Chapter 871: Chapter 871

Fang Bai’s feet didn’t stop as he weaved through dozens of ice pillars, his movements unobstructed and even smoother and faster than the four "Wrathful Beauties" members previously encountered.

In the blink of an eye, Fang Bai had made his way around the last of the eighty-one ice pillars and broken out of the "Nine Bends Soul Loss Formation," arriving at the entrance of a cave on the north side of the valley.

After passing through the deep cave, Fang Bai’s vision suddenly brightened; he saw an astonishingly beautiful, gigantic Ice Palace constructed of snow and ice, perched atop a solitary peak, surrounded by rising mist and enveloping clouds, resembling an Immortal Palace or divine temple.

The Ice Palace consisted of nine differently sized and well-placed snow and ice structures, with a wide and bottomless ice channel about ten zhang surrounding it, separating the Ice Palace from the outside world.

For ordinary people, this ice channel was an insurmountable gulf, and even Heaven Level Martial Artists, without external assistance, would find it impossible to leap across the ten zhang distance of the ice channel in one go.

Previously, Fang Bai had tracked the four "Wrathful Beauties" members with his Divine Sense and noticed that upon reaching the edge of the ice channel, one of them let out a piercing whistle, and soon an Earth Level Female Martial Artist soared out from an ice palace on the opposite shore.

After the Female Martial Artist reached the opposite side, she concentrated all her power and threw a steel rope as thick as a thumb, the sharp steel cone at the end tearing through the air and whistling towards them, embedding deeply into the ice wall beneath the feet of the "Wrathful Beauties" members.

Next, the four "Wrathful Beauties" members leapt onto the steel rope, using their movement technique to quickly make their way across the tens of meters long steel rope to the opposite shore.

When the four of them set foot on the ground of the other side, the Female Martial Artist retracted the steel rope, and the five women turned and entered the Ice Palace together.

It wasn’t until after the five of them had disappeared from view that Fang Bai emerged from the cave, coming to a stop at the edge of the ice channel.

The position where Fang Bai now stood was approximately four to five hundred meters away from the Ice Palace. When he diffused his Divine Sense, he was already able to envelop the entire Ice Palace.

Around the Ice Palace’s outer walls and on the ground, countless Essence Stones were embedded, mostly Water Element Stones, forming what appeared to Fang Bai as a simple Defense Array.

Despite the simplicity of the Defense Array, once activated, it could stave off even a Heaven Level Martial Artist.

Inside the Ice Palace, fluctuations of Essence Energy could also be felt, suggesting the presence of many more Essence Stones.

"This must be the ’Polar Ice Palace’ the Linghu Sisters spoke of! This place is even more secretive than the Hidden Sect World. Had I not followed those ’Wrathful Beauties’ members here, finding this place would likely have taken some time!"

Fang Bai’s Divine Sense searched momentarily within the Polar Ice Palace, detecting the aura of more than a dozen Martial Artists. He discovered that Linghu Qianjiao and Linghu Baimei, the two sisters, were indeed among them.

Joy rose in Fang Bai’s heart; since both Linghu sisters were there, then Ye Xing, the Family Head of the Ye Family from Lingnan, who was kidnapped by them, might also be present.

Indeed, Fang Bai soon sensed Ye Xing’s aura in a corner of the grandest hall at the very center of the Polar Ice Palace, although it was very weak, as if he had been heavily tortured.

Fang Bai quietly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that as long as Ye Xing was alive, negotiations were still possible. If Ye Xing had died, the Ye Family and "Wrathful Beauties" would be sworn enemies, making it difficult for him, caught in the middle of Ye Wumei and the Linghu sisters.

What surprised Fang Bai the most was within those several auras, one was intermittent, flaring and fading, weak enough at times to resemble a Yellow Level Martial Artist, but at times surging towards Heaven Level Realm.

Fang Bai was nearly certain that the owner of this aura was the mentor of the Linghu sisters who had experienced Deviation in her Cultivation.

Fang Bai had heard from the Linghu Sisters that their mentor, presumably named Ms. Linghu, was a Heaven Level Martial Artist. However, they were not clear on her exact realm.

Aside from the three disciples of Linghu, the other dozen or so auras all came from Earth Level Martial Artists, and their auras were very similar, clearly indicating that they practiced similar cultivation techniques and all belonged to the organization "Wrathful Beauties."

At this moment, over a dozen members of "Wrathful Beauties" were gathered in the central hall of the Ice Palace, seemingly deliberating over something.

"Master, we’ve captured Ye Xing. You’ve hated him for a full twenty years, it’s time to decide his fate—kill or torment—just say the word, and I’ll avenge you!"

A syrupy voice reached Fang Bai’s ears; it was Linghu Baimei speaking.

Upon hearing this, Fang Bai frowned, wondering how Ye Xing could be connected to the master of the Linghu sisters, Ms. Linghu. Ms. Linghu had harbored a hatred for Ye Xing for half her life, what was the story there? Could it be that they had known each other for a long time and had some unresolved grievances?

Fang Bai had felt from the beginning that the kidnapping of Ye Xing was not a simple matter, the Linghu sisters would certainly not have kidnapped him just for a ransom. Now it seemed that his guess had been correct; the matter was tied up in a complex web of events.

Before understanding who was in the right or wrong, Fang Bai would not allow any harm to come to Ye Xing; otherwise, he would have no way to explain himself to Ye Wumei.

Moreover, Fang Bai felt that as long as their conflict was not a matter of life and death, he could mediate between them.

"Where is Ye Xing? Bring him to me so I can... cough cough... see him... cough cough cough..."

The voice of a middle-aged woman followed, sounding quite agitated, but before she could finish speaking, she broke into severe coughing.

Mixed with the middle-aged woman’s severe coughs were the shocked exclamations of a dozen "Wrathful Beauties" members; it was unclear what had happened.

Fang Bai’s divine sense focused on the woman and discovered that she was bedridden, emaciated, with a sallow complexion—signs of obstructed blood flow and circulatory issues.

However, Fang Bai could still sense an intermittent aura within her body, suggesting that she had been a very powerful Martial Artist before her cultivation went awry, causing nearly all her meridians to break, leading to her current state.

Without a doubt, this middle-aged woman was the master of the Linghu sisters, Ms. Linghu.

The Linghu sisters had said their master was not yet fifty, but looking at Ms. Linghu now, she appeared aged like a woman in her sixties. Yet, between her facial features, one could faintly discern that in her youth or before falling ill, she must have been an exceptionally beautiful woman.

At that moment, a pool of bright red blood appeared on the ground before Ms. Linghu, clearly coughed up during her recent bout of violent coughing.

"Master, you’re coughing up blood again... Don’t get agitated, whatever you have to say, you can rest for a while and say it later..."

Linghu Qian Jiao sat in front of Ms. Linghu’s bed, her face full of worry and concern.

"I won’t lie down! Bring Ye Xing to me, I have some things to say to him, and if I don’t say them now... I’m afraid I’ll never have the chance..."

Ms. Linghu said stubbornly, her face suddenly glowing with a faint radiance, as if she had suddenly become much more spirited, showing an almost reviving brilliance.