Chapter 1168: Take Me Away

Ye Mo sighed. He didn't know what transpired here, but evidence suggested a woman was bathing when the incident occurred. She either fled without clothing or was forcibly removed. Either way, it was a tragic scene. Ye Mo left the area untouched, even the densely concentrated spirit marrow pond. He couldn't penetrate the rooms with his spiritual sense, forcing him to check each one individually. The power of the former inhabitant was evident; these weren't even formations, but simple spiritual sense-limiting restrictions.

He entered the adjacent room. The sight inside shocked him further. A middle-aged man, clad in luxurious attire, sat alone. Before him was an exquisite tea table with elegant teaware. The most shocking detail was that one of the man's hands pierced his head from above. Coagulated blood stained his face, his eyes conveying despair and sorrow. Clearly, this was the owner. Ye Mo hadn't anticipated suicide. He'd assumed a powerful enemy had attacked, resulting in either death or flight. Instead, despair led to self-destruction. What caused such profound sadness?

Ye Mo shook his head, unwilling to dwell on the tragic tale. The deaths of numerous maids and the owner's suicide pointed to an unthinkable event. The man's ring was missing, likely taken by the assailant. Ye Mo wasn't here to solve mysteries; he sought cultivation resources. Finding none, he prepared to leave and commence his divine damnation in the courtyard.

However, he detected faint spirit power fluctuations in a corner. Another formation? He quickly deployed several formation flags, revealing a tiny, concealed teleportation formation. Age had likely caused its spirit power leakage. After stepping onto the formation and activating it with two spirit stones, Ye Mo vanished in a flash of white light.

A bone-chilling cold enveloped him. He'd arrived in a world of ice and snow. The sound of cracking bones echoed as he emerged, forcing him to quickly utilize cultivation essence for protection. This place was far colder than the outskirts of the Ice God Forbidden Grounds—a nascent soul cultivator would freeze instantly. The cold intensified, compelling Ye Mo to deploy his octagonal cauldron for protection.

Was this the true Ice God Forbidden Grounds? Even at the peak of the Hollow Spirit state, with the cauldron's protection, he struggled. Ordinary Hollow Spirit or Body Condensation cultivators wouldn't survive.

His spiritual sense revealed a unique sight amidst the ice shards, mountains, and snow: a verdant tree. As he approached, the cold lessened, and he eventually stowed the cauldron.

At the tree stood a woman of unparalleled beauty, her gaze fixed on Ye Mo. He instinctively stepped back, awkwardly saluting. "I'm Ye Mo. I arrived by accident. Forgive my intrusion, senior."

It was strange; his spiritual sense had detected only the tree, not the woman. Her beauty was breathtaking, indescribable. Her unmoving gaze revealed the truth: she'd been dead for centuries. Without the tree, she'd likely be a frozen statue like the maids.

Feeling a pang of sadness, he performed several mind-clearing spells and prepared to leave. The tree was clearly an extraordinary spirit item to remain evergreen in such a place, but its nature was unknown.

He didn't consider taking the tree or performing his divine damnation here. He feared that removing the tree would turn the beautiful woman to ice. It wasn't love, simply an appreciation for beauty. Even this tree couldn't rival his Bitter Bamboo, one of the ten great spirit items.

He turned to leave, seeking a new location for his divine damnation. A few meters away, a voice filled with despair echoed, "Take me away... take me away..."

Stunned, Ye Mo scanned with his full spiritual sense, finding nothing. The woman remained visible, undeniably deceased, with tears tracing her pale face.

Had he misheard? He retreated, and the plea sounded again, this time directly in his ear. It was the dead woman, using a posthumous technique to leave a message activated by an outsider's presence.

The predicament weighed on Ye Mo. He wanted to help but didn't know where to take her. His Golden Page World was full. He recoiled at the thought of adding her there.

A small jade slip rested on her head. It read, "Blue Bead is my world. Please deliver the Blue Bead to the Ice God Palace. Qing Ru will be eternally grateful…"

He didn't know the Blue Bead or the Ice God Palace. As he pondered, the tree trembled. He thought he'd imagined it, but the tree transformed into a blue bead, and the woman vanished inside.

The Blue Bead resembled his Golden Page World—a small world. His spiritual sense couldn't penetrate it. He placed it in his Golden Page World, perplexed by Qing Ru's trust. Small worlds were rare and highly desirable.

"Perhaps only I wouldn't care," Ye Mo mused, shaking his head. He favored his Golden Page World, considering it superior, even more than just a small world. Qing Ru likely had no choice; if she did, she wouldn't relinquish her world.

Examining the jade slip, Ye Mo decided to address the Ice God Palace later. He had far too many pressing matters.