Chapter 56
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Chapter 56: Great Opportunity
The uniqueness of the Small Tree King was beyond doubt.
Even Li Kunhai could not determine its origins, only vaguely speculating that it might be related to the transformation of the Cangmang Sacred Land into the Vast Forest. The exact details remained unclear, and even the Grand Elder Lang Yaozu wondered whether the Small Tree King had been created by the Cangmang Sacred Land through the use of immortal arts to start anew.
In any case, whatever the Small Tree King said had to be correct.
At that moment, two people and one ape set out.
The two people were Zhang Yang and Yuluan.
The ape was Yuan Tong.
The exact location was stored entirely in Yuan Tong’s memory—a map that displayed everything within a thousand miles in a three-dimensional layout, further highlighting the extraordinary nature of the Small Tree King.
When they first set out, Yuan Tong had been searching for the Ironback Blue Bull, the companion he wanted to bring along to seek the great opportunity.
Unfortunately, the Ironback Blue Bull and the Purple-eyed Thunder Bird had become locked in fierce combat, and no one knew where they had gone. With no other choice, only the three of them proceeded together.
The others were also occupied, all cultivating within the Howling Wolf Palace.
Everyone understood that after defeating Lu Fang, Mu Shaoyang, the Seventh Prince, would soon lead the main forces of the Demon Slayer Team to attack. They needed to train diligently and increase their strength.
Zhang Yang, Yuluan, and Yuan Tong traveled swiftly.
No one knew how long seizing a great opportunity might take. If it delayed them too much, they risked missing the duel with the Seventh Prince.
Zhang Yang, in particular, was very aware that the Seventh Prince would arrive within a month.
Along the way, the two people and one ape remained silent.
Only Yuluan quietly reached out and took Zhang Yang’s hand, her fair face tinged with a faint blush. When Zhang Yang turned to look at her, she deliberately pinched him, trying to divert his attention.
Zhang Yang secretly laughed. Was Sister Yu infatuated?
He held her hand tightly.
After a long while, Yuluan whispered, “Your Sister is about to emerge from seclusion. By then, you won’t belong to me alone.”
Zhang Yang said nothing, only holding her hand more firmly.
It took them a full two hours to arrive at the location of the great opportunity.
It lay before a low mountain.
The mountain was not tall, only about a hundred meters high.
It was lush with trees and thick with grass.
Following his memory, Yuan Tong found the entrance to a cave. At the end of the path, he turned left to face the mountain wall and struck the wall three times in quick succession.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Three fractures spread across the surface, and a chilling, frost-like aura surged out from within.
Yuan Tong exhaled and said, “This is the place the Small Tree King mentioned. Below lies the Ice and Snow Divine Palace.”
“Ice and Snow Divine Palace?” Yuluan’s beautiful eyes widened in shock. “This is actually the Ice and Snow Divine Palace?”
Yuan Tong nodded and struck the mountain wall again with rhythmic precision, as though breaking some kind of seals.
Zhang Yang asked, “Is the Ice and Snow Divine Palace really that powerful?”
“Powerful! Extremely powerful!” Yuluan replied. “Five hundred years ago, even when the Howling Wolf Palace was at its peak, it still couldn’t compare to the Ice and Snow Divine Palace. Among the many sects affiliated with the Cangmang Sacred Land, the Ice and Snow Divine Palace ranked among the top three—perhaps even first. It was said that the number of Great Boundless rank experts there was astonishing, comparable to half a Sacred Land. But the key was that their palace master at the time was Bing Yuyan.”
Zhang Yang muttered, “Bing Yuyan? I think I’ve heard you and Sister mention her before.”
Yuluan’s eyes sparkled with an unusual light. “She’s an idol to me and your Sister! Five hundred years ago, she was known as the most beautiful woman in the Southern Region. People even said she was the most promising female sage of her time!”
Zhang Yang suddenly remembered.
It seemed that Xue Feishuang had once mentioned that, for women pursuing martial arts over the past five hundred years, all of them regarded Bing Yuyan as their ultimate goal.
So beautiful that she could captivate the masses.
So strong that all looked up to her.
This was how the Southern Region remembered that unparalleled beauty.
“What a pity that such a remarkable woman ultimately perished before reaching enlightenment,” Yuluan sighed deeply.
A woman could achieve so much brilliance in her lifetime, yet to fall short of success was always a source of endless sorrow. Even after five hundred years, the name Bing Yuyan still resounded throughout the Southern Region, with people mentioning her daily.
Zhang Yang fell into contemplation. Failing to become a sage left one insignificant in the end.
But even if one became a sage, what then? Hadn’t the Cangmang Sacred Land still been transformed into the Vast Forest?
Only immortals could truly stand above the world, looking down upon sages as mere ants, thereby attaining eternal existence.
Under Yuan Tong’s steady strikes, the mountain wall finally cracked open.
A chilling aura rushed out.
“Quickly, let’s enter. This place will close naturally behind us, cutting off all contact with the outside world to prevent discovery,” Yuan Tong urged.
They stepped inside.
Behind the mountain wall lay a passage leading underground.
The broken mountain wall quickly refroze, forbidden law power weaving through it and pulling the shattered rocks back together as though nothing had ever been disturbed.
The staircase leading underground was pitch black.
To Zhang Yang, it felt no different from daylight.
However, Yuluan and Yuan Tong could barely see.
“Just follow me,” Zhang Yang instructed.
They descended the stairs.
After a little over three hundred steps, both Yuluan and Yuan Tong could hardly endure the pressure and had to use their powers to resist the growing fatigue.
Zhang Yang felt nothing.
After six hundred and sixty-six steps, Yuluan and Yuan Tong could no longer endure.
The seals within the Vast Forest suppressed their powers, leaving them feeling helpless despite their strength.
Zhang Yang activated Baxiang Power, allowing the Baxiang Divine Fire to spread. Warmth and light filled the space, and he sent a small flame to each of them to block the cold.
He himself still didn’t need it.
After reaching the lowest level, they finally found light—dim, but sufficient to see.
What greeted their eyes was a frozen land.
Countless corpses and warriors locked in combat were frozen in place, as if their battle had never ended.
The ground, walls, and every object were encased in ice.
This was a world of frost.
“Hey, look at those,” Yuluan said, pointing ahead.
Zhang Yang focused his gaze.
He saw over twenty giants, each more than three meters tall, wearing fierce ghostly masks. They were frozen mid-pounce, as if lunging forward forever locked in time.
Their target had been an ice throne where a breathtakingly beautiful woman sat. Even in her frozen state, her elegance remained. In front of her stood two stunning maidens, swords raised in a desperate attempt to block the advancing giants. They, too, were frozen in place.
Encased in the thick ice, it was difficult to make out every detail.
However, Zhang Yang could still see that the woman on the ice throne had been forming unique hand seals, suggesting that this freezing had been her doing.
Yuluan had originally wanted to see if this woman was the legendary Bing Yuyan, but before she could get a closer look, Yuan Tong’s surprised shout caught her attention.
“Storage bags! So many storage bags are still here!”
At his exclamation, Yuluan immediately rushed off to search for them.
This was the Ice and Snow Divine Palace, a super sect that had once nearly reached the level of a Sacred Land. The storage bags left behind here were undoubtedly extraordinary. Even the warriors who had died fighting in this place couldn’t have been ordinary cultivators. They might have been Great Boundless or even Immeasurable stage experts.
How could Yuluan not be excited?
Only Zhang Yang remained still, continuing to observe the frozen scene.
Yuluan and Yuan Tong eagerly took charge of the looting.
After a while, Yuluan returned, holding a black cloak, and happily draped it over Zhang Yang’s shoulders.
“It looks really cool,” she said with satisfaction.
The cloak was glossy black, its material unknown. It was clearly a top-tier spiritual weapon, providing warmth in winter and coolness in summer, along with strong defensive capabilities.
Yuluan went back to search for more storage bags but found herself drawn to the ghostly masked giants. She checked to see if any of them had storage bags, but none did. She couldn’t help but sneer.
“Going into battle without a storage bag? How uncouth,” she muttered.
Then, noticing Zhang Yang still staring at the frozen woman on the throne, she placed her hands on her hips and said teasingly, “What are you looking at so intently? Don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to these women who’ve been frozen for over five hundred years?”
Zhang Yang didn’t respond. He kept his gaze on the beautiful woman seated on the throne.
“She doesn’t seem to be dead,” he said quietly.
