The night wind rustled, its chill piercing to the bone.
Cold Piaoxue awoke from the black night, her mind filled with memories that didn't belong to her.
She was now on the Spirit Martial Continent, in the Northern Kingdom, born into the third branch of the Cold family. Owing to consistent poisoning from childhood, she was unable to cultivate her martial spirit, leaving her feeble and grotesque.
Her betrothed detested her ugliness. He was singularly devoted to the beautiful Bai Lianhua, her half-sister, and even publicly announced that he would only ever love Bai Lianhua. If she were to marry him, she would be forced to keep an empty bed for life.
Cold Piaoyun, the second illegitimate daughter of the Cold family, had long been in cahoots with Piaoxue's betrothed, Prince Moluo of the Northern Kingdom. Accusing Piaoxue of poisoning her in a bid to marry the prince, Piaoyun managed to push Piaoxue off a cliff.
Fortunately, a river flowed beneath the cliff, and as Piaoxue drowned, her own soul took over the body and resurrected.
Upon discovering the circumstances of her life, Cold Piaoxue calmly soaked in the "Heavenly Spirit Spring Water" within her spiritual realm.
Her meridians were filled with the spiritual power of the spring water, and within just the time it took to burn a stick of incense, all her meridians were unblocked, and the poison was completely expelled.
On this Spirit Martial Continent, the world respected the strong. People primarily cultivated their spirits and martial skills, which were related to their souls.
Some people possessed souls belonging to the spirit category, some to the martial spirits category, while a few had strong spirit martial souls. Among those who cultivate spirits, there were Spirit Practitioners, Junior Spirit Masters, Senior Spirit Masters, Spirit Saints, Spirit Emperors, Spirit Kings, and Spirit Gods. Martial cultivation included Warriors, Junior Martial Masters, Senior Martial Masters, Martial Saints, Martial Emperors, Martial Kings, and Martial Gods.
Each stage consisted of thirteen ranks. Increasing one's rank was like crossing a watershed and reaching a bottleneck which was difficult to surmount. Many people stagnated at this upgrading juncture. Among the entire populace of the Spirit Martial Continent, those who reached the emperors' rank were already standing at the pinnacle, further advancements being nearly impossible.
This space was an inherent part of her soul, present since she was born. It was like a fairyland in which all the plants were divine and inexhaustible.
"So ugly." An untimely voice sounded.
Cold Piaoxue, with a splash of her hands, stirred up a curtain of water high enough to obstruct the view of the attractive man in red.
When the curtain retreated, Cold Piaoxue had already put on a plain white dress and sat by the "Heavenly Spirit Spring Water," drying her hair.
"Never look in the mirror, otherwise, you'll frighten yourself to death with your reflection." A lazy voice mocked once again.
"Say it one more time, and I'll throw you out into the void, left to fend for yourself." Cold Snow retorted coldly.
Sure enough, this phrase worked wonders; the breathtakingly handsome man in red immediately shut his mouth, lying down lazily to enjoy the energetic atmosphere of the space.
...
After emerging from the spirit space, it was still night. Cold Snow walked outward according to her memory.
Just then, dozens of men in black flew over her head. Driven by curiosity, Cold Snow hid in the shadows and watched in secrecy.
They surrounded a masked man dressed in purple.
"Hell's Yama, today is the day you die." A man in black pointed at the man in purple and bellowed.
"Is that so?" The man in purple’s voice was deep and magnetic, especially pleasing to the ear, yet frightening.
"Kill him. Once the sun rises, he will regain his energy." A woman suddenly flew in, unleashing a powerful spiritual attack with a swipe of her hand.
A hint of a smile played on Yama's lips under his mask. "Jade Lotus Flower, so it’s you."
Before Yama had a chance to react, the others released a powerful burst of martial energy, launching a swift attack against him.
Hidden in the shadows, Cold Snow felt a shock. If she wasn't mistaken, those dozens of men in black, the least powerful among them, were at least at the peak of the imperial level.
Just as Cold Snow was taken aback, from the space came the lazy voice of the handsome man in red. "They don't belong to this Spirit Martial Continent, they must be from the Demon Realm.”
Upon hearing this, Cold Snow instantly understood why there were so many terrifying masters. It looked like Yama was undoubtedly going to die today.
Just as Cold Snow was convinced that Yama's death was unavoidable, she witnessed a horrifying scene.
Yama, dressed in purple, slowly started to levitate. The mask on his face made him look exceptionally mysterious. Gathering a ball of purple martial energy in his hands, he made a series of "Boom, boom, boom" sounds, and the martial energy wave attacked in all directions.