After leaving the White Hell Barbarian Tribe's settlement, Mu Hanyan brought Yuan and Mu Xuelian into the eighth region. Of course, Chief Mu followed behind.
"How are you feeling? Can you handle the cold here?" Mu Hanyan asked, her head turned toward Yuan.
"It's a bit chilly, but it feels good," he calmly nodded. After achieving True Cold Harmony, the seventh region's chill no longer fazed him. To Yuan, the once-lethal cold now felt like nothing more than a refreshing breeze against his skin. As for the eighth region, it felt no more than a morning chill at the end of summer.
"Good. Because we'll be heading to the core of White Hell-Shiva's Heart," said Mu Hanyan.
Hearing the name Shiva twice now, Yuan couldn't help but ask, "What's with this Shiva? This is the second time you've mentioned this name now."
"It's the name of our guardian spirit, or something along that line. They've been protecting our tribe ever since we moved into White Hell. No, you can even say that it's because of Shiva that we can live within White Hell," she explained.
"A guardian spirit? So it's a beast?" Yuan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know. That's just what our ancestors called them—though no one has ever actually seen them," Mu Hanyan admitted with a shake of her head.
"What? You've never even seen them? Then how do you communicate with them-or even know they exist?" Yuan pressed.
"Oh, we communicate," she said firmly. "Though we've never seen them, they speak with us through voice transmissions."
A doubtful look appeared on Yuan's face as he said, "Sorry if this offends you, but... are you sure it's not a scam?"
"H-How dare you insult our guardian spirit!" Chief Mu angrily shouted. "I'll rip your tongue out!"
Mu Hanyan burst into laughter. "I knew you'd say that. But they've been with us since ancient times, and in all that time, they've never asked for anything. On the contrary, they've granted us powerful cultivation techniques and unique physiques. Why would a deceiver give so much, and for so long?"
"I guess it doesn't make sense..." Yuan mumbled.
Some time later, they reached the end of the eighth region and stood before the entrance to the ninth. "What... is this place?" Yuan muttered, swallowing nervously. This was nothing like the snowy wasteland he expected of White Hell. Before him stretched not ice or snow, but a field of white and blue flowers, and the ninth region was so small that Yuan could see its far edge clearly with his divine sense.
"Are we still in White Hell?" Yuan had to ask.
Mu Hanyan smiled and said, "Don't let the peaceful and warm appearance fool you. If you don't have a special physique-my physique, not even a Cultivation God could linger in this place without being frozen."
"Don't tell me this is the training area?" Yuan remarked.
"No, this isn't the training ground. Do you see that glacial tree in the center?" Mu Hanyan asked, her gaze fixed on the massive, crystal-like tree that stood there, resembling a towering structure of pure ice.
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