Chapter 19
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This chapter is edited by Farouq Omileye. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 19: Welcome Back, Third Lady, to the Hades Hall!
The road ahead is winding and treacherous.
But for Bai Lian, this is no big deal.
Is it even possible to reach the heights of success without encountering obstacles?
Break them all!
One day, she would catch the fierce winds, ride the towering waves, unfurl her sails against the gray skies, and conquer the endless, boundless depths of the sea.
With that resolve, Bai Lian dove into the massive collection of books in the library, her enthusiasm burning bright.
—
Fifteen minutes later, a sudden exclamation from the neighboring bookshelf caught Bai Lian’s attention.
“What’s going on?” she asked, stepping forward.
Tong Yao, her face flushed red with excitement, pointed toward a light-yellow picture album.
“Here… look at this…”
Bai Lian raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued.
She approached Tong Yao and followed the direction of her finger. Her gaze landed on a page filled with illustrations.
On the yellowed paper were two white mountains, standing proud against a field.
One mountain had a narrow path cutting through its center. Its base was dark and rich with black soil, while its peaks glistened with pure, white snow.
The image stirred something in Bai Lian’s memory.
This wasn’t just any mountain. It was the famous Snow Woman Mountain from the Snow Sea Map of Northern Luzhou—a name etched deeply into her mind after hundreds of hours in the Battle of the Gods.
—
Snow Woman Mountain wasn’t an ordinary mountain. It was formed by two extinct volcanoes, whose magic lay in their unique lava. The lava’s minerals had properties akin to ice, making the exterior of the mountain frigid while its core remained as hot as a furnace.
It was this duality that gave the Snow Woman Mountain its name.
“Is there something wrong with the mountain?” Bai Lian inquired softly.
Tong Yao turned to her, suddenly gripping Bai Lian’s sleeve with urgency.
She wasn’t tall—barely reaching Bai Lian’s chest—so she had to crane her neck to look up.
In those simple movements, Bai Lian could see the “stars” glimmering in her wide, excited eyes.
“Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian,” Tong Yao exclaimed, her voice brimming with emotion, “I think… I think I used to live here when I was little!”
Bai Lian nodded slightly, her expression calm.
She already knew Tong Yao’s memory was accurate. After all, the role card of Tong Yao in the game contained this very detail.
Tong Yao had hailed from Northern Luzhou but was forced to flee the snow disaster by boat with her family.
Unfortunately, her journey had been riddled with tragedy. The wooden boat capsized in the treacherous waters of Heimu Strait, leaving most passengers—including Tong Yao’s loved ones—dead.
Fate, however, had spared Tong Yao. Master Qin, the leader of Qingyu Peak, saved her from the icy grip of death. Since then, Tong Yao had become his disciple and a cherished member of the Duxian sect.
—
Bai Lian’s heart eased as she thought of Master Qin.
In the game’s storyline, Mu Yisheng often killed Master Qin, plunging Tong Yao into darkness and turning her into the cruel “Lord of the Hades Hall” or the fearsome “Snow Sea Empress.”
But now, with Mu Yisheng dead and Master Qin alive and well, the tides of fate had shifted. Tong Yao was no longer destined to fall into the abyss.
This was a good thing.
After all, what was the point of invincible strength if one had no friends or family left to share it with?
—
Tong Yao released Bai Lian’s sleeve, her voice trembling with hope.
“Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian… are you going to investigate something at the Snow Sea?”
“Yes,” Bai Lian replied simply.
Tong Yao hesitated, her fingers nervously playing with the hem of her coat. Finally, she mustered her courage.
“Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian… may I come with you?”
“You want to go back and take a look?” Bai Lian asked, meeting her gaze.
Tong Yao blushed and nodded shyly.
This was the first time she had ever asked Bai Lian for something so personal.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Bai Lian relented.
“Alright.”
Tong Yao’s face lit up with joy.
Her hands clenched into fists as she cheered, her purple twin ponytails bouncing up and down with excitement.
—
Over the following days, Bai Lian meticulously organized the information she had gathered from the library.
She planned her departure carefully, delaying it for one more day to celebrate Sect Leader Jue Yunzi’s safe return.
—
The morning of their journey arrived.
As the stars faded into the light of dawn, Bai Lian and Tong Yao set off on the Cloud Chasing Flying Boat, heading north.
The Snow Sea was thousands of miles away, and using the flying boat alone would require far too many Spirit Stones.
Instead, Bai Lian opted for a thrifty route, using two Teleportation Magic Arrays before boarding the Guangtong sect’s flying boat to cross the North Sea.
—
Throughout the journey, Bai Lian kept herself entertained by eavesdropping on the other passengers’ conversations.
They spoke of her exploits—stories of the “amazing war in the Duxian sect.”
“That evil cultivator was terrifying, controlling a million ghosts,” one passenger recounted, “but he was no match for Fairy Bai Lian!”
“I heard they fought for three hundred rounds before she defeated him,” another added.
Bai Lian inwardly groaned.
Why did the rumors always have to be so exaggerated?
To make matters worse, Tong Yao looked outraged upon hearing the tall tales.
“What nonsense!” she declared. “Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian practically defeated that evil cultivator in a few rounds!”
Bai Lian quickly pulled Tong Yao back before she could argue further.
“Calm down,” she whispered. “I’ll buy you some wine when we get there.”
At the mention of wine, Tong Yao’s anger evaporated, replaced with excitement.
—
By afternoon, the flying boat reached the snowy plains of the Snow Sea.
The icy landscape stretched endlessly before them, a stark contrast to the warmth of the East Divine Land.
Bai Lian and Tong Yao disembarked, their breaths visible in the freezing air.
Before heading to Tong Yao’s childhood home, Bai Lian made a promise.
“First, we’ll try the local specialties,” she said.
Tong Yao grinned, clutching the wine gourd at her waist.
“Then come with me,” Bai Lian said, leading the way into a nearby restaurant.
—
However, as Bai Lian handed money to the shopkeeper, she felt a cold, sinister presence.
A man, cloaked in black, entered the room like a phantom, his movements silent as the falling snow.
No one else seemed to notice him.
But Bai Lian’s instincts screamed danger.
She tightened her grip on her pouch.
A Transcendency Stage cultivator? Here?
The man’s gaze locked onto her, and Bai Lian’s heart sank.
“Why… why is it always me?” she thought bitterly.
Then came the moment that gave Bai Lian an even bigger headache.
The man in black approached her.
“…”
Does my face stand out that much?
Stop joking around.
I’m not like my younger Martial Sisters, who naturally grab people’s attention!
Da.
The man dressed in black halted a few feet away from Bai Lian.
He was engulfed in black flames.
The flames carried an eerie chill, cold like ice.
Pop.
In an instant.
As Bai Lian began to comprehend the situation, the man in black suddenly dropped to one knee. His deep voice reverberated as he cried out to her:
“Welcome back to the Hades Hall, Third Lady!”
The wind picked up.
A sudden gust of cold air swept in, carrying flecks of snow with it.
彡❉
“…”
Bai Lian blinked and glanced around.
Who is this man talking to?
Wait.
The third lady? That can’t possibly mean… me, right?
“Are you talking to me?”
The man in black replied in a deep, resolute tone, “Correct. I followed you here from the Duxian Sect, pursuing the third lady of the Hades Hall.”
Bai Lian froze.
The third lady? Me?!
Just then, a new task surfaced before her eyes:
[Task 1: Confess that you are the illegitimate daughter of the Lord of the Hades Hall (Reward: Hard Skill +9)]
[Task 2: Express confusion and deny, “Me, the third lady of the Hades Hall? That’s impossible!” (Reward: an inferior Spirit Tool – Yaojiang Feather Cup)]
[Task 3: Truthfully inform him that Tong Yao is the Lord of the Hades Hall’s illegitimate daughter (Reward: Medical Skill +1)]
Did she really need to think this over?
Bai Lian made her decision swiftly—she chose Task 2.
With furrowed brows, she responded, “The third lady? How is that possible…”
The man in black seemed unfazed by her words, as though he had anticipated such a reaction.
Wrong?
He studied Bai Lian closely.
On one hand, she possessed the rare ability to command millions of ghosts, a skill unique to the bloodline of the Lord of the Hades Hall. On the other hand, he detected a faint but unmistakable familiar scent emanating from her.
In his eyes, there was no mistake—Bai Lian was the third lady!
“If you have doubts, Third Lady, please address them with the Lord himself. My sole duty is to escort you back to the Hades Hall. I mean no disrespect, but this is an order I must follow. I apologize for the trouble.”
The man in black stood up, his once-calm aura now simmering with tension.
The atmosphere around them shifted abruptly.
Oh no.
Bai Lian felt as though she had stepped into quicksand, her body stiffening, her surroundings frozen in time.