Chapter 99: Core Hall, Fragments Appear

The brief rest and heart-to-heart talk, like a faint bonfire on a cold winter night, warmed each other and gathered strength to continue on. When the faint light of dawn (although on this strange ice field, the so-called dawn was only a slightly brighter grayish-white hue) shone through the wind and snow, Ye Li and Qin Yixuan were already in top form.

Gazing at the towering palace in the distance, his gaze grew even more resolute. There lay the hope of escaping this desolate place, but it also held the potential for greater opportunities and dangers.

The journey ahead was still fraught with danger. But with a clear goal in mind, their coordination became increasingly refined. Ye Li's ultimate attacks complemented Qin Yixuan's meticulous control, slaying waves of powerful ice monsters along the way and breaking through several dangerous natural barriers. Finally, before darkness fell again, they reached the edge of the palace complex.

The closer you look, the more astounding it is. The palace, constructed entirely of a deep blue, age-old black ice, towers majestically, its eaves soaring. Though largely covered in thick snow and ice, appearing dilapidated and worn, one can still imagine its former splendor. An aura of extreme cold, far older and purer than the ice sheets itself, permeates the palace from its depths, tinged with a subtle awe.

The palace entrance had long since collapsed, leaving only a massive gap. Within the gap, traces of fierce battle remained, with ice shards flying everywhere and the frozen bodies of several monks. Judging by their attire, they belonged to different factions, clearly someone had arrived earlier and a conflict had occurred.

"Be careful, there may be someone inside." Ye Li whispered, holding the Xuanbing Sword tightly in his hand.

Qin Yixuan nodded, and the Canghai Mingyue Pearl floated in the palm of her hand, emitting a bright blue light, vigilantly sensing the energy fluctuations around her.

The two cautiously entered the ruined palace. The interior was vast, with thick columns and faintly visible carved beams and painted buildings, though most of them were in a state of disrepair. Broken weapons and fragments of magical artifacts lay scattered on the ground, and the air was filled with the faint smell of blood and the lingering aftermath of energy.

They advanced deeper, following the direction where the traces of battle were most concentrated, passing through several layers of palaces. The increasing number of corpses on the road revealed the intensity of the battle. Occasionally, they could hear faint roars and shouts of killing coming from deep within the palace.

"It seems that the battle for the core area has begun." Qin Yixuan looked solemn.

Ye Li sensed the familiar fluctuations in the air that were almost imperceptible but caused the fragments of the Samsara Mirror in her body to tremble slightly. She became even more certain in her heart: the fragments of the Samsara Mirror must be in the deepest part of the palace!

After passing through a long corridor riddled with ice spike traps, the front suddenly opened up to reveal an immense main hall! This hall was relatively well-preserved, with a towering dome supported by countless massive icicles. In the center of the hall stood a massive altar, and above it, a soft yet unbearable blue halo hovered!

Within the halo, a palm-sized fragment, with irregular edges and a translucent, crystalline structure, could be vaguely seen slowly rotating within it. A wave of pure energy, seemingly imbued with the fundamental laws of space and time, emanated from this fragment!

A fragment of the Samsara Mirror! This one was bigger than any piece Ye Li had obtained before, and its energy fluctuations were even stronger!

Almost at the moment of seeing this fragment, the fragment of the Samsara Mirror in Ye Li's sea of ​​consciousness emitted an unprecedented strong resonance, and a sense of desire and closeness surged in his heart.

At the same time, the scene inside the hall came into view. A brutal melee was underway around the altar! The Xuanyun Sect, the Bishui Pavilion, the Tiandao Sect, the Western Buddhists, the Southern Wilderness Barbarians... perhaps twenty or thirty remaining disciples from each faction were locked in a fierce battle with dozens of ruins guards composed entirely of blue ice crystals. Their movements were stiff yet immensely powerful, emitting the aura of the Spiritual Residence Realm. More bodies lay on the ground, their blood staining the ice an eerie dark red.

Monk Muyun was locked in a fierce battle with a giant ice crystal guard commander whose aura rivaled that of a Yuandan cultivator. Sword energy surged, ice shards flew, and it was difficult to tell who was stronger. Leng Ning, Su Qing, Huo Rong, Xuan Tianzi, and the others were each entangled by powerful guards or hostile cultivators, preventing them from approaching the altar.

The elder leading the Bishui Pavilion was also dealing with another guard leader. Qin Yixuan's fellow sisters formed a formation to protect themselves and were in a difficult situation.

What made Ye Li's pupils shrink the most was that she saw Shi Long at the edge of the fighting crowd! He didn't participate in the direct battle, but instead brought a few disciples from Zhan Kuang Peak to stealthily approach the altar, his eyes greedily staring at the blue halo, and in his hand, he was holding a talisman emitting an ominous black aura!

"Sure enough, it's a trick!" Ye Li snorted inwardly. But she scanned the room and didn't see Gao Sheng. This made her feel something was amiss.

"Is it a sect inheritance?" Qin Yixuan also felt the extraordinary nature of the fragment, but she did not recognize the Samsara Mirror and only thought it was a core inheritance treasure of the Bingpo Xuan Palace.

"This item is extremely important to me!" Ye Li didn't have time to explain in detail, and said in a hurried and firm tone, "I must get it!"

Qin Yixuan glanced at Ye Li and saw an unprecedented seriousness and determination in her eyes. Although she didn't know the specific reason, she chose to trust Ye Li's judgment. "Okay! I'll help you!"

The two exchanged glances, instantly reaching a consensus. Goal—seize the fragments from the altar!

However, just as they were about to charge into the battle, something strange happened!

To the side of the altar, in a shadowy area, space suddenly distorted, and three figures appeared out of thin air like ghosts! The leader, shrouded in black robes, revealed only a pair of emotionless, abyssal eyes. His aura was cold and eerie, revealing him to have reached the peak of the Spiritual Mansion Realm! Behind him, the two others, also cloaked in black robes, also had the aura of the mid-Spiritual Mansion Realm!

As soon as these three people appeared, they immediately attracted the attention of both sides of the melee!

"Shadow Demon Messenger!" Mr. Muyun's face changed and he shouted sternly, "You are here!"

The black-robed leader let out a hoarse laugh, "Old Muyun, it's too late to realize it now!" His gaze passed over the crowd and locked onto the fragment of the Samsara Mirror on the altar, filled with greed. "We, Shadow Prison, want this thing!"

Before he finished speaking, his figure flashed and turned into a black smoke, rushing straight towards the altar! His speed was so fast that it was far beyond that of an ordinary person!

"Stop him!" Mr. Muyun was shocked and angry. He wanted to break free from the entanglement of the Ice Crystal Guard Commander, but was held back tightly.

The elders and disciples of other forces were also disrupted by the sudden appearance of the Shadow Demon Messenger.

Seeing that the black-robed man was about to succeed, the eyes of the lurking Shi Long flashed with malice and madness. He did not try to stop the Shadow Demon Envoy, but instead slammed the black talisman in his hand towards the base of the altar! At the same time, he roared loudly: "Senior Brother Gao! If you don't move now, when will you move!"

boom!

The talisman exploded, and a chaotic, foul energy instantly eroded the altar's protective light shield! The light shield fluctuated violently, becoming extremely unstable!

Almost at the same time as the talisman exploded, the void above the altar rippled like water waves, and a figure with black and red evil spirit wrapped around his body, eyes as red as blood, and an extremely violent aura suddenly appeared - it was Goldman Sachs!

He had been hiding in the void, waiting for the opportunity!

At this moment, Gao Sheng was in an extremely strange state. His cultivation seemed to have been forcibly elevated to the late Spiritual Realm, but his aura was chaotic and unstable, filled with a will of tyranny and destruction. It was obvious that his mind was being controlled by some kind of sorcery, or perhaps... he had deeply merged with the power of the Shadow Demon!

"Ye Li! Accept your death! The fragments are mine!" Goldman Sachs roared in a way that was not a human voice. With overwhelming hatred and murderous intent, he dropped from the sky like a meteorite. With one hand, he grabbed the fragments of the Samsara Mirror in the unstable light shield, and with the other hand, he condensed terrifying dark energy and slapped Ye Li and Qin Yixiuan who were rushing towards the altar!

There's a Shadow Demon Messenger in front, an out-of-control Goldman Sachs above, and a disruptive Stone Dragon on the side! The altar's defenses have been weakened!

The situation suddenly became extremely critical!

"Be careful!" Qin Yixuan shouted delicately, and the light of the Canghai Mingyue Pearl suddenly increased, turning into a thick water curtain blocking the two people's heads. At the same time, the long sword drew the mysterious water to meet the dark giant palm coming from Goldman Sachs!

Ye Li's eyes were icy cold. The appearance of Goldman Sachs and Shadow Demon confirmed her worst suspicions! At this moment, there was no turning back!

"Senior Sister Qin, hold him off for a moment! I'll go get the fragments!" Ye Li spoke very quickly without any pause. She pushed the "Universe Invisible Step" to its extreme, as if blending into the void, avoiding the frontal impact of Goldman's palm wind, and aiming directly at the fragment of the Samsara Mirror that was within reach!

"Looking for death!" The black smoke transformed by the Shadow Demon Messenger has also arrived, and an extremely vicious black chain is wrapped around Ye Li's ankle like a poisonous snake!

There are wolves in front and tigers behind! Ye Li is trapped in a desperate situation of being attacked from both sides!

In the core hall, the chaotic battle paused momentarily due to this sudden change. Everyone's attention was focused on the instantaneous confrontation before the altar, which would determine the fate of the fragments.

Can Ye Li successfully seize the fragments of the Samsara Mirror under the attack of the Shadow Demon Messenger and the out-of-control Gao Sheng? Can Qin Yixuan withstand Gao Sheng's crazy attacks alone? The conspiracy within the Xuanyun Sect and the collusion with the external Shadow Demon forces completely erupted at this moment!