first thing she did after learning soul manifestation was to change the soft armor she had worn during the Hangu expedition into a fluffy bunny suit.

Then she curled up in the corner, hugging her knees. That fragile, pitiful look softened Piaomiao's heart into a puddle, making her want only to cheer the girl up.

The pitifulness was real, but not entirely so—or rather, it was deliberately exaggerated. Probably only rivals like Xia Chichi knew that this little schemer had some tea skills. After all, she was a product of a great noble family. Even Zhao Changhe couldn't sense it; in his eyes, Yangyang was as pure as could be.

Another who could sense it was Jiuyou, a major villain in her own right. She wasn't much of a tea artist herself, but she had a good eye for it. Piaomiao, on the other hand, was the kind of gentleman who could be deceived by righteousness. Jiuyou always felt that Piaomiao might even be tricked by Cui Yuanyang. If Zhao Changhe didn't come, Cui Yuanyang might save herself; if he did come, she might orchestrate a coordinated attack from within and without.

Sure enough, after hearing Cui Yuanyang's words, Piaomiao sighed deeply: "You've given him your heart and soul, willing to suffer yourself rather than let him take risks. But he's probably wallowing in his own comfort zone, not caring about you at all."

Cui Yuanyang said, "No, that's not true. Brother Zhao isn't that kind of person."

"Maybe he wasn't before, but now he's number one on the Heavenly Ranking, with power that shakes the world. Even the emperor is just his plaything. Why would he care about a little girl like you?" Piaomiao sighed. "Maybe he needed your Cui family before, but now that he's established himself, the Cui family has lost its meaning."

Cui Yuanyang insisted, "Impossible."

Piaomiao said, "He hasn't even come. Forget searching for a secret realm in the vast Kunlun—a month wasn't enough to begin with, and he's already wasted four days without a trace. Yangyang, you're too kind-hearted, easily deceived."

Ye Jiuyou looked at the sky.

Whether she was kind-hearted or not was unclear, but whether she was being deceived was another matter. Ye Jiuyou wasn't entirely sure that Zhao Changhe would recklessly come alone, risking life and limb. It was perfectly normal for him not to come.

That said, Piaomiao's behavior wasn't just about defending Cui Yuanyang; it was partly for herself. If she ever truly returned the body to Cui Yuanyang, she would still retain the memories. Essentially, she herself would have been taken by Zhao Changhe. Piaomiao didn't want that—it was only natural. If Piaomiao was unwilling to return the body, this factor accounted for ninety-nine percent of it.

Deep down, she truly hoped Zhao Changhe was a big jerk, so that Cui Yuanyang would be utterly disappointed in men. Then she could return the body without any worries.

Cui Yuanyang said, "I... I... If Brother Zhao really doesn't come, Sister, just devour me. I don't want to live anymore."

Even if Piaomiao had originally intended to devour her, hearing such pitiful words made her change her mind. Instead, she comforted her: "Yangyang, it's okay. If he doesn't come, I'll take you to his doorstep and teach him a lesson."

Ye Jiuyou fanned the flames: "He is now the favored one of the divine mountain and river veins of the Divine Continent—theoretically, the one you favor. As long as he doesn't lose virtue, you are supposed to protect him."

"Abandoning his wife and child—is that not losing virtue? That is losing virtue."

Cui Yuanyang sobbed: "His wife was taken away by you, not abandoned by him. I could have gone home myself..."

Piaomiao: "..."

Cui Yuanyang kept crying.

Piaomiao sighed: "I already said that once I kill Ye Wuming, I'll return this body to you. How about this: if he doesn't come, it means this man isn't worth your attachment. Divorce him."

Cui Yuanyang blinked: "What if he does come?"

Piaomiao pursed her lips, gritting her teeth: "If he comes, I'll let you take over the body for a few days, so you and your husband can meet properly. I won't disturb you."

Ye Jiuyou also blinked.

So you'd let yourself be taken while fully aware.

The truly kind one is you, willing to suffer humiliation just to make the little tea girl happy.

Cui Yuanyang said, "Sister, you're so good."

Piaomiao took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and said, "Anyway, he won't come within a month. He might not even show up at all."

Before she finished speaking, Ye Jiuyou's expression shifted: "There are signs of spatial fluctuations around the Hanchi Ice Abyss. Someone actually dares to explore the Hanchi Ice Abyss—courting death."

Piaomiao, new to the area, didn't understand and was startled: "Hanchi is here too? Kunlun has gathered far too many things, hasn't it?"

"Not exactly. It wasn't here originally; it's because of me." Ye Jiuyou said, "Thirty years ago, when I first awakened, the resonance of heaven and earth inadvertently caused spatial chaos, shifting the Hanchi Ice Abyss from its original desert location. In fact, many of the spaces gathered in Kunlun came about this way; there weren't so many before."

Piaomiao nodded, saying nothing.

The natural resonance of heaven and earth caused by the emergence of a top-tier primordial demon god like Jiuyou—if it didn't cause devastation for thousands of miles, that was already a sign of extreme weakness. Causing some spatial chaos was nothing.

Jiuyou continued: "Since I accidentally moved it, I naturally discovered this place and went to take a look. Guess what I found?"

Piaomiao frowned: "Say it or don't."

"You're so gentle with Yangyang, but so cold to me. Why? I woke you up; otherwise, you'd still be sleeping and getting taken by a man."

"If you can't speak properly, then don't."

Cui Yuanyang said, "Sisters, don't argue. Sister Jiuyou, tell the story."

"There's a strange mental invasion there that doesn't belong to Hanchi." Ye Jiuyou smiled. "At first, I thought it was related to Bo Xun, but I found it different. That chaotic, manic, frenzied aura doesn't match the quiet ice abyss, let alone Hanchi's attributes. Either some other entity has secretly infiltrated and hidden in the ice abyss, assimilating even Hanchi, or Hanchi itself is a seal for this thing."

This time, even Piaomiao was startled: "What you're saying implies that even you can't identify what that thing is?"

Cui Yuanyang was also stunned.

Who were these two sisters? Primordial demon gods from ancient times, existing since the dawn of heaven and earth. Who else had their knowledge of the world, the ancient celestial realm, and various demon gods and creatures? If there was something even Ye Jiuyou couldn't identify, what could it be?

Ye Jiuyou said, "Because I had just awakened back then and was extremely weak. I didn't dare venture deep inside, so I couldn't identify it at the time. To be honest, the instant palpitation I felt then still lingers as a residual fear. Over the years, as I've recovered more and stirred up many things in Kunlun, I've subconsciously put that place off until later."

Piaomiao said, "Since you can now sense someone entering, it means you've been monitoring the place. Still can't identify it?"

"I'm not monitoring it specifically; I just control the spatial nodes throughout Kunlun. I can sense the spatial reaction when someone enters."

Piaomiao said, "In that case, can you peer into the spatial image? I'd like to see what that thing is. Perhaps I'll recognize it."

Jiuyou waved her hand, and a night scene appeared before them. The night rippled slightly, gradually clearing to reveal two figures in conversation.

In the sea of consciousness, Cui Yuanyang suddenly jumped up, her rabbit ears standing straight.

Piaomiao's eyes widened.

Zhao Changhe!

The Hanchi Ice Abyss was part of Kunlun. He seemingly hadn't even arrived at Kunlun, but in reality, he had already teleported through some spatial node and was already in Kunlun!

He must be searching for their location, heading straight for the Hanchi Ice Abyss—a place so dangerous that even Jiuyou had some reservations—for this very reason, right? Even if not directly looking for them, it was certainly related, a roundabout search.

The little rabbit in the sea of consciousness stared blankly, already entranced.

Not even a month—only four days had passed, and he had already found one of the most dangerous secret realms in Kunlun.

"Brother Zhao can't go in!" Cui Yuanyang panicked. "This is a place even Sister Jiuyou dares not enter!"

Ye Jiuyou glanced at her sideways: "Who said I dare not? I was just saving it for later, but I've been busy lately and haven't gotten around to it. Perfect—if a mere Hanchi Ice Abyss makes him turn back, then you'll know what kind of man he is."

Cui Yuanyang fumed: "I don't need to know. You're the one who wants to know, aren't you? You have a marriage contract with him too, don't you? I haven't torn you apart yet, and you're testing my husband!"

Piaomiao: "?"

Ye Jiuyou: "..."

Strangely, Ye Jiuyou didn't argue back. She fell silent. Cui Yuanyang didn't know how to continue cursing either, and Piaomiao was equally taciturn. For a moment, the lively tea party became very quiet. Each of them stared at the image in the night, watching the figure moving forward, his face turning blue and lips white, his body stiffening like a frozen corpse, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Crack!" Zhao Changhe's muscles bulged all over—a sign of his full-blooded qi activation, used to resist the extreme cold here. Even the surface of his skin had hardened to prevent muscle frostbite.

Then he tore some cloth strips and wrapped them around the Dragon Sparrow’s hilt, lest his hand freeze to the blade.

Never had he known such cold.

Ying Wu advanced slightly more easily than he did, likely using spatial power to isolate the space around himself, thus warding off the worst of the frost. Yet it was far from effortless; the prolonged exertion of spatial energy to shield oneself was a drain few could bear.

At the same time, the mental pressure grew heavier, his irritation mounting, his head throbbing ever more fiercely. Tinnitus, blurred vision, a jumble of phantoms flickering chaotically—a savage, manic fury welled up from the depths of his heart.

The two could not truly look out for each other, nor did they know how to help. Each had to mind himself, lest he become a burden to the other.

Zhao Changhe felt that this sensation bore a strange resemblance to his own baleful aura.

Could it be that the baleful energy was mingled with the cold, the two being separate things?

For now, it was hard to tell; the interference of this bitter chill was far too severe.

And it wasn’t just the cold—there was something else.

The wind howled like blades, slicing in from all sides. In this frozen wasteland, being caught in it was like being flayed alive.

The Dragon Sparrow howled as it swept past, cleaving the air ahead. The wind-swords and frost-daggers were shattered by that single stroke, scattering around them, but not all were stopped. A few wind-edges grazed his arm, blood seeping out and freezing instantly.

Zhao Changhe paid it no mind, taking the chance to dart forward several zhang.

Outside, he could teleport a hundred li; here, covering a few zhang was already a feat.

Not far ahead, he could see many human-shaped ice sculptures in various poses. They were not sculptures—they were people who had wandered here by chance and been frozen to death on the spot. Among them were strange beast forms, likely not from this era but from the previous one, perished here long ago. As far as the eye could see, there were more and more, countless, forming a labyrinth of frozen corpses and bones.

Who knew how many lives this creature had claimed here in the last age.

Amid the ringing in his ears, he began to make out coherent words: “Heh heh... I never thought someone would dare come in to die before I even went out to kill.”

Zhao Changhe replied, “You mean, if we hadn’t come, you would have gone out to kill?”

The voice chuckled. “No need to kill deliberately. This glacier is beautiful—the world should be like this, belonging to the ice. Humans have no reason to exist...”

Zhao Changhe nodded. This thing was the same as the Sea Emperor in concept—a fundamental conflict of survival. It was not content to lurk in its lair and guard its territory; it would rage forth, transforming whatever environment it didn’t own into what it desired.

Thus, it was a demon god.

The ancient Black Tortoise had come to trouble it for this very reason, their attributes opposing each other—in Zhao Changhe’s understanding of the Four Symbols of antiquity, the White Tiger had gone mad, the Azure Dragon was a scoundrel, but neither was truly evil. The Four Symbols essentially upheld the order of Heaven and Earth, the order of the Night Emperor; they were positive. Well... that meant Blindy was also positive originally...

But how could the Black Tortoise have lost to the Frost Wyrm? That shouldn’t be—what unforeseen circumstance had occurred?

These thoughts raced through his mind as Zhao Changhe answered aloud, “Thanks for the clarification. Otherwise, I might have doubted myself for invading your territory to kill you, wondering if it was the right thing. Now I’m reassured.”

The voice laughed louder. “Interesting... Do you know who last said that to me?”

“Whoever it was, they failed. I can succeed.” Zhao Changhe paused, then added, “But I don’t think they failed entirely... In this age, demon gods are fully reviving, the Nine Abyss has emerged, the Ethereal is reborn, yet you cower here motionless. I doubt it’s because you don’t want to move.”

The voice suddenly faltered.

Ying Wu, who had been silent, felt a stir in his heart. “It’s been sealed or imprisoned here by the Black Tortoise—it can’t get out!”

Zhao Changhe said in a low voice, “It’s almost out... If I’m not mistaken, over thirty years ago, it was expelling the Black Tortoise’s seal, and you ran into it. Some of the Black Tortoise’s essence contaminated your mother, causing Sanniang to be born with that karmic burden.”

This wasn’t a guess; he had seen it through karmic observation. He had also seen that the Black Tortoise’s seal had another purpose, not merely to imprison the Frost Wyrm. But that cause remained hidden—whenever he tried to see it, his head spun and his eyes blurred, as if touching a forbidden thing.

He had thought he was only here to help Ying Wu, and in turn, Ying Wu would help him find Yangyang. But now, it seemed everything was tied to ancient matters, and this karma ultimately connected to Ye Wuming.

Nothing escaped her web.

Ying Wu said, “If that’s the case, then we came just in time... If we delay any longer and it breaks all the seals to get out, the consequences would be unthinkable.”

The Frost Wyrm was silent for a moment, then laughed hoarsely again. “I don’t know who you are, but your guesses are quite accurate... Then take your time searching. Come find me, and we’ll settle this.”

Ying Wu whispered to Zhao Changhe, “Staying in this environment will only weaken us. We must strike quickly and head straight for the seal’s location. But in this vast glacier, with our spiritual senses hindered, do you have a way to find the sealed place fast?”

The environment was unbearable—daring not to extend their spiritual senses, walking was a struggle. If they stayed much longer, Zhao Changhe felt he would go mad. Everything looked the same, the aura was uniform; finding a specific spot here was incredibly hard, and by the time they did, they’d likely be spent.

But Zhao Changhe sighed. “I have a way. It’ll take at most the time to burn a stick of incense to find him.”

The Frost Wyrm laughed. “Ages change, and people of this era are all so clueless?”

“?” Ying Wu tugged his sleeve. “How?”

Zhao Changhe pulled out a booklet and waved it before Ying Wu, who looked closely and saw: *Atlas of Mountains and Rivers*.

Zhao Changhe flipped through it and quickly found a map labeled “Frost Wyrm Abyss,” with a core point marked and a note: “The Black Tortoise sealed the Frost Wyrm here.”

So it was true—the Black Tortoise hadn’t been killed by the Frost Wyrm; it was the other way around. The Black Tortoise had sealed the Frost Wyrm. But perhaps it was wounded in that battle, leading to its downfall in the later catastrophe.

The map even had a few lines of small text, a brief introduction to the Frost Wyrm. One sentence caught Zhao Changhe’s attention: “Use extreme cold to suppress its energy without leakage.”

What did that mean? Was it not suppressing the Frost Wyrm, but using it to suppress something else? Why was it so vague...

Ying Wu stared, dumbfounded. “What is that?”

Zhao Changhe snapped back to reality. “Special maps of various celestial regions, personally made by the Black Tortoise.”

Ying Wu was speechless.

I came here to fight my revenge battle, and suddenly you’re the protagonist?