Chi Xue Child wiped the sweat from his head. "It’s been really hot lately."

’He felt like his entire worldview had been turned upside down again.’

’I should keep a low profile for a while.’

Liuyue Xue, who was standing to the side, looked at Chi Xue Child with utter disdain. ’Hot? In this frozen wasteland?’

Besides, she couldn’t stand the sight of Chi Xue Child’s bald head.

She thought Chi Xue Child was making a mountain out of a molehill. Po Xiao hadn’t reacted at all.

’And for all I know, that girl was just playing a prank.’

Her mischievous expression gave it away.

Then, Liuyue Xue reconsidered. ’Chi Xue Child must be doing this on purpose. He’s starting to follow in the footsteps of his senior brothers.’

However, what Chi Xue Child was really thinking was that it would be safer to have a Dual Cultivation Companion.

’He was getting a little desperate. So, who would be a good fit?’

’He first looked at Mo Yan. Hmm, next.’

’Then he looked at Liuyue Xue. Hmm, next again.’

’Finally, he looked toward Witch Dan Xue. Hmm... looks like he’d have to wait to find love around the corner after all.’

Chi Xue Child was handsome. Even with a bald head, he was still exceptionally so.

But no one knew what his tastes were, nor what kind of person he liked (other than the fact that he enjoyed popsicles).

Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, so no one noticed the nasty look on Mo Yan’s face. She had quietly crept up behind Chi Xue Child, a small knife at the ready.

******

Jiang Zuo paid almost no attention to what the others were up to. After spending some time searching, he finally found something.

It wasn’t the aura of a Ghost Cultivator, nor was it anything related to space.

It was the shed skin of a Heart-piercing Snake.

Finding the shed skin of a Heart-piercing Snake out here meant that one of them had escaped.

This was not a good sign. Heart-piercing Snakes were indeed dangerous and difficult to kill, but they were usually easy to contain within specific areas.

If the Ghost Cultivators had an Array Master, the chances of them capturing a Heart-piercing Snake were very high.

Jiang Zuo pondered for a moment. ’What would the Ghost Cultivators want with a Heart-piercing Snake?’

’To release it during the sacrificial ceremony and create chaos?’

’Or would they lead the snakes in to attack, creating a diversion to sneak in and place their marks?’

Jiang Zuo then shook his head. ’What use would marks on ordinary people be?’

Jiang Zuo stopped overthinking it. When he couldn’t figure something out, he preferred to wait for the answer to reveal itself. It would be soon enough, anyway.

Afterward, Jiang Zuo approached the Black-robed Demon Cultivator and asked, "Do you have a map of the Holy Land? A map of the Chuanhe Mountain Range would be fine."

The Black-robed Demon Cultivator immediately produced a map. "I do, I do."

"Is there a fee? How much? Is one Sixth-Grade Pill enough?" Those words weren’t spoken by Jiang Zuo.

They were from Mo Yan, who, at some point, had started fighting with Chi Xue Child off to the side.

Mo Yan had recovered now. The earlier scare had shocked her back to her senses.

The moment she snapped out of it, she wanted to kill Chi Xue Child and Liuyue Xue.

Oh, right, and Witch Dan Xue too.

But there were too many of them to fight at once, so she decided to go after Chi Xue Child first.

She even had her knife ready, but unfortunately, her sneak attack failed, and she lost the perfect opportunity to finish off Chi Xue Child.

Since she couldn’t kill Chi Xue Child, her only recourse was to taunt the Black-robed Demon Cultivator, because she was about to get beaten down by Chi Xue Child in retaliation.

She was feeling very conflicted.

However, the Black-robed Demon Cultivator just casually replied, "It’s only natural for a father to discipline his child."

And just like that, an all-out brawl erupted.

Jiang Zuo simply took the map and began to calculate the location.

The Black-robed Demon Cultivator’s map was on a scroll of hide. The markings for Chuanhe Town had been added later, meaning the map itself was quite old.

Jiang Zuo then compared it with their current location and calculated the position of the Immortal Spirit Spring. It was just on the other side of town, not far away.

’So close?’

Its proximity gave Jiang Zuo a bad feeling.

He then looked up at Chi Xue Child and the others. Out of the six of them, four were caught in a chaotic brawl.

Only Liuyue Xue and Blade Master Hai Bian were watching the spectacle from the sidelines.

As for how the four of them had started fighting, Jiang Zuo couldn’t fathom it. He could see, however, that Demon Cultivator Mo Yan was on the receiving end of all the blows.

At that moment, Blade Master Hai Bian came to Jiang Zuo’s side. "Fellow Daoist, have you found anything?"

Jiang Zuo nodded. "The Ghost Cultivators may have captured some Heart-piercing Snakes."

Blade Master Hai Bian frowned. This was definitely not good news. He was deeply aware of how terrifying Heart-piercing Snakes were; one moment of carelessness could lead to utter annihilation.

Liuyue Xue also typed a message for Jiang Zuo to see: ’Is there any way to prevent it?’"

Jiang Zuo thought for a moment before replying, "I’ll handle the Heart-piercing Snakes. You don’t need to get involved."

’The Heart-piercing Snakes are part of the Immortal Spirit Cave Mansion. Even though it’s from my past life, they are still under my jurisdiction.’

’If they dare to show their faces, I’ll let those Ghost Cultivators know the *real* way to control Heart-piercing Snakes.’

’And while I’m at it, I’ll show them the horror of a swarming serpent dance.’

’Still, I never ate a Heart-piercing Snake in my past life. I wonder what they taste like.’

******

Meanwhile, in the Holy Land, Qing Yue was leading a group of female disciples toward an array.

Six disciples followed behind her, all dressed in uniform robes. With Jingyue at their head, they advanced slowly, their procession sacred and solemn.

They were the Holy Land’s Saintess and the five Candidacy Saintesses.

Among the Candidacy Saintesses, Su Qi was the oldest; the others were all in their teens.

One thing they all had in common, however, was their beauty. Even the younger ones, though still children, were pure and lovely, some even captivating.

"We’re about to enter the array," Qing Yue said. "Don’t cause any trouble, or I’ll have you put in confinement once the ceremony is over."

Jingyue said with a pained expression, "Martial Aunt, I kind of have to use the restroom. We’ll be in there for more than half a month. What if I can’t hold it in?"

Qing Yue: "..."

’Who on earth does this girl take after?’

’She’s bringing shame to the very title of Saintess.’

Qing Yue said, "Your Master said that if you perform well, you’ll be allowed to go out after the ceremony. If you perform poorly, you’ll spend the next few decades in the Holy Land learning how to be a proper Saintess."

In that instant, Jingyue’s entire demeanor changed. The unique aura of a Saintess began to radiate from her.

"Martial Aunt, please rest assured. No matter what goes wrong with the ceremony, nothing will go wrong on our end."

"..."

After that, Jingyue led Su Qi and the others into the array. This was the true beginning of the ceremony.

After entering the array, Su Qi sighed. ’Looks like we’ll be here for a long time.’

Then, they were all teleported away. They would reappear at the site of the sacrificial ritual.

At the same time, a great phenomenon occurred on the other side of Chuanhe Town.

A massive pillar of light descended from the sky, bearing six figures within it. They stood high in the air, like celestial maidens arriving in the mortal world.

Then, as their hand gestures changed, the beam of light rapidly expanded, eventually enveloping a vast, snow-covered field.

The light then shifted, layer upon layer, until it completely concealed the figures within.

The pillar of light, as if it had become solid, froze in place.

The phenomenon startled everyone. In Chuanhe Town, ordinary people and Cultivators alike could clearly witness the entire transformation.