A moment later, Avinash reappeared in the forest clearing, landing squarely on his backside with all the grace of a falling turnip. Gasping for breath, he clutched his chest and stared up at the sky, sweat pouring down like he'd just run ten laps around the sect's training grounds.
"Damn it… I actually answered her," he muttered, horrified.
He smacked his forehead with a groan, the realization hitting harder than a spiritual beast's kick. "No… I let my guard down in the timeless realm. Got cocky. She must've slipped some kind of charm technique past me—subtle, dangerous, way too smooth."
At first, he'd assumed Ye Chen had used his Beast Emperor Physique to tame that Nine-Tailed Fox in their previous life. But now the puzzle pieces were clicking together—and the picture they formed was anything but pretty.
"Tch. That fox wasn't tamed. Ye Chen was the one being controlled. The Nine-Tailed Fox Tribe… those vixens are not to be underestimated."
His brows furrowed in frustration, mind racing.
"And now she has my information. If she reports back to her tribe, I'm finished. They'll hunt me down. And if they can't charm me into becoming their slave, they'll try to dig out everything I know. Literally."
He let out a tired sigh and rubbed his temples.
"The house isn't even built yet, and the robbers are already lining up outside."
But he didn't have time to brood. There was something far more urgent on his mind.
"The Ice Empress… if I don't find her now, it'll be too late."
Taking a deep breath to calm his thoughts, he soared into the sky, flying toward the northwestern ranges—toward a place he'd suspected for a long time. Something about that desolate, snow-covered region had always whispered of her presence.
Six days passed in a blur of relentless flight and short-distance void travel. When he finally arrived, the world had turned into a sea of white—an endless expanse of snow and ice, biting cold winds howling through ancient mountains.
He scanned the area carefully with his Celestial Reincarnation Eyes, his gaze slicing through layers of terrain.
A flicker of life. Tiny settlements—simple villages—barely clinging to survival in this frozen land.
"Huh… This is the last place I thought I'd have to search."
There wasn't even a single cultivator presence in the vicinity. No aura fluctuations, no spiritual essence moving in strange patterns. Just ordinary mortals.
And yet… she was here.
Avinash narrowed his eyes.
"Then I'll have to make an entrance. Something memorable."
With that, he shot high into the sky, gathering momentum—and then, like a meteor, he descended.
Boom—!
A thunderous impact shook the snowy plains as he crashed into an open area on the outskirts of a village. A two-meter-deep crater formed at the center of the clearing, steam rising from the shattered frost.
Screams rang out.
Villagers cried out in fear, stumbling back. No one was harmed, but the shock of the sudden explosion left many trembling. Most had never even seen a cultivator in their lives. Only the village chief had once encountered an immortal practitioner—and that had been decades ago.
For a long while, no one dared approach. A man had just fallen from the sky, after all.
Eventually, as the dust settled and the crater stopped steaming, a few braver people cautiously stepped forward, their curiosity overpowering their fear. Soon, a crowd began to form around the pit, murmuring anxiously.
One of the villagers murmured hesitantly, "Should we call the village chief…?"
"Yeah, yeah! Someone call the village chief!"
Soon, an elderly man arrived, and the crowd instinctively made way for him.
"Step back, the village chief is here!"
The man was in his late fifties, with a lean build and a weathered face. His cultivation was modest—only at the Qi Refining Third Stage—but within this humble mountain village, he was the strongest.
Avinash, though lying still with his eyes closed, naturally saw through the old man's cultivation with a single glance. His Celestial Reincarnation Eyes registered everything even while he pretended to be unconscious.
The village chief approached cautiously. The moment he stood near the young man lying on the ground, his face stiffened slightly.
What terrifying pressure… just lying there, and yet this aura…
Still, suppressing his unease, he bent down to check Avinash's pulse. A moment later, he stood up and turned to the gathered villagers.
"This young man is no ordinary person," the village chief said solemnly. "He's likely an immortal cultivator who collapsed due to internal injuries. This may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our village. If we serve him well and win his favor, we might gain cultivation techniques. Who knows—our village may rise into the skies."
Excited whispers spread through the crowd. Hope sparked in their eyes.
"But Village Chief," someone hesitated, "what if he's… not a good person?"
Before the man could finish, the village chief raised a hand to silence him. His gaze was sharp.
"Even if he fell into the territory of other villages people, we'd all be dead by now. The heavens dropped him here, not them. This is fate. All we can do now is show respect and sincerity."
The crowd fell silent. No one dared argue further.
With a nod, the chief turned back and carefully tried to lift Avinash. Under normal circumstances, it would've been impossible for someone of his level to move such a profound cultivator. But Avinash was quietly cooperating, so the chief was able to carry him with ease.
They brought him to the village's old guesthouse and gently laid him on the bed.
A short while later, the door creaked open. A young girl stepped in—barefoot, with clear eyes and long hair braided neatly down her back. She was the village's most beautiful maiden, sent to care for the mysterious guest.
Just as she approached, a soft chime echoed in Avinash's mind.
[Ding! A Daughter of Luck has been detected.]
Avinash's expression didn't change, but a faint smile curved at the edge of his lips.