On the snowy plains.
"Cough! Cough, cough, cough! Cough!"
Liu Han had just retrieved the necklace when he heard a series of coughs.
He anxiously asked,
"Old Qin! Are you alright? Has your soul been damaged?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine. That attack just now wasn't even one percent of my full strength, cough, cough! I just need to rest for seven days. Take care of yourself during these seven days."
After Old Qin finished speaking, the luster of the jade necklace dimmed.
He was going into temporary hibernation.
Rustle—
At that moment, Ye Wangchuan arrived with Li Luo in tow.
"Are you alright?"
Ye Wangchuan inquired.
Liu Han concealed the urgency in his eyes and forced a smile, saying,
"Everything's fine. Brother Ye, you wouldn't believe it, but that snake just fell from the sky and died on impact."
"Is that so? By the way, there's an altar over there. Let's go take a look."
Ye Wangchuan didn't press further and casually changed the subject.
Liu Han nodded.
Beside them,
"Hah, ha-choo!"
"Ugh~ It's so cold! Ye Wangchuan, can I crawl into your clothes?"
Li Luo, shivering all over, burrowed into Ye Wangchuan's clothes.
Since Ye Wangchuan's cultivation had reached the second level, he had a high resistance to cold.
His body temperature was warm and comforting.
Li Luo poked his head out from Ye Wangchuan's collar, looking quite content.
"Ah~ Much better here."
[Villain Emotional Value +100]
[Villain Emotional Value +100]
"Hey, you... I'll get you a coat, so get out of there."
Feeling the cold sensation against his skin, Ye Wangchuan tugged at Li Luo's collar, trying to pull him out of his clothes.
"Eh~"
Li Luo grumbled reluctantly and then said,
"Nine cultivation pills."
"No, fifteen."
"Fine, fifteen it is!"
Li Luo agreed without hesitation.
After all, ever since they entered this secret realm, the system had been acting like a charity.
Killing enemies, slaying monsters, or collecting treasures—all of it yielded a ton of Villain Emotional Value.
It was hilarious; he had more than enough Villain Emotional Value to spare!
And even while hiding in Ye Wangchuan's clothes, the Villain Emotional Value kept pouring in.
As Li Luo thought about this, he reached out and touched Ye Wangchuan's abs.
[Villain Emotional Value +100]
[Villain Emotional Value +100]
Ohoho!
Just a couple of touches, and the emotional value spiked. This Ye Wangchuan was such a pushover~
……
……
Soon.
The group arrived at the altar.
The altar was made of black stone bricks, with a thick layer of snow piled on top.
In the center of the altar was a raised mound of snow.
Ye Wangchuan walked over, took out a fan, and with a strong gust of wind, swept away the snow in the center!
The object beneath the snow mound was revealed.
It was a skeleton, sitting upright in the center of the altar.
However, the three of them had strong mental fortitude and weren't frightened by the skeleton.
Ye Wangchuan examined the skeleton closely.
In its left hand, it held a frozen heart, while its right hand cradled a book.
In front of it was a sword covered in frost.
Ye Wangchuan walked over, picked up the book, and looked at it together with Liu Han.
……
……
The contents of the letter:
Day 1.
A light appeared on a spiritual mountain. Then, the sect sent me in.
As soon as I entered, I found myself underground.
Fortunately, the vines here glowed, and since I was already at the second level, I wouldn't die anytime soon.
Day 2.
I spent the day trying to climb out, but I couldn't make it.
This place is really deep.
Day 3.
Climbed again, still didn't make it out.
Day 4.
Climbed again, still didn't make it out.
Day 7.
Climbed again, still didn't make it out.
Day 14.
Maybe I should try a different approach.
If I can reach the third level, maybe I can get out.
But it took me ten years just to reach the second level. Who knows how long it'll take to reach the third?
Year 1.
Cultivating.
Year 3.
Cultivating.
Year 10.
Cultivating.
Year 20.
There's a small snake down here?
I started feeding it a bit of spiritual energy every day, hoping it would gain sentience soon.
Being alone is really tough.
Year 31.
I suddenly had a bold idea!
Year 32.
The snake laid eggs. Now there will be more snakes to keep me company. I won't have to endure loneliness anymore!
Year 50.
Cultivating.
Year 80.
Haha, I did it! I did it! I finally broke through to the third level! Eighty years! It took me eighty years!
Since the secret realm doesn't provide cultivation resources like the sect does, it took almost twice as long as it would have outside.
But I made it! Now I can finally return to the outside world!
I wonder how the sect is doing, how my junior sister is doing.
Year ××.
Where is the exit?!!! (The handwriting is frantic, with many parts of the paper torn.)
I made it out of the underground, but where is the exit? Where is it?!
I searched for decades! Decades!
Why?! Why am I the only human in this entire secret realm? Where is the exit? Where is it?!
Is this a time-limited secret realm? Why didn't the sect tell me?! Why didn't they tell me?!
When will it open again? How many years from now?
Year ××.
I returned underground. At least there, I have my wife and my children.
Even if they're just mindless snakes.
I need to cultivate! I need to cultivate! I need to cultivate! I need to reach the seventh level and tear this damned secret realm apart with my bare hands!!!!
Year 200.
Cultivating.
Year 300.
Cultivating.
Year 400.
Haha, I've broken through to the fourth level! The difference between the fourth and third levels is no joke! I feel like my life itself has evolved!
But I still can't get out.
Year 500.
Hello, future visitor. (The handwriting suddenly became neat, a stark contrast to the frantic scribbles of the past few centuries.)
By the time you read this, I will already be gone.
The reason is simple.
I couldn't hold on anymore.
Five hundred years! Five hundred years without speaking to another human being!
I was so lonely. So, so lonely. So painful.
No matter how much I tried, beasts are still just beasts.
Yesterday, the first snake I met, my wife, passed away.
Its cultivation wasn't high enough, and its lifespan was only five hundred years.
That was the final straw for me.
So I decided.
To end my own life.
To ensure that no one else falls into this bottomless pit like I did, I've left my legacy here.
The heart in my left hand has been nourished by cold energy for a hundred years. Even after my death, it will continue to be nourished by my body.
It contains a vast amount of cold energy and my malice. Consuming it will grant you the Frost Malevolence Body.
Be careful not to lose yourself to madness.
As for the sword in front of me, it was forged from the bones of my wife and my own kindness. It is the Ice Bone Sword.
The spiritual bones of a five-hundred-year-old demon beast should be quite powerful, right?
However, to prevent unworthy individuals from defiling my wife, I've placed a restriction on it.
Only the purest and most righteous of heart may wield this sword.
One of malice, one of kindness—this is my life's legacy.
Good luck, future visitor!