Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

At the edge of space, the distorted laws collapsed instantly. Five figures, interspersed with fragments of void, crashed heavily into a gray wasteland. Silence reigned, no spiritual energy stirred; all life in the world had been forcibly stripped away.

Everywhere one looked was an endless expanse of withered, gray bones. The remains were enormous, some coiled like mountains, others piercing the sky, all covered with a layer of dark blue ice. There was no wind, only the slow flow of deathly energy that froze the very soul. This was the forbidden land of the Demon Court, the core of the Death Vein.

Gu Xiang's feet touched the ground, and his righteous energy flowed instinctively. The dark golden energy had barely spilled out an inch from his body when it was forcibly forced back into his dantian by the extreme cold death energy. He frowned slightly, and his hands silently tucked into his sleeves, mobilizing the Great Zhou's national fortune to circulate within his meridians to resist the cold.

On the other side, Bai Yin's reaction was even more direct. On his bare, broad back, newly formed scabs quickly turned into pale frost. The extremely fierce and scorching Geng metal aura of the far west was now freezing the surface of his flesh, causing tiny cracking sounds. Bai Yin groaned, his muscles suddenly tensing as he forcefully locked the aura into his bones and blood, relying solely on his peak Great Saint Realm physical body to withstand the bone-chilling cold.

Unlike the other two, Su Chang'an stood in the desolate wilderness, her illusory remnant soul incredibly stabilizing. Her pure white robes hung silently in the deadly land. Here, without the external laws of spiritual annihilation cutting through, the extremely yin death energy that extinguished life became a warm bed for her rootless soul. The edges of her soul, which had almost melted away, slowly condensed into clear outlines under the nourishment of the yin cold.

The spatial rift behind him completely closed. Di Shitian landed, his face expressionless. He raised his hand and slowly brushed away the void dust from his dark gold nine-dragon imperial robe; the ashen powder vanished the moment it touched his fingertips. He straightened his sleeves, his demon emperor's majesty fully displayed. He didn't utter a word, nor did he activate his source energy; he simply stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep and unfathomable, fixed on Su Chang'an's back as if it were a dead object. His eyes were filled with arrogance and calculation.

Tianpeng withdrew his gaze, held the nine-toothed rake upside down, its teeth leaving grayish-white streaks on the frosty ground, and silently led the way. Gu Xiang and Bai Yin moved swiftly, flanking Su Chang'an. Their blue robes were cold and their aura fierce. The two men's auras intertwined, locking onto Di Shitian, who was slowly following behind, leaving no blind spots.

Five people traversed the desolate wasteland. Along the way, enormous demon bones were sealed within black ice, seemingly struggling in their final moments. After traveling for about half an hour, a dilapidated palace, swallowed by a dark blue ice mountain, suddenly appeared before them. The palace was ancient and grand, yet it seemed to have been torn apart from within by the power of destruction. Collapsed jade pillars and shattered glass were all frozen beneath the solid ice. Above the main hall, half a broken plaque was stuck diagonally in the ice, with remnants of the ancient seal script for "Guanghan" remaining.

Tianpeng stopped a hundred paces away. Gazing up at the broken plaque, his usually slightly tipsy eyes were now filled with an overwhelming sorrow. His fingers, gripping the rake, tightened inch by inch, his knuckles turning ashen white.

"Ten thousand years ago, the Demon Court was at its peak." Tianpeng's voice was dry, slowly echoing across the icy plains. "All the heavens believed that Chang'e, unable to bear the Demon Court's oppression, jumped into the Milky Way in despair, ending up annihilated, body and soul." Gu Xiang's eyes flickered, his gaze shifting between the palace and Tianpeng. Bai Yin frowned, showing no interest in old grudges, staring intently at Di Shitian. Tianpeng stared at the Guanghan Palace, squeezing out the words through clenched teeth: "That was a deception. Back then, the Demon Court was at its zenith before declining, its deathly energy spiraling out of control. If the deathly energy were to erupt, the entire demon realm would be turned into a wasteland. It was she who sent everyone away and locked herself in the Guanghan Palace."

Tianpeng raised his left hand, pointing directly at the massive iceberg. "She didn't jump into the Milky Way. She used her own body as a weapon, detonating the Taiyin Origin, freezing herself and the core of the Death Vein here completely!" Tianpeng's voice trembled uncontrollably. "The ruins the world sees are merely the seal she traded her life for. That Taiyin Moon Amber is the final line of defense suppressing the Death Vein, a ten-thousand-year taboo of the Demon Court!"

The chill intensified. "Enough." A chilling voice abruptly cut off Tianpeng. Di Shitian stood ten steps away, his hands behind his back, his dark golden eyes devoid of any reverence, only filled with a cold desire for domination.

"The Taiyin Moon Amber suppresses the death veins, which is the very foundation of the demon race's existence." Emperor Shitian stared directly at Tianpeng, his imperial robes billowing without wind, the demon emperor's aura slowly spreading. "Tianpeng, you are worshipped by countless demons, yet now, for your own selfish desires and a remnant soul, you intend to push the demon race into an abyss of eternal damnation?" Emperor Shitian's words were piercing, his judgment delivered with righteous indignation. Tianpeng's face tightened, a struggle flashing in his eyes.

Three thousand years of guilt tugged violently at my heart.

But in the end, Tianpeng looked at that face, so identical to Su Xiaojiu's, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath of death. When he opened his eyes again, all struggle had vanished, leaving only resolute determination.

She strode to the iceberg, rake in hand. Upon closer inspection, she realized it wasn't mysterious ice, but a forbidden stone gate formed purely of Yin energy. A chilling blue light swirled around it, its intricate patterns of energy law emanating a terrifying aura that repelled all living beings.

This gate had caused countless powerful beings to perish and turn to ice; even Emperor Shitian, who controlled the origin, could not break through it. Gu Xiang and Bai Yin stepped forward, raising their true energy and killing intent to their peak, guarding against backlash. Behind them, Emperor Shitian looked at Tianpeng, a sneer curling at the corner of his lips. It was a smile of mockery and certainty.

He knew the secrets of the Stone Gate. The token to open it was Chang'e's personal jade pendant. However, that jade pendant had long since shattered and vanished in the sacrifice ten thousand years ago. Without the token, this gate was an insurmountable chasm. He didn't need to stop them; he only waited for these desperate people to crash headlong into the laws and come to their senses. Indra stood with his arms crossed, calmly watching the show. He waited for Tianpeng to return, and for Su Chang'an to despair.

Tianpeng stood before the gate. He hadn't unleashed the power of the stars, nor formed any hand seals to break the formation. After a moment of silence, he made a move that caught everyone completely off guard. He released his grip, his nine-toothed rake slamming heavily onto the ice. Raising his right hand, he formed a knife with his fingers and, without hesitation, plunged it into his left chest!

The dull thud of flesh tearing amplified infinitely in the deathly silence. Before the blood could gush out, it was frozen solid by the extreme cold. Tianpeng's face contorted, veins bulging, cold sweat instantly turning into ice beads. His body trembled violently, his five fingers digging into his own heart! Bai Yin's pupils contracted sharply, Gu Xiang's eyes narrowed, and even Di Shitian, who stood behind him with his arms crossed, froze in his cold laughter. Tianpeng gritted his teeth, a low growl like a wild beast on the verge of death rumbled from his throat, and his right hand lashed out!

Clutching a swarm of blindingly hot blood in her palm, she found a broken jade pendant, radiating an icy blue light, lying still within it. The Yin energy of the same origin flowed around it. This keepsake, which should have dissipated, she had collected its fragments and forcefully implanted in her heart!

For a full millennium, it was nurtured with divine soul and cleansed with the blood of the heart. Every heartbeat was the pain of the laws tearing flesh from the body. A thousand years of heart-wrenching pain, buried deep in bone and blood, all for this day to reopen this gate. Tianpeng knelt on one knee, the bloody hole in his chest a shocking sight.

She gasped for breath and tremblingly handed the jade pendant, stained with her heart's blood, to the forbidden stone door.