One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Nie Lingfeng held his Snow Drinking Blade horizontally in front of him, its blade gleaming with a faint blue light and radiating a chilling aura that froze the rising steam from the hot spring into tiny ice crystals. He stared intently at the white-clad woman's illusory figure deep within the cave, his muscles taut, ready to strike at any moment.

"Who are you?" he asked again, his voice as cold as the snow that never melts in the Tianshan Mountains.

The woman in white did not answer. She simply floated closer, like a weightless cloud, her feet never touching the ground, her skirt trailing on the ice without making a sound. Her face remained blurred, as if seen through a layer of mist, only her outline vaguely discernible—beautiful, otherworldly, yet that beauty carried an ancient desolation, like a snow lotus blooming alone atop a snow-capped mountain, or perhaps… a face frozen for a thousand years.

She stopped three zhang away from the hot spring, her gaze passing over Nie Lingfeng and landing on Chen Duo in the pool. In those blurry eyes, two lines of clear tears silently slid down, dripping onto the ice surface, but instead of freezing, they transformed into two crystal-clear ice flowers, slowly blooming.

"Three thousand years..." she finally spoke, her voice soft, like the gentle sound of wind blowing through icicles, "I have finally... waited for you."

Chen Duo stood up from the hot spring, water droplets sliding down her smooth back. The jade phoenix totem on her back became even clearer under the blue light, as if it might take flight at any moment. She turned around to face the woman in white, her emerald eyes gazing at her quietly. There was no fear, no surprise on her face, only... a kind of bewildered calm.

"Do you know me?" Chen Duo asked softly.

"More than just acquaintances." The woman in white raised her hand, and specks of blue light gathered in the void, transforming into a palm-sized, entirely emerald-green phoenix phantom in her palm, exactly the same as the totem on Chen Duo's back. "The blood flowing in your veins is my blood. The mark you bear is my mark. You... are my child."

Nie Lingfeng's pupils suddenly contracted.

Chen Duo... is this woman in white's child?

But wasn't Chen Duo the Gu-body Saint Child who grew up in the Medicine Immortal Society? The company and Liao Zhong had investigated her background; she was supposed to be an orphan from a Miao village in Southwest China, kidnapped by the Medicine Immortal Society. How did she suddenly become… this being who-knows-how-many-years-old being?

"Impossible," Nie Lingfeng said in a deep voice. "Chen Duo grew up in the Medicine Immortal Society, and her parents..."

"Dead." The woman in white interrupted him, her tone as calm as if she were commenting on the weather. "She died three thousand years ago. In that great calamity, the Kunlun lineage was almost wiped out. I used my last strength to seal a wisp of bloodline and cast it into the cycle of reincarnation, awaiting the chance of rebirth."

She looked at Chen Duo, her eyes so gentle they could melt ice and snow: "This wait has lasted three thousand years. Three thousand reincarnations, three thousand rebirths, each time failing because of diluted bloodline or untimely timing. Until this life... you became the 'Gu Body Saint Child'."

Nie Lingfeng's heart stirred: "The Gu-bodied Holy Child... is it related to your bloodline?"

"Yes and no," the woman in white said slowly. "The Kunlun lineage is naturally close to nature and can communicate with plants, insects, and beasts. Those fools in the Medicine Immortal Society accidentally used the ancient 'Ten Thousand Gu Refining Saint' method, which just happened to activate the dormant phoenix bloodline within her. Although the method was cruel and the process was painful, in the end... it allowed her to survive and preserve her complete bloodline imprint."

She paused, then added, "If she hadn't become the Gu Body Saint Child, she would have been just an ordinary Miao girl in this life, dying before she turned twenty due to bloodline depletion. In a sense... the Medicine Immortal Society saved her."

Nie Lingfeng: "..."

This is too revolutionary. He had always thought the Medicine Immortal Society was purely evil, the root cause of all Chen Duo's suffering. But now this mysterious woman is saying that the Medicine Immortal Society...unintentionally saved Chen Duo?

"I don't believe it." Nie Lingfeng shook his head. "If that's really the case, why did you only show up now? Chen Duo suffered so much, being used as a tool, hunted down, and almost dying... Where were you?"

The woman in white remained silent for a long time, so long that the blue light in the cave dimmed.

"I am asleep." She finally spoke, her voice filled with deep weariness. "In the great calamity three thousand years ago, my physical body perished, leaving only a wisp of my soul, which slumbers on this 'Warm Jade Pool.' I will only awaken when I sense the approach of a complete bloodline imprint. And this awakening... will be the last."

She looked at Chen Duo, her eyes filled with reluctance: "Child, my time is running out. Before I completely disappear, there are some things... I must tell you."

As Chen Duo emerged from the hot spring, Nie Lingfeng immediately draped a down jacket over her shoulders. She wrapped the jacket tighter around herself, walked up to the woman in white, and looked up at her, her emerald eyes reflecting the woman's blurry face.

"You said... I'm your child," Chen Duo slowly began, "Then who are my parents...?"

"Your father is the god of Kunlun Mountain, a descendant of Fuxi," the woman in white said softly. "Your mother... is me, the Queen Mother of the West."

Nie Lingfeng gasped.

The Queen Mother of the West?!

The supreme goddess in mythology who rules over Kunlun, is immortal, and commands female immortals? The one repeatedly mentioned in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and "The Tale of King Mu"... the Queen Mother of the West?

"You are...the Queen Mother of the West?" His voice changed.

"I once was." The woman in white—the remnant soul of the Queen Mother of the West—nodded. "Three thousand years ago, the world underwent a great upheaval, spiritual energy was depleted, and the gods perished. I risked my life to preserve a wisp of my bloodline, entering the cycle of reincarnation, waiting for the day when spiritual energy would revive and my bloodline would awaken."

She looked at Chen Duo: "Now, this day... has finally come."

Chen Duo remained silent, processing this information. For her, concepts like "parents," "origins," and "bloodline" were all too distant. What mattered more to her was…

"Then... will you take me with you?" she asked softly, but Nie Lingfeng could detect a hint of nervousness in her voice.

The Queen Mother of the West shook her head, her smile bitter: "I am but a remnant soul, about to dissipate. To take you with me... I cannot do it."

Chen Duo seemed relieved, but immediately asked, "Then... what did you want to see me about?"

"Three things." The Queen Mother of the West extended three fingers, her illusory form fading with each extended finger. "First, I will tell you the truth, so you will know who you are. Second, I will give you... my inheritance."

She raised her hand, her fingertip touching Chen Duo's forehead. A sliver of golden light entered, and Chen Duo's body trembled. The phoenix totem on her back suddenly lit up! Emerald light filled the entire cave, and the phoenix phantom behind her spread its wings, letting out a clear, long cry!

"Ah..." Chen Duo groaned, kneeling on the ground, her hands supporting her weight, her body trembling violently. She could feel a massive influx of information into her mind—cultivation techniques, secret arts, memories, insights... the inheritance belonging to the Queen Mother of the West was awakening deep within her soul.

Nie Lingfeng tried to step forward, but was pushed away by an invisible force. The Queen Mother of the West glanced at him and gently shook her head: "Don't disturb her. This is something she must endure."

The golden light lasted for about fifteen minutes before gradually dimming. Chen Duo slumped to the ground, her body soaked in sweat, but her eyes... had changed. No longer so empty, no longer so lost, they held a settled, ancient majesty.

"The third thing..." The illusory image of the Queen Mother of the West had faded to the point of dissipating like smoke at any moment. Her gaze turned to Nie Lingfeng, lingering on him for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"Huh? You have the aura of a fire qilin within you?"

Nie Lingfeng was taken aback, then nodded: "Yes, I once obtained the Qilin marrow of the Fire Qilin."

The Queen Mother of the West floated closer and carefully examined him; a thoughtful expression seemed to appear on his blurry face.

"The Fire Qilin... an ancient auspicious beast, with a violent nature. The scorching power contained in its blood is beyond the capacity of ordinary people to withstand, and the Qilin marrow is even more terrifying. It is already remarkable that you were able to fuse with the Qilin marrow without suffering a backlash. But this power... has not yet been fully integrated with you."

She paused, as if sensing something, and then said softly, "The Qilin tattoo on your chest is just a facade. The true Qilin marrow is still sealed deep within your bone marrow and has not been fully refined. If you force it, there is still a risk of falling into demonic possession."

Nie Lingfeng's heart skipped a beat. The Queen Mother of the West was right. Although he had obtained the power of the Qilin Marrow, this power was still like a wild horse that had not been fully tamed, requiring him to distract himself and suppress it. Especially when using the Demon Blade, that scorching and violent power could easily go out of control.

"Can you see through this, senior?" he asked in a deep voice.

The Queen Mother of the West smiled slightly, a smile that carried a hint of the arrogance and compassion of an ancient deity: "I have ruled Kunlun for three thousand years. What rare and exotic beasts haven't I seen? Although the Fire Qilin is strong, it is still a beast after all. The innate fire essence contained in its marrow needs to be guided by a special method to be fully integrated into the human body and made into one's own."

She raised her hand, and a point of icy blue light appeared at her fingertips. The light was pure and clear, containing a power that was completely opposite to the blood of the Qilin, extremely cold yet full of vitality.

"Jade Marrow of Yaochi is extremely yin and cold, yet it contains an inexhaustible power of life. It can just right neutralize the violence of Qilin Marrow, helping you to completely integrate with it. You protected my daughter, so I will give you this opportunity."

As soon as he finished speaking, the icy blue light transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into Nie Lingfeng's chest!

"Buzz—!"

Nie Lingfeng trembled violently! The Qilin tattoo on his chest suddenly burst forth with a blazing red light, colliding fiercely with the icy blue light that had invaded his body! Half of his body felt as if it had fallen into an ice cave, chilling him to the bone; the other half felt as if it had been thrown into a furnace, its blood boiling! The two extreme forces collided and tore at each other within his body, and finally... under the guidance of some mysterious power, they began to slowly merge.

He could feel that the fiery and violent Qilin marrow that had been lurking deep in his bone marrow was gradually becoming docile under the protection of Yaochi Jade Marrow, like a tamed wild beast, slowly merging into his blood, bones, and internal organs.

This process was not painful; on the contrary, it had a strange sense of comfort. It was like finding the perfect balance between fire and ice, where the intense heat and the icy cold blended together to create a warm current that nourished every inch of the body.

After an unknown amount of time, the light gradually faded.

Nie Lingfeng opened his eyes and looked down at his chest. The once blood-red Qilin tattoo had turned a pale gold, its lines clearer and more profound, yet it no longer possessed that burning, restless energy. He could feel that the power of the Qilin marrow had completely merged with him, as easily as his own limbs, with no more worries about backlash.

More importantly—he could clearly sense that his control over "fire" had improved by more than one level! With a slight thought, a cluster of golden-red flames appeared in his palm. The flames were gentle and agile, changing shape and temperature at will according to his wishes.

"This..." A look of surprise flashed in Nie Lingfeng's eyes.

The illusory image of the Queen Mother of the West faded further, becoming almost transparent. She looked at Nie Lingfeng and nodded gently: "The Qilin Marrow has completely merged with you. From now on, it is your own power, and there is no longer any risk of it going berserk. The peculiar cultivation technique within you... seems to have also resonated with the power of the Qilin, and its power should be even greater than before."

She paused, her gaze shifting between Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo, finally settling on Nie Lingfeng's face, her tone solemn:

"Now, it's time for the final thing—you, take good care of her."

Nie Lingfeng snapped out of his reverie and nodded solemnly: "I will."

"Talk is cheap." The Queen Mother of the West smiled, a hint of cunning in her smile. "I have to... test you."

As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand and waved!

"Buzz—!!!"