A number of transparent, jelly-like mythical beasts, bearing the white, snow-laden wind and snow, were seen. These creatures, known as "Cold Wraiths," originated from the cold essence of heaven and earth. Though only level five or six in strength, they showed no fear at all toward the swirling snow or the biting cold that turned breath into ice. On the contrary, they were full of spirit and moved with ease, as though perfectly at home. Suddenly, the leading six-level Cold Wraith halted, its several pairs of red eyes on either side fixed with curiosity upon a spot where the snowfall was especially dense. The other five-level Cold Wraiths also paused, turning their gaze in that direction. Instantly, a series of piercing sounds echoed through the air, and several red threads shot forth from the snow, moving with astonishing speed, swiftly piercing through the bodies of several Cold Wraiths and splitting their inner spirit essences in two. With a series of "plinks," these Cold Wraiths shattered like ice, falling to the ground. At that moment, figures began to move within the snowstorm, and a young maid of the White Pavilion, wearing a white cloak, stepped forward slowly. Though she could not see the creature's face clearly, her gaze remained cool and steady as she surveyed the scattered ice before her. Without a word, she flashed into motion and vanished into the wind and snow moments later. Suddenly, the great blade on the beast's shoulder shifted slightly, as if something had flashed and vanished. At the same time, a thunderous crash echoed nearby, followed by a sharp, piercing cry from beneath the lake. An eerie, sharp gash appeared on the ice surface—several feet wide and two zhang long—deep and seemingly endless. Only then did the bull-headed beast slowly gaze at the gash. In the next instant, a surge of blood poured out, and half of the body rose to the surface. From the attire, it was clear that the figure was one of the male disciples from Xiao Ji Palace. It seemed the man had originally used the water-style technique to hide beneath the ice, intending to ambush the passing beast—yet had been instantly detected and struck down by this seemingly dull, seventh-level creature. A glint of ferocity passed through the beast's eyes. With a single hand, it reached out and drew the half-body into its grasp. Then, it opened its mouth wide and began to chew on the body directly. After a cup of tea's worth of time, the half-dead body had entirely been swallowed by the creature, which then contentedly rubbed its belly and pressed forward, resisting the massive blade. Similar scenes of combat unfolded across various parts of the North Ming Island—either the lower-tier beast creatures were ambushed and killed, or the small Jixing Palace cultivators were themselves slain and consumed by the beasts. However, it was always the lower-tier beasts and cultivators below Jin Dan stage who engaged in these clashes. The cultivators at Yuan Ying stage and the beasts of the Eighth Rank seemed entirely indifferent to these skirmishes—some remained quietly sheltered within the Ice City, while others simply glided swiftly overhead through the wind and snow, paying no attention to what unfolded below. This was not due to a lack of desire among the higher-tier beasts or cultivators to eliminate the small Jixing Palace's junior cultivators, but rather because, under the current sky- and space-sealing restrictions, it was difficult to locate and track the adept small Jixing Palace cultivators who mastered various elusiveness techniques amidst the swirling wind and snow. Some of these cultivators even carried special artifacts capable of concealing their presence, making them even harder to detect. Yet even when they occasionally managed to kill a few cultivators, it made absolutely no difference to the overall situation—on the contrary, it was more prudent to conserve their spiritual energy for the impending great battle. After all, when the time came for life-or-death struggles, even a small fraction of spiritual energy was extremely precious. As the various demons gradually approached the Ice City, within a hall of the Han Li Realm, a beautiful woman named Liu sat calmly on a jade chair. In front of her, two rows of junior elders from the Xiao Ji Palace, all at the Yuan Ying stage, listened attentively as a palace disciple dressed in white reported on the efforts of the dispatched disciples to resist the demonic beasts. "The hundred senior disciples we sent out have already lost thirty-seven of their life plates. We've confirmed the deaths of a total of one hundred and twenty-eight demonic beasts, most of them from the Ice Sea. The second contingent has now also been dispatched and is expected to join the first group within one hour, where they will engage directly with the beasts," the disciple said respectfully. "Thirty-seven disciples have fallen. It seems the time has come. They should all now be within the ten thousand miles radius of the Ice City. Notify Elder Ye to begin activating the Sea-Stabilizing Bell one hour from now. This time, we must seriously wound the lower-tier sea beasts of the Ice Sea. Otherwise, during our attack on our small Xijiao Palace, these expendable forces will become a major headache." The beautiful woman listened intently, her eyes never blinking, and issued the command. "Yes, Lady of the Palace!" Upon hearing this, an elder with snow-white hair and a youthful appearance immediately raised one hand, sending a scroll of transmission soaring into the air, which spiraled once before vanishing beyond the hall. "Ding, activate the entire sealing and array. With this artifact in play, I believe the higher-tier sea beasts of the Ice Sea, feeling the loss of their comrades, will surely go into a frenzy." The beautiful woman spoke calmly. "Yes!" Another elder stood up, nodded, and transformed into a streak of light, heading out. "Additionally, inform the disciples heading out to be cautious—the effects of the Sea-Settling Pill last only for one incense stick, and upon activation, the cultivator will enter a deep sleep for over a hundred years. Once this duration passes, all disciples must immediately return to the city and promptly deactivate each of the secret teleportation arrays, to prevent the demonic creatures from exploiting their infiltration..." "Understood!" As the beautiful woman issued a series of commands, figures began to shimmer and fade, one after another, as senior cultivators of Yuan Ying level stepped forward to take their assignments. Almost simultaneously, at a location hundreds of miles beyond the Ice City, large groups of high-level demonic beasts arrived at the same destination and settled their flight lights on a small mountain of ice. Before them lay the range of the Xiao Ji Palace's main defensive array, a vast expanse of white, misty cold vapor. All the beasts that had achieved physical form expressed a serious demeanor. The group of demons clearly divided into two factions: one consisting of only a dozen, gathered around an elder of tall and short stature, and a young child; the other, comprising over twenty beasts, gathered around a slender, silver-robed woman. Yet strangely, the smaller group of immortal beasts wore neat attire; though their appearances were somewhat unusual, their gestures and movements were indistinguishable from those of human cultivators. They even regarded the other group with a touch of disdain. The larger group of beasts, on the other hand, appeared disheveled and gloomy, most clad in simple garments made of fur or hide, some even wearing nothing but their upper bodies. They carried various weapons—swords, halberds, axes, and maces—either slung over their backs or held in hand. Though they carried leather satchels at their waists, crafted for storage, they failed to place these weapons inside them. Each of these beasts exuded a fierce, aggressive aura, and their gaze toward the other group was far from kind. These two groups stood at either end of the ice peak's summit, clearly separated and seemingly as incompatible as water and fire. Nevertheless, if an unknown cultivator happened to pass by and happened to witness these two groups of beast-folk, they would likely be immediately startled, clutching their heads and fleeing in panic. For all these beast-folk are fully formed beasts of at least Eighth Rank, and the elder, the child, and the silver-cypress woman are even of the lofty Tenth Rank. Such formidable power would likely surpass that of most sects among the Ten Major Sects of the Celestial and Earthly Powers. Moreover, higher-ranked beast-folk are naturally stronger than their corresponding cultivator peers. Among the beast-folk, the elderly man dressed in a dark blue robe has a square, dignified face, bright and piercing eyes, and gray hair that subtly glimmers with a blue hue—giving off an aura of calm authority even without speaking. The seemingly six- or seven-year-old boy is clear-cut and refined, resembling a celestial child from the heavens, though his eyes are slightly tinged with a faint red, as if veiled by a layer of blood, while a gentle, quiet smile always lingers at the corners of his mouth. As for the silver-robed woman on the other side, she is graceful and elegant, with skin as white as Yet, despite her delicate grace, as she merely shifted her gaze, the fierce, high-ranking spirit beasts gathered around her bowed low, unable to meet her eyes, each one appearing deeply respectful and hesitant. "Miss Feng, I never expected these human cultivators from Xiaoji Palace to truly commit themselves—having released all the accumulated cold qi on the island over nearly a thousand years at once. I wonder how they'll manage should they face any major threats in the future," the elder suddenly chuckled. "Why should Qing have to ask this again? Our mission wasn't specifically aimed at the cold marrow. The human cultivators of Xiaoji Palace are unaware of our intentions. Naturally, they'll fight with all their might, deploying every available artifact. Otherwise, even if they preserve all their cold qi, what good would it do?" The lady of Yinxinshan calmly replied. "Still, it's surprising that Miss Feng herself has personally taken the lead this time," the elder added. "I've heard it said that two thousand years ago, the immortal maiden already retired and has never left Ice Deep Island since." The child also spoke, yet his voice was remarkably aged, as if that of a man in his seventies—so incongruous with his youthful appearance that it was truly astonishing. "Should it be any other matter, I would certainly not be moved. But concerning the matter of ascending to the Immortal Realm, how could I rest easy knowing that only my subordinates remain on this island? Haven't you yourself sent your avatar to represent us?" The silver-robed woman glanced at the child calmly and spoke with quiet composure. "Hah! I never expected that just by mentioning this matter, the immortal maiden would immediately agree. This truly comes as a surprise to me! It seems that the Lady Feng has long been dissatisfied with Xiao Ji Palace, and has been eager to eliminate the lineage of the former Ice-Purity Immortal who remains among the mortal world's disciples. To be honest, this time, it's Lady Feng who has greatly relied upon our Wàn Yāo Valley's strength!" The child narrowed his eyes, smiling warmly. (Second update!)