Chapter Forty: The Beautiful Miss Li?

Glittering crystals drifted down from the sky, swirling in the air.
In the vast snowy expanse, a woman dressed in white sat serenely. Her bright eyes and flawless teeth, her ethereal beauty and gentle, understated brows seemed born of heaven itself—she was a peerless wonder of the world.
She sat quietly, as if within a tranquil and secluded realm, and even the towering Immortal Peak behind her served only as an insignificant backdrop.
Bai Xia Tian and the Dance Sovereign watched with curiosity.
Not far away, Feng Shang’s expression was unusual. He concealed his unease with a veil of nothingness. His right hand appeared calm, but only he knew how violently it trembled.
It was as if a blazing sun was hidden here, innate Azure Fiend energy overflowed from the back of his hand, drifting away in wisps that turned to ashes. Even the Divine Seal of Fan Zhu Tian, at the god-lord level, seemed to loosen, crystalline green patterns appearing—complex and profound, flickering and unstable.
Time passed—long and longer still.
The image of the Immortal Lord Li did not dissipate; in fact, her form grew more solid. Meanwhile, Immortal Peak shimmered with radiance, and above it, a vortex of spiritual energy began to condense.
This startled the Dance Sovereign. The surrounding mountain and river energies were summoned, all converging here.
To think, this was merely a trace left by the Immortal Lord millennia ago, yet after the erosion of countless years, it still retained such power.
“Is Immortal Lord Li about to resurrect?”
Bai Xia Tian tilted her lovely little face, her jet-black crystal eyes blinking as she spoke carelessly.
Feng Shang stepped back, wishing to depart. This immortal image was too strange—across the ages, it still affected him. The sensation was unnerving.
In that instant, a shocking event occurred.
The woman in white, sitting amidst the snow with her black hair untouched by wind or snow, suddenly rose. Her tall, otherworldly figure slowly turned toward someone.
No way, surely not?
Feng Shang’s eyes widened. Beneath her gleaming forehead was a face of unmatched beauty. Yet when her lovely eyes blinked and met his own, the trembling in his right hand grew nearly wild.
“Did Immortal Lord Li once gaze south like this?” Bai Xia Tian wondered, not believing Li was looking at Feng Shang—just a reenactment of the ancient scene.
Feng Shang’s face paled.
Though she was a great beauty, a celestial visage, she was long gone. Yet she stirred something within him. Remembering Uncle E’s earlier warning, dread gripped him anew.
He had never been so unsettled; Dance’s lips curled into a smile, and she laughed softly, “Young master, don’t be afraid. Immortal Lord Li simply happened to face this direction back then. As long as you—”
Abruptly, Dance’s words ceased.
For she saw the ethereal Immortal Lord in white, her bright eyes glowing with dawn colors, staring at Feng Shang, then gently shifting her steps toward him.
A breeze lifted her dress, crystal dew sparkling on slender hands, snowy wrists gleaming. Below her neck, the elegant arc of her exquisite collarbone was impossibly beautiful.

“Hmm, interesting.”
Bai Xia Tian’s eyes sparkled.
Feng Shang stood precisely where Immortal Lord Li once walked. Now, past and present overlapped, the scene bizarrely connected!
Dance Sovereign was astounded. If she didn’t know this was a trace from antiquity, a phantom, she would have thought—Li was walking straight toward Feng Shang.
Cold sweat beaded on Feng Shang’s brow, his teeth chattered—he was very uncomfortable!
Bai Xia Tian and Dance both believed it was coincidence, that Feng Shang’s position happened to be special. But they were entirely mistaken; the immortal image was behaving unnaturally!
The living Immortal Lord Li was approaching him!
One step, two steps, three steps…
The distance between them narrowed.
Feng Shang held his breath, thoughts of escape rising instantly—but as soon as the idea appeared, Li’s gaze brightened tenfold, pinning his feet to the ground. He could not move.
His heart contracted tightly.
Beside him, Bai Xia Tian grew more curious, noticing Li’s eyes were truly focused on Feng Shang.
“Strange, Immortal Lord Li seems almost corporeal.” Bai Xia Tian frowned.
“Something’s wrong. The world’s Dao resonance is alive, but why does this trace feel so real, why do I sense a supreme immortal body about to emerge?”
Dance Sovereign was startled, quickly noticing Feng Shang’s rigid expression, her eyes widening.
“Go!”
A low voice sounded.
As Feng Shang stood frozen, immobilized by Li’s bright, enchanting gaze, a simple blue Oblivion Note flew from his body.
The note shuddered; its seventeen sharp lines instantly changed from dull to dazzling, like an ancient beast awakening from winter, roaring at the stars, exuding a terrifying, overwhelming aura.
The world’s energies abruptly collapsed.
Feng Shang’s sluggish blood stirred, his rigid bones moved again. He took a deep breath, retreating swiftly, escaping the terrifying sense of helplessness.
But in that moment, the situation shifted again!
Li’s eyes glimmered with sudden light; her lips moved faintly, as if speaking. A flawless white hand lifted, rainbow light spreading.
The newly lively air froze once more.

Immortal Peak blazed with brilliance, a surge of world energies, along with all the mountains and rivers of this vast northern region, pressed down suddenly. For a moment, every living creature struggled to breathe.
Feng Shang broke out in a cold sweat.
He had never feared heaven or earth, yet now he didn’t dare to make a sound, his heart pounding wildly. If he hadn’t misread, Li’s lips moved twice, as if to say: Wait.
What madness was this!
Suddenly, he looked down and gasped.
The Divine Seal on his right hand had opened a crack, and a faint, fresh fragrance slipped easily through the veil of nothingness, winding around Li’s slender finger.
A ripple stirred in Li’s eyes.
Bai Xia Tian’s mouth dropped open—the chain of incredible events left her utterly dumbfounded.
Dance Sovereign was equally shaken. The spiritual energy of the snowfields surged violently, empowering Immortal Peak, gathering upon Li’s body, as if her true form were present.
This could no longer be called coincidence.
Li was clearly looking at Feng Shang!
“There has never been such a change before. He must be the cause…” Dance cast a deep look at Feng Shang. What strange quality did this youth possess to provoke such transformation in the Dao trace?
To trigger a phenomenon in Li’s Dao trace—perhaps that’s why Sister Fan shows him such special concern.
“Uncle E, take me away!” Feng Shang pleaded anxiously.
The World Oblivion Note was silent.
When Li stood before Feng Shang, only three feet away, Qing E’s sigh finally sounded:
“Sorry, I can’t help you. We must wait and see. This Dao trace is extraordinary—there’s an innate advantage in the Sea of Flowers, but here, the snowfield’s power has been stirred. If you resist, the Sea of Flowers’ energies might erupt, drawing the attention of every god-lord there.”
Feng Shang’s nerves frayed, terror creeping in. Though the woman before him was a supreme beauty, he had no mind to appreciate her; even when facing the Cosmic Spirit beast he hadn’t panicked, but now his heart was chilled, as if a cold wind swept through him.
“Lady Li?”
Feng Shang looked at Li’s celestial face, now so close, and greeted her with a dry, hoarse voice.