Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 1413 – Seeing The Demon Lord Again, Cold And Glamourous Like Ice

“If I said that I want to pursue your Palace Lord, would you believe me?” Qing Shui thought for a bit and then asked.

The First Elder was obviously shocked. After he looked weirdly at Qing Shui for a while, he finally said, “If it was before, I would definitely say no in front of you. But right now, I don’t know if I should believe it or not.”

“I want to join the Demon Lord Palace, will this be alright?” Qing Shui said with a laugh.

“Alright, I will also grant you an Elder position,” the First Elder said with joy, his old eyes had a certain brightness that was indescribable.

“When can I see the Palace Lord then?” Qing Shui could care less about an Elder position within the Demon Lord Palace.

“The Palace Lord’s whereabouts are adrift, she is rarely in the palace. Most matters are only passed on as a message to the Palace Lord, otherwise, it is discussed amongst us old folks.” The First Elder laughed.

Qing Shui was not dejected. He knew that the Demon Lord traveled back and forth between the World of the Nine Continents. Though he did not know where she travels to, he didn’t think that he would just find her immediately once he arrived at the Demon Lord Palace.

Now that Qing Shui was within the Demon Lord Palace, he knew that what he had seen was only the tip of the iceberg. The real Demon Lord Palace was something that not many could get into.

The First Elder took Qing Shui to get his uniform, weapons, and whatnot by himself. These were just tokens of status, though these things were of decent quality, Qing Shui had no use for them.

Elder Token. The Demon Lord Palace’s Elder Token was pretty decent. There were only a few members in the Demon Lord Palace, but each one of them was best of the best. Even the most normal members had unlimited potential.

The Demon Lord Palace’s conditions for accepting recruits were the harshest. Usually, they were people who had no other options or they carried revenge that ran too deep. It did not matter if that person had no cultivation, as long as they had good innate talent, the will to kill, and strong perseverance.

The Demon Lord Palace contained a secret Demon Fountain. Legend has it that each person’s heart had a demon hidden within. Once they reached a certain requirement, they would be able to use the Demon Fountain which will awaken the demon within their heart.

The legend’s saying was mysterious. Qing Shui thought that he could say it in a different way to make better sense of it. Just like Qing Sha, Qing Shui should have been well suited for the Demon Fountain. Though, it was the him before as he had no need for it now.

The Demon Lord Palace was a large sect, and it had 12 Earthly Branches. The Elder Association was independent of the branches, they take orders directly from the Palace Lord. The Elder Association did not have the power to refute the Palace Lord’s decision.

This was what Qing Shui heard from the First Elder, moreover, it was a decision made by the committee of Elders. The 12 Earthly Branches also took orders from the Palace Lord, but the committee of Elders does not have command over the 12 Earthly Branches.

Basically, things were like that!

The Elder Association was a job without many obligations. There was only an Elder Association here. There was no Supreme Elder, Custodians or the like, as everyone was classified as an Elder. These people usually did not have much to do, only when a special need arises do they fight. Anything that could be resolved by the 12 Earthly Branches would not require any action from the Elders.

Qing Shui entered the Elder Association directly due to his strength and medical prowess. An exception was made, otherwise, he could not become an Elder immediately.

An Elder’s duty was to protect the safety of the Demon Lord Palace inside and out.

Qing Shui was given a small manor, as Elders had this sort of status. There was no limit on the freedom of an Elder, however, there were areas within the Demon Lord Palace that were prohibited from entry.

In addition, he was permitted to enter the medical chamber of the Demon Lord Palace.

The Demon Lord Palace was very relaxed. If he wanted to go out, he could ride his flying mount out from his manor. Qing Shui was bored within his manor, perhaps he was going to kill time here by himself?

If she does not return, was he going to stay here the entire time to wait for her?

Qing Shui thought, and after awhile he had found an answer. Even if she did return, then what of it? There was nothing he could change. Qing Shui had already joined the Demon Lord Palace now. If she made enemies, or to be fair, she became an enemy of many powers within the Soaring Dragon Continent, what could he do then?

Suddenly, he felt like there wasn’t much he could do.

Just like that, one month had passed. Qing Shui had returned to the Central Continent once in between, he once again brought two more family members over. The Phoenix Dance Continent had stabilized, and he already had a large family there.

Luan Luan’s ability was improving significantly every day. Though everyone’s abilities had increased, hers was especially scary. Moreover, her beasts were also getting more powerful.

……

The second time Qing Shui returned to the Demon Lord Palace, he felt a strange, yet familiar feeling. Without thinking about it, he knew that she had returned to the palace.

This was a strange and familiar resonance.

In fact, she also felt the same feeling.

Qing Shui looked towards the deep region of the Demon Lord Palace, he felt a familiar spiritual sense and he was getting excited. He had been working hard since long ago, and this woman was one of the reasons why.

He joined the Demon Lord Palace because of this woman. Otherwise, he would not simply enter any of the established powers. But if it was this woman’s organization, it did not matter what type of organization it was, he would still join. The reason behind his actions was because he did not know any means on how he could easily approach her.

With this woman’s temperament, Qing Shui felt that directly looking for her was basically bringing trouble to himself. Rome was not built in one day. He did not believe that he had an amazing charm, moreover, he had absolutely no understanding of this woman.

However, Qing Shui felt that he had an obligation to let her know he was here and that she was the reason why he was here.

Qing Shui slowly followed the spiritual sense out of the courtyard. He followed the feeling towards the deeper regions of the Demon Lord Palace.

He was not moving very quickly, but he was a specialist in the Mystical Gate Formation, thus there was no risk of him being trapped. Furthermore, with his status as an Elder, there were many places he could enter and he would not be obstructed.

Just like that, Qing Shui had traversed many sceneries. The surrounding arrangements were mystical and very powerful, it was all part of a formation technique and the Mystical Gate Escape Arts. If Qing Shui was not an expert, he would not be able to pass through.

Turning past a mountain rampart, it became a world of ice. The temperature here was very low and carried a bone-chilling cold atmosphere.

Ice Palace!

Everything here was made purely from ice. It was like an Ice Palace that came from a dream or fantasy world. Before the Ice Palace were ice trees, ice supports, ice sculptures and many more.

Perhaps this was the world within her heart, an ice-like world?

“Halt, this is a place not to be trespassed by anyone, please return!”

Two women wearing black clothes were blocking Qing Shui’s way. This stunned Qing Shui for a bit. These two women were strong, cold as ice, but elegant. However, compared to that woman, these two were much weaker.

These two women were probably her most trustworthy people. Their strength was high, which left Qing Shui uncertain of that woman’s actual strength. Normally, she should be much stronger than these two!

“I have matters to meet with the Palace Lord,” Qing Shui said.

“If you have something to say then tell us, we will pass the message on,” the cool, elegant, and tall woman on the left said.

“Then say that a person from the past wants to see her,” Qing Shui said after much thought.

The woman looked at Qing Shui strangely, then disappeared. Qing Shui’s spiritual sense could detect there were around a dozen female martial artists inside that were around the guards’ level. Though many seemed to be in their prime, many of them were already elderly.

Only Qing Shui and the other female guard remained. This female was slightly shorter than the other one, her well-rounded body almost made her black clothing to burst. She attentively stared at Qing Shui. Qing Shui believed that if he made any movements, this woman would probably take action.

After a while, the other woman returned. Her expression was weird, but she pointed to the area in front and said, “Walk forward, after you pass the small yard, you will see the Palace Lord waiting for you there.”

Qing Shui was stunned, he had thought of only giving it a try. He didn’t think that she actually wanted to meet him. Thus, he was excited. He thanked the two guards and walked forward.

“The Palace Lord actually wants to see him?” Qing Shui left, the woman who had been staring at Qing Shui asked the other woman.

“En, it seems like the Palace Lord was aware that he arrived.”

“He said he was a person of the past to the Palace Lord, what kind of person is that?” The woman asked in confusion.

“Alright, let’s not talk about this matter. We have already followed the Palace Lord for this long. Knowing who the Palace Lord is, given her character, what you are saying is impossible.”

……

The floor beneath his feet was covered in ice, without a speck of dust. Everything in this place appeared like it was made with crystal. Qing Shui was not walking too fast, but the distance to his destination was not far now. Soon, he had passed the small yard and entered the Ice Palace.

As he passed through the small yard, he didn’t think that he would be in the inner parts of the Ice Palace.

It was like a world covered in ice, like a world within a boundary. The ice here was not normal ice. Even if a fire was to roast this place, it would not melt. All the decorations were crafted from crystals. Qing Shui felt like this place was beyond reality.

In front of him was a charming silhouette that would bewitch any mortal. It made Qing Shui thought of the first time he saw her!

The woman within the crystal coffin had her eyes closed, with her hair tied in a bun. Just like a heavenly woman, her eyebrows looked gentle, without any need for face powder or liner. She had a snow-like skin and a blush like that of a morning sun. Just like that, she looked as though she was sleeping.

An unusually beautiful woman, wearing plain white clothing that could not camouflage her heavenly figure. It was as though she was chiseled from a stone into a beautiful statue. Her body could charm the soul of men, with waists that curved with her alluring lean body. Her body appeared so tender and delicate as though it had been carved out of jade by the gods. Her feet were left bare to glimmer within the light refracted by the crystal.

Even now, as she lied there with her eyes closed, she still gave off the temperament that could not be blasphemed. This woman was someone who Qing Shui could not approach. It was not because of her cold appearance, but due to her aloof temperament that came from her soul. This nature gave off a sense of pride.That was when she was within the crystal coffin. However, doesn’t the Ice Palace now act like a bigger version of the crystal coffin?

A woman like a divine goddess!

Looking at her silhouette, Qing Shui still could not regain his focus. There was a feeling within him that could not be described.

The woman slowly turned around, as cool and elegant as before. A peerless talent within the frigid cold!

The woman stared at Qing Shui for a while. She was internally surprised. Every time she saw him, he would always have an incredibly rapid increase in strength from the last time they met. Twenty years ago, he was weak and incomparable even to an ant. Twenty years later, he had finally reached such a level. It was not as simple as a miracle anymore.

She had been sealed and had been slowly gaining her strength, but he had been honestly progressing to increase his strength.

Qing Shui felt that this woman was like a bottomless pit, though right now, it did not feel as deep. This was something that he could be happy about.

Seeing this woman, Qing Shui was speechless. It seemed that saying anything would be redundant. In front of this woman, he felt unworthy. It was worse than the immaturity he felt when he was before Yehuang Guwu previously.

“Nice to see you. I finally get to meet you.” Qing Shui idled for a while before saying something funny. But in truth, for a long time, to see her here was not an easy thing. These words were said with much of his feeling embedded.

The woman felt calm as she listened to Qing Shui’s words. She seemed to understand Qing Shui’s mood. She said lightly, “What is making you attached? You should let go.”