The Exiles

The clan leader trembled slightly, seemingly pondering how to begin.

He knelt on the ground, his fingers gripping the earth tightly, as if searching for something to sustain him to continue speaking.

After a moment, he finally raised his head and whispered:

"We are Exiles fled to this place..."

You Su raised a slight brow, thinking to herself, "Just as I thought."

Upon hearing the old man's words, the surrounding tribespeople lowered their heads even further.

"To escape to this desolate place, one must have committed unforgivable sins." You Su scooped up a bowl of venison soup, brought it to his nose and took a deep sniff. He hadn't smelled this hot, meaty aroma in a long time, which gave him a feeling of finally returning to human society.

His nonchalant tone only made the sins he spoke of hurt the old man even more.

The old man looked up at the boy, his eyes revealing deep regret.

"We are indeed deeply sinful."

The Xiao Lu listened, completely bewildered. She remembered the chieftain always gazing blankly at the snow-covered world, muttering, "The snow buries the earth, and it also covers up many other things."

She didn't understand the deeper meaning of those words at first, but now, looking back, she vaguely grasped their significance.

"No need to beat around the bush, just state your purpose," You Su replied coldly.

The old man was taken aback, seemingly surprised by the young man's decisiveness, but he didn't hesitate for long and said:

"We beg the Immortal Master to save us!"

"The price?" You Su countered.

His ruthlessness surprised the Xiao Lu. In the little girl's eyes, this god seemed rather approachable. But in front of his people, he became cold and indifferent.

The old man trembled slightly. "Sir, you've come from a very far place and may not know that leaving this North Pole Snowfield no easy task. We can help you get out, but you'll need to do us a favor in return."

"Do you know I come from a very far place?" You Su asked in a cold voice.

"You don't have the ruggedness of ice and snow; you're at least not from the Northern Ao Continent." The old man didn't look up.

You Su knew that the old man's words were somewhat abstract, but that was indeed the reason that led him to make this judgment. People living in a frozen world and people living in a world of flowers and birdsong do have very obvious differences, such as skin color, clothing, tone of voice, and so on.

"Just because someone is from out of town doesn't mean they're easy to fool." You Su certainly wouldn't easily believe the other party's deal.

"The North Pole Snowfield are frozen year-round, with snow drifting for thousands of miles, but they are by no means all barren and desolate. The snow has also given birth to treasures unique to this land. If there were no strange things in the snowfields, there should still be a city north of North Pole City," the old man replied.

You Su frowned; the clan leader's words made sense.

Human greed dictates that they will never stop exploring; if they do stop, either the road ahead will cost them their lives, or there will be no profit to be made.

"The fact that I was able to walk here from the edge of the glacier already shows that I don't need your help." You Su still hoped to get the old man to say more.

The old man echoed his sentiment, "You can walk for five days, seven days, through the vast expanse of white snow, but you can't walk for a month. This road home was found at the cost of many lives."

"Why exaggerate? There are stars in the sky. Follow their guidance and head south, and you'll eventually find your way out. The path is in the heavens, not under your feet." You Su was somewhat puzzled by their ignorance.

"Yes, but the most terrifying thing in this world isn't losing your way." The old man raised his head, his eyes gleaming. "The most terrifying thing is finding your way, but knowing that the road will never reach the other side. The snow there is even heavier than here, as if all the snow in the world comes from there. It's a natural barrier that blocks everything that tries to reach Northern Ao Continent from the North Pole, including us."

Upon hearing this, You Su froze in his soup-tasting motion; the old man's last words sent a jolt through his mind.

This chieftain was no ordinary person; he knew there were no Divine Radiance Stone on the Arctic coastline!

"But how can I trust you to lead me through that blizzard you described?"

"The Immortal Master can only trust us, right? Otherwise, if you want to leave here, you can only go back the way you came."

Return via the same route?

You Su put down his bowl completely. The old man had easily seen through his previous explanation of having wandered into this place by mistake. According to the saying that no one could easily pass through that blizzard, it seemed that the old man had confirmed that he came from the sea.

No one would believe such a horrifying story if it were told. Only the Divine Ark could safely navigate the seas, but the Divine Ark would never sail to this far north. In the old man's eyes, he was probably no different from a monster. No wonder he revered him so much; they called Evil Demon gods, so he must be a god in their eyes as well.

"Tell me, why were you exiled here?" You Su stood up, brushing the snow off her backside. "No need to kneel before me, I'm not a god."

"We stole the Divine Radiance Stone."

The old man's words gave You Su a jolt.

"A thousand years ago, the relentless blizzard did not exist, so our ancestors placed the Divine Radiance Stone on the shore. But as time went by, it became increasingly difficult for people to venture into the North Pole Snowfield, as if the land itself was resisting them."

We were once an obscure little sect, whose only research focused on the art of traversing snow and ice. The snowfields were sealed off, but people still longed for the resources within. So the knowledge passed down through generations finally came in handy, and we became the dedicated cooks for those important figures, transporting treasures from the depths of the snowfields for them. We made a fortune, until one time we were commissioned to transport Divine Radiance Stone.

We dared not approach, so they personally conducted a test for us: even evil spirits could not penetrate that blizzard. Therefore, with this natural barrier, those precious Divine Radiance Stone were superfluous. Divine Radiance Stone extremely rare treasures, always controlled by the Divine Mountain; anyone who dared to move them was guilty of a grave crime punishable by the extermination of their entire family. But they promised us immense benefits, and the Divine Radiance Stone on this shore had long been forgotten. Under their temptation and persuasion, we wavered.

But we regretted it. Just as we were about to emerge from the blizzard, we encountered the evil spirit they had used for their test again. It hadn't even entered the blizzard; the test was fake. We wanted to return the Divine Radiance Stone, but it was too late. They stole the Divine Radiance Stone and then stripped all of us of our cultivation. We fought with all our might, only managing to escape into the blizzard to save our lives... and that survival lasted for thirty years..."

The old man recounted his and his people's past hardships and how they had ended up here, but You Su felt little sympathy for him.

How do you want me to help you?

"I know where they hid the Divine Radiance Stone!"