“This is the largest secret chamber in the Void Spirit Hall—the Profound Jade Cave. Though the cave itself is not large, the profound jade within has existed since ancient times. It was condensed into this cave by ancient cultivators using immense magical power to refine an entire vein of profound jade. Though the difference between ‘ten-thousand-year profound jade’ and ‘ten-thousand-year profound ice’ is just a single character, I’m sure you all understand the distinction. Outside this hall, even if you scoured the entire northern lands, you’d be hard-pressed to find more than a few pieces of ten-thousand-year profound jade.” Frost Li the Transcendent stared at the fissure in the altar, a trace of pride flashing across his face.
The middle-aged man in blue robes and Bai Mengxin also showed a glimmer of excitement in their eyes.
“Indeed! Had we not heard you speak of the Profound Jade Cave earlier, we would hardly have believed your palace possessed such a treasure. Even a fist-sized piece of ten-thousand-year profound jade, when incorporated into a magic treasure, can instantly grant it icy powers, capable of unleashing terrifying cold energy to harm enemies unseen. How could mere profound ice compare?” The gray-robed monk glanced at the fissure and sighed with emotion.
The elderly woman also gazed at the fissure, her eyes gleaming.
Han Li, meanwhile, ran his fingers over the smooth surface of a small golden sword concealed in his sleeve, smiling faintly without a word.
“I’ve already discussed this with Junior Sister Bai and Junior Brother Ouyang. Regardless of whether the three of you can help me break through my bottleneck to the Spirit Transformation stage, I will gift each of you a portion of ten-thousand-year profound jade as a token of our palace’s gratitude.” Frost Li the Transcendent observed the expressions of Han Li and the other two, then suddenly smiled.
“Are you serious, Venerable Frost Li?” Even the usually cold and haughty elderly woman couldn’t help but ask in delight.
“As the Great Elder of the Minor Extreme Palace, I have the authority to make such decisions.” Frost Li the Transcendent shook his head with a chuckle.
At this, even the gray-robed monk’s brows lifted in joy.
After all, ten-thousand-year profound jade was nearly extinct in the outside world—a priceless treasure that couldn’t be bought even with spirit stones. If they could obtain some and fuse it into their lifebound treasures, it would undoubtedly increase their power by a significant margin.
Hearing this, Han Li couldn’t help but admire the dwarf’s generosity.
However, with such a hefty reward at stake, the three of them would likely feel compelled to give their all when the time came.
“Now, let us enter the Profound Jade Cave. The cold energy inside is exceptionally fierce. The moment you step in, you must shield yourselves with extreme cold flames, or you won’t be able to withstand it. Fortunately, there’s a specially designated area within the cave that can resist the erosion of the profound jade’s cold energy, allowing us to meditate and recover our magic power. Otherwise, even I wouldn’t be able to stay inside for long!” Frost Li the Transcendent cautioned.
With that, the dwarf opened his mouth and spat out a brilliant blue fireball, which transformed into a large blue bird that soared upward before circling back and diving into his body.
A clear cry echoed as the shadow of the great bird flickered behind Frost Li the Transcendent before vanishing, replaced by a layer of blue icy flames that enveloped him.
He formed a hand seal, then floated down into the fissure.
Bai Mengxin and the elderly woman also cast their spells, summoning their cold flames once more before flying toward the fissure.
Han Li, however, frowned and glanced at the faint golden side doors on either side, then at the massive cauldron hovering above the fissure, hesitating momentarily. But as if recalling something, he chuckled softly and followed, protected by a layer of Violet Essence Flame.
The moment he flew into the fissure, a milky-white cold light surged toward him. Upon contact with his violet flames, a sizzling sound erupted, as if the two forces were fundamentally incompatible, causing the violet flames to flicker unsteadily.
Han Li’s expression tightened. Without taking time to survey his surroundings, he rubbed his hands together and released another surge of Violet Essence Flame to reinforce his defenses, stabilizing the icy flames.
Only then did he have the leisure to observe his surroundings.
The so-called Profound Jade Cave was essentially an underground cavern.
However, this cavern was formed from an exceedingly rare vein of profound jade. These peculiar materials, several times colder than ten-thousand-year profound ice, were scattered like grains of rice across the cavern walls, emitting a milky-white glow. The deeper they descended, the denser this cold light became, striking his violet flames with a sound like rain pattering on banana leaves.
A sense of unease crept into Han Li’s mind. Glancing down and seeing that no one seemed to be paying him any attention, he reached out with his magic power and forcibly drew a strand of the cold light into his palm, encasing it in violet flames for closer inspection.
At first glance, it appeared to be ordinary cold energy, nothing special. But when Han Li channeled spiritual power into his eyes, causing them to glow blue, his face flickered with surprise.
Under the scrutiny of his Brightsight Spirit Eyes, the milky-white cold light revealed a semi-solid form, writhing within the violet flames as if alive, completely unafraid of the extreme cold of the Violet Essence Flame and utterly refusing to merge with it.
“What is this? It resembles sentient cold energy, but not quite…” Han Li’s astonishment was beyond words.
And this was just the cold energy’s natural assault. If someone were to gather and direct it in a concentrated attack, even his Violet Essence Flame might not withstand it.
A thought flashed through his mind. He quickly rubbed his hands together again, this time summoning a wisp of crimson flame amidst the violet.
The moment this unusual flame touched the milky-white cold light, it absorbed it effortlessly, as if blending water into milk.
Han Li’s eyes gleamed with delight.
As expected of the Solar Essence Flame—one of the three great primordial flames Silvermoon had spoken of. Though he currently possessed only a wisp, far weaker than his Violet Essence Flame in raw power, its capacity for absorption and compatibility was astonishingly potent.
When he had first refined this wisp of Solar Essence Flame, he had also briefly fused a trace of Violet Essence Flame into it without issue. Of course, fully converting the Violet Essence Flame would take far longer than a mere decade or two. Otherwise, Han Li might have considered transforming all of it.
After all, this wisp of Solar Essence Flame already exhibited a hint of sentience and was clearly a higher-tier existence than extreme cold flames.
Now that he knew it could counter the cold light in the Profound Jade Cave, Han Li felt a wave of relief.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he casually flicked the crimson flame from his fingertips, sending it shooting into the surrounding cold light where it vanished without a trace.
Almost immediately, the blue-robed man below seemed to sense something and abruptly looked up at Han Li, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes.
Han Li’s heart sank, but his expression remained calm. “Is something the matter, Fellow Daoist?” he asked nonchalantly.
The blue-robed man scrutinized Han Li and the cavern walls but found nothing amiss. “Nothing. I merely wished to ensure you had followed us down. The Void Spirit Hall’s restrictions on spiritual sense are quite disorienting,” he replied politely, masking his lingering doubts with courtesy, well aware of Han Li’s formidable abilities.
“Of course I followed. Though the cold energy in this cave seems rather peculiar,” Han Li remarked, glancing at the milky-white light still battering his violet flames.
“This cave has existed since ancient times. Over such a long period, the cold energy may have undergone subtle changes. Ordinary cold energy wouldn’t behave like this,” the blue-robed man mused, his own black icy flames crackling under the assault.
Han Li smiled faintly, about to respond, when he suddenly let out a soft exclamation.
The blue-robed man looked down and saw that they had reached the bottom of the cavern—a sprawling expanse of rubble several hundred feet wide.
At one edge stood a fiery-red stone hut, while the walls bore several other tunnel entrances, suggesting this wasn’t the only cavern here.
The cold energy here was several times denser than above. At the center of the rubble, atop a natural stone pillar, the milky-white energy had coalesced into a massive orb several yards in diameter, roiling and shimmering.
Upon closer inspection, Han Li realized the entire pillar was studded with thumb-sized pieces of profound jade, their spiritual light far surpassing the scattered fragments near the entrance.
Suppressing his astonishment, Han Li landed alongside the others. Frost Li the Transcendent, upon touching down, fixed his gaze on the glowing orb with undisguised delight.
“Marvelous! I had worried about how to gather the cave’s cold energy, but nature has provided a convergence point for us. This saves us considerable effort!” He laughed heartily before flicking a blue ice spike at the orb.
With a metallic clang, the spike shattered upon contact, dispersing into motes of cold light.
“Excellent!” Frost Li the Transcendent beamed.
“By the way, do you see that stone hut? It’s constructed from Solar Essence Stone, the only material impervious to the cave’s cold energy. We can rest there briefly while I explain the cave’s taboos. Otherwise, a single misstep could bring grave consequences.”
“Grave consequences? What do you mean, Venerable Frost Li?” The elderly woman frowned, tapping her cane against the ground.
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