“Palace Master Qin, please wait.”
For once, a rare trace of panic flickered across White Dew’s cool, jade-like face as she suddenly rose to her feet, her white dress fluttering without a breeze.
Qin Qingyue whipped her head around, all traces of courtesy gone, replaced by genuine hostility, her elegant brows furrowed tight, dark flames burning within her dragon eyes:
“White Clan Leader, let me make myself clear.”
“Neither I nor Jiang Huai will risk our lives for this Five Provinces Continent, much less for that Blood Wine Empty Host you speak of! I will never allow Jiang Huai to end up like that!”
But Jiang Huai gripped Qin Qingyue’s hand tightly, clearly feeling the slight tremble of her fingertips and the towering anger inside her that could barely be suppressed.
Protect the World, become a Hero?
Jiang Huai considered the question, finding it both familiar and unfamiliar.
Familiar—because in the past, he’d seen so many protagonists fighting to protect their world, becoming ultimate Heroes.
Unfamiliar—because now, it seemed that burden had fallen on his shoulders.
“Palace Master Qin, please calm yourself. We can sit and discuss this slowly.” White Dew stepped forward, intent on easing the tension.
Her original intention was only to test Jiang Huai’s attitude towards the mission of the Yin-Yang Body, but she hadn’t expected Qin Qingyue’s reaction to be so intense.
Then again, considering Qin Qingyue’s past, such a reaction was understandable.
Qin Qingyue snorted coldly, muttering in a low voice:
“There’s nothing more to say, nothing more to say…”
Truly, there was nothing to discuss—she really didn’t care much for this World.
If not for Jiang Jin, perhaps she would still be hounded and scorned by the world. If not for Jiang Huai, she would never have thought of founding the Nine Heavens Palace. If not for Jiang Huai, she would likely still be hiding in the dark depths of the Dragon Palace, clinging to power, lost in loneliness.
Shrouded by misfortune since childhood, tasting all the malice the world could offer, she had cursed this World and her fate countless times.
Protect the World? Sacrifice for all living things? Qin Qingyue scoffed at the notion.
Such grand missions should be left to those cherished by the world, those lofty figures who live above the clouds—what did that have to do with her and her family?
When the time came, she’d ascend to the Immortal Realm with Jiang Huai and Zhu Rongxin and the others to enjoy happiness—what business did the Five Provinces Continent have with them?
White Dew fell silent.
Qin Qingyue’s thoughts stirred as she looked to Jiang Huai.
As it happened, Jiang Huai was also looking at her, nodding as he spoke:
“We can’t just walk away from what we promised others.”
“Besides, they did save our lives—let’s stay.”
After all, he owed the White Dragon Clan a debt of gratitude, so there was no harm in taking a look.
He had refused Wu Zhaohua because her terms crossed a line, and he wanted to find another way to repay her, considering Qin Qingyue’s feelings.
But the White Dragon Clan had never made excessive demands—besides, that favor still stood.
Qin Qingyue took a deep breath, held Jiang Huai’s hand, and sat back down.
“You’re not allowed to agree.” That was all she said.
The flying carriage moved swiftly, piercing through unknown barriers as the outside world changed abruptly.
A biting chill seeped in, even through the carriage’s protection. Before their eyes was no longer the scenery of the Northern Plains, but a vast, boundless snowy Secret Realm.
Towering ice mountains stabbed into the heavens like swords, glaciers shimmered with a blue glow beneath the pale sky, and snowflakes didn’t simply fall—they danced through the air as if alive, forming a serene and wondrous landscape.
At the center of this frozen expanse stood a magnificent Dragon Palace, constructed entirely of black ice, its crystal-clear halls refracting a cold, radiant light. Majestic, it stood unshaken—a relic of legend.
Qin Qingyue was secretly startled; this place was certainly not on the Five Provinces Continent, but an independent Secret Realm.
Now she understood why the White Dragon Clan was so mysterious—their foundation was not in the Northern Plains at all.
The Northern Plains was probably only an entrance.
As for how they entered, she had no idea; clearly, this carriage had some subtle means of cutting off Space Perception.
“Please.” White Dew gestured, inviting the two to disembark.
The six White Dragons pulling the carriage transformed into six beautiful maidens, standing quietly to the side.
Stepping into the Dragon Palace’s domain, an icy chill pierced to the bone. Jiang Huai’s Foundation Establishment Period cultivation was barely enough to withstand it, his face turning slightly pale.
Just then, the Black Dragon Mark on his lower abdomen radiated warmth, as if countless delicate black dragon scales were spreading beneath his skin, driving away the cold.
As they walked, Jiang Huai looked around. Everyone they encountered in the palace was a Dragon Lady in the form of a young maiden, each exuding a faint maidenly fragrance, perceptible even from afar.
They wore plain white dresses, with white dragon horns and white dragon tails.
Elegant and icy, they greeted White Dew with respectful bows as she passed.
Indifference—this was Jiang Huai’s first impression of these Dragon Ladies.
At the end of a quiet corridor, White Dew stopped and said softly to Jiang Huai:
“Please, Young Master Jiang, come with me alone to a secret place.”
“What are you trying to do?” Qin Qingyue instantly became alert, her hackles raised once again.
White Dew’s tone was calm:
“I can assure you, this is not coercion, but a gift for Young Master Jiang.”
Qin Qingyue stared at her for a long while before reluctantly releasing Jiang Huai’s hand, tugging on his sleeve and whispering:
“Remember, don’t get brainwashed by some so-called ‘greater good’!”
“You have no obligation to protect this World. When the time comes, come with me to the Immortal Realm, understand?”
Her greatest fear was that Jiang Huai would be brainwashed by White Dew.
“I know my limits,” Jiang Huai replied quietly.
Yet this answer only left Qin Qingyue with a chill in her heart—it was far too vague.
White Dew led Jiang Huai into the entrance of the Secret Realm, leaving Qin Qingyue waiting outside, fully maintaining her connection to the Black Dragon Mark and keeping watch over Jiang Huai’s situation.
Inside the Secret Realm, there was no real ground, but a vast void dotted with sparkling ice crystals, like stars twinkling in the darkness.
White Dew transformed into a great, graceful White Dragon, signaling for Jiang Huai to climb onto her back before swimming toward the center of the void.
There, a massive Crystal Coffin floated in stillness.
The coffin was transparent, allowing a clear view of the woman lying inside.
Her face was stunningly beautiful, as if only asleep, but her brow was set with an unyielding majesty and determination.
Even in death, an indescribable Will of Balance faintly flowed around her—a profound and mysterious aura.
Jiang Huai’s heart skipped a beat. The Yin Yang Constitution within him began to stir and resonate, creating an unspeakable sense of kinship and awe.
“Is this the Yin-Yang Body?”
“Yes.” White Dew’s voice was low and tinged with sorrow in her White Dragon form.
“The previous Yin-Yang Body. After dying in the void, we recovered her body and placed it here, keeping it preserved by secret methods.”
“It has been many years—hers is the only Yin-Yang Body whose body we managed to retrieve.”
Clearly, the other Yin-Yang Bodies had not even left behind corpses.
Upon White Dew’s dragon back, Jiang Huai found himself unconsciously approaching the beautiful woman in the coffin.
With every step he took, the woman inside the Crystal Coffin seemed to glow faintly.
The two strands of Innate Primordial Qi resonated, the two Chaos Dao Platforms spinning toward each other, drawn together…
White Dew watched with anticipation as the former Yin-Yang Body and the current one drew ever closer.
Until, at last, Jiang Huai touched the Crystal Coffin—and his vision swam, his soul pulled into the woman’s sea of consciousness.
“Honored Master, your eyes are red.” Xiao Yue spoke timidly, mustering her courage to address Wu Zhaohua.
Wu Zhaohua’s eyes were indeed a little red. She sniffed, maintaining her composure as she replied lightly, “I’m fine.”
Piecing together the context, Xiao Yue pursed her lips and whispered,
“Honored Master, I don’t think we can keep doing this.”
“What?”
“I mean, Honored Master’s first decision was wrong—at least, the strategy was wrong.”
“Hmm?” Wu Zhaohua turned, a sharp sword intent between her brows as she stared at Xiao Yue.
“Explain yourself.”