No one knew how deep this secret realm was. The protective sword energy emitted by Yan Zhengming was like a sand fortress on the beach, which had been rebuilt and broken countless times.

What exactly is this secret place in the Great Snow Mountain?

Where are they going?

If we keep falling like this, will we eventually reach the bottom of the North Sea?

Yan Zhengming thought that he had seen the light from the golden lotus leaves, which meant that they were in the center of the secret realm of the Great Snow Mountain. Only then did he realize that the golden light had extremely strong penetrating power and spread everywhere, but the golden lotus itself was still tens of thousands of miles away.

He had an illusion that the reason the entire North Sea was so dark was because it concentrated all the light on the golden lotus.

Yan Zhengming's protective sword energy fell apart again, and he didn't have the strength to condense it again. He then endured the strong wind and tightly protected Cheng Qian in his arms.

He thought of the Forget-Sorrow Valley that Cheng Qian had told him about. Legend has it that in that place where there is neither life nor death, his master and his great-grandmaster stay together forever, and there is nothing around them except for some little ghosts who refuse to stay any longer.

Yan Zhengming never told Cheng Qian about the unspeakable bond between the two of them, but was secretly pleased with the result.

If I can be with the soul of the one I love, what does it matter if I am cut into pieces? What does it matter if I am torn into pieces?

He gently rubbed the tip of his nose against Chengqiu Qian's neck, thinking, "You only make me angry in this life, you must work like a slave for me in the next life."

Just as he was preparing to commit suicide with all his wild thoughts, a strange true energy suddenly descended from the sky and landed beside him, adding a protective true energy to both of them.

Yan Zhengming: “…”

Wait, why is there someone else in this damn place?

Even though he was saved, Sect Leader Yan was so engrossed in his daydreams that he felt a little annoyed at being disturbed.

Fortunately, his untimely illness was not serious. Yan Zhengming reacted quickly and took advantage of this precious breathing time to quickly regulate his disordered true energy.

At the same time, he did not forget to carefully investigate this unexpected helper.

This protective true energy was divided into two layers. The inner layer close to the person was extremely warm, as warm as a quilt heated by a stove in winter. It penetrated into his limbs and bones in an instant. The outer layer was extremely cold, and as cruel as the secret realm of the Great Snow Mountain.

Who has such great powers?

He only heard someone whisper in his ear: "Concentrate, you are a little impatient, the attack of the sword is too strong, it will stimulate the strong wind here, restrain yourself."

Yan Zhengming tilted his head slightly: "Who?"

The man didn't answer, but a piece of music sounded from far away.

The melody is relaxed and leisurely, just like the weather warming up unexpectedly after a spring snow, the frozen ice in the decaying lotus pond slowly melts, and the life hidden in the mud reveals a few tiny clues, and next year's fish blow away the dead branches and leaves of last season, revealing their shimmering scales.

And millions of lotus leaves are like a beauty taking off her robe, slowly stretching out her body in the wind and dew, surrounding a lotus flower washed by clear water...

Yan Zhengming couldn't tell what instrument it was, but he felt that his anxious heart, which had been restless because of Cheng Qian, was calmed down a little. The true energy in his body circulated continuously in his inner palace for several cycles. He took a deep breath and realized that something was wrong with him - he was too worried about Cheng Qian just now, and was aroused by the violent wind in the secret realm, and his sword intent almost fell to a lower level.

He slowly gathered his leaked sword energy, and the strong wind in the secret realm indeed weakened a lot, and after a while, it even showed signs of calming down.

Yan Zhengming lowered his head and adjusted Cheng Qian's posture, and whispered: "Thank you...My junior brother was not in a good condition just now, I might have been a little too excited."

The music was still lingering, but the tail sound had stopped. The man said, "It's just a simple spell. There is a solution. Don't worry too much."

Yan Zhengming gently lifted up Cheng Qian's face and looked at it carefully for a moment with great worry. Suddenly, he found that the black air between Cheng Qian's eyebrows and the strange ear-shaped mark had disappeared together. Except that his body was getting hotter and hotter, there was nothing unusual.

"Strange," Yan Zhengming thought, "Now it looks like a painting soul."

He then asked tentatively: "I wonder if you can tell what kind of spell he was hit by?"

The voice said indifferently, "The Spring and Autumn Curse, which you cultivators seem to call 'Painting Soul', is said to be very magical, but it is actually just a trivial skill, so don't worry about it."

Yan Zhengming raised his eyebrows - what do you mean by "you monks"?

Yan Zhengming: "May I ask your Excellency..."

"I am not some 'honourable one'," the voice said vaguely, as if it was not used to people's polite tone, and there was a bit of stiffness in the vagueness, "I am just a flower spirit born with the golden lotus."

As he spoke, a gray shadow flashed in front of Yan Zhengming. It was impossible to tell whether it was a man, a woman, old or young. It was blurry and indistinct. In the cold snow-capped mountains and the increasingly brilliant golden light, he was like an inconspicuous moth. If you were not careful, you would miss him.

Yan Zhengming narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering how this flower spirit was going to deal with the two intruders.

Hua Ling seemed to see what he was thinking, and said directly: "Don't worry, the reason why I came forward to protect you two is also because of the order of the Golden Lotus."

Yan Zhengming was stunned. Although he was often conceited and handsome, he was not narcissistic enough to think that he could make flowers bloom. He became very alert and thought, "Is this evil lotus trying to use us as fertilizer?"

The flower spirit said: "Today's golden lotus leaf bloomed because of you, so you naturally have the right to take it away. Come with me."

Yan Zhengming: “…”

Jinlian invited him to take her leaves? Seeing that he was about to be killed by the Snow Mountain Secret Realm, she specially sent a flower spirit to escort him?

Is this a daydream?

As the saying goes, "It's not a good deal if you're the one who's trying to get something", and he has always been unlucky and refused to believe that such shitty luck could fall on him.

Yan Zhengming frowned and said tentatively: "This... I am flattered. Not to mention others, even the demon cultivator who opened a hole in the Snow Mountain is probably above me in cultivation. How can I be so worthy?"

Hua Ling said: "That ghost cultivator's cultivation is indeed higher than yours, but he is not qualified - because he is not the leader of all demons."

Yan Zhengming: "...Excuse me, I am not one either."

Hua Ling said: "The leaves of the big golden lotus can wash away all the sins of the world. It represents a kind of rule. It does not recognize anyone who has a higher cultivation level. The person it recognizes, regardless of whether he is good or evil, must be someone who can influence the situation and rules of a certain area. This is called 'power', the 'power' of 'authority'. It can be seen that you are a righteous cultivator. Perhaps you yourself have no outstanding qualities, but all other great people of your generation have died, so the 'power' has fallen on you. It's nothing strange, so don't be afraid."

Yan Zhengming: “…”

Although it sounds like picking a general from a group of short men, if you think about it carefully, it seems to be true.

After Tong Ru's death came the era of the Four Saints. Now, with the death of Shang Wannian and the aging of Bian Xu, the era of the Four Saints has passed. In the demon-eliminating operation, both Tian Yanchu and the Nine Saints of Yan Xingren were defeated, and all major sects were damaged in front of the Ten Directions Formation. It was truly an era where there was no tiger in the mountain and this monkey became the king.

Apart from anything else, the fact that they pardoned Han Yuan's death sentence so easily could not possibly have nothing to do with the rising Fuyao faction.

Hua Ling said: "The so-called Great Snow Mountain Secret Realm is actually just a protective layer condensed by the Golden Lotus in the North Sea. Once the Golden Lotus grows leaves, this secret realm will fall apart in an incense stick of time and wait for the next opportunity to gather around the Golden Lotus. You'd better act quickly, take the Golden Lotus leaf, and take your Junior Brother away from here. He only has a small painting soul on him. With the Golden Lotus leaf, he can easily break it."

Yan Zhengming always felt that this Great Snow Mountain Golden Lotus Leaf was a little mysterious, so he asked: "Excuse my stupidity, but what does it mean to 'wash away all the sins in the world'? For example, if someone kills innocent people indiscriminately and commits a serious sin, the deed has already been done, can it be that as long as there is this leaf, those dead people can come back to life?"

Hua Ling was stunned by his question, and after a moment she smiled and said, "Most of the people I met in the secret realm of the Great Snow Mountain were demon cultivators. It turns out that you righteous cultivators think differently. Of course, the dead cannot be resurrected. The 'sin' I mentioned is not the same as what you think. Since you have entered the Sword God Realm, you must have been able to feel the thing that is hanging over the cultivators' heads..."

Yan Zhengming: "Heaven's Way."

"The Way of Heaven has clarity, turbidity, movement, stillness, length, shortness, thickness, and thinness. The hardest will break, and the thickest will collapse," Hua Ling whispered. "The Way of Heaven allows the demon cultivators to improve rapidly, and it also makes them bloodthirsty for balance. If a demon cultivator wants to become a saint, he must never be stained with blood for his entire life. The Way of Heaven wants balance, and the so-called 'sin' of the cultivators is also a way for it to balance. It allows the cultivators to sow causes and reap results, and to restrain their own behavior in fear, so as to avoid heavenly calamity in the end for good and evil."

As he spoke, Yan Zhengming stepped on solid ground, as if he was approaching the heart of the secret realm of the snowy mountains. The violent gale disappeared at some point.

As his true energy circulated, the wounds on Yan Zhengming's body began to heal. He lifted Cheng Qian up and did not go any deeper. He stood there and said, "You mean, this golden lotus leaf sounds so magical, but in fact, to put it bluntly, it's just a red apricot to escape the guilt in the face of the heavenly tribulation?"

Hua Ling: "Out of the mud, remove the turbidity and retain the purity - if you insist on saying so, there is nothing wrong with it."

Yan Zhengming felt an indescribable resistance in his heart, and the fatal attraction from the golden lotus leaves was diluted.

Hua Ling stood ten steps away from him: "The Way of Heaven is cruel and treats all things as straw dogs - what is the difference between good and evil in the Way of Heaven? It's just that you mortals can't see through it."

Yan Zhengming almost wanted to sneer after hearing this. If that was the case, what was the point of Han Yuan's five hundred years of whipping? Just stick a lotus leaf on your forehead and you can turn into a pure and innocent little lamb on the spot!

At this moment, Yan Zhengming suddenly heard the sound of a plant breaking through the soil, and then an indescribable fragrance came. The flower spirit slightly raised its head and whispered: "The golden lotus is blooming, and the leaf that can block the eyes is also unfolding..."

Yan Zhengming was startled, and looked up in the direction of the flower spirit. He saw a golden lotus flower that was only two handfuls in size floating quietly on the ground. When he got closer to the golden lotus, the strange golden light was not so strong, and it was indescribably holy. The roots were buried deep in the dark waters of the North Sea, which was a strong contrast.

Yes... This secret realm of the Great Snow Mountain can extinguish all fires, including natural night-shining pearls, because the ice and snow here are condensed from the extremely dark water of the North Sea!

The golden lotus lay alone in a thin layer of sea water, with a hazy mist floating above it. As if sensing the presence of an outsider, the lotus suddenly turned slowly, revealing a palm-sized lotus leaf hidden underneath.

For some reason, when Yan Zhengming saw the lotus leaf, he suddenly felt an indescribable awe in his heart.

Hua Ling sighed and said, "This is the heart of the Great Snow Mountain... Monk, since it is opened for you, it is yours."

Yan Zhengming did not move.

The flower spirit glanced at Cheng Qian and could not help but said, "The golden lotus leaves are like ephemeral flowers. After fully unfolding, they only last for an incense stick of time before withering away. The snow mountain secret realm will also collapse. This is the most precious treasure in the world that everyone wants. What are you still hesitating about!"

Hua Ling's voice was filled with a hint of impatience and urging. Yan Zhengming was almost rebellious because of his urging. He thought, "Why is it that the emperor is not anxious but the eunuch is?"

Seeing his wavering expression, the flower spirit immediately gave the right remedy: "Even if Lian Ye can wait, your junior brother's painting soul may not be able to wait any longer!"

These words hit Yan Zhengming's sore spot directly. As he kept getting closer to the golden lotus, Cheng Qian's face became paler and paler. By this time, the hair on his temples was completely soaked with cold sweat, his fingers were unconsciously spasming and curled into fists, and his whole body was shaking, as if he was enduring great pain.

Hua Ling: "Are you going to watch him hurt himself and die in your arms in order to avoid killing you?"

Yan Zhengming finally couldn't hold back any longer, he put Cheng Qian down and let him lean on him, freeing one hand to reach out for the golden lotus leaf that could drive all the demon cultivators in the world crazy.

At this critical moment, Cheng Qian woke up.