X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the ServerNidhogg led the way, with metal doors closing one layer after another behind them.
They finally reached the deepest part of the laboratory.
At the heart of the vast circular chamber, a transparent coffin of frigid ice lay enshrined.
Within its confines, a swirling mist of white, chilling vapor perpetually lingered.
The magical girl, known as Xiangyanghua, lay peacefully within, as though merely slumbering.
Yet, etched upon her face was the deepest agony and resentment, frozen in her final moments.
The moment Yue Xi stepped into the room, she felt the despair overflowing from the girl’s soul.
‘This is truly Void nourishment of the highest caliber!’
Yue Xi approached the coffin, her small claws pressing against its icy surface.
“Do you hear it?”
She closed her eyes, leaning her ear against the coffin as if listening to the most exquisite symphony in the world.
“Her soul weeps, it seethes with hatred, it questions why, after sacrificing everything, all she received in return was betrayal and death.”
Yue Xi spoke softly, as though conversing with the deceased.
“Do not grieve; soon I shall grant you new life, offering you the chance to bestow your deepest ‘gratitude’ upon the world you once loved so profoundly.”
Then she opened her eyes, her crimson vertical pupils brimming with delight.
“This world will soon welcome a new witch.”
“A Xiangyanghua returned from the depths of hell!”
****
At the GSA headquarters, within the Shield Tower’s operations conference room.
Qin Lan stood with her arms crossed, her expression grave as she stared at the small creature in the center of the conference table.
The small creature, entirely pure white with a pair of long ears, surveyed its surroundings with an inquisitive gaze, utterly devoid of any awareness that it was a captive.
Gu Qianqian and Lin Xiaolu sat nearby, observing with keen interest.
Hua Mu’ai, meanwhile, sat with one leg casually crossed over the other, an air of complete detachment about her.
‘I’ve already told Qin Lan it’s a fairy, but if the woman refuses to believe, what can I do?’
“Speak,” Qin Lan finally broke the silence, her voice cold and hard. “What exactly are you? And why are you capable of absorbing the Void Beast’s energy?”
The creature tilted its head, its pale pink eyes blinking, seemingly processing Qin Lan’s words.
“Firstly, I have a name; I am Yuena,” her voice was clear and ethereal. “Secondly, I have already stated that I am a fairy, hailing from the Emerald Dream Realm.”
“Nonsense!” Qin Lan retorted sharply. “Fairies are merely figments of human imagination; there has never been any evidence of their existence!”
“That is because you have forgotten,” Yuena’s tone remained calm, as if stating the simplest of facts. “A thousand years ago, a catastrophe known as the ‘Scar of Heaven’ occurred between the Azure Realm and the Emerald Dream Realm. That catastrophe severed the connection between the two worlds and eradicated all records of our fairy race from your history.”
‘What is the Scar of Heaven? And what’s this about erased history?’
The sheer volume of information was overwhelming, and Qin Lan instinctively dismissed Yuena’s words as pure fabrication.
“What evidence do you possess?” Qin Lan forced herself to remain calm; as a senior GSA commander, she absolutely could not be led astray by such an absurd tale.
“I am the evidence,” Yuena said, pointing to herself. “I came to the Azure Realm to pursue my sister, Yue Xi. She betrayed the Royal Court, stealing forbidden knowledge with the sole purpose of collaborating with those you refer to as the ‘Heirs of Dawn.’ My objective is to apprehend her.”
The five words, “Heirs of Dawn,” instantly darkened Qin Lan’s expression.
‘If this creature’s claims were true, then matters were far from simple.’
“Having forcibly purified a Level Three Void Beast, my powers are severely depleted, and I am currently gravely weakened,” Yuena frankly admitted her predicament. “I require a safe place to slumber and recover my strength. In exchange, I can offer you assistance.”
Her gaze swept past Qin Lan, settling directly on Hua Mu’ai.
Hua Mu’ai’s heart quickened, a distinct premonition of trouble washing over her.
“Why are you looking at me?” she challenged, raising a brow. “I assure you, I have no need of your assistance.”
“Your current situation is far from optimistic,” Yuena pointed out incisively. “Because the power within you is extremely unstable, you cannot even switch forms, can you not?”
A single sentence had precisely struck Hua Mu’ai’s most sensitive nerve.
Her expression shifted.
“You truly have a way?” Hua Mu’ai almost sprang from her chair, rushing closer to Yuena, her purple eyes alight with barely suppressed delight.
‘Being trapped in this damned pink-haired form is truly the greatest nightmare of my life.’
‘If I could just transform back, never mind protecting this little fairy — I’d call her my ancestor!’
“Of course,” Yuena nodded earnestly. “Fairies possess a perception of souls and energy far exceeding that of humans. Not only can I discern the problem with your power, but I also perceive your true essence…”
“You can discern my essence?” Hua Mu’ai pressed, intrigued. “Then tell me, what is my essence?”
“…I also discerned that you are not, in fact, a young girl; you were originally…”
Halfway through Yuena’s sentence, the anticipation on Hua Mu’ai’s face instantly froze, then turned stark white.
‘No!’
‘What is this fool about to say?’
In a flash of lightning, a truly terrifying thought exploded within her mind.
‘She’s about to reveal that I was originally a man, right in front of my daughter and old comrades!’
“Shut up!”
Under the bewildered gazes of the three, Hua Mu’ai erupted with unprecedented speed, lunging towards Yuena.
She slammed Yuena onto the conference table, using every ounce of her strength to clamp a hand over the mouth about to reveal her deepest secret.
“Mmph… Mmmph mmmph!”
Yuena was utterly bewildered by the sudden assault, her pale pink eyes filled with innocence and confusion, her four small paws flailing wildly in the air.
A profound silence descended upon the entire world.
Gu Qianqian’s mouth hung open, her pen dropping to the floor unnoticed.
‘Why is Senior suddenly so violent? Her reaction is far too intense!’
Lin Xiaolu, even more startled, recoiled, shrinking her neck.
Qin Lan’s brows knitted together; she keenly sensed that the fairy’s unfinished sentence concealed a monumental secret.
‘This was undoubtedly a secret capable of overturning everyone’s understanding.’
“Dare to utter another word, and I… I will pluck out every single one of your hairs!”
Hua Mu’ai’s cheeks flushed crimson as she clamped down on Yuena, then grabbed her and dragged her to a corner of the room, hissing her threat through clenched teeth in a voice only the two of them could hear.
“Listen! If you dare to reveal that secret, I swear I will kill you! Do you understand?!”
Yuena blinked her innocent, wide eyes, nodding as if she understood, yet not quite.
Hua Mu’ai finally exhaled a breath of relief, though her hand remained clamped tightly.
She stiffly turned her head, meeting three pairs of gazes filled with scrutiny and bewilderment, and felt her scalp tingle with dread.
“Cough!” she forced out, trying to explain. “That… I was merely… yes, exchanging pleasantries with her. You absolutely mustn’t overthink it.”
‘As if anyone would believe such nonsense!’
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read The Only Ice Flower! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : The Only Ice Flower
If You Notice any translation issues or inconsistency in names, genders, or POV etc? Let us know here in the comments or on our Discord server, and we’ll fix it in current and future chapters. Thanks for helping us to improve! 🙂