Yao Bao'er had already drawn her dagger and walked towards the Ice Bear King.
As she walked, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Boss, you're so cool..."
To Yao Bao'er, the Ice Bear King's gallbladder was an excellent medicinal ingredient, something she absolutely could not miss.
On the other side, Ye Cangtian remained silent, his expression a little grim. He could feel a very powerful aura emanating from the distant castle.
Not long after, Yao Bao'er finished collecting the gallbladder, and Ye Cangtian led the way towards the castle.
Along the way, the ice bears all made way, and without any obstruction, Ye Cangtian and his group soon arrived inside the castle.
"Welcome to Tianmen Fort, the first distinguished guests in tens of thousands of years!"
"Everyone, please come inside. I will be waiting for you on the third floor!"
As soon as Ye Cangtian stepped into the castle, a woman's voice echoed. The voice was very calm, yet exceptionally pleasant to the ear.
At the same time, the guards in the castle who were still on alert instantly resumed their upright standing postures, as if waiting for Ye Cangtian and his group to inspect them.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian did not hesitate and directly led his men through the guards and ascended the stairs.
...
The great hall on the third floor.
Upon arriving here, Ye Cangtian and his group were instantly awestruck.
The hall was vast, its area half again as large as the Hall of Light where the Pope resided.
The entire hall was constructed from ice, appearing like a crystal palace at first glance, magnificent and beautiful.
If it were just this, Ye Cangtian and his group would not have been surprised.
The reason was that on both sides of the hall stood rows of ice sculptures. These ice sculptures were not of humans but of various beasts.
And they were not made of ice, but were living creatures frozen within.
Upon seeing this, Ye Cangtian's gaze once again fell upon the main seat, where a peerlessly beautiful woman sat on an ice throne, clad in a white dress, looking somewhat languid.
It seemed she was not as beautiful as she appeared, but a truly formidable character!
While Ye Cangtian was murmuring to himself, the woman on the other side was also observing Ye Cangtian.
"I am the Lord of Tianmen Fort, Han Xiang!"
"Human powerhouse, why did you bring people to Tianmen Fort and kill my pet!"
The pleasant voice came, and Ye Cangtian smiled slightly, not answering the question, but retorting, "You are not human?"
"Naturally, I am not human!"
"No! To be precise, I should have been human once, but now... it's hard to say, perhaps just a puppet with a human appearance!"
Han Xiang cast a glance at Ye Cangtian with her large eyes, then raised an eyebrow and continued, "You still haven't answered my question. This is very impolite!"
Listening to Han Xiang's words, Ye Cangtian frowned.
It seemed Han Xiang, like other powerful figures, had mysteriously died in ancient times and then revived, trapped in a certain area and unable to leave.
Ye Cangtian couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. To imprison, and even control, so many Heavenly-grade powerhouses, what kind of strength would that require!
Thinking thus, Ye Cangtian spoke, "I was merely passing by to capture a Three-Eyed Ice Toad, so I came in to take a look! As for that ice bear, you can't blame me. I already gave it a chance..."
"Human powerhouse, my pet was a little mischievous."
"With your strength, repelling it should not be a problem. Why kill it, and even kill it for its gall?"
Han Xiang's expression turned cold. If it were just injuring the ice bear, she wouldn't have minded, as the other party had indeed given the ice bear a chance.
But now that it had been directly killed, it was difficult for her to accept.
"So are you going to settle the score with me?"
Hearing Han Xiang's words, Ye Cangtian's expression changed, and he questioned her.
It was clear the other party was someone who wouldn't let things go, and there was no point in further discussion. It was better to act directly.
"Heh heh, settling scores is not the case."
"However, you did kill a pet that accompanied me for many years. If you don't make some compensation, it probably wouldn't be appropriate, would it?"
Seeing Ye Cangtian's expression turn cold, Han Xiang smiled slightly and said calmly.
"Oh? Then I'd like to hear what compensation you want?"
Ye Cangtian looked at her with curiosity. Although he had come here for adventure and to find treasures,
if the owner of this place was reasonable and kind, he wouldn't want to resort to violence.
"It's very simple. Given the Ice Bear King's cultivation, it had no problem living for another hundred years."
"So, as long as you agree to stay with me for a hundred years, all our grievances will be settled!"
Han Xiang's gaze swept over Ye Cangtian, and she said indifferently.
For her, being sealed in this secret realm, although she had some guards and pets for company, seeing the same familiar faces every day made her feel deeply lonely.
Now that strangers had finally arrived, she truly didn't intend to let them go easily.
"Heh heh."
Hearing the other party say that, Ye Cangtian immediately laughed.
A hundred years was but a fleeting moment for Han Xiang.
For him, it wasn't too long either. With his cultivation reaching the Heavenly grade and above, a hundred years of lifespan was not a big deal!
But the problem was, could he wait, and could others wait?
The Hidden Sect had only just risen, and many forces were eyeing the Hidden Sect covetously. If he stayed here for a hundred years, he truly didn't know what would happen to the Hidden Sect!
Furthermore, there was Tang Xinwan. How could he abandon Tang Xinwan for a hundred years?
More importantly, Tang Xinwan was an ordinary person.
Although he had secretly infused her with spiritual energy, greatly improving her physique, it was hard to guarantee she wouldn't turn into a "pink skeleton" after a hundred years.
With just these two issues, Ye Cangtian could not possibly agree.
Thinking thus, he looked at Han Xiang and said indifferently, "What if I don't agree?"
Han Xiang's expression remained unchanged, a smile still on her face. She replied, "That might not be up to you. Although you have reached the Heavenly grade, you are only in the mid to late stage. Against me, you have no chance of winning!"
She paused and continued, "I advise you to think carefully. If you stay, there will be endless benefits."
Listening to Han Xiang's words, Ye Cangtian asked curiously, "Then tell me, what benefits are there?"
Upon hearing this, Han Xiang's smile became even more pronounced. In her opinion, the other party's question indicated that he was already considering staying.
The next moment, she quickly said, "In the eyes of your human race, my appearance should be considered passable, right? If you stay, we can get married, and perhaps even have a child."
"Of course, everything in Tianmen Fort, including myself, can be yours..." Han Xiang added.
She was naturally not a dissolute person, but she greatly admired Ye Cangtian's talent.
To have reached the Heavenly grade at such a young age, his talent was definitely extraordinary.
If they could combine, let alone whether she could escape from her confinement in the future, even their offspring's talent would undoubtedly be heaven-defying.
At that point, it wouldn't matter whether Ye Cangtian was present or not; their child would accompany her and perhaps even help her escape.
Of course, this was just Han Xiang's personal thought, but her words, when falling into Ye Cangtian's ears, filled him with infinite disgust.
"You've found the wrong person. I already have a wife!"
Ye Cangtian smiled, his smile very cold, and continued, "However, if you are lonely, how about my guards?"
Ye Cangtian looked at Zhang Yong, not truly intending to leave Zhang Yong behind to marry her.
Han Xiang not only wanted to keep him for a hundred years but also to start a family and have children with him, which had already crossed his bottom line.
Therefore, he deliberately used Zhang Yong to mock her.
"This..."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yong immediately became nervous. Although Han Xiang was very beautiful and powerful, he did not want to stay for a hundred years.
However, when he looked at Ye Cangtian's cold face, he immediately understood everything. Ye Cangtian wasn't really intending to leave him behind.
"You! You scoundrel!"
On the other side, Han Xiang's gentle demeanor vanished. She directly cursed Ye Cangtian.
She had just expressed her feelings to Ye Cangtian, but he treated her like a promiscuous woman available to anyone and pushed her towards a good-for-nothing.
How could she tolerate this!
Thinking thus, she directly stood up from the ice throne, pointed an angry finger at Ye Cangtian, and questioned, "Is your wife prettier than me? Or stronger than me? Can she produce high-quality offspring with you?"