In the vast expanse of snow and wind.
Ye Xiaofan, hurrying towards the Icefield, slowly looked up. A snowflake melted into water, ’drip’ falling into his eye.
At that moment, Ye Xiaofan seemed to see a tear sliding down Ye Xiaoyue’s cheek, as if that extremely familiar call of ’Xiaofan’ was echoing through the endless void, surging with an indescribable sorrow in his heart. For reasons unknown, a tear mysteriously slipped down Ye Xiaofan’s own cheek.
"Young master, what’s wrong?"
Beside Ye Xiaofan, Yunmo Baitian asked, unable to help himself, as the other abruptly halted his steps.
"It’s nothing."
In response to Yunmo Baitian’s inquiry, Ye Xiaofan gently shook his head, brushing it off as just being overly worried about his sister, therefore not thinking in other directions.
What concerned him most now was Ye Xiaoyue, wishing desperately to reach the Divine Maiden Sect immediately and rescue his sister from her dire plight.
Having said that, Ye Xiaofan spoke no more but soared even more swiftly towards the Icefield. Yunmo Baitian and the other saints of the Demon Realm followed closely. Although they didn’t know Ye Xiaofan’s exact purpose for heading to the Divine Maiden Sect, once they chose to follow him, probing too deeply would only be counterproductive.
Moreover, even as the saints from the Demon Realm entered the Icefield, there was nothing to worry about. The Icefield has always been the abode of the Divine Maiden Sect, and even if the Divine Sect came in full force, it could not contend with such a domain.
The snow filled the sky, engulfing the entire Hundred Broken Mountain Range region. Time passed slowly, and three days flew by in the blink of an eye.
In the region of the Hundred Broken Mountain Range, it’s well-known that within the boundless Heaven and Earth, there exists an unimaginably vast and endless Icefield, which is perpetually covered by snow and is breathtakingly beautiful. There, is where the Divine Maiden Sect holds sway.
Ye Xiaofan still vaguely remembered, his sister Ye Xiaoyue once mentioned in a letter, how beautiful the Icefield was, dressed in silver, with snow-white mountains stretching from afar, pale blue streams running through the snowy peaks, and snowflakes falling year-round. Even the Spirit Beasts there are mostly entirely snow-white, like a fairyland.
However, his sister didn’t tell him back then that atop that stunning Icefield was the greatest nightmare of her life.
On this day, three days later.
The border of the Billion Icefield.
Winds howled, and snow flew wildly. The thick snowfall seemed to herald something.
This was the passageway to the Icefield, indeed sparsely populated, though a hundred or so villages were settled here.
In one of these villages.
"What a damn sight, though the Icefield is snowy year-round, for some reason, the snowfall this year is particularly heavy, freezing cold. If it continues, we’ll have to move away and avoid it for a while."
A few Loose Cultivator villagers, clad in coats of Soul Beast marten fur and tiger-skin waist wraps for warmth, grumbled as they used tools to disassemble their hunted prey.
Someone spoke up, and the words flowed from the people instantaneously.
"Indeed it is, and I don’t know what’s going on today. It’s the biggest blizzard in decades, something feels off."
"Do you think the Divine Maiden Sect Leader may have acquired the Celestial Snow Divine Body, or the Celestial Snow Divine Body has awakened?"
"It’s not out of the realm of possibility. If the Divine Maiden Sect Leader truly acquired this Divine Body, then our Icefield will rise to a new level."
"Celestial Snow Divine Body, inherently a physique of extreme cold and snow. If it truly awakened, it might indeed bring about this once-in-a-century great snowfall mountain closure."
The villagers chatted away obliviously, but nearby, a burly man with a tiger’s back and bear’s waist changed his expression upon hearing them, immediately admonishing, "Hush, hush, hush, all courting death? What nonsense are you spewing? Is this even a topic for us to discuss?"
Evidently, the news about the Divine Maiden Sect Leader acquiring a Celestial Snow Divine Body had already leaked—news travels fast ultimately. Even if not known worldwide, it was certainly whispered.
Of course, the reason these villagers knew so much was likely because a prodigious genius had emerged from the village and was presumably within the Divine Maiden Sect. Otherwise, such information would never reach the ears of a loose cultivator in a village.
The people paid no heed to the burly man’s cautioning words.
"Brother Tiger, what’s there to fear? We’re just having a chat. The mountains are high and the emperor far away, as if the Divine Maiden Sect Leader could overhear us."
"Well, it’s not quite like that. After all, the information was brought back by Yun’Er, and she repeatedly instructed not to let it slip, or it could invite deadly disaster."
"Don’t worry, we’re just chatting among ourselves at leisure, it won’t get out. Besides, Yun’Er is the confidant of the Divine Maiden Sect Leader, so even if it’s known, there won’t be any trouble."
The group dismissed his words completely, continuing their conversation with nonchalance.
"By the way, last time Yun’Er returned, she mentioned that the girl with the Celestial Snow Divine Body seemed to be someone’s sister?"
"Seems like it’s the Sword Saint’s disciple’s sister, named Ye something."
"Ye Xiaofan."
"Yes, yes, Ye Xiaofan. Tsk tsk tsk, a disciple of the Sword Saint. Truly enviable. Just what kind of fortune did these siblings accumulate in their past lives? One apprenticed under the contemporary Sword Saint, the other born with a Divine Body. Heaven is unjust indeed."
"What’s there to envy about? A Divine Body or not, she still ended up being a sacrifice for others, while the brother has a good fate. Poor sister."
While they were talking, their eyes all showed endless sympathy.
However, one of them then thought of something and couldn’t help but ask, "Right, since the brother of the Celestial Snow Divine Body is a disciple of the Sword Saint, why would the Divine Maiden Sect Leader dare to usurp the body? Isn’t she afraid of the Sword Saint standing up for his disciple and seeking justice?"