Speak to my Banner of the Human Emperor

At the summit of Icepeak Mountain stood the Frostmyst Palace, its halls blanketed in snow and veiled in swirling mists of cold.

From a side chamber emerged a towering, corpulent figure, his heavy footsteps crunching against the frost-laden floor. The blue brocade robes he wore were encrusted with ice crystals that scattered like brittle petals with each movement. Behind him, atop a bed of glacial jade, lay the lifeless bodies of several cultivation cauldrons—stacked haphazardly, their garments soaked through with a mix of sweat and biting cold. The faint cyan Frostmyst seals between their brows were dissipating into nothingness.

Amidst the lingering scent of debauchery and the delicate chime of shattering ice, the man ran his thick fingers across his cheek, savoring the frigid energy coursing through his meridians. A low, satisfied chuckle rumbled in his throat.

"This batch of cauldrons had remarkably pure Yin energy. Enough to push my Frostmyst Art past the third bottleneck. All that effort wasn’t wasted."

"Still… it’s not quite enough. If I could obtain the legendary Celestial Profound Yin Body, not only would my cultivation break through, but I could reach the Nascent Soul realm within five years!"

His plump frame waddled forward a few steps. "After sending so many men, they still haven’t captured her?"

"Even after slaughtering Cang City, where else could she have gone?"

"Heh… Soon. Very soon."

Just as Bing San was reassuring himself, a voice crackled through his communication token.

"Well? Have you found her?"

"Y-Young Master!" stammered the disciple on the other end. "A demonic cultivator has appeared in the Jade Dragon Mountains! He’s abducted Princess Ademi and slaughtered the elder leading the search party, along with several disciples!"

"What?!" Bing San’s entire body trembled with rage, his mountainous flesh quaking. "You’re telling me the princess was taken—by a demonic cultivator?!"

"Yes!"

"Damnable beast!" His eyes burned crimson. That princess was the final piece he needed—the key to completing his Frostmyst Art, elevating his cultivation to unprecedented heights.

For this, he had butchered Cang City, suppressed all news to keep the Western Luo Kingdom from interfering, and invested endless resources.

And now, some rogue demonic cultivator had snatched his prize?!

That meant she could already be defiled!

"N-no, it’s fine. It just happened. There’s still time." Bing San muttered to himself, though his patience had already frayed. He stormed out of the palace, bellowing orders.

"Prepare the skyship! All core disciples—we depart for the Jade Dragon Mountains at once!"

"Yes, Young Master!"

Bing San wasn’t just the Frostmyst Palace’s Young Master—he was the sole heir of the sect leader and the grandchild of the ancestral elder. His status was beyond reproach.

At his command, a host of formidable disciples and elders mobilized immediately, their sole purpose to hunt down this so-called demonic cultivator.

---

"Young Master’s orders: Locate that demonic cultivator at any cost. The princess must not be harmed."

The Frostmyst disciples already scouring the Jade Dragon Mountains received the directive through their tokens.

"Grrr—"

"Snow Leopard, silence." A senior elder smacked the beast beneath him before speaking gravely. "The Young Master’s breakthrough cannot be delayed. We move now to eliminate this demonic cultivator! As righteous cultivators, it is our duty to vanquish evil!"

"Yes!"

Hundreds of disciples mounted their Snow Leopard mounts and surged through the mountain range. Unlike other sects, Frostmyst Palace specialized in ice-attribute techniques. Combined with their affinity for frozen terrain, their mounts allowed them to traverse the Jade Dragon Mountains’ enchanted blizzards with ease.

Against the vast white expanse, their numbers stood out starkly. Just as they prepared to split up, however, the leading elder suddenly stiffened, his gaze snapping upward.

A fiery explosion lit up the sky—not a signal flare, but a massive fireball detonating midair.

The blaze was blinding.

"That’s not our sect’s communication method," one elder muttered in confusion.

"Could it be the demonic cultivator? Luring us into a trap?" another speculated.

"Foolish. Does he truly think he can ambush us with our numbers?"

"Regardless, we’ll know soon enough."

---

Elsewhere in the mountains, Ye Chuan was busy launching fireball after fireball into the sky, each detonation brighter than the last.

The raging snowstorm did nothing to dim their glow.

"Immortal… Immortal Master?" The Cang City survivor beside him gaped in disbelief. Ye Chuan wasn’t hiding—he was blatantly broadcasting their location!

"..." Princess Ademi could only stand by helplessly. At this point, her fate rested entirely on whether Ye Chuan’s strength matched his confidence.

"Are these guys blind or what? I’ve thrown hundreds of these." Ye Chuan sighed, lowering his arm. The Holy Grail ensured he felt no exhaustion, but the monotony was getting to him.

Just as he relaxed, his spiritual sense prickled.

"Oh? Finally."

Within moments, the distant blizzard churned with movement—dozens, then hundreds of figures atop Snow Leopards, weapons gleaming.

"It’s Frostmyst Palace!" the survivor blurted.

A senior elder stepped forward, scrutinizing the princess and the survivor before settling on Ye Chuan.

"So, this is the demonic cultivator who murdered our elders and disciples?"

Seeing Ye Chuan’s youth, they hesitated—but there was no one else here.

"Murder?" Ye Chuan grinned. "I merely invited them into my Human Emperor Banner as guests. Such harsh words, old man."

"You dare oppose Frostmyst Palace? Do you know the might of our sect leader?" the elder sneered.

"Transcension? Ascension? A terrestrial immortal?"

The elder’s face twitched. "N-not quite."

"Tch. Pathetic."

"You—!"

Enraged, the elder summoned his artifact—a banner of his own. With a surge of spiritual energy, a colossal character for "KILL" materialized and hurtled toward Ye Chuan.

"Crystallization realm?" Ye Chuan flicked a finger. A razor-thin thread of energy sliced through the attack effortlessly.

"You… you…!" The elder paled.

What kind of demonic cultivator was this?

"Hmph." Ye Chuan unfurled his Soul Banner, his aura erupting in full. "I am a Golden Core mighty one. Who among you dares challenge me?"

"Golden Core?!" The elder’s voice cracked. "How many have you slaughtered to reach such a level at your age?"

"Aw, what’s wrong? Stuck at Crystallization your whole life?" Ye Chuan smirked. "Jealous?"

"Nonsense! Who would—"

Before he could finish, a spectral chain speared through his chest, yanking his soul free with a sickening tear.

"Less talk, more screaming in my banner."