The cold air throughout the天地 surged to its peak as the white-robed figure gradually rose from the distorted space, snowflakes cascading down from the heavens. In a short while, the entire Ye City was enveloped in a sea of snow, appearing silvery and exquisitely elegant yet profoundly cold. At that very moment, Xiao Yan and his two companions' advancing forms froze, and a sudden sense of danger arose within them. They swiftly retreated, like lightning. This suddenly appearing figure wore a white robe, tall and graceful in stature. Though his face appeared quite young, with a certain air of detachment, it was still difficult to conceal the noble elegance of his appearance—though this elegance carried a subtle, delicate grace. At the center of his forehead, a pattern of dark, snowflake-like markings stood out, so striking that upon gazing at him, one felt as though even the soul might be frozen in place, making the scene remarkably eerie. The white-robed man stood with both hands resting behind his back upon the black ice staircase. Snowflakes drifting from the sky whirled and spiraled around him, seemingly fragile, yet now possessing an astonishing power of destruction. "Is this... Ice River, the Master of the Ice River Valley?" "By heaven! This old sorcerer has come personally! For a mere being afflicted with a calamitous poison, he has gone to such great lengths—how astonishing!" Within Yecheng, there were many individuals of distinguished insight. Thus, upon seeing the white-robed man standing calmly in the sky, a series of gasps of astonishment rang out instantly. At the Ye family estate, all the Ye clan members froze in place—Xinlan's face turned pale, her body trembling slightly. The Master of Binghe Valley, a figure of such renown across the Central Realm, was nearly universally known and admired. Such a powerhouse was rarely seen, yet here, today, for the sake of Xiao Yan and his companions, this legendary figure had personally appeared—what a surprise! Hearing this, Tian Shuang Zi felt a bit embarrassed and pointed to a massive crater within Ye City. Inside lay the wounded, unconscious Tian She. The white-robed man glanced in the direction Tian Shuang Zi indicated and after a moment, gave a slight nod—his swirling snow around him suddenly accelerated. "Hey, I didn't expect even the Ice Valley Master to personally come out!" Qinghai bowed slightly to the white-robed man. Though he himself was a Dou Zun-level powerhouse, he knew well the vast gap between him and the Ice River Valley Master. Among Dou Zun ranks, the difference in star ratings was far beyond what ordinary people could anticipate—it was a clear, rigid hierarchy. Without special means, it was extremely difficult to challenge one's rank and advance beyond it. And moreover, the Ice River Valley Master had established his reputation in the Central Plains long before Qinghai had even begun his rise. Regarding the bow from Qinghai, the white-robed man merely nodded slightly, and Qinghai showed no sign of anger, only offering a carefree smile. "Ice Master, the person named Xiao Yan was personally designated by the Hall Master as someone we wish to secure. After you have captured them, I kindly request that you present him to me—give the Hún Palace a small favor." Upon hearing this, the Ice Sovereign's eyes flashed with a peculiar light, and he gazed at Xiao Yan with growing interest. How could someone like Xiao Yan have prompted the Hún Palace's master to personally name him? The light in his eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment, he set aside his initial intention to capture Xiao Yan as well. He had met the Hún Palace master before—he was indeed formidable. It would not be worthwhile to establish a connection with just a young man like this. For such a mysterious and powerful institution as the Hún Palace, even he held a certain sense of reverence. "I just need to endure the trials of my body..." The Ice Sovereign's gaze slowly shifted, finally settling on Xiao Yi Xian, whose eyes now glowed with an unusually intense and vibrant warmth. When the Ice Sovereign first appeared, Xiao, Ling, and the third party had tightly clung to each other, their expressions serious and focused on the figure before them. "This person is incredibly powerful—probably not weaker than Tang Zhen of Burned Flame Valley. If they engage in combat, even Xiao Yi Xian might not stand a chance against him..." Xiao Yan's eyes flashed rapidly. The current situation was undoubtedly perilous; if things went wrong, today's Ye City might indeed become his absolute stronghold. "My internal qi has recovered somewhat. Should the situation reach its final stage, even if I force myself to summon it, I can only activate the final, destructive fire lotus. Otherwise... I fear I'll be doomed this time!" Xiao Yan's gaze darted rapidly, his mind constantly spinning with various escape strategies. "Xiao Yan, I'll block them off. You and Master Yao find a chance to make your escape..." A slightly cool jade hand gently grasped his, and a soft whisper reached his ears. Xiao Yan's brow furrowed slightly—clearly, the Young Physician had also sensed the difficulty of dealing with this Ice Sovereign. "If we're to make it out, it won't be easy. On their side, there are three Sovereigns of Flame, not to mention that elusive Ice Sovereign..." Tian Huo Sovereign sighed, finally realizing the gravity of the situation. "You come with me—I won't harm you..." The Ice Sovereign seemed entirely unhearing of the conversation between Xiao Yan and the others, his gaze fixed warmly on the Young Physician, his voice unusually gentle. "Dream on!" The young physician's cheeks were cold, and a gray flow of energy spiraled upward from her jade hands, subtly radiating a faint aura of death—this was the perilous poison. Now, however, the poison had transformed into the sharpest spear in her hands. As the poison surged forth, it instantly coalesced into poisoned arrows, shooting forward with a sharp *whoosh*. The space before her warped and vanished, while the space in front of the ice sovereign twisted violently, the arrows bursting forth and striking directly at his brow. As the厄难toxic gas entered his body, a gray aura appeared on the Ice Sovereign's face, dissipating after a moment, while the unusual glow in his eyes grew increasingly intense. "Is this the most pure form of厄难toxic gas?" After taking a deep breath, the Ice Sovereign appeared at ease, yet with a touch of melancholy, sighed, "The more profound it becomes, the more I desire to obtain you. Once I have you, perhaps my厄难toxic body will transform into the most perfect constitution of all." Hearing these words, the faces of Xiao Yan and his companions suddenly turned pale, their eyes wide with astonishment—had the Ice Sovereign also possessed the厄难toxic body? "The厄难toxic body comes in two forms: innate and acquired. Mine is acquired, yet that does not matter. As long as I can obtain her厄难toxic body, I shall be able to compensate for this deficiency." The Ice Sovereign gently licked his lips, and his soft, resonant voice lingered only in the ears of Xiao Yan and his companions. "So it was the Hardship Poison Body after all..." Xiao Yan sighed with a sense of relief. He had heard that the Hardship Poison Body could be artificially cultivated, but it was an extremely difficult feat, requiring a nine-in-one chance of survival—often resulting in a mere waste of potential. Even if successful, it would still fall far short of Xiao Yixian's innate Hardship Poison Body. "That explains why the Ice Valley has been so tirelessly seeking this rare condition..." As Ice Sovereign launched his attack, both Xiao Yi Xian and Heaven-Fire Sovereign's faces subtly tightened. They stepped in front of Xiao Xin, their vast aura surging forth from within, forming an immense wall of combat energy. SSSSS! Countless black snowflakes, like darts, pierced deeply into the vast wall of combat energy, and then an eerie blackness swiftly spread outward, spreading rapidly and soon engulfing the entire wall. BOOM! With the blackness spreading, the wall of combat energy collapsed entirely, and the two strange black energies transformed into two fierce, serpentine black dragons, roaring fiercely, and charging toward Xiao Yi Xian and Heaven-Fire Sovereign. Seeing this, Xiao Yi Xian and Heaven-Fire Sovereign swiftly retreated, their powerful streams of combat energy erupting from their palms and colliding forcefully with the two black dragons. PONG! The impact caused cracks in space to radiate outward, spreading like a spiderweb. Hmph! Such a fierce clash, Xiao Yi Xian and Tian Huo Master both staggered, emitting a deep gasp, then swiftly retreated nearly a hundred meters, their feet drumming against the void. Facing two opponents, they actually held a decisive advantage—this Ice Master was truly formidable! After one strike, the Ice Master calmly smiled, glanced at Xiao Yan, and with a simple gesture, the dispersed Black Dragon reformed, charging straight toward Xiao Yan with a thunderous roar. Witnessing the charging Black Dragon, Xiao Yan's eyes gradually turned blood-red. His inner hetero-fire had already been primed, and a slightly ethereal lotus flower slowly materialized in the palm of his hand. As the Black Dragon roared forward, sweeping an endless gust of fresh wind, it rapidly expanded in the eyes of Xiao Yan. As the Black Dragon drew nearer, the flaming lotus in Xiao Yan's hands gradually solidified, yet his complexion grew increasingly pale. Finally, amidst countless expressions of astonishment, the Black Dragon surged forward with fierce intensity. However, just as Xiao Yan's lotus was about to fully manifest, the space before him suddenly warped, and two elderly figures materialized mysteriously, their sleeves sweeping out and delivering a decisive blow that shattered the Black Dragon. With the Black Dragon's collapse, a youthful figure in jade-green robes emerged slowly from the warped space behind the two elders, her voice gentle and ethereal, resonating throughout the realm.