At this moment, Zhang Ergou was shocked to discover that the voice had always existed in his sea of consciousness.
"Who are you?"
Zhang Ergou's consciousness moved, and he asked in the direction of the voice.
"Little fellow, you finally know where I am!"
The ethereal voice now carried a hint of joy.
"Who are you?"
Zhang Ergou asked again, but the voice still did not answer him.
"Little fellow, do you know where I am?"
The ethereal voice gradually became clearer.
"Who are you, and why are you in my sea of consciousness?"
Zhang Ergou was filled with shock. There was someone hidden in his sea of consciousness, and he had only just discovered it after so long.
Thinking of this, Zhang Ergou broke out in a cold sweat.
Who exactly was this person? Why did they exist in his sea of consciousness, which was the most vulnerable place for a cultivator?
If the owner of the voice was a residual soul, wouldn't he be possessed!
Zhang Ergou felt terrible. If his guess was correct, the consequences would be unimaginable.
He was currently at his weakest, the time when he was most vulnerable to possession.
Thinking of this, Zhang Ergou cautiously searched for the source of the voice.
Indeed, in the depths of his sea of consciousness, there was a phantom. Zhang Ergou warily gazed at the phantom.
"Who are you? Why are you in my sea of consciousness?"
Zhang Ergou's soul power was much higher than cultivators of the same level, yet this phantom could enter his mind without a sound.
"Little fellow, there's no need to be afraid. I bear no ill will!"
The voice seemed to be trying to placate Zhang Ergou, speaking as softly as possible, without any aggression.
The phantom gradually transformed into a physical form, becoming clearer.
As Zhang Ergou looked closely, he realized that this figure was no bigger than a child of seven or eight, entirely white, even his hair and beard.
Even more miraculously, this old man's eyes and lips were also white.
Zhang Ergou was filled with disbelief. Who was this old man, and why was he different from ordinary people?
As if sensing Zhang Ergou's confusion, the old man said, "Little fellow, do not worry. I am a spiritual entity formed from this snow mountain, or you could say, I am this ice cave and this ice-cold snow mountain!"
The old man's words were astonishing, and Zhang Ergou's face turned pale.
What a joke! He had actually encountered a living snow mountain!
The old man seemed to have expected Zhang Ergou's reaction and still wore a genial smile.
"What did you say? You are this ice-cold snow mountain and ice cave?"
Zhang Ergou asked in disbelief, clearly finding the old man's words incredible.
The old man nodded and walked up to Zhang Ergou. "Precisely. I have been nurtured by this ice-cold snow mountain for a hundred thousand years, forming the Snow Mountain Spirit."
"This ice cave and the snow mountain are one. Or, it would be more appropriate to compare this ice cave to the heart of the ice-cold snow mountain," the old man continued.
Zhang Ergou had not yet recovered from his shock, but seeing that the old man bore no malice, he relaxed.
"Senior, how did you enter my sea of consciousness?"
This was the question Zhang Ergou cared about most. The sea of consciousness was the most vulnerable place, and being invaded there naturally made Zhang Ergou extremely nervous.
The old man naturally saw Zhang Ergou's nervousness and smiled slightly. "I am a natural spirit entity born from heaven and earth. There are few places in this world I cannot go. Little fellow, you need not worry too much; I will not harm you."
"Then why did you enter my sea of consciousness?" Zhang Ergou asked, puzzled.
"I was originally a small mountain in the Kunlun Mountain range. One day, a person ascended from the lower realm to the Kunlun Immortal Realm. This ascendant was not idle; he fought with the Immortals of the Kunlun Immortal Realm for ninety-nine days and nights."
"I was also caught in the crossfire, affected by the residual energy from the battle between those Immortals and that person. I was directly separated from the Kunlun Snow Mountain and fell into this world."
Zhang Ergou no longer cared about his own safety. This was simply the biggest secret he had heard since he began cultivating.
This old man claimed to have fallen from the Immortal Realm to this world!
My goodness! Do Immortals truly exist?
Zhang Ergou seemed to have glimpsed a new world.
"Senior, since you say you fell from the Immortal Realm to this Yinzhou Continent, have you not thought about returning?"
Zhang Ergou's face was full of curiosity, as if he had forgotten that his physical body was about to freeze to death.
Hearing Zhang Ergou's words, the old man showed a hint of reminiscence on his face. "Of course, I want to. The spiritual energy in this world is far inferior to the immortal energy in the Immortal Realm."
"Then, Senior, why don't you find a way to return, but choose to stay here?" Zhang Ergou asked, puzzled.
"Ten thousand years ago, the passages between the Immortal Realm and other realms were not closed. Although it was difficult for cultivators to ascend from various lower realms to the Immortal Realm, there would be cultivators ascending every so often."
"After that great battle ten thousand years ago, the passages between the three realms were closed, and it became extremely difficult for cultivators to ascend!"
"Over the years, I have tried every possible method, traveled to every corner of this continent, but I still could not find the path to the Immortal Realm."
"In these years, I have become disheartened. Ten thousand years ago, in my despair, I casually found a place to hide."
"But I didn't expect to be discovered by Lu Tianqi, who passed by. He then brought me to the inner sect of the Misty Sect."
"Lu Tianqi? Who is Lu Tianqi?" Zhang Ergou asked doubtfully. He could actually capture a snow mountain that had fallen from the Immortal Realm.
What kind of cultivation must that person possess!
"Lu Tianqi, you haven't even heard of that shameless Lu Tianqi?"
The old man, who had been smiling all along, changed his expression when he mentioned Lu Tianqi, and spoke in a scolding manner.
"Never heard of him!" Zhang Ergou nodded honestly.
The things he had heard today had shattered his previous understanding. Before this, he had only heard of Hei Xuan Ge, the owner of the black market not far from the Misty Sect, who had a阁主 (gezhu) at the Soul Transformation stage.
That was the highest level of cultivator he had heard of before. As for the Old Man Taixu, whom he had seen below the cliff in the outer sect's Spirit Herb Garden, it was said that he once possessed the cultivation of the Mahayana stage.
However, due to the mutual depletion with demonic beasts, he had dissipated into the mortal world.
But Zhang Ergou had never personally witnessed the abilities of a Mahayana stage cultivator.
And who exactly was the Lu Tianqi the old man mentioned? What kind of cultivation did he possess to make this snow mountain that had fallen from the Immortal Realm so angry?
"Little fellow, you haven't been in the Misty Sect for long, have you?" Seeing that Zhang Ergou had never heard of Lu Tianqi, a hint of understanding flashed in the old man's eyes.
"As of today, it should be one year and two months!" Zhang Ergou replied truthfully.
"No wonder, little fellow, you don't know that shameless Lu Tianqi. It was that shameless fellow who tricked me into coming here."
"Tricked you?" Zhang Ergou exclaimed in surprise!