Chapter 59: The Ice Coffin

Hansu ascended to the third floor that had appeared out of nowhere—a vast and spacious living room. Misty, ethereal draperies hung throughout the chamber, as if she had stepped into a fairyland. The veils fluttered gently with the wind; the floor gleamed like a mirror, reflecting all within. The furnishings were much like those below, especially the scattered golden plum blossom lamps, each with a unique shape, placed carefully in every corner, as though she was wandering through a garden of plum trees.

At the northernmost end of the room, she found an ice coffin! Hansu’s whole body tensed in vigilance as she walked step by step toward it. The coffin rested directly on the floor, seeming hastily placed; its rough form had clearly been hewn from a massive block of ice from the palace’s mountain outside, utterly different from the room’s refined decor. The only indication of craftsmanship was the clean cut lines—there was no ornamentation at all.

Through the thick ice, she could make out a vague human silhouette, clad in a white robe, long jet-black hair cascading over his figure; he appeared to be a handsome man. Hansu tried to sense his presence, only to discover that he was neither a corpse nor a living person—there was only a faint trace of vitality. This left her uncertain: who was he? Why was he here in this celestial palace? Was he its former master? Was he alive, or dead?

A flood of mysteries surged forth. What should she do? She was perplexed. If he was the palace’s master, how could she have refined and entered it? If not, then why was he permitted to remain? Now he lay within her newly claimed palace—what was she supposed to do?

Ordinarily, if an unidentified intruder appeared in one’s territory, it would be best to eliminate them. But if he was the palace’s true master? She had claimed his domain, forging a bond of cause and effect; she must repay this debt, lest she be plagued by heart demons when she faced her tribulation. Resolving to act, she studied the ice coffin anew, searching for a way to examine the man within.

This time, her observation was more meticulous. She noticed that the coffin was entwined with a formation, linked to the palace itself. Though she had some mastery of formations, the one who laid this array was far beyond her level; after considerable effort, she deduced it was a protective formation layered with a spirit-gathering array.

Fortunately, she hadn’t recklessly attacked the coffin, or the formation would have drained her spiritual energy dry. Could it be… the formation beneath the coffin was what had wildly siphoned her energy when she formed her core? There were too many mysteries, all far above her current grade—she could not unravel them alone. For now, she decided to call Snow Spirit for help; after all, it claimed to possess the inheritance of an ancient divine beast… but was that reliable?

Hansu tried to communicate with Snow Spirit through divine sense, but the creature stubbornly refused to enter. This heightened her suspicions, and after threats and coaxing proved futile, she was forced to summon it by contract.

Snow Spirit entered and immediately dropped to the floor, motionless, its fur bristling so much it looked like a fluffy white ball. Hansu found it both exasperating and amusing, but she knew that for it to behave this way, the situation was anything but ordinary. She stepped forward, picked Snow Spirit up, and asked, “What’s wrong? Is this person so formidable?”

Snow Spirit didn’t speak aloud but replied via divine sense, “Can’t you feel the pressure? At the very least, he’s an Earth Immortal!” Hansu was utterly shocked. “Earth Immortal?”

For nearly ten thousand years, the Yaohua Realm had declined, and not a single person was known to have ascended through tribulation. Occasionally, rumors spoke of masters in other realms reaching the Great Perfection stage, but Earth Immortals—let alone Human Immortals—were scarcely heard of. To suddenly encounter one, even if uncertain whether he was alive, was deeply unsettling.

It seemed likely that he was the creator and first master of the celestial palace. Then what was his current state? Why could Snow Spirit sense the oppressive aura, while Hansu felt nothing at all? She pressed these questions to Snow Spirit, but it refused to answer and insisted on leaving, so Hansu had no choice but to lead it out of the palace.

Once back in her cave dwelling, Snow Spirit couldn’t wait to curse her out, “I told you not to mess with these found objects! Do you think things just fall from the sky? Look at this—you see? The original owner has come looking for his property! Haven’t you heard of not taking what isn’t yours? He’s an Earth Immortal! He could wipe you out with a single thought! And you dragged me in there to die! Are you stupid or what?”

Hansu, exasperated, grabbed its ears and kneaded them mercilessly. “Wasn’t it you who told me how to unlock the jade token? And when did you ever warn me not to use it? All I remember is you enjoying yourself inside, unable to tear yourself away! When did you realize something was wrong? And you never told your master! Don’t you know our fates are intertwined?”

Faced with the exposure of its dark history, Snow Spirit wilted, shielding its chaotic ears with its paws and muttering, “It was when you formed your core. I was suddenly ejected from the palace by a stone, and I couldn’t get back in. And as I was thrown out, I felt an incredibly terrifying pressure…”

“When you formed your core? What kind of stone? Why didn’t you ever tell me? Was the pressure the same as the one from the man in the ice coffin today?” Hansu was furious; it had been five years, and Snow Spirit had never told her! What kind of spiritual beast was this? Why did others have loyal, adorable beasts while hers kept secrets?

“Seems… seems like the same stone…” Snow Spirit stammered, digging into its storage space and pulling out a massive stone tablet to stand in the cultivation room. Hansu was speechless—this beast needed proper discipline. She approached to examine the stone for any secrets.

The stone tablet was huge, irregularly shaped, as if it had been casually quarried from a mountain. Bold, ancient script covered its surface in dozens of lines. Thankfully, Hansu had befriended a scholarly companion named Bai Ke in her youth and had learned some ancient script from him, so she could roughly decipher its contents.

The inscription read: My friend, Immortal So-and-so, was wounded in a great war; his primordial spirit retreated to the Mud Pill Palace and must be continuously nourished by spiritual energy to recover. But the required energy is special—it must come from someone with the same dual ice-fire spiritual roots. Such a rare constitution is incredibly hard to find, and despite my efforts, I never found one. If he doesn’t get it, he’ll die!

So I helped him disengage from the palace’s spiritual contract, making it a resource for supplying spiritual energy, and sealed it together with his cultivation method in a jade token. Only someone with the same spiritual roots can trigger it; upon unlocking the token, they will acquire both the palace and the method. If you cultivate it, you’ll be the perfect medicine for his injury! When you form your core, you’ll meet him—then heal him!

He’s a good man; once you heal him, you’ll gain boundless merit, and perhaps ascend to immortality yourself. But if you harbor ill intent, the palace will destroy you! Haha, you have no choice—from the day you refined the palace, you became linked to him! The method for unlocking the ice coffin’s formation and healing him should already be in your cultivation technique—have you checked?

Oh, and to help your cultivation, I sent my friend’s spirit beast’s egg to the lower realm—remember to look for it! It’s a Blackfire Spirit Beast; I tweaked its inheritance a bit so it won’t assist the wrong person and will know its true master! In any case, get started soon! I’ll be waiting for you in the upper realm! — Xuan Ting

Hansu finished reading the rambling immortal’s note, unsure how to feel. So she was merely cultivated as medicine and caretaker for someone else… The lucky cultivation technique she thought she’d found was actually a prescription tailored for another, and even the spirit beast she’d stumbled across was sent down as a supervisor… After enjoying a few decades, she’d have to pay back untold hundreds or thousands of years, with no right to refuse—otherwise, her spiritual energy would slowly be drained away. And she was also entrusted with the fate of saving the world… She truly…!!!

Maintaining a stoic expression, Hansu looked at Snow Spirit. “So you already knew?”

Snow Spirit slapped its paws over its eyes. “Don’t look at me that way! I only kept quiet for your own good—so you could enjoy a few more carefree days! I only found out myself not long ago!” It peeked out between its claws, saw Hansu crying, and scrambled onto her lap, tugging at her skirt. “Don’t cry, don’t cry, it’ll be fine! You only have to occasionally supply him with spiritual energy, it’s not as bad as it sounds! I’ll help you out too! Judging by his state, you’ve already given him a lot when you formed your core, so he shouldn’t take much longer to wake up—you won’t have to wait too long!”

Hansu couldn’t explain it; she wasn’t that upset, but the tears wouldn’t stop. After all these years, whenever she thought she could drift through life, a small whip would snap at her, again and again until she was numb to it. So this sudden new side quest—she could endure it. But healing an Earth Immortal… The responsibility was immense. She just needed to shed a few tears to vent.

Composing herself, Hansu took out the "Blackfire Ice Heart" manual. Sure enough! The immortal Xuan Ting had somehow set it so the method for breaking the formation and healing was already included. She suppressed her urge to complain and read carefully. Over and over, until she was sure she understood everything, then she entered the celestial palace once more. Familiar now, she went to the third floor, approached the ice coffin, and used the prescribed method to break the formation. A thunderous sound echoed, and the lid slid open by itself.

The man inside was now clearly revealed before her. He was tall, his skin white as jade, wrapped in a pristine ancient robe with delicate silver embroidery at the collar and cuffs. His hair was black as ink, cascading over his shoulders and back. His features were not as exquisitely beautiful as Huai Yin’s, but possessed an inexplicable elegance. His eyes were closed, brows slightly furrowed, his lashes thick, long, and gently curled—contrasting his cool aura with a touch of childish charm.

His cheeks were faintly flushed, not at all showing signs of having been entombed for thousands or tens of thousands of years; instead, he looked as if he’d just been playing moments ago, now peacefully asleep. His hands, slender and perfect, were folded over his abdomen—he must have been a shy or meticulous person in life.

After boldly examining the patient’s appearance, Hansu, now resigned as his caretaker, stepped forward to prop him up, leaning him against the end of the coffin. She then entered, seated herself cross-legged opposite him, and embarked on her new nursing career. Her mind flashed to her favorite scene from “The Return of the Condor Heroes,” where the heroine tended to wounds in the ancient tomb; she stuck out her tongue, cleared her thoughts, and began channeling spiritual energy into him.

Author’s note: A new side quest begins!