Ice Crystal Reply

--

On a stone table in the backyard of the Moonlight Pavilion in Heaven Dou City, there was a jade box. The box was not locked, but tied with an ice-blue silk ribbon, on which a thin layer of frost had condensed.

After seeing Huo Wu off, Nan Feng returned to the Moonlight Pavilion. When Tang Yuehua handed him the jade box, she said, "It was sent from the Far North. The messenger said it was frozen in ice for three days before it arrived."

Nan Feng opened the jade box. Inside the box was a layer of Far North silk, and on the silk lay a hexagonal ice crystal.

The ice crystal was only the size of a thumb, crystal clear, and each of its six sides was finely polished, like a frozen star.

In the center of the ice crystal was a line of extremely small characters, carved with ice-type Soul Power, the strokes delicate and neat. "I heard you've achieved immortality. I'll wait for your return, and use ' Ice Suppression Immortal Domain ' once more."

Nan Feng placed the ice crystal in his palm. The nine-story bronze pagoda rotated within his body, its azure-gold Immortal Mark shimmering with golden immortal light.

He sensed the lingering Ice Phoenix Soul Power left behind by Shui Bing'er when she carved the words within the Shui Bing'er. That Soul Power carried a chill, as well as something else entirely.

He paused for a moment, then poured a surge of Primordial World Immortal Power into the ice crystal.

The moment the golden celestial light seeped in, the hexagonal ice crystal emitted a bluish-gold light. The line of characters inside the ice crystal was imbued with the celestial light, each stroke lighting up and changing from ice blue to bluish-gold.

The Immortal Power circulated within the ice crystal, enveloping, nourishing, and returning the remaining Ice Phoenix Soul Power of Shui Bing'er.

Nan Feng put the ice crystal back into the jade box, retied the silk ribbon, and handed it to Tang Yuehua to send back to the Far North.

In the Far North, deep within Ice Valley.

Shui Bing'er sat atop the ice peak, surrounded by the phantom of the Ice Phoenix Martial Soul. She wore a long dress woven from the silk of the Far North, her long silver hair fluttering in the wind and snow, and she and the ice peak beneath her feet were almost one.

Since returning from Jialing Pass, her Nine Heavens Profound Ice Phoenix Martial Soul has been hovering at the Peak Demigod Level. The ice attribute essence in the Martial Soul Core has been solidified to the extreme, and the final barrier has never been broken.

She waited a long time. After returning to the Far North from Jialing Pass, she cultivated on the ice peaks every day, compressing, condensing, and compressing the icy power of the Ice Phoenix Martial Soul.

The Ice Empress and the Snow Empress would occasionally come to visit her. The Ice Empress would sit beside her, holding a wine jar, and ramble on about when the Nan Feng would arrive. The Snow Empress would brew a pot of tea from the Far North.

Shui Bing'er never responded, focusing solely on her cultivation.

That day, she was refining her Martial Soul Core on the ice peak when she suddenly sensed a fluctuation of Immortal Power coming from the southern horizon.

She was all too familiar with that fluctuation. She had sensed that power when Nan Feng used the Immortal Suppression of Immortal Suppression of Heaven and Earth and Earth to suppress Qian Renxue's Angel Divinity on the battlefield of Jialing Pass.

Golden light surged from the southern horizon at incredible speed, as if it had traversed a thousand-mile-long ice plain.

Shui Bing'er opened her eyes.

A cyan-gold light descended from the sky and landed on the ice peak in front of her. She looked down and saw a hexagonal ice crystal lying on the ice, radiating cyan- Golden Immortal, and the words inside had turned gold.

The six facets of the ice crystal were all imbued with Immortal Power, and each facet was covered with extremely fine Immortal Mark.

She reached out and picked up the ice crystal. The moment the ice crystal touched her palm, she sensed a Primordial World Immortal Power circulating within its six sides.

Shui Bing'er pressed the ice crystal to her heart.

The Immortal Power within the ice crystals surged into the Martial Soul Core, causing the Nine Heavens Profound Ice Phoenix to tremble violently. The phantom of the Ice Phoenix spread its wings behind her, each ice feather gleaming with a cyan-gold light.

She sensed something being ignited within the Martial Soul Core. The ice attribute essence surged under the nourishment of the immortal light, transforming from an extremely cold icy blue to a cyan-gold color.

The Ice Phoenix let out a clear and melodious cry. At that moment, the ice and snow on the entire ice peak melted into a bluish-gold mist.

Ice Empress burst out of the Ice Valley, with Snow Empress following behind. The two stood at the foot of the icy peak, looking up at the azure-gold pillar of light at the summit.

Ice Empress's emerald green scorpion armor reflected the light. She opened her mouth. "That's... Nan Feng's Immortal Power?"

Snow Empress's long, silvery-white hair fluttered in the light. She nodded. "Yes. He returned the Immortal Power."

Shui Bing'er floated in mid-air atop the peak, her Nine Heavens Profound Ice Phoenix Martial Soul unfolding to its fullest extent. The phantom of the Ice Phoenix completely transformed from ice blue to cyan-gold, each ice feather adorned with golden Immortal Mark, its wings spreading to cover the entire ice peak.

Her ice-attribute essence broke through the barrier of the Demigod Level and stepped into the threshold of the God Level.

Her Martial Soul Evolution caused a layer of azure-gold mist to surround her. The mist was colder than the deepest part of the Far North, yet one could feel a gentle Immortal Power within it.

Shui Bing'er fell from mid-air, her feet landing on the ice. She looked down at the ice crystal in her palm; her Immortal Power was exhausted, and a layer of cyan-gold ice patterns had appeared on the hexagonal surface.

She held the ice crystal, motionless for a long time.

The Snow Empress walked up the ice peak, stood beside her, and handed her a cup of Far North Spring Tea.

Shui Bing'er took the teacup. The tea froze as soon as it touched her fingertips, only to be melted away by the azure-gold mist surrounding her. This happened several times before the tea settled.

"He replied." Shui Bing'er's voice was very soft.

Snow Empress nodded. She first looked at the ice crystal in Shui Bing'er's palm, then at the layer of cyan-gold ice patterns on the ice crystal.

Finally, look at the strand of blue-gold hair that appears out of Shui Bing'er's long, silvery-white hair.

"Your Martial Soul Evolution," said the Snow Empress.

Shui Bing'er looked down at her hands. A cyan-gold ice-type Soul Power condensed into a snowflake in her palm, with six petals, each petal adorned with golden Immortal Mark.

She sensed that her Ice Phoenix Martial Soul had evolved from the Nine Heavens Profound Ice Phoenix to a higher level. A surge of Immortal Power had been added to the azure-gold ice-type power, merging with her icy origin.

"He helped me evolve my Martial Soul," Shui Bing'er said, "From a thousand miles away, using an ice crystal."

Ice Empress ran up from the foot of the ice peak, slamming the wine jar onto the ice. She looked at the azure-gold ice mist surrounding Shui Bing'er, her emerald green scorpion eyes filled with curiosity.

"That guy's Immortal Power can evolve his Martial Soul even from a thousand miles away? When is he coming to the Far North?"

Shui Bing'er did not answer. She put the ice crystal into her palm, turned around and walked into the Ice Valley. When she reached the entrance of the Ice Valley, she stopped and looked back at the southern horizon.

The azure-gold immortal light had dissipated, but the Immortal Power within her Martial Soul Core was still circulating.

She smiled at the southern horizon for a long time.

That night, Shui Bing'er went into seclusion in the Ice Valley. The Nine Heavens Profound Ice Phoenix Martial Soul spun within its Martial Soul Core, its azure-gold ice power intertwined with golden Immortal Power.

She fused the icy power of the Ice Phoenix with Primordial World Immortal Power to create a new ice-type Soul Skill, named "Ice Suppression Immortal Domain - Extreme Cold Version".

This technique's coverage area is ten times larger than the hundred steps it covered at Jialing Pass. All Soul Power flow within the area is frozen, while also having a suppressive effect of Immortal Power.

Ice Empress and Snow Empress stood guard at the entrance to the Ice Valley. Ice Empress took a sip of wine from the jar and suddenly asked, "Do you think Shui Bing'er will go with him next time he comes to the Far North?"

The Snow Empress gazed at the cyan-gold light in the Ice Valley, her long silver hair fluttering in the wind and snow. She paused for a moment before speaking.

"Shui Bing'er won't leave. Like him, she has her own path to walk. She will stay here, guarding the Far North, guarding the Ice Phoenix Martial Soul, and waiting for him to return so she can use ' Ice Suppression Immortal Domain ' once more."

Ice Empress snorted and took another swig of sake. "Then what's she after?"

The Snow Empress smiled. "He remembered her. He sent a surge of Immortal Power from a thousand miles away. He noticed the extra ice patterns on the ice crystal in his reply. Ice Empress, you don't understand."

Ice Empress exploded. "Who doesn't understand! I was just asking!"

The Snow Empress remained silent, her gaze fixed on the southern horizon. She knew that Shui Bing'er was currently sitting in the Ice Valley, holding the ice crystal in her palm, its azure-gold ice patterns glowing in the darkness.

That ice crystal will stay with Shui Bing'er forever.

Under the southern horizon, in the Moonlight Pavilion of Heaven Dou City, Nan Feng sat under the old osmanthus tree. He sensed a blue-gold ice-type Soul Power fluctuation exploding from the Far North, a fluctuation that stepped from the Demigod Level into the threshold of the God Level.

He paused for a moment, holding the teacup, and a smile curved his lips.

Old Huai poked his head out of the tower. "That girl broke through?"

The Nan Feng nodded.

Old Huai snorted, "You send Immortal Power from a thousand miles away, and she returns ice crystals from a thousand miles away. You young people, you have to take such a long detour to deliver something."

Nan Feng didn't reply. He picked up his teacup and took a sip. The tea was osmanthus tea brewed by Tang Yuehua, and its taste carried the chill of the Far North and the fragrance of osmanthus from the Heaven Dou.

The red ribbon on his left wrist fluttered in the moonlight. The tower rotated within his body, its azure-gold Immortal Mark shimmering with golden immortal light.

He looked up at the northern horizon, where a very faint bluish-gold light flickered in the night sky.

He knew that Shui Bing'er was holding that ice crystal at that moment.

He put down his teacup and continued his meditation.