Chapter 1223 The Saint Returns

A vast, ancient pressure, cold enough to freeze the soul, came crashing down without reservation, like a dormant glacier suddenly awakening.

This pressure was not a hostile attack, but it carried an unquestionable and absolute authority that looked down on all living beings. It instantly suppressed Di Xuanming's aura that was about to get out of control.

Even Xuan Ye narrowed his eyes slightly and straightened his leaning body a little.

In the center of the spatial fluctuations, three figures emerged silently.

The leader was none other than Su Qingjue.

His expression was more solemn than it was three days ago, even with a barely perceptible paleness. It was obvious that he had been under unimaginable pressure in the past three days.

The two elders of the Su family behind him also seemed a little weak, with fear in their eyes.

However, the moment Su Qingjue and the other two appeared, everyone's eyes were fixed on a position half a step in front of them.

There, stood a woman.

She was wearing a long, snow-white ice-gauze dress, the hem of which moved without wind, shedding a cool sheen like moonlight.

Her long black hair was loosely tied up with a simple ice jade hairpin, and a few strands of hair fell on her cheeks, making her skin look even paler and clearer, almost transparent.

Her face was extremely beautiful, yet devoid of any worldly air, as if she were the purest ice lotus on the ancient glacier. Her exquisite facial features were like sculptures of ice and jade, without a single flaw or trace of human warmth.

The most frightening thing is her eyes.

Those were a pair of rare ice-blue eyes, as deep as the bottom of a ten-thousand-year-old cold pond, calm and without any emotions, only absolute rationality and an indifference that had accumulated over a long period of time.

Standing there, she seemed to be the incarnation of the entire Frozen Throne, the will condensed from eternal ice.

An icy aura originating from the origin of their blood, far purer and more vast than that of Su Qingjue and the other two, enveloped the entire hall like an invisible domain.

The Holy Maiden of the Su Family—Su Qingyue.

She came in person!

Luo Li narrowed her eyes slightly, a little surprised. She didn't expect that the Saint of the Su family would come to Bulicheng again, and in such a simple way.

"Lady Saint!" Su Qingjue and the two elders bowed at the same time, their postures extremely respectful.

Su Qingyue's gaze, like two solid ice lines, slowly swept across everyone in the hall.

He paused briefly on Luo Li, and a very faint, elusive ripple seemed to pass through his icy blue eyes.

There was no fluctuation when passing by Bai Ze and Xing Yi.

However, when her gaze finally fell on Di Xuanming, a hint of strangeness finally appeared in her ice-blue eyes, which were like an ancient cold pond.

It was not shock, nor joy, but a cold resonance and confirmation that came from the deepest part of the blood.

Emperor Xuanming only felt a throbbing sensation from the depths of his soul suddenly explode!

That was not the warm breath of the mother, but a kind of icy power that was of the same origin, but more ancient, colder, and heavier.

This power strongly resonated with the Su family blood flowing in his body, and it almost broke out of his body, but was firmly suppressed by the other party's absolutely icy field.

After the evil spirit dissipated, Su Qingyue was finally able to resonate with the Frozen Throne bloodline in his body.

He stared at Su Qingyue intently, and the murderous energy that had been forcibly suppressed in his body began to surge again, but under the other party's pure and vast icy pressure, it was like hitting an invisible barrier, making a dull buzzing sound.

In those deep eyes, there was a burning red flame, filled with anger and questioning, almost turning into a tangible sword to stab the other party.

"My mother..." Di Xuanming's voice was as hoarse as sandpaper, and every word was heavy with the smell of blood. "How is she?"

Su Qingyue's icy eyes stared at him, and that gaze seemed to be able to penetrate the skin and look directly at the source of his blood.

She did not immediately answer Di Xuanming's question, but turned her gaze to Luo Li. Her voice was as cold as ice beads falling on a jade plate, without a trace of warmth, but with an unquestionable authority:

"Lord Luo."

Luo Li sat upright in the main seat, facing the other party's gaze that could freeze the soul, her expression as calm as water: "Saint Maiden, the three-day deadline has arrived. What does the Su family want to do?"

She went straight to the point without any pleasantries.

Su Qingyue's ice-blue pupils shrank slightly, as if she was a little surprised by Luo Li's straightforwardness and calmness.

She spoke slowly, her voice still cold: "Yan Ye's matter has been confirmed to be true after the Su family's secret treasure, the 'Light-Tracing Mirror', reflected the past origins."

Her words were like a verdict, without any emotion.

"The Lord of the Nine Heavens is indeed a pure-blooded ancient demon. He usurped the throne, slaughtered ancient clans, and committed heinous crimes. He is the first choice for the succession of the Demon Gods, and is also the greatest source of disaster for the Continent of Gods."

Su Qingyue's statement was extremely concise, but every word was weighty, completely confirming Luo Li's shocking words.

She paused slightly, and her gaze fell back on Di Xuanming. Her icy gaze seemed to freeze him from the inside out.

"As for Su Hanyi..." When she mentioned this name, her icy voice seemed to fluctuate ever so slightly, so quickly that it might have been an illusion. "Her remaining soul is indeed within the Soul Condensing Abyss of the Frozen Throne's ancestral land, nurtured by the Mysterious Ice Spirit. Her soul fire still remains, so there's no worry of it dissipating."

"No worries about dissipating?" Di Xuanming suddenly took a step forward, tearing a scorching wave of air through Su Qingyue's absolutely frozen domain. "Is this what you, the Su family, call care? I want to see her."

Su Qingjue's face changed and he wanted to speak to dissuade her, but was stopped by Su Qingyue's eyes.

The look was calm, yet it carried the power to freeze everything.

Su Qingyue was unmoved by Di Xuanming's outburst. Her voice remained steady and cold, "The Soul Condensing Abyss is the core of the Frozen Throne. The Mysterious Ice Soul nurtures the remaining souls, requiring absolute silence. The slightest disturbance is not permitted. Entering rashly would cause the soul power to surge, potentially causing collapse."

She stated the cold words, as if reading out unchangeable rules.

"Excuse!" Emperor Xuanming laughed in anger, his eyes becoming even bloodier.

"It's not imprisonment, nor is it obstruction." For the first time, Su Qingyue's gaze truly and permanently rested on Di Xuanming's face. Deep within those ice-blue eyes, it seemed as if an extremely complex layer of ice was slowly moving.

"Su Hanyi's remaining soul is one of the key keys that maintain the seal beneath the Frozen Throne. If the key is unstable, the seal will break. Once the power of the demon god overflows, the consequences will be beyond your imagination, and the Su family cannot bear it."

Her explanation was cold and cruel, placing responsibility and family affection on an irreconcilable scale of contradiction.

Di Xuanming said coldly, "For the sake of your so-called duty as a Su family, are you going to let my mother stay in that icy place forever?"

His words were like a strong wind carrying ice chips, blowing fiercely over the four people of the Su family.

Su Qingjue and the two elders showed shame and helplessness on their faces, while Su Qingyue was still as solid as ten thousand years of black ice.

"It's my duty, and I can't afford to fail." Su Qingyue's voice was level, as if she was simply stating an objective fact. "What the Frozen Throne controls is related to the survival of the entire continent. The bloodline of the Su family is born to shoulder this responsibility, whether we like it or not. There's no turning back. Su Hanyi is like this, and so am I."

"What a responsibility one is born to shoulder!" Xuan Ye, who had been watching coldly, suddenly sneered.

He stood up lazily and walked to the side of Di Xuanming. His inky black robe seemed to be able to absorb the light, forming an extreme contrast with Su Qingyue's icy white.

A wicked arc appeared at the corner of his lips, and his eyes were filled with undisguised sarcasm as he looked Su Qingyue up and down.

"That's enough."

Luo Li's cold voice was like a magic needle that stabilized the sea, instantly suppressing the situation that was about to get out of control.

She slowly stood up and looked at Su Qingyue calmly. Beneath that calmness was a will deeper than ten thousand years of black ice.

"Saintess, arguing is pointless. Since the Su family has confirmed Yan Ye's identity within three days, our second request, that Emperor Xuanming visit the remaining soul of his mother, Su Hanyi, requires a clear and executable plan from the Su family."

Her words were firm and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation:

"We understand the responsibilities of the Frozen Throne and the importance of the treasure within Su Hanyi's remnant soul, but this is absolutely no reason to deprive Di Xuanming of the right to visit his mother. If the Su family wishes to seek cooperation and jointly fight against Yan Ye and the impending Demon God Calamity, they must show sincerity and resolve this greatest obstacle between us."

"Otherwise," Luo Li's voice suddenly turned cold, with a piercing sharpness, "If Emperor Xuanming can't see his mother, we can't confirm whether the Su family is trustworthy, let alone whether the seal under the Frozen Throne really exists.

"Then, all cooperation is off the table. The Su family will protect you, and we will go our own way. As for Yan Ye, if he truly becomes a demon god, the first thorn in his side will probably be your Frozen Throne, which claims to be a barrier."

Luo Li's threat was naked and direct, pushing the Su family to the edge of the cliff.

Su Qingyue's icy face finally showed a crack.

Her ice-blue eyes looked deeply at Luo Li, then swept across Di Xuanming, who was like a volcano about to erupt, and finally fell on Xuan Ye, who seemed cynical but actually had an unfathomable aura.

Time seemed to freeze within the hall, the extreme cold and suppressed rage clashing silently.

After a long time, Su Qingyue slowly raised her hand, and a token that was neither gold nor jade, but dark blue in color, with a wisp of eternal cold flame sealed inside, appeared in her palm.

The moment the token appeared, the temperature of the entire hall dropped sharply again, and even the space made a slight groan as if it could not bear the burden.

"Three days later," Su Qingyue's voice remained icy, yet it held a hint of unquestionable determination. "Take this Xuanyuan Order and follow me to the Frozen Throne."

Her gaze penetrated the cold mist and pierced directly into Di Xuanming's blazing eyes:

"I will personally lead you two into the Soul Condensing Abyss."

Su Qingyue's words were like ice beads falling to the ground, crisp and decisive, echoing in the stagnant hall.

"Will you personally lead us in?" The blood-red flames in Emperor Xuanming's eyes did not die out, but instead burned even more fiercely. He said in a cold voice, "Okay! After three days, if you continue to make excuses..."