On the outskirts of Uzhou, in a desolate mountain range. This place was originally an ancient, old-growth forest, rarely visited by people. The rocky mountainous area within was even more pristine, with perhaps no one having set foot there for thousands of years. On any other day, it would simply be flocks of monkeys swinging through branches or chattering squirrels chasing each other, but today, something strange was happening.
– Old devil, stop right there!
A man's voice rang out, shattering the tranquility of the forest. This man wore a yellow daoist robe, riding atop an ancient sword that glowed with a brilliant red light. He tore through the wind, chasing a streak of blue light ahead. Red and blue, they had been pursuing each other for several days.
“Hmph! This old man isn't a three-year-old child.” From within the blue light, an old man with white hair, riding on a Jade Bamboo branch, muttered, pouring more spiritual energy into the bamboo. The streak of blue light grew even brighter, doubling its speed as it shot forward.
This white-haired old man and the man behind him were both cultivators. The old man was named Nan Tian, the Grand Elder of Ice Jade Palace, a sect ranked among the top in the demonic cultivation world. He was nearly three hundred years old this year, and his cultivation had reached the peak of the late-stage Core Formation realm. With just a little more effort, he could reach the pseudo Nascent Soul realm. As a demonic cultivator, his cultivation methods were mostly dark and bloodthirsty. All members of Ice Jade Palace cultivated the demonic path, and their methods for refining spiritual artifacts often involved the souls of cultivators of the same level or human blood.
– Old devil, don't even dream of escaping my grasp today!
The man behind him shouted, his body sinking slightly. Instantly, the ancient sword erupted with a great red light, madly chasing after the streak of blue light.
– Bai Tianchang, this old man has no enmity or grievances with you. Why do you keep deliberately making things difficult for this old man? Don't rely on your status as the Young Master of Azure Moon Valley to act so recklessly. This old man is, after all, an Elder of Ice Jade Palace. Don't forget!
The old man spoke without pause, while channeling energy into the Jade Bamboo, frantically speeding away. The man named Bai Tianchang curled his lips into a faint smile. The streak of red light intensified, clinging tightly to the blue light. He was the Young Master of Azure Moon Valley, ranked third among the nine great immortal cultivation sects in Uzhou. Speaking of the old man, it was unclear if today was his unlucky day, or if he simply stepped out of his cave dwelling with the wrong foot this morning. The cultivation world was originally diverse and ever-changing, and the methods of cultivation and cultivation techniques were as vast as the ocean. Immortals, Demons, Buddhas, Confucians, and Beasts all had their own unique cultivation paths. All cultivators shared the primary goal of achieving longevity, and then ascending to the spirit realm. Normally, cultivators avoided clashing with each other, but for some reason, when this old man emerged from his cave dwelling to cultivate his demonic arts, he was spotted by the Young Master of Azure Moon Valley, and the two sides engaged in battle. Ultimately, the old man lost. His opponent had already reached the early-stage Nascent Soul realm, forcing him to resort to flight to escape. But the Young Master had no intention of letting him get away. He immediately summoned his flying sword and pursued the old man, and they had been at it for three days and three nights now.
Bai Tianchang had been chasing the black-robed old man for three full days, yet he still couldn't catch up. It wasn't because his cultivation was inferior to the old man's, but because the old man's flying artifact was a grade higher than his Heavenly Flame Sword. He pulled a bottle of elixirs from the storage pouch at his waist, poured out a snow-white pill, swallowed it, then concentrated his spiritual power onto his flying sword and shot forward. The black-robed old man, at this moment, was no different from his pursuer. He pulled a small, pristine white bottle from his robes and carefully dripped a clear drop of liquid into his mouth. If Bai Tianchang had seen this action, he would surely have fainted on the spot. What the old man had just consumed was the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Dew, a rare and precious treasure in the mortal world. His Snow Spirit Pill was mere trash compared to it.
"Could it be that I finally have to resort to this heaven-defying item?" The black-robed old man's face creased slightly as his left hand toyed with a small, pristine white jade pendant, which emitted a faint, soothing fragrance. This jade piece was something he had obtained from the ruins of an ancient cultivator. After many years of studying ancient texts, he had finally found some clues about it. This was a Space-Rending Talisman, a treasure of ancient cultivators. When used, it could tear open a rift in space, allowing one to teleport to another dimension. The divine ability of this jade piece was on par with the Void Shattering divine ability used by late-stage Soul Transformation old monsters for ascension. However, its peculiar point was that it couldn't determine the destination space, relying solely on luck. At this moment, for the old man, using it was the only way to escape. Deciding quickly, he poured his spiritual power into the jade piece. The Bamboo Jade did not slow down, instead shooting forward with even greater speed.
Bai Tianchang's brows furrowed as he saw the blue light grow increasingly bright. At the same time, a streak of golden light shot towards him. He subtly waved his hand. In his hand was a small talisman, glowing with a faint golden light. Bai Tianchang gently pressed the talisman to his forehead, closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. A mix of surprise, joy, and urgency appeared on his face. He gently extended his hand and released the talisman. Instantly, it turned into a pile of embers and vanished. He smiled and said:
"Old devil, my Senior Sister has arrived. Let's see where you'll run this time!"
When the black-robed old man heard "Senior Sister," he shuddered, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. "This brat said his Senior Sister has arrived, could it be..." Suddenly, he felt a powerful force bearing down on his face. Without delay, he urged the Bamboo Jade to dip down, dodging to one side. Although he managed to dodge the attack, his body swayed as if about to fall, and it took him a long time to steady himself. He intently observed the direction he had been flying in earlier, and to his horror, he saw a sword hovering there. Far ahead, a graceful and beautiful woman in white robes floated, a crimson silk sash fluttering behind her. She looked like a celestial maiden descended to the mortal world. She wore a golden veil over her face, revealing only her jet-black hair that cascaded down to her slender waist. A white silk ribbon tied in a bow adorned the top of her head, complementing her captivating, limpid eyes. This black-robed old man, who was usually quite stubborn and unyielding, now trembled as he uttered:
"Immortal Fairy Xue Ling!?"
Bai Tianchang also arrived at that moment, and seeing the turn of events, he was instantly overjoyed. He then bowed respectfully to the white-robed woman.
"Your junior brother greets Senior Sister!"
"Mm."
The white-robed woman nodded slightly, glanced at the black-robed old man, then narrowed her beautiful eyes as she looked at his Bamboo Jade flying artifact and spoke.
"Isn't that Bamboo Jade a Buddhist cultivator's artifact? Why does a demonic cultivator like you possess it?"
The old man in black trembled all over. For most men, being looked upon by a beauty like the woman in white would be enough to send their souls soaring with delight, but for the old man, it was nothing short of torture. His opponent was a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, so naturally, her oppressive aura was immense. As for him, he had only just reached the peak of the Late-stage Core Formation, still several levels below her. He had no choice but to change his demeanor, bowing deeply as he spoke.
"Immortaless, this Bamboo Jade was obtained by this old man in exchange for Profound Gold Iron Mother from a Buddhist cultivator."
"Lies! This Bamboo Jade was obtained by him after he killed a Buddhist cultivator who was in the midst of Core Formation!" Bai Tianchang roared in fury, glaring at the old man with eyes full of hatred. That Buddhist cultivator was originally his friend. A few days prior, he had passed by the cultivator's cave dwelling on an errand for the Azure Moon Valley, only to find the cultivator dead upon arrival. He then saw this old man in black gleefully collecting his friend's storage bag, and immediately, his rage soared to the heavens, prompting him to attack.
At this, the old man in black's expression changed completely. He had originally gone out to find a place with mortals to cultivate blood souls, but unexpectedly, while passing through this area, he witnessed a Buddhist cultivator undergoing their Core Formation tribulation. After scouting the surroundings and finding no one, he infiltrated the Buddhist cultivator's cave dwelling and attacked while the cultivator was in a critical stage. Truth be told, he was delighted with this substantial harvest. Besides the Buddhist cultivator's soul, the storage bag contained over a thousand spirit stones, two mid-grade fire-attribute talismans, one high-grade invisibility talisman, and the flying Bamboo Jade. While he was still reveling in his joy, the man in yellow entered and, without a word, furiously attacked. In the end, he had no choice but to use that flying item to escape.
Upon hearing this, the woman in white's elegant brows furrowed slightly, and she gently waved her hand. The Azure Ice Sword gracefully flew back into her hand. The moment it touched her, a powerful wave of chilling energy emanated from her, forming a thin mist that enveloped her body. The old man in black, being an Elder of a major sect with considerable experience in the martial world, carefully observed her aura and the Azure Ice Sword. His face turned ashen, and he stammered.
"Heaven... Ice... Sword!"
The Heaven Ice Sword was originally forged from thousand-year-old heavenly ice essence, and embedded within it was the soul of an Ice Flood Dragon spirit, making its ice attribute even more potent. The hilt of the sword was made from Black Profound Iron, and it had been refined with the soul of a Fire Flood Dragon spirit, granting it immense spiritual power. This was a rare treasure, not only possessing astonishing offensive power but also bearing dual attributes, which elevated it to one of the Ten Great Treasures of the cultivation world.
The oppressive chilling energy forced Bai Tianchang to also summon a bronze-colored shield talisman to protect himself. Although he was the Young Master of Azure Moon Palace, he was not the strongest in terms of power. It was merely that he possessed a keener insight and greater finesse than others, which led the Palace Lord of Azure Moon Valley – who was also his master – to appoint him as Young Master. As for his actual strength, he only ranked third. The top rank belonged to his Senior Disciple Brother Wu Lin, who had reached the peak of the Mid-stage Nascent Soul realm, just a small step below their master. Next was his Second Disciple Sister Xue Ling, and only then came him. Below him were four more junior siblings, all of whom had also formed their Nascent Souls.
The black-robed old man's entire body trembled. At this point, he could only take a desperate gamble. His hand flung out two mid-grade Fire Talismans, and immediately, fireballs shot towards Immortal Tuyết Lăng. The white-robed woman merely smiled faintly, but because her face was veiled by golden gauze, no one saw this smile. Her jade-like hand gently waved, tapping the sword's body. Instantly, a buzzing sound echoed, and from the sword's body, a colossal Ice Flood Dragon emerged, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, encircling her body. Her small mouth softly chanted a few incantations, then she gently waved her hand, pointing towards the black-robed old man.
"Go!"
Instantly, the Ice Flood Dragon roared several times, then charged towards the fireballs. Its large mouth spewed out a blast of white, chilling air, engulfing the fireballs. Immediately, they all froze into ice shards and clattered to the ground.
"Heaven-defying, truly too heaven-defying. What kind of ice attribute can freeze even fireballs?" The black-robed old man's soul trembled, his heart filled with extreme dread. His two hands still frantically poured spiritual power into the small jade piece. He saw the jade piece emit a dazzling white light, and the old man's face lit up with joy. He immediately bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the jade piece. Instantly, heaven and earth changed, thunder roared across the sky, and the jade piece slowly floated up, carrying a powerful fluctuating aura. All kinds of fierce beasts in the forest, as well as the three people present, all trembled before this aura. Boom! A bolt of lightning struck down from above onto the jade piece, and space was torn open, forming a dark, abyssal passage before the old man. Bạch Thiên Trường's eyes widened as he spoke.
"Shattering the Void of the Soul Transformation stage? Impossible, this old devil is only at the peak of the late Core Formation stage!"
At this moment, the white-robed woman said nothing, merely silently observed the spatial rift. The old man, however, laughed heartily, cupping his hands as he spoke.
"Farewell, two esteemed ones. This old man still has matters to attend to, so I cannot entertain you two. Please forgive me!"
He bowed once, then intended to leap into the passage. Suddenly, he found his body unable to move. Looking down, he saw his two legs had turned to ice, and he was terrified. His eyes shifted to the white-robed woman. He saw her eyes flicker slightly, then she tossed the Heavenly Ice Sword into the air, her two hands forming a series of hand seals. Instantly, the Heavenly Ice Sword expanded three or four times its size, and from one sword, five identical swords materialized. Beneath the golden gauze, her small, cherry lips softly chanted an incantation. Immediately, rows of black ancient script flickered in and out of existence around the three swords. The old man's face drained of all color, and he babbled as if delirious.
"Heavenly Ice Absolute!"
Three loud rumbling sounds echoed, and chilling energy, like mountains collapsing and seas overturning, rushed down upon the black-robed old man's head. At this moment, the black-robed old man's spirit was filled with sorrow; he merely closed his eyes. "Now, I can blame no one; I can only accept my fate." A cold light flared up in the silent forest. The roar of the Flood Dragon echoed for a long time before finally ceasing. Where the black-robed old man had been, now only a pile of rubble remained. The white-robed woman gently waved her hand, retrieving the Heavenly Ice Sword into the sheath on her back. Her eyes gravely observed the dark, abyssal passage. Bạch Thiên Trường did the same, gazing at it for a long time before speaking.
"Big Sister, how should we deal with this strange object?"
"I don't know. Let's take it back and wait for Master's instructions!"
The white-robed woman said calmly. Bạch Thiên Trường nodded. Just as he was about to approach, a sudden change occurred. The passage suddenly twisted as if unstable, its aura fluctuating between strong and weak. Bạch Thiên Trường had originally intended to reach out for the jade piece, but the woman stopped him, shaking her head as she spoke.
"Wait a moment, Junior Brother, don't act rashly!"
Sure enough, her guess was not wrong; the portal suddenly unleashed a powerful pull, sweeping trees, earth, and rocks into its depths. Instantly, both drew out their protective artifacts, yet they could only barely manage to hold their ground. The white-clad woman's expression flickered, while Bai Tianchang turned ghastly pale, hastily pulling out a Tuyết Linh Đan and emptying it into his mouth. The jade fragment suddenly transformed into a white streak of light and was swept into the portal. The rift twisted and writhed for a moment, then a massive explosion rang out, rocking the entire forest before vanishing. The white-clad woman subtly furrowed her brow. "What in the world is this divine ability?"