Han Li and the other two also stood up, while Frost Li the Transcendent took a few steps forward, moved to the side, muttered an incantation, and with a flick of his hand, sent a blue spell onto the giant cauldron.
The massive cauldron immediately emitted a series of resonant hums, glowing with blue light as it rapidly shrank in size. In the blink of an eye, it had reduced to the size of a fist, floating mid-air.
Beneath where the cauldron had stood, a dark hole eerily appeared in the ground, accompanied by a crystalline ice staircase slanting downward, leading to an unknown destination.
Frost Li the Transcendent made a beckoning gesture toward the small cauldron, tucking it into his sleeve before leading the way down.
Bai Mengxin and the green-robed middle-aged man followed closely behind.
The old woman and the gray-robed monk exchanged glances before descending as well.
Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the hole for a moment before a faint, enigmatic smile curled at the corners of his lips. He, too, stepped down.
Not far inside, the pitch-black passage gradually brightened.
Only then could everyone see clearly—the walls of the passage were also constructed from profound ice, and at regular intervals, egg-sized moonstones were embedded in them, shimmering brilliantly, making it feel as though they were inside a crystal palace.
After descending over a hundred zhang, they finally reached the end of the ice staircase, where the passage leveled out and continued straight in a certain direction.
Though Han Li, the old woman, and the others were traversing this passage for the first time, they were all seasoned individuals, showing no signs of surprise. Instead, each remained composed, as if walking through their own courtyards.
After what felt like the time it took to finish a meal, they finally emerged from the icy passage into an underground hall. This hall was built from ordinary green jade, exuding an ancient simplicity that suggested it had existed for countless years.
However, the end of the hall facing Han Li and the others was not a wall but a massive stone gate—milky white, towering twenty to thirty zhang high, covered in layers of runic formations and strange, unknown patterns, all glowing with various spiritual lights.
What startled Han Li even more was the group of cultivators standing before the gate—sixteen or seventeen in total, each at the Nascent Soul stage. Though most were early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, their sheer numbers were astonishing.
Among them, Bai Yaoyi and a gray-haired elder stood at the forefront.
Han Li blinked, his gaze instinctively sweeping over the monk, Bai Mengxin, and the others.
Bai Mengxin and her two companions remained calm and composed, while the monk and the old woman frowned slightly, their eyes flickering with surprise. Clearly, the presence of so many people was unexpected to them.
“Frost Li Daoist, who are these fellow Daoists…?” the gray-robed monk couldn’t help but ask.
“Venerable, there’s no need for alarm. These are all elders of our palace. To enter the Profound Jade Cavern within the Ethereal Hall, their assistance is indispensable. Only by harnessing the extreme cold energy within the cavern can I increase my chances of breaking through my bottleneck by another ten percent,” Frost Li the Transcendent replied with a faint smile.
“The Ethereal Hall?” The monk was visibly startled.
The old woman’s eyes gleamed with intensity, and even Han Li’s expression shifted slightly.
“Fellow Daoists, you must have seen the three Ethereal Halls at the center of the secret realm outside. Though they share the same name, each holds its own mysteries. The Profound Jade Cavern lies within one of them, and the true entrance to the Ethereal Hall is not through the grand gates outside but via secret passages leading underground,” the green-robed middle-aged man added with a smile.
Han Li had already taken note of this green-robed man. Though Frost Li the Transcendent hadn’t introduced him, Han Li knew he was another cultivator from the Small Extreme Palace who practiced a different cold flame technique. Despite his ordinary appearance, there was a hint of gloom in his gaze, making Han Li pay extra attention to him.
At this moment, Bai Yaoyi and the other waiting cultivators stepped forward to greet them.
“Great Elder, have you truly decided to open the Ethereal Hall? Isn’t this against the rules? According to our palace’s traditions, the Ethereal Hall is only to be unsealed when the palace faces imminent disaster and is powerless to repel enemies. Moreover, allowing outsiders into the Profound Jade Cavern is unprecedented,” the gray-haired elder, whose face bore a large bluish birthmark, said with a defiant tone, despite bowing to Frost Li the Transcendent.
Han Li was taken aback.
How could a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator dare to speak so disrespectfully to Frost Li the Transcendent? The gap in their cultivation was vast!
Not just Han Li, but the old woman and the monk also wore expressions of surprise.
“Elder Ye, you worry too much! While the Ethereal Hall is typically unsealed in times of crisis, our ancestors never explicitly forbade its use in ordinary circumstances. Reports from our disciples outside indicate that demonic beasts are gathering around our island. Opening the hall early is justified. Besides, we are not unsealing all three halls. As the Great Elder, do I not have the authority to make such a decision?” Frost Li the Transcendent replied calmly, as if he had anticipated the elder’s objections.
“Even so, the Ethereal Hall is a forbidden ground of our palace. Allowing these three outsiders inside is highly inappropriate! As the Oversight Elder, I cannot agree to this!” the gray-haired elder retorted, his gaze sweeping over Han Li and the other two without yielding.
Hearing such blunt words, Han Li and the others couldn’t help but frown slightly, with the old woman even letting out a cold snort, her face darkening with displeasure.
“Elder Ye, as the wielder of the Oversight Spirit Treasure, you do have the right to oppose my decision. However, if I secure the approval of over two-thirds of the remaining elders, your objection becomes void,” Frost Li the Transcendent said impassively.
Han Li noticed, however, that when mentioning the Oversight Spirit Treasure, this late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator’s eyelid twitched slightly, as if harboring some apprehension.
Han Li was startled.
The Oversight Spirit Treasure—could it be a Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure or a replica? If so, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would indeed have the means to contend with a late-stage cultivator.
It seemed this gray-haired elder led a faction within the Small Extreme Palace that could rival Frost Li the Transcendent’s influence, hence his bold defiance.
But upon hearing Frost Li the Transcendent’s words, the elder’s expression changed. He turned sharply to scrutinize his fellow disciples behind him, noticing several who averted their eyes, unwilling to meet his gaze.
The elder’s heart sank.
“So that’s why Junior Brother Jin and the others were reassigned outside—Great Elder, you’ve planned this all along! Very well, I won’t stand in your way. May you succeed in breaking through your bottleneck. I shall patrol above to ensure no demons take advantage of this,” the elder said stiffly, though he maintained his composure. With that, he strode out of the hall.
Frost Li the Transcendent made no move to stop him, watching coldly as the elder disappeared alone into the passage.
“Fellow junior brothers, prepare to unseal the gate!” the green-robed middle-aged man declared without further delay.
None of the Small Extreme Palace elders voiced any further objections. Each retrieved an identical jade pendant from their person and cast it into the air, where they emitted multicolored spiritual lights.
Han Li was momentarily surprised by the pendants but quickly masked his reaction. These artifacts were identical to the one Frost Li the Transcendent had given him and later reclaimed. He glanced subtly at Frost Li the Transcendent, who did not produce his own pendant.
Under the green-robed man’s lead, the assembled cultivators began chanting in unison. The pendants flared brilliantly, transforming into orbs of light of varying sizes. Guided by the incantations, the orbs converged high above, merging and elongating into the silhouette of a five-colored woman.
The figure was tall and slender, her features indistinct, but her luminous eyes shone like stars, unforgettable in their clarity.
At the sight of this apparition, all the Small Extreme Palace cultivators, including Frost Li the Transcendent, bowed slightly, their expressions solemn and reverent.
Han Li and the others immediately understood—this phantom was undoubtedly the ancient cultivator who had founded the Small Extreme Palace. No mere illusion would command such respect.
Yet the fact that the founder was a woman came as a surprise to Han Li, prompting him to wonder about her connection to the Ethereal Heaven Hall of the Chaotic Star Sea.
He couldn’t believe there was no link between them.
The similarities between the Ethereal Hall and the Ethereal Heaven Hall, along with the appearance of the Dry Blue Cold Flame, couldn’t possibly be mere coincidences.
As Han Li pondered this, the woman’s silhouette, guided by the cultivators’ chants, drifted toward the stone gate.
With a soft *puff*, the figure dissolved upon contact with the gate, its multicolored lights vanishing into the stone.
The runes and spiritual lights on the massive gate faded, leaving it plain and devoid of any spiritual energy.
Then, a series of cracking sounds erupted as numerous jade pendants materialized in the air above the gate, now devoid of spiritual essence, and clattered to the ground. The Small Extreme Palace cultivators quickly summoned their respective pendants back into their hands.
Frost Li the Transcendent smiled at this sight and stepped forward, sweeping his sleeves toward the gate.
A blue mist billowed forth, brushing against the gate like a gentle breeze. As if made of paper, the gate silently split down the middle, swinging inward.
Before anyone could peer inside, Frost Li the Transcendent suddenly retreated, his voice grave as he shouted, “Be careful, fellow junior brothers!”
Han Li was puzzled, but before he could react, an earth-shaking roar erupted from beyond the gate, followed by what sounded like countless beasts bellowing in unison. A blinding white blizzard surged outward, freezing everything in its path—the ground, the pillars, all encased in ice—while thunderous rumbles echoed within the frigid winds.
The cultivators reacted in alarm. Those with weaker cultivation hastily retreated, while the stronger ones either summoned protective barriers or deployed defensive treasures.
The white blizzard swept through the entire hall in an instant.
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