More than ten days later, a clear, melodious whistle suddenly sounded outside the ice house. Though not particularly loud, it was enough to rouse Han Li from his meditation.
Han Li’s brows twitched slightly as he opened his eyes. After a brief moment of thought, he stood up, pushed open the ice door, and stepped outside.
Before the ice house, an expansive open space now unexpectedly housed a vast ice hall spanning a hundred zhang in width. The hall was supported by several thick ice pillars. Though crudely constructed, it shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight, exuding an imposing aura.
Inside the hall stood an ice platform several zhang high, upon which a man and a woman stood. The man was a strikingly handsome youth with silver hair and a youthful face, while the woman had her dark hair elegantly coiled atop her head, her voluptuous figure and stunning beauty accentuated by her bare, lotus-like arms and jade-white feet, seemingly unbothered by the frigid mountain air.
Both of them possessed Void Refining-level cultivation, with the silver-haired man reaching the mid-stage of this realm. The earlier whistle had come from him.
Beneath the platform stood four or five individuals, including Ying Xianzi and the elderly surnamed Liu. Han Li wasn’t the only one who had emerged from the ice houses upon hearing the whistle—others had also stepped out one after another. In the blink of an eye, nearly twenty cultivators had gathered atop the mountain, all at least at the Nascent Soul stage or higher. With varied expressions, they made their way toward the hall.
Han Li followed silently, blending into the crowd as they entered the hall. Many of the cultivators immediately bowed respectfully to the pair on the platform, greeting them with phrases like, “Greetings, Senior Zhu and Senior Qing!” or “The two seniors have arrived! This junior pays respects!”
Han Li casually positioned himself in an inconspicuous spot and stood quietly. The pair on the platform were none other than the renowned Golden Guards of Tianyuan City who had personally invited him. Though this was his first interaction with them, their reputations were favorable, and they, too, were ascended cultivators from the lower realms. Had it not been for this, he might not have agreed to participate, regardless of the promised rewards.
The silver-haired man, surnamed Zhu, ceased his whistling and responded amiably to the greetings before addressing the crowd in a clear voice, “It seems most have arrived. Fellow Daoists, please take your seats. Let us discuss how to eradicate the nest of those Emerald-Eyed True Toads.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the beautiful woman beside him flicked a hand seal downward. Instantly, white light shimmered along the sides of the hall, and rows of exquisitely carved jade chairs materialized, supported by simple formation arrays. The cultivators seated themselves accordingly, their attention fixed on the Void Refining couple now seated on the platform.
The silver-haired man swept his gaze across the assembly and smiled. “It appears the turnout aligns with our expectations. Only about forty percent of those we invited have arrived. Some are occupied with other tasks, while others may have encountered unforeseen circumstances preventing their journey. Nevertheless, with our combined efforts, we can still eliminate those Emerald-Eyed True Toads. As previously agreed, you will divide the toads’ spiritual blood, while my wife and I will take the Heartbloom Flowers they guard. There should be no objections to this arrangement. However, the distribution of the spiritual blood will depend on each participant’s contribution—it won’t be divided equally. I hope no one entertains thoughts of reaping rewards without effort.”
As he spoke the last few words, a faint but unmistakable Void Refining-level spiritual pressure emanated from him, his expression turning solemn. The other cultivators remained seated, showing no signs of dissent.
“Good. Since we’re all in agreement, let’s discuss the specifics of the operation. Ying Xianzi and her companions were the first to discover the toads, so she will provide an overview,” the silver-haired man said, turning to a veiled woman seated below.
“At Senior Zhu’s command, this junior dares not refuse,” Ying Xianzi replied with a smile. She rose gracefully, her gaze sweeping over the assembly before she began calmly, “I won’t dwell on how we found the nest. What’s important is that there are nearly ten toads in total—two adult pairs at the mid-Void Refining stage, while the rest are juveniles equivalent to Nascent Soul cultivators. They remain hidden deep underground in their lair, rarely emerging. Eliminating them within their nest will be far more challenging, as the environment there severely hampers our efforts.”
She paused briefly before continuing, “If that were all, we wouldn’t need so many fellow Daoists. The real complication lies in the two types of symbiotic beasts guarding the nest: Blackblood Ants and Shadowmoth Beasts. Individually, these creatures may not pose much threat, but they swarm in groups of about a hundred each. To eradicate the toads, we must first deal with these pests.”
“Blackblood Ants?”
“Shadowmoth Beasts?”
Murmurs of surprise rippled through the hall. These creatures were infamous—even a Void Refining cultivator could be in grave danger if surrounded by such swarms.
After concluding her explanation, Ying Xianzi nodded to the silver-haired man and returned to her seat.
“No need for alarm,” the man surnamed Zhu said smoothly. “Since I invited you all here, I’ve already devised countermeasures. I merely require your cooperation.”
A straw-hatted elder, one of the few late-Nascent Soul cultivators present, rose and bowed slightly toward the platform. “Senior Zhu, it’s not that we doubt your words, but the situation does seem perilous. Could you elaborate on your strategy?”
“Ah, Daoist You. Please, take your seat. I was just about to explain,” the silver-haired man replied amiably.
The elder sat back down without another word.
“The solution is straightforward. While the symbiotic beasts are troublesome, my wife and I have procured Sandalwood Crane Incense, which is highly attractive to Blackblood Ants. Lighting it at a distance will lure them out, allowing us to eliminate them en masse. The Shadowmoth Beasts are trickier, but we’ve borrowed a set of Profound Azure Thunder Flags from a friend. With eight fellow Daoists wielding these flags to form the Heavenly Capital Thunder Array, we can trap the Shadowmoth Beasts. Additionally, we’ve specially invited Daoist Han and Fairy Xiao, whose techniques counter these creatures. With their assistance, the array should be foolproof. The rest of us will focus on the toads. Does this sound acceptable?”
As the silver-haired man spoke, Han Li’s attention was drawn to a young woman in a silver-white dress across the hall. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, with delicate features, and met his gaze with a gentle smile.
“Is this Fairy Xiao? What kind of technique does she cultivate that counters Shadowmoth Beasts?” Han Li wondered inwardly, returning the smile out of courtesy.
Over the next hour, other cultivators raised questions, all of which the silver-haired man answered patiently, leaving the assembly satisfied. Han Li noted, however, that the beautiful woman beside him remained silent throughout, merely smiling faintly.
This struck him as odd. He recalled that during their initial visit to his cave dwelling, only the man had spoken. Could she be practicing some vow of silence, like certain Buddhist monks? Or perhaps she was mute—though at their cultivation level, such physical impairments could easily be remedied.
After the discussions concluded, the silver-haired man began assigning roles. Aside from Han Li and Fairy Xiao, who were tasked with countering the Shadowmoth Beasts, many of the other cultivators specialized in rare thunder-attribute techniques, making them ideal candidates to wield the Profound Azure Thunder Flags. Notably, all present were either ascended cultivators or their direct descendants, with no native-born cultivators among them. Thus, despite their numbers, there were no major objections to the assignments.
Without further delay, the group of over twenty set off, flying westward in streaks of light. After three days and nights of uninterrupted travel, they arrived before a vast, mist-shrouded lake. The thick fog and briny air lent the place an air of mystery, causing many to frown in unease. In the untamed wilderness, such ominous locales often harbored hidden dangers—perhaps ancient beasts lying in wait beneath the water or within the mist.
Almost instinctively, the group slowed their flight, halting at the fog’s edge.
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