Chapter 63: Icefield Secret Realm, Both Enemy and Friend
The Youge's intelligence network quietly spread like a vine in the dark, cautiously tracking down clues to the assassination. Ye Li, on the other hand, focused on his mission, utilizing newly acquired materials and resources exchanged for sect contribution points to fully strive for the mid-stage Condensed Veins Realm.
On the tenth day of her retreat, just as she was about to reach the critical moment of reaching the mid-stage barrier, a communication talisman passed through the formation and hovered before her. It wasn't an order from Youge, but an official notice from the Yundan Peak Steward's Hall.
Ye Li frowned slightly, sending a wisp of her spiritual sense to read the message. The message surprised her somewhat: the sect had discovered a newly emerged, unstable, miniature secret realm—the "Ice Wave Realm." It lay beneath the ten-thousand-year-old ice sheet at the border of the Xuanyun Sect and the Bishui Pavilion. This secret realm was extremely cold, and suspected to contain the abodes of ancient ice-type cultivators or special resources. However, due to its fragile space, it could only accommodate cultivators at the Condensing Veins Realm and below, and no more than ten people at most. After consultation between the two sects' leaders, it was decided that each would send five elite disciples to jointly explore the secret realm for five days. Each sect would determine their own findings based on their own abilities, but they would prioritize recording and sharing information about the secret realm itself.
The sect nominated Ye Li, whose recent performance was impressive and whose cultivation techniques were compatible with the Xuanyun Sect, as the leader of this expedition. As expected, the leader of the Bishui Pavilion team was Qin Yixuan.
"Binglan Realm... collaborating with Qin Yixuan again..." A complex look flashed in Ye Li's eyes. Their last collaboration in the Cloud Mist Secret Realm had begun with contention and ended with a subtle reconciliation, a far from pleasant experience. This time, the sect's forced arrangement was clearly intended to leverage the two women's strengths for the sect's greatest benefit, while also allowing these two geniuses to further "grind" each other.
This wasn't a mission she could refuse lightly. Exploring new secret realms presented opportunities, especially those suited to ice cultivators, where she might find treasures that would greatly benefit her cultivation of the "Emperor's Scripture of the Netherworld." But it also carried risks. Not only did she have to face the unknown dangers of these realms, she also had to constantly guard against the potential schemes of her "teammates."
"Whatever. A blessing in disguise, a curse. A curse in disguise." Ye Li made a quick decision. With this opportunity in hand, there was no reason to retreat. As for Qin Yixuan... as long as our interests aligned, there was no harm in temporarily cooperating.
Suppressing the urge to break through the bottleneck, she emerged from retreat and headed for the Deacon's Hall, where she received detailed information on the secret realm and a "Binglan Talisman" as a token of her loyalty. The sect's four remaining members had also been selected: Leng Ning from the Sword Peak (late-stage Condensation Vein, with a cold personality and sharp swordsmanship); Huo Rong from the Weapon Hall (mid-stage Condensation Vein, skilled in fire-based techniques and weapon refining, to counter any ice-based dangers); Han Li from the Beast Control Peak (early-stage Condensation Vein, with a snow ferret skilled in ice-tracking); and Fang Lin, a female disciple from the Formation Hall (mid-stage Condensation Vein, with impressive attainments in formation techniques).
This team configuration combines offense, defense, exploration, and assistance, which shows that the sect has put a lot of thought into it.
Three days later, the five members of the Xuanyun Sect boarded a flying boat and arrived at the entrance to the secret realm, located above the vast ice plains. It was a constantly spinning blue vortex emitting a biting chill, surrounded by a stabilizing formation jointly set up by the elders of the two sects.
The people from the Bishui Pavilion had already arrived. Qin Yixuan, still dressed in white, looked ethereal and pure, standing amidst the snow, as if she had become one with this world of ice and snow. Behind her followed four female disciples from the Bishui Pavilion, each of them possessing a distinguished aura, clearly carefully selected.
The two factions reunited, and the atmosphere was tense. On the Xuanyun Sect side, Leng Yun stood expressionless, sword clasped in his arms. Huo Rong studied the other side curiously. Han Li was a little nervous. Fang Lin silently observed the energy fluctuations at the entrance to the secret realm. On the Bishui Pavilion side, several female disciples' gazes were mostly fixed on Ye Li, with scrutiny and a subtle hint of competition.
Qin Yixuan's eyes met Ye Li's in the air, still so calm, no emotion could be seen.
"Junior Sister Ye, how are you?" Qin Yixuan spoke first, her voice cold and clear, which served as a greeting.
"Senior Sister Qin." Ye Li nodded slightly, her tone equally calm. "The situation in the secret realm is unknown, and the time limit is urgent. Should we first set a charter for the exploration?"
"That's exactly what I want." Qin Yixuan nodded. "According to the two agreements, during the exploration period, the two teams must act together to avoid mission failure due to internal friction. In principle, whoever discovers resources first will own them. If they are discovered simultaneously or it is difficult to divide them, they can negotiate or decide based on strength. In the event of danger, they must respond in a coordinated manner. If there are any important discoveries about the core of the secret realm, they must share information. What do you think, Sister Ye?"
"Okay." Ye Li had no objection. This was the most basic framework for cooperation. "I suggest that after entering, one person from each of our sides should scout the way ahead, while the rest of us should maintain a guarded distance. If we encounter an unknown area, Junior Sister Fang Lin and your formation master will explore it first."
"Yes." Qin Yixuan responded concisely.
After the discussion was finalized, the ten people did not delay any longer and activated the Binglan Talisman one by one, transforming into ten streams of light and plunging into the ice-blue vortex.
After a dizzying moment of teleportation, a biting chill washed over them. They emerged into a world of ice crystals. The sky was an eternal gray-blue, beneath them lay mirror-smooth, millennia-old ice. Giant icicles and icebergs towered all around, and the air was filled with a pure yet violent icy aura.
"Such a rich ice spiritual energy!" Huo Rong frowned. His fire-attributed skills were obviously suppressed here.
Ye Li and Qin Yixuan felt like fish in water, especially Ye Li. The "Youhuan Emperor Sutra" in his body automatically accelerated its operation, greedily absorbing the surrounding cold air.
"Although the spiritual energy here is rich, it also contains a sense of violence. You need to be careful when absorbing it." Qin Yixuan reminded, not knowing who he was talking to.
As agreed, Han Li from the Beast Taming Peak (relying on the snow ferrets) and a disciple from the Green Water Pavilion who was good at water perception led the way and slowly advanced forward.
The secret realm wasn't large, but the terrain was complex, and their spiritual awareness was disturbed by the icy surroundings. Along the way, they encountered several waves of attacks from ice beasts, formed from pure ice spirit energy, roughly in the early to mid-stages of the Condensed Veins stage. These ice beasts lacked intelligence, but were relentless and fearless, making their subjugation quite challenging. Throughout this process, Ye Li's "Ice Soul Sealing Heaven Finger" and Qin Yixuan's exquisite water-based magic both demonstrated their immense power. Though they didn't communicate, they shared a subtle rapport, often effectively eliminating threats.
They also discovered some scattered ice-type spiritual herbs and minerals, which were collected by the discoverers as agreed.
As they went deeper, the environment grew increasingly cold, even experiencing a "Mysterious Ice Wind" that could freeze spiritual energy. Fang Lin and the formation masters from the Bishui Pavilion worked together to set up a defensive formation, barely holding off the enemy.
On the third day, they found an ice-covered cave at the foot of a huge iceberg. There were faint remnants of formation fluctuations at the cave, which seemed to be a relic.
"This place is very likely the core of the secret realm." Qin Yixuan said after observation.
Everyone's spirits lifted as they carefully broke through the remaining ice and formations at the cave entrance and entered. Inside the cave was an ice crystal passage extending downwards, its walls engraved with ancient runes, exuding an air of time and age.
At the end of the passageway lay a spacious ice chamber. In its center, a translucent ice coffin sat, seemingly sealed within. Surrounding it grew three azure lotus flowers, emitting an alluring fragrance. These were the "Mysterious Ice Jade Lotuses," mentioned in ancient texts as possessing a transformative effect on ice-based cultivators.
Above the ice coffin, there was a fist-sized, constantly rotating blue ice crystal suspended, emitting extremely pure original cold air, which was obviously the core energy source of the entire secret realm!
"Mysterious Ice Jade Lotus! And that ice crystal..." Everyone's breath held, their eyes blazing with passion. These three jade lotuses and that ice crystal were priceless!
However, at the moment when everyone's attention was attracted by the treasure, something strange happened!
On the walls surrounding the ice room, ancient runes suddenly lit up! A powerful, restraining force instantly enveloped the entire room! Simultaneously, the ground cracked, and several ice crystal guards, composed of profound ice and emitting the energy of the Spiritual Realm, rose from the ground. Their eyes gleamed crimson as they wielded massive ice hammers, attacking the crowd!
"Trap!" Qin Yixuan's face changed slightly, and with a clear shout, a water curtain of Tianhua protected his people.
Ye Li reacted extremely quickly and used the "Universe Invisible Step" to narrowly avoid the heavy blow of the ice hammer. He unsheathed the Xuanbing Sword and slashed it on the arm of the ice crystal guard, but it only left a shallow mark!
"These guards have extremely strong defenses and cannot be defeated! Break the formation first!" Ye Li shouted calmly.
Fang Lin and the Bishui Pavilion's formation master immediately tried to find the center of the formation, but the Ice Crystal Guards' attacks were like a violent storm, making it impossible for them to concentrate on breaking the formation. Huo Rong's fire magic was greatly reduced in power here, and Ning Ning's sword energy could only barely contain it. Han Li's snow ferret was trembling with fear.
The situation was in crisis for a while!
"I'll hold them back, you guys break the formation as quickly as possible!" A fierce look flashed in Ye Li's eyes, no longer holding back! Like a ghost, he moved between the ice crystal guards, repeatedly unleashing the "Ice Soul Sealing Heaven Finger." While it couldn't severely injure the guards, the accompanying sealing force successfully disrupted their movements, buying precious time for the others.
Seeing this, Qin Yixuan no longer hid her secrets. She formed seals with her hands, and a huge ice-blue phoenix shadow appeared behind her. It made a clear cry and rushed towards a guard with extreme coldness, freezing him temporarily!
The two women, for the first time truly cooperating, though still silent, displayed an astonishing rapport. One relied on her uncanny agility and blocking finger techniques to disrupt the enemy, while the other unleashed a wide-ranging, powerful control spell to contain the enemy.
Under their desperate cover, Fang Lin and the others finally found the center of the formation - it was the suspended blue ice crystal!
"Attack the ice crystal!" Fang Lin shouted.
Everyone's attacks immediately turned towards the blue ice crystal! However, the ice crystal was surrounded by a powerful energy shield, and the attacks from everyone on it only caused ripples.
"No! Not enough strength!" Huo Rong said anxiously.
Seeing that the Ice Crystal Guard was about to break free from its restraints, Ye Li and Qin Yixuan looked at each other and saw a hint of determination in each other's eyes.
"Join forces!" Qin Yixuan uttered two words briefly.
Ye Li nodded. The next moment, they both leaped up simultaneously! Ye Li poured all his spiritual energy into the Mystic Ice Sword, and the blade erupted with a brilliant blue light! Qin Yixuan then guided the Ice Phoenix phantom, concentrating all his strength at his fingertips, and pointed at the ice crystal!
The extreme coldness of "The Emperor's Scripture of the Underworld" and the supreme water-based secrets of the Bishui Pavilion, at this moment, bombarded the blue ice crystal shield without reservation!
Boom——!!!
With a loud bang, the shield shattered! The blue ice crystals vibrated violently, their light dimming. The surrounding ice crystal guards froze in an instant, then shattered into a pile of ice shards. The ice chamber's confinement array also dissipated.
The crisis was over! However, Ye Li and Qin Yixuan also fell to the ground with pale faces and disordered breathing due to the overdrawn spiritual power.
Silence fell within the ice chamber. Three Mysterious Ice Jade Lotuses grew silently, and the blue ice crystal, now without its protective shield, slowly fell.
How to distribute the profits became the most pressing issue facing both parties. The previous tacit understanding between them became fragile in the face of the huge interests involved.
Everyone's eyes were focused on Ye Li and Qin Yixuan. The attitudes of these two team leaders would determine the outcome. Would it be an equal split? A fight? Or...something else?
The relationship between the two seems to have undergone an inexplicable change due to this forced alliance and common enemy, but the essence of their competition remains unchanged. The core gains from this secret icy realm will become the touchstone of this complex relationship.
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