The Snow Empress accepted the jade slip, scanned it with her divine sense, and found a large amount of information that would take time to digest. She nodded, said no more, and turned to leave the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion.
The moment she stepped out of the shop, two discreet gazes fell upon her from the second-floor window of a teahouse across the street.
There were two men dressed in ordinary gray robes, with plain appearances, sitting in a corner drinking tea, seemingly chatting idly, but their divine senses were like the most sensitive tentacles, quietly locking onto Snow Empress as soon as he entered the city.
"Her aura is cool and aloof, her cultivation is restrained, yet there is a faint flow of Lunar Power... Yes, it's her." One of them transmitted his voice using a secret technique, his voice carrying a hint of excitement.
" Taiyin Physique! Although she deliberately suppressed it and used some kind of method to conceal it, she couldn't hide it from the ' Spirit-Seeking Disc's' detection. Hehe, she really hit the jackpot this time. She went out on patrol and actually stumbled upon such a top-quality 'material'!" Greed and coldness flashed in the other person's eyes.
" The Earth Venerable is currently refining the ' Ten Thousand Yin Banner ' and urgently needs a powerful Yin attribute physique. This female cultivator appears young, yet her cultivation has already Dao Palace Peak. Her Yin essence must be pure and abundant. If we capture her, the Earth Venerable will surely reward us handsomely!"
"We must not be careless. She must have a background to have cultivated to such a level; perhaps she has protectors secretly following her. Keep a close eye on her, find out her whereabouts and patterns of movement, and find an opportunity to set up the ' Yin-Locking Great Formation ' to capture her in one fell swoop. We cannot let her escape, nor can we alert too many people."
"Understood. I have already planted the ' Yin Soul Lure ' on her; within a hundred miles, she will not escape its detection. Once we have ascertained the situation, immediately send a message to the ' Yin Sha Guard ' sent by the Earth Venerable."
The two exchanged a glance and continued to drink their tea as if nothing had happened, but their divine senses, like the most patient hunters, remained firmly locked onto the white figure on the street.
Snow Empress seemed to sense something, her steps faltering slightly as her cool gaze swept across the surrounding street. For a fleeting moment, she seemed to have felt a faint, unsettling sense of being watched, but upon closer inspection, it vanished without a trace.
"Is it just my imagination, or...?" A sense of vigilance rose in Snow Empress's heart. She was new to the area and had a special physique, so it was hard to guarantee that she wouldn't be targeted. His Majesty Su Mu had also warned her that the Big Dipper Star Domain was not a safe place and that she needed to be careful at all times.
She remained calm and continued on her way, intending to find an inn to stay in, carefully study the information on the jade slip, and then make further plans. At the same time, she secretly communicated with the Taiyin Origin in her sea of consciousness and the Green Lotus Jade Pendant in her bosom, so that she could unleash her strongest combat power at any time should anything change, or use the power of the jade pendant to escape.
However, what Snow Empress didn't know was that those who had their eyes on her were not ordinary cultivators coveting beauty or wealth, but rather peripheral members of one of the most mysterious and bizarre organizations in the Big Dipper Star Domain — the Underworld. And the Underworld's methods were far more bizarre and troublesome than she had imagined.
An undercurrent surrounding the Taiyin Physique is quietly brewing in Red Rock City.
Meanwhile, in the underground space of the Ziwei Sect ruins, tens of thousands of miles away from Red Rock City, Su Mu, who had been using his divine sense to perceive the Northern Region with his eyes closed, slowly opened his eyes.
A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"The insects of the Underworld... their sense of smell is quite keen. I originally intended to let the Snow Empress familiarize herself with the environment before luring her here to obtain the true scriptures. Since you've delivered yourselves to my doorstep..." A flash of chaotic energy appeared in Su Mu's eyes, "Perfect, I'll use you as a test, and let the Snow Empress see firsthand just how deep the darkness of this world truly is."
He did not act immediately. The Snow Empress needed experience and to adapt to this cruel world. Some crises, as long as they were within a controllable range, were actually a whetstone for her.
However, necessary attention and protection are still required.
With a slight thought, Su Mu sent a barely perceptible chaotic mark that silently pierced through the void, traversing thousands of miles, and attaching itself to the Azure Green Lotus Jade Pendant on the Snow Empress's body. This mark would not interfere with the pendant's original function; it would only be triggered when the Snow Empress encountered a truly fatal crisis or when it involved some unconventional and bizarre methods from the Underworld, enough to ensure her safety once.
" The Underworld... Yin God Child... Ten Thousand Yin Banner..." Su Mu recalled the information mentioned by the remnant soul of the Holy Yue Chan, his eyes deep. "It seems the waters of the Northern Region are even more murky than expected. Besides the Underworld, there are probably other forces operating in the shadows. The storm at the Qing Emperor's Tomb has just passed, and the gazes of those forbidden zones and death traps may not have completely shifted from the Eastern Wasteland..."
He closed his eyes again, and his divine sense spread out once more. This time, it was no longer limited to the area around the Snow Empress, but rather, like the most sophisticated radar, it began to scan the entire Northern Region, especially those areas with abnormal energy reactions or those covered by powerful restrictions.
He wanted to see just how many secrets this Northern Region held, and how many "old friends" or "new pawns" had already quietly taken their places.
The ruins of the Ziwei Sect remain desolate and lifeless, with only the Eternal howling of the wind and sand. But a wave that will affect the Northern Region and even the entire Big Dipper system in the future has already cast its first stone on this red land.
(To be continued)
Red Rock City, Welcoming Guests Inn.
Snow Empress chose a relatively secluded upper room, set up several simple soundproofing and warning barriers, sat cross-legged on the couch, and took out the jade slip she had bought from the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion.
His divine senses sank in, and a flood of information rushed into his mind.
The jade slip mentions three sites related to "Taiyin":
The first place is the " Cold Nether Abyss " located in the Far North of the Northern Region. It is said to be an extremely cold abyss that has never cooled down since ancient times. Extremely cold yin energy erupts from it from time to time. A cultivator once found " Cold Nether Jade " containing the Lunar Power in the vicinity. However, the abyss is full of dangers and is inhabited by ancient cold evil creatures. Few who go deep into it survive.
The second location is the bottom of " Fallen Star Lake " in the central part of the Northern Region. In ancient times, a star fell into the lake, forming a large lake. The bottom of the lake has a strange force field and is extremely yin in nature. At night, moonlight is often attracted down to it. There are rumors that there are the ruins of an ancient water palace at the bottom of the lake, which may be related to an ancient cultivator who practiced yin and cold techniques. However, the lake is full of aquatic Demonic Beast and has natural mazes, making exploration difficult.
The third place was the " Ghost-Crying Hill " she had just overheard a passerby mention. The jade slip described it in more detail: Ghost-Crying Hill is located about three thousand miles west of Red Rock City. It was originally a mass grave formed from an ancient battlefield, perpetually shrouded in yin energy, frequented by wandering ghosts (low-level yin spirits). Ordinary cultivators were reluctant to approach. However, in recent months, strange phenomena had frequently occurred there, with clear light shooting into the sky accompanied by the sound of a woman weeping. Some cultivators suspected the emergence of yin-attribute treasures or inheritances. Most of those who went to investigate disappeared, with only a few escaping back, their minds clouded, babbling incoherently, mentioning words like "woman in white," "moon," and "coffin." This place was marked as "dangerous, suspected of change, approach with caution."
Snow Empress's gaze lingered for a moment on the description of " Ghost-Crying Hill." "Clear radiance," "woman's weeping," "moon"... these keywords certainly evoked the Lunar Power. But the location—a mass grave—and the disappearance and mental instability of cultivators, seemed quite eerie. Was it a naturally formed anomaly in the Yin ley lines, a man-made trap, or perhaps... something related to the Underworld?