The Foolish Woman Who Was Headstrong and Self-Righteous

The cold night suddenly froze, and the wind and snow on the long street of the frost city seemed to be strangled by an invisible hand.

Ganlong Venerable touched the ice lotus blooming in the void with his toes, his wide sleeves with dragon patterns surged, bringing with them a pressure as if the Milky Way were hanging upside down.

The illusory image of Venerable Ningshuang flickered in the snow and mist, and the twelve broken chains of Xuanbing ice, like dying silver snakes, writhed and twitched on the ice surface.

"Your Sovereign Lord, please do not joke. This boy has committed a heinous crime in the street. I beg Your Sovereign Lord to step aside and allow me to execute him on the spot!"

A low, thunderous roar rolled from the Venerable Ningshuang's throat, and the shattered ice shards reformed into a frost blade in his palm.

With You Su's sword still pressed against the severed throat of the sinister young master, he sneered, "I told your son to stay still, but he disobeyed and tried to stage an accident, which is why he bumped his neck into my sword. I still have my own grievances to complain about, and you're blaming me for it?"

Before he could finish speaking, the Ink Pine Sword was suddenly bound by ice crystal chains that appeared out of thin air, and mysterious runes climbed up the sword to his wrist. Ganlong Venerable raised his fingertips, and the swirling snow and wind transformed into a cage that enveloped him. Behind him, the girl with cold eyes and clear features was also trapped in the snow and wind prison.

But this seemingly imprisoning formation actually blocked the fierce frost that Venerable Ningshuang had launched from underground.

"Is Ganlong Venerable protecting a villain?" Venerable Ningshuang roared, causing many people around to tremble and their legs to go weak.

The tone could no longer be described as a question, but rather as a reproach.

Ganlong Venerable's starry eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced at the other, a chilling coldness seeping into her eyes.

"The matter of harboring villains seems to be something the Frost City Lord knows better than I do, doesn't it?" Ganlong Venerable's wide sleeves trembled, and the city guards, unable to withstand the pressure, knelt down. "Frost City Lord, have you forgotten that you went to great Heart's Blood to make your youngest son one of the candidates for Immortal Ancestor Temple? According to the laws of the Divine Mountain, those who murder Immortal Officials should be tried by the Immortal Ancestor Temple itself! You, Frost City Lord, are you disregarding even the laws of the Divine Mountain!"

Upon hearing this, Venerable Ningshuang's pupils contracted sharply, and the Dharma image behind him dimmed slightly. A bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead, and his fist, hidden in his long sleeves, clenched so tightly that his bones bulged. This silent standoff lasted for a moment before he finally clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"Please, Your Sovereign Lord, see the truth!"

Ganlong Venerable smiled contemptuously, and in an instant, the two ice crystal cages suddenly contracted into two Dragon Binding Rope.

You Su's limbs were tightly bound by the immortal ropes, and she felt as if her entire body's Mystic Qi was being plunged into a quagmire. Bai Ze's delicate brows were furrowed. You Su looked at her deformed arms and neck and quickly realized that this Ganlong Venerable must have subjected her to private torture.

Venerable Ningshuang's eyes flashed. He clearly saw that the Xuanbing Binding Dragon Binding Rope, formed from solidified ice, strangely merged into the girl's body when it touched her skin.

Venerable Ningshuang suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, "Dragon Binding Rope forged from Arctic black iron... Excellent! Ganlong Venerable is indeed upholding justice! He's even willing to use Dragon Binding Rope meant to suppress those in the Void Glimpse Realm on this little girl!"

Ganlong Venerable seemed not to hear, his skirt embroidered with dragon patterns moved without wind, and with a light tap of his jade finger, nine illusory ice dragons rose from the command at his waist.

The remnants of these High Antiquity Divine Beast circled and roared around You Su, each dragon's roar causing the long street of Frost City to tremble.

"Three days later, at Chenshi (7-9 AM), at the Heavenly Execution Platform of the Kong Yuan Divine Mountain."

Ganlong Venerable turned around and shattered the ice steps suspended in the sky. Her voice drifted down from the clouds, and nine ice dragons followed closely behind, carrying the two bound people in their mouths.

She is one of the few powerful beings who can fly in the open world, because the rules do not apply to those who make them.

A snowflake landed on Venerable Ningshuang's trembling fingertip, and a voice transmission suddenly echoed in his ears.

"Keep a close watch on the Frost City Fire Array, lest the warm breeze cloud your judgment. In three days, I will make an exception and allow you to personally carry out the execution at the Heavenly Execution Platform."

The old man squinted, gazing at the lingering traces of the ice dragon in the sky.

He understood the seriousness of executing a candidate for celestial official; three days was the shortest possible interrogation time, and the execution was usually carried out by a celestial official specializing in punishment.

Grieved by the loss of his son, he was, by procedure, incapable of personally killing his enemy. If he were to kill the boy here, he might be punished for breaking the law. Therefore, Ganlong Venerable was not there specifically to snatch the boy from him, but also to warn him to stay alert.

However, he was not grateful for Ganlong Venerable's "exception." It seemed that in his eyes, Ganlong Venerable's supposedly clever "approach of kindness and severity" was nothing but a joke.

"The foremost Sovereign Lord Northern Ao Continent, yet all you can do is use Law Treasure to intimidate others... It seems, as you predicted, you are indeed a person who is all bark and no bite..."

He licked away the ice crystals from the corner of his lips, his eyes swirling with a venomous chill.

When You Su awoke amidst the fragrant flowers, her fingertips touched only the cold stone wall.

He suddenly opened his eyes and saw millions of roses sprouting from the moss-covered cracks in the bricks, turning the entire secret room into a sea of flowers.

The vibrant scene evoked a strange sense of familiarity in You Su. He suddenly realized, upon looking at the mirror hanging on the wall, that this was the damp dungeon he had been in before. It was through that mirror that he had seen Bai Ze hanging on the oil pan.

"I've heard you're one of the partners of the Bihua Pavilion, so you must have some connection with that Bihua Venerable. What do you think of the floral arrangements here compared to hers?"

As the arrogant voice rang out, You Su felt a chill run down his spine and turned around abruptly.

A swing woven from vines hangs from the dome of the secret chamber, where the Ganlong Venerable, who has lived for hundreds of years, leans gently like a child, the dragon patterns on his skirt flowing with the light and shadow, as if they were living creatures swimming.

You Su leaned against the stone wall to his feet, the chains on his wrists clinking softly. They weren't made of black iron, but rather a long chain twisted from some kind of dark red floral vine. He found it hard to believe.

"These were all grown using Black Soil that had been transformed from evil spirits?!"

Ganlong Venerable lightly touched the ground with his toes, the swing swayed, scattering a flurry of iris petals.

"It seems she really has woken up..."

After her initial disappointment, she turned and looked down at the boy, the mockery in her eyes more piercing than chains.

"I never expected you to be such a lackey of the Evil Demon. I wondered why you so resolutely followed her into the well; it turns out you had something to rely on, actually managing to bring her back to the sacred mountain from that bottomless abyss. Tell me, what is your purpose in saving her?"

Upon hearing this You Su suddenly burst into laughter, causing the vines to tremble violently.

Ganlong Venerable frowned slightly. She could understand any expression You Su made, but she really couldn't understand why he was laughing. In her opinion, it could only be the helpless laugh of a loser succumbing to a predetermined fate, but she couldn't hear a trace of helplessness in You Su's smile.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I laugh at your arrogance and conceit; your so-called rescue of Bei Ao is nothing but a joke."

As soon as the words were spoken, a cold glint flashed, and the scent of roses mingled with the stench of blood.

Ganlong Venerable crushed a crimson petal with his fingertips, the juice meandering down her jade-white wrist. The same meandering bloodstain appeared on You Su's arm, causing him to gasp in pain.

"You and I were never enemies." Ganlong Venerable rose from the swing, her posture upright, her exquisite face carrying a natural air of aggression. "I harbored ill will towards you only because you sided with her. Hand over the Heavenly Awakening Spiritual Light to me, and stop being so stubborn. I will let you go."

"You want the Heavenly Awakening Spiritual Light?" You Su sneered through the pain. "Do you actually want to break through to the Heavenly Awakening realm, or do you just want to use it to scare those who see through your facade of power..."

Before You Su could finish speaking, the vines suddenly tightened around You Su neck, slamming him heavily against the ice wall. The boy let out broken breaths, but he still stared intently into her angry eyes, refusing to yield.

"She really tells you everything..." Ganlong Venerable looked at You Su with disdain, "Did she tell you that although I wouldn't be considered a Void Realm expert without her, she would only be a Perfected Transformation Realm expert without this body!"

The vines suddenly tightened, and the sound of bones cracking could be clearly heard. It seemed that Ganlong Venerable was proving with her strength that even if she wasn't at her peak, she was more than capable of dealing with Bai Ze and You Su.

"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. Give me the spiritual light, and I can protect you from Venerable Ningshuang. Harming a loyal and virtuous celestial official... that is a grave crime that will annihilate both body and soul!"

"Zhongliang? If I were afraid of him, I wouldn't have stood up for the people in the street to rid them of this scourge!" You Su sneered.

"Eliminating a scourge for the people?!" Ganlong Venerable's wide sleeves billowed, and icicles like venomous fangs pierced the boy's shoulder blade. "Do you think I would allow that good-for-nothing to become a candidate for celestial official? That was a hidden danger I planted for that Venerable Ningshuang! Once the mission was accomplished, his celestial official son would be the ironclad evidence to judge his crimes! Yet you killed him in the street. Where am I supposed to find that old fox's weakness now? He's just a foolish child, caught in the game of chess yet thinking himself the only one awake in the mortal world!"

A metallic taste rose in You Su's throat, but he scoffed, "I don't understand chess, but I can see the corpses beneath the chessboard. Your so-called grand plan to change the world has long been riddled with holes! Those Formation Technique used to extract Black Soil from the seabed have become a den of Evil Tide!"

"Presumptuous!"

Ganlong Venerable instantly teleported in front of You Su, her nails, painted with nail polish, gripping his chin. A chilling mist of Mystic Qi emanated from her fingertips, seeping into the boy's pale skin.

"A clumsy attempt to provoke me? Do you think I'm a three-year-old child?!"

The chains on You Su's wrist clanged as the shuttle of the City Lord of Hong City flew out from his sleeve and landed at the feet of Ganlong Venerable.

"You're not even as good as a three-year-old! This is the flying Law Artifact of the City Lord of Hong City! He even died outside the city gates to protect the people of Hong City! The Northern Ao Continent that you so desperately want to save is falling into even deeper trouble because of your arbitrary decisions, yet you're still here being misled, dreaming of the rise of Northern Ao!"

Ganlong Venerable's pupils shrank suddenly, and the ice blade at her fingertips hovered three inches from the boy's heart. The impulse to kill the person in front of her had almost reached its peak, but for some reason, she stopped herself.

You Su coughed up blood and sneered, "In the unseen Northern Ao Continent, some can't even keep their corpses intact! But in the places you can see, there's singing and dancing, birdsong and fragrant flowers. What are they celebrating? Are they celebrating that you've found a sanctuary that can save the world? Or are they celebrating the demise of Northern Ao?"

"What an Evil Demon!"

The ice blades suddenly shattered into dust. Ganlong Venerable roared, and thorny ice vines pierced You Su's limbs, pinning him in mid-air. Blood seeped into the Black Soil along the flower stems. "I was wondering why you rushed into my trap knowing you were no match for me. So you thought you could defeat me by attacking my mind? But do you think you can sway my Dao heart with a few words? My goal of revitalizing Bei'ao has been my guiding principle throughout my cultivation career. Even if the Lord of Dreams were to come, my Dao heart would remain as firm as iron!"

Despite the excruciating pain, the boy burst into laughter. "The Lord of Dreams truly cannot bewitch a fool who has already bewitched himself! If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself! You dare not because you're afraid of discovering that what I said is true, and that you are the culprit who destroyed Bei Ao?!"

"Do you think I would fall for such a clumsy diversionary tactic?" Her fingertips were wrapped around a vine whip made of condensed ice crystals, the tip of the whip brushing against the boy's bloodstained collarbone. "The Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace knows best that the Sea Well beneath the sacred mountain is the key to my plan. She must be waiting for me to leave the mountain so she can destroy my thirty years of Heart's Blood."

The embroidered Ganlong Venerable swept across the flowers scattered on the ground. The fingertips that gripped You Su's chin gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light, yet her voice was as soft as a lover's whisper:

"Instead of trying to stop that traitor with empty words, why not think about your beloved senior sister whom you miss day and night..."

You Su's pupils contracted sharply, and the chains on his wrists tightened with a clang. Sensing his struggle, the dark red vines dug their thorns deeper into his flesh, but he seemed oblivious to the pain. The rage burning in his eyes almost scorched through the beautiful yet cold face before him.

"What did you do to my senior sister?!"

"Why do you think I was able to open this Sea Well?" Ganlong Venerable stroked You Su's hand, where veins bulged, the nail polish gleaming blood-red under the ice crystals. "Wangshu Fairy's innate, immaculate blood is the best catalyst. In return, I kindly told her the truth: her good junior brother was tricked and manipulated by a treacherous Divine Beast."

With a flick of his wide sleeves, Ganlong Venerable caused icy mist to condense into a mirror in the air. The mirror reflected a prison deep underground, Wangshu Fairy's snow-white skirt was soaked in blood, and the snow sword in her hand was pointed directly at Bai Ze, who was huddled in a corner.

"What an interesting drama." Ganlong Venerable pressed his bloodied fingertips against You Su's chest. "When Wangshu Fairy slew her, did she recognize her as the friend you risked your life to protect? Or rather," she suddenly leaned close to the boy's ear, her breath like a venomous snake's tongue, "In her eyes, was this Bai Ze the Evil Demon that bewitched you?"

A deafening roar of ice shattering echoed from the ground. Bai Ze in the mirror was thrown back by the Sword Qi, his back slamming heavily against the Xuanbing wall covered with runes. You Su watched as the blood vomited by the girl bloomed into red plum blossoms on the ice surface, and in a daze, he returned to the seabed—where Bai Ze had also curled up beside the Tridacna Pearl, using his last bit of Mystic Qi to condense a Xuanbing barrier for him.

The chains finally broke under the strain, You Su fell, bracing himself with one hand. His palm was cut raw and bloody by the ice shards. But when he looked up at Ganlong Venerable, his eyes shone with a terrifying light. The sword intent of the Ink Pine Sword swirled around him like dark clouds before a blizzard.

"To draw one's sword against an invincible opponent is not courage, but foolishness," Ganlong Venerable said calmly.

You Su responded with a smile. He had already recognized the woman's true nature: a stubborn, self-willed, and completely unyielding fool. Trying to make her realize her mistakes with words was utterly wishful thinking.

At the entrance to this garden converted from a prison, a mask with a jade rabbit pattern appeared in the light screen.