Seated within the palanquin, young maidens adorned like spring itself, held delicate white jade cups, their laughter light and easy, their spirits free.

"Mengmeng," a girl in a teal dress whispered, nodding towards a figure in the corner as she spoke to Zhao Mengmeng. "Your aunt's new favorite—what's her story?"

Zhao Mengmeng eyed Feng Yao, a cold smile playing on her lips. "What story could there be? She's just a plaything from some village."

The girl in teal frowned, unsurprised. "Honestly, with looks and a figure like hers, she’d be a sensation in any other world—fought over, no doubt. A pity she's born in the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm, where no one cares, save for a few like your aunt."

"Lin Wan, you're thinking too much. Even if she were from another world, what then? The nature of the universe is survival of the fittest. A woman with only beauty and no inner talent is just a toy from the start, only the players grow stronger," Zhao Mengmeng scoffed.

"Perhaps you're right," Lin Wan nodded.

"Honestly, if not for this Ice Soul Mystic Spear, I wouldn’t have had her share our palanquin. We sisters are destined for greatness. Crossing paths with us is the fortune of her lifetime." Zhao Mengmeng rolled her eyes.

"Even your aunt, at her age, should just drink from the Divine Spring and strengthen our clan with some heirs. Instead, she indulges in decadence, drawing idle gossip," Lin Wan spoke with a hint of disdain.

"I don’t understand her either. For vulgar desires, she forsakes the bright path of Immortals. To become a boundless Immortal, one must cut off worldly desires. She fails even this basic truth; no wonder she’s nothing compared to my mother," Zhao Mengmeng caressed the Ice Soul Mystic Spear. "Honestly, I'm actually doing her a favor by accepting her gift."

"Let’s leave it at that. Everyone has their own fate. We all pursue different things." Lin Wan shook her head sadly.

Zhao Mengmeng polished the Ice Soul Mystic Spear, her eyes alight with resolve and steadfast determination for the path of immortality.

"With this spear in hand, for our Extreme Yin Celestial Realm, I will forge an era where women reign supreme! Let those lowly beasts who speak filth learn who truly are the noble beings!" Zhao Mengmeng declared passionately.

"Exactly!" Lin Wan clenched her fists. "The divine decree states, the distinction of gender is not between male and female, but between the noble and the base! This is a war to prove who are the true noble beings. We shall triumph and all the lowly ones will kneel before us, trampled underfoot. The world began with the Mother of Creation—feminine power is the ultimate force in the universe!"

Their voices rose, not just to each other but audible to all around, including Yun Xiao.

Feng Yao, bewildered, muttered, "Are they sick?"

Yun Xiao silently agreed, "It seems so."

But sadly, this was the belief of the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm.

Yun Xiao could only be thankful that the Samsara Galaxy held but one Extreme Yin Celestial Realm.

He had known many good women—from Zhao Xuanran, who pledged to slay demons, to Yu Nichang, who stood up against the Three Immortals in the Primordial Ruins, to Cao Shuo of the Celestial Court, untouched by worldly desires. They were all great in his heart, never proving their worth through superiority, yet still respected and revered.

Why, then, must there be such bitterness and division, an insistence on hierarchy between the sexes?

Yun Xiao couldn't make sense of it.

Zhao Mengmeng and Lin Wan, upon seeing Feng Yao's beauty, were filled with envy and disdain, dismissively belittling her without restraint. They were utterly unguarded in their contempt.

Many of the young maidens had joined their ambitious charge, their blood boiling as they shouted their battle cry.

And their target was the Harmony Divine Palace!

Leaving the city behind, they gazed toward the towering snow-capped mountains ahead. Amidst the swirling snowflakes, the vast, endless outline of a grand palace complex was barely discernible!

The eye could hardly encompass such a vast sanctuary.

How vast was the Harmony Divine Palace?

To Yun Xiao, it seemed like a Great Dao Celestial Realm sprouting from the surface of the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm—a single palace encompassing the magnitude of a fundamental Celestial Sourcecore!

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

This was indeed the heart of the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm.

Above, countless streams of pale white light swirled, condensing into dazzling rays, the lights dancing like phoenixes, 1,000,000,000 snowflakes swirling through the air...

Yun Xiao found himself at a loss for words to describe the breathtaking beauty of this place.

“A miracle of creation, truly beautiful…”

Regardless of the hearts of those in the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm, such beauty could not be obscured.

It was a beauty that could make anyone gasp in delight!

As a mortal soul who had stepped into this realm of Immortals, Yun Xiao was profoundly shaken by this mythic vista.

“Incredible!”

From within the snow-white palanquin, the white curtains fluttered open, and the young female Immortals emerged, their cheers echoing.

“So beautiful…” Feng Yao marveled, her eyes dreamily lost in the scene.

“What are your thoughts?” Yun Xiao asked.

“Uh... I kinda wish you were standing here beside me, enjoying this snowy landscape together,” Feng Yao said softly, earnest and slightly moved.

“That's more than I deserve, your highness to my lowliness,” Yun Xiao replied.

“Get lost, you fool,” Feng Yao retorted.

“Harmony Divine Palace!”

Suddenly, a thrilled cheer from Zhao Mengmeng snapped Yun Xiao's attention forward. Through the cloud and snow, the first thing that came into view was a majestic palace built upon the heavens.

The palace was circular, entirely cloaked in solemn black, resembling a coiled serpent with its tail wrapping around, and its highest tower shaped like the torso of a giantess.

This was the Harmony Divine Palace! To become a disciple, one had to pass the Palace Selection, held today at this very site.

"Immortal women only, lowly slaves and dogs keep out!"

Yun Xiao had been about to enter when these floating words stopped him dead, leaving him speechless.

Meanwhile, the palanquin halted, and the thousand young slaves shrunk back, not daring to lift their heads in this sacred place.

Only Yun Xiao, standing among them, cast his gaze far and wide. From all corners of the land, palanquins descended before the Harmony Divine Palace. Tens of thousands of young celestial maidens emerged, each as spirited and lovely as Zhao Mengmeng, their beauty vibrant as spring birds—each with a fierce will and competitive spirit glowing in their eyes.

This was a place that commanded respect.

"What shall we do?" Feng Yao, seeing all the slaves stop, turned to Yun Xiao.

"You go in and compete. If you succeed, you can use your own estate to grant passage to your slaves," Yun Xiao replied.

"Just me?" Feng Yao said weakly.

"Stand tall, learn from the fighters beside you," Yun Xiao urged, his gaze intense.

"Them? Hah." Feng Yao, already frustrated, felt a surge of defiance at his words and bit her lip. "Let them see what I'm capable of."

"Wanyan Guifen, will you hurry up already?!"

Feng Yao was fired up, but Zhao Mengmeng's shout nearly broke her.

"Damn it, I need to get rid of that name fast."

After mentally rallying herself, Feng Yao followed into the Harmony Divine Palace.

Just as Yun Xiao had learned her real name was Feng Yao, she had to go by another. What if it stuck? Her heart skipped as she thought this, but then a voice inside encouraged her.

"Show them what you're made of, Wanyan Guifen!"

At that, Feng Yao’s mind raced with fury. "Argh, all men are scum! To hell with them!"

Yun Xiao watched her merge with the crowd into the palace, a fatherly smile on his face.

"You're just going to wait here?" Blue Star, bored, leaned on his shoulder.

"Of course not." His gaze passed the Harmony Divine Palace, peering into the icy vastness of the Harmony Divine Palace deep within. "Let's take a stroll inside the palace."

"You planning to steal something?" Blue Star perked up.

"Steal? Only the powerless steal. I take openly." Yun Xiao chuckled.