Gazing at the ethereal white figure by the cave entrance, Xiao Yan's tightly tensed heart gradually began to ease. "Good, nothing serious..." murmuring softly to himself, he quickly turned his gaze toward the elder floating in the mid-air above the mountain stream. The elder had a full head of white hair and wore a white robe, adorned with delicate snow-white floral patterns. He seemed to radiate a quiet coldness from within outwards, as if his very essence was wrapped in frost. His gaze lingered on the elder, and Xiao Yan's eyes slightly narrowed: "A Six-Star Battle Sect master..." After a brief pause, his gaze shifted downward. Around the mountain stream, dozens of white figures stood firm—clearly also disciples from Binghe Valley. As he scanned them, his attention settled on a prominent boulder at the edge of the stream. There, two white-robed elders stood with hands folded. Remarkably, the elder at the forefront matched the one floating above in strength, also achieving the rank of Six-Star Battle Sect master. Though the one behind him fell slightly short of the others, he too was a Two-Star Battle Sect master. "Three Battle Sect masters, and no less than several dozen elite disciples from Binghe Valley... Binghe Valley truly doesn't hold back," Xiao Yan murmured, a cold glint passing through his dark eyes. "Brother Xiao Yan, those two are the elders from Binghe Valley—Bingyuan and Bingfu. They're quite strong; be careful..." Xinlan's gaze swept around before tightening on her cheeks, saying. Xiao Yan nodded slightly. Though the display was impressive, it didn't pose a particularly threatening pressure on him at this stage. After all, the current Earth Spirit Puppet could already hold its own against a Six-Star Battle Sect master, and he himself possessed the Tianhuo Sanxuan Transformation and the Tianhuo Zunzhe within his Na Ji. At the entrance of the mountain grotto, the young physician’s gray-purple eyes, devoid of any emotion, glanced at the elder. A touch of scorn flickered on her pale cheeks, and her clear, cold voice, tinged with frost, echoed through the mountain stream: “Before I freeze the vitality of this world, I will utterly destroy this body—leaving you, the Ice River Valley, with nothing!” Upon hearing this, the elder floating in the air shot forth sharp glimmers of cold intensity, and slowly replied, “You are cutting off your very only path to survival…” As his words settled, it seemed he no longer wished to delay. A remarkable surge of cold energy began to radiate from within him. “Since you do not wish to live through the journey, then let me personally seize you and bring you back to the Ice River Valley…” As the final syllable fell, a distortion rippled through the space before the white-robed elder. Amidst the swirling cold, a dense array of ice spears materialized out of thin air—crisp, sharp, and piercing! The elder waved his sleeve lightly, and at once the countless ice spears before him trembled violently, shooting forth in a sweeping barrage—dense and relentless, sweeping across the entire ten-zhang radius and completely encompassing the cave's location. Gazing at the ice spears slicing through the air, Xiao Yi Xian's brows furrowed slightly. Now seriously wounded, she simply could not stand a chance against the ice essence, especially with two Dou-Zong cultivators stationed around the mountain stream. Should either of them intervene, she would likely have no chance to escape at all. "Even if I must die, I will not fall into their hands!" A thick, deep gray-purple cultivation energy surged continuously from within Xiao Yi Xian, spreading out to fully cover the cave entrance. The ice spears struck it, quickly melting away; yet under the relentless barrage, the energy shield formed by the gray-purple aura gradually faded. Crack! Crack! The remaining ice spears struck the mountain walls surrounding the cave, layer upon layer of thick ice spreading out with a crisp, cracking sound. Under this intense cold, even the toxic air around them grew noticeably thinner. Feeling the rapidly intensifying chill, Xiao Yi's cheeks subtly changed color. This cold was peculiar—should it penetrate her body, it would undoubtedly cause serious complications. In fact, back then, a mere oversight had allowed this cold to enter her, causing her internal qi to stagnate, which had forced her to retreat severely after being treated by Bingyuan and Bingzun with their so-called "Ice Sovereign Technique." Just as the young physician burst out of the cave, dozens of sharp voices rang out simultaneously. Instantly, a surge of cold air poured through the heavens. The space within the mountain stream froze in an instant, then, under a series of crisp cracking sounds, solidified into a thick, sturdy sheet of ice. In mere moments, a vast ice chamber—nearly several dozen zhang in size—had formed within the stream. The young physician and the ice essence were both sealed within, now invisible from the outside, yet every movement inside could be clearly observed from beyond. "Still trying to escape?" The ice essence, hovering above the sky, couldn't help but let a cold smile spread across her face. With a swift motion, she appeared beside the young physician in a single breath, her fists wrapped in frigid energy, then delivered a powerful blow. Feeling the sudden, intense cold surging from behind, the young physician instantly turned around, her jade hands swiftly channeling gray-purple qi, then delivering a resolute palm strike. "Boom!" As the fist and palm met, a powerful surge of energy instantly radiated outward in a circular wave, sweeping around the surroundings. Under the force of this reverse pressure, Bingyuan retreated two steps, while Xiao Yixian was directly thrown backward, her already weakened condition—her combat strength greatly diminished—making her far from a match for a six-star Battle Sect master. Stabilizing herself, the already pale complexion of Xiao Yixian grew even more as she scanned the dense, unyielding ranks of ice warriors. A bitter expression formed on her cheeks. It seemed today, there truly was no escape. "Come with me back to the Ice River Valley—you still have a chance. If you remain stubborn, don't expect me to be gentle!" Bingyuan's foot pressed gently against the void, slowly advancing toward Xiao Yan, his tone as calm and detached as ever. Gazing at the ice essence approaching steadily, the chill in Xiao Yisheng's gray-purple eyes gradually intensified. With swift movements, she quickly formed an unusual hand seal—now, only by doing so could the seal of the厄难 toxic body be lifted. Though this would cause the toxic body to erupt much earlier than expected, it was still better than having it fall into the hands of this old man right now. Seeing Xiao Yisheng's hand seal, the ice essence seemed to sense her determination to fight to the end, her expression darkened instantly, and she launched herself forward with lightning speed. A powerful, surging cold aura rapidly spiraled within her palms. The ice essence moved with exceptional speed, closing the distance to Xiao Yisheng in mere blinks. A cold, composed demeanor now carried a touch of frosty intensity; the palms, enveloped in cold, carried a piercing chill that immediately transformed into a series of shimmering silhouettes, densely weaving through the space around Xiao Yisheng. Under the force of this fierce palm wind, a deep, resonant sonic boom took shape, and the cold aura grew so dense that the very air turned into a steady rise of delicate white mist. The young physician’s slender frame resembled a small boat tossed about in a violent storm, constantly swaying left and right, each maneuver appearing perilously precarious—only a hair’s breadth away from being struck hard. Though she managed to evade Ice Yuan’s relentless, tidal assault, her attempts to lift the seal with her hand gestures were repeatedly interrupted, leaving her in a state of extreme peril. Crash! Another gust of cold wind surged in, and with no further room to retreat, the young physician raised her palm once more, meeting Ice Yuan’s force head-on. "Whoa!" A gush of bright red blood erupted from her as her body was violently thrown backward. Bingyuan's expression remained cold. As the crimson blood reached his face, a surge of cold air erupted from his mouth, instantly freezing it solid. "Your厄难毒体has not yet reached its peak. If it had, I would have found it impossible to overcome you merely with my words. Alas..." Bingyuan gazed at the young physician who wiped blood from her lips, offering a faint, calm smile. Yet the frost in his eyes did not wane. With those words, Bingyuan lost patience and moved swiftly, darting once more toward the young physician. This time, a growing sense of determination and resolve—almost murderous—flickered in his gaze. As long as the厄难毒体remained, the young physician's life would be of no consequence. Seeing Bingyuan's face now contorted with a grim smile, the young physician sensed the rising intent to kill. She quickly summoned the meager qi within her, preparing for a final stand. Crack! Just as Xiao Yixian had settled on her plan, the massive, sealed ice walls surrounding her suddenly emitted a sharp cracking sound. Cracks rapidly spread across the walls, and then, with a sudden explosive roar, they burst open. The sudden collapse of the ice walls startled Bingyuan, who barely had time to recover when a series of rushing wind sounds erupted from the mountain gully, and a series of shadowy figures surged directly toward him. The unexpected assault left Bingyuan momentarily disoriented. Several streams of icy combat energies surged from his hands, colliding with the incoming shadows—but instead of solid impacts, the shadows emitted sharp, piercing cries of pain. Upon closer inspection, Bingyuan's face darkened in dismay, realizing that the very figures he had taken for weapons were none other than disciples from the Ice River Valley. "Young man," he shouted, "you dare to disrupt the Ice River Valley's grand plans? I shall hunt you down until you vanish beyond the horizon!" As the ice master's expression darkened, several angry roars echoed from the mountain ravine. At the moment, his eyes flashed, and he suddenly lifted his head to see a young man standing calmly at the edge of the ravine, holding two disciples from the Ice River Valley in his hands—clearly, the one who had previously projected himself. "The Ice River Valley people truly have no intention of sparing anyone," the young man smiled. "Surrounding so many to attack a single injured young woman—how truly ungracious!" Then, his gaze shifted to another spot—the white-clad woman, whose pale, delicate face had now been etched with disbelief due to his sudden appearance. As he gazed upon that pale, touching face, a gentle warmth shimmered in Xiao Yan's eyes, and his voice, soft and soothing, drifted down.