Chapter 2605: Perplexed “That's wonderful news!” Zu An was happy for her. “But why isn’t there any exceptionally huge advancement in your cultivation?” He had examined Yun Yuqing using his aura and confirmed that her cultivation had advanced from Grandmaster’s Ascension Mortal Form to Earth Immortal’s Heaven Soul. The feat of raising her cultivation by two stages in an instant would have caused a huge stir in their previous Cultivation World. But this was the Celestial World. Yun Yuqing had the purest Celestial Emperor Bloodline, and she'd even had Celestial Emperor Zhuanxu personally helping her to awaken her bloodline. Considering these factors, her growth felt rather lackluster. Yun Yuqing tidied up Zu An’s unkempt clothes as she answered, “Zhuanxu told me that my cultivation is too low, and if my cultivation suddenly advanced too much within a short time, my body wouldn’t be able to take it. So, he only awakened my bloodline. He told me to naturally raise my cultivation through training so I would have a stronger foundation.” Zu An nodded in agreement. Zhuanxu’s explanation made sense. He asked, “What power does the Celestial Emperor bloodline hold?” Yun Yuqing replied uncertainly, “I’m not sure either. Zhuanxu told me that once my cultivation reaches a certain level, the secrets of the world will naturally unravel. Right now, my bloodline allows me to cultivate a hundred times more efficiently compared to before.” Zu An was stunned. Putting aside the Celestial Emperor bloodline’s other abilities, just the boost in Yun Yuqing’s cultivation speed was already out of this world. He asked, “How did you awaken your bloodline?” That was what the True Demon race had craved back then, but their efforts ended in futility. Zu An had learned from Emperor Yao that when the Lord of Slaughter and Salamay escaped, the elders of the True Demon race had escaped with them. The Lord of Slaughter had tried to recruit them, but the True Demon race’s elders valued the awakening of their bloodlines more. They'd agreed to serve the Lord of Slaughter, only to find an excuse to flee later so they could find a way to awaken their bloodlines. By sheer coincidence, they'd then bumped into Emperor Jun. Emperor Jun could have helped them awaken their bloodlines, but back then, he needed living souls for the forging of his Myriad Souls Banner. A tragic fate had thus befallen the True Demon race’s elders as a result. “Zhuanxu brought me to a garden in the Celestial Court. That appears to be a place where generations of Celestial Emperors are worshiped...” Yun Yuqing shared what she'd seen along the way. Even Zu An was awed. Chatting like that, they arrived at Wu Mountain before they knew it. On the mountain peak, Ji Xiaoxi was grinding her medicine, Suolun Shi was practising her swordsmanship, and the Goddess of Wu Mountain was standing in a daze by the mountain cliff. Meanwhile, Xie Daoyun quietly drew the scene by the windowsill. There were several people on the mountain peak, but only the mountain wind could be heard. Everything was stiflingly quiet. Zu An was amazed. Other than the Goddess of Wu Mountain, the other ladies looked different from usual, both in their choice of clothes and make-up. On second thought, however, it wasn’t surprising for them to change their clothes and make-up every day. Ji Xiaoxi spotted Zu An and shook her head. “Aiyo, I’m seeing things again.” It was as if she had seen this sight far too many times before. “What do you mean, seeing things?” Zu An was perplexed. Tok! Ji Xiaoxi dropped her mortar, which shattered into several pieces. She looked up in disbelief. “Big brother Zu?” The other women sensed the commotion and looked over. When they saw Zu An, they immediately rushed over. Even the Goddess of Wu Mountain ran over, though she quickly remembered her usual demure self and hurriedly slowed her footsteps. Suolun Shi also slowed down, worried about her current appearance. Xie Daoyun didn’t harbor that many reservations, however. She ran the fastest despite being the furthest away. But Ji Xiaoxi still beat her to the punch. She leaped into Zu An’s arms and began sobbing. Feeling her trembling body and seeing the tears brimming in the other ladies’ eyes, Zu An was taken aback. “It's only been a day. Why are you all so worked up?” “What do you mean, a day? We've already spent a year waiting for you!” Ji Xiaoxi sobbed. Realization suddenly dawned on Zu An. Ah, a day in heaven equals a year on earth! He had heard that saying many times before, but his previous trips to the Celestial Court had been short ones, so the difference in time hadn’t registered strongly to him. This time, he'd only stayed in the Celestial Court for an entire day because he didn’t want to part ways with the Mermaid Queen. Only now did he realize that an entire year had passed on earth! This left him feeling conscience-stricken. He turned to the ladies and said, “I’m sorry. I kept you waiting for so long.” The Goddess of Wu Mountain smiled. “It’s fine. A year isn’t a long time to me, though the others might not be used to the time difference.” She often spent her time standing in a daze on Wu Mountain. Even a decade or a century would feel nothing more than a snap of a finger to her. Xie Daoyun reined in her feelings and said, “Big brother Zu, we were worried about Emperor Yao tampering with the warp portal. We might have confronted him by now if not for big sister goddess telling us that a day in heaven equals a year on earth.” As the other ladies walked over, Ji Xiaoxi hurriedly stepped aside, feeling too embarrassed to continue staying in Zu An’s arms. However, a joyful smile had appeared on her tearful face. “I failed to consider that and warn you beforehand.” Zu An couldn’t resist the urge to look at the sky. For there to be such an exaggerated time difference between heaven and earth, could the Celestial World be located in the vicinity of a black hole... “You have only been to the Celestial Court twice. It’s normal for you to overlook that,” the Goddess of Wu Mountain consoled him. If the Kaiming Six Shamans were here, they would surely wonder when the cold goddess had become so understanding. “Did you manage to see big sister Suyin?” Xie Daoyun looked around. “Why isn’t she with...” Her words trailed off as she realized something, and she regretted blurting those words out. “I met her.” Zu An’s expression darkened at the mention of the Mermaid Queen. “What happened?” the Goddess of Wu Mountain asked. “She has become the Frost Palace’s master and can no longer leave its premises,” Zu An replied grimly. “AH?!” The other ladies were shocked. Suolun Shi asked, “Is it impossible to save her, even with your abilities?” The Goddess of Wu Mountain explained, “I have heard legends about the Frost Palace. Its existence predates even the Celestial Court. No one knows about its background, but it is a known fact that the Frost Palace has a terrifying curse...” Upon hearing her explanation, the other ladies turned pale. They couldn’t help but wonder how much despair they would have been in if they were in the Mermaid Queen’s position. This made them extremely sympathetic to her plight. “The divine marks on the Frost Palace are a testimony to its extraordinary nature.” Zu An told them about how he had tried to destroy the Frost Palace, only to be nearly killed by its backlash. His story stunned the other ladies. “Little sister Chang’e is too pitiful. I’ll visit her frequently at the Frost Palace once the path between heaven and earth is reestablished," the Goddess of Wu Mountain said. Even she, despite being the Flame Emperor’s daughter, couldn't do anything about the enigmatic Frost Palace. The other ladies exchanged looks as they realized that among them, only the Goddess of Wu Mountain could do that. The rest of them weren’t from this world and couldn’t stay here in the long term. Even if they remained behind, it was unlikely that they could survive the long years. Only the Goddess of Wu Mountain was impervious to the erosion of time. “Thank you, goddess!” Zu An was overjoyed. With her company, the Mermaid Queen wouldn’t be so lonely. “There’s someone else accompanying Suyin in the Frost Palace right now...” He told the ladies about Mo Xi. The ladies were relieved to hear that. Just thinking about the Mermaid Queen’s plight made them feel suffocated with despair. They were glad to hear that there was a chance she could be freed from her plight. The Goddess of Wu Mountain was perplexed. “Farewell, Nanchao? Is there such a formidable ability in the world? Why have I never heard about it?”