Chapter 568 : A Frostmist Audience and a Hidden Quest

Within the Great Hall, a female cultivator of breathtaking beauty had been waiting for some time. This was the Frostmist Immortal Maiden, whose cultivation level had astonishingly reached the Infant Soul 8th Tier.

Upon seeing the two of them, the Frostmist Immortal Maiden's eyes flickered slightly before she smiled and said, "Please, have a seat."

The three sat facing each other, and only then did the Frostmist Immortal Maiden speak calmly, "In his letter, Brother Heaven's Punishment praised your exceptional talents, claiming you possess the potential to become Primordial Spirit Path Lord [a supreme cultivator who has mastered a fundamental cosmic principle]. I was somewhat skeptical, but seeing you now, I know his words were true."

"You flatter us, Immortal Maiden,"

Eldrin Chen replied with a modest smile. "Compared to great cultivators like yourself at the Infant Soul Late Stage, we still have a long way to go."

"We are peers of the same generation; why must we distinguish between high and low?"

The Frostmist Immortal Maiden spoke plainly and continued, "Brother Heaven's Punishment mentioned in his letter that you have come seeking my help to find someone."

"That is correct."

Eldrin Chen nodded, then handed over a portrait of Lila along with the general information he had to the Frostmist Immortal Maiden.

After examining the materials carefully, the Frostmist Immortal Maiden nodded and said, "Very well. Stay at the Drifting Snow Palace for a while. I will make inquiries to see if there is any news of her." Continue your cultivation journey at audio-novel . com.

"In that case, I offer my sincere gratitude."

Eldrin Chen promptly rose to his feet to express his thanks. The Frostmist Immortal Maiden, with her aloof and reserved nature, did not detain the two guests for long. She soon escorted them out of the Great Hall.

After departing, Eldrin Chen cast a final glance back at the Great Hall before saying to Exquisite Jiang, "Sigh. I hope this journey proceeds smoothly. Otherwise, searching for someone across these hundreds of millions of Li-lengths of snowy plains would be like trying to find a needle in a vast ocean."

"Do not worry," Exquisite Jiang reassured him gently, taking his hand. "With the influence of the Drifting Snow Palace, finding a single person within the Northern Plains is far easier for them than for us. They will certainly locate Lila."

Exquisite Jiang held his hand, offering a soft word of comfort.

"..."

Indeed, the Drifting Snow Palace did not disappoint them. After a quiet wait of three days, the Frostmist Immortal Maiden summoned Eldrin Chen and his companion once more.

Upon meeting them, the Frostmist Immortal Maiden stated, "The person you seek did indeed come to our Drifting Snow Palace."

"Years ago, she arrived at our Drifting Snow Palace via a Teleportation Formation [a mystical array for instantaneous travel over vast distances]. She even attempted to purchase some Ice Vein Precious Jade [a rare jade formed within glacial veins, prized for its affinity with ice-element cultivation] from us. However, her supply of Heavenly Crystal [a purified, high-density form of Spirit Stone used by high-level cultivators] was insufficient. After lingering around the Drifting Snow Palace for several months, she ultimately departed."

"Oh?" Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang exchanged a glance, unable to contain their urgency. "Do you know where she went?"

"Back then, she went to the Heavenly Mountain [one of the twenty-seven famed peaks of the Far North Icy Plains]. Perhaps you could go to the Heavenly Mountain to inquire."

Knowing the two had just arrived in the Northern Plains, the Frostmist Immortal Maiden added, "That Heavenly Mountain is one of the twenty-seven famed peaks of the Far North Icy Plains. I believe she went there for the Heavenly Path Energy [a rare and potent spiritual essence aligned with the Heavenly Dao, often sought for breakthroughs]."

Eldrin Chen's gaze sharpened. The time of the Heaven and Earth Resonance [a rare celestial phenomenon] was over fifty years ago, while Lila had reached the Far North Icy Plains more than one hundred years prior.

This meant Lila had likely been active near the Heavenly Mountain for over a century. Even if she had departed by now, she should have left significant traces behind.

After all, with her talent at the Superior-Tier Golden Core [the pinnacle of the Golden Core cultivation stage] realm, a hundred years of making her mark in a region would surely have earned her a formidable reputation across an entire continent.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen clasped his hands and said, "My thanks for your assistance, Immortal Maiden. I shall remember this favor. Should you ever journey to the Eastern Region Great Wasteland, you may seek my aid if needed."

The Frostmist Immortal Maiden smiled faintly, replying with calm detachment, "Such a trivial matter hardly counts as a favor. If you wish to thank someone, thank Cosmos Heaven's Punishment."

"..."

After bidding farewell to the Frostmist Immortal Maiden, Eldrin Chen did not linger. He directly boarded a Teleportation Formation [a magical array for instantaneous travel over vast distances] heading towards the Heavenly Mountain.

The Human Race territory within the Eastern Region Great Wasteland encompasses six domains and eight hundred great continents. Their sphere of influence in the Far North Icy Plains is somewhat smaller, yet it still spans four domains and five hundred continents.

These four ancient domains were respectively the Drifting Snow Ancient Domain, the Wang Clan Ancient Domain, the Glacier River Ancient Domain, and the Snow Mountain Ancient Domain.

The Heavenly Mountain was located within the Snow Mountain Ancient Domain, one of these four domains, lying countless millions of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] away from the Drifting Snow Ancient Domain where the Drifting Snow Palace stood.

The two of them traveled via Teleportation Formation [a magical array for instantaneous travel over vast distances], and before long, they entered the Snow Mountain Ancient Domain. From there, they made their way towards the Heavenly Mountain.

"Is this the Heavenly Mountain?"

Eldrin Chen stood before the Heavenly Mountain, gazing at its majestic and imposing form. A trace of solemnity colored his expression.

Compared to the Heavenly Ridge Mountain Range in the Three Veins Ancient Domain, the Heavenly Mountain before them was even more vast and magnificent, more grand and awe-inspiring. Published by audio~novel.com. All rights reserved.

This Heavenly Mountain stretched for tens of millions of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], spanning seven or eight great continents. At its heart lay a Quasi-Sixth Rank Earth Vein [a powerful terrestrial energy channel] and multiple Fifth Rank Spiritual Vein [powerful spiritual energy channels], making it the core spiritual nexus of the surrounding regions.

"Something's wrong. Why is there still no response?"

Eldrin Chen took out the Soul-Tracking Token [a magical artifact for tracking a specific soul] and focused his senses upon it. His brow furrowed slightly, his expression growing grave.

Seeing this, Exquisite Jiang felt a pang of unease. Yet, she offered words of comfort: "The Heavenly Mountain stretches for tens of millions of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters]. Perhaps Lila is still beyond the detection range of the Soul-Tracking Token."

"Perhaps we should enter the Heavenly Mountain and first inquire around, to see if there is any news of Lila."

"That seems to be the only way."

Eldrin Chen said with a sigh. His greatest fear was that Lila might have already departed after achieving Celestial-Mortal Symbiosis [the profound union of celestial and mortal essence, a major breakthrough in cultivation]. If that were the case, finding her again would require far more effort.

The two entered the Heavenly Mountain and began their inquiries. In truth, searching for a high-level cultivator like Lila was relatively straightforward once her general location was known.

Within the Heavenly Mountain, Eldrin Chen located an ancient Golden Core Immortal Clan [a clan whose lineage has produced Golden Core cultivators] and summoned its Golden Core Clan Patriarch.

Although this Clan Patriarch possessed cultivation at the Golden Core Late Stage, meeting the two visitors startled him. He asked with some unease, "For what purpose have you two Seniors sought me out?"

"Do not be alarmed. I seek you only to ask a few questions."

Eldrin Chen spoke calmly, then inquired, "Are you aware if, within the last two hundred years, any foreign Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed a Golden Core, the condensed essence of their cultivation] possessing an Ice Spiritual Root [an innate affinity for ice and cold spiritual energies] has come to this Heavenly Mountain to cultivate in seclusion?"

"A foreign Golden Core Cultivator with an Ice Spiritual Root?"

The Golden Core Clan Patriarch was momentarily taken aback, then pondered before replying, "Among the Golden Core cultivators with Variant Spiritual Root [innate affinities for elements beyond the standard five] in the Northern Plains, those with Ice Spiritual Root are the most numerous. Looking across the entire Heavenly Mountain, there are likely over a hundred such individuals."

"However, if we are talking about Ice Spiritual Root Golden Core [the third major stage of cultivation, where one forms a solid golden core of condensed spiritual power] cultivators who arrived from outside within the last two hundred years, then the search becomes much more manageable. Senior, please wait a moment while I compile the information for you."

The Golden Core Clan Patriarch said this, then went back to consult with his clansmen. He compiled a list of all Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has reached the Golden Core realm] residing within Heavenly Mountain who met the criteria and handed the roster over to Eldrin Chen.

Eldrin Chen glanced over the list. He discovered that over the past two centuries, only seven Ice Spiritual Root [an innate spiritual affinity for the element of ice] Golden Core cultivators from outside had settled on Heavenly Mountain. Of these seven, four had relatively clear and traceable backgrounds. Only three matched the profile for Lila.

Among these three, two were merely ordinary Golden Core Cultivator in terms of combat prowess. The final individual, however, perfectly aligned with Lila's description.

This woman was known as Immortal Maiden Frost Soul. Legend held that she hailed from the Eastern Region Great Wasteland and was said to possess cultivation at the Golden Core Perfection [the pinnacle stage of the Golden Core realm] level.

Seeing the two of them examining the dossier on Immortal Maiden Frost Soul, the Golden Core Clan Patriarch added from the side, "That Immortal Maiden Frost Soul possesses extraordinary strength. Her signature Divine Ability [a powerful supernatural technique mastered by high-level cultivators] is called Frost Soul Divine Light. Her Lifebound Immortal Sword [a sword forged with and bound to a cultivator's life force and soul] is known as the Frost Soul Coldlight Sword." Visit audio-novel[dot]com to enjoy the complete series.