The Ice Empress's scorpion stinger, poised at Li Zhexian's throat, froze in midair—
all because of one simple sentence:
"You'll have to sweeten the deal."
"You—"
The killing intent and disappointment that had filled the palace a moment before
were abruptly replaced by stunned disbelief.
From atop the snow mound, a pair of eyes shimmered with faint amusement.
Li Zhexian slowly exhaled a cloud of frosty breath.
"The curse of the broken sword lies before me;
the merit of the sword strike lies ahead."
"The great fortune Senior Yazi promised is indeed tempting."
"But forgive my greed—allow me to bargain a little higher."
"But please permit this junior to be… a bit more pragmatic—
and a little greedier."
"This Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow means more to me
than any so-called opportunity."
"Still, regardless of gain or loss,
I will give my all to complete this rite of sword striking—
for the fate of the Extreme North."
Whoosh!
A sudden sound split the air.
The old Yazi's tail coiled, swept up a mound of Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow,
and hurled it toward Li Zhexian.
That single motion
further weakened its already fading aura.
Yet in those pale, deathly eyes,
the dullness vanished—
and like the last flare of a dying flame,
a fierce, brilliant light ignited once more.
"Young one… begin the sword strike…"
"Understood."
Within the vast Ice Crystal Palace,
four gazes locked firmly upon the motionless youth,
who now stood with his eyes closed in solemn silence.
This sword strike—
would decide not only the survival of the Yazi clan,
but the very fate of the Extreme North.
Even the old Yazi,
even the three kings of the North,
could not fully suppress the tension gripping their hearts.
Li Zhexian's breathing grew steady.
All stray thoughts vanished.
Only the purest Sword Heart remained.
Snow drifted endlessly.
Time flowed like quiet water.
After about an hour—
Li Zhexian finally moved.
His right hand rose slowly, settling at his waist.
In that instant—
A surge of razor-sharp energy, pure and boundless,
burst forth from his palm.
It was not Spirit Power—
But a condensed, tangible Sword Intent, vast and unyielding.
Zheng—!
A clear, ringing tone of the sword resounded through the palace.
A streak of azure light flared from his waist—
its brilliance sharp enough to pierce all things,
ripping through even the unseen pressure
exerted by the Ice and Snow Empresses.
Clang, clang—!
Clang, clang—!
The Qinglian Sword was drawn out,
inch by inch.
Its blade—flawless and translucent as jade—
gleamed with an edge so keen it made the heart tremble.
The Ice Empress instinctively retracted her tail.
The sword's light flashed in her blue compound eyes,
And the Ultimate Ice covering her body began to crack—
Fine lines splintering across her flawless form.
Even the drifting snow above the snow mound stilled for an instant.
Li Zhexian's eyes snapped open—lightning flashing within—
His gaze locking upon the enormous pale egg beside the dying Yazi.
The shell was marked with natural, interwoven sword patterns.
No showy technique, no swelling of Spirit Power—
He simply raised the Qinglian Sword,
Calmly, precisely.
All his vitality, energy, and spirit, along with the ultimate sword intent, converged onto the sword edge.
"—Cut!"
A single shout—
like thunder crashing through the palace.
The sword edge descended!
Wherever it passed, the air was silently sliced open, and the space itself twisted!
The sword light instantly crossed the distance, striking precisely at the intersection of the egg's sword-shaped patterns.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Ding—!
A crisp sound, like a jade bead dropping onto a plate, or an ice shard shattering.
Where the Qinglian Sword edge struck, a clear white mark suddenly appeared on the egg that carried the Yazi's legacy and the Extreme North's destiny.
Crack— crack—
The sound spread—
like the thawing of a frozen river, unending and continuous.
From that single mark,
cracks webbed outward,
tracing the natural sword-shaped veins of the shell.
The Qinglian Sword's sharpness did not destroy through brute force—
It flowed like a craftsman's knife,
Cutting precisely along the essence of the shell's structure.
Within moments,
the massive white egg was covered in
a perfectly even network of fine cracks.
Not a single fragment flew loose.
The entire shell—
remained whole.
Yet under the force of the Sword's Intent,
the egg finally shattered completely.
Crash… crash…
A series of soft cracking sounds echoed.
The eggshell disintegrated into countless glimmering fragments,
fluttering down like snowflakes,
revealing a tiny curled-up beast within.
Within, a tiny beast lay curled,
Resembling the old Yazi in miniature—
It was a young creature,
its form strikingly similar to the old Yazi.
Its eyes remained shut,
a miniature azure ancient sword clasped gently between its jaws.
Its breathing was faint—
but vibrant with the energy of new life.
The Sword Strike—had succeeded!
"Hoo... hoo hoo..."
Upon the ice bed,
The old Yazi's white eyes softened.
The last trace of worry vanished,
Replaced by the peaceful joy of release.
It lifted its head with effort,
Gazing tenderly at the newborn hatchling.
"Good… good…
such a fine… sword… young one…"
Its voice was intermittent but full of hope.
The moment the aura of the young Yazi manifested in the world.
Boom—!
A mournful cry, originating from the laws of heaven and earth, suddenly swept across the entire Extreme North.
Outside the Ice Palace,
the drifting snow turned into howling tempests.
Winds screamed,
Lifting mountains of snow into the sky.
The heavens themselves turned blinding white.
A sorrow vast beyond words welled from the heart of the land—
From the glaciers, the frozen plains,
And the soul of every Spirit Beast that called this place home.
The heavens and earth were weeping and wailing for the Auspicious Beast that was about to perish.
...
Inside the Ice Crystal Palace,
the old Yazi's body radiated a gentle, holy light
of snow-gold hue.
Its life-force flickered like a dying flame—
and swiftly dimmed away.
"This body… ends here…"
"I entrust… all… to the young one…"
Its final gaze carved itself deeply
into Li Zhexian's face
and the Qinglian Sword in his hand.
Then it looked—one last time—
at the newborn beast,
eyes filled with endless affection.
In the next instant—
Its massive body collapsed and dissolved,
bursting into countless radiant snow-gold motes.
Where its bed had been,
only two things remained:
A single snow-gold Spirit Ring hovered,
Brimming with both auspicious and martial aura.
Beside it floated a strange, radiant Spirit Bone—
Shaped like a right arm clutching a sword,
As translucent as carved snow-jade,
Etched with lines of golden sword marks that radiated fierce, killing sharpness.
A Auspicious Beast Spirit Ring!
The Yazi Right Arm Bone!
The old Yazi had offered itself—
And this was the "great fortune" it had promised Li Zhexian.
The Ice and Snow Empresses,
Along with the Ice Devil Titan King,
Stood in silence.
But then—
Amid the mournful storm that swept heaven and earth,
a beam of pure, multicolored light
burst upward from the newborn Yazi's body—
filled with serenity, renewal, and hope.
The light pierced through the palace dome,
tore apart the heavy gray clouds of blizzard,
and formed a magnificent rainbow bridge
spanning the entire sky of the Extreme North.
The raging blizzards calmed instantly,
as if smoothed by an unseen hand.
The howling winds ceased;
the snow that had fallen like knives
now drifted softly,
silent and peaceful.
Throughout the frozen lands—
from the tiniest ice silkworm
to the oldest hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beasts—
the heaviness and sorrow in every heart faded away.
In its place grew a warmth,
a sense of security,
a renewed hope.
A new Auspicious Beast was born!
The destiny of the Extreme North was finally continued!
——
Inside the Ice Crystal Palace,
The snow-gold Spirit Ring and sword-wielding arm bone floated quietly before Li Zhexian.
A gentle beam of seven-colored light descended from the heavens,
Resting upon his black cloak.
The snow-gold motes that were once the old Yazi
Drifted outward with the falling snow,
Spreading across every inch of the Extreme North.
The sound of the Qinglian Sword returning to its sheath
echoed like a solemn bell.
Li Zhexian pressed one hand upon the hilt,
Formed a sword seal with the other,
And bowed deeply toward the north where the light was fading.
"Farewell, Senior Yazi."
His voice, infused with sword intent,
cut through the wind and snow,
reverberating between the glaciers:
"From this day forth—"
"May the North's wind and snow never cease,
And its eternal frost never fade."