The pair of golden wind foxes flickered and disappeared into the stone gate as if they were formless.
Han Li was momentarily stunned, but before he could react, the stone gate glowed and rumbled open, revealing a crystalline passage.
The walls of the passage were thickly coated with frost, resembling the entrance to an ice cave.
The two golden wind foxes stood at the entrance, turning their heads to glance at Han Li with their lively, intelligent eyes. The previously invisible one also revealed itself at this moment.
“Fellow Daoist Han, please come in! This old man is somewhat indisposed and cannot rise to greet you properly!” A low chuckle sounded in Han Li’s ears.
Han Li raised his eyebrows slightly and strode forward without hesitation, stepping inside.
As soon as the golden wind foxes saw Han Li following, they turned and dashed along the passage.
Han Li followed at a seemingly leisurely but actually swift pace. After a few turns, he noticed the cold in the passage growing increasingly intense, and the path suddenly began descending.
His heart stirred, but he continued without pause, moving downward without hesitation.
After what felt like the time it took to drink a cup of tea, when the temperature around him had dropped to the point where exhaled breath nearly froze, he finally reached the end of the passage. The golden wind foxes flickered and vanished into a hazy white hall.
The hall was entirely constructed from translucent jade-like material, its surface emitting faint wisps of cold light—it was actually built from ten-thousand-year profound ice.
As Han Li stepped inside, he couldn’t help but shiver, but purple flames immediately flickered across his body, and he appeared unaffected.
“Indeed, it’s true! Fellow Daoist Han truly possesses an extreme cold flame!” A voice filled with pleasant surprise came from the center of the hall. Han Li was startled and looked over, only to exclaim in shock.
“Dry Blue Iceflame!”
At each corner of the hall stood a massive crystalline pillar as thick as a person’s embrace, while in the center was a giant blue cauldron about five to six zhang in diameter, from which faint blue flames flickered. The bone-chilling cold and the spiritual pressure were unmistakably the Dry Blue Iceflame—something Han Li knew all too well. How could he not be astonished?
“Fellow Daoist Han also recognizes the Dry Blue Iceflame? This surprises me even more!” A light exclamation came from behind the cauldron, followed by the appearance of a three-foot-tall dwarf.
His face was deeply wrinkled, his long beard snow-white, and he wore a blue robe. He gazed at Han Li with a hint of surprise.
“Are you Frost Li the Transcendent?” Han Li quickly regained his composure and clasped his hands in greeting.
“Indeed, this old man is Frost Li. However, the title ‘Frost Li the Transcendent’ is merely an honorific for successive generations of the Great Elders of the Small Extreme Palace. My true name is Shi Xiang, though few know it.” The dwarf’s eyes flashed as he spoke, then he calmly raised a hand and sent a spell toward one of the crystalline pillars.
A flash of white light later, several pale white meditation cushions materialized on the floor in various spots of the hall.
“Since I rarely receive guests, I haven’t prepared any tables or chairs. I hope Fellow Daoist will forgive the oversight!” The dwarf said amiably.
“Fellow Daoist Shi is too courteous. We cultivators need not stand on such formalities!” Han Li smiled faintly and walked over, sitting cross-legged on one of the cushions. His gaze lingered on the giant cauldron once more.
He now noticed that the design of this cauldron bore a striking resemblance to the Void Heaven Cauldron. The Dry Blue Iceflame’s power was entirely contained within it, with none leaking out—otherwise, the entire hall would have long been frozen solid, making entry impossible.
Yet this only deepened the confusion in his heart.
“Though we haven’t yet spoken in detail, my intuition tells me that Fellow Daoist is almost certainly the person I’ve been searching for all these years.” Frost Li the Transcendent sat on another cushion opposite Han Li, speaking with sincerity.
“Your words leave me utterly baffled! Could you elaborate on the purpose of inviting me here?” Han Li suppressed his inner turmoil and spoke slowly.
“There’s no need for excessive concern, Fellow Daoist Han. I invited you here because I heard you consumed two Ice Spirit Fruits in succession without any ill effects. That piqued my curiosity, so I wished to meet you. But now that I see you cultivate an extreme cold flame, there’s no need for further tests—you truly are the person I’ve been seeking.” Frost Li the Transcendent smiled warmly.
“That I am the person you seek—what exactly do you mean by that?” Han Li pursed his lips slightly, frowning.
“Before that, may I ask the name of the purple flame you possess? I know of several types of purple spiritual flames, but none with ice attributes. I hope you can enlighten me!” Frost Li the Transcendent straightened his expression and asked solemnly.
“This cold flame of mine was haphazardly cultivated and has no formal name. For convenience, I call it Violet Netherflame. Though it may not compare to the Dry Blue Iceflame, its power is still considerable.” Han Li glanced at the flickering purple flames on his body and replied casually.
Without knowing the other’s intentions, he naturally wouldn’t reveal the flame’s true potential.
Yet Frost Li the Transcendent seemed satisfied with this answer, smiling as he said, “Your words ring true. Though the Violet Netherflame appears fused, its icy spiritual power is somewhat chaotic—clearly, it hasn’t undergone specialized refinement. Otherwise, its power could be even greater.”
“Greater? I deliberately refined this flame before. What further refinement does it need?” Han Li was taken aback.
“Haha, it seems Fellow Daoist Han’s understanding of extreme cold flames is limited. Such flames are rare in this world, but aside from their initial refinement, each can be further purified through special techniques to enhance their power. Of course, the degree of enhancement depends on the refinement process and the flame’s inherent strength. Take the Dry Blue Iceflame—if refined to its peak, its power could multiply several times over.” The dwarf stroked his beard and glanced at the cauldron proudly.
“Several times? Are you referring to flames refined like this?” Han Li inhaled sharply but then seemed to recall something. He raised a finger, and a strand of deep purple flame emerged, flickering intensely.
“This is indeed a refined cold flame, though it seems incomplete. Did you compress it with brute force? Such a method not only consumes vast spiritual power but likely only yields this single strand of purified flame.” Frost Li the Transcendent replied calmly, unsurprised.
“Thank you for the insight. Now, could you explain why you sought me out?” Han Li fell silent for a moment before looking up at the dwarf.
“Before answering, I have another question. Few know of the Dry Blue Iceflame—how did you recognize it at a glance? Have you encountered it elsewhere?” Frost Li the Transcendent’s eyes gleamed as he stared unblinkingly at Han Li.
Han Li’s mind churned, but his expression remained calm. “I once read about this flame in an ancient text. Its uniqueness left a lasting impression.” Given the unclear ties between the Small Extreme Palace and the Void Heaven Palace, and with the Void Heaven Cauldron in his possession, he dared not reveal more.
Frost Li the Transcendent was momentarily taken aback by the straightforward answer but soon chuckled. “This old man overthought matters. The Dry Blue Iceflame is unique to our Small Extreme Palace—it’s unlikely to exist elsewhere. In that case, I’ll speak plainly. It’s simple—you may have guessed—I need Fellow Daoist Han’s cold flame to assist me.”
His tone grew solemn, and Han Li listened intently, knowing the other would continue without prompting.
Yet Frost Li the Transcendent paused, then asked with a strange glint in his eyes, “Fellow Daoist Han, what do you think of my cultivation? Compared to ordinary late-Nascent Soul cultivators, do you notice any differences?”
“Differences? You’re undoubtedly at the late-Nascent Soul stage, but your spiritual sense and cultivation far surpass those of other great cultivators I’ve met. In that regard, you seem… different.” Han Li hesitated slightly after scanning the other with his spiritual sense.
“This old man’s cultivation has reached the peak of late-Nascent Soul, just half a step away from the Deity Transformation stage. Yet I’ve been stuck at this bottleneck for three hundred years. Countless elixirs and secret techniques allowed me to barely touch the threshold of Deity Transformation—my current appearance is the result of a mishap with one such elixir.” Frost Li the Transcendent spoke calmly.
“I see! So you’ve already glimpsed some Deity Transformation-level abilities?” Han Li was astonished but quickly grasped the implication.
“Heh. After this transformation, I became even more reclusive, focusing solely on breaking through to Deity Transformation. But that final barrier remains insurmountable. Still, my years of research weren’t wasted—I discovered a desperate but viable method in ancient texts. If followed, it offers at least a thirty percent chance of success.”
“Does it require extreme cold flames? If so, given the abundance of ice-attribute cultivators in your palace, finding elders with cold flames shouldn’t be difficult. Why seek me out?” Han Li asked coolly.
“Because this method requires the assistance of five Nascent Soul cultivators, each wielding a different cold flame. Only the combined stimulation of these flames can grant me the opportunity to advance. Within the Small Extreme Palace, I can only find two such cultivators. Among allied sects and wandering cultivators, two more can be found. But the fifth eluded me for decades—until you appeared.” Frost Li the Transcendent’s eyes shone with excitement.
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