Black Soil's Ambition

The Kong Yuan Divine Mountain, Dragon Seeing Palace.

The frigid wind, carrying snowflakes, howled and swirled among the ice-carved, jade-like pillars.

On this sacred mountain, perpetually shrouded in snow and wind, the seasons seem to have lost all meaning; here, only an eternal, unyielding winter exists.

But when you pass through the heavy iron gates and step into the private side hall where the Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace rests, it feels as if you have stepped into a dreamlike world where spring is as deep as the sea.

Inside the palace, a warm mist hung in the air, and thousands of green vines cascaded down from the golden nanmu dome, their tendrils adorned with eerie purple-red flowers. The petals were as thin as cicada wings, their veins shimmering with a firefly-like glow, and they bloomed in clusters on ice crystal pedestals, turning the cold palace into a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

This is a scene that should never appear in the Kong Yuan Divine Mountain, or even in the Northern Ao Continent. No matter how many warm stones and fire arrays are used, they cannot nurture such a vibrant room full of spring flowers, simply because this is the Northern Ao Continent, a white desert even more desolate than the Western Wilderness Continent.

Ganlong Venerable leaned back on the white jade couch, his fingertips gently stroking a half-open hibiscus.

Her long hair was unbound, flowing like splashed ink to her waist. Ice beads hanging from the ends of her hair collided with dew on the petals, making a crisp, clear sound like shattered jade. A gorgeous Shark Silk dress was piled up at her feet, the hem embroidered with dark gold dragon patterns, rising and falling with her breath as if a living creature were tumbling in a sea of clouds.

"Master, I've brought the person..."

The woman who spoke had a high, straight nose with a slightly upturned tip, giving her a wild and untamed air. Her amber eyes, however, shimmered with a dreamlike brilliance in the warm light, like a snow wolf accustomed to fighting on the snowy plains suddenly spotting a lush, green grassland.

"Thank you for your trouble, Chi Yu." Ganlong Venerable chuckled. "This isn't your first time visiting my side hall. Why are you so captivated?"

As the leading prodigy of the new generation in Jianlong Palace, Long Chiyu's personal master was none other than the palace master, Long Zun.

"This is not my first time here, but... this is the first time I've seen this..." Long Chiyu still couldn't hide the shock in his heart, unable to believe that these scenes, which could only be seen in other continents, had one day been replicated in his homeland.

"No wonder. When I first saw this flower in full bloom, I was also stunned for a long time. So I don't blame you for being impolite." Ganlong Venerable lightly beckoned with his fingertip, his fingertip holding a bright red petal.

Upon hearing this, Long Chiyu was seated below, immediately looked alarmed. Only then did she realize that she had been so engrossed in admiring the flowers that she had forgotten to bow immediately. She hurriedly bowed, but an invisible force held her elbow up.

She looked up in surprise at her master, who had always been strict with her, only to find him smiling at her.

"This must be the famous Wangshu Fairy, right?"

Ganlong Venerable looked up at the woman beside Long Chiyu, his eyes filled with amazement.

The girl below the steps stood with her head bowed, her face completely covered by a Rabbit Mask, revealing only a section of her porcelain-white neck. A snow-white fox fur coat embroidered with silver thread wrapped around her slender figure, and the brim of her hood was trimmed with a circle of fur, which trembled slightly with the surging heat in the hall.

Long Chiyu couldn't help but glance at Wangshu's profile, thinking to herself that this was the goal her master had always hoped she, the Dragon Girl, could catch up to.

She found it hard to describe the feeling this girl gave off; it was like seeing the moon hanging in the night sky. She clearly had no intention of competing for brilliance, yet the entire night sky couldn't find anything brighter than her.

So, is the master's requirement for himself merely to catch up, rather than surpass...?

"She said you knew what I was looking for, that's why I agreed to come." Beneath the mask, a pair of blue eyes were as cold as an icy pool.

Upon hearing this, Ganlong Venerable smiled and said, "Even if Wangshu Fairy is a renowned genius across the Five Continents, it would be inappropriate for her to act recklessly in my Kong Yuan Divine Mountain without a name card, wouldn't it?"

Long Chiyu glanced worriedly at Fairy Zhuo Fairy beside her, knowing that her master meant that even if she didn't know what Wangshu was looking for, she had a legitimate reason to invite Wangshu.

But Wangshu didn't care about things unrelated to her junior brother. She was certain that she had smelled his scent on that snowy plain. So she began searching the Kong Yuan Divine Mountain without any hesitation, but to no avail.

She only agreed to come with Long Chiyu to see her master because she didn't want to miss any clues. But seeing his attitude, it seemed he didn't want to tell her the answer directly, so she simply turned around and left.

"Wangshu Fairy, please wait!" Long Chiyu quickly stopped Wangshu and explained, "Fairy, you may not know this, but you have recently caused trouble for many sects on the Divine Mountain. In addition, given your special status at this time, many immortal sects want to arrest you and hold you accountable. It was all your master who smoothed things over for you behind the scenes!"

Wangshu glanced at her, "Please thank your master for me."

Despite her verbal thanks, she remained determined to leave.

"Do me a favor, and I can help you find what you're looking for."

A serene voice suddenly rang out, Wangshu Fairy stopped and turned around, "Do you know what I'm looking for?"

"One..." Ganlong Venerable plucked a flower and played with it in his palm. "A person."

Long Chiyu's pupils contracted slightly. Although she had suspected it, she hadn't expected that Wangshu Fairy had actually come here to find her junior brother, and she certainly hadn't expected that her own master would know the boy's whereabouts...

"Why should I believe you?" Wangshu her junior brother's earnest teachings, would never again easily trust a stranger.

"It is said that the Goddess Wangshu can see into people's hearts. I, the deity, am now saying that I know news about your junior brother. You can judge for yourself whether it is true or false."

Ganlong Venerable lowered his right leg, which had been crossed over, and his jade feet were faintly visible as his mermaid skirt swayed. He looked completely calm and composed.

"Doesn't the Fairy know that you are now the senior sister of that public enemy of the Five Continents? He has so many enemies who want to take revenge on someone. Your master took you into hiding. You only needed to live in seclusion and cultivate in peace, but you ran off to Kong Yuan Divine Mountain and caused trouble..."

"My junior brother is not a bad person," Wangshu Fairy interrupted, speaking each word with certainty.

Ganlong Venerable smiled dismissively. "Not a bad person? You should thank Chi Yu, not me. If she hadn't been secretly spreading rumors about your junior brother saving people, do you think Kong Yuan Divine Mountain Hui Ren a junior like you run wild?"

Upon hearing this, Wangshu's gaze widened in surprise, then turned to the girl with deep-set features standing beside her.

Long Chiyu felt a little shy under Wangshu. She had long heard the rumors that this Fairy Zhuo Ying seemed to be the young man's dao companion, and a strange sense of guilt arose within her, so she began to explain:

"Young Master You saved our lives. Some people repay kindness with enmity, some people protect themselves, but Chi Yu knows how to repay kindness. I don't know why public opinion has developed like this, but I can't bear to see our savior suffer such a great injustice."

As she finished speaking, Wangshu's eyes shone brighter, as if she had met a kindred spirit in Long Chiyu.

Long Chiyu, in a moment of enthusiasm, continued to add:

"Northern Ao Continent had the fewest people invited to the island, and the fewest victims as well. Many Northern Ao Continent cultivators were rescued along with me, so our hatred for Young Master You isn't as intense as that for the Southern Yang Continent. Many people are still taking a wait-and-see approach. That's why Master was able to temporarily suppress the news of Fairy's appearance at Kong Yuan Divine Mountain. But news can be suppressed for a while, but not forever. Fairy, it's best to proceed with caution."

"Thank you," Wangshu said sincerely.

Long Chiyu smiled slightly, "Young Master You will definitely be safe and sound."

"All safe and sound?"

An untimely question rang out, and the two women looked at Ganlong Venerable together.

"I hope he is truly safe and sound..." Ganlong Venerable sighed earnestly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the sword was drawn with a clang.

Long Chiyu quickly stepped in front of Wangshu, anxiously giving her signals with her eyes. She knew better than anyone the consequences of angering her master.

Wangshu remained unmoved and coldly demanded, "Tell me where he is."

"I helped you conceal your whereabouts, just to give you a chance to meet me. You're ungrateful and even try to turn the tables on me. Are all Southerners this rude?"

Wangshu looked directly at this supreme figure of the continent, without the slightest fear in her eyes. Ganlong Venerable was not annoyed, but simply met her gaze with a smile.

Their eyes met, and the swords were sheathed.

"What do you want me to help you with?"

Ganlong Venerable rose gracefully, her mermaid skirt trailing on the ground. She spread her arms wide, her face filled with longing. Suddenly, the flowers on both sides grew wildly, as if paving a flower path for her.

"I want Northern Ao Continent to be covered in such fertile land. You help me, I help you."

"This Black Soil has Evil Qi."

Wangshu Fairy drew blood with a single blow, while Long Chiyu, standing beside her, was startled upon hearing this. He looked incredulously at the Black Soil from which these beautiful flowers and plants grew, and at the noble fairy who had found this Black Soil.

"Things with Evil Qi are not necessarily bad, and things without Evil Qi are not necessarily good. I have read the report about the Goddess Wangshu. You have been slaying evil for the Evil Warding Department for decades. You would not kill any evil spirits that you had not killed, but only capture them. You even let some weak evil spirits escape because of this... Therefore, the Evil Warding Department will only assign you the most vicious evil spirits."

Such a report was naturally top secret, but as the head of the Evil Warding Department of the Kong Yuan Divine Mountain, Ganlong Venerable was certainly qualified to read it.

"Would a Fairy who has compassion for evil spirits be afraid just because the soil is tainted with Evil Qi?"

"I'm not afraid, but they are."

"Once we see the abundant fruit growing from this soil, we will fear no one," Ganlong Venerable laughed. "Besides, it's just Evil Qi. Evil spirits aren't scary because they possess Evil Qi. I've tested them countless times; they are harmless."

"I've seen soil like this in the Heavenly Prison where evil spirits are imprisoned," Wangshu said calmly. "The Heng Lian First Seat has done this research, and you got your inspiration from him."

"It seems you are not the detached, otherworldly Fairy are." Ganlong Venerable raised his eyes.

"I found out because the Third Elder said this thing was unlucky, which led the Hua Jing, First Seat to stop his research. Afterwards, the Third Elder was also impeached by Heng Lian First Seat, and she complained to me that Heng Lian First Seat was petty and only found out because of him."

"Third Elder? Is that Bihua Venerable? She's nothing but a stubborn, big-breasted, brainless fool who only manages to grow her rare and exotic herbs because of the geographical advantages of the Central Continent. I invited her to the Northern Ao Continent to improve the barren land, but she was afraid of revealing her ignorance and didn't even dare to come." Ganlong Venerable shook his head disdainfully.

Powerful cultivators born in the Northern Ao Continent seem to all have this kind of arrogance, because they truly grew up in barren lands. Looking at those who succeeded by relying on favorable timing and location, they have a sense of superiority, thinking, "I only rely on myself."

Wangshu did not refute Ganlong Venerable's evaluation of the Third Elder, seemingly acknowledging it:

"Only when many evil spirits die can such Black Soil be formed; it cannot cover the entire Northern Ao Continent."

Long Chiyu listened silently the whole time, and then she suddenly realized that the black color of the Black Soil was due to its extremely high content of humus, and that this natural, fertile fertilizer originated from the dead, festering evil spirits...

"I invited you here precisely to resolve this issue."

Ganlong Venerable narrowed his eyes, his ambition gleaming.

At this moment, Wangshu, who was below the steps, narrowed her eyes slightly. She spread her hands out slightly, and a kind of heavenly warmth inexplicably surged into her body, making her tremble slightly and unable to control herself.

This unusual sight was also noticed by Ganlong Venerable.

"Chi Yu." Ganlong Venerable's wide sleeves brushed against the gilded incense burner, and purple smoke meandered up her frosty nails. "Wangshu Fairy her journey. Let's take Wangshu Fairy to Shuyu Pavilion to rest first."

Long Chiyu didn't notice anything unusual about Wangshu Fairy and quickly bowed in agreement.

As he turned to leave, Ganlong Venerable stared at the two women's backs, but his gaze fell on the Long Chiyu always wore and never took off.

That was a coming-of-age gift she gave to her.

Inside the Shuyu Pavilion, the jade screen reflects the snow falling outside the window, and the lamps, with their icy crystals, cast a soft glow in the warm mist.

Long Chiyu placed the gilded hand warmer on the carved table, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wangshu's fingertips unconsciously stroking the table.

Long Chiyu poured a cup of Snow-Topped Emerald Tea, the rising steam blurring Wangshu moving lips beneath Wangshu's mask.

Wangshu's blue eyes suddenly rippled, and she gripped the teacup tightly, her knuckles turning blue. The warm, spring-like power from just now was continuously flowing into her spiritual center, as if someone from thousands of miles away was transferring pure Mystic Qi through her blood vessels.

Long Chiyu noticed her shoulders trembling slightly, and her snow-white fox fur coat slipped off one shoulder.

"Is the Fairy unwell?"

Wangshu shook her head.

Long Chiyu's eyes showed pity, and she sat down opposite him, sighing softly, "Even if longing makes you ill, you shouldn't hurt yourself. I think if Young Master You were here, he wouldn't want to see the Fairy neglecting her health for him. We in the Northern Ao Continent believe in good deeds being rewarded and evil deeds being punished. Young Master You is a lucky man, and he will be alright. As for Master... I will subtly inquire and try to find out some information as soon as possible."

"Are you also worried about your junior brother's life or death?" Wangshu suddenly asked in a low voice.

Although Long Chiyu tried her best not to show that she cared much about You Su's life or death, she couldn't hide it from Wangshu.

Long Chiyu's pupils constricted sharply. The image of the boy, bleeding as he leaped over the crowd to block the giant snake, suddenly came vivid to mind. He stood in front of everyone, shielding them from the storm.

The window frame was suddenly flung open by a gust of wind, and snowflakes swirled between the two people, carrying withered branches.

I know he's not dead.

Wangshu ran her fingertips across her heart, where a faint resonance seemed to resonate. Her words were resolute, possessing a power that compelled people to believe her unconsciously.

This was the first time she had received such a divinely bestowed power, but she strongly sensed that it must be related to her junior brother.

Looking at the girl who was seemingly comforting her but was actually comforting herself, she couldn't help but feel a sense of shared suffering in this cold world, so she comforted the other girl in the same way.

The jade pendant, bestowed upon Long Chiyu by the palace master, which hung at her waist, faintly shimmered and transmitted their conversation word for word into the depths of the ice palace.

On the throne of the Ice Palace, Ganlong Venerable crushed a hibiscus with his fingertips, the sap dripping down his gilded armor and etching wisps of blue smoke onto the ice surface. His Shark Silk moved without wind, and the dragon patterns on the hem materialized and swam out, biting her slender legs like an ice dragon and spiraling upwards.

"They actually managed to survive for seven days in the underwater cave."

She stroked the dragon scales, murmuring to herself, a mad glint in her eyes, "You, you really are a handful... Looks like I'll have to borrow an even sharper blade..."