Cross and Yun Che were brought to Mu Xuanyin's residence. Mu Xuanyin was waiting for them, she glanced at Cross before focusing on Yun Che. Cross went into the room to the side and closed the door, not even bothering to greet Mu Xuanyin, while Yun Che started talking to her. Occasionally looking at her chest, they were huge!
Cross sat on the bed and cursed, it was hard as a rock and cold as fuck! Who sleeps on these!? He calmed himself and looked to his side, there was a pill, a stone, and a vial of blue blood. Cross sniffed the blood and muttered "Diluted a 1000 times... Garbage."
He looked at the pill and felt it in his hands before throwing it in his mouth, he grabbed the stone and started cultivating. He closed his eyes and the ring on his back started turning faster, while a golden half crown surrounded the right side of his head.
His Beads lit up and his energy was sent to the others as he cultivated. A pitch black whirlpool appeared on his back as Cross snapped his fingers, a time bubbled appeared around him as the energy was sucked in even faster, getting purified through the beads before entering his body.
All the energy outside was slowly being sucked towards Mu Xuanyin's residence, decreasing the speed for everyone else slightly. It was barely noticeable for the disciples but Mu Xuanyin felt it clearly, she was beyond shocked.
She peeked into Cross' room and was startled at the pure energy inside the room. It was 10 times more pure than outside! Mu Xuanyin sneaked into the room and sat down in the room, before cultivating herself. Sucking in the excess energy in the air.
Cross felt her but ignored her, as long as she doesn't interrupt him she can do whatever she wanted.
His cultivation continued for 5 months before he felt like he couldn't advance any further.
Cross opened his eyes and the time bubbled collapsed. His appearance didn't change a single bit but the ring on his back circulated 25 times. Cross calculated the time and estimated he had been inside the time bubble for 5 months outside which meant he was cultivating for 25 years.
He stretched his body, cracking all his bones as he got off the bed.
Mu Xuanyin opened her eyes and looked at him before her eyes trembled in shock. This guy! He was at Peak Divine Soul Realm! She could tell he was even suppressing his cultivation as well! From the 2nd level to the 10th in 5 months... No...
Her eyes widened as she said "Time Laws?!" truly shocked this time. Cross looked at her and said "What." Mu Xuanyin recovered her calm and said "You cultivate Time Laws?" Cross didn't deny it and said "Is this something to be proud of? I can have all the time in the world but I still don't have the strength to do anything..."
He paused and changed the subject "What's the deal with this Frozen Lake?" Mu Xuanyin asked "You want to go into the Heavenly Netherfrost Lake?" Cross nodded wordlessly, Mu Xuanyin said "If you tell me how long you were inside the bubble, I will bring you." Cross said "25 years."
Mu Xuanyin had her mouth open wide as she said "How old are you?" Cross counted on his fingers saying "Should be 29." Mu Xuanyin frowned and said "Your bone age has to be more." Cross shook his head and said "My Time Laws have no affect on my bone age because Time belongs to me. I could sit there for a million years and only 16,667 years would pass outside. Add 29 years to that and I would be 16,696 years old, despite sitting there for a million years."
Cross paused and added "Though, this only works for me. If it was someone else they would age." Mu Xuanyin was completely shocked, this... Wasn't this too amazing?! Cross said "Anyway take me to your little lake. I need to try and die."
Mu Xuanyin almost choked and said flirtatiously "It couldn't be that my little disciple is going to kill himself from loneliness?" Cross said emotionlessly "I don't know if you realize every second I waste I could be getting stronger somewhere else." Mu Xuanyin pouted and said "Fine."
Cross followed her and they both disappeared. If it was him before, perhaps he would find this little Master of his cute with her dual personality, but now... He was obsessed with strength. Perhaps he would never be the same again.
The main things keeping him going were Anger, Killing intent, and an obsessive thirst for strength. Everything else drifted off into the wind, completely out of his mind. As far as he was concerned, if you could make him stronger, you were a tool, and if you couldn't, then you were useless.
You could say that Cross wasn't in the right state of mind since the girls left. His mind only turned on how to get stronger and every single scheme, trick, cheat, he could think of to accomplish his goals.
As for anyone unfortunate enough to get in his way... Hehe~ They could join the trail of corpses he left behind on his way to the Peak.
Cross and Mu Xuanyin floated above the frozen lake. Mu Xuanyin said "The pool is extremely deep, even I don't know far it goes. But it is extremely cold and based on your affinity with the Ice element or Law will affect you more depending on how deep you go. It is extremely dangerous is you go past your limits."
Cross didn't say anything just dived inside, Mu Xuanyin sighed before leaving. Someone like Cross would never purposely die until he achieved his goals, so she wasn't worried. Then she frowned, she wasn't worried in the first place...
She shook her head and left to help Yun Che.
Cross dived into the lake and his hair turned white. Blue gave him the Ice element but it wasn't that strong, because he had the Law of Nothingness he had mastery over all the laws, of course, that didn't mean he was stronger than someone who cultivated the Ice Law for their entire life.
His strongest point was Nothingness or Void, he could control the other elements through the Void because of his comprehension. Normally this would be impossible but because of the way he understood the Law it became possible. Whether this was because he was special or because that's how the law worked... He may never know.
Cross' understanding was 'Nothing gives birth to Everything, while Everything always returns to Nothing' This was the principles of the Universe! Not just some random thing.
Cross dived deeper and deeper until he started to feel the biting cold on his skin, but this wasn't enough. He continued all the way to the bottom.
He feet touched the ground and he finally felt the unbearable cold. He looked around to see a naked girl curled up in a ball, covered in ice. Cross ignored her and circulated his 'Great Way of the Buddha' counter-acting the freezing cold energy destroying his body.
Cross continued cultivating while swinging Artemis under the water, despite his movements, she was still extremely heavy. Plus the cold wasn't helping either. He suddenly heard a soft voice say "Hmm... Future Calamity... So you've finally appeared..."
Cross turned to the girl and said "What do you want." the naked girl replied "I only wish... that... you won't kill... too many innocents..." Cross frowned and said "Why would I kill innocents." the girl replied "Perhaps... They are.. not innocent.. to you..."
Cross sneered and said "Then they deserve to die. An Ice Phoenix spirit still cares about human life?" the girl hummed softly, but she was completely still. Not moving in her ice block. Her voice sounded once more "Elven prince... perhaps... you may be right... but falling... to the path of... a demon... isn't... the right choice..."
Cross snorted and said "What demon? The decisions I make are all my own. I don't regret a single one of them! I am Me. Gods, Demons, Humans... As long as they get in my way, I will kill them all! I don't seek murder and blood but I will not shy away from it either."
The girl replied "Yes... Perhaps.. I was mistaken... You are already... on your own.. path..." a faint sigh was heard before she spoke again "Hopefully... the worst... will not occur..."
Cross ignored the girl as he focused on destroying and healing his body. An excruciatingly painful process but he didn't even flinch.
Time flew by 5 months later
Cross shook and a golden pagoda sank back into his head. 8th level Great Way achieved! A click was heard in his body and all the energy flew towards him, his body swelled before expelling black impurities and he broke through to the Divine Tribulation Realm.
Cross stood up, not feeling the Ice to be a problem anymore, He looked at the Ice Phoenix girl and said "Anything else?" the girl said "Believe your decisions... to be right... or you will... never... recover..." a ball of blue blood appeared and flew into Cross' body as the girl said "I too... was threatened... by that woman..."
Cross' blood devoured the Ice Phoenix blood, adding a blue speck to his light Golden-Red blood. Cross felt his aura spike, but he suppressed it and fixed his foundations. His body still followed his own age and the recently increase in strength made his supremely firm foundations a bit shaky.
Well not anymore.
Cross didn't say anything and flew back up to the surface. He had trained in her for 5 months, it was time to leave, and perhaps leave the Snow Song Realm entirely.
He jumped out of the lake and landed on the snow, he looked up and saw a group of people staring at him in shock. He snorted and his figure blurred before disappearing.
Cross reappeared in front of Mu Xuanyin, who seemed a bit sad for some reason. He ignored her emotions and said "I need a small Ark." Mu Xuanyin turned around and said "You're alive?!" Cross said plainly "If not? Do I look like a ghost?" Mu Xuanyin was startled, was that a joke? He can joke!?
She recovered and said "You were in there for 5 months, I thought you died." Cross said "Unfortunately for you, I have a tough life. Can I have the Ark now? Or are we going to dance around everything, wasting the precious time I have left."
Mu Xuanyin felt uncomfortable as his words, why was it unfortunate for her? She was breezing through this relationship. She didn't have to do anything, it was quite nice. She threw him a small blue boat and asked "Where are you going?" Cross caught the boat and said "That's none of your concern is it?"
Mu Xuanyin replied "Perhaps, but if you run away and miss the tournament then I would be a bit idiot, no?" Cross said "You admitted it?" Mu Xuanyin's eyes twitched and he added "God Realm of Absolute Beginning. I will meet you at the Convention... Where is it?"
Mu Xuanyin frowned and said "Eternal Heaven Realm. Why are you going to that terrible place? Are you truly looking to die? I can fulfill your wishes, there no need to go so far." Cross said "If I sit here any longer I will just take more time to advance. I need life and death stimulation, not comfort." his necklace glowed and a small black bead materialized in front of him.
He threw it to Mu Xuanyin saying "When it's time to be at the tournament, contact me with this." before turning around and leaving. He went out and threw the boat in the air before shooting off. Mu Xuanyin watched him go and muttered something before returning to her residence and looking at a flower that was quietly floating in a small pond.