Chapter 409 - The Ice Ponds on the Back Mountain

Xiao Chen was determined to investigate the back mountain. He could also guess Su Lianyue’s goal in investigating the Corpse Refinery Sect; a woman from Fort Raksasa whose birthday falls on the seventh day of the seventh month must have gone missing as well. Now that she knew the answer, she could very well return and make her report. There was no need for her to continue risking her life. This was the end of their cooperation.

Su Lianyue looked at him quietly. Suddenly, she smiled and said, “How would you know if I’ve found the answer that I’m looking for, Young Master?”

Xiao Chen stared at her. He had the feeling that she was implying something else, so he asked, “Oh? Didn’t you come here to investigate the missing disciples from Fort Raksasa?”

Su Lianyue chortled. “Of course, I did. But that’s not all. For example, the answer I’m concerned about… Were you so concerned about all this because all those ladies share the same birthday of the seventh day of the seventh month?” Her pupils gleamed with emotion as she stared straight at Xiao Chen’s face.

Xiao Chen trembled ever so subtly. It seemed to him that Su Lianyue had been making indirect inquiries about his past since the beginning. He laughed. “A word of advice for you, Fairy.”

“Do tell.” Su Lianyue looked at him with a faint smile, her gaze still on him.

“Do not ever try to learn about my past. It’s very dangerous.”

Xiao Chen didn’t move when he spoke, his eyes as sharp and silent as a sword. This sword wouldn’t attack anyone on its own, but anyone who touched it was bound to get hurt, no matter who it was.

Su Lianyue was dumbfounded. She then burst into hearty laughter. She laughed so hard that she began shaking, unable to stop. Xiao Chen glanced at her. “What’s so funny?”

Su Lianyue shook her hand, still unable to contain her laughter. Every time Xiao Chen spoke to her earnestly, she would inexplicably want to laugh. It was the same thing back in the cave. Xiao Chen’s stomach was groaning but he still told her that she wouldn’t share a goose with a Devil’s Practice cultivator in all seriousness.

Her laughter made Xiao Chen feel very awkward. He coughed once and said, “Enough. Stop laughing. Be careful not to draw the attention of the guards outside.”

When her laughter finally ended, she looked at him. “Oh, alright. I’ll stop joking with you. But did you think that I’ll be done with my mission once I bring this clue back? Did you think I’d give up after I finally found a clue?”

Xiao Chen didn’t reply. He swiped the top of the woman in red and removed the Six-comprehension Seal on her. After the woman woke up, she shuddered and stared daggers at them both.

Su Lianyue’s expression instantly turned cold. She used a poisonous spell and pressed the woman in between the brows with two fingers. The woman immediately became obedient again.

“The ice pond on the rear mountain! Lead the way!”

The woman in red shifted her body, but eventually walked using the same path she had come in, with the two following her. Moments later, they were back at the rock cave from before. The two rows of guards moved out of the way in deference, all afraid to raise their heads.

After leaving the place, the woman in red led them down to the back mountain. The closer they were to the back mountain, the heavier the sinister, cold energy became. Xiao Chen’s brows were tightly furrowed the entire time. Yu Yangzi was someone on his deathbed and had no reason to make up a lie to deceive them. But the Administration of Heaven…

The Administration of Heaven was neither good nor evil. Even though they conducted soul transactions, they would never take the initiative in stealing someone’s soul. What didn’t belong to them, they wouldn’t want. But those who owed them souls had nowhere to run or hide.

But why would the Corpse Refinery Sect be subjugated by the Administration of Heaven? And what was up with that woman named Red Sleeve? These three matters were undoubtedly intricately linked!

Before they knew it, the moon and the stars began to dim as they walked. It must be close to dawn now. White mist gradually rose around them. Some branches were also covered with a layer of frost. There were also fewer patrolling guards here, as if they were either unwilling or not daring to come.

Xiao Chen and Su Lianyue were on full alert. If they ran into that woman named Red Sleeve, they would probably have no chance of survival. They couldn’t just imagine the magnitude of three thousand years’ worth of grievance. But what gave them a little piece of heart was that the woman seemed to be under some sort of control and couldn’t come out for now.

Finally, under the guidance of the woman in red, they arrived in front of a rock cave. The cave looked ordinary, but the cold sensation coming from it was potent. Xiao Chen and Su Lianyue exchanged looks and carefully walked inside. The moment they entered the cave, Xiao Chen could feel a heavy Rancorous Qi. However, this Qi was simply accumulated over the years; it didn’t belong to a single person.

After nearly fifteen minutes, they could faintly see light from the end as well as a thick layer of ice covering the rock walls around them. There were even stalactites hanging above them. The temperature was very, very low here. Even with the Fire-heart Jade, Su Lianyue was still trembling.

Xiao Chen glanced at her, not knowing why she feared the cold so. He remembered that Weiyang would sometimes fear the cold too. Muxue, too. All of them seemed to be bad with the cold.

They continued walking a little longer. The light from the end hit them through a layer of ice. Xiao Chen was finally able to get a clear look at his surroundings. It turned out that the light originated from some Illumination Formations.

After exiting the passage inside the rock cave, Xiao Chen saw many ponds with glistening water in front of him. The ponds were all connected through channels of water and had numerous ink chunks floating on the surface, so much so that the entire cave was shrouded in smoke.

“This must be where they ‘rear’ those kidnapped women,” Su Lianyue said softly, looking at the pile of female clothing in a corner.

Xiao Chen nodded with a deep frown. No wonder the Rancorous Qi here was so strong. How many innocent women had frozen to death here in the past three thousand years? And the number of deaths in that terrifying Ice Prison must be even higher.

There were around a dozen of these ice-water ponds in this cave. Su Lianyue strolled up to one of them and saw that the pond was probably 1.7 meters deep. Under the swirling white smoke, the water was so clear that she could see the bottom of the pond. This must be water from above the mountain.

Xiao Chen joined her and saw numerous hairpins and jewelry like bracelets and earrings lying at the bottom of the pond. These must have fallen while their owners struggled inside the waters. He couldn’t help sighing to see these jewelries; he could imagine just how cruel the scene was.

Su Lianyue carefully observed the pond for a moment before walking to another pond. She went through seven to eight ponds in such a manner, as if she was looking for something. Finally, at the ninth pond, her expression turned pale. She reached for the pond and with a splash, a small object flew out of the waters and fell into her hand.

The object was an intricate purple jade hairpin that resembled the one that she was wearing. They ought to be a pair. Su Lianyue gripped the hairpin in her hand with force, her breathing hitched and her body trembling. Even the rim of her eyes was reddening.

Xiao Chen looked at her current state and said nothing. He could guess that one of their own had been kidnapped as well and that woman was very close to her, perhaps as close as sisters. It was that kind of relationship that he and Xiaoruo shared.

Suddenly, Su Lianyue turned her head and glared at the woman in red. Her eyes appeared even colder than the water inside the ponds. Even Xiao Chen couldn’t help shivering.

She swiftly walked back to them and slapped the woman in red hard in the face. “Pa!” The sound reverberated inside the cave. A red, palm-shaped mark immediately appeared on the woman’s face.

“She was just sixteen; are you even humans…” Su Lianyue suddenly lost control of her emotions and slapped the woman again.

After getting slapped seven to eight times in a row, the woman in red suddenly sneered. “You’ll die a wretched death, a million times worse than them…” Another harsh slap landed on her face before she could finish her sentence.

“I’ll kill you before then!” Su Lianyue’s gaze was sharp and severe. She spread out her palm, summoning a purple fog, and was about to crush the woman’s head. Xiao Chen promptly grabbed her hand. “Don’t be hasty!”

Su Lianyue glared at him. “What’s wrong? Can’t bear to watch a pretty woman die?” Xiao Chen shook his head. “Once she dies, those from the Tianxiang Chamber would notice immediately. We’ll be in big trouble then.”

His words allowed Su Lianyue to finally calm down. She clenched her hand so that her bones creaked and suddenly flicked her sleeve. “Thud!” The woman in red was pushed into the ice-cold water.

Once inside the water, the woman’s face instantly turned purple from the cold. She struggled with all her strength, but the water was collected from the bitter-cold regions in the extreme north and remained nearly frozen year-round. Even though the water didn’t freeze over, it was colder than ice. Those thrown into the water would suffer a pain worse than death.

A short moment later, a frowning Xiao Chen rolled up his sleeves and pulled the woman out of the pond. The woman was so cold that she couldn’t even keep her shivering body upright.

Xiao Chen sighed. He couldn’t empathize with Su Lianyue’s current emotions, perhaps because none of his loved ones were kidnapped and forced to endure such terrible torment. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed and he peered at a corner of the cave. He could faintly make out a secret path. “That should be a secret path. Let’s take a look,” he said.

The two of them walked over and triggered the mechanism to unlock the stone door. They entered the walled-in path and found it to be a very long one. It was also very dark inside, and even colder still. They walked for another fifteen minutes before it finally lit up around them. However, what they saw alarmed them instead.

Lying in front of them was numerous female corpses, all of them young women who had been frozen solid. Piles of corpses lined the corners. If not a thousand, then there were surely several hundreds of such corpses here. The women were all dragged here after freezing to death. Many of them were even naked…

Su Lianyue’s breathing became rushed and her bones protested loudly from her clenched hands. Xiao Chen looked away; he couldn’t bear looking at these women. Red Sleeve was an absolute madwoman. She was even more dreadful than actual devils. Just what was her reason for harming so many women? Even more must have died of torment inside that Ice Prison.

“Thump!” The sudden noise sent the entire ice cave shaking. “Oh no!” Xiao Chen cried, alarmed. He turned his head and found the path closed.

Su Lianyue’s expression changed as well. They flew toward the path at the same time and struck the stone door with a cooperative palm attack. Fragments of ice were thrown into the air, but the stone door didn’t move in the slightest.

Suddenly, the woman in red behind them moved. While they were distracted, she swiftly pushed a mechanism button on the stone door. The ground under Xiao Chen and Su Lianyue’s feet instantly disappeared. He instinctively struck the ground with his palm, wanting to rebound from the recoiling force, but his palm force seemed to dissipate as soon as it hit the ground and produced no reaction.

Just like that, the two of them fell into the darkness.