The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

The voice came so suddenly, it was as if someone was speaking right next to Shen Yifei's ear, but he could clearly sense that there was no sign of life around him.

Shen Yifei gripped the Long Sky Sword tightly and looked around. There was only his own shadow on the ice wall; there wasn't a single person, not even a ghost.

"Who is it? Stop playing tricks and come out to speak!" Shen Yifei shouted sternly.

"And who are you? How did you get here?" The voice rang out again, ethereal and seemingly coming from all directions at the same time.

But Shen Yifei sensed that familiar fluctuation of spiritual energy again!

Shen Yifei took a few steps in the direction from which the fluctuations came and discovered an inconspicuous ice hole in the side wall.

The entrance to the cave was sealed by a layer of ice crystals, blending seamlessly with the ice wall. If it weren't for the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from inside, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.

"Is anyone inside?" Shen Yifei asked tentatively.

However, there was no response.

"Is anyone inside? If you don't speak, I'm coming in!"

Shen Yifei tapped the ice crystal hard, but it was surprisingly solid and didn't break.

"It's no use. This ice crystal is protected by a restriction; even I can't break it, let alone someone like you who's only at the early stage of the Tribulation Transcending Realm. You should leave this place immediately; this isn't a place for you!"

The woman spoke more this time, and she spoke very clearly.

Upon hearing the woman's words, Shen Yifei's stubborn streak immediately kicked in.

"You think I shouldn't have come? I'm here anyway!" Shen Yifei patted the layer of ice crystals. "Sister, your barrier is powerful, but I have this quirk: the more inaccessible a door is, the more I want to try!"

As Shen Yifei spoke, he condensed a ball of spiritual energy in his hand, preparing to launch a direct attack.

"Don't waste your energy." The woman's voice carried a hint of helplessness. "This restriction is a technique of the immortals. You, a cultivator in the early stage of the Tribulation Transcending Realm, can't break it. Hurry up and leave before those things find you."

"Immortal techniques?" Shen Yifei narrowed his eyes. "Are you an immortal?"

The woman was silent for a moment. "I...I don't know if I count as an immortal. I only remember that I fell from up there."

"Above? Which above? Above the sky?"

"Hmm... in the sky. I don't remember anything when I fell."

Shen Yifei wondered, could there be a fairy locked inside?

He moved even closer to the layer of ice crystals, and although there was a thick layer of ice between them, he could vaguely see the outline of the person inside.

It was a woman, tall and slender, wearing a white dress with her long hair cascading over her shoulders. Her exact appearance was unclear, but she looked somewhat weak.

"Sister, wait a moment, let me try to break this restriction."

Since this is a restriction set up by immortals, it seems that spiritual power and demonic energy are generally ineffective. Let's try the power of the Five Elements Demon God directly.

Shen Yifei condensed a red aura, and a red ball grew larger and larger in his palm!

He pressed the red light onto the ice crystal.

"Sizzle..."

A soft sound, like a red-hot iron being branded onto ice.

A wisp of white smoke actually rose from the ice crystal.

Fine cracks began to appear on the surface of the ice crystal, centered on the red light, and quickly spread outwards.

"This...how is this possible?" The woman's voice was filled with shock. "This is a celestial barrier, how could you break it?"

"Miss, nothing is impossible in this world." Shen Yifei chuckled, urging the small vortex in his dantian to spin rapidly, and more red energy flowed into the ice crystal through his palm.

"Click...click..."

The cracks multiplied and became increasingly dense. The entire ice cave trembled slightly, and chunks of ice from the ceiling cascaded down.

"Watch out!" the woman exclaimed, "This ice cave is about to collapse!"

Shen Yifei also sensed that something was wrong.

He only intended to break through the ice crystal, but he used too much force, and the entire structure of the ice cave began to loosen.

Large cracks have begun to appear in the ice wall above us, and it could collapse at any moment.

"Damn it, we've really messed up this time!"

He saw that the woman's figure had reached the cave entrance, and inside the cave, there were crashing and clattering sounds of collapse.

Shen Yifei gritted his teeth and punched the cracked ice crystals.

"Bang!"

The ice crystals shattered instantly.

Countless ice blocks fell from the sky. Shen Yifei didn't have time to think. He grabbed the hand that was sticking out from behind the ice crystal, pulled it into his arms, and then soared into the air.

"Rumble..."

The ice cave behind them collapsed completely, and huge blocks of ice crashed to the ground, shaking the entire ice field.

Shen Yifei held the woman, dodging left and right in the narrow crevice, avoiding the constantly falling ice blocks.

He was incredibly fast, weaving and dodging between the ice walls, and soon burst out of the crack.

Shen Yifei landed on the icy plain, panting heavily, his body covered in ice shards.

He glanced down at the woman in his arms, and what he saw made him freeze on the spot.

"Ao Ying... what are you doing here?"

No, Shen Yifei leaned closer for a closer look...

"You...you put it down first..." The woman's voice was soft and sweet, unlike Ao Ying's straightforward voice.

Shen Yifei then realized that although the woman looked very similar to Ao Ying, there were still differences upon closer inspection.

Ao Ying's eyes are golden, while this woman's eyes are ice blue.

Ao Ying's brows carried a hint of heroism, while this woman's brows carried a hint of gentleness and melancholy.

"You...you are Ao Ling'er?" A sudden thought flashed through Shen Yifei's mind, and he blurted out.

When the woman heard the name "Ao Ling'er," her body trembled slightly, and a trace of confusion and pain flashed in her icy blue eyes.

"Ao Ling'er..." she murmured, repeating the name as if trying to recall something. "This name... sounds so familiar..."

"You're Ao Ling'er!" Shen Yifei was so excited he almost jumped up. "Ao Ting's eldest sister! Ao Ying's older sister! You failed your tribulation and ascension, disappearing without a trace. Your parents have been searching for you for decades!"

"Transcending tribulation and ascending to immortality?" Ao Ling'er frowned, her eyes filled with confusion. "I...I don't remember. I only remember...being captured and locked up here...locked up for a very, very long time..."

Shen Yifei quickly took out the jade box he had obtained from the Dragon Palace Treasury from his storage ring, opened the lid, and found Ao Ling'er's jade hairpin inside.

"Look, this is the only thing you left behind after you failed your tribulation. It's from your third brother, Ao Ting... Ao Ting... Do you remember him? He gave it to me!"

She slowly reached out to take the jade hairpin, but as soon as her fingers touched it, she recoiled as if she had been electrocuted.

"No...no..." Ao Ling'er's voice trembled slightly. "I remember now, this jade hairpin...is mine...but I can't touch it! I have a restriction on me, touching it will trigger it..."

Shen Yifei's heart sank, and he quickly put the jade hairpin away. "What kind of restriction? Who put it on you?"

Ao Ling'er shook her head. "I...I don't remember. I only remember that day, when I successfully transcended my tribulation and was about to ascend, a white light suddenly appeared...and then I don't remember anything. When I woke up, I was already imprisoned in this place."

"Was that white light particularly dazzling, so bright that people couldn't open their eyes?" Shen Yifei pressed.

Ao Ling'er nodded. "How did you know?"

Shen Yifei clenched his fist, already understanding most of the situation.

It was that group of people from the Celestial Punishment again!