Having cultivated myself into an immortal, all I want to do is raise female disciples.

"The Frostbite Token." Yun Ping once again brought out this winning formula.

I have to admit, the Ice Cold Token that Xiao Zhuzi gave me is really useful.

Seeing Yun Ping take out the Ice Frost Token again, Fan Dongyin was truly speechless. He put on a sighing expression and looked helplessly at Fan Luokui below, who was already itching to fight him.

He waved his hand, and a thin figure suddenly appeared from the shadows beside him.

He was an elderly man with a hunched back but an elegant demeanor, dressed in a very simple manner, with a few white hairs on his eyebrows. However, the domineering aura he exuded proved that he was by no means a kind person.

"Your Majesty the Palace Master." He bowed slightly forward.

"Elder Fu, I would like to trouble you to accompany Luo Kui and these distinguished guests into the deep ice cave."

The elderly man addressed as Elder Fu was visibly taken aback. He glanced at Fan Dongyin with slight hesitation. "Palace Master, but that lady said that no one is allowed to disturb her, because anyone could be..."

Fan Dongyin shook his head. "It's alright. I have already examined the souls of these distinguished guests, and there are no major problems. If the three of you are so kind, could you temporarily store the magical artifacts you possess into your storage rings?"

This request isn't unreasonable. After all, if the goal is truly to assassinate Yin Hanxuebing, an extremely powerful magical artifact would be required. Storing the artifact in a storage ring at least buys them the opportunity to prevent the assassin from using it.

Fan Dongyin was indeed a cautious person—Yun Ping instructed Ye Yuchan and Zhang Ruoxue to put away their magical artifacts.

Once everything was ready, Yunping spread his arms wide, arrogantly displaying a face that looked like he wanted to punch someone.

"So, may we leave now? Cautiously... Master?"

“You…!” Fan Luokui glared at him angrily.

Fan Dongyin simply smiled at her daughter's performance, waved to Fan Luokui, and gestured for the captain of the trial team to come to her side.

Upon being called by her father, Fan Luokui immediately forgot her dissatisfaction with Yun Ping, turned around, and her smiling face appeared in front of Fan Dongyin.

As her only relative, Fan Luokui naturally relied on and obeyed Fan Dongyin immensely.

After that, Fan Dongyin and Fan Luokui whispered something to each other, and then Fan Luokui returned to the group.

"Well then, everyone, I have assigned my daughter, Fan Luokui, to be your guide. To ensure that you... well, all of you distinguished guests should understand, please follow Luokui closely and do not make any unnecessary movements."

"I know, I know." Yunping waved his hand impatiently. "Honestly, we already said we wouldn't harm that Master Jizhi. We were just asking some small questions."

"This is the most basic crisis prevention, please understand."

"Alright, then I'll forgive you."

Yunping said with a grin, looking exactly like a hooligan.

Fan Luo Kui had seen too many people like this while on duty in the outer three palaces. They were practically local thugs. Coupled with Yun Ping's arrogant and disrespectful attitude, which showed no regard for the Palace Master of the Northern Ice Palace, she simply couldn't like him.

On the contrary, a strong sense of resentment arose.

Heaven knows why Uncle Hu wanted her to bring this kind of person into the inner palace...

Despite her dissatisfaction, Fan Luokui still took on the role of guide, while the unfathomable old man followed behind, his nominal purpose being to ensure that they would not do anything to harm Lord Yin Hanxuebing.

Moreover, only he knew how to properly undo those complex restrictions.

—It means to untie it correctly, not to kick it away.

After casting nearly a hundred complex and incomprehensible spells, the snow blocking the entrance to the deep ice cave vanished instantly, and the restrictions used to prevent others from entering also dimmed.

"Please come in, everyone."

Old Fu turned to the side, squinted his eyes, and gestured for him to enter, much like a butler would.

Fan Luokui glanced at Old Fu, and their eyes met for a moment, as if they had reached some kind of agreement. They nodded in unison.

Then, led by Fan Luokui, the group stepped into the dark and frigid deep ice cave.

……

But no one knew that at this very moment, in the Snow Cold Palace, the man sitting on the throne was toying with a blood-red ball in his hand.

A ball that looks like it has vein-like patterns and occasionally flashes red light.

------

I will update regularly at 2:30 pm every day from now on.

Yes, basically.

111. The Vanished Old Rogue

A deep ice cave.

In the pitch-black circular cave, where one cannot see their own hand in front of their face, pale blue ice blocks emitting a dim glow serve as the only means of illumination. These small ice blocks, with their beautiful exteriors and crystal-clear interiors, adhere to the edges of the cave, resembling a sky full of twinkling stars when viewed from afar.

But the shadows in this deep ice cave seemed to be coveting something at all times, and the hard and cold ground underfoot always carried a chill that penetrated to the bone, making it feel as if the soles of one's feet were about to freeze with every step.

It truly lives up to its name as a deep ice cave. This frost and cold are even more terrifying than the Snow Palace that penetrates to the very soul.

If that's all there is to it, it's not a big problem.

Ye Yuchan hung her head and followed closely behind the captain of the trial team in front of her. Naturally sensitive, she looked around warily and timidly, as if she was on guard against something.

"Rain cicada?"

Zhang Ruoxue quickly noticed that her best friend's expression was not quite right, and hurriedly grabbed Ye Yuchan's thin arm.

"--what!"

Before the latter could react, the sudden touch startled him so much that he almost jumped to the top of the ice cave.

Her exclamation immediately drew Fan Luo Kui's attention back, and a hint of impatience appeared on her usually cold face, which seemed to blend into its surroundings.

Nevertheless, she asked in a low voice, "What's wrong? What's making you so surprised?"

"N-nothing..."

Knowing that she was being too sensitive, Ye Yuchan did not refute Fan Luokui's words.

However, it's not entirely her fault. When she first entered this deep ice cave, there wasn't that eerie and terrifying atmosphere; everything was just like an ordinary cave.

As time went on, the surrounding environment grew darker and darker, and even the ice blocks that could illuminate the light became fewer and fewer. The indescribable cold and darkness seemed to be slowly devouring Ye Yuchan's mind.

In fact, not only her, but even Zhang Ruoxue, who is usually bold and unrestrained, couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive at this moment.

She felt something was off about this place, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Bizarre—that's the only word to describe it.

What was even more frightening was that after traveling for about half an hour, they still hadn't reached their destination. This deep ice cave wasn't a single road leading directly to the bottom; instead, it was winding and crooked, with many forks in the road, as if it were deliberately designed to confuse first-time visitors.

As they crossed another fork in the road, Ye Yuchan glanced curiously at Fan Luokui.

Despite the complex terrain, Fan Luokui, as the guide, did not hesitate at all when faced with a potentially wrong turn. Her resolute expression suggested that she was certain she would not go astray.

"that……"

She couldn't help but call out to the woman in front of her to stop.

Fan Luokui's expressionless face was filled with indifference, but the impatience in her eyes was still undisguised.

"What is it now?" Her tone sounded particularly unfriendly.

It seems that it's because Ye Yuchan is Yun Ping's apprentice, and Yun Ping repeatedly provoked and disrespected her father in the main hall, which indirectly caused him to develop hostility towards Ye Yuchan.

Ye Yuchan, who had been inexplicably shot in a certain sense, couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh, and after hesitating for a long time—

"You seem very familiar with this place. Isn't this forbidden territory for you?"

“To be honest, it is indeed a forbidden area,” Fan Luokui thought for a moment and replied, “but I can come and go freely.”

"Eh?"

Noticing Ye Yuchan's puzzled expression, the old man at the very back chuckled softly.

His kind expression was tinged with a mysterious smile, as if to proclaim his formidable cultivation.

“Miss Luo Kui cultivated here for a period of time, so she is naturally very familiar with the situation here.”

"To cultivate in a place like this..."

Zhang Ruoxue imagined it for a moment and silently gave Fan Luokui a thumbs up in her heart.

Even she might not be able to calm down in such an environment, let alone cultivate.

Ye Yuchan didn't seem to care much about these things, instead, she once again expressed her curiosity, "If you cultivate here, then your teacher must be...?"

Her doubts were immediately confirmed by Fan Luokui.

“Ultimate.” Instead of calling Yin Hanxuebing by her full name, she referred to her as Ultimate. “My teacher is one of the twenty-one Ultimates.”

"Oh~ no wonder you're so strong..."

The heartfelt sigh made Fan Luo Kui frown. She snorted coldly and turned her back.

“My cultivation level and my swordsmanship are indeed all at the pinnacle of inheritance, but even so, my sword is still too slow.”

Indeed, it's too slow.

She still remembers how that unassuming man could so easily take away her blade and so casually grip her sharp knife...

Is it fast? That speed that they were so proud of was nothing compared to that man.

Ye Yuchan knew that Fan Luokui was talking about a certain old rogue, and she felt even more sympathy for Fan Luokui in front of her.

—If this girl knew that she had fought Emperor Wen twice and escaped unscathed, she probably wouldn't be like this.

In a sense, Fan Luokui can be considered a strong person. He faced Emperor Wen twice in a row and emerged unscathed. This is something that other cultivators can boast about for the rest of their lives.

It was at this point that the group came to another fork in the road. Just as Zhang Ruoxue and Ye Yuchan were about to follow Fan Luokui to one of the forks, Fan Luokui walked toward a piece of ice wall on the side.

With practiced ease, she pressed down on the slightly protruding ice blocks in a particular order. Immediately, the ice wall seemed to melt away, disappearing in its place, replaced by a narrow path that could only allow one person to pass at a time.

"Oh~"

Visible blue-white light emanated from it, and Ye Yuchan couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

As the trailblazer, Fan Luokui walked at the very front as always. She glanced back at the crowd behind her and said calmly, "Let's go. After we get past here, we'll reach our destination."

"Ah... um."

Ye Yuchan nodded stiffly. She could feel an indescribable solemn aura emanating from the radiant interior.

She had a vague feeling that Yin Hanxuebing was inside!

After a brief silence, Ye Yuchan quickly followed behind Fan Luokui, while Zhang Ruoxue followed behind Ye Yuchan.