The rules of the Long Mountain Relic forbade the presence of any lifeforms with power surpassing D-rank—violators faced the world’s merciless retribution.
And now, in their desperate escape, both Yaxian and the foreigner had let their suppressed D-rank thresholds slip.
Unlike Yaxian’s earlier, controlled power surge, this time their true cultivation realms were exposed. The relic’s punishment came instantly.
Su Mo, however, was spared—since he’d been carried by the foreigner’s wind magic rather than relying on his own strength.
Two bolts of lightning split the clear sky, striking precisely where Yaxian and the foreigner stood.
After a deafening crackle, the two stumbled out, scorched and fuming.
“Why chase me so damn hard?!” the foreigner roared. “You made me lose control!”
Yaxian’s face darkened with barely restrained rage. “Dost thou even hear thyself?”
“Speak like a normal person!”
“If you hadn’t run, would I have chased you?!”
“If you hadn’t chased me, would I have run?!”
They glared at each other, neither backing down.
“This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t snatched—Wait, where is he?!” Yaxian’s voice sharpened, blending with another thunderclap.
KABOOM!
With no time to search for Su Mo, the two scrambled to evade the relentless lightning.
…..
Meanwhile, hidden behind a boulder, Su Mo watched their electrocution with glee.
After days of observation, he’d realized that even with their suppressed cultivation, overpowering Yaxian was impossible. The relic’s rules were his only weapon.
And before he could even devise a plan, the avalanche had forced both men to reveal their true strength—triggering the world’s wrath.
Divine intervention!
Only after an hour of silence did Su Mo emerge, surveying the charred battlefield.
The ground was pocked with lightning scars, but no trace of the two remained.
Reduced to ashes, probably.
Yet unease gnawed at him.
What if they had Teleportation Spirit Stones?
Given the Hundred Immortals Sect’s resources, it wasn’t impossible.
His fingers brushed his forehead. “I wonder if that spatial seal’s still active…”
A glance in a pocket mirror confirmed it—the red mark was gone.
Now, two choices lay before him:
-
Crush his Teleportation Crystal and leave the relic, safe and sound.
-
Climb the summit to find whatever treasure Yaxian and the foreigner had sought.
Su Mo’s gaze locked onto the snow-capped peak. No hesitation.
Fortune favors the bold. If danger arises, I’ll teleport out then.
He turned and marched back toward the mountain.
One week later.
At the summit, Su Mo finally saw it—the prize those two had coveted.
A single snow lotus, ethereal as a fairy, swaying gracefully in the blizzard. Delicate yet unyielding.
Joy surged—until he remembered avalanches. He bit back a cheer.
“No wonder they risked everything. Just its aura is intoxicating.”
“Exactly. Why else would they—Huh?”
He whirled around. A woman stood behind him, materializing like a ghost.
Clad in a black windbreaker, her form flickered between solid and illusion.
Su Mo rubbed his eyes, stepping back. “Who are you?”
She ignored him, smiling as she glided toward the lotus.
“I found it first.” He lunged to block her—but her movements were wraithlike. Untouchable.
After a futile dance of evasion, she suddenly twisted past him. “Thanks.”
With a flick of her wrist, the lotus vanished into her spatial ring.
Su Mo’s teeth ground. Weeks of effort, stolen in an instant?!
“Give it BACK!”
His Rustwind Blade sliced through the snowstorm.
The woman’s eyes widened—this “girl” had surprises.
Ten exchanges later, neither had landed a hit: one attacking ruthlessly, the other dodging effortlessly.
“Not bad, little girl. Keep practicing~”
Then—a sudden slap on his butt.
Before he could react, she backflipped off the cliff, laughter fading into the wind.
Su Mo stood frozen.
Did I just get robbed… and groped?
At least it was by a woman…
Peering over the edge, he saw no trace of her. Gone.
Defeated, he trudged to the now-barren patch where the lotus had grown.
Three tiny ice beads lay half-buried in the snow—likely shaken loose during the plucking.
“Dewdrops from a celestial treasure… Can’t be ordinary, right?”
He lifted one. It glowed faintly, exuding a floral fragrance.
As it began melting, he panicked—and swallowed it.
Coolness trickled down his throat, pooling in his stomach.
…Nothing.
“Maybe one’s not enough?”
He gulped the other two.
Still no effect.
Su Mo: “Web novels LIED to me. If I ever believe this crap again, I’m a DOG.”
Heartbroken, he pulled out his Teleportation Crystal—
Then his stomach lurched.
A crushing fullness spread through his body.
He froze mid-motion, focusing inward.
Is this the beads’ power?
Wrong.
A glacial surge erupted from his core, flash-freezing every muscle, vein, and drop of blood.
Too… COLD…
Even his Azure Core—home to his shadowflame—was encased in ice.
Pathetic. Can’t even melt frost with fire…
His thoughts slowed. Vision darkened.
Am I… becoming a museum exhibit?
As consciousness faded, Su Mo’s eyes stayed open—a statue in the snow.