Chapter 363. North Sea Ice Palace (1)

North Sea, North Gate Village.

Using the North Sea Ice Palace as the center of the North Sea, the North Gate Village was located at the lower end of the sea, in a place also considered part of the northern region of the Central Plains.

This village served as the border between the North Sea and the Central Plains.

It wasn't a city-sized town, but more of a way station where many people stayed, fitting its role as a transitional point between the two regions.

In addition, as a rare site of exchange between the North Sea and the Central Plains, it was a place where one could witness the blend of Central Plains and Frontier cultures.

“Whew...”

When Zhou Xuchuan opened his mouth, a faint mist slipped into the cold air. A chill seeped into his body, then quickly vanished.

"We only just entered the North Sea, and it's already freezing."

Luo Xiaoyue neutralized the cold air that had entered her body with her qi before speaking.

“Is it?”

Zhou Xuchuan tilted his head. Since he did not feel hot or cold without using any qi due to the Extreme Temperature Immunity, it was hard for him to empathize.

"To think you're the only one who's comfortable, Senior Brother, something about that seems unfair," Luo Xiaoyue grumbled, puffing her cheeks.

“Right, Little Ghost?”

Luo Xiaoyue asked Little Ghost, who was standing behind Zhou Xuchuan.

"As the Sovereign's Extreme Temperature Immunity not only allows him to remain unaffected by the environment but also helps him lie in ambush for a long time, it can be seen as extremely advantageous."

Little Ghost was no longer wearing her usual revealing assassin attire. She now wore a winter coat made of pure white fur, like snow.

Zhou Xuchuan and Luo Xiaoyue were similarly dressed.

“Ahaha..."

Luo Xiaoyue smiled bitterly at Little Ghost’s inhumane answer.

"Um... Senior Brother," she said softly, watching Little Ghost’s expression.

“Hmm? What is it?”

"I have a question about the Phantoms.”

Zhou Xuchuan looked slightly troubled at her words.

"To be honest, you would get a more accurate answer from Little Ghost than from me."

Zhou Xuchuan was the leader of the Phantoms. However, he didn’t know much about them.

Generally, the Phantoms, who didn't have independent thoughts, wouldn't answer questions unless asked.

That was why Zhou Xuchuan knew little about things he had never thought to ask. It made sense, since he was not truly from the Valley of Phantoms.

"It's just that she might feel offended depending on the question," Luo Xiaoyue whispered in the lowest voice possible.

“Ah...”

Zhou Xuchuan paused, struck by her words.

"Yes. It's just as you said."

A smile spread across Zhou Xuchuan’s lips.

I didn’t think about that at all until now...

He had always felt some guilt for using Little Ghost and the other Phantoms as tools for his own pleasure.

However, after hearing Luo Xiaoyue’s words, he wondered whether that guilt was just a facade.

Maybe I unconsciously believed that since their minds had been killed, I didn't have to care about their feelings... I should reflect.

He held onto her words in his heart.

In fact, he had chosen Luo Xiaoyue to accompany him to the North Sea not only because he felt comfortable around her, but also because she had the strength and deep reserves to withstand the cold of the North Sea.

“So, what are you curious about?”

“Well, that's..."

Luo Xiaoyue fiddled with her hands, clearly embarrassed.

The blush on her cheeks was so cute it made his head spin.

“When I see Little Ghost or the other Phantoms, I always thought their outfits were... shameless!”

She raised her eyes and looked directly at Zhou Xuchuan.

“Is that... y-your taste, Senior Brother?”

“Cough, cough!”

Zhou Xuchuan choked in surprise, completely flustered by the unexpected question.

“I mean, what are you talking about?!"

"Well, I just can’t help but be concerned! Not only their waist and stomach, but even their thighs are exposed!"

Luo Xiaoyue was too embarrassed to continue, her face flushing red as her body trembled.

"I think you're mistaken, Junior Sister Luo... no, when I first visited the Valley of Phantoms with you, Junior Sister Luo, she was dressed like that then, too!"

“That’s true... but even after that, her outfit remained so revealing. I was... just wondering if that was your taste, Senior Brother..."

The innocent and cute Junior Sister Luo narrowed her eyes and looked at him suspiciously.

"Please don't make me into a pervert," Zhou Xuchuan waved his hand in protest.

"The cloth is extremely thin, and it has to be cut small enough to stick to the body so that it's advantageous for assassination."

"Advantageous?"

“Yes. If the cloth flutters in the wind while they're moving quickly or stealthily, it becomes inconvenient. The lighter the clothing, the more effective the Phantom Art becomes."

One might assume that cloth wouldn’t be heavy, but one would be wrong.

Just as a match between masters would be determined by a momentary mistake or misalignment, assassination was also determined by small factors. It wasn’t for nothing that the Divine Phantom Art was considered a legend and the best in the field of assassination.

In addition to the Phantom Art, the Phantoms had perfected everything regarding assassination from the Mind Killing to the equipment and even the environment.

"I see... so there was a reason for that. I apologize for the strange misunderstanding, Senior Brother."

Luo Xiaoyue smiled awkwardly, folded her hands politely, bowed slightly, and apologized.

“Oh, then... while I’m at it, can I ask you one more thing?”

“Of course.”

"Well, whenever I see the Phantoms, they wrap their eyes in black cloth so they can't see... why is that?"

Yes, the Phantoms' outfits were very revealing, but there was one other characteristic about them.

The cloth covering their eyes.

At first, Luo Xiaoyue thought it might be to cover scars. But she had seen them take it off occasionally, which only made her more curious.

“Ah, I was curious about that too, so I asked before. They said it was to develop their senses.”

“I see. Is it training?”

Luo Xiaoyue understood right away.

“Yes. When you block your sight, you become dependent on your hearing, smell, touch, and taste, so each sense will naturally develop.”

Zhou Xuchuan nodded and continued.

“Except when disguising themselves or when vision is absolutely necessary, they cover their eyes to sharpen their other senses.”

“Thanks to you, my doubts have been resolved.”

“And your misunderstandings?”

“...Yes.”

Luo Xiaoyue lowered her head in embarrassment.

"In the first place, even the elders and men wear the same clothing... Didn't you think that was a little strange?"

"Y-yes, but..."

Luo Xiaoyue wiggled her fingers and hesitated, then finally mustered up the courage to speak.

“Lady Wave Sword Phoenix... Miss Duan Lihua said that all men are obsessed with and excited by certain things...”

“..."

In Zhou Xuchuan's mind, Duan Lihua’s sly grin appeared.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“We've arrived.”

Just as he was thinking about what to say to Duan Lihua the next time he saw her, Little Ghost pointed ahead with her hand.

“Wow, it’s a dog sled.”

Luo Xiaoyue's eyes sparkled with wonder.

What she could see was a dog sled gliding across the pure white snow-covered land.

The dogs looked different from those commonly seen in the Central Plains.

Their fur was black from their eyebrows down to the upper half of their legs, while their faces and lower legs were white as snow.

In particular, their size was striking, as they were as big as wolves.

Their strength was also impressive, as they pulled massive sleds that were heavily loaded.

Five dog sleds, each drawn by eight wolf-sized dogs, stopped in front of Zhou Xuchuan.

Seated on each sled were two riders, ten people in total, all of them looking fierce and imposing.

And strangely enough, they were all women.

“Wow..."

Luo Xiaoyue couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration at the sight.

While they were not so beautiful as to be counted among the most beautiful women in the nation, they were still, at the very least, considered renowned beauties in their respective regions.

"Pardon me."

A woman stepped down from the front sled. Dressed in gorgeous attire, she stood out from the rest.

“May I ask your affiliation and name?”

“Zhou Xuchuan from Mount Hua Sect.”

“Hmm...” A murmur escaped the lips of the finely dressed woman.

The women behind her also had similar reactions.

“Is there a problem?”

“Honestly, I don’t believe it.”

Disbelief flickered in the woman’s eyes.

"I've heard that the men of the Central Plains are very skilled in martial arts, but even so... I didn't expect an Absolute Master on the level of the Six Empyrean Overlords to be this young."

“I understand.”

If a young man in his twenties claimed to be the absolute ruler of the

murim

, it would be normal not to believe it.

Recently, his reputation had grown so much that no one found it strange anymore, but that was only within the Central Plains.

It was not that the North Sea had no contact with the Central Plains, but since interaction between the two regions was extremely limited, it was difficult for the people of the North Sea to truly grasp the strength of the Sword God.

In the case of Hainan Island, if Zhou Xuchuan hadn’t initially shown overwhelming martial arts against the South Sea Dragon Gate, they wouldn’t have believed it, either.

“Please rest assured. I truly am the Sword God, one of the Six Empyrean Overlords. Otherwise, how could I have arrived at the appointed location precisely on time? Moreover, as stated in the letter, there are three of us.”

“Hmm... That’s right, but...”

Seeing her lingering doubt, Zhou Xuchuan drew his sword without further explanation.

The women on the sleds flinched but soon relaxed when they saw the purple sword aura radiating from Zhou Xuchuan’s blade.

“Purple aura!”

“The Mount Hua Sect’s Violet Haze Divine Art!”

“I never thought it would be, but it really is..."

Not only in the Central Plains, but even in the North Sea, there were few martial arts as distinctive as the Violet Haze Divine Art.

In particular, the Violet Haze Divine Art was the only one that could produce purple aura.

“You really are the Sword God!”

"Wow..."

"I still can't believe it even after seeing it.”

Exclamations arose from every direction. Most of them wore expressions of disbelief, not from confusion, but from sheer astonishment.

“If you really want, I can prove it with a sword.”

“No, that’s more than enough.”

The woman in the lead smiled bitterly and waved her hand.

Once she had confirmed his identity, her tone shifted to one of respect.

"Sorry for the late introductions, but we are the guides sent by the palace. Please forgive our earlier rudeness.”

“It’s something I completely understand, so don’t worry about it. It's nothing."

"We appreciate the Sword God’s graciousness. Now, please board the sleds. While we would have liked to take more time with greetings, the weather is not in our favor. A blizzard will likely hit within a few hours.”

The woman from the North Sea Ice Palace pointed upward with her index finger.

When Zhou Xuchuan and Luo Xiaoyue looked up, they saw that almost a third of the sky was already covered in dark clouds.

“We’ll talk on the sled.”

Zhou Xuchuan, Luo Xiaoyue, and Little Ghost all sat on the prepared dog sleds.

They said that the North Sea Ice Palace was a sect that only consists of women, just like the Emei Sect, but to think it really was true.

The Central Plains didn't have many female experts. However, the North Sea was the opposite. Not only were there few men, they were also considered rare.

“Did you by chance bring food?”

“Of course.”

The North Sea had asked for help because of the food shortage, so they couldn’t have come empty-handed.

“What did you bring?”

“Grain Pills."

“I recommend you eat them without hesitation. Even the nature qi contained in food will freeze before we reach the Ice Palace. This is especially true for condensed food like Grain Pills. You won’t gain much from them if you wait.”

“I expected it, considering the ridiculously high food prices in North Gate Village... but it really does seem serious," Zhou Xuchuan said.