She walked along the path into the forest, deeper and deeper. The forest was densely vegetated, with towering trees everywhere, some of which looked thousands of years old. Some exotic flowers and herbs bloomed in the forest, emitting a faint fragrance.
After walking for about half an hour, Snow Empress suddenly heard the sound of flowing water ahead. She quickened her pace, passed through a thicket of bushes, and suddenly the view opened up before her.
A crystal-clear stream flows through the mountains, its water shimmering with golden light under the sunlight. Beside the stream stands a simple thatched hut, and in front of it, an elderly man with white hair sits on a stone bench, leisurely sipping tea.
The old man looked to be at least a hundred years old, his face lined with wrinkles like tree bark, but his eyes were clear and bright, like those of a baby. He wore a gray cloth robe and straw sandals, and there was no spiritual energy emanating from his body; he looked like an ordinary old man from a mountain village.
However, the Snow Empress sensed an unfathomable aura emanating from the old man. Although this aura was restrained, it filled the Snow Empress with awe, even stronger than when she faced the Great Emperor Fengdu.
"Young man, since you're here, come and have a cup of tea." The old man raised his head, looked at Snow Empress, and smiled slightly.
Snow Empress's heart skipped a beat. She had clearly concealed all her aura, not even letting the Power of the Heavenly Dao leak out, yet this old man was still able to detect her? This level of perception was simply unbelievable.
She composed herself, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully. "Junior Snow Empress greets Senior. May I ask your honorable name?"
The old man waved his hand. "A name is just a label; let's not talk about it. Come, sit down and have some tea."
Snow Empress sat down opposite the old man, who poured her a cup of tea. The tea was clear and bright, emitting a faint fragrance. Just smelling it made Snow Empress feel refreshed, and her depleted Power of the Heavenly Dao was even restored to some extent.
"Excellent tea!" Snow Empress couldn't help but exclaim.
The old man smiled. "This is tea I grew myself, irrigated with a sacred spring from the mountains. I can only harvest three ounces a year. Not many people get to drink it; you're lucky."
Snow Empress picked up her teacup and took a small sip. As the tea entered her body, a warm spiritual energy circulated, nourishing her meridians and repairing her damaged dantian. She felt that her cultivation had actually improved a bit more.
"Senior, where is this place?" Snow Empress put down her teacup and asked.
The old man looked up at the sky. "This place is called the Spirit Source Secret Realm."
" The Spirit Source Secret Realm?" Snow Empress was taken aback. "This junior has never heard of such a place."
"It's normal that you haven't heard of it," the old man said calmly. "Because no one has been to this place for over three thousand years. You are the first person in three thousand years to enter the Spirit Source Secret Realm."
The Snow Empress was startled. "More than three thousand years? Could it be that this place has been isolated from the outside world for three thousand years?"
"Indeed." The old man nodded. " The Spirit Source Secret Realm is an independent space created by the Human Emperor in ancient times to store the source of spiritual energy in heaven and earth— the Spring of the Spirit Source. The Spring of the Spirit Source is the origin of all spiritual energy in heaven and earth. As long as the Spring of the Spirit Source does not dry up, the spiritual energy in heaven and earth will be inexhaustible."
" The Spring of the Spirit Source?" Snow Empress's eyes widened. "Could it be that the Demon Venerable's ultimate goal in extracting spiritual energy was to find the Spring of the Spirit Source?"
A hint of approval flashed in the old man's eyes. "You're very clever. The Demon Venerable is indeed searching for the Spring of the Spirit Source. He's extracting spiritual energy and setting up formations, partly to weaken the power of the human cultivation world, and partly to probe the location of the Spring of the Spirit Source Spring of the Spirit Source. Once he finds it, he'll destroy it. At that time, the spiritual energy in the world will completely disappear, and the cultivation world will cease to exist."
Snow Empress gasped, "So that's how it is! No wonder the Demon Venerable went to such great lengths! Senior, where is the Spring of the Spirit Source now? Has the Demon Venerable found it?"
The old man stood up and pointed upstream, " The Spring of the Spirit Source is at the source of this stream. Although you have destroyed the Demon Venerable's consciousness, his formation is still operating. These days, I can feel the power of the Spring of the Spirit Source constantly draining away. At this rate, the Spring of the Spirit Source will completely dry up in three years at most."
"Three years..." Snow Empress gritted her teeth, "Senior, is there any way to stop the loss of the Spring of the Spirit Source?"
The old man pondered for a moment, then said, "There is a solution, but it is extremely dangerous."
"What method? Please tell me, senior!" Snow Empress asked eagerly.
The old man looked at the Snow Empress and slowly said, "The reason why the Spring of the Spirit Source is losing power is because the Demon Venerable's formation is draining it. As long as we find and destroy all the formation's cores, the Spring of the Spirit Source can return to normal. However, the remaining five cores are all protected by the Demon Venerable's powerful Demonic Qi, making it impossible for ordinary people to approach them. Even for you, with your current cultivation level, I'm afraid you would find it difficult to deal with."
"Then what should we do?" Snow Empress asked.
The old man took out a golden bead from his robes and handed it to the Snow Empress. "This is a wisp of primordial power left behind by the Human Emperor, containing all of his cultivation and insights. Absorb and refine it, and you should be able to break through the shackles of the Heavenly Dao Realm and reach a higher realm. At that time, destroying the array's core will be a piece of cake."
Snow Empress accepted the golden bead, feeling the terrifying power it contained, and was deeply shocked. "Senior, such a precious thing, this junior..."
"No need to refuse." The old man waved his hand. "The Human Emperor left this bead so that one day someone could inherit his mantle and protect the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. You are exceptionally talented, kind-hearted, and the Holy Maiden of the Ziwei Sect. You are the most suitable candidate. Take it and don't disappoint the Human Emperor's expectations."
Snow Empress gripped the golden bead tightly, a resolute glint in her eyes. "Senior, rest assured, I will certainly not disappoint the Human Emperor's expectations!"
"Good!" The old man nodded in satisfaction. "Go, go to the Spring of the Spirit Source and cultivate in seclusion to refine this bead. I will protect you and ensure you are not disturbed in any way."
Snow Empress stood up, bowed deeply to the old man, and then walked upstream along the stream.
After walking for about half an hour, Snow Empress finally arrived at the source of the stream. There was a small pool with crystal-clear water, and bubbles kept rising from the bottom, as if life was breathing. In the very center of the pool, there was a golden lotus flower in full bloom, emitting a faint golden light.
"Is this the Spring of the Spirit Source?" Snow Empress murmured to herself, her heart filled with immense shock.
She could feel that the spiritual energy emanating from the Spring of the Spirit Source was hundreds or thousands of times richer than that of the Ziwei Sect. Just by standing by the pool, her cultivation level was constantly increasing, and the Power of the Heavenly Dao within her body was also rapidly recovering.
The Snow Empress sat cross-legged by the pool, placed the golden bead in her palm, closed her eyes, and began to refine it.