Princess in the Ice Prison
Chapter 21: Princess in the Ice Prison
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"Even ice remembers fire." —Ancient Spirit Clan Proverb
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Northern Glacium Mountains — The Ice Prison
At the edge of the known world, where sky meets frozen abyss, the Ice Prison waited in silence, wrapped in frost older than kingdoms.
Forged during the First War using celestial frost and sealed by ten Primordial Runes, it held the most dangerous enemies ever captured. Monsters, saints turned mad, ancient weapons given human form. Only one door existed, and it hadn't been opened in over a thousand years.
Until now.
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1. A Mission of Ghosts
Qin Feng stood with his arm in a sling, robe scorched, face pale. The battle with the Demon Prince had pushed his body to its edge. Bones cracked, spiritual meridians strained, nerves burned from overdrawn lightning. But recovery wasn't a luxury they could afford.
Beside him stood Yueying, wrapped in a fur-lined cloak, her blade humming faintly against the cold. Her expression remained unreadable, but there was a tension in her stance — as if even she feared what lay ahead.
Behind them, a dozen elite cultivators lined the snowy cliff. They came from six sects, each handpicked for their resistance to spirit frost and mental corruption. Two bore black brands across their eyes, evidence they had once gazed into the Forbidden Mirror and survived.
"So why are we really here?" Qin Feng asked, teeth chattering slightly in the unnatural chill.
"To retrieve her," Yueying answered, pointing to the gate below — an ancient seal shaped like a lotus frozen mid-bloom, half-buried in ice. "The Princess of Ice. One of the eleven sealed during the War of Shattered Skies."
"She's not... friendly, is she?"
"She was the Saintess of the Crystal Palace. The world once called her Lian Xue the Merciful. Now? We don't know. Her soul has slept in frost and shadow for a millennium. But she has knowledge. And perhaps more than that."
Qin Feng cracked his neck, sparks dancing across his collarbone. "Then let's wake her up."
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2. The Ice Gate Opens
The ten runes surrounding the seal glowed in sequence. Each cultivator stepped forward, pressing their spiritual signature into the ice. With each mark, the mountain quaked.
The final rune flared, and the lock cracked like a frozen heart.
A howl of wind burst forth, strong enough to fling snow into the sky like a blizzard in reverse. Half the squad staggered. One man fell to his knees, eyes wide, mumbling about a dream he had forgotten until now.
The gate slid open with a groan that echoed across the cliffs. Beyond lay a staircase of translucent glass, spiraling downward into a cavern of frozen light and silence.
They descended slowly.
The walls sparkled with ancient frost, but within that frost were faces. Frozen people. Warriors, monks, scholars — all trapped mid-scream or prayer. Prisoners of time.
"Don't touch anything," Yueying warned. Her breath came out as steam. Her eyes were locked ahead, unblinking.
Qin Feng led the way, each step echoing like a bell in the quiet.
At the bottom lay a great hall, lined with mirrors. Each one shimmered and pulsed, showing different versions of reality. In one, Qin Feng ruled from a black throne. In another, he lay dead at the feet of a girl with golden wings.
They moved on.
At the center of the final chamber stood a giant coffin carved from glacier-crystal. Runes danced along its surface.
She lay inside.
Long silver-blue hair. Closed eyes. Lips parted in soft breath. Arms crossed like an empress in mourning. Her beauty was ethereal. Unreal.
"How do we wake her?" Qin Feng asked quietly.
Yueying handed him a jade talisman etched with both light and shadow runes. "Place this on the lid. Then back away. Fast."
He did.
The crystal groaned.
Then it cracked.
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3. The Princess Wakes
The ice coffin exploded outward in a flurry of snow and shrieking wind. The chamber dimmed as frost spirits scattered into the air, wailing.
The Princess hovered mid-air, hair billowing like a blizzard. Her eyes remained shut, but her aura hit them like a collapsing glacier.
A thousand years of divine frost gathered in a single breath.
Her eyes opened.
Silver. Soft. Sad. And endless.
"Who disturbs my thousand-year dream?"
No one answered.
"Do you serve the Empire... or the Ruined King?"
Qin Feng stepped forward. "Neither. We fight for survival. The Demon Prince has returned."
A flicker of memory darkened her expression.
"Then the stars were right. The cycle has begun again."
She descended gently, feet not touching the floor.
"My name is Lian Xue. I was once the Saintess of the Crystal Palace. Now, I am the Keeper of Forgotten Winters."
Yueying bowed deeply. "Will you help us?"
Lian Xue turned to Qin Feng, her gaze heavy. "You carry the Immortal Core. That means fate has already been torn. You are not meant to exist."
Qin Feng didn't blink. "I exist anyway."
She sighed. "Then so must I. But know this: if you awaken me fully, I will no longer be human."
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4. The Frozen Trial
Lian Xue led them deeper into the prison's heart. Past a spiral gate of spirit ice lay a chamber older than language.
The Trial Room.
Formed by the Ice Lords of the first age, it judged the soul, not the sword.
She entered first.
The chamber lit with symbols. Snow spirits rose from the floor, attacking with joyous laughter. Lian Xue moved like wind across the ice, her body a song, her blade a whisper. Every movement painted sorrow.
She passed.
Then came Yueying.
Mirrors rose around her. Each showed a betrayal. Her kneeling before the Ruined King. Her killing her own brother. Her letting Qin Feng die.
She screamed, but fought.
She passed, barely.
Then Qin Feng stepped forward.
The chamber warped.
His trial wasn't combat. It was truth.
He stood before a reflection. Not a clone. Not a double. A perfect mirror of every choice, every weakness, every cruelty he had committed and ignored.
It spoke.
"You will fail. Not because you're weak. But because you care. And caring is how villains fall."
Qin Feng closed his eyes.
He remembered his sister's death. His past life. The faces of those who believed in him.
His lightning flared.
He shattered the ice with a single scream.
Lian Xue nodded slowly. "You are dangerous. That is good."
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5. The Pact
Atop the Ice Spire, as the northern lights swirled above them, Lian Xue drew her blade and cut her palm.
The blood steamed.
"I will follow you. Not as a servant. But as an equal. As long as you remember one thing."
Qin Feng raised a brow. "And what's that?"
"When the stars turn red, and the sky weeps snow, I may have to kill you."
He smirked. "Get in line."
She smiled. Cold. Distant. Beautiful.
"Very well. Let the second cycle begin."
Above them, the moon cracked slightly. No one noticed.
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To be continued...
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Chapter 22 Preview:
The Golden Sect Games Begin
The capital prepares for the largest tournament in a thousand years. Cultivators from all realms gather to fight for glory. But beneath the banners and cheers, shadow sects plot their moves. Qin Feng returns with a new ally... and finds more enemies waiting than ever before.