Chapter 81 Master's Palace

The palace doors were tightly shut.

The wind, snow, and clamor of the outside world were completely cut off by that heavy Cold Jade Stone Door.

The door stood thirty feet high and twenty feet wide, carved entirely from ten-thousand-year-old Cold Jade. It was engraved with dense Formation patterns that flickered faintly alongside the swaying eerie blue candlelight within the hall, as if silently recounting the majesty and loneliness of the place's Revered Master. Even a full-force strike from a Soul Transformation Stage expert might not budge it an inch.

Inside the hall, the eerie blue candlelight swayed, emitting a heart-palpitating chill.

Nine bronze human-head lampstands were arranged in the positions of the Eight Trigrams. What the lampstands held was not ordinary lamp oil, but the tallow of a Grade Six Yao Beast, the 'Cold-Scaled Whale.' Once lit, it emitted a coldness that seeped into the marrow. As the flames danced, they reflected the reliefs on the four walls of the great hall—those were the cultivation diagrams of the Grand Yin True Scripture. The human figures in each illustration were lifelike, as if they might step out from the walls at any moment.

The temperature here was extremely low, even several degrees colder than a ten-thousand-year-old ice cave.

But for Su Ye, who possessed the Supreme Bone and the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art, this bit of chill was nothing more than a gentle breeze on his face.

In fact, he even felt a little hot.

Because directly ahead, on that Phoenix Bed carved from ten-thousand-year-old Profound Ice, lay a voluptuous body that made one's blood boil.

The Phoenix Bed was thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide, crystal clear throughout. The surface was covered with a layer of fur from a Grade Six Yao Beast, the 'Snow Cloud Marten,' which was pure white as snow and soft as a cloud. At this moment, atop that snowy white fur, a lazy figure reclined on her side, forming a picture sufficient to drive any man mad.

Yun Yuzhen.

This Peak Master of Purple Bamboo Peak, who awed the Taichu Holy Land, was currently reclining lazily on the bed.

A translucent snowy white gauze dress could not hide those soul-stirring curves at all.

The material of the gauze dress was peculiar—neither mist nor gauze, it was woven from the silk of a Grade Four Spiritual Silkworm, the 'Ice Silk Silkworm.' It was as light and thin as nothingness; wearing it was like being draped in a layer of moonlight. At this moment, this layer of 'moonlight' clung tightly to her curvaceous body, unreservedly transmitting every inch of her skin's warmth.

Her long, straight, jade-like legs were crossed casually. On her snowy white ankle, a red string was tied, from which hung a small golden bell.

That red string looked ordinary but was actually woven from the Grade Three Spiritual Plant 'Yearning Vine,' which had the effect of calming the mind. Although the golden bell was small, it was an Earth Rank Low Grade Magical Artifact called the 'Heart-Snaring Bell.' With a gentle shake, it could disturb an enemy's mind. Yet at this moment, this Magical Artifact that should have been used against enemies had become a heart-stirring ornament.

As she gently wiggled her feet, it made a crisp 'ding-dang' sound.

Every chime seemed to strike against Su Ye's heartstrings.

The bell's sound was neither fast nor slow, seemingly carrying a peculiar rhythm that drilled straight into the depths of one's heart. Despite Su Ye having lived two lives and seen countless beauties, he currently felt his mouth go dry and his heart race.

"Come here."

Yun Yuzhen's red lips parted slightly. Her voice was cold, yet it carried a soul-hooking charm.

Her pale purple eyes stared at Su Ye with a faint smile, as if looking at a little white rabbit that had fallen into a trap. The light in her eyes flowed, at times cold as frost and at times seductive as fire; the two completely different expressions intertwined, possessing an indescribable allure.

Su Ye swallowed hard and remained where he was, unmoving.

It wasn't that he didn't want to move, but that he didn't dare to move.

He knew this woman's methods all too well—charming on the surface, but black-hearted and ruthless in reality. Last time, just because he took an extra look at her bathing, he was punished with three days of wall-gazing in the back mountains. During those three days, she would 'coincidentally' pass by every evening, wearing clothes more revealing each time. It left his blood boiling, yet he couldn't touch or feel her; that sensation was simply worse than death.

"Revered Master, your disciple thinks standing right here is quite good."

He gave a dry laugh, and with a 'pa' sound, his folding fan snapped open, covering half his face and leaving only his eyes to warily size her up.

"This position has good Feng Shui and a wide field of vision, allowing me to admire Revered Master's sacred countenance."

Yun Yuzhen gave a light snort, her jade fingers gently twirling a strand of hair.

That lock of black hair wound around her fingertips like silken ink, smooth and glossy. Her fingers were slender and long, her nails neatly trimmed and painted with a light cinnabar lacquer, gleaming enticingly under the eerie blue candlelight.

"What's wrong? Weren't you quite impressive outside just now?"

"Slapping away the Law Enforcement Hall's head disciple with one hand, and scaring Elder Cang Song into kneeling with one sentence."

"At that time, Senior Brother Su was quite domineering and arrogant."

As she spoke, Yun Yuzhen's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and a dangerous aura began to spread.

That aura was formless and intangible, yet it felt like a mountain pressing down, making it hard to breathe. This was the pressure of a Tribulation Crossing Realm, Tenth Heaven powerhouse; even if only a sliver leaked out, it was enough to make an ordinary Golden Core Stage Cultivator kneel on the spot.

"How is it that you've become a shrinking turtle now that you're with Revered Master?"

Su Ye gave a dry laugh, and with a 'pa' sound, his folding fan snapped shut.

In that instant, he felt as if the surrounding air had frozen. Coldness surged from all directions, only to be neutralized by the Yang Qi of the Supreme Bone within his body. His mind raced; he knew that if he didn't provide a reasonable explanation today, this woman likely wouldn't let him off easily.

"Revered Master has truly wronged your disciple."

"Your disciple was winning people over with virtue; I was helping Elder Cang Song treat his menopausal syndrome."

"As for that trash Li Mu, it was his own face that was too thick, crashing right into my hand."

"Glib-tongued."

Yun Yuzhen rolled her eyes at him, then sat up straight, her expression becoming slightly more serious.

As she sat up, the hem of her gauze dress slid down slightly, revealing half of her smooth, jade-like calf. But she seemed completely oblivious, only staring fixedly at Su Ye. In those pale purple eyes, the playful look gradually faded, replaced by a deep trace of concern.

"That old thing Cang Song is narrow-minded and vindictive."

"You humiliated him today. Although it was satisfying, you've also completely offended the Law Enforcement Hall."

"And then there's Ouyang Ye of Divine Weapon Peak; that old fire ghost is the most protective of his own."

"Aren't you afraid they'll team up to make life difficult for you?"

Though her words were cold, Su Ye could hear the concern hidden beneath that chill.

This woman, she clearly worried about him in her heart, yet she insisted on putting on a cold front. Three hundred years of loneliness had made her accustomed to using indifference to protect herself; even in front of him, she often couldn't drop that facade.

Upon hearing this, the playful smile on Su Ye's face instantly vanished.

It was replaced by an arrogant air that looked down upon the world.

He stepped forward, walking all the way to the Cold Jade Bed, looking down at Yun Yuzhen from above.

Each step was extremely steady, his boot soles striking the Cold Jade floor with a crisp 'da-da' sound. His back was straight, his gaze burning—where was there any hint of his previous flippancy?