Hoth was enormous. It was so massive that it didn’t resemble a planet. It seemed interminable. Zhang Ruochen never reached the edge of Kunlun. He had no idea how big the Hidden Barrens was or how far the sea stretched.
A snow-covered world like Hoth gave him the same feeling.
Only when he was alone would he think about the size of the world and realize how small he was.
When a man thought about the size of the world and the vastness of the universe, he was obviously lonely.
It was the loneliness sensation from the heart.
Zhang Ruochen had been in the Infernal Court for a long time. He had met many cultivators, but he always felt lonely. It was as if his mouth did not belong to him. Very few words he said were true.
Because there was no one around him whom he could tell the truth to.
Sometimes, his body didn’t seem to belong to him either. He felt disgusted by many things he did. He even hated himself now. But he had to do those things.
Living in the Infernal Court seemed glorious, but he felt depressed.
However, the moment he heard the news about Mu Lingxi, Zhang Ruochen’s quiet, cold, and lonely heart suddenly became excited. He couldn’t wait to see her and hold her in his arms, he described in detail the pain, helplessness, and suffering in his heart. It didn’t matter if he exposed his most vulnerable side.
That woman was like the sun in winter, the red plum in snow, and the stars in the darkness. She could heal his heart and mind.
Zhang Ruochen had everything to say in front of her.
He had nothing to hide.
Mu Lingxi must be the person who understood him the most in the world. She would support his decisions without any doubt.
Zhang Ruochen needed someone to confirm his decision when he was plagued by inner demons and couldn’t decide whether what he was doing was right or wrong. to reassure him that he was not mistaken.
No one was always strong. They just hid their weakness in an unknown place.
Zhang Ruochen was no longer the sunny, kind, and pure youth he used to be. He had already become complicit and unscrupulous in the disputes between Celestial Court, Infernal Court, and Kunlun, he even killed his former good friend. One day, he might even lose his heart and fall into the evil path, becoming a blood clan demon that devours human blood.
At that time, perhaps only Mu Lingxi could wake him up and remind him of the summer when he was sixteen. They had cultivated martial arts together on the West Campus, and they had been in high spirits.
…
There were seventeen districts on Hoth, four in the east, four in the south, four in the west, and four in the north.
There was also Hothfrost in the center.
The length and width of each district ranged from millions of kilometers to tens of millions of kilometers.
Because he had to hide his identity and conceal his aura, he could not travel at full speed. Zhang Ruochen walked for three days and three nights from Eastern District Two to Western District One.
When he arrived at the foot of Mount Wutong, it was already dusk on the fourth day.
Hoth had a sun, and it had two rings. However, it was too far away and the heat was too low. Moreover, the planet was covered in a cold fog all year round, so it was difficult to see sunlight.
However, the sunset was exceptionally beautiful today. It dyed the sky red.
Zhang Ruochen silently passed through the array of the sacred mountain and sneaked in.
Saint veins flowed beneath the sacred mountain.
The heaven and earth Saint Qi in the mountain were thick. Exotic flowers and plants could be seen everywhere. The petals and leaves were sealed in ice crystals, making them look exceptionally beautiful.
Zhang Ruochen’s heart unconsciously became nervous. He was worried that Lord Xia Yu’s news was wrong. He was also worried that he was too confident. His actions in the Infernal Court might have made Mu Lingxi loathe him.
Passing through a pine field, an ancient building in Kunlun style appeared in front of him.
In a pavilion, he saw Mu Lingxi’s graceful and moving figure. There was a red phoenix mark between her eyebrows. Her skin was as white as porcelain, and a sacred mist lingered around her. She was like a beautiful painting, hanging between the ice and snow.
She was still as beautiful as a phoenix fairy or frost sprite.
She paced back and forth in the pavilion as if she was thinking about something.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen’s heart suddenly became calm. It was unprecedentedly calm. It was as if there were no more disputes in the world, and he didn’t have to face enemies like Madam Nixuan and Bai Qing’er.
Zhang Ruochen’s figure appeared in the air. Standing on the snow, he called out affectionately, “Lingxi!”
In the pavilion, Mu Lingxi looked at him immediately. Her eyes were filled with surprise and joy. Before she could speak, Zhang Ruochen had already appeared in front of her. He spread his wide arms and pulled her into his arms, it was as if he wanted to crush her and merge her into his body.
Feeling the warmth and softness of her body, Zhang Ruochen was greedy for a moment. He felt that there was no need to fight for anything in the future, and there was no need to do anything dangerous. He just wanted to take Mu Lingxi and leave the Infernal Court, he also didn’t want to return to the Celestial Court or Kunlun. He wanted to take a saintship and float to the edge of the universe.
They could sit at the bow of the ship and observe the strange things in the universe. Such as the brilliant sea of stars. As if they were immortals living in harmony?
Unfortunately, he still had many things to do. There were still many people he couldn’t let go of. He was destined not to leave, much less escape. Otherwise, wouldn’t Supreme Saint Manjian have died in vain? He had promised the Empress that he would help her rescue the Lord of Nephilim Island, but he still hadn’t done it.
Chi Yao and Pan Ruo also looked down on him even more. They thought that he was a coward who only knew how to run away.
Even if it was just to fight for his life, he had to wait until he defeated Chi Yao before he could withdraw from this disgusting feud.
Mu Lingxi’s pretty face was tightly pressed against Zhang Ruochen’s chest. At first, she struggled a little, but when she saw that Zhang Ruochen was hugging her too tightly and saying words of longing, she stopped struggling!
However, her snow-white face turned red with embarrassment.
“Zhang Ruochen, you beast, let go of that girl!” a voice came from afar.
A large bird flew over from afar in exasperation. It set off palm-sized snowflakes and rushed toward Zhang Ruochen, who was in the pavilion as if it wanted to tear him into pieces.
“Go away. Don’t disturb us,” said Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen held Mu Lingxi with one hand and did not even look at it. He waved his sleeve and shot out a spatial shock wave.
Unexpectedly, the big owl-like bird did not dodge. It tore the spatial shock wave with one claw. The other claw reached for his right shoulder.
Its round eyes were full of anger.
“Hey!” said Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen did not expect Blackie’s ability to become so powerful. So, he carried Mu Lingxi and used the Great Dimensional Shift to disappear from the pavilion.
The two reappeared in a cave on a snow cliff.
Zhang Ruochen gazed at Mu Lingxi with deep affection. He held her snow-white face with both hands and said with a gentle gaze, “Don’t worry about it. Today, I just want to stay with you. No one can disturb us.”
Zhang Ruochen was about to kiss her, but he suddenly felt that something was wrong when he stared at her sparkling eyes.
These eyes…
“Zhang Ruochen, come out and let go of Xue’er,” said Blackie.
Rumble
In the cave, the earth and the mountains shook violently. Shattered stones rolled down.
Blackie squeezed in. It was relieved when it saw that Zhang Ruochen had let go of Mu Lingxi. It flapped its wings, and a powerful spiritual power rushed over and hit Mu Lingxi.
Suddenly, Mu Lingxi’s figure and appearance changed greatly.
In his eyes, she was still a slim and beautiful woman. She looked very young and had the innocence and beauty of a young girl. She was like the clearest spring in the world, free from worldly dust.
She was Zhang Ruochen’s only disciple, Han Xue.
When Zhang Ruochen wanted to kiss her, he had his suspicions. He was not surprised, but he was embarrassed and a little confused.
“Amazing, Blackie. Your spiritual power is now so strong that it can hide from my perception,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Blackie guarded against Zhang Ruochen like a hen protecting a chick. He stood in front of Han Xue and was very rude and arrogant, he said, “Pervert, you don’t know, do you? I am a first-class powerhouse, capable of slaughtering the world. However, I was hit by the Shenlong Chaos Tower of Sun and Moon, and the remnant power of the Divine Artifact remained in my body. I couldn’t resolve it, so I couldn’t use my power.
“When I came to the Infernal Court, the Empress helped me resolve the remnant power of the Divine Artifact. Now, I can beat anyone under the divinity. Do you want to try?”
Zhang Ruochen said coldly, “Explain to me first. Why did you turn Han Xue into Lingxi? Where is the real Lingxi?”
Blackie opened its eyes wide. It was full of vigor, he said, “You still care about Little Mu? I thought that being a Scion in the Infernal Court was very enjoyable. You had the fairy from the Portrait of the Nine Beauties by your side, and the number one beauty of the Bloodysky Clan accompanying you. You even made the heaven-blessed daughter of the Yanluo Clan pregnant, and you had the Reverend bestow a marriage upon you, marrying the princess of the Rakshasa. You’ve already fallen into a tender state, haven’t you? Scions are truly different. They can do whatever they want. “If I were that Mu gal, I would have forgotten you instead.”
Han Xue pulled its wings.
“Don’t pull me. I haven’t finished,” said Blackie.
Blackie continued, “Look at you now. Are you a human or an Immortal Vampire? If it weren’t for your past aura, I wouldn’t even dare to recognize you standing in front of me. What a heavy stench of blood. You’ve killed many humans in the Infernal Court, haven’t you? Have you devoured any of them?”
Zhang Ruochen didn’t defend himself. He just stared at him silently.
If Mu Lingxi was the woman he cared about the most, Blackie must be his closest friend. They had experienced so much that no other cultivator could compare to them.
Blackie knew that their friendship was very deep, which was why it dared to scold him so brazenly.
Perhaps it was waiting for Zhang Ruochen to explain and scold it back to refute it.
Blackie finally stopped after it was out of breath. Finally, it said, “Tell me, have I wronged you?”
Zhang Ruochen did not explain. Instead, he asked, “The Empress is on Hoth? I want to see her.”
“You still want to see the Empress? If the Empress sees you, she will definitely slap you to death. Do you think that every cultivator is as easy to talk to as I am? And give you a chance to explain yourself? To tell you the truth, you’ve already been rated as the number one traitor of this Yuanhui period. Those who want to kill you can line up to one circle of Hoth,” Blackie said angrily.
Han Xue finally flew over Blackie’s wings and walked forward, “Master, I transformed into Lady Lingxi’s appearance because I hope to see you as soon as possible. After all, it’s too dangerous for us to go to Bloodysky Clan’s Dominion and the Divine Domain of Destiny. We can only wait for you here.”
Zhang Ruochen instantly understood what was going on. Whether it was Blackie attacking the property of the Xue Jue family or Han Xue changing into Mu Lingxi’s appearance, their goal was to lure him to Hoth.
Otherwise, how could the cultivators sent by Lord Xia Yu find Mu Lingxi so easily in Mount Wutong?
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Where is she?”
Han Xue said, “After Lady Lingxi disappeared in Kunlun, Blackie asserted that she must have gone to the Infernal Court to find you! However, she knows nothing about the Infernal Court. It must be extremely dangerous for her to find you. So, after coming to the Infernal Court, I mobilized the power of the Avīci Pavilion to look for her.”
“Any results?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Han Xue shook her head, and said, “Lady Lingxi must have changed her appearance. It’s even possible that she turned into a Corpusian or a Deathkin. According to various intelligence I gathered, the Avīci Pavilion only found a cultivator who was suspected to be her. The last place she appeared was in the Royal City of Hundred Clans.”
“I am heading over now,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Han Xue quickly added, “It’s useless to go now.”
“Why is that?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“Because the cultivator suspected to be Lady Lingxi has been taken away by a cultivator from the royal family of Devala,” Han Xue explained.
“The royal family of Devala,” said Zhang Ruochen.
Luo Sha’s figure instantly appeared in Zhang Ruochen’s mind.
That’s right!
It must be Luo Sha.
There were very few cultivators who knew that Mu Lingxi had come to the Infernal Court, and Luo Sha happened to be one of them.
With the power of Devala, it would not be difficult to find a cultivator in the Infernal Court.
Even if Mu Lingxi concealed her aura and changed her appearance, some things could not be changed. For example, the place to set off was definitely Kunlun. The aura of the Frost Phoenix could not be completely concealed, and her cultivation realm had not changed since.
As long as Devala said a word, the dark forces would give them face.
Once Mu Lingxi sneaked into the divine kingdom, her tracks would be exposed.
‘Luo Sha, what are you thinking?’ Zhang Ruochen wondered.
Zhang Ruochen was worried. After all, Luo Sha was a woman.
A narrow-minded woman. How could she tolerate another woman?
A Communication talisman flew from the sky and floated in front of Zhang Ruochen as he was about to rush to Devala.
Someone on Hoth actually sent a message to him.
To accurately send a message to the cultivator’s side, one had to grasp a trace of his aura and fuse it with the talisman if they didn’t have a spatial coordinate.
Opening the talisman, he saw that it was signed by Yan Hanyi.
He was the teacher who had taught Luo Sha and Luo Shengtian the Path of Flowing Light.
He had also come to Hoth.
The content of the talisman said, “On behalf of the princess, she wishes to inform you that Lady Lingxi is safe and sound in the royal palace of Devala. There’s no need to worry, my husband. When you come to Devala to marry me, you can be reunited with her.”
Seeing the content of the Communication talisman, Zhang Ruochen felt extremely complicated and curious. Luo Sha was clearly in Devala and was in seclusion. How could he guess that he had come to Hoth?
He had made many arrangements to secretly come to Hoth.
Now, it seemed that everything he had done was too deliberate in the eyes of some extremely intelligent cultivators. It had exposed his whereabouts.
In the beginning, Zhang Ruochen was only afraid of the gods. He was worried that the gods knew everything.
Now, it seemed that the gods weren’t the most terrifying. After all, no god would spend all their effort studying the movements of a mere Supreme Saint.
