Chapter 516 - 512: Reuniting with Watermelon in the Land of Ice and Snow

"Watermelon? What are you doing here?" The person before him was actually Watermelon!

Though they hadn’t seen each other for many years, Watermelon had grown into a tall, sturdy young man. His brow radiated a heroic air, and his eyes were filled with resolve. Upon seeing Qin Li, Watermelon also froze, stunned.

Hearing Qin Li call his name, Watermelon’s mouth fell slightly agape. He asked in astonishment, "Young Master, Young Master... is it really you?"

Qin Li nodded, pleasantly surprised. "It’s really me, Watermelon. This is no place to linger. Someone’s hunting me. You need to get out of here, quickly!"

"Hunting you, Young Master?" Watermelon was taken aback for a moment before he immediately understood. "Young Master, follow me!"

As he spoke, Watermelon began to slide down the face of the impossibly deep ice wall. His body clung to the surface like a gecko as he descended at a rapid speed!

Without any hesitation, Qin Li followed Watermelon, sliding all the way down.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the two had descended an unknown depth. Looking up, the top of the ice wall was already obscured by swirling clouds, making the scenery above almost completely invisible.

At this point, Watermelon began to slow down, sliding into a concave section of the ice wall.

An enormous ice cave had appeared in this spot!

It was several hundred meters high!

A circular ice cave, also hundreds of meters wide, twisted and turned, its depths unfathomable.

Watermelon led Qin Li onward. Even Qin Li became a little disoriented, finding it difficult to get his bearings. The cave first grew larger and larger. After they had walked for over a dozen *li*, it began to shrink. By the time they reached the end, the passage was only about fifty meters square. However, the ice wall at the end was peppered with twenty to thirty small holes, each about half a meter wide.

Watermelon squeezed into one of the small holes and then moved forward through it like a swimming fish.

After another two or three *li*, a bright light appeared up ahead!

Somewhat blinding sunlight streamed in from outside. Watermelon leaped down from the cave mouth, and Qin Li stared in astonishment at the scene before him.

It was practically a paradise beyond this world!

This was a valley that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Lush clusters of flowers bloomed, and the grass was a verdant green. Countless animals, large and small, frolicked and played freely around a lake with crystal-clear water.

"What is this place?" Qin Li couldn’t help but ask. He looked up at a sky as blue as if it had just been washed. The sunlight felt warm on his skin, completely devoid of the biting cold of the Land of Extreme Cold Ice and Snow.

Watermelon smiled with a hint of pride. "This is a Blessed Land within the Land of Extreme Cold Ice and Snow. I’m not sure why it’s like this. Young Master, please follow me!"

As he spoke, Watermelon sped off along the shore of the lake.

Looking at Watermelon now, it was clear his strength had reached an extremely high realm. However, Qin Li didn’t sense much Primordial Power fluctuation from him. ’Perhaps Watermelon has had some sort of fortuitous encounter,’ he thought.

The two of them continued along the narrow lake. After another thirty or forty *li*, they reached the end of the lake, where a small river gave off a chilly air. The river water was so clear you could see the bottom, and numerous fish could be seen swimming back and forth where the river and lake met.

Further on was a small mountain. At its base, not far from the river and lake, stood a wooden cabin. It looked quite old and rustic, but it wasn’t damaged in the slightest.

Watermelon led Qin Li to the cabin and said with a smile, "Young Master, look. Not bad for a cabin, right?"

The cabin had two floors, with three rooms on each. The lower floor had a living room, a kitchen, and a storage room. A small staircase led up to three bedrooms on the floor above.

The cabin’s windows were remarkably transparent, but they weren’t made of expensive crystal. Qin Li sensed a frigid aura from them and asked in surprise, "These windows... are they made of Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice?"

Watermelon was taken aback for a second, then laughed. "A Young Master is still a Young Master! I had no idea what this was at first, but you knew with just one look. You’re amazing!"

As they spoke, the two sat down on chairs in the living room. Qin Li could tell that both the cabin and the chairs were of simple, unrefined craftsmanship, giving them a rather primitive feel.

As Watermelon went to boil water for Qin Li’s tea, he said, "I made all of this myself, bit by bit. It took me a whole year to get it done! Gives you a real sense of accomplishment, you know? Heh heh!"

Watermelon was just as he had always been—completely respectful toward Qin Li, the man who had saved his life and guided him onto the path of a Martial Artist.

"Will this place be discovered?" Qin Li looked at everything before him. He knew that although Watermelon spoke of it lightly, he must have suffered greatly to reach this place. Building all this must have cost him an immense amount of effort.

Qin Li didn’t want to be the cause of this place’s destruction. He had already ruined Hu’s family once; he didn’t want something like that to happen a second time.

By now, Watermelon had boiled the water. He took out some tea leaves and brewed a cup for Qin Li. A strange, refreshing fragrance immediately filled the room.

Watermelon first said with a smile, "Young Master, this tea is something special. It’s made from the air-dried petals of Snow Lotuses that grow on the glaciers here in the Land of Extreme Cold Ice and Snow. They say these Snow Lotuses take several hundred years to mature and over a thousand years to bloom!"

Then, Watermelon chuckled again. "Don’t worry, they won’t find this place. And if by some chance they crawl into the wrong ice cave and end up at some other big shot’s place, they’ll be in for a world of hurt!"

Qin Li sighed softly. That was exactly what he was afraid of; he didn’t want to bring disaster upon the people here because of him. He looked at Watermelon seriously and said, "Watermelon, do you know how many realms there are for a Martial Artist?"

"Of course I do. If you’re trying to test me, Young Master, you’ll have to do better than that." Watermelon gave Qin Li a smug look and then explained, "Back then, I thought Celestial Level was the strongest. Later, I learned that above Celestial Level, there’s the Celestial Shattering Realm, the Celestial Integration Realm, and the Celestial Embracing Realm! After that, I learned that above those is the Venerable Realm, which is divided into Human Venerable, Earth Venerable, and Celestial Venerable!"

Qin Li nodded to himself. ’It seems Watermelon has really learned a lot here over the years.’ This sparked a bit of interest in Qin Li regarding the people who lived in this Land of Extreme Cold Ice and Snow.

Watermelon continued, "I used to think that Celestial Venerables were the most powerful beings in the world. But then I learned that above the Celestial Venerable, there are even stronger Martial Artists of the Shattered Void realm. Above Shattered Void, there are Martial Artists of the Pill Nascent Soul Transformation realm, and even stronger than them is the Thunder Tribulation Realm. Legend has it that the true peak experts of the Celestial Essence Continent are at the Earth Immortal realm! I haven’t heard of anything stronger than that. The Sect Leader said that for Martial Artists on the Celestial Essence Continent, Earth Immortal is the final realm! Even in the glorious Primordial Era, no one was able to surpass the existence of an Earth Immortal!"

At this, Qin Li couldn’t help but look at Watermelon in a new light. ’Looks like the kid wasn’t lying,’ he thought. ’He really does know a lot.’ But Qin Li still said, "Watermelon, the ones chasing me are a group of Martial Artists at the Thunder Tribulation Realm!"

"Huh?"

Watermelon was suddenly rooted to the spot, staring dumbfounded at Qin Li. The corner of his mouth twitched violently, his eyes filled with disbelief. ’How many years has it been since I last saw the Young Master? Less than ten years at most, and he... he actually managed to escape from a group of super-powerful experts at the Thunder Tribulation Realm all the way to the Land of Extreme Cold Ice and Snow?’

"Then... Young Master... what... what realm are you at now?" Watermelon felt the muscles in his face go stiff. He couldn’t tell if his current expression was a smile, even though he very much wanted to smile.

"Pill Nascent Soul Transformation," Qin Li said calmly.

Watermelon had just raised his teacup for a sip. Hearing this, he choked on his water. He coughed for a long time, looking quite comical with tears streaming down his face.

"Y-Young Master, you really are my boss! I’ve had some unimaginable fortuitous encounters these past few years, and I just cultivated to the Human Venerable realm. To be honest, Young Master, for a second there I even thought I might have surpassed you... Heavens, you... how on earth did you cultivate to this realm?"

"You’ve reached the Human Venerable realm? Have you cultivated some kind of Magic Technique to suppress your Primordial Power fluctuations?" Qin Li asked, a little curious.

Watermelon nodded. "That’s right. The Ice and Snow Sect’s Cultivation Technique is very special; you can barely feel any Primordial Power fluctuations. The Sect Leader is the one who’s truly incredible... *Ahem*, anyway, let’s not talk about them. So, the ones hunting you are at the Thunder Tribulation Realm? Well, Thunder Tribulation Realm or not, let *them* deal with it. Besides, that group might not even find this place. There are many Blessed Lands like this one on the glacier, so it’s almost impossible for them to find us anytime soon. Young Master, let’s just catch up for now. I’m just so curious how you managed to cultivate to your realm!"

"Haha, what’s there to be curious about? Let’s talk about you first! Your parents are doing very well right now. Things over there have gone through a lot of changes over the years, but they’ve always been well!"

"Young Master, thank you!" At the mention of his parents, Watermelon’s excited expression dimmed. He said softly, "I often dream about them. Unfortunately, the rules here in the Land of Ice and Snow forbid us from leaving until we reach the Shattered Void realm. Sigh... by the time I reach that realm, I can’t even be sure if my parents will still be alive. Hearing you say they’re living well puts my mind at ease! I’m an unfilial son, unable to be by their side and care for them..."

"I’m the one who got you into trouble back then," Qin Li said, also a little saddened.

"Young Master, please don’t say that. If it weren’t for you, Watermelon would have died long ago. How could I have survived until today?" Watermelon’s face once again took on that devil-may-care look as he began to recall what happened after he fled Cyan Dragon City.

"I was being hunted and fled in a panic, running north without any direction. All I could think about was how to shake off my pursuers." Watermelon’s eyes took on a reminiscent look as he gave a bitter smile. "Unfortunately, those pursuers were a bunch of idiots, a bunch of stubborn, one-track-minded idiots! No matter where I ran, they just kept chasing me. After running for nearly a year, I unknowingly reached the edge of the Land of Extreme Cold Ice and Snow..."

(To be continued...)