Xuanwu War Sovereign

As Qin Feng slew the Great Power from the Wood King Clan, the nineteenth red lantern lit up outside!

On the cold stone walls of the dark gray Treasure Pagoda, the fiery red lantern stood out starkly.

The nineteenth level was cleared!

There was clearly a significant jump in difficulty between the eighteenth and nineteenth levels!

Above the nebula, the three Elders from the Medicine King Hall—Yan Li, Jiang Wei, and Hua Zhiqing—exchanged a look and took a deep breath.

To reach the nineteenth layer while only in the Sea of Reincarnation Realm—what incredible talent!

To one side, numerous Inner Sect Disciples, True Disciples, and Elders saw the commotion at the ninth portal and couldn’t help but shift their gazes from the other portals.

"Look, it’s been cleared!"

"What was cleared?"

"The twenty-fifth lantern! Gongsun Hong has broken through the twenty-fifth layer!"

"What?"

A series of gasps drew everyone’s gazes back toward the commotion.

The next moment, a stream of light shot out from the third portal. Purple Qi spread out as countless dragon roars echoed throughout the Demon Refining Cave Heaven.

On the Water Mirror before the Demon Refining Tower, one name instantly replaced Chunyu Fengshen at the top of the list.

First: Gongsun Hong, 25 Points!

Second: Chunyu Fengshen, 24 Points!

Many of the young powerhouses were somewhat dazed.

Twenty-five points—a number that most of the young Giants could not even imagine!

In the wake of this shock, the achievement Qin Feng had just made suddenly seemed ordinary again.

The twentieth level.

Qin Feng, face flushed with excitement, rushed out of the passage. The moment he appeared, a strange, intense cold washed over him like a basin of icy water dumped on his head.

The world was a land of ice and snow. The distant mountains and the nearby streams were all a blanket of white.

Beneath Qin Feng’s feet was a small mountain stream. The bluestone on the bank was smooth, and peculiar winter plum trees grew from the cracks in the rocks. Their snow-white petals carried a refreshing, rich fragrance!

PLINK!

Qin Feng looked up. Not far away, an exquisite pavilion stood on a snow-covered slope, and from it drifted the leisurely sound of a zither, as clear as a spring.

A strange power, both tranquil and soothing to the spirit, lingered in the air. Faintly, Qin Feng sensed a familiar type of Star Power.

’Mixed Element Star Technique... The person this time is actually from the Star Sect?’

The Mixed Element Star Technique was an Ultimate Skill of the Star Sect that was never taught to outsiders; experts from other sects could not learn it.

The guardian of this level was someone from the Star Sect!

’But why would someone from the Star Sect be imprisoned here?’

’A traitor?’

From what he knew, the Demon Refining Ancient Tower was a place one entered but never left. Unless someone had committed an unforgivable crime, they would never be locked away in here.

The zither music was melodic, filled with endless, lingering longing. It seemed to tell the story of a pair of lovers—their joys and sorrows, their heart-wrenching affection, their poignant grievances, and an undercurrent of unconcealable resentment.

Qin Feng strode closer, and a stunningly beautiful woman playing the zither came into view.

She was exquisitely beautiful, her tall figure accentuated by a white gown. Her long, black hair was styled in a Flying Phoenix Bun, and she had a noble, yet somewhat cold, air about her.

An Ice Element Great Divine Ability User at the Mid-Martial Arts Great Power Stage!

As he faintly sensed her power, an extremely frigid energy surged, seeming to form a star in the shape of a snow plum within his field of vision.

’Mei Huang Star, one of the Ice Element Stars!’

Qin Feng sighed softly.

He had already vaguely guessed the woman’s identity.

The legendary figure from the Star Sect, Mei Qiuhuan!

This Mei Qiuhuan had been a renowned True Disciple of the Star Sect five hundred years ago. Legend had it that her aptitude was extraordinary and her talent immense; she had been promoted to True Disciple in less than fifty years.

She was a figure comparable to one of the Dukes, a peerless prodigy of her generation in the Star Sect, said to be no weaker than the current Sect Leader. She was highly valued by the previous Sect Leader, who had even intended to take her on as his Direct Disciple!

She had dominated the battlefields of the Barbaric Wilderness, earning the title of the Ice and Snow War God!

She had captivated countless prodigies and heroes of her time.

It was even rumored that many of the current Elders and Hall Masters in the sect had once been her suitors and admirers.

However, such a figure fell prey to a calamitous love. Had it been an ordinary person, it might have been overlooked, but the terrifying part was that she fell in love with the previous generation’s Saint Son of the Qiankun Sect, Xuan Jiuyang.

The very same man who was now the current Sect Leader of the Qiankun Sect.

The Qiankun Sect was the Star Sect’s mortal enemy. The two sects had been entangled in grudges for thousands of years, with an uncountable number of blood debts owed between their disciples and Elders.

Naturally, not even Mei Qiuhuan’s status and foundation within the sect could protect her from the immense resentment of her fellow members.

In the strictly disciplined Star Sect, betraying one’s sect was the most terrible crime of all!

Even though Xuan Jiuyang of the Qiankun Sect had taken her to the Eastern Spirit Realm, the territory of the Qiankun Sect, she had not escaped the Star Sect’s pursuit.

It was said that the Star Sect had directly dispatched several Saints to hunt her down personally!

They even went so far as to face off against the Qiankun Sect in a major battle!

Countless disciples and Elders perished!

Betray the sect, and be hunted to the death, no matter the cost!

Qin Feng’s gaze fell upon the white-robed woman playing the zither in the pavilion. According to the many rumors he had heard, she had been secretly executed. He never expected to find her here, in the depths of the Demon Refining Ancient Tower.

Qin Feng thought to himself that he was in big trouble. This so-called Ice and Snow War God had once dominated a whole region. Even after five hundred years of imprisonment, she would not be easy to deal with!

"In the wilds, the creeping vines grow, heavy with the morning dew.

There is a beautiful one, her features clear and fair.

We met by chance, and my heart’s desire came true.

In the wilds, the creeping vines grow, drenched in the heavy dew.

There is a beautiful one, as graceful as she is fair.

We met by chance, and with you, I found my joy."

Just then, the zither music stopped. Accompanied by a voice as cold and clear as the night, Mei Qiuhuan stood up.

She looked at Qin Feng with resentment and murmured, "Is it wrong to love someone?"

Qin Feng was taken aback. His eyes flashed, and after a moment, he replied forcefully, "Of course it’s wrong. Your mistake was loving an enemy—your sect’s enemy. When you love them, where does that leave your sect?"

"The sect?" Mei Qiuhuan gave a desolate laugh. "What does the sect have to do with me?"

Qin Feng shook his head. ’Mei Qiuhuan’s situation is like that of a woman who abandons her parents to elope with her lover, completely disregarding their lives, let alone their feelings.

And she even frames it as some righteous act, all for the sake of love.

In her heart, she has completely cast aside the affection from those who raised her and the bonds of her own kin.

All those years of companionship, sacrifice, and effort washed away like flowing water, unable to compare to a few sweet nothings from a lover.’

"You’re a disciple of the Star Sect too. Since you dared to walk in here, you might as well stay! Killing you should at least soothe a fraction of the undying pain in my heart!"

Mei Qiuhuan muttered to herself. As she spoke, an incredibly dense, resentful killing intent erupted from her. With her at the center, the vast white snow turned as black as ink. WHOOSH! Countless gusts of black, frigid wind rushed straight for Qin Feng’s head!

’The Law of Ice and Frost?’

With a single thought, Qin Feng’s hand chopped through the Void like a sharp sword, tearing open a fissure. He dove inside, but a chill followed him like a maggot burrowing into bone, freezing the countless Void storms along its path with black, cold air!

His expression changed slightly. With a flash, he tore through the Void again and reappeared a thousand feet away!

He looked up and scanned the area, but Mei Qiuhuan had vanished. The next moment, Qin Feng’s expression changed drastically!

’Behind me!’

A white silhouette appeared soundlessly as a terrifying chill erupted from behind him...