Life and Death Gate

You Su and Bai Ze, one human and one cat, huddled together in the cold, snowy palace, seeking warmth from each other.

The palace was empty and silent, with only their faint breathing and heartbeats echoing in the air.

Bai Ze's fur was soft and warm. Its small body found the most comfortable position in You Su's arms, while You Su used his broad chest to shield Bai Ze from the biting cold wind.

They had searched the area but still found no exit. The cold wind blew through the cracks in the ice, You Su tried searching, but found that those cracks were barely thicker than a hair. You Su then tried to poke them with his sword, but the ice walls were much thicker and exceptionally hard than he had imagined. Even with great force, he could only scrape off a layer of ice. It was clearly unrealistic to try to break through the walls and escape in a short time.

The palace was like a sealed ice coffin, isolating them from the world, and the air vents seemed to exist to prevent the people inside from suffocating.

Bai Ze raised its head and looked at You Su with its clear cat eyes, which were full of confusion and helplessness.

"Ding Zhen, are we going to be trapped here and die?"

Bai Ze's voice trembled slightly.

"No, there must be a way out."

You Su gently stroked Bai Ze's head to comfort him, then asked, "How did you get in?"

Bai Ze shook his head, indicating that he knew nothing about it either. "She said she was coming to take me to see you, and then suddenly a light flashed, and I inexplicably appeared here, hanging above that oil pot."

You Su nodded upon hearing this, and then asked, "What about the Archimedes Venerable? Did you see him when she took him away?"

Bai Ze shook his head again.

Seeing that Bai Ze knew nothing about the matter, You Su didn't bother to say anything more and fell into his own thoughts.

The two, human and cat, cuddled together for an unknown amount of time. Bai Ze even felt that the Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace had forgotten about them. Or perhaps, freezing and starving to death in this icy prison was one of her methods of torture.

Just as they felt their minds were about to freeze, a sudden change occurred in the ice palace—the oil cauldron that had been hanging with the white celestial beast suddenly tipped over, spilling hot oil all over the floor.

Just as You Su had predicted, this oil pot that boiled without fire was quite strange.

Bai Ze watched this scene with curiosity, finding it strange that the oil pan, which had been set up perfectly, would fall over by itself.

But it didn't care, only complaining that the hot oil spilled all over the floor and didn't make the cold palace any warmer, even though it had just been scared by it.

However, You Su discovered something strange.

He stood up, walked to the oil pan, and carefully observed the oil spilling on the ground.

The oil was frozen solid, but its flow path was still visible. A glint of light flashed in You Su's eyes; he discovered that the flow path of the oil actually outlined the shape of a map.

He examined it closely and discovered that the shape of the map was exactly the same as that of the map of the five continents!

A strong premonition welled up in his heart; this was no coincidence!

He crouched down and gently touched the solidified oil stains with his fingers, feeling their temperature and texture.

"What's wrong?" Bai Ze poked his head out from You Su's arms and asked curiously.

"There's something strange about this oil puddle. This is a map of the Five Continents," You Su said to Bai Ze, pointing to the oil stain on the ground.

Bai Ze jumped down and walked to You Su's side. It tilted its head and carefully examined the oil stains, a look of surprise in its eyes:

A map of the five continents?!

You Su did not answer, but his mind was racing.

Do the oil stains on this map of the five continents hold clues to leaving this palace?

You Su's gaze was fixed on the map of the five continents outlined by the oil stains, his mind churning with thoughts. He knew that this must be a riddle carefully set by the Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace, and every drop of oil seemed to hide a profound meaning, waiting for him to decipher it.

"There's something fishy about this map; she wouldn't have left it behind for no reason," You Su muttered to herself, her eyes filled with determination.

Bai Ze watched You Su curiously from the side. Although it didn't quite understand the deeper meaning, it knew that this was the key to their escape from this place, so it obediently stayed aside and didn't make a sound to disturb them.

You Su squatted down, carefully examining every detail on the map. His fingers gently traced the oil stains, feeling the subtle temperature difference.

Suddenly, he noticed that in certain areas of the map, the oil stains had slightly different degrees of solidification, seemingly forming some faint patterns.

"These patterns..."

You Su's gaze lingered on the oil stains, trying to capture the subtle temperature differences. His fingers gently traced the solidified oil, as if he could sense the delicate information contained within the patterns.

As time went by, his brows gradually relaxed, and the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"I understand!" You Su suddenly stood up, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Bai Ze was startled by his sudden movement and quickly asked, "What do you understand?"

You Su didn't answer directly. Instead, he walked to a corner of the palace where the oil stains were most concentrated, forming a complex pattern. He stared at the pattern and slowly said, "These patterns are actually an ancient Formation Technique diagram."

Bai Ze's eyes widened, and he asked in confusion, "Formation Technique diagram? What's that?"

You Su patiently explained, "Formation Technique diagrams are an ancient form of mechanical art. Through specific patterns and symbols, one can control the opening and closing of mechanisms. These oil stains are clues left by the Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace."

Bai Ze nodded as if it understood, though it didn't. Although it didn't understand Formation Technique, it had full confidence in You Su's wisdom.

You Su continued, "These oil stains were clearly splashed on the ground at the same time, but the oil temperature is different in each location. This is because they solidified at different times, but this is obviously illogical. It must be controlled by something. I just secretly noted down the distribution of these oil temperatures and discovered that they are actually in the shape of water ripples, with the temperature gradually increasing towards the center in concentric circles."

"Water ripples?" Bai Ze seemed to understand a little. "Doesn't that mean there's a center, the source of heat dissipation?"

You Su smiled calmly, pointed to a bright oil stain on the map, and said, "That's right, this is the place."

Bai Ze curiously leaned closer and cautiously probed with his paw, indeed feeling that the oily stain there was warmer than other areas.

"Guess where this is on the map of the Five Continents?" You Su suddenly asked.

Bai Ze looked at it again, then shook his head. "I don't know."

It was just a small Divine Beast; if You Su hadn't told it, it would have had no way of knowing that this was a map of the Five Continents.

"The hottest spot is Kong Yuan Divine Mountain."

"Kong Yuan Divine Mountain?! Isn't this the coldest place?" Bai Ze asked, puzzled.

You Su also shook her head, "I don't know the deeper meaning either; perhaps it's inherently the opposite."

"Anyway, we've found it! It's clearly the same oil, how did you manage to associate it with water ripples!"

After the previous commotion, Bai Ze genuinely agreed with You Su, and his words were no longer the same as before, where he would deliberately bicker with her, but instead he would sincerely praise her.

You Su laughed it off, "I'm blind, so my imagination runs wild. Let's figure out a way to get out of here first."

After saying that, You Su took a deep breath, concentrated, and placed her hand on the oil stain.

He could feel a faint airflow beneath the oil stains, a sign that the mechanism was being activated.

Based on his rudimentary knowledge of Formation Technique, he carefully adjusted the position of his palm, trying to find the correct trigger point.

Time ticked by, and Bai Ze watched him nervously, not daring to make a sound for fear of disturbing You Su's thoughts.

Finally, a realization flashed in You Su's eyes. He quickly moved his palm to the center of the oil stain and pressed it down hard.

With a soft "click," a hidden passage suddenly opened in a corner of the palace.

Bai Ze exclaimed in delight, "It's a success! Ding Zhen, you're amazing!"

You Su wasn't particularly excited, because he didn't know what awaited them at the other end of the passage. Perhaps the real challenge was just beginning.

They cautiously entered the passage, the ice path winding and twisting like a giant dragon coiled underground. You Su and Bai Ze carefully traversed it.

The ice beads that had condensed on the ice wall shimmered with a ghostly blue light in the dim light, as if they were an entrance to another world. The passage was chilling, and every breath brought a bone-chilling cold. Bai Ze unconsciously shrank into You Su's arms, trying to draw some warmth from her.

"Ding Zhen, I'm a little scared." Bai Ze's voice trembled slightly, and its round eyes shone brightly in the dim passage.

You Su gently stroked Bai Ze's head, trying to comfort it, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

You Su found it amusing; it seemed he had truly raised this Divine Beast, Bai Ze, to be like a cat.

Their footsteps echoed through the passage, accompanied by the faint cracking of ice, making everyone involuntarily tense. You Su's senses were exceptionally sharp; he could feel a strange power contained within the surrounding ice walls, as if it could erupt at any moment.

"Ding Zhen, what do you think the Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace wants? Why is she locking us up here?"

Bai Ze's curiosity overcame its fear, and it began to wonder about the reasons behind all of this.

You Su pondered for a moment, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "Her purpose, perhaps only she knows. But we can't just sit and wait to die. Since she's opened this path for us, she must have a deeper meaning."

They continued onward, and the ice path gradually widened until a huge Ice Room appeared before them.

In the center of the Ice Room, three doors of distinct styles stand, each exuding a different atmosphere.

The stone tablet beside the gate is inscribed with three large characters: "Life and Death Gate".

Upon seeing these three words, Bai Ze gasped. "Ding Zhen, what... what does this mean? What will happen if we choose the wrong one?"

You Su did not answer Bai Ze's question directly, but instead frowned and carefully read the inscription on the stele.

This Life and Death Gate has three doors, only one of which is the correct one; the other two are doors of death. Entering the wrong door will result in death and the annihilation of one's spiritual essence.

Bai Ze sensed the solemnity emanating from You Su and dared not disturb him any further.

You Su was delighted and began to carefully examine the three doors.

The first door is carved with intricate patterns, and a faint halo seems to flow across its surface, giving it a mysterious and unpredictable feel; the second door is simple and unadorned, yet it exudes a heavy sense of oppression; the third door is crystal clear, as if carved from the purest ice crystals, with tiny cracks on its surface, as if it would shatter at the slightest touch.

You Su's gaze swept back and forth across the three doors, his mind quickly analyzing possible clues.

He knew this was no simple choice; behind every door might lie a deadly trap.

"Ding Zhen, let's turn back." Bai Ze's voice was trembling with tears; it was almost overwhelmed by the eerie atmosphere here.

You Su shook his head, his eyes gleaming with determination. "The purpose of the Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace leading us here is obvious. However, if we had stayed in the previous palace, we would have frozen to death anyway. If we want to get out, we must find a way out ourselves."

Upon hearing this, Bai Ze sighed dejectedly, seemingly puzzled as to why the woman who claimed to be his friend would do all this.

You Su took a deep breath and began to carefully observe every detail of the three doors. He noticed that the patterns on the first door seemed to be slowly changing, while the second door had fine scratches, and the crack on the third door seemed to be gradually widening.

However, based on this information alone, it is impossible to determine which is the gate of life and which is the gate of death.

"Ding Zhen, do we really have to choose?" Bai Ze's voice trembled as it looked up at You Su, its eyes full of pleading.

You Su suddenly opened his eyes, as if he had thought of a solution. He shrugged his shoulders, and then his body trembled. A blurry figure separated from his body. The figure was exactly the same as You Su, even the expression was identical.

At this point, even Bai Ze realized what You Su was about to do: he was going to use his own cloned shadow to take a dangerous risk!

The shadow immediately moved. It first walked towards the first door, You Su gently opened the door and let it in. Behind the door was complete darkness; nothing could be seen. Without hesitation, the shadow went straight inside.

You Su and Bai Ze waited anxiously, their hearts seemingly stopping at that moment. Time passed second by second, but the shadow did not return, and there was no sound from inside the door.

"Ding Zhen, it... it is it...?" Bai Ze's voice trembled slightly; he could hardly imagine what the shadow had gone through.

You Su's expression also turned serious. He knew that the first door was likely the door to death. Without hesitation, he summoned another shadow to separate from his body, but the continuous exhaustion left him pale.

The shadow walked toward the second door, gently pushed it open, and went inside.

You Su closed his eyes and waited, only to see his head occasionally turn slightly, as if sensing the presence of the shadow.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes again and said with certainty, "It's the middle one!"

Happy New Year everyone! May you all make a fortune in the new year! May everyone reach the guild leader level, haha!