### Chapter 4: Demon Empress Frost North Snow (4)
The moment Lin Nan hit the ground, it was nothing but despair.
From the minute he ran into Ren Dan, he had been as careful as a cat on a hot tin roof, hyper-aware of the chaos brewing among the crazed Flowerless Palace inhabitants, who were clearly ready to do anything for their nefarious reasons. But no amount of careful planning could save him now as he lay there like a stiff log, unable even to wiggle a finger.
He and Fatty were face to face, both cheekily pressed against the cold Han white jade floor.
Fatty’s eyes were wide with sheer terror.
Neither of them had expected the Great Palace Master’s methods to be so sneaky; they had been blindsided without so much as a warning.
Was this truly their final destination?
Dying in a cold, underwater temple, their bl**d would eventually seep into the walls, helping the Great Palace Master tighten her grip over the temple.
No way, this was NOT the ending they had in mind!
Fatty wanted to struggle, but after several attempts that yielded nothing but a whole lot of nada as he felt like a piece of furniture, hopelessness sunk in.
At that moment, Lin Nan, lying across from him, closed his eyes too.
“Did you give up too?”
Fatty sobbed.
Not that they were born on the same day, but dying on the same day? Such fate… he did NOT sign up for this!
[Ding! Welcome back, dear Master!]
[Ding! You have obtained a 3D overview map of the Sighs Temple!]
[Ding! You have gained puppet control permissions for the Sighs Temple!]
[Ding! You have gained mechanism trap control permissions for the Sighs Temple!]
Just as this series of notifications flashed across his retina, Lin Nan was nearly floored.
Desperate to mask his shock, he rushed to hide his eyes, mistakenly leading Fatty to think he had succumbed to despair too.
Inside, Lin Nan was jumping for joy; there was truly no road that couldn’t be traversed!
He hadn’t expected this underground palace to actually be a temple, and a temple completely under Frost North Snow’s jurisdiction at that! Otherwise, why would it call him Master?
Clearly, it had a nifty ability to see through appearances just like a hand warmer.
Though it took its sweet time to react (better late than never, right?), now he had a chance to stop the Great Palace Master from her bloodthirsty rampage!
At that moment, the Great Palace Master resembled an eager schoolgirl showcasing her latest report card, ordering those who had still been unable to move to be propped up against the wall before conjuring seven glowing orbs.
They could see scenes from the island in each of those hovering orbs.
“Hmm, which island should we start with?”
The Great Palace Master tapped her pointy chin with her right index finger, swaying her head thinkily.
A passerby would think such a lovely young lady was contemplating what to have for lunch. Who could ever link this cheery scene with the ruthless slaughter that was about to unfold?
But that ludicrous juxtaposition was just about to happen.
Lin Nan felt he could wait no longer.
With a spark of determination, the statues flanking the main hall, which could only be awakened temporarily by bl**d, suddenly took their first step.
It was as if they were suddenly granted unimaginable power. Gone was the clunky start-up time the young boy statue had experienced after drinking bl**d; they launched into full throttle in an instant.
These finely-carved statues stood over two meters tall, and as they came to life, their stone weapons morphed into sharp blades as if by magic.
Several unfortunate Flowerless Palace disciples caught too close were ambushed from behind, their bodies sliced clean in half, not even able to let out a scream before meeting their maker.
Their sudden appearance left the Great Palace Master momentarily stunned.
Ren Dan, surrounded by her fellow disciples, looked as if they were facing a rabid dog.
“Your Highness, our bl**d sacrifice ceremony hasn’t even officially begun! How can they…?”
The slender woman began to lose her cool.
After all, she had thought she was in complete control, only for an unexpected twist to throw her confidence for a loop.
The Great Palace Master chuckled, “This just proves that the temple has its own will, and our arrival hasn’t fully attained its approval.”
“So what do we do now?”
The Great Palace Master shrugged, “We k*ll them all; the temple will surely understand our determination.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Grinding her teeth, Ren Dan led the charge, diving into battle against the statues that were tall yet remarkably agile.
For a moment, it was a stalemate.
Seeing the change in momentum, Bai Tao and her group couldn’t help but feel hopeful.
Fatty, his eyes wide open, was desperately looking for a way to regain his freedom.
Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed.
“Perhaps only a massive flood of bl**d will convince the temple who the new master is!”
Casting a glance at the seven glowing orbs floating near him, the Great Palace Master casually snatched one in her hand.
What happened next made everyone’s jaws drop to the floor.
No one knew which spell she used, or if the Flowerless Palace had set off deadly k*ll arrays across the seven islands ahead of time, but after she recited a few incantations with a smile, the fishermen lying there, frozen in place, had their chests explode! Even women and children were no exception.
In that split second before d*ath, the intense pain returned control to their bodies.
They looked on their young children, who were wide-eyed and screamed piercingly, as their chests burst open like a piñata.
bl**d mixed with their shattered insides sprayed everywhere, transforming the entire island into an unimaginable hell on Earth.
As all the fishermen on this island dropped like flies, something strange occurred.
The image of the island carved into the stone tablet suddenly turned a vivid bl**d-red.
The Great Palace Master beamed at Bai Tao, “Look, Second Palace Master, our guess was spot on! As long as we sacrifice enough bl**d, the temple will understand our sincerity.”
Bai Tao’s eyes filled with rage; if only her body wasn’t under duress, she would have delighted in tearing that hypocritical face apart to get vengeance for all the dead fishermen.
“Well then, it’s time for Island Two!”
The Great Palace Master turned, eager to continue her rampage.
“Faster, and faster!” Lin Nan muttered to himself.
At that moment, heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the hall. With every step, the ground shook like an earthquake.
The Great Palace Master frowned slightly and paused her actions.
Outside, a towering statue giant over five meters tall came barreling toward the main hall—as if it thought the palace was too small for its stature.
“No way, we can’t let it destroy this place!”
The Great Palace Master soared into action, leaping over Ren Dan and the others who were grappling with the statues, positioning herself directly in front of the giant headed up the steps.
Lin Nan let out a quiet sigh of relief; the slaughter had finally paused, if only for a moment.
…
P.S. A friendly reminder, the Demon Empress will make her appearance in tonight’s bonus chapter!
