When Han Lian regained consciousness, three days had already passed. The ten-thousand-year ice coffin had been nourishing her without pause, restarting the circulation of her protective Ice Lotus. The Ice Lotus fed a steady stream of icy spiritual energy into her dried meridians and dantian, repairing her injured body. Once her internal wounds were mostly healed, Han Lian opened her eyes.
The first thing Han Lian did was release her divine sense to investigate, wanting to know where she had fallen. What she "saw" made her frown.
She and the ice coffin were placed in a room bright as day. All kinds of large rings revolved around the coffin at shifting speeds. She also saw screens glowing with different halos. The moment she opened her eyes, a slightly piercing beeping began sounding without end. The noise set her teeth on edge.
Four people in white coats rushed into the room and gathered before one of the light screens, arguing in hushed urgency.
"The instruments show life signs inside the ice coffin. I recommend we segment the coffin and rescue the person immediately."
"No. We do not know what is in there. What if it carries an alien virus?"
"Agreed. We should be cautious."
"But our tests indicate there is a human inside, the same as us…"
"That is not certain. Can you explain how this ice coffin fell into the heart of the desert?"
"Since we brought it back, it is to determine its origin, is it not? We did not haul it here to put it on display. Our testing shows the coffin formed over ten thousand years ago. This is a major discovery with high research value."
"Indeed. Research demands careful verification. Now that it is before us, we must study it thoroughly."
"In that case, everyone suits up. We will open the coffin only after full precautions. Whatever we do, we must first ensure our own safety."
The oldest of the four made the final call.
"Yes, Professor."
The other three answered at once, faces alight with excitement. This study would surely bring them a place in Azure Star's history.
Han Lian understood the gist of their words. The corner of her mouth twitched. She was certain she was no longer in the Wei Yu Realm. She could not remain lying in the coffin. Ran Xi, Xun Kun, and Yun Chen were still waiting for her to find them. She formed a hand seal, and the lid of the ice coffin opened of its own accord.
The sliding of the lid startled the four. Their steps halted in unison. They turned as one and saw the coffin open. Alarms blared through the room.
In the next instant, they saw the person inside sit up. A pair of sharp, beautiful eyes fell on them. The four froze as the white-clad woman, beautiful as a spirit, vanished from within and appeared beside the coffin in the blink of an eye. She gave her wide sleeve a casual flick. Frost seemed to seize the entire room. The alarms fell silent, and the ice coffin vanished along with the sound.
The four sucked in sharp breaths. Knees weak, they started toward the door. Before they could take a step, the white-clad woman was already before them, her gaze cool as she measured each of them. Her voice was quiet.
"What is this place? Who are you?"
The youngest researcher moved to shield his teacher, stammering, "Y… you… what are you? How did you arrive on our star?"
Han Lian arched a bold eyebrow. "Were you not the ones who dug me out of the desert's depths? Why turn around and question this Zūnzhě?"
The four exchanged looks, at a loss for how to answer.
At that moment, the door slid open and a squad of fully armed guards poured in with guns raised, encircling Han Lian. The captain signaled for his people to escort the four scientists out first, then said, "Miss, please cooperate with our identity check. Otherwise, you cannot leave this facility."
Han Lian let out a cold laugh. Since the day she made her name in the cultivation world, no one had dared speak to her like this, much less restrict her freedom. She snorted, slipped through the encirclement in a flash, and caught up with the four as they were being escorted away.
"Aoo—"
A drawn-out howl echoed down the corridor, making the captain's finger jerk on the trigger. He looked back and found the white-robed woman gone. He chopped his hand through the air.
"After her!"
Han Lian was already strolling at the side of the eldest professor. Her tone was mild. "How should I address you?"
Professor Huang's limbs felt out of sync, but he forced himself to remain steady. "My surname is Huang."
The three younger researchers, frightened, fell two steps behind. The guards responsible for their safety did not dare fire. Han Lian stood too close to Professor Huang. Under her gaze they kept a "safe distance," trailing carefully behind.
"Professor Huang, can you answer my questions?"
Han Lian walked beside Professor Huang as if making idle talk.
Professor Huang could not gauge the situation. He swallowed. "This is a scientific base near a desert on Azure Star. Three days ago, the ice coffin containing you fell into the desert's interior. A drone detected the anomaly. We assumed it was a meteorite strike, so we sent a team to excavate and transported the coffin back here. During our testing, we detected weak, stable life signs inside. While we were debating whether to break the seal and rescue you, your life signs suddenly spiked. After that… you know the rest."
Han Lian frowned. Though he had answered, words like "drone," "meteorite strike," and "life signs" were entirely unfamiliar to her.
Once more she confirmed this world was nothing like the Weiyu Realm. Her gaze drifted to the devices the guards were aiming at her. Irritation pricked. She flicked her hand.
Frost bloomed white along the barrels, racing over the weapons in a breath. Warnings crackled in the guards' earpieces.
"Alert. Alert. Discard your firearms at once. Core control panels have been destroyed. High probability of self-detonation. Discard immediately."
The message reached Han Lian's ears as well, gifting her several new, strange terms. She turned to look at the now-wobbling Professor Huang. She decided she could likely obtain the answers she wanted from the memories of this most respected man.
All around, guns clattered to the floor. The guards stared at Han Lian in shock. She was satisfied with that. She looked back to Professor Huang, her tone gentle.
"This Zūnzhě has just arrived and has a few questions to ask in private. Shall we go somewhere suitable for conversation?"
"Ahem. My office, then. No one will disturb us there."
"Good. Lead the way."
Professor Huang shook his head at the guard captain, then resigned himself and walked ahead.
Just then, the base alarms sounded again. This time, it did not seem to be because of Han Lian.