I Grind to Martial Saint

Deep down, he was still inclined to check out the Ice Palace.

But judging by the current situation, it seemed he was the only one entertaining the idea.

He definitely wouldn’t dare to go in alone.

ROOOOAR—

A sudden, dragon-like roar echoed through Snow Dragon Mountain.

”What’s going on?”

the Scholar asked urgently.

”This... This is the Snow Dragon King! It’s enraged!”

One-Eyed Dragon’s expression changed drastically.

The next moment.

The blizzard became exceptionally violent, even fiercer than what they had encountered before.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

An endless tempest of snow swept through, like the roar of a snow dragon.

It was a sight both spectacular and utterly hopeless.

”Quick, get inside the Ice Palace and take cover!”

”Or else we’ll all die out here!”

the young Scholar said.

The Snow Dragon King’s rages lasted for a very long time. It wouldn’t subside in just a short while.

”Go!”

One-Eyed Dragon had no choice.

Of everyone present, his constitution was the weakest. Facing the Snow Dragon King’s fury was like stepping through the Ghost Gate for him.

For him, the only hope was to take shelter in the Ice Palace.

The Scholar ran toward the Ice Palace, with One-Eyed Dragon in tow.

Han Yuan didn’t stop them.

His eyes flickered for a moment before he followed them.

Seeing this, the old monk and the tall, thin man could only follow them toward the mysterious Ice Palace.

And so, because of the Snow Dragon King’s sudden fury, the five of them were forced to enter the mysterious Ice Palace.

...

Inside was a vast, empty palace of ice crystal.

Ice pillars stood on all sides, but other than that, the hall was completely empty.

”There’s nothing here at all?”

Seeing this, the young Scholar couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

He had originally thought the Ice Palace would hold some kind of treasure.

From the looks of it, it had probably been looted clean long ago.

”We should just be grateful we’re alive.”

”It’s better that there’s nothing... At least we don’t have to worry about running into any danger.”

”We’ll hide here until the Snow Dragon King’s fury passes, then we can leave.”

One-Eyed Dragon said.

Han Yuan surveyed the Ice Palace and said casually, ”I heard the Snow Dragon King’s rages last for over three months?”

”That’s the total duration. In reality, each fit of rage lasts about seven days. Then it subsides for a few days before flaring up again.”

”We have to use those lulls to keep moving.”

One-Eyed Dragon said.

Hiding in the Ice Palace the entire time wasn’t an option either.

The provisions he carried weren’t nearly enough to last that long.

”Then let’s just wait for the Snow Dragon King’s rage to pass for now,”

Han Yuan said quietly.

The group searched the empty, cold Ice Palace once more. After confirming there was no danger, they gathered in an open area to rest.

”The weather on this Snow Dragon Mountain is hellish.”

”This blizzard came out of nowhere.”

The young Scholar scratched his head.

He had thought they would cross Snow Dragon Mountain without a hitch.

He never expected to end up trapped in this Ice Palace.

”We’re already lucky.”

”At least we’re still alive.”

One-Eyed Dragon said quietly.

”One-Eyed Dragon... you’ve never heard any legends about this Ice Palace?”

Han Yuan asked.

”No... I’ve been traveling through Snow Dragon Mountain for many years, and I’ve never heard of any Ice Palace.”

One-Eyed Dragon shook his head.

”How interesting.” Han Yuan smiled but didn’t elaborate.

WHOOSH... WHOOSH...

Sitting inside the Ice Palace, listening to the sound of the raging blizzard outside, they felt an unexpected sense of tranquility.

Then... an unexpected wave of drowsiness washed over Han Yuan.

Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

It wasn’t just him.

The old monk, the tall, thin man, the young Scholar, and One-Eyed Dragon had all fallen asleep as well.

Even the Orange Cat was curled up on Han Yuan’s lap, fast asleep.

「A short while later.」

The tall, thin man and One-Eyed Dragon, however, eerily opened their eyes.

They exchanged a smile.

”I didn’t expect this to be so easy.”

One-Eyed Dragon said with a grin.

”It’s a shame about the other two. They couldn’t even fend off the Resentful Spirits outside.”

The tall, thin man, who had been silent the entire time, actually spoke.

His voice was sinister and cold, laced with apathy.

”Worthless trash like that would only displease the master if offered as a sacrifice.”

One-Eyed Dragon shook his head.

”True... But this old monk and Han Yuan... their qi and blood are so potent.”

”The master will surely be satisfied.”

The tall, thin man nodded.

”Let’s begin the ritual.”

One-Eyed Dragon took a deep breath and pulled a palm-sized Ice Sculpture from his pack.

The Ice Sculpture depicted a vicious ghoul wearing armor and wielding an Ice Blade. Its face was savage, and it exuded a cold, bloodthirsty aura.

One-Eyed Dragon had been lying earlier.

In fact, he had been inside this very Ice Palace six months prior.

A massive blizzard had nearly cost One-Eyed Dragon his life.

Back then, he and the tall, thin man had stumbled into this place by chance—or perhaps they had been drawn here by some mysterious force.

In any case, they had found themselves in this Ice Palace.

It was inside the Ice Palace that they had found this Ice Ghost Statue.

Ever since, One-Eyed Dragon and the tall, thin man had used the pretense of guiding people across the Snow Dragon Mountain Range to lure them into the Ice Palace and sacrifice them to the Ice Ghost Statue.

Just as One-Eyed Dragon placed the Ice Ghost Statue on the ground and prepared to begin the blood sacrifice...

”So, that statue is how you control the blizzards, isn’t it?”

Han Yuan, who had woken up at some point, spoke out of the blue.

One-Eyed Dragon and the tall, thin man jumped in fright. Turning to see it was Han Yuan, they asked in horror, ”How did you wake up?”

They had done this many times before and had never once failed.

Anyone influenced by the Ice Ghost Statue would inevitably fall into a deep slumber.

But who could have expected Han Yuan to suddenly awaken?

”You just need a firm enough will to resist it.”

Han Yuan got to his feet.

The moment he’d felt drowsy, he knew something was wrong. He had immediately circulated the Innate Great Demon Scripture, using its frenzied, violent energy to stimulate his mind. He hadn’t truly fallen asleep, merely pretended to.

He had only wanted to see who was pulling the strings.

Now, it was clear that One-Eyed Dragon was the one manipulating everything.

”It’s useless even if you are awake.”

”The moment you entered this Ice Palace, you were doomed to die.”

After his initial panic, One-Eyed Dragon quickly composed himself.

He sneered and formed a strange seal with his hands.

”Master, awaken!”

VMMMM!!!

The Ice Ghost Statue on the ground instantly expanded, transforming into a three-meter-tall behemoth that looked down on Han Yuan like a demonic god.

A twisted, frigid aura suddenly filled the Ice Palace.

WOOOO... WOOOO...

The inexplicable, piercing sound of a blizzard echoed all around.

The temperature in the entire Ice Palace plummeted.

But Han Yuan’s gaze remained calm as he quietly met the stare of the Ice Ghost Statue.

”You dare to gaze upon me, mortal?!”

The next moment.

The Ice Ghost Statue came to life, its voice ice-cold.

’An Evil Demon Seed dares to put on airs in front of me?’

Han Yuan saw through the creature in a single glance.

It was nothing more than an Evil Demon Seed.

”Hmph!”

The Ice Ghost suddenly brandished its pale blue Ice Blade and pointed it at Han Yuan.

CRACK!

A wave of extreme cold instantly enveloped Han Yuan.

His entire body froze over, rapidly turning him into an Ice Sculpture.

Seeing this, One-Eyed Dragon couldn’t help but sneer. ”And here I thought you were so tough. You couldn’t even withstand a single blow from the master!”

The Ice Ghost said nothing, merely raising its Ice Blade, intending to slice Han Yuan in half.

BANG!

A shower of ice shards exploded outward!

A figure leaped out from the blast.

WHOOSH!

Amid the explosive whistle of displaced air,

Han Yuan’s Kuixing Kick slammed viciously into the Ice Ghost’s chin.

The Ice Ghost felt a terrifying force slam into it, sending the creature stumbling back several steps.

”He’s still alive...”

One-Eyed Dragon’s expression changed.

The tall, thin man also frowned deeply, but he still spoke up. ”It’s fine... The master will definitely take care of him.”

”Right!” One-Eyed Dragon hurriedly agreed.

The Ice Ghost, now furious, glared at Han Yuan, raised its Ice Blade high, and slashed through the air!

RUMBLE!

An ice dragon seemed to rise from the floor of the Ice Palace as a dense wave of ice spikes erupted and surged toward Han Yuan.