Immortal of the Ages

Just as his words fell, his Primordial Sphere seemed to undergo a transformation. With a hum, its efficiency in absorbing and converting celestial energy skyrocketed, becoming a veritable abyss!

Now, the Primordial Sphere was about 100 meters in diameter. As the Boundless Light merged into the Corona, it seemed to radiate an inexhaustible power!

It was boundless indeed. There was no need to worry about running out of energy!

"It's full again…" Feng Yao could tell by looking at the round, overflowing Primordial Sphere that it was on the verge of spilling over again.

Why did Yun Xiao always seem to defy expectations? She was speechless.

"The Boundless Light is pretty nifty," Yun Xiao remarked.

"You're still different from a true, Boundless Immortal, who doesn't need to manually control it. It's automatic," Blue Star scoffed.

"Indeed…"

This thread of Boundless Light felt faint, almost concealed; only when Yun Xiao revealed it did it seem slightly perceptible.

"After the disaster, a bountiful harvest." Yun Xiao dispelled the Primordial Sphere. His Corona returned to its normal state, gradually dimming into obscurity.

"No more showing off?" Feng Yao snorted.

"What's there to show off? Even if we can beat people in the Third Baptism Realm, we're still at the bottom of the rung in the Samsara Galaxy," Yun Xiao thought for a moment, then added, "If you want to do well in the Grand Assembly of Myriad Sects, apart from breaking through in your cultivation, try to find your master and get more celestial techniques and treasures to bolster your arsenal."

"Got it, relax, I'm more reliable now," Feng Yao said.

As they were speaking, a figure approached from the direction of the main peak of Thousand Snow Moon Peak.

Yun Xiao stepped back into the distance.

The newcomer was Feng Yao’s master, the gentle Moon Lemon Valkyrie, Xue Yuening.

This graceful elder landed and asked with a hint of wonder, "I sensed a tremendous surge of celestial energy just now from this direction. Was that you?"

"Yup, it was nothing much!" Feng Yao declared without a blush or a skip in her heartbeat.

Yun Xiao had long since realized that she too had a flair for the dramatic! Her zest for life, aside from serving as his right hand, was mostly found in these rare moments of play-acting, a small reward to herself.

"Truly splendid," Xue Yuening remarked, her heart filled with satisfaction as she spoke softly, "I'm here to share some good news as well."

"What is it?" Feng Yao, ever cheerful and unrestrained, moved closer and affectionately looped her arm through Xue Yuening's, her face bright with curiosity.

Caught off guard by the warmth, Xue Yuening paused, then smiled. "The Valkyrie Princesses of the Snow Lineage, along with several other higher-ups, have agreed to my suggestion. Tomorrow morning, they will bring out the Harmony Crown, and I will take you to meet them."

"Oh..." For Feng Yao, this was not exactly good news. Her concerns stemmed from their mere speculation, while she knew the true extent to which she could light up the Harmony Crown.

The more radiant the Harmony Crown, the better the resources but also greater the danger.

Yet, considering that Yun Xiao wanted her to shine more, she resigned herself to the idea. "Never mind, he's all bark and no bite. If I truly face danger, he'll save me, right? Right?" she mumbled to herself.

Seeing Feng Yao lost in thought, Xue Yuening smiled gently. "Don’t worry, although that previous crown was a replica, your 7-Star talent is unmistakable. This is just to see if you can rise higher. Trust me, you won’t fall."

"I'm not afraid of falling. I’m just afraid I might soar and break through the roof..." Feng Yao murmured timidly.

"You child!" Xue Yuening chuckled, her heart swelling with affection. It appeared Feng Yao was still a girl at heart, daring to boast like that.

"By the way, Master, have you registered me for the initial selection of the Grand Assembly of Myriad Sects?" Feng Yao inquired.

"I have," Xue Yuening nodded.

"Aren't only Stellar Sea Disciples in the Perfect Second Baptism Realm and above allowed to register?" Feng Yao said.

"I pulled a few strings. No worries, it’s also a good opportunity for you to gain some experience and get a feel for the strength of top talents from various factions of the Harmony Divine Palace. You're only 17 years old. So, you have three more chances to participate in the Grand Assembly of Myriad Sects! By the time you're 47 years old, who knows how high you’ll have climbed? With your talent, you might rank among the best throughout the Samsara Galaxy," Xue Yuening encouraged.

"Forty-seven years old? I'll be an old biddy by then," Feng Yao retorted, her lip curling.

"Hey, watch your language," Xue Yuening admonished. She couldn't help but reflect, "This child, as adult as she seems on the outside, she's still a child at heart."

"Master, I want to dazzle in the selection. Can you show me some suitable celestial techniques?" Feng Yao cooed as she clung to the shorter Valkyrie’s arm, creating quite a spectacle.

"Of course, I can. Our little genius can have whatever she desires." Xue Yuening, no longer young and without a daughter of her own, found her maternal instincts fully awakened as she looked upon the War Princess with growing fondness.

And so, the two of them set off toward the main peak.

Left alone, Yun Xiao stood solitary, bathed in the snow of the Carefree Palace.

"A pig will naturally fatten up over time, and once let loose, it'll fatten itself even more…" Yun Xiao mused with a slight smile as he watched Feng Yao disappear into the distance. He was pleased with her performance.

Since boosting her confidence, Feng Yao truly thrived, and unless absolutely necessary, Yun Xiao saw no need to retract the Blood Base for battle.

"You're eventually going to kill her, though," Blue Star suddenly remarked.

"Whether it comes to that or not, why worry now?" Yun Xiao was content, unaffected by the remark, and it did not alter his regard for Feng Yao.

He remained where he was.

Tomorrow morning Feng Yao would test her true talents, and in the afternoon, she would officially enter the preliminary selections, hoping to extricate Yun Xiao from this accursed place.

"But, these are her affairs. I can't just sit here and wait. It’s enough that the pig can fend for itself."

Waiting for Feng Yao to bring back treasures was merely a waste of time.

Now stepping into the Fourth Dao Tribulation, Yun Xiao was eager to advance through the Eight Extremes Celestial Baptisms.

"Sword, Sigil, Martial, and Spirit… I need to find a place to enrich my arsenal and power up," Yun Xiao muttered to himself.

Between sword and sigil, he preferred to focus on his Heaven Burial Sword Soul first, given its offensive capabilities, while the Prison Warden Sigil offered more utility.

Having chosen the sword, Yun Xiao's next destination became clear.

"The Ice Lineage!" Yun Xiao did not set off on his Sovereign Sword. A slave like him doing that in the Harmony Divine Palace was akin to running around naked.

His form wavering, he disappeared into the snowstorm, heading northeast.

The most beautiful sights in the Snow Lineage were the pristine white mountains under a sky filled with drifting snowflakes. And dotting these mountains, the palaces of the Valkyries stood as the most exquisite embellishments.

In contrast, the territory of the Ice Lineage was a frozen expanse spanning thousands of miles, frigid and stern, akin to a forest of ice and swords.

Many powerful female Sword Immortals had emerged from it, and today it stood as the mightiest lineage of the Harmony Divine Palace!

As Yun Xiao crossed over the snowy mountains, a landscape of icebergs, ice lakes, ice caves, ice plains, and ice spires came into view ahead!

This place was colder than the snowy mountains! Not just cold, but also bearing an air of solemn lethality.

Frozen within the ice were numerous clots of blood, evidence of many a life-and-death struggle that had occurred here.

Some corpses were even permanently encased in ice.

"There are far too many Sword Immortals stronger than I am here..."

And so Yun Xiao proceeded with great caution, silently making his way through the ice plains and peaks, gazing up at the ice palaces atop the high mountains.

These palaces surely housed various frosty female Sword Immortals!

"Hmm?" After a while, Yun Xiao suddenly noticed a group of about 100 slaves gathered together on the ice plain ahead.

They huddled for warmth, shivering, their faces pale, some even with frostbitten ears. And more importantly, there were no disciples of the Harmony Divine Palace in sight.

Seeing these men, and recalling the four youths he had encountered before… Yun Xiao could only sigh and made his way toward them.