Chapter 96 - 71: Ice Lake

Beyond the desert lay a vast plain, and upon it stood a massive, iconic boulder.

Li Shuang temporarily halted her journey near this colossal rock.

After the Heaven and Earth Melting Furnace was unlocked, its treasure-appraising function hadn’t vanished; rather, the appraisal results had become much more precise. Previously, Li Shuang could only roughly estimate an item’s worth based on the shifting progress bar. Now, the Heaven and Earth Melting Furnace directly outputted Value Points.

These Value Points were an internal calculation logic of the Heaven and Earth Melting Furnace. Generally speaking, the more abundant an item’s Spiritual Power, the higher its Value Points. Relying on this, Li Shuang’s search for resources became significantly easier.

For the past few days, she had been moving strictly around the vicinity of this boulder, gathering resources while she waited.

Five days later.

Li Shuang had just slain a demon beast and claimed the Fourth Rank Spirit Grass it had been guarding. The moment she stored the item away, her gaze flickered slightly. Turning her head, a glimmer of joy flashed through her eyes.

"Junior Sister," a voice called out. Standing behind her was a travel-worn Liu Juncheng.

He seemed to have gone through several fierce battles along the way, leaving him looking rather battered. Fortunately, he didn’t appear to have suffered any severe injuries, and his overall condition was decent.

The tension in Li Shuang’s heart eased slightly. "Second Senior Brother, did you encounter the Demon Clan this time?" she asked.

Before entering the Secret Realm, Li Shuang hadn’t known about the unforeseen changes that would occur. She and Liu Juncheng had simply agreed to rendezvous at this iconic boulder in the inner region. Afterward, they were to head toward the Ice Lake together.

Since she possessed an Ice Spirit Root, the Lotus Seed within the Ice Lake would grant her tremendous benefits. Furthermore, there were other opportunities hidden within the lake that would be highly advantageous for Liu Juncheng, who possessed a Water Spirit Root.

The last time she visited this Ice Lake, Li Shuang had even thought what a pity it was that Sheng Yuan wasn’t there. Sheng Yuan possessed a Water Element Single Spiritual Root; this opportunity would have been monumentally significant for him.

Now, ten years had passed, and everything had changed. As for Sheng Yuan, she naturally no longer felt any pity for him.

Liu Juncheng possessed Water and Wood Dual Spiritual Roots, making that opportunity equally crucial for him. That was why Li Shuang had specifically arranged to meet him here. After entering the Secret Realm and witnessing the Demon Clan wreaking havoc, Li Shuang had been deeply worried about his situation. Fortunately, they were both safe and sound now.

Li Shuang’s expression remained characteristically placid, but a profound concern seeped through the depths of her eyes.

Liu Juncheng was already used to his junior sister’s tough exterior but tender heart. "I ran into them once," he said gently. "However, there happened to be disciples from the other Six Sects nearby at the time. The few of us joined forces and managed to beat the Demon Clan back. Because of the Demon Clan’s presence, many disciples are too afraid to leave the outer region. I’m afraid the total harvest for the Six Sects will be drastically reduced this time."

Li Shuang felt a pang of guilt. "If we hadn’t made a prior agreement, you wouldn’t have needed to take such a risk, Senior Brother."

Looking at her guilty expression, Liu Juncheng felt somewhat helpless. "Little Frost, why are you shouldering the blame again? Whether the Demon Clan was here or not, I would have braved the inner region anyway. By willing to share your opportunity with me, I am the one who owes you a massive favor. How could you be the one feeling guilty? Let’s drop these formalities next time."

A hint of confusion flickered in Li Shuang’s cold eyes. She wondered, "Is... is that how it works?"

Seeing her like this made Liu Juncheng’s heart ache. When Li Shuang first arrived at the Sword Sect, she was merely a young girl of ten or so. Her habit of constantly taking the blame only proved that during her years at Lingxu Peak, everyone had forced her to become this way.

"Remember to live a little more freely from now on," he couldn’t help but say.

Someone like Li Shuang appeared as cold as frost, but those who truly knew her could see her incomparably gentle heart. Some people would choose to exploit and trample upon it, but others would choose to cherish it.

Watching Liu Juncheng’s earnest expression, a tiny smile tugged at the corners of Li Shuang’s lips. "I understand. Second Senior Brother, there might still be some scattered resources nearby, but compared to a true grand opportunity, they aren’t worth mentioning. I’ll stand guard for you. Once you adjust your breath and recover to your optimal state, we will depart immediately."

Seeing Li Shuang looking so vibrant and energetic, Liu Juncheng couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. The Supreme Forget Emotion Technique was truly heaven-defying.

It had been a month since the Secret Realm opened, and most people were already battered and exhausted. Yet, because of Li Shuang’s unique Cultivation Technique, even though her Spiritual Power wasn’t vast, it was constantly replenishing itself. She could maintain her peak condition almost all the time. Even if she suffered minor injuries while fighting demon beasts, the circulation of her technique would naturally restore her to her best state. She didn’t need to take extra time to meditate and recover at all.

A heaven-defying Cultivation Technique naturally came with heaven-defying entry requirements.

Liu Juncheng sighed internally. If he were asked to enter the Heartless Dao, he would probably rather never suffer such trauma in the first place. Little Frost had paid an agonizingly tragic price just to cross its threshold. As her senior brother, the only thing he could do was repay her with absolute sincerity. With everyone working together, they would eventually help her break free from the shadows of her past completely.

Faced with Li Shuang’s kindness, Liu Juncheng didn’t refuse. "Alright," he said softly, "I’ll meditate for a bit."

His condition truly wasn’t great; he hadn’t even found a safe place to rest and recover during his entire journey. Now that Li Shuang was here, he took out some Elixir Pills and focused entirely on his recovery. Li Shuang kept watch nearby. Once Liu Juncheng was fully recovered, the two immediately set off.

More than ten days later.

The travel-worn duo arrived near the Ice Lake Li Shuang had mentioned.

As Liu Juncheng looked at the Ice Lake, a flash of astonishment crossed his eyes. The lake spanned across both the core and inner regions, and at its eight corners sat eight guarding demon beasts. In the dead center of the Ice Lake, the most eye-catching sight was an Ice Lotus that looked as though it had been meticulously carved from ice and snow.

Not daring to approach rashly, Li Shuang whispered, "Second Senior Brother, these eight demon beasts all possess the strength of a Super Demon Clan. Although their power is only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, with the enhancement of their bloodline, even if we join forces, we might not be able to defeat just one of them. Not to mention, there are eight here."

Liu Juncheng nodded in agreement.

Li Shuang was well-prepared. She continued, "These eight demon beasts guard eight different directions. We can choose one direction to push through. As long as we don’t cause too much of a commotion, the other demon beasts won’t react—only the one guarding that specific direction will.

"This time, our target is the demon beast in the southeast. It has a fondness for alcohol, so we can bribe it with fine wine to let us pass. However, we only have half an hour. If we don’t come out after half an hour, it will sound the alarm, and when that happens, it won’t just be him—all the demon beasts will swarm us.

"Additionally, if we touch the lotus in the center, all the Guardian Beasts will be instantly alerted. In that scenario, whether our half an hour is up or not, the Eight Great Demon Beasts will surround us immediately."