Chapter 24 – The Woman in the Frozen Valley
Three days passed since the great cleansing ritual.
The Heavenly Mist Sect was slowly returning to peace. Disciples repaired broken formations, elders meditated to restore balance, and the purified Spirit Lake glowed brighter than ever before.
But for Kai, peace was never meant to last long.
Departure
Kai stood at the top of the eastern cliff, the wind brushing against his robe. He looked down at the vast world stretching beyond the mountains — rolling plains, forests thick with spirit beasts, and rivers that shimmered like silver threads.
He had decided to leave the sect for now. The prophecy had changed everything. He needed answers — and to find the source of the Blight, wherever it was hiding.
Mei Lin approached, her hair fluttering in the breeze. "Are you really leaving so soon? You've barely recovered from the ritual."
Kai smiled faintly. "If I stay still, the world will move without me."
Lian Hua appeared next, stretching lazily. "You always talk like a sage before doing something reckless."
Princess Yue followed, carrying a map. "The Sect Master gave me this. It shows ancient ley lines where the Blight energy is strongest. The nearest one is in the north — the Frozen Valley of Souls."
Su Xinyi shivered at the name. "Frozen Valley… I've heard rumors. A place where cultivators vanish without a trace."
Kai's gaze hardened. "Then that's exactly where we're going."
The Journey North
They traveled by spirit ship for two days, crossing over vast forests and icy plains.
At night, they camped beneath the stars. The group sat around a crackling fire.
Lian Hua roasted a small boar they had hunted earlier, while Mei Lin brewed spiritual tea from herbs she'd gathered along the way.
Su Xinyi leaned against Kai's shoulder, half-asleep. "You never rest properly," she murmured.
"I'll rest when I can."
Princess Yue's eyes glimmered in the firelight. "You've changed since the ritual, Kai. Your energy feels... deeper. More controlled."
Kai nodded. "The System helped me stabilize the breakthrough. But…" he hesitated. "There's something else. I keep hearing faint whispers in my meditation. A woman's voice."
Mei Lin frowned. "A voice? What does it say?"
Kai's expression darkened. "It calls my name. Over and over. Like she's waiting for me."
The fire popped loudly, breaking the silence.
Lian Hua smirked, trying to lighten the mood. "Maybe it's another girl who fell for your charms."
Kai chuckled softly. "Let's hope not. Whoever she is... she's connected to the Blight."
Frozen Valley of Souls
By the third day, they reached the Frozen Valley.
Snow stretched endlessly, and jagged ice pillars rose like the spines of dragons. The wind howled with a ghostly voice, carrying whispers of the dead.
Kai could feel it immediately — the corruption. Beneath the beauty of the frost, a sinister energy pulsed, faint but constant.
[System Alert: Blight Energy Detected – Source within 2 km radius.]
Mei Lin stepped closer to him. "It's colder than death itself."
Yue's breath formed mist in the air. "No wonder people disappear here. The valley feeds on life force."
Lian Hua drew her blades. "Let's make sure it doesn't feed on ours."
They descended the valley's icy slope. Crystals of frost clung to their robes, and even spiritual protection barely held the cold back.
At the valley's heart stood something impossible — a massive ice statue of a woman kneeling with her hands clasped as if in prayer. Her face was serene, yet sorrowful.
But it wasn't just ice. Within the transparent crystal form… a faint red glow pulsed where her heart should be.
The Frozen Woman
Kai approached slowly. The System chimed.
[Analyzing Target…]
[Subject: Unknown Lifeform – Status: Cryo-Sealed Cultivator.]
[Vital Signs: Active.]
"She's alive," Kai said softly.
Su Xinyi's eyes widened. "Alive? After being frozen like this for who knows how long?"
Mei Lin placed a hand on the ice. "This isn't natural frost. It's divine qi — mixed with Blight energy. She sealed herself here intentionally."
Princess Yue stepped closer, studying the runes around the statue. "These symbols... they belong to the Celestial Frost Sect, which was destroyed over two hundred years ago."
Lian Hua crossed her arms. "So this woman's been trapped here for centuries. The question is—why?"
Before Kai could answer, the red glow within the statue flared brightly. The ground trembled.
[Warning: Energy Fluctuation Detected.]
The ice cracked.
"Everyone, back!" Kai shouted.
With a thunderous sound, the statue shattered. Shards of ice flew through the air like knives, scattering across the valley floor.
When the storm settled, a woman stood in the center of the shattered ice — tall, graceful, her silver hair flowing down to her waist. Her eyes were pale blue, glowing faintly with divine energy.
She was breathtaking. But her aura… it was both holy and corrupted.
Kai instinctively reached for his sword.
The woman's gaze locked onto him. "You… finally came."
The Frozen Saintess
"Who are you?" Kai asked cautiously.
The woman's voice was soft, yet carried an echo that seemed to vibrate through the world. "Once, I was known as Saintess Ruyin of the Celestial Frost Sect. Now… I am nothing but a fragment of what remains."
Lian Hua narrowed her eyes. "A saintess? Then why do I sense Blight from you?"
Ruyin smiled faintly. "Because I was the first to be tainted by it. And the only one who resisted long enough to seal the valley."
Mei Lin's eyes widened. "You fought against the Blight two hundred years ago?"
The Saintess nodded. "Yes. I led my sect against the corruption. But we failed. The Blight consumed everything I loved. To prevent its spread, I froze myself and the valley… waiting for one with the Light of Desire to awaken me."
She looked directly at Kai. "You are that one."
Revelations
Kai's pulse quickened. "You knew about me… even before I was born?"
Ruyin closed her eyes briefly. "Not you, but your essence. The Reincarnated of Desire — a soul born of both passion and purity. Your power is tied to connection… to the hearts you bind with."
Mei Lin glanced at him, a soft blush forming.
The Saintess continued. "You seek the source of the Blight, do you not?"
Kai nodded. "Yes. I need to end it, once and for all."
Ruyin's expression turned grave. "Then know this — the Blight was not born of evil. It was born of love twisted by immortality. It began with a man who desired eternity… and a woman who gave everything to stop him."
The wind howled through the valley, carrying her words like a song of sorrow.
Kai's heart tightened. "Who was that man?"
Ruyin opened her hand. A small orb of dark light appeared, swirling like a tiny black sun. "His name has been erased from heaven's record. But he is the Blight Lord you now face."
The Saintess's Test
Before anyone could ask more, the orb exploded into black mist. It rushed across the snow, forming dark specters that surrounded them.
Ruyin's eyes glowed. "If you truly seek to end this darkness, then prove you can control it. Defeat these shadows — not by strength alone, but by balance."
Kai raised his sword. "Then let's show her what we've got."
The battle began.
Spectral forms lunged from all directions. Lian Hua's blades flashed like lightning, slicing through them with precision. Mei Lin's flames burned with golden fire, melting the darkness wherever it spread.
Princess Yue created radiant sigils in the air, sealing incoming strikes. Su Xinyi's talismans burst into divine light, scattering the shadows into dust.
Kai charged forward, energy flaring through his body.
[System Synchronization Active – Full Link Mode.]
[Bond Resonance: 100%. Qi Amplification: +60%.]
"Moonshadow Slash!"
His sword carved through a dozen shadows at once, the energy exploding into waves of light.
Still, more came. The Saintess watched silently, her expression unreadable.
When one of the larger specters lunged at Mei Lin's back, Kai reacted instantly — pulling her close, twisting midair, and driving his blade through the monster's head.
Mei Lin looked up at him, her breath uneven. "You never hesitate to put yourself in danger, do you?"
Kai smiled faintly. "If I fall, who'll keep you safe?"
Her blush deepened, but she didn't argue.
Together, they finished the last of the shadows.
The Awakening of Saintess Ruyin
When the last spirit vanished, Ruyin stepped forward. Her aura softened, no longer sharp and cold.
"You have proven your will is unbroken," she said. "But balance is not only found in battle. It is found in trust."
She walked toward Kai, her bare feet leaving trails of frost. "My soul is bound to this valley. If you would end the Blight, you must free me from it — through resonance."
Lian Hua raised an eyebrow. "Resonance? You mean…"
The Saintess met Kai's eyes. "Dual cultivation, yes. But not for pleasure — for release. My divine qi and Blight energy are locked in eternal struggle. Only your unique system can harmonize them."
Kai hesitated. He could feel the seriousness in her tone. "If we fail?"
"Then my soul will shatter… and the valley will collapse."
Mei Lin stepped closer. "We'll help you. Together."
The Saintess smiled faintly. "No. This must be done between him and me. The link must be pure."
The Ritual of Ice and Fire
As the others stepped back, Kai approached the Saintess. The wind grew still.
Ruyin's hands glowed with divine light as she touched his chest. "Close your eyes. Open your soul."
Kai obeyed.
The world faded. He found himself standing in a vast frozen realm — her spiritual sea. The sky shimmered like glass, and a storm of darkness swirled at the horizon.
Ruyin stood beside him, glowing faintly. "That storm is the Blight within me. Help me calm it."
Kai reached out, letting his energy intertwine with hers.
Their qi danced like flame and frost, colliding, merging, harmonizing. The storm howled louder at first — then began to slow.
[Dual Resonance Initiated.]
[Stabilizing Yin-Yang Flow… Success.]
Light spread across the frozen world. The ice melted into a serene lake, reflecting the stars.
When Kai opened his eyes, they were back in the real world. The valley was no longer cold — the snow had begun to melt, revealing flowers beneath.
Ruyin's body shimmered faintly. "It's done. You've freed me."
Kai felt her fading energy. "Wait — you're disappearing?"
She smiled softly. "My purpose was to guide you. Now that balance is restored, my soul can return to the cycle."
She reached up, brushing her hand against his cheek. "You carry both desire and compassion. Never lose either, Kai."
Then her body turned into light and scattered into the wind.
Aftermath
For a long moment, none of them spoke.
Mei Lin finally broke the silence. "She's gone."
Princess Yue sighed. "And the valley is alive again. The snow will melt, and the land will heal."
Lian Hua looked at Kai with a faint grin. "You really can't go anywhere without meeting powerful women, can you?"
Kai chuckled weakly. "I don't go looking for them… they just find me."
Su Xinyi smiled softly. "Maybe it's fate."
Kai looked up at the now-clear sky. "No. It's something bigger than fate."
The System chimed gently.
[Quest Complete: Frozen Saintess Freed.]
[Reward: +3 Cultivation Ranks, Skill Acquired – "Heart of Frostfire."]
[New Mission Unlocked: The Path to the Blight Lord.]
Kai's eyes hardened. "Then let's keep moving forward. The Blight Lord won't wait."
Far Away – The Blight Lord's Awakening
In a distant, obsidian palace buried beneath the earth, the Blight Lord stirred.
His voice was cold and ancient. "The Saintess is gone. The Reincarnated grows stronger."
He raised a hand, and countless black petals swirled around him. "So be it. The game begins."
End of Chapter 24