Chapter 2059: Transaction

"You said this is Great Snow Mountain?" Zu'an looked at her incredulously. This Snow Woman looked quite beautiful, but her mind seemed a bit slow.

The Snow Woman nodded, seemingly puzzled by his reaction.

"This is clearly the Demon Race's northern seal land. It must be at least a hundred thousand miles from Great Snow Mountain, right?" Zu'an couldn't help but say.

"Demon Race? Seal land?" The Snow Woman looked bewildered, seemingly naive about the world. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm certain this is Great Snow Mountain. I've always lived here; how could I not recognize my own home?"

Hearing her answer, Zu'an immediately fell into deep thought. She didn't seem to be lying, so what was the problem?

Either one of them was mistaken, or... neither of them was wrong.

This place was both the Demon Race's seal land and the forbidden zone, Great Snow Mountain.

In fact, recalling it now, the Demon Race's seal land and Great Snow Mountain had many similarities: both were desolate and uninhabited, covered in ice and snow.

He remembered how, when he had traveled north to support the Demon Race, passing through Great Snow Mountain, he had clearly felt it was colder than before. At the time, he found it strange, but now he suspected it was due to some anomaly in Great Snow Mountain, with otherworldly demons invading and causing environmental changes.

As for himself, being in the seal land yet suddenly finding himself in Great Snow Mountain, it was likely due to some spatial overlap between the two, or perhaps they were even the same place.

No wonder Great Snow Mountain had been known as a forbidden zone since ancient times, a place even powerhouses like Zhao Hao and the Demon Emperor dared not delve deep into. It turned out to be intricately linked to the ancient seal land.

He quickly collected himself. "Right, tell me more about those demons."

This time, the Snow Woman didn't refuse. "The one I fought was a hundreds-of-meters-long bone dragon with two ugly wings. Ice and snow didn't seem to affect it much, and fighting it put me at a considerable disadvantage."

"Bone dragon?" Zu'an's heart stirred. He wondered if it was an undead creature; if so, he would have a significant advantage.

The Snow Woman nodded slightly and continued, "There were a few others: one grotesque creature seemingly made of pieced-together stone, one that was half-human and half-scorpion, and the most mysterious one, shrouded in a halo, whose appearance I couldn't make out."

"Even you couldn't see it clearly?" Zu'an was surprised. Given the Snow Woman's cultivation, she could typically see through most disguises in the world. A halo might be dazzling to ordinary people, but at her level of cultivation, it shouldn't be much of an impediment. The fact that she couldn't see its appearance meant only one thing: its cultivation was significantly higher than hers.

Although Zu'an's cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, the Snow Woman's power had left too deep an impression on him. While he wasn't afraid to fight her now, he wouldn't claim to far surpass her. Didn't that mean the mysterious haloed creature was much more powerful than himself?

It seemed the seal truly had a problem, allowing so many powerful beings to emerge.

So he quickly said, "I need that Soul-Hooking Jade to repair the seal. Otherwise, more and more powerful beings like these will come. Can you give me the Soul-Hooking Jade?"

"But I need it for healing," the Snow Woman said indifferently, directly refusing his offer.

"I'm very good at healing people. I'll heal your injuries, and you give me the Soul-Hooking Jade," Zu'an said.

"But I am not human," the Snow Woman looked at him, her expression calm.

Zu'an: "..."

She had a point. He truly didn't know the Snow Woman's physical structure, let alone how to heal her.

He thought for a moment and said, "Different approaches might still work; I can try."

The Snow Woman shook her head slightly. "I'm not used to physical contact."

"No problem, I can diagnose by remote pulse-taking." Zu'an took out two fine threads and floated them towards her wrist. He could have used his internal energy to simulate threads, but he worried she might consider that part of his body, so he didn't.

The Snow Woman watched the two threads curiously. Just as they were about to touch her wrist, she instinctively recoiled.

Zu'an said exasperatedly, "They need to be tied to your wrist for me to sense your physical condition."

The Snow Woman looked suspicious. "You're not trying to ambush me, are you?"

Zu'an: "..."

"You're seriously injured right now. If I wanted to do anything to you, I wouldn't need to ambush you at all."

The Snow Woman was displeased. "I admit your cultivation is good now, but even with my injuries, it wouldn't be easy for you to defeat me."

"Yes, yes, that's why I'm discussing this with you properly." Zu'an wasn't lying. Although he could indeed defeat the Snow Woman now, firstly, it wasn't in his nature, and secondly, he considered that the otherworldly demons were also her enemies. The enemy of his enemy might become his friend.

Hearing him say this, the Snow Woman was finally satisfied and extended her hand with some hesitation.

At this, Zu'an couldn't help but marvel. Perhaps "luminous wrist" was merely an adjective for other women, but for the Snow Woman, it was an absolutely realistic description.

He had never imagined a woman's hand could be so fair...

He quickly composed himself, and the two threads gently wrapped around her wrist. Then he closed his eyes and began to sense.

He soon opened his eyes in astonishment. He had initially thought her body would be completely different from a human's, but after a thorough examination, it was surprisingly very similar to one.

But if she were human, how could her entire body be made of ice and snow?

How could there even be a life aura?

"What's wrong? Can't be healed?" the Snow Woman asked when she saw his expression.

"It's not that it can't be healed, it's just that the method... never mind, it can't be healed." Zu'an was a bit vague. Her injuries were indeed very severe, inflicted by a powerful entity. He couldn't heal her solely with the Primordial Qi; he could only use that other method...

However, he felt too awkward to even mention that method to his close female confidantes, as if he were deliberately taking advantage of them, let alone to a stranger he'd only met twice.

"What method exactly?" The Snow Woman became even more curious, seeing him like this.

"My medical skills are indeed inadequate; I can't heal it." Zu'an broke into a cold sweat. If he actually said it, she would probably turn hostile and chase him down on the spot. He regretted saying anything at all.

"Humans are indeed insincere," the Snow Woman snorted, her expression turning cold.

"How long do you estimate you'll need that Soul-Hooking Jade for?" Zu'an probed.

The Snow Woman turned her face away, clearly unwilling to engage with him.

Zu'an had no choice but to say, "This is truly a matter of great importance. You wouldn't want powerful beings appearing in Great Snow Mountain every day and disturbing your peace, would you?"

The Snow Woman frowned, seemingly imagining that scenario, and couldn't help but feel a little troubled.

She finally spoke, "My healing process will consume that Soul-Hooking Jade."

Zu'an: "???"

What the hell? He even felt a surge of murderous intent. Although this went against his usual style, considering the safety of the entire world was at stake, he couldn't care less.

"What, do you want to kill me and seize my treasure?" the Snow Woman sneered. "Humans are indeed hypocritical and cunning."

Zu'an: "You didn't have to tell me the truth. Why did you?"

"I just wanted to see if you'd take the opportunity to act," the Snow Woman said coldly. "Now it seems that while you had murderous intent, you still hesitated. Your nature isn't bad."

Zu'an: "..."

Was this woman truly supposed to be so naive about the world?

At this moment, the Snow Woman spoke, "I can give you the Soul-Hooking Jade, but you need to do one thing for me."

"What is it?" Zu'an's spirits lifted.

"Help me drive out the demons that have occupied my territory," the Snow Woman said gravely, clearly annoyed that those creatures had taken over her domain.

"No problem." Zu'an breathed a sigh of relief. Anyway, those demons were his enemies too, so it was a good chance to deal with them all at once.

"Then let's go now," the Snow Woman said, standing up, clearly not wanting to waste any time.

"Your injuries..." Zu'an hesitated.

"It's fine," the Snow Woman said coldly as she walked ahead.

Zu'an quickly said, "I'm worried your injuries will worsen during the fight and endanger your life. Perhaps I should go alone."

Sensing his concern, the Snow Woman paused slightly. "You alone are no match for those few."

She paused, then added, "Don't worry. As long as Great Snow Mountain exists, I cannot die."