Chapter 154: The Iceberg Hades

"This person's cultivation is unfathomable!" Even from a great distance, Ying Feng could sense the vast, profound, and incredible cultivation of the approaching female cultivator. Secretly comparing her in his mind with the Shadow Emperors of the primordial era, he arrived at a conclusion that left him stunned: an early Quasi-Sage Shadow Emperor was definitely inferior to this newcomer; perhaps only the Shadow Demon could compare to her!

Within the blink of an eye, the newcomer drew near, and her appearance became clearly visible. Her skin was like coagulated fat, her brows like painted landscapes, her pupils like autumn waters, and her nose like fine jade with cherry lips. A mass of glossy, black hair was coiled into a palatial bun, and a snow-white imperial dress gave her a chilling, aloof aura.

When Qing Xu saw the newcomer clearly, his heart also experienced a jolt. Her beauty surpassed anything he had witnessed in his life; neither in his past nor his present life could anyone be compared to her. In particular, her freezing demeanor was unforgettable.

"Ancestor Witch Xuan Ming?" Ying Feng also recognized the newcomer, instantly crying out in shock. During the primordial era, he had followed the footsteps of the Shadow Clan, traversed the Great Wilderness, interacted with thousands of tribes, and witnessed many innate deities and primordial mighty figures—among whom just happened to be several of the Twelve Ancestor Witches.

In the primordial era, the Twelve Ancestor Witches had only initially taken shape and possessed low cultivation bases, yet they still enjoyed a small reputation in the Great Wilderness. However, in the eyes of the Shadow Clan, the only thing worthy of note about them was that they had evolved from Pangu's essence blood; stripped of this origin background, the Twelve Ancestor Witches were simply not worth mentioning in the primordial era.

Through a fortuitous coincidence, Ying Feng had crossed paths with Xuan Ming once during the primordial era. Back then, Xuan Ming was merely at the peak of the Xuan Xian realm, worlds apart from him. Never did he expect that things would change and time would pass, only for them to meet again under such circumstances. He himself remained at the peak of the Taiyi True Immortal realm, but Xuan Ming had ascended to the Quasi-Sage realm.

A myriad of mixed feelings instantly surged into Ying Feng's heart!

"It truly is Xuan Ming?" Hearing the incredulous exclamation from Ying Feng beside him, Qing Xu furrowed his brow, thinking that this matched his own conjecture.

"Eh? Is Xuan Ming injured?" Qing Xu had sharp eyes and noticed a trace of pallor on Xuan Ming's face, a faint, congealed streak of blood at the corner of her lips, and an almost undisguised fatigue and gloominess within her expression. Her stern, iceberg-like pretty face frequently betrayed flashes of pain.

"Might you be Fellow Daoist Xuan Ming? This poor Daoist is Qing Xu, salutations." Though captivated by her peerless beauty, Qing Xu steadied his mind in a mere instant. After all, he was an qi-refiner cultivating the Dao; his Dao heart was firm, unshakable by the three thousand realms of the mortal world. Beautiful though Xuan Ming was, she possessed no bewitching charm—how could she possibly shake Qing Xu's Dao heart?

"Lend a hand? You must be joking!" Xuan Ming's words almost scared Qing Xu to death. A dignified Quasi-Sage supreme expert was seeking his help? She really thought quite a lot of him!

In truth, Qing Xu had misinterpreted the situation. Previously, the Xuanhuang clone and the Yin-Yang Dragon Pearl had combined their majestic divine light, erupting with a pillar of light that soared into the skies—a radiance by no means inferior to that of a mid-stage Quasi-Sage. It was precisely this that had attracted Xuan Ming.

"Ah? Benefactor? You've saved Xuan'er's life once again." Amidst the dialogue with Qing Xu, Xuan Ming also caught sight of his appearance. Her entire body trembled as if struck by lightning, and her eyes flashed with disbelief, excitement, and a trace of adoration. At that moment, the iceberg melted, and the freezing depths of winter instantly blossomed into spring.

"Nani? Benefactor? Saved her life once again? What is all this nonsense? And 'Xuan'er'?" Even though Qing Xu considered himself thick-skinned and strong-nerved, his brain short-circuited at this moment. He was primarily thunderstruck by Xuan Ming's words; he could practically see rows of black lines forming on his forehead and a flock of crows flying across the top of his head.

While Qing Xu stood frozen in a daze, Ying Feng was equally unsettled. He would never have imagined such a turn of events. What had Ancestor Witch Xuan Ming just called Qing Xu? Benefactor? What kind of situation was this?

"Wait, the 'Benefactor' spoken of by Ancestor Witch Xuan Ming sounds somewhat familiar. Qing Xu? Could it really be such a coincidence? Could it be that Daoist Qing Xu is the reincarnation of *Him*?" Harboring a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering conjecture, Ying Feng repeatedly told himself it was impossible, but given Xuan Ming's earlier cry of "Benefactor," he could not remain calm by any means.

Swish!

While Qing Xu was still in his daze, Xuan Ming had already arrived before him. Carrying the faint, secluded orchid fragrance of a maiden, she hurried right up to his face, the two of them separated by no more than an arm's length.

Disregarding all notions of propriety between men and women, Xuan Ming excitedly grabbed Qing Xu's left hand, the nostalgia and excitement on her face completely overflowing.

Feeling the tender, soft, and boneless smoothness of the hand holding his left, Qing Xu's heart also rippled. Romantic feelings stirred within him, and an indescribable, unfathomable sensation welled up in his heart—a mix of shock, fear, and secret delight, full of contradictions and a tumult of emotions.

Although somewhat reluctant, Qing Xu still withdrew his left hand from Xuan Ming's grasp, laughing awkwardly: "Fellow Daoist Xuan Ming has mistaken me for someone else. This poor Daoist is Qing Xu, a disciple of the Primordial Heavenly Lord, the Jade Clear Sage of Pangu, and this is the very first time I have laid eyes on Fellow Daoist."

"Qing Xu? There's no mistake. When Benefactor saved Xuan'er's life back then, before leaving, he said that he calculated his time was running short and that his body and soul would soon scatter into nothingness, but there was still a chance he would reunite with Xuan'er. You share the exact same appearance as Benefactor, and even your temperament is indistinguishable. You are definitely the reincarnation of Benefactor, there is no mistake!" Xuan Ming was stubbornly persistent, acting as though she had firmly decided Qing Xu was the reincarnation of her benefactor, impervious to any and all explanations.

Just as he was tormented by distress, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck his mind, smoothing out Qing Xu's tightly furrowed brows.

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Ming..."

"Benefactor can just call me Xuan'er. That's how you used to address me, too." Xuan Ming interrupted Qing Xu's words with a deadpan, serious expression.

*Xuan'er? Damn it! However your so-called Benefactor was an ancient mighty figure whose seniority was presumably higher than yours, making you a junior before him... but this Taoist priest is not him! To say nothing of becoming your junior—if the Primordial Heavenly Lord finds out about this later, his beard will surely curl up in anger, and I'll be in deep trouble I can't handle!* In the end, Qing Xu didn't dare utter the name. After all, the Twelve Ancestor Witches and the Three Pure Ones belonged to the same generation, whereas he was merely a disciple of the Primordial Heavenly Lord. Addressing Xuan Ming as an equal "Fellow Daoist" was already overstepping boundaries; if he were to treat her as an elder addressing a junior, not to mention anyone else, he wouldn't even be able to get past his own inner hurdle.

"This... do you recognize Lu Fan? The founder of the second generation of demons!" Qing Xu remembered that Lu Fan had also been startled by his appearance, though upon investigation, Lu Fan realized he wasn't who he thought. Qing Xu now grasped at this like a drowning man clutching a straw.

"Lu Fan? Oh? Benefactor's eldest disciple, right? You still say you aren't the reincarnation of Benefactor—if you aren't, how would you know Lu Fan? You must know that apart from the Demon Ancestor Luo Hu, Benefactor, and Xuan'er herself, only his two junior martial brothers are clear on his moniker. How on earth do you know of it?" A sly smile appeared in Xuan Ming's eyes as she immediately seized upon the flaw in Qing Xu's words.

What it meant to be hoist by one's own petard was something Qing Xu deeply experienced at this moment. Why on earth did he have to bring up Lu Fan out of nowhere? He was doomed now; even if he jumped into the Yellow River, he wouldn't be able to wash himself clean.

"This... this doesn't need to be dwelled upon for now. Let's talk about the important matter! Lu Fan also once met me, and initially thinking I was his old acquaintance, he cast a talismanic secret art to distinguish the true from the false..." Before Qing Xu could finish his sentence, Xuan Ming had already understood his meaning, letting out a contemptuous and disdainful chuckle.

"Benefactor doesn't need to go on; Xuan'er understands. You want to say Lu Fan determined you weren't his master, right? What a blind thing—he couldn't even recognize his own master, utterly deserving of death! Where could his petty secret art and divine powers accurately distinguish true from false? Benefactor's cultivation is profound and mysterious, hailed as number one in the primordial era; even Hongjun would have to bow in shame. How could his true form be easily probed and seen through by some minor secret arts and divine powers? Furthermore, Xuan'er trusts her own feelings—you are definitely Benefactor, without a doubt."

Xuan Ming's words left Qing Xu utterly speechless and gaping. Ying Feng, standing to the side, was likewise dumbfounded and blank-minded. Only little Kunlun and the Three-Headed Hellhound remained clueless, playing and frolicking without a care in the world.

*This misunderstanding has run so deep that even a dozen mouths won't be enough to explain it clear!* Qing Xu knew his own affairs best: he was a transmigrator, and his soul was originally that of an ordinary twenty-fourth-century youth named Wang Xuan. How could he possibly have any connection to some ancient mighty figure or the number-one being of the primordial era? As for the vanished, true Qing Xu Moral Heavenly Venerate, that was equally impossible. If he truly were the reincarnation of such an overpowered figure, why would he be so miserable in the mythological stories of his past life memories?

"Benefactor..."

"Um, Ming-er! How did you sustain these injuries? You said earlier that I saved your life again—how can that be explained? My cultivation is inferior to yours, so how could I save you?" Unwilling to continue entangling himself in titles like "Xuan'er" and "Benefactor," Qing Xu changed the subject and inquired.

"Ah! This is terrible! Xuan'er was too excited seeing Benefactor earlier and forgot that you are currently in a reincarnated state, and your cultivation hasn't recovered yet. Say no more, we must flee quickly!" Realizing Qing Xu's current cultivation level, Xuan Ming's pretty face drained of color as she anxiously grabbed Qing Xu's arm, eager to head toward the exit of the Iron Tree Hell.

"What on earth is going on? What was your purpose in coming down to the Netherworld this time?" Qing Xu grabbed Xuan Ming in return and asked with a serious expression.

"There's no time left. If we don't flee now, *it* will catch up, and escaping will become impossible then." Xuan Ming was so anxious that sweat broke out on her forehead, acting like an ant on a hot pan.

"It? Who is it?"

"The Ice Mountain Prison-Suppressing Underworld King!"

"What? The Prison-Suppressing Underworld King of the eighth layer of the Netherworld, the Ice Mountain Hell? What on earth did you do to awaken a slumbering Underworld King and make him pursue you?" Qing Xu felt like he was going crazy. These past few days had given him no peace; crises followed one after another, though fortunately he had turned every danger into safety and continually reaped benefits. But now, the terrifying Prison-Suppressing Underworld King was about to come hunting them down—and it was the Prison-Suppressing Underworld King of the eighth-layer Ice Mountain Hell at that! Things had just blown up into a massive issue.

"Caught in the crossfire—a totally unprovoked disaster! Why am I so unlucky? I was just about to return to the Great Wilderness world, but instead, I attracted Ancestor Witch Xuan Ming, who misunderstood me as some sort of benefactor of hers, and now I've even got a pursuing Prison-Suppressing Underworld King on my tail!" At this moment, Qing Xu desperately wanted to ask the heavens: What on earth did I do wrong? Did you really have to toy with people like this?!

"I didn't do much! It's just that my cultivation hasn't been progressing lately, so I went to the Ice Mountain Hell to take a portion of the Netherworld Ice Essence—not even much, just a tenth of it! That Prison-Suppressing Underworld King is simply too stingy. He doesn't even use the stuff; what's the point of hoarding it like a miser? It's not like there isn't any more; doesn't the Ice Mountain Hell constantly replenish it? Even if it takes time, it can be restored! To chase Xuan'er across five layers of hell just for such a trifling matter!" Xuan Ming complained with puffed-up cheeks. If this scene were witnessed by other Ancestor Witches or beings who understood her, their eyeballs would surely pop out. Could this really be the cold, taciturn Xuan Ming they kept locked away in their hearts?