172: One punch, one whiny whiner.

After the grand array restarted, the thick mist of Yunmiao Mountain should have been the most peaceful haven within a hundred-mile radius. However, this tranquility was brutally torn apart at noon today by a sharp, silver Sword Qi.

“Boom—!”

The green light screen of the mountain-protecting array shook violently at that moment, even letting out an overburdened creak. Little Demoness Dragon, who had been munching on spirit fruits in the back mountain and planning to take a nap, suddenly sprang up, her pale gold pupils instantly filled with wariness. Yun Xi was even more terrified, her face turning pale as she instinctively leaned toward Lin Chen, who was calmly sipping tea in the main hall.

“Master, this aura... it's the Jiantian Division's ‘Extreme Cold Sword Intent’!”

Lin Chen set down his white porcelain teacup, a hint of amusement flashing in his deep eyes. The person he was waiting for had finally arrived.

Following a distortion in space, a woman wearing a silver-white flowing cloud uniform stepped slowly out of the void. Her ink-black hair was tied high with a Purple-Gold Hairpin, making her look sharp and lethal. Most striking were her long, straight legs, wrapped in white silk stockings as thin as a cicada's wing—a rarity in the Immortal Realm—revealing a breathtaking sense of tightness.

Her face was like ice, her eyes devoid of any emotion, and the translucent longsword in her hand, the ‘Measuring Sky Ruler’, was emitting a faint, ghostly chill.

Heavenly Immortal Lord Inspector, Cold Without Double.

“We have received a report that an illegal ascender is lurking at the old site of Yunmiao Mountain, accompanied by the appearance of an Ancient Remnant.” Cold Without Double’s voice was as cold as crushed ice, and her Heavenly Immortal Early Stage pressure crashed down like Mount Tai, forcing the surrounding vegetation to bow. “Where is the person in charge here? Present your Immortal Status and submit to the Jiantian Division's inspection.”

Yun Xi’s delicate body trembled violently under that pressure, nearly forcing her to her knees. It was an absolute suppression of rank; below the Heavenly Immortal stage, all were but ants—this was the eternal, unchanging law of the Immortal Realm.

“Lord Inspector Leng, what a grand display of authority.”

Lin Chen slowly stepped out from the hall into the sunlight. He walked very slowly, each step seemingly landing on a profound rhythm. The pressure that was enough to make an Earth Immortal collapse felt like a gentle breeze to him, failing to even flutter the hem of his clothes.

Cold Without Double’s pupils constricted imperceptibly. In her eyes, the man before her showed no fluctuations of Immortal Yuan at all, yet he could somehow ignore her aura. This contradiction made her instinctively tighten her grip on the Measuring Sky Ruler.

“Are you the master of this place?” Cold Without Double pulled an ancient bronze mirror emitting a hazy green light from her robes—the Monster-Revealing Mirror. This item could not only see through demons and monsters but also reflect the Divine Soul fluctuations of a Cultivator; no forged Immortal Status could hide before it.

“This Inspector advises you to confess truthfully. If your identity is exposed by the Monster-Revealing Mirror, according to Immortal Law, you shall be sentenced to the punishment of ‘Removing the Immortal Bone’.”

Yun Xi was so anxious that sweat beaded on her forehead. She knew the Immortal Status was something Gold Inlaid Jade had procured. While it looked perfect on the surface, Lin Chen’s pure ‘Lower Realm Human Sovereign’ Soul fluctuations would surely not be hidden from this Jiantian Division treasure.

“The Immortal Status is here.” Lin Chen casually tossed out a jade plaque.

Cold Without Double snorted coldly and aimed the Monster-Revealing Mirror at the jade plaque. However, just as the mirror's light was about to envelop Lin Chen, he suddenly took a step forward. His movement was incredibly fast, instantly breaching Cold Without Double’s three-foot personal zone.

“What are you doing!” A flash of indignation crossed Cold Without Double’s icy eyes as she held her longsword across her chest.

Lin Chen ignored the blade inches away. Instead, he lowered his voice and whispered into her ear at a frequency only the two of them could hear:

“Lord Inspector Leng, I’m afraid this mirror won’t show you what I want you to see. But as for yourself... on every night of the full moon, does your Dantian not feel like it has fallen into an ice cellar, while deep in your Divine Soul, there is an indescribable heat, forcing you to seal yourself in an extremely cold place for seven days to subside?”

Cold Without Double’s originally calm body suddenly stiffened, and the Measuring Sky Ruler in her hand actually let out a crisp cry due to her severe mental agitation.

This was her deepest secret. To pursue the ultimate Dao of the sword, she had forcibly practiced the ‘Supreme Emotionless Record’, a technique said to sever all emotions. However, because her state of mind was not in Perfection, it led to an imbalance of Yin and Yang, giving birth to an extremely stubborn ‘cold poison’ within her body.

“You... how do you know?” Cold Without Double retracted the mirror and stared fixedly at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen activated the System’s built-in 【All-Knowing Eye】. In this moment, Cold Without Double’s seemingly perfect immortal body turned into a transparent map of meridians in his eyes. The mass of pitch-black cold poison stagnant in a corner of her Dantian was devouring her vitality like a venomous snake.

“The method you Cultivate has gone awry; Qi Deviation is imminent. You think you can suppress it with the chill of this ‘Measuring Sky Ruler’? That is merely drinking poison to quench thirst.” A confident smile curled onto Lin Chen’s lips as he pulled out a scroll of the 【Special Taxpayer Certificate】 given by Gold Inlaid Jade and waved it before Cold Without Double’s eyes.

“I am a major client of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion in Liuyun City. The Immortal Stones I pay annually are enough to cover the Jiantian Division's expenses for three years. To investigate me, not only is your paperwork insufficient, but also...” Lin Chen leaned closer, even catching the refreshing, snow-lotus-like fragrance from Cold Without Double, “Your life can only be saved by me.”

Cold Without Double bit her lip hard, her white stockings stretching into a perfect curve as her legs tensed. She looked into Lin Chen’s eyes, which seemed able to perceive everything. After a long silence, she slowly sheathed her sword.

“In three days, I will wait for you at the City Lord’s Mansion in Liuyun City. If you dare to deceive me...” Cold Without Double’s voice remained icy, but it lacked some Killing Intent and gained a hint of panic she hadn't even noticed herself, “I will let you know what the Jiantian Division's Soul-Severing Platform tastes like.”

With that, she transformed into a streak of silver light and vanished into the horizon.

Yun Xi slumped to the ground, panting heavily. “Master... that scared me to death just now. Can you really cure that Heavenly Immortal’s problem?”

Lin Chen sneered, watching the silver light disappear in the distance. “Cure her? Naturally. But as for the medicinal catalyst... she’ll have to come and harvest it herself.”

...Three days later, Liuyun City.

Unlike the bustling streets, the ‘Cold Pond Refined Abode’ behind the City Lord’s Mansion was exceptionally quiet. This was the Jiantian Division’s secret stronghold in Liuyun City, surrounded by Restrictions. Currently, due to Cold Without Double’s special request, there wasn't even a single guard.

When Lin Chen pushed through the layers of gauze curtains and entered the interior of the abode, he found Cold Without Double sitting cross-legged on a white jade platform in the center of the cold pond.

She had already changed out of her lethal uniform and was wearing only a semi-transparent silver veil. Her long legs, clad in white silk, were elegantly crossed, her toes twitching slightly. The chill of the pond condensed into frost in the room, yet it couldn't hide her cheeks, which had turned flushed from suppressing the cold poison.

“You’re here.” Cold Without Double opened her eyes, her icy gaze now full of struggle.

“Lord Inspector Leng, take it off.” Lin Chen stood with his hands behind his back, his tone as flat as if he were instructing an ordinary patient.

“You’re being presumptuous!” Cold Without Double suddenly stood up, her jade legs flickering beneath the veil, full of extreme visual temptation.

“The cold Qi in your body has already invaded your heart meridians. If it isn't drawn out by my ‘Pure Yang Golden Needle’, today will be your end.” Lin Chen showed no sign of retreating; instead, he stepped closer. “Or is it that the proud Lord Inspector would rather die here than bow your noble head before a mere ‘ascender’ like me?”

Cold Without Double trembled. She felt the heat and the cold poison intertwining within her, nearly tearing her consciousness apart. Under the threat of death and a certain subconscious longing, she finally closed her eyes and, with trembling hands, untied that thin layer of silver gauze.

As the gauze slid down, the jade body that was enough to shock the entire Immortal Realm was completely revealed before Lin Chen.

Cold Without Double had an excellent figure; due to years of sword practice, every inch of her muscle was filled with amazing elasticity and streamlined grace. Her firm and high peaks rose and fell with her rapid breathing. Most exquisite were her long legs, wrapped in white silk up to the base of her thighs; between that ultimate whiteness and the mysterious shadows, they emitted a magic that could make even a Soul fall into depravity.

“Mmm—!”

This was no golden needle.

“Lord Inspector Leng, the real antidote starts now.”

In the depths of that Cold Pond Refined Abode, Lin Chen used the most overbearing and primitive method to stir up a tsunami named ‘Conquest’.

Cold Without Double shook her head frantically, her long hair, once like an ice waterfall, scattering across the white jade platform.

“Ah... no... there... Master...”

Amidst those confused gasps, Cold Without Double finally discarded all her dignity. Like a female slave begging for salvation, she let out one sweet, cloying cry after another under Lin Chen’s conquest.

It was a reversal of power and a redemption of desire.

【Congratulations to the host! Successfully conquered Jiantian Division Inspector: Cold Without Double through "treatment"!】 【Cold Without Double's Loyalty: 80% (Dao Heart broken, will only follow the Master in this life)!】 【Obtained Special Reward: 【Jiantian Token】 (Can invoke partial Jiantian Division authority within the range of Liuyun City)!】 【Next Goal: Taixu Sect Grand Elder's Birthday Banquet! Take your "female official" follower and go claim the territory there!】

Lin Chen looked at the ice sculpture in his arms, once high and unreachable, now turned into a pool of spring water. A cold smile of total control appeared on his lips.

In this Immortal Realm, it seems the colder the woman, the more delicious the taste.