Inside the chamber filled with icy fairy mirrors, the great sun, resembling a crimson fireball, slowly vanished. The surrounding snow melted away, yet the ancient ice pillars and walls remained crystalline and untouched, without a single trace of water.
As the four formidable Law Bodies advanced further, disappearing from the fairy mirror’s view, Chen Zhao’s tense nerves finally eased. The ice-like old man, who had been poised for action, also let out a long sigh of relief. Just seeing them from afar, he could sense the terrifying might of the Law Bodies. They truly lived up to their reputation as terrestrial immortals—perhaps even stronger—making him feel utterly hopeless in facing them in battle.
If that cloaked master had attacked from afar earlier, they probably wouldn’t have survived!
“We’ve only ever read about Law Bodies in ancient texts, understanding the difference between immortals and mortals. Never did I imagine I’d actually see a terrestrial immortal in my lifetime… So there really are people who have climbed the entire Celestial Ladder and broken through the barrier between mortals and immortals,” the ice-like old man sighed deeply. Even he, who had always been the most conservative and unwilling to leave the Far North, couldn’t help but feel a complex mix of emotions. He suddenly felt like a frog at the bottom of a well, unaware of how vast and magnificent the outside world truly was.
“If only I had journeyed south in my youth, exchanging techniques with the heaven-gifted prodigies, battling terrifying foes, and seeking guidance from Law Body masters. Perhaps I, too, would be a terrestrial immortal by now!”
Chen Zhao could guess at his thoughts and chuckled wryly. “If I had known this back then, I wouldn’t have hesitated. It was only after meeting true heaven-gifted prodigies in the south that I realized how much I lacked and what I needed to improve. I haven’t wasted these past dozen years at least.”
He paused, then sighed again. “Never did I expect there to be so many Law Body experts in the south… truly a land filled with immortals.”
Through the accounts of Out-of-Sight experts who occasionally came to the Far North for materials, they had all heard that the south was divided into the grasslands, Beizhou, and Nanjin, and that there were true immortals who had achieved the Law Body there. But who could have guessed there were as many as five—perhaps even more? And their displayed power and aura completely overshadowed the records of human immortals in ancient texts. Could some of them have already reached the Earth Immortal or even Heaven Immortal stages?
“Senior Brother, once this is over, let’s journey south again!” Although she was already married, Liu Zejun still preferred to call Chen Zhao “Senior Brother.” After reaching the Out-of-Sight stage, she had advanced rapidly at first, breaking through the first tier of the Celestial Ladder in less than five years under favorable conditions and abundant resources. However, her progress had since slowed, and she had started doubting whether she could ever become a Grandmaster. But now, witnessing real Law Body experts, her passion for martial cultivation had reignited. She wanted to see more and train more, so the words slipped out naturally.
Chen Zhao laughed heartily. “That’s exactly what I was thinking!”
The ice-like old man’s expression shifted, as if he were tempted, but then he thought of his age—over one hundred and fifty years old. The chances of breaking through were slim, so why take risks? It would be better to spend his remaining years peacefully. Yet he hesitated.
“They say there’s samsara in the world, but after rebirth, only those with rare fortune can awaken memories of past lives. You’ve only got twenty or thirty years left anyway. If it were me, I’d take the risk. If you break through, you’ll gain over a hundred more years of life and can venture into dangerous places to find longevity herbs. If you fail and die, you won’t have wasted much time at all.” Chen Zhao added sharply.
The old man’s eyes flickered with intense emotion, still unable to make a decision. Just then, from the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of green—and another stranger appeared at the front of the Despairing Black Road!
“Another one…” he muttered numbly. This stranger wore a green robe, a feathered cloud cap on his head, straw sandals on his feet, and carried a heavy-looking long sword. His features were handsome, marked by the passage of time, his aura restrained, his presence barely perceptible, yet deep like the unique polar night of this place—dark and boundless, yet embracing all things. Looking at him, one felt the subtle passage of time itself.
“Another Law Body!” the old man said with complex emotions. What was happening today? Law Body experts, who only existed in legends, were appearing before him like a swarm of fish crossing a river.
And this Law Body was particularly strange. His aura was no less dangerous than the sword-wielding green-robed man and the axe-carrying giant and the robed scholar behind him. In other words, he was far stronger than the human immortals described in ancient texts!
Hearing this, Liu Zejun and Chen Zhao turned their gazes, at first sighing at the arrival of yet another terrestrial immortal. Each Law Body had a unique aura—terrifying, yet awe-inspiring.
But as soon as they saw his profile, Chen Zhao blurted out, “It’s him!”
The Southern Grandmaster Su Meng, who had defeated him so thoroughly that he had no choice but to admit defeat.
Though Su Meng now showed signs of maturity, with streaks of gray at his temples, he was clearly very different from the man Chen Zhao remembered. Yet Chen Zhao had never forgotten him. Over the past decade, he had trained hard, longing for the day he could return south and challenge him again.
Liu Zejun didn’t remember Su Meng as vividly as her husband did, but now she finally recognized him. Just then, she saw Su Meng turn his head slightly, gazing toward the mysterious heights, as if he, too, had sensed the fairy mirror’s surveillance.
Seeing his face head-on, Liu Zejun no longer had any doubts. She whispered, “It really is him!”
Only twelve or thirteen years had passed, yet he had risen from Grandmaster to Law Body!
He had already become a Law Body, and clearly stronger than those described in the ancient texts… Chen Zhao swayed slightly, a mix of emotions flooding him, finally settling into a bitter smile.
A decade of chasing, a decade of longing to challenge him again—only to look at him from afar and know, without a doubt, that he would lose again.
There was nothing more heartbreaking than that.
Seeing the green-robed, straw-sandal-wearing swordsman seemingly detect the fairy mirror, his eyes like two deep pools drawing them in, the ice-like old man felt a chill run through him. He wanted to look away but couldn’t help asking in confusion, “Do you know him?”
Chen Zhao’s bitter smile deepened. “Of course we do. That’s the Grandmaster who defeated me—Su Meng, the true heaven-gifted prodigy.”
After the previous experience with the robed master, he wasn’t as easily startled by this level of “gaze.”
“So that’s him…” the old man murmured, nodding slightly. “No wonder you lost to him…”
He paused, then blurted out in a rush, “Wait—did you say he was still a Grandmaster over a dozen years ago?”
His voice was urgent, his tone shaken, revealing the storm raging in his heart.
In just twelve or thirteen years, he had broken through both the third tier of the Celestial Ladder and the barrier between mortals and immortals. Was he even human anymore? Was there any fairness left in the heavens?
Chen Zhao nodded in confirmation. Just as he was about to add something, he suddenly saw Su Meng’s face growing larger, as if approaching from afar, and in an instant, it was right in front of the fairy mirror!
Then, that face emerged directly from the mirror!
Right out of the mirror!
Chen Zhao, the ice-like old man, and Liu Zejun all felt their scalps tingle, their hearts stop beating for a moment, as if struck by lightning. Their acupoints opened reflexively, but before they could manifest their Law Bodies, they were enveloped by a gentle yet profound aura. The familiar laws of heaven and earth vanished, replaced by a chaotic, indistinct void where their Law Bodies could not manifest.
They could only watch helplessly as the mirror’s surface rippled like water, and the green-robed, straw-sandal-wearing man stepped out of it, a sight so horrifying it defied comprehension.
It was like a dream.
After sensing someone had entered the secret path leading to the Jade Pond, Meng Qi felt puzzled but decided to investigate after careful consideration. At the front of the Despairing Black Road, he sensed surveillance and followed the connection to arrive here. At this moment, his physical body, Yuan Shen, and Law Body were fully unified. His Yuan Shen’s departure was no longer a mere projection—it was his true self.
Glancing at them, Meng Qi smiled slightly. “So it’s Brother Chen from the Far North.”
Since Chen Zhao and Liu Zejun were the only two people from the Far North he had ever met, he remembered them clearly.
This sentence was like a spell to break the stillness, snapping Chen Zhao out of his trance. He exhaled heavily, still feeling numb all over, and said with a bitter smile, “Greetings, Brother Su. Congratulations on attaining the Law Body and joining the ranks of immortals!”
Meng Qi had no time for pleasantries and asked directly, “Brother Chen, were you here just now? Did you see anyone else enter the core of the fairy palace?”
“I did,” Chen Zhao didn’t hide anything and recounted everything he had seen.
Meng Qi’s expression immediately turned grave. Senior Su had entered first, followed by the Demon Master, Gourdo, Dushi Dharma King, and Blood Sea Rakshasa. This looked like a trap.
Was it a trap set by the four evil Law Bodies using the Ice Mirror Palace or the Jade Pond to target Senior Su?
Senior Su was in grave danger!
But if the Demon Master had already discovered Chen Zhao and the others, why didn’t he kill them to silence them? Was he deliberately allowing this information to leak?
Was he trying to lure more righteous Law Bodies into a trap and eliminate them all at once, or did he have other plans?
A mixture of seriousness and confusion filled Meng Qi’s mind, but he was not one to hesitate. He immediately decided to contact Master Lu Da and the others, but not all of them would enter. He and Master Lu Da would proceed cautiously, while He Qi, Yun He, and Gao Lan would remain outside as backup in case of emergencies. Of course, his older brother was guarding Beizhou and might not come.
The profound darkness in Meng Qi’s eyes dissipated, replaced by the black-and-white glow of the “Dao Yi Glazed Lamp.” The Law of All Causes began to turn slowly.
At Huamei Villa, Lu Da, who had been sitting beside a grave, suddenly opened his eyes, grabbed his sword, and vanished from the spot.
At the East Sea Sword Villa, He Qi, who had been explaining sword techniques to He Jiu, suddenly pressed his right hand downward, leaving behind a message before transforming into an invisible sword light and vanishing into the void.
At the Myriad Phenomena Sect in the Western Regions, Yun He Zhenren was playing with the palm-sized dragon-shaped artifact in his meditation chamber when he sighed and was enveloped in a beam of light, vanishing toward the Far North.
In the capital of Nanjin, Gao Lan walked freely through the former Crown Prince’s mansion, completely unimpeded. The guards and servants around him moved about as if he were invisible.
He strode through the halls and approached a secret room, opened the door with his hand, and stepped inside with the gait of a tiger or a dragon.
The room was empty, with only a faint glow of glazed light lingering and a faint fragrance in the air.
“He really ran off fast…” Gao Lan sneered, half pleased with himself for being so wise and the enemy fleeing at the sight of him, but also secretly annoyed.
At that moment, a talisman on his body pulsed, receiving a message from Meng Qi. After a moment’s thought, his body transformed into a golden light and vanished into the void.
…
At the head of the group, Han Guang led the four deeper into the Ice Mirror Palace, keeping a significant distance from Su Wuming. Although this secret area somewhat limited omnipresence, it wasn’t the Jade Pond, so Su Wuming could still both scout ahead and secretly tail them to check for pursuers. Therefore, the distance had to be kept large.
At this moment, a weathered bronze coffin flashed briefly in the distance.
“It feels a bit like a legend,” Gourdo said uncertainly.
Han Guang smiled. “Perhaps it’s the remains of this place’s master.”
“Who is the master of this place?” Gourdo asked.
Han Guang turned his head slightly, smiling ambiguously. “The Ice Mirror Immortal Sage.”
“The Ice Mirror Immortal Sage?” Gourdo was slightly surprised.
“The Ice Mirror Immortal Sage?” Both the Blood Sea Rakshasa and Dushi Dharma King seemed to finally open their eyes wide, looking at Han Guang in astonishment.
They had all heard of the legend of the Nine Immortal Sages’ tombs deep in the Snow Mountains suppressing ancient monsters, and the Ice Mirror Immortal Sage was one of them.
Never did they expect him to have left behind a fairy palace here!
What was his relationship with the Jade Pond sect?
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