Deep within Great Snow Mountain, beneath the ice cave of Peerless Peak, lay another world.
Passing through the cave of Xue Li's Cold Jade Platform, one found a hidden passage beyond it. It wound downward for dozens of zhang before the view suddenly opened up into a vast, naturally formed hollow.
This was where Xue Li usually resided. Rather than a cave abode, it was more like a luxurious palace embedded within ancient ice that had endured for ages.
Dozens of delicate-looking maidservants in plain white cotton dresses stood quietly in the corners, their eyes lowered and their auras restrained. Clearly, they were no ordinary attendants; all possessed considerable cultivation.
Xue Li reclined sideways on a soft couch spread with White Tiger fur, idly playing with an Ice Jade Ruyi that radiated chilling cold as she listened to a trusted disciple quietly report on developments outside.
Suddenly, Xue Li sat bolt upright and dismissed the disciple with a wave.
Whoosh—!
A black shadow appeared soundlessly at the entrance to the Ice Dome Palace, as though he had been standing there all along.
The newcomer wore an enormous black robe that concealed his entire form. Even his face was buried beneath the deep shadow of his hood, leaving only two points of ghostly light glimmering in the darkness.
He merely stood there without making any special move, yet the temperature throughout the ice dome plummeted in an instant.
Xue Li slowly rose to her feet. Looking at the black-robed man, a trace of wariness flickered through her eyes, though her tone remained calm. "Brother Cha, why have you suddenly come at such a late hour? What is the matter?"
The black-robed man did not remove his hood. His unfathomable gaze fell upon Xue Li's face. "Xue Li, how is the matter