Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 237 - The Abyss of Extreme Ice (2)

And now, the Begonia flower had disappeared. It was gone completely, without a trace.

“Is it because of the Xiao Yuan Pearl?” Zanxing wondered absently. She had gained everything due to the Xiao Yuan Pearl, which led to many unintended plot developments in At the Summit of the Nine Heavens. In the end, Gui Yansheng had taken the treasure from her, nearly causing her death. Now, with her Golden Core dissipated and her qi lost, she had lost everything because of the Xiao Yuan Pearl.

For the Heavenly Dao, this ‘accident’ was erased. From now on, she was no longer bound by the plot and had truly become Yang Zanxing, able to roam freely on this bizarre continent.

“But what’s the use of that now?” Zanxing sighed. She couldn’t do anything at the moment, dragging her sickly body and a sick cat. Not only could she no longer practice cultivation and roam the world as she once did, but even taking a single step was exhausting.

Mimi flicked its tail and scratched her hand.

Zanxing glanced down at it and then smiled helplessly: “Well, it is what it is. All I can do now is start over. First,” she looked up at the ceiling, “we need to get out of this dreadful place.”

She had no idea where this place was, but it was exceptionally cold. Although the Flower Fox Fur kept her from freezing to death, sitting for too long made her feel the biting cold seeping in from all sides. Everyone said it was a bottomless abyss, and looking up, there was no visible end. All around were crystalline ice caverns, with some protruding ice rocks between them. She was at the bottom of this ice chasm, with no visible way out. To escape, she probably had to climb upward.

Zanxing gazed at the ceiling, where the ice and snow seemed to grow upwards, with no end in sight. She might never climb out in this lifetime.

Taking a deep breath, she used the Wuyou Staff to stand up, brushed off the snow from her clothes, and patted Mimi’s head. With a sigh, she said, “I suddenly regret not choosing a flying spirit beast when I had the chance.”

Mimi let out an unhappy meow.

Zanxing smiled and patted its head: “Let’s go.”

*

In the darkened great hall, a young man in a golden robe sat on a high throne, his eyes half-closed as if in a light nap. Beside him stood a young woman in pink, around sixteen or seventeen years old, with a delicate and beautiful appearance, carefully kneeling and pouring tea.

A figure in black robes, a demonic entity, walked in and stood before the young man. He seemed somewhat apprehensive, not daring to come closer, and spoke respectfully, “Demon Lord, the people on Gufeng Mountain are currently searching everywhere for Yang Zanxing.”

The young man lazily responded with a noncommittal “Hmm.”

“Now that we have the Xiao Yuan Treasure in hand, why does the Demon Lord not lead an assault on the Immortal Realm and wipe them all out?”

The young man slowly opened his eyes.

He had golden pupils, which were striking yet beautiful. When he looked at someone, there always seemed to be a hint of innocent childlike expression. He glanced at the black-robed entity with a smile, making it shiver with cold fear.

This young man had profound cultivation. Even Yang Zanxing with her Celestial Demon bloodline had perished in a single move under his hand. Moreover, his methods were ruthless, and his temperament unpredictable. One never knew what might provoke his displeasure…

“That makes sense,” the young man replied with a smile. “I was thinking the same thing.”

The entity felt a sense of relief and was about to speak, but suddenly felt a chill in his chest. He looked down to see a bloodstain the size of a bowl on his chest. He opened his mouth, only able to glance at the young man on the throne before collapsing with a thud.

Gui Yansheng continued to watch him with a cheerful smile, saying, “Since you spoke so well, I’ll reward you with a swift death.”

The surrounding black-robed entities were stunned by the young man’s sudden act of violence. One of them, who seemed to have been close to the deceased enforcer, quickly drew his spiritual weapon and pointed it at the young man, shouting angrily, “Demon Lord! Liu Feng served you so diligently, and just because of a single misstep, you resort to killing him!”

“And what if I do?” Gui Yansheng responded indifferently. “This is my domain.”

“Brothers!” The enraged entity could no longer hold back. “He’s a madman! How many of our own have died at his hands these days? Kill him! Otherwise, we’ll end up like Liu Feng sooner or later!” With that, he and the other entities charged at Gui Yansheng, filled with murderous intent.

Gui Yansheng did not even glance at the enraged enforcer. He merely waved his sleeve lightly, causing a white oiled paper umbrella to fly out. With a swish, blood splattered onto the umbrella and trickled down its pristine surface.

In the blink of an eye, several severed limbs and corpses lay scattered on the ground.

The young man sighed, took the Asura Umbrella back into his hand, and slowly folded it. Shaking his head, he remarked, “The demon clan really is no match for me.” He pondered for a moment, then curiously muttered to himself, “The Xiao Yuan Pearl is so powerful that it greatly enhances one’s cultivation in just a day. Why is it like a useless object in Yang Zanxing’s hands? Could it be… that even the pure Celestial Demon bloodline is not so extraordinary?” After thinking for a while without coming to a conclusion, he regretfully said, “It’s a pity Yang Zanxing is dead. I can’t ask a corpse.”

His gaze swept over the bloodstained floor of the hall. After observing with interest for a while, he seemed to find it boring and lazily said, “Boring.” He then stood up.

The young woman, who had been kneeling beside him pouring tea, was already terrified by the scene before her, her face pale and frozen in place, unable to move.

Gui Yansheng cast a glance at her and instructed, “Rong Chun, clean up this place.”

“Yes,” the girl named Rong Chun replied, trembling.

“I will be in seclusion for a period. Do not disturb me unless it is something of great importance.”

He left the hall.

Rong Chun, with trembling hands, tidied up the tea set on the table, then approached the remains on the ground. She closed her eyes, steeled herself, and quickly began to clean up the mess.

*

The ice surface seemed to be getting more and more slippery.

Zanxing, clutching Mimi in her arms, struggled to climb up the protruding stones in the ice cave.

Climbing this ice cave was far more exhausting than it looked. The ice at the bottom was somewhat easier to navigate, but the higher she climbed, the more treacherous and slippery the ice became.

Zanxing began to suspect that it might be intentional. Perhaps in the past, someone had tried to escape by climbing the ice, only to slip and fall repeatedly, losing the strength to continue.

Despite the difficulty, Zanxing managed to keep climbing. Partly because the Wuyou Staff served as a makeshift cane to support her, and partly because of the shoes Liu Yunxin had given her. They were incredibly suited for walking on ice. Liu Yunxin was renowned for her embroidery, often creating intricate patterns on the soles of her shoes. Zanxing had not paid much attention to the design on the shoes when she received them on her birthday, but they were evidently well-crafted, allowing her to walk relatively easily on such a slippery surface.

All around, small glowing flowers bloomed. These flowers had only two petals and opened and closed like tiny lanterns, casting a faint blue-green light. As Zanxing climbed, she noticed that some of the ice caves seemed to contain sculptures. These sculptures were embedded in the ice, vaguely resembling human figures. Zanxing had a fleeting thought that these might not be sculptures at all, but rather living people.

However, considering that there were likely thousands of such ice caves, if each cave contained a corpse, the thought of thousands of corpses silently watching her climb was rather chilling.

“They must be sculptures,” Zanxing told herself. “They have to be sculptures.”

On the wall of the ice cave, Zanxing noticed many carvings. Some were faded and nearly illegible, while others were relatively new. As she leaned in to examine them, she realized that they were names of people, none of whom she recognized. The thought crossed her mind that these might be the names of those who had died here. A chill ran down her spine, prompting her to quicken her pace.

The higher she climbed, the colder it became. The warmth from the flower fox fur cloak seemed to be gradually overpowered by the encroaching cold, with a growing sense of chill seeping into the fur. Zanxing looked up. Despite climbing for so long, the top remained out of sight, distant enough to instill a sense of hopelessness.

However, there was no other path available.

She paused to take some Qi-Boosting Pills from her Qiankun Bag, sharing it with Mimi. After a brief rest, she resumed her climb.

Day after day, she climbed, her fingers growing numb and her nails cracking from the cold. Her shoes were soaked with melted ice water, and the flower fox fur cloak had absorbed the chill, becoming cold as stone—heavy and stiff. As she felt her grip on the Wuyou Staff weakening and debated using the Fire Basket from Tian Fangfang for warmth, she suddenly heard a faint rustling sound from above.

The sound was subtle, somewhat muffled. Zanxing strained to lift her head, and for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, the vast expanse above her showed a change. A large, ice-carved circular platform blocked her view.

The noise was coming from the platform.

Her heart raced with excitement. This could be the key to escaping. Zanxing glanced down at Mimi, who had been growing increasingly lethargic due to the cold. Mimi had earlier consumed the divine fire from the Ten Thousand Killing Formation to protect her, leaving it extremely weak. If they didn’t get out soon, the cold might put Mimi into a permanent slumber.

They couldn’t afford to stay here any longer.

Zanxing gritted her teeth, rubbed her hands together, and decided against using the Fire Basket. She tightened her grip on the Wuyou Staff and continued climbing.

As she climbed over another protruding ice rock and passed through an ice cave, the previous faint rustling sound grew louder. It now sounded like clanking chains.

“Curious, there’s actually a living person here.”

A woman’s voice echoed through the boundless ice chasm, creating ripples in the stillness. She asked, “Little girl, who are you?”