Within the ruins of the Blood Shadow Sect, the night wind howled as it swept through.

Luo Bingning held Lin Xi’s hand, the figures of the two women gradually disappearing into the distant clouds and mist.

Amid the shattered mountain rocks, the stench of blood remained thick. Blood Slaughter Ancestor’s corpse lay at the center of the ruins, eyes wide open, death frozen upon his face.

However, not long after the two women left, a nearly transparent remnant soul suddenly burst out from Blood Slaughter Ancestor’s body.

Demonic qi surged to the heavens.

This remnant soul instantly condensed into a vague humanoid figure, roughly three zhang tall, its entire body radiating a suffocatingly evil aura. Even the void trembled faintly under his pressure.

“Useless trash!”

The Demon Venerable soul fragment’s voice was heard as though it came from the depths of the Nine Nether Hell, sinister and terrifying. He looked down at Blood Slaughter Ancestor’s corpse, black flames of fury burning in his eyes.

“A mere late-stage Nascent Soul little girl actually managed to kill a chess piece I painstakingly nurtured!”

He extended his illusory palm and a ball of black light gathered within it. The light enveloped Blood Slaughter Ancestor’s corpse and began retracing the battle that had just taken place.

Scene after scene appeared within the void.

Luo Bingning’s icy expression, Lin Xi’s frail figure and that terrifying sword qi that tore apart the blood sea.

“That’s not right… Soul Transformation stage?”

Shock was unmistakable in the Demon Venerable soul fragment’s voice.

“Sustaining injuries of that level and still recovering in such a short time, even breaking through a realm?! Impossible!”

He carefully observed Luo Bingning within the images, greed flashing through his eyes.

“Ice Phoenix bloodline… and an extremely pure Ice Phoenix bloodline at that. Even in ancient times, such a bloodline was exceedingly rare. But bloodline alone can never explain her recovery speed.”

The Demon Venerable soul fragment suddenly shifted his gaze toward Lin Xi in the images.

This girl looked weak and harmless. Her aura was concealed extremely well, appearing to be only at the Core Formation stage. Yet he keenly sensed an unusual and powerful presence.

It was deeply hidden, but to an existence of his level, it could not be completely concealed.

“Interesting…”

A playful smile crossed the Demon Venerable soul fragment’s eyes.

“This little girl carries a secret. And a very big one.”

He carefully observed Lin Xi’s behavior during the battle. On the surface, she appeared frightened and tense, yet her gaze was abnormally calm. Moreover, Luo Bingning had clearly received some kind of mysterious amplification during combat.

“Does she possess some rare constitution? Or some other extraordinary encounter?”

Having lived for countless years, the Demon Venerable soul fragment had seen all manner of strange existences. He vaguely sensed that within this girl called Lin Xi lay a secret even he could not fully comprehend.

“No matter what it is, it will become part of my collection.”

His voice carried undisguised greed.

“Luo Bingning… Lin Xi… you’ll soon witness the true descent of a demon god!”

The Demon Venerable soul fragment slowly raised his head, gazing in the direction the two women had departed. Excited flames burned in his eyes, as though he had discovered an unparalleled treasure.

“The Blood Shadow Sect was just an appetizer. What comes next is the real game.”

With that, the Demon Venerable soul fragment transformed into a streak of black light and vanished into the void.

Only the bloody stench lingering among the ruins remained, slowly dispersing in the night wind.

* * *

At the same time, Lin Xi and Luo Bingning, already having flown several hundred li away, were completely unaware of what had just occurred.

Luo Bingning controlled the escaping light, carrying Lin Xi as they sped through the clouds. The night was dark as ink, stars scattered like points of light, creating a scene of quiet beauty.

“Bingning-jie, where are we going now?”

Lin Xi leaned against Luo Bingning’s embrace, her voice soft and sweet.

Luo Bingning lowered her head to look at the girl in her arms, her eyes filled with tenderness.

“To the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Grotto in the Northern Wastes. The cold spiritual qi there will be very helpful for my cultivation.”

She gently stroked Lin Xi’s long hair.

“And it’s sparsely populated. Perfect for us to cultivate quietly for a while.”

Lin Xi nodded, yet her mind was rapidly thinking through the next plan. Blood Slaughter Ancestor was dead, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that matters wouldn’t end so simply.

[Detected emotional fluctuations in the host]

[Recommendation: remain vigilant. There may be stronger forces behind the Blood Shadow Sect.

The system’s warning tightened Lin Xi’s heart. As expected, things were not so smooth.

At that moment, the system suddenly sounded a rapid series of notifications.

[Congratulations, Host! Core mainline task completed: Heavenly Frost Empress’s Revenge!]

[Task evaluation: Perfect]

[Reward: Divine-Grade Spiritual Root!]

[Detected host already possesses Divine-Grade Spiritual Root. Reward altered: Spiritual Root quality transformed into Chaos]

[Host cultivation increased to: Core Formation early-stage]

[“World Shock” task chain unlocked!]

[Second Empress clue unlocked!]

A powerful surge of energy erupted from Lin Xi’s body and her cultivation leapt forward dramatically. She controlled it perfectly, not allowing Luo Bingning to sense anything amiss.

[Second Empress Information]

[Name: Youyue Demon Consort]

[Cultivation: Soul Transformation mid-stage (sealed state)]

[Bloodline: Netherworld Demon Phoenix]

[Current status: Trapped within a sealing formation in the Extreme Northern Lands]

[Special abilities: Netherworld Law mastery, charm talent]

[Personality: Arrogant, scheming, highly possessive]

[Favorability: 0/100]

[Loyalty: 0/100]

[Nurturing progress: 0/100]

[Unsealing condition: Requires a large amount of demonic qi and a special unsealing key]

Looking at the information on the system panel, excitement surged through Lin Xi’s heart. The second Empress had finally appeared. And she was a demonic Empress, which made things even more interesting.

However, Youyue Demon Consort was sealed in the Extreme Northern Lands. Rescuing her would certainly not be easy.

And then there was the issue of identity. Thinking of this, Lin Xi glanced at the frost-like beauty holding her.

“Xi’er, what’s wrong?”

Luo Bingning noticed Lin Xi’s look and asked.

Lin Xi quickly gathered her thoughts and smiled sweetly.

“Nothing. I was just thinking about how we’ll soon be cultivating together in the ice grotto and it made me a little excited.”

Hearing this, the gentleness in Luo Bingning’s eyes deepened.

“Xi’er is so considerate. With you by my side, I feel no difficulty is insurmountable.”

She kissed Lin Xi lightly on the forehead.

“Once we reach the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Grotto, I’ll cultivate properly and strive to break through to Soul Transformation mid-stage as soon as possible.”

Lin Xi nodded, while secretly planning how to look for clues related to Youyue Demon Consort. According to the system, Youyue Demon Consort was sealed in the Extreme Northern Lands. And the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Grotto they were heading to was also located in the Northern Wastes.

Perhaps this was no coincidence.

[Detected high mental activity from host]

[Notice: Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Grotto is approximately three thousand li from Youyue Demon Consort’s sealing location]

[Recommendation: complete Luo Bingning’s nurturing tasks first before attempting to rescue the second Empress.]

With the system’s guidance, Lin Xi formed a clear plan. First, help Luo Bingning stabilize her cultivation, then find a way to approach the sealing site.

After flying for over an hour through the night sky, the two finally saw a range of continuous snow-covered mountains in the distance.

That was the edge of the Northern Wastes. The Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Grotto was hidden deep within those mountains.

Luo Bingning descended onto a mountain peak and withdrew the escaping light.

“Xi’er, the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Grotto is just ahead. But the cold there is extremely terrifying. Your cultivation…”

Concern flickered in her eyes.

Lin Xi hurriedly waved her hand.

“Bingning-jie, don’t worry about me. I have a cold-resisting artifact. It’s more than enough to withstand the chill.”

She took out an ordinary-looking cloak from her storage pouch. It was a cold-resisting artifact she had just exchanged from the system shop. Though its quality wasn’t high, it was sufficient for the grotto.

[Exchange successful]

[Cold-Resisting Cloak (Earth-tier low-grade): 200 points]

[Current points: 6150]

Luo Bingning looked at the cloak on Lin Xi’s body, a trace of doubt passing through her eyes. She always felt Lin Xi possessed quite a few treasures, yet couldn’t pinpoint anything amiss.

“Xi’er, where did all these artifacts come from?”

She asked tentatively.

Lin Xi blinked, wearing an innocent expression.

“They were all left to me by my master. Master said they’d protect me at critical moments.”

Her voice carried a hint of nostalgia.

“Although Master is gone, these treasures have always been protecting me.”

Hearing this, Luo Bingning felt a pang of tenderness. She pulled Lin Xi into her embrace.

“Your master must have been a very good person, to teach such a kind disciple like you.”

Nestled against Luo Bingning, Lin Xi secretly felt pleased. This excuse worked perfectly, explaining her artifacts while deepening Luo Bingning’s sympathy.

After resting briefly on the peak, the two continued toward the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Grotto.

The deeper they went, the lower the temperature dropped. The air was filled with biting cold and even their breaths instantly crystallized into frost.

Lin Xi tightened her cloak, appearing to struggle slightly on the surface, while in truth being completely unaffected.

Watching her, Luo Bingning felt even more concern.

“Xi’er, should you wait outside? The cold inside the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Grotto is too intense. I’m afraid you won’t endure it.”

Lin Xi shook her head quickly.

“I don’t want to wait outside alone. What if something dangerous happens?”

Fear flashed through her eyes.

“And I want to stay by Bingning-jie’s side and watch you grow even stronger.”

Hearing this, warmth surged through Luo Bingning’s heart. Xi’er always thought of her first.

“Alright then, we’ll go in together. But Xi’er must stay close to me and not wander off.”

Lin Xi nodded obediently.

They pressed onward and finally discovered the entrance to the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Grotto deep within a canyon.

It was a massive ice cavern, its entrance glowing with an eerie blue light. Dense cold qi poured out from within, freezing the surrounding rocks several chi thick.

“This is the place.”

Luo Bingning took a deep breath, excitement flashing in her eyes.

“Xi’er, are you ready?”

Lin Xi nodded, anticipation stirring within her.

The Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Grotto could not only help Luo Bingning grow stronger, but might also provide clues to Youyue Demon Consort.

Hand in hand, the two walked toward the depths of the ice cavern, their figures gradually swallowed by the blue glow.

A far greater storm was about to arrive.