After an unknown amount of time, a faint sigh from a man echoed from deep within the ice wall.
“Fellow Daoist Hu! Instead of cultivating in peace at Demon Tuo Mountain, what brings you to my Ice Soul Valley? I don’t recall inviting you here.”
“Do you think I want to be here? It’s all because of the matter at Kunwu Mountain,” the gray-robed elder snorted, clearly displeased.
“Kunwu Mountain? Didn’t we already leave that to our disciples? Why meddle further?” The voice from the ice wall remained indifferent.
“If it were that simple, I wouldn’t have come all the way from Demon Tuo Mountain. You don’t know yet—Old Ghost Xiang seems to have run into trouble in Kunwu Mountain,” the gray-robed elder said darkly.
“Old Ghost Xiang? That can’t be right. He’s the most formidable among us old relics. How could anything happen to him?” The voice in the ice wall finally showed a hint of surprise.
“I didn’t believe it either, but this came directly from Old Freak Feng via flying sword message. You know how close he and Old Ghost Xiang are—they even exchanged soul pearls. When Kunwu Mountain reappeared, Old Ghost Xiang happened to be nearby and went to investigate. Shortly after entering, his soul pearl dimmed. Either he’s severely injured or trapped in some restriction. Either way, he’s not in good shape. Old Freak Feng is tied up with his own troubles and can’t come to help, so he sent word asking us to step in. He even offered two Blood Qi Pills as compensation,” the elder said coldly.
“Blood Qi Pills! Old Freak Feng is being unusually generous this time! With those pills, we could extend our lifespans by decades. But how did he know Old Ghost Xiang entered Kunwu Mountain?” the man in the ice wall asked cautiously.
“That old fox always leaves himself an escape route before taking risks. Before entering the seal, he sent a flying sword message to Old Freak Feng. Seems like his caution paid off—at least now someone knows to rescue him. So, Fellow Daoist Bai, are you interested? Refining Blood Qi Pills ourselves would take ages!” the elder urged.
The man in the ice wall fell silent, not responding immediately.
After a long pause, his voice finally echoed slowly:
“Forget it. You go if you want. I won’t involve myself.”
“What? Even Blood Qi Pills can’t tempt you?” The gray-robed elder was clearly taken aback.
“I do want them, but I fear the risks outweigh the gains this time,” the man replied icily.
“What do you mean? Even if that demon has broken free, the two of us together should have nothing to fear,” the elder scoffed.
“Fear isn’t the issue. No matter how powerful it once was, after centuries of suppression and the drastic changes in spiritual energy, its strength can’t be much greater than ours now. Back during the ancient war, if one was strong enough, they could even unleash Void Refinement-level power in the human realm by taking extreme risks.”
“Then why not go?” The elder frowned, even more puzzled.
“If I hadn’t consumed a Fire Spirit Date three years ago, I might have joined you. But right now, I’m using its energy to force a breakthrough in my cultivation. The odds are slim, but I won’t risk losing this chance for a minor gain,” the man explained.
“A Fire Spirit Date? You actually got your hands on one? Did you… consume it raw?” The gray-robed elder’s expression changed drastically.
“Of course. Only then can I fully harness its fire-attribute spiritual power,” the man replied emotionlessly.
“You actually did it! Don’t you know the unrefined fire energy is so volatile it could ignite your own spiritual power? We discussed the dangers during our last gathering!” the elder said gravely, his eyes flashing.
“I’m well aware of the risks, Fellow Daoist Hu. But if I don’t take this gamble, am I to rot in this ice wall forever? Or should I imitate Old Ghost Xiang and Old Freak Feng, hiding among low-level cultivators like clowns, terrified of expending too much energy and dropping dead?” The man, surnamed Bai, spoke with biting sarcasm.
“You’re being too harsh, Fellow Daoist Bai. They’re searching for the Reverse Spirit Channel left by the Spirit Realm cultivators who descended long ago. If found, it might allow us to ascend without reaching late-stage Deity Transformation. After all, if upper-realm cultivators can suppress their power to descend, we might use the same channel to ascend with temporary power boosts,” the gray-robed elder argued.
“Countless Deity Transformation cultivators have searched for that channel since the spiritual energy shift. They’ve scoured not just the Great Jin Empire but most of the human realm. If it existed, someone would’ve found it by now. It’s either a myth or hidden in the desolate seas beyond reach,” the man in the ice wall dismissed.
“Perhaps. But it’s still a sliver of hope—better than waiting idly,” the elder conceded with a sigh.
“Rather than chasing legends, I’d rather focus on reaching late-stage Deity Transformation and ascending properly. If not for the ancient demon realm’s interference, which drained our world’s spiritual energy, none of us would be stuck at the early stage,” the man said bitterly.
“Complaining won’t help. Since the last ancient cultivators ascended, only a handful have reached late-stage and followed. In recent millennia, not a single one has succeeded. No wonder Old Freak Feng clings to the Reverse Spirit Channel, futile as it seems,” the elder lamented.
“They have their path; I have mine. Enough talk. You know my stance—either decline Old Freak Feng’s request or go alone. I must resume seclusion and won’t see you out. Oh, and I’ll have my disciples seal this valley until I fully refine the Fire Spirit Date. Inform the other old monsters for me,” the man said impatiently, effectively dismissing his guest.
Silence returned to the ice wall.
The gray-robed elder stood frozen, his face dark. After a long hesitation, he suddenly stamped his foot. “For those two Blood Qi Pills, I’ll take the risk. The extra century of lifespan should offset the energy loss.” Muttering this, he enveloped himself in green light and shot out of the valley like a comet.
—
At the eighth floor of Kunwu Mountain’s Demon-Suppressing Tower, Han Li stood expressionless, forming a hand seal. The dozen flying swords in the air hummed and merged into a single golden blade several zhang long, which then slashed down with a thunderous crash.
The massive sword cleaved through a white jade stone guardian, reducing it to rubble. Han Li glanced at the debris—unlike before, it didn’t reassemble.
Nodding slightly, he flicked a finger, and the giant sword whistled back to him. This was the fourth stone puppet he’d destroyed.
These guardians, bolstered by the formation, seemed indestructible at first. But after enough damage, they eventually ceased regenerating.
Of course, this was only possible with so many mid-to-late Nascent Soul cultivators attacking simultaneously. Alone, even exhausting their spiritual power wouldn’t suffice.
The golden blades wielded by the puppets were forged from unknown materials—not only razor-sharp but also imbued with demon-slaying properties. Han Li had seen cultivators specializing in demonic arts avoid their strikes at all costs; their protective demonic energy offered no defense.
Those who attempted to charge into the formation found the puppets abandoning other targets to focus all their blades’ energy on the intruder. The coordinated attacks followed mysteriously precise trajectories, making them impossible to withstand.
Compounding the difficulty, the formation itself was a multi-layered restriction, preventing quick dismantling from within. None of the present cultivators were fools—they stuck to methodically eliminating nearby puppets, knowing the formation would weaken once all were destroyed.
Having dispatched his latest foe, Han Li paused to survey the scene. Only a handful of puppets remained active on the altar—the formation’s collapse was imminent.
Just then, Yin Yue in his mind let out a sudden, pained cry, followed by agonized murmurs.
Startled, Han Li sent a mental message: “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” His tone carried rare concern.
“It’s… it’s fine. Something inside the palace… it’s waking up. It feels… familiar, important… No—my head!” Yin Yue managed only fragmented words before succumbing to another wave of pain.
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