The Taichu Continent is filled with numerous mountain ranges. The Mirror Sea Sect, for example, is named after the Mirror Sea Mountains, which stretch for thousands of miles and form the largest mountain range in the southeast.

Heading west, past Canghe and Xiling, at the westernmost end of the Taichu Continent, there lies a mountain range rarely visited by people, called the Heavenly Emperor Mountains.

The Heavenly Emperor Mountains have nothing to do with the Heavenly Emperor of the Upper Realm. They are called the Heavenly Emperor Mountains because this range almost spans the western border of Xiling.

Most of the peaks here are majestic and lofty, rising into the clouds. From afar, clouds and mist swirl, myriad misty scenes unfold, ice and snow cover the summits, and five-colored lights intertwine, like a fairyland palace. Thus, it was named after the Heavenly Emperor to show the local people's reverence for this mountain range.

While the Heavenly Emperor Mountains appear magnificent from a distance, they're not so enjoyable once you actually climb up. The weather up there is fickle, with unpredictable sunny and rainy spells even within a single day. Sometimes, blizzards can strike even in the sweltering midsummer of July.

If ordinary people were to go up, eight or nine out of ten would not survive the return trip. Over time, people have come to revere it from afar. Only sparse human habitation begins dozens of miles away from the foot of the Heavenly Emperor Mountains. Even nearby villagers hunting or gathering herbs have to take detours.

For cultivators, this harsh weather doesn't pose a threat. What makes them hesitate is another reason: there are demon beasts lurking here. Moreover, on some peaks, blizzards rage all year round. Under such conditions, flying magic treasures are of little use. Even if you are a Nascent Soul expert, you still have to trek on foot, battling the elements and fighting demon beasts. Can the word "perilous" even begin to describe it?

Initially, many cultivators had come to this place, wanting to see if there were any spirit medicines or magic treasures that had absorbed the essence of heaven and earth. In the end, they all came back empty-handed. Some even perished here. From then on, not only ordinary people, but even the footsteps of cultivators rarely trod upon the Heavenly Emperor Mountains.

It was truly a thousand miles of ice-bound, barren land.

Yet Zhou Yin chose to set up his cave abode here.

In his previous life, he started out as a demonic cultivator, with no backing or support. On the Taichu Continent, every spiritually endowed mountain and river had long been claimed. It was no easy feat to find a place to settle down. Even if you occupied a spot first, if a latecomer was more powerful, would you yield or not? There was simply no peace.

Adhering to the notion that the most dangerous place is also the safest, he had once spent twenty years on this Heavenly Emperor Mountain range, finally finding a hidden and excellent place for cultivation.

The main peak of the Heavenly Emperor Mountains is called Heavenly Emperor Peak, with more than a dozen other peaks of various sizes. Zhou Yin's cave abode is located on one of the smaller peaks, with a layer of ice cascading down the outside, never melting. Behind it, however, is a hidden paradise. He had also set up various restrictions around it. Apart from himself, no one knows the trick to unlocking the seal.

He arrived alone at the foot of the Heavenly Emperor Mountains and bought several large jars of wine from a nearby farmhouse before starting his ascent.

The higher he went, the harsher the conditions became. By then, he had to erect a protective barrier around himself while also dealing with any demon beasts he might encounter, inevitably stretching himself thin. The wine served to warm his body and had a great use in case he encountered demon beasts.

The weather was excellent at the foot of the mountain, with gentle winds and a clear, boundless sky. After buying the wine, Zhou Yin rode his Lingyin Sword and flew towards the Heavenly Emperor Mountains. Seeing this, the villagers prostrated themselves in worship, thinking they had encountered an immortal.

By the time Zhou Yin reached halfway up the mountain, the weather began to turn foul, with dark clouds gathering and fierce winds rising. He retracted his Lingyin Sword and walked up step by step.

Snowflakes whipped down in large swaths with the wind, but Zhou Yin, protected by his defensive barrier, was unaffected and his steps remained swift, as if treading on level ground.

After more than five thousand years, with few people coming here, not much had changed. This path was well-trodden; he could almost walk it with his eyes closed, knowing which direction to take.

The wind seemed to intensify, crashing against the mountain peaks, creating a terrifying echo and carrying an unusual aura.

Zhou Yin abruptly halted his steps, Lingyin Sword in hand.

A faint demonic aura drifted over with the wind, its direction indiscernible.

Zhou Yin closed his eyes, listening to the movements around him.

The wind howled as if it would destroy everything in the world. In this thousand-mile expanse of snow-covered wilderness between heaven and earth, only Zhou Yin seemed to remain, standing alone.

His eyes snapped open and he leaped into the air!

As his figure turned in midair, the Lingyin Sword swung out, a wisp of white sword energy unfurling from the blade, slashing forth.

With a splat, in the seemingly empty space ahead, a gray shadow was struck by the sword energy, sent flying back and heavily slamming into the mountain wall behind. Quite a bit of snow accumulated on the rocks tumbled down with the impact.

The slain demon beast was a bowl cat, its body the size of a bowl, excelling at concealing its tracks in the snow.

Demon beasts were commonplace on the Heavenly Emperor Mountains, and a single bowl cat was nothing unusual. It's just...

The corner of Zhou Yin's mouth twitched. He whirled around and dashed forward.

Behind him, more and more snow fell, the sound growing louder and louder, as if the entire mountain was being shaken. The snow at the summit all came rolling down, the momentum intense and earth-shattering.

An avalanche triggered by a single bowl cat.

Fortunately, his reaction was quick enough. By the time he escaped the danger, he had barely reached the entrance of his cave abode.

Before him, a crystal-clear world of ice and snow. If others were here, they would never discern the mystery within this ice cascade.

In the distance, the avalanche gradually subsided and the wind quieted. Sunlight emerged at some point, spilling across the snow, reflecting a flawless glassy scene.

Zhou Yin stood before the ice cascade and first focused his senses on the surrounding formations. He discovered that these formations were still in the same state as when he had left in his previous life, intact and undamaged, indicating that no one had ever come here.

He took out a set of talismans from his Sumeru Ring, which he had prepared before setting out. The spells on the talismans were specifically designed to correspond to the seal on the cave abode. Apart from him, no one else could draw this set of talismans.

The talismans were tossed out, hovering in midair. Nine talismans formed a well-shaped pattern, then instantly merged into the formation and vanished. Zhou Yin rode his Lingyin Sword, circling past the ice cascade, and entered with little difficulty.

A familiar aura greeted him. Even the calm Zhou Yin couldn't help but reveal a hint of joy in his eyes.

The things he had left here before were indeed untouched, including some magic treasures and enough spirit stones for him to advance to the late Core Formation stage.

In the past, Zhou Yin had only treated this place as a dwelling, never properly organizing his belongings. Apart from separating the magic treasures and spirit stones into two piles, the magic treasure pile was scattered together, looking like a heap of glittering golden rubbish.

Now that he had formed his Golden Core, Zhou Yin could simply use the Lingyin Sword as a flying magic weapon. The Heaven Washing Brush had too great of an origin, and with his current cultivation level, it could only exert power equivalent to that of a Core Formation cultivator. If he encountered an expert above the late Core Formation stage, he would have little room to showcase his abilities.

Zhou Yin walked over and rummaged through all the items, finally picking one out after a while. It was also a sword, without a scabbard, wrapped in layers of thick black cloth.

As he unwrapped the layers of cloth, a strong and gentle spiritual power emanated from the sword, instantly filling the entire cave abode. The sword's body was thick and jet-black, inconspicuous, with only water attribute talismans engraved on the blade.

Zhou Yin remembered that this sword was called Canghe. He had discovered it ownerless beneath the ice layers of the Northern Frontier and brought it back on a whim. At that time, his cultivation had already reached the late Nascent Soul stage, so this sword was of little use to him. After bringing it back, he had set it aside, not expecting it to come in handy now.

He took the Canghe Sword and a set of the Ten Aspects of Self-Existence Diagram, along with all the spirit stones.

It was the quality, not the quantity, that mattered. Back when he went to the Dragon Shadow Pond with Yu Nuo, there were many good items in that cave abode that caught his eye. Now, facing his own cave abode, he wouldn't want to take everything with him. The most useful items here were the two he had taken - the Canghe Sword and the Ten Aspects of Self-Existence Diagram.

The latter was obtained when he fought against a Buddhist cultivator. The Buddhist cultivator's skills were inferior, and he died at Zhou Yin's hands. Zhou Yin then took the magic weapon, which was the default rule in the cultivation world.

Having taken the items, he was not in a hurry to leave. Although resources were scarce here, it had the advantage of being undisturbed.

A month later, Zhou Yin emerged from seclusion and headed towards the Shangxuan Sect.