Chapter 107: The Cold Moon Cave

“Han Shuang!” Holy Master Yaoguang declared, her voice ringing through the hall.

As her words faded, a chilling shadow materialized silently within the great hall’s depths.

“I am here.”

Her voice was crisp and sharp, like two shards of ice colliding, devoid of any emotion.

The newcomer was a woman clad in form-fitting silver-white attire. Her figure was tall and slender, her long, ice-blue hair tied into a sharp, high ponytail.

Her features were sculpted with the sharpness of a blade, her gaze as keen as a hawk’s. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, exuding an air of cold arrogance and a harshness that warned others to keep their distance.

From her right cheek down to her neck, a faint, azure, lightning-like network of lines was visible. This was the permanent brand left by the forceful reshaping of her spirit root.

This was Han Shuang, the Commander of the Medicine Guard.

She was the sharpest blade of Penglai Immortal Palace, and Holy Master Yaoguang’s most loyal hound.

Han Shuang’s gaze respectfully settled on Holy Master Yaoguang. Then, as if by chance, it swept over Bai Zhileng beside her.

Upon seeing the distinct silver strands at Bai Zhileng’s temples, a flicker of faint jealousy and disdain crossed Han Shuang’s icy eyes. It was a complex emotion.

‘Weakness,’ she mused.

‘To allow one’s mental state to waver for a mere ‘medicine primer,’ even resorting to forbidden arts that damage one’s lifespan, is utterly disgraceful to Penglai Immortal Palace. If it were me, I would simply drag the target back like a dead dog, using the most direct means possible.’

“From today onwards, the Dao Source Body will be entirely under your supervision,” Holy Master Yaoguang commanded. “Place her in the Cold Moon Cave. No one is permitted to approach. Should there be the slightest mishap, bring me your head.”

“Yes,” Han Shuang replied, bowing in acceptance of the order.

‘The Cold Moon Cave.’

“Master!” Bai Zhileng could no longer restrain herself.

“No! The Dao Source Body possesses extreme Yang vitality. The excessive Yin energy of the Cold Moon Cave will harm its medicinal properties.”

This was the only reason she could conceive that might persuade her Master to change her mind.

However, Holy Master Yaoguang merely cast a faint glance at her.

“Precisely because it is of extreme Yang, it requires a place of extreme Yin to harmonize it,” Holy Master Yaoguang explained. “Otherwise, its overly vast vitality, without guidance, would simply dissipate in vain.

“The extreme Yin cold of the Cold Moon Cave is the best place to ‘preserve’ it.”

Holy Master Yaoguang paused, a hint of instruction entering her tone.

“Zhileng, you must remember, a healer must be decisive. Any lingering emotions will only hinder your judgment. You are the disciple I hold in highest regard; do not disappoint me.”

Having spoken, she no longer paid heed to the pale-faced Bai Zhileng. She waved her hand at Han Shuang.

“Take her away.”

“Yes.”

Han Shuang responded, striding purposefully towards Shen Zhaoqing.

Bai Zhileng instinctively moved forward, placing herself between Han Shuang and Shen Zhaoqing.

Han Shuang’s steps halted, her icy gaze fixed directly on Bai Zhileng. “Senior Sister Bai, please move aside,” she said, without a trace of politeness.

“She… she is very weak right now. She cannot endure such harsh treatment,” Bai Zhileng insisted, refusing to yield.

“I am acting on the Holy Master’s command,” Han Shuang’s tone remained utterly calm. “If Senior Sister insists on obstructing me, I will have no choice but to consider you as impeding official duties and deal with you according to palace rules.”

The short blade, Frostkill, at her waist, gleaming with a faint blue light, emitted a subtle hum.

It was a threat.

A blatant, undisguised threat.

Bai Zhileng clenched her fists.

She knew she could not defeat Han Shuang.

In terms of cultivation, both were at the early stage of the Soul Transformation Realm. However, Han Shuang was a Commander of the Medicine Guard, specializing in combat and restrictions.

Her cultivation had been forged in blood and fire. Bai Zhileng, on the other hand, was merely an alchemist and a medical cultivator.

If they truly fought, she wouldn’t last ten moves. Moreover, behind Han Shuang stood her Master.

“…I’ll do it.”

In the standoff, Bai Zhileng finally conceded defeat. She slowly turned, facing that familiar yet estranged face.

She reached out and took Shen Zhaoqing’s wrist, only to feel an alarming coldness radiate from her fingertips.

Shen Zhaoqing’s vacant eyes stared unfocused ahead, completely unresponsive to her touch.

Bai Zhileng took a deep breath, suppressing the tumultuous emotions within her heart. She led Shen Zhaoqing, step by step, towards Han Shuang.

Han Shuang’s grip was firm, taking Shen Zhaoqing’s wrist without gentleness.

“Thank you, Senior Sister,” Han Shuang said, looking at Bai Zhileng. “The rest is no longer your concern.”

With that, she pulled Shen Zhaoqing and turned to leave.

Shen Zhaoqing stumbled, her steps faltering, like a lifeless puppet being roughly dragged along.

Bai Zhileng reached out, as if to grasp something, but her hand ultimately fell back, powerless.

She stood rooted to the spot, watching the two figures—one blue, one white—drift further and further away, until they finally vanished beyond the grand yet cold gates of Yaoguang Hall.

****

The great hall returned to its former silence.

Holy Master Yaoguang had, at some point, returned to her throne, her eyes closed in meditation, as if everything that had just transpired had nothing to do with her.

Bai Zhileng stood alone in the center of the vast, empty hall, feeling an unprecedented chill rise from the soles of her feet, instantly engulfing her entire body.

She had completed the task her Master had assigned.

She had successfully ‘snatched’ Shen Zhaoqing from Qingyun Sect, from Gu Chang’an, from that mad Demonic Venerable and that arrogant Demon Lord.

But why…

Her heart felt hollow, as if a piece had been carved out.

****

Leaving Yaoguang Hall, the outside light suddenly brightened.

Han Shuang, however, seemed oblivious, pulling Shen Zhaoqing directly towards the most secluded floating island deep within the Immortal Palace.

Along the way, any Penglai disciples they encountered, whether inner or outer, would bow respectfully from a distance upon seeing Han Shuang, not daring to even breathe loudly. Yet, their gazes couldn’t help but curiously dart towards the woman being led behind her.

“Is that… the person Senior Sister Bai brought back from the mainland?”

“Heavens, she’s so beautiful… but she looks a bit vacant.”

“Commander Han personally escorting her? Her identity must be extraordinary. Don’t look or speak carelessly, lest your tongues be cut out!”

Whispers only dared to rise after they had passed. Han Shuang remained deaf to these discussions.

The path to the Cold Moon Cave grew increasingly remote. The surrounding immortal spirit plants gradually thinned, and the spiritual energy in the air became sparse.

In its place, an increasingly heavy, Yin-cold aura permeated the air.

Finally, they arrived before a cliff face made entirely of profound ice. A massive cave entrance, emitting a chilling cold, gaped in the cliff wall.

The entrance was sealed by a shimmering light barrier adorned with countless runes.

This was the entrance to the Cold Moon Cave.

Han Shuang took a black token from her waist, chanted an incantation, and pressed the token onto the light barrier.

The light barrier rippled like water, revealing a spiral stone staircase that descended into unfathomable depths.

A wave of cold, capable of freezing one’s divine soul, surged from the cave entrance.

Han Shuang’s expression remained unchanged as she pulled Shen Zhaoqing inside.

Shen Zhaoqing’s body seemed to instinctively sense the danger, her steps for the first time resisting with a pause. Her thin gauze dress offered no warmth against the encroaching cold.

Goosebumps instantly erupted across her exposed skin.

“Move,” Han Shuang snapped impatiently, increasing the force in her hand and forcibly dragging Shen Zhaoqing inside.

The light barrier slowly closed behind them, cutting off the last sliver of light and warmth from the outside world.

Inside the cave, there was only one path: downwards, endlessly downwards.

The stone steps were slick, and the rock walls on both sides were covered in thick frost. At regular intervals, moonlight stones emitting a faint blue glow were embedded in the walls, serving as the sole source of illumination.

The further down they went, the heavier the cold became.

It wasn’t merely low temperature; it was a sinister Yin-Sha energy capable of penetrating bone marrow and eroding spiritual power.

Han Shuang seemed long accustomed to it, but Shen Zhaoqing was not. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably, her lips turning purple with cold.

Her already pallid face was now utterly devoid of color.

Han Shuang noticed her unusual state and frowned.

‘The Holy Master instructed that the medicinal properties must not be damaged before she is placed in the cauldron.’

She stopped, somewhat roughly turning Shen Zhaoqing’s body. With one hand, she formed her fingers like a sword and swiftly tapped several major acupoints on Shen Zhaoqing’s back.

A pure, icy spiritual energy flowed through, temporarily protecting her heart meridian.

“Useless,” Han Shuang muttered under her breath, whether cursing Shen Zhaoqing’s weak body or something else entirely, remained unclear.

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