A layer of Purple Apex Flame emerged around Han Li’s body as he stood motionless, allowing the frigid winds to sweep past him.
As soon as the white wind touched the purple flames, it eerily merged into them and vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, Han Li glanced sideways and saw the entire hall transformed into a glacial landscape. However, the other cultivators who wielded cold flames remained unharmed.
Apart from the white icy flames released by Bai Mengxin, Frost Li the Transcendent had a small cauldron floating before him, spewing forth a stream of Dry Blue Ice Flames that shielded him.
The middle-aged man in green robes stood with his hands behind his back, protected by a barrier of black icy flames.
The elderly woman, now holding a yellow cane, unleashed waves of yellow flames from its tip, hiding behind them.
The gray-robed monk pressed his palms together, releasing a pale green icy flame that coiled around him like a green flood dragon, effortlessly warding off the frigid winds.
As for Bai Yaoyi and the other lower-level cultivators, though they had means to resist the cold, their protective barriers and treasures flickered under the assault, clearly struggling.
In the blink of an eye, the roars from the stone gate ceased, and the frigid winds gradually subsided, dispersing into nothingness. The hall fell into complete silence.
Han Li’s eyes flickered as he formed a hand seal, retracting the purple flames into his body before turning his gaze toward the stone gate.
Beyond it lay a crystalline expanse of snow-white ice, densely packed with towering ice pillars resembling a labyrinth.
Han Li’s mind stirred as he extended his divine sense toward it. However, as soon as it passed through the gate, his awareness grew sluggish—clearly, a special restriction had been placed to suppress divine sense.
The elderly woman and the others also noticed the scene beyond the gate, their expressions varying.
“Be cautious, fellow Daoists! This is my first time entering the Ethereal Spirit Hall. While I can control most of its restrictions, some remain beyond my understanding. Stay close and avoid straying, lest you trigger unforeseen mechanisms,” Frost Li the Transcendent exhaled deeply, turning to address Han Li and the others solemnly.
“Naturally, we wouldn’t recklessly trespass in your sect’s forbidden grounds,” the elderly woman replied coolly, sensing his concern.
Han Li and the gray-robed monk nodded in agreement.
Satisfied, Frost Li turned to Bai Yaoyi and the other elders of the Small Extreme Palace. “Breaking through this bottleneck may take as little as three to five days or as long as a month. If the demonic beasts attack during this time, follow the original plan. Should unforeseen circumstances arise and I fail to emerge within two months, execute the contingency measures.”
“Yes, Grand Elder!” the assembled cultivators responded in unison, their expressions grave.
“Let us proceed,” Frost Li declared, flicking his sleeve to produce a fist-sized white array disk. Holding it aloft, he led the way toward the stone gate, with Han Li and the others following closely.
Upon entering, Frost Li formed a seal and struck the disk with a spell. The massive gate rumbled shut behind them, its surface once again adorned with glowing runes.
The elderly woman and the gray-robed monk exchanged glances, their eyes revealing a trace of suspicion.
“Rest assured, fellow Daoists. While opening the Ethereal Spirit Hall from the outside is arduous, exiting from within is effortless. I’ve sealed it temporarily to prevent interruptions,” Frost Li explained.
The two had no choice but to accept his words, while Han Li remained indifferent.
After advancing a dozen paces, they reached a forest of ice pillars, their dazzling white radiance disorienting.
“These thousand and eight pillars of ten-thousand-year Profound Ice were meticulously refined by ancient cultivators, forming the renowned ‘Ice Soul Frigid Fury Formation.’ Without the proper artifact, intruders would be instantly frozen by its extreme cold. The winds we encountered earlier were merely residual energies from the formation’s millennia-long dormancy. Even with our mastery of extreme cold flames, survival within this array is uncertain,” Frost Li cautioned impassively.
The elderly woman and the monk eyed the pillars skeptically.
“Haha, no need to worry, Fellow Daoist Frost Li. We’ve no desire to test its power,” Han Li chuckled.
Frost Li laughed heartily before waving the array disk toward the endless ice pillars.
A milky-white radiance erupted from the disk, causing the pillars to shimmer like illusions, parting to reveal a path several zhang wide.
Holding the disk aloft, Frost Li strode forward, the group following closely behind.
Han Li, bringing up the rear, surveyed the surroundings.
Each pillar was astonishingly thick, requiring two people to encircle, their surfaces deceptively smooth. Peering deeper, faint runes swirled within the ice, vanishing upon closer inspection—a marvel of ancient craftsmanship.
Above, thick white mist obscured the pillars’ upper halves, their full forms hidden.
Yet one thing was certain: these pillars harbored terrifying cold energy. Even from several zhang away, their bone-chilling aura was palpable—though not as extreme as their flames, it far surpassed ordinary frost.
No wonder Frost Li was so confident!
As Han Li pondered, the group traversed several hundred zhang, the pillars stretching endlessly on either side, defying belief that they numbered only a thousand. The formation’s intricacy was astounding.
After the time it takes to drink tea, they finally emerged into a clearing, where a jade-white altar stood, twenty zhang tall and a hundred zhang wide, encased in a pale blue barrier.
Two golden side gates flanked the altar, each sealed with ancient talismans, hinting at alternate paths.
Frost Li’s face brightened at the sight. Stowing the array disk, he approached the altar and raised his hands, summoning Dry Blue Ice Flames to encase his palms.
Pressing them against the barrier, blue flames and light intertwined, causing the entire altar to tremble. A blinding radiance erupted before the barrier shattered like crystal, collapsing into nothingness.
Without hesitation, Frost Li stepped onto the altar.
The others followed in flashes of light, arriving beside him.
Frost Li now stood with hands clasped behind his back, studying the altar’s surface intently.
Han Li’s gaze followed, revealing a peculiar formation twenty zhang wide, its center marked by a massive cauldron design—identical to the Void Sky Cauldron within him.
His expression flickered briefly before returning to normal.
“Fellow Daoist Han, have you seen such a formation before?” Frost Li’s gaze swept over Han Li, catching his momentary reaction.
Han Li’s heart skipped a beat, but he replied calmly, “I once encountered something similar in an ancient cave dwelling. Upon closer inspection, they differ—just a fleeting resemblance.”
“Is that so?” Frost Li’s lips curled ambiguously. Whether he believed Han Li or not, he pressed no further. Instead, he flicked his sleeve, releasing the small cauldron wreathed in Dry Blue Ice Flames. It hovered above the formation’s center.
Han Li pursed his lips, holding his breath as the others watched intently.
Frost Li formed a lotus gesture with one hand and flicked his fingers toward the cauldron.
With a muffled boom, the cauldron expanded rapidly before erupting in violent blue flames, covering its surface entirely—the massive cauldron had reappeared.
Simultaneously, Bai Mengxin and the green-robed man stepped forward, unleashing white and black flames onto opposite sides of the formation.
A thunderous roar echoed as the formation lit up, activated by the dual flames. The central cauldron pattern blazed with blue light, materializing into a radiant blue cauldron.
The hovering cauldron descended under Frost Li’s control, merging with the phantom in a dazzling flash before settling onto the formation with a resounding crash.
Frost Li chanted an eerie incantation, and the Dry Blue Ice Flames erupted from the cauldron like a volcano, engulfing the entire formation.
Upon contact, the formation erupted in blinding light, shaking the altar violently.
A fissure split open beneath the cauldron, widening steadily.
Han Li and the others soared into the air, peering down in astonishment.
The cauldron now floated above the chasm, from which a milky-white glow emanated, illuminating the depths below.
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