Supreme Elder said,
"Come on in, Snow White."
And the girl in the white robe from before came in.
When she saw the snowy scene, she turned around to leave, but Supreme Elder laughed and said,
"Too late, we saw you!"
Reluctantly, she walked back in and started walking toward them slowly through the snow.
She knew things were bad, or there wouldn't be so much snow in here...
Little Mortal asked,
"Who is she?"
Supreme Elder replied,
"Your senior sister."
Little Mortal frowned,
"Is she an elder?"
Supreme Elder shook her head.
"Nope."
"How is that possible?
Only the sect master and elders are my seniors, and the rest are juniors!"
Supreme Elder chuckled and said,
"She is the sect master's disciple, too.
And she was her disciple before you, so she is your senior.
Anyway, who told you you're everyone's senior?"
"The one who wrote my recommendation letter told me..."
And after a pause,
"Wait a minute!
That was for the Sword Sect!
This is the stronghold of the top villainess in the cultivation world!
Here, the strongest gang member is the senior disciple!"
And so he jumped in the snow before they could tell him he wasn't exactly right...
The elders sighed in frustration.
This kid was so disrespectful!
Snow White, who was walking in the snow, heard the conversation and froze on the spot when she found out that the arrogant little brat who had disappeared before was now her junior brother!
Without knowing him, she was already annoyed.
'Who is he calling "top villainess"?'
Seeing none of the elders saying anything, she calmed her anger and stood beside the Supreme Elder.
She was going to report this rude brat to her master.
But at this moment, she suddenly saw a chair belonging to one of the elders—Law Enforcement Elder, to be exact—that was to the side, started moving in the snow by itself.
Then it stopped beside her, and a head popped out and said,
"Sit down, junior sister!
Feel at home."
Snow White subconsciously sat there, but she hastily stood up again.
It was disrespectful to sit at the same table as elders.
Supreme Elder chuckled and said,
"It's fine, sit."
While biting her lower lip, she sat down.
Little Mortal climbed up his backpack and sat on it,
"How was your day, junior sister?"
The elders closed their eyes and secretly marveled at this child's ability to annoy everyone in the first meeting.
And it seemed the theory of 'targeting the strongest' wasn't accurate; it was just random.
Supreme Elder, who saw the little boy's target had changed, watched the show from the side happily while sipping on her tea.
Snow White gave him a sidelong glance,
"It's 'senior sister' for you."
The little boy raised an eyebrow and said,
"Little junior sister, this is a demonic stronghold, and you might not know but—"
He was going to continue talking while stroking his mustache, but he found out there was no mustache.
He 'shaved it' on the way here so his teacher could recognize him.
So he coughed and continued,
"In our demonic stronghold, the strongest is the stronghold's boss, and the strongest gang member is everyone's senior.
Get it?"
The elders felt frustrated.
He was back at it with the stronghold and the boss again.
Supreme Elder was laughing secretly at her sister's misfortune.
Her new disciple wasn't easy to deal with.
Snow White furrowed her brow,
"First off, this is a sect.
And second, I'm stronger than you!
And who are you calling 'stronghold's boss'?"
Little Mortal didn't back down,
"First off, the stronghold's boss is our teacher—how could you not know?
And second, you think you're stronger than me, junior sister?"
The crowd, seeing the back-and-forth between them, was getting close to a possible fight, and became interested!
Did this kid have any tricks up his sleeve to deal with cultivators as a mortal?
"Don't call me 'junior sister'!
And yes, I'm far stronger than you!"
The crowd turned to the little boy.
Now it's your turn.
What are you going to do?
Little Mortal smiled coldly, stood up, rolled up his sleeves even more—like he was going to give his junior a lesson—and as he leaned backwards and dived into the snow once again, maintaining his smile, said,
"Then, let this senior brother test your power!"
And he disappeared in the snow, once again...
The elders became excited!
The fight was on now!
Supreme Elder was ready to interfere if anything were to happen to either of them.
Snow White tried to find the annoying brat, but to her surprise, she couldn't feel his presence in her spiritual sense!
Where did he go?
While shocked, a little snowball hit her face...
All of them turned in the direction from which the snowball had been thrown and saw a small head that had just disappeared there!
They only heard a voice sound from somewhere,
"1–0."
Followed by him giggling!
A moment later, BAM!
The same thing happened three more times, and Snow White was hit with three more snowballs on the head from different places and directions, unable to defend herself.
The elders doubted whether they could dodge the shots if they were in her place.
Little Mortal's voice sounded again,
"4–0."
Snow White gritted her teeth and grew angrier.
How could she get hit so easily?
Then they heard the little boy's voice coming from somewhere really close, with an evil laugh,
"Use your aggressive feelings, little girl. Let the hate flow through you!"
The moment this sentence was said—as if it was a trigger for Snow White—the air around her became ten times colder!
The snow, with her as the center, started turning to ice, spreading in all directions!
She almost lost control and was going to turn everything to ice to see where this little demon was going to hide!
But someone's hand suddenly touched her shoulder, stopping her in time!
....
Not long ago...
In the sky of the outer sect city, Snow Goddess suddenly appeared.
She came all the way here to see if she could find anything about the things that were happening here in her name.
Who was impersonating her?
She looked down and saw that the whole city was empty.
Then she tried to see where the people had gone and saw they were all in the sect farms outside the city, working with full energy.
Rose was there too.
She sighed in relief when she saw her.
Then she suddenly felt something and looked up.
In the sky, there was a dark blue line stretching toward the horizon in the capital's direction, and its beginning was actually the city below.
She flew near it, and after trying to sense it, her eyes widened in shock.
"Spiritual energy that I can cultivate with?"
Then she furrowed her brow,
"Was someone from the Immortal World here?
But what's the need for them to infiltrate the library or the storehouse?
Or do the two cases have nothing to do with each other?
And why is there Immortal World spiritual energy here?"
She looked around to see where her mother-in-law, Lady Butterfly, was.
She was supposed to protect Rose.
After not finding her, she tried to contact her and her husband, Sword God.
But they didn't answer either.
While puzzled about what might have happened to them, she flew near the blue line in the sky and began absorbing it.
It was a refreshing feeling, and she lost herself in it for a while.
But she suddenly looked in the direction of the meeting hall, furrowed her brow, and disappeared again.
She only had one thought:
'Who made my disciple so angry?'
A moment later, inside the meeting hall, Snow Goddess appeared and stopped the AoE attack of her disciple before she turned the whole place into her ice domain.
Snow White looked at the person who placed a hand on her shoulder and stood up hastily.
"Greetings, Master!"
Snow Goddess turned to the Supreme Elder,
"What happened, Sister Ingrid?"
Supreme Elder's name was Ingrid. Maybe because of her beauty, or because everyone would like her at first glance, her parents had chosen this name for her.
Supreme Elder, who was shocked herself, said,
"It was your new disciple!
He made her so angry by throwing snowballs at her!
Sister, you should give him a lesson, or he might climb onto our heads and set our hair on fire next!"
The rest of the elders nodded in agreement.
Snow Goddess pointed at the big backpack and said,
"You mean him?"
The crowd turned around, and their eyes almost popped out.
The little troublemaker, without anyone noticing, was already back on his backpack, his hands covering his ears, looking well-behaved and obedient, with an innocent face.
There wasn't even a single snowflake on him—the same as when Snow Goddess had disappeared.
Snow White bit her lip and tried to endure it.
Supreme Elder was thinking how she could prove she wasn't a liar...
The elders shook their heads in frustration.
A little devil had been added to the sect, and probably lots of trouble was going to follow him.
Snow Goddess, who already had so many questions in mind, said,
"Alright, forget about it.
Does anyone know where my mother-in-law is?"
Supreme Elder said,
"She left the sect not long ago.
By the way, where did you go?
Did you find anything?"
"I went to the outer sect city."
Then she looked at Elder Leta,
"All the people there are safe, working on the farmlands.
Are you sure something happened there?"
Elder Leta told her about what happened that day.
She furrowed her brow and said,
"I don't know any 'Expert Luna'.
And when did I ever massacre anyone's family?
And how did everyone die in my secret experiment if they're all alive now?"
She was annoyed by all these random reports that she couldn't make sense of.
"So, anything else?"
Elder Elvis said awkwardly,
"The 12 sect members were all cleaned up.
And by 'all,' I mean everyone—sect masters, elders, disciples. Nothing is left of their sects..."
Snow Goddess felt she had heard wrong,
"Sorry, what again?"
Even the Supreme Elder was dumbfounded,
"When did that happen?
Why did no one tell me?"
"It just happened yesterday. Elder Leta confirmed it today, so..."
Snow Goddess was now completely shocked,
"You're telling me that in these two days, while I was in seclusion, something like this happened?
Do you know who did it?"
Elder Sun said,
"No, Sect Master. It started yesterday evening and was done by night!
It's said that a lost member of the imperial family returned after a thousand years and was dissatisfied with these sects, and..."
Then he told her about what they knew, and the two experts from the Immortal World who had come to the outer sect city.
The two 'sisters' couldn't believe what they heard...
"When those people from the Immortal World came, you thought I was in the city too?
That's why you didn't do anything?"
The three elders nodded.
Snow Goddess took a deep breath and tried to find out if there was anything else she needed to know.
"So first, the two tokens disappeared, then that experience in the city happened. Then the Emperor's lost family member came back out of nowhere and took him for a world cleanup? Anything else?"
The elders couldn't think of anything more.
Their reaction made her even more confused.
"Don't you think some people are missing here?"
She wondered why no one mentioned anything about Elder Iron and that old trash! It was like they were under some illusion or something!
Snow White, by her side, said, "Now that you mention it, Master… The day you went into seclusion, the Law Enforcement Hall Master disappeared with the rest of the Black Robes under him…"
Snow Goddess slammed the table. She flared up this time for real—the whole stone table shattered!
Little Mortal, on the side, jumped to his feet and looked 'terrified'!
She shouted at them, "Don't tell me Elder Iron is missing too!?"
Elder Leta, with a trembling voice, said, "I-I forgot to say it! But I heard that you—"
"Just say it! What else did I do?"
"I-I heard that you sent an elder to Hell… and another elder to Heaven…"
Snow Goddess felt her blood pressure had never been this high before in her life.
Just when she felt utterly lost, a voice sounded from behind her chair:
"What is it, Boss?"
Then she felt two small hands massaging her shoulders from behind.
She was so angry that neither she nor anyone else had even noticed when Little Mortal appeared behind her on his big backpack, trying to calm her down…
Snow Goddess, who didn't know why his massage was so relaxing (and was tired of him calling her "Boss"), said, "You don't need to worry about it."
But Little Mortal insisted, "Didn't you tell me I need to pass a test to become your disciple? Just tell me what's bothering you, and I can take care of it as a test!"
Snow Goddess, who just wanted to get rid of this brat, said, "Alright, go find the Library Token, the Storehouse Token, and news about the two missing elders."
Little Mortal jumped down from his backpack and said while sinking into the snow, "Leave it to me, Boss! Just show me what the two elders look like!"
Snow Goddess waved her hand, and two ice statues appeared—one resembling the old trash and the other the muscular Elder Iron.
Then they saw the big backpack start moving through the snow.
"Don't worry, Boss! Even if it takes a thousand years… Even if I need to go through Hell, I'll bring back the tokens and news about the lost elders!"
The door of the meeting hall opened, the backpack went outside, and the door closed again.
The crowd: "…"
With Little Mortal's departure on his "thousand-year journey," the meeting hall fell silent.
Snow Goddess looked around, then waved her hand—all the snow was thrown out the window.
Elder Elvis cleared the shattered stone pieces away.
Elder Leta brought out a new table.
Supreme Elder Ingrid waved her hand, and teacups filled with tea appeared.
Elder Sun sent a heat wave, and steam rose from the tea.
Snow White watched their teamwork in amazement.
'So this is how they help Master calm down.'
It was her first time seeing her this angry.
Snow Goddess, with one hand on her forehead, sighed, "Why does it feel like I was in seclusion for decades…?"
But no one said anything.
She gently picked up her teacup, and the rest followed.
Just as she was about to take a sip, the door of the meeting hall was suddenly kicked open!
The speechless crowd turned to see who was crazy enough to kick open the door with an angry Snow Goddess inside!
At the door stood a middle-aged man with a messy black beard and hair, one hand missing, and dirty black clothes. He looked utterly miserable—as if he'd returned from a grueling journey full of obstacles.
The newcomer gazed at everyone with unfocused eyes, as if he both recognized and didn't recognize them.
Then he stepped forward, coughing, and said, "It's been a thousand years, everyone… I am finally back—cough* cough!"*
The wretched man's coughing intensified.
For some reason, everyone's hearts ached for him… Who was he? Coming back after a thousand years?
He took two more steps, then suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and dropped to one knee.
Wiping the blood from his lips with a trembling hand, he struggled to stand and staggered forward again.
The crowd felt an illusion behind this man—a vision of someone who had endured unimaginable hardship, yet never surrendered, always pushing forward!
His face was exhausted, one arm was missing, and he could barely breathe. But in his eyes, there was only one word:
Determination.
The closer he got to the table, the smaller he seemed. And the group felt the illusion weakening as he approached.
The middle-aged man studied them as if trying to remember. Then, with his one trembling hand, he pointed at Elder Sun:
"I remember you… You were so young when you accepted me into the sect."
Elder Sun's eyes widened in shock.
'Who are you? You've changed so much in a thousand years that I don't recognize you!'
The man turned to the other two elders and smiled kindly.
"I see you two freeloaders are still around."
He laughed weakly, coughing between chuckles as if even laughter pained him.
The two elders didn't know whether to be offended. Who are you, Senior? And what do you mean by freeloaders?
Then he faced Supreme Elder Ingrid:
"Pinky, you're still messing around? Bothering our Stronghold Chief with your lies?"
The moment he said this, the elders, the Supreme Elder, and the Sect Master felt as if an illusion had shattered like glass.
It's him! Again! What kind of show is he putting on this time?
Frustration and rising blood pressure flooded them.
The middle-aged man then turned to Snow White:
"Junior Sister… It's been a while…"
Snow White, for reasons she didn't understand, felt tears welling up as she rushed forward.
"Senior Brother! Let me help you!"
The others, now free of the 'illusion,' couldn't bear to watch.
The closer Snow White got to her Senior Brother, the smaller he seemed, and the illusion flickered away.
When she reached him, the vision shattered completely.
"It's you!"
The middle-aged man weakly grasped her hand like a child holding his sister's and limped toward the Sect Master.
"Yes, Junior Sister… It's me… It's good you still remember me, even like this…"
Snow White, blank-faced, guided the one-armed, exhausted man to her master.
The middle-aged man and Snow Goddess locked eyes.
In his gaze: phantom memories of a thousand years of suffering.
In hers: sheer annoyance.
With his remaining bloody hand, he pulled items from his robe and handed them to Snow Goddess, trembling.
Then he closed his eyes, collapsed like a corpse, and muttered one last line:
"Boss… I passed your test…"
The crowd shook their heads, fighting off the returning illusion.
When they looked at Snow Goddess, she was frozen in shock.
Why?
Gritting her teeth, she placed the three bloodstained items on the table.
The crowd gasped.
One was the Library Token. Another was the Storehouse Token. The last was a ring.
On the blood-smeared paper beneath them was written:
**[I traveled to the Forbidden Jungle!
I will die—or return with broken shackles!
—Signed, Elder Iron]**
He actually found him? How?
Snow Goddess took a deep breath, struggling to stay calm for what felt like the hundredth time that day.
"Okay, you passed the test. Now tell me—where did you find these things?"
They all stared at the 'corpse' on the floor, waiting.
But he didn't move—let alone speak.
Snow Goddess glanced at Snow White. "See if you can wake him up."
Snow White knelt beside him. "Junior Brother… Are you awake?"
No response.
Supreme Elder Ingrid smirked. "Call him correctly."
Snow White bit her lip, then whispered, "S-Senior Brother?"
This time, the 'corpse' stirred.
"Cough cough… Who's calling me?"
"It's me… Your Junior Sister."
"Cough cough… So it's Junior Sister…"
A pause. Then:
"Is my disciple's robe ready? Did Boss give it to you? Cough cough…"
Now they understood his game.
Snow Goddess produced a petite white robe with golden patterns—similar to Snow White's but tailored for a man—and handed it to her.
Snow White took it. "Yes, Senior Brother. It's ready."
The middle-aged man slowly sat up, accepted the robe, and gazed at it lovingly.
"A thousand years of hardship… for this…"
He shook his head, stood with effort, and shuffled toward the door.
All they saw was the lonely, broken back of a man questioning if his ordeal had been worth it.
Then—BAM!
The crowd, unknowingly trapped in another illusion, snapped back to reality as the vision shattered once more.