After dispersing the black-robed figures, the mysterious old man slowly turned around, his gaze gentle as he looked at Su Ran and the others trapped in the ice fortress. Filled with gratitude, Su Ran quickly removed the ice fortress's defenses and, along with his disciples, respectfully bowed to the old man.
"Thank you so much for your help, senior. If it weren't for you, we would probably be dead today," Su Ran said sincerely.
The old man smiled and waved his hand, saying, "No need for formalities. It's only natural to help those in need. How did you, at such a young age, manage to provoke those men in black robes and end up in this dangerous icy wasteland?"
Su Ran then recounted to the old man in detail their entry into the Ice Palace to search for the inheritance core, and how the black-robed man's attempt to seize the inheritance core led to the collapse of the Ice Palace. Upon hearing this, the old man nodded slightly, his gaze falling thoughtfully on the storage ring at Su Ran's waist.
"Now that you have the core of the inheritance, it may contain a great opportunity. However, this icy plain is fraught with danger. What are your plans next?" the old man asked.
Su Ran looked at the disciples behind him and said firmly, "Senior, we originally wanted to take refuge in the cave on that ice mountain for the time being, and then make further plans after the situation calms down."
The old man looked in the direction Su Ran was pointing and frowned slightly: "That iceberg looks ordinary, but it actually hides many secrets. There may also be unknown dangers in the cave. If you don't mind, I can accompany you there."
Upon hearing this, Su Ran and the others were overjoyed and quickly expressed their gratitude. Led by the old man, the group set off towards the ice mountain. Along the way, the wind continued to howl and the snow continued to fall, but with the old man by their side, they felt a greater sense of security.
Finally, the group arrived at the foot of the iceberg. The iceberg towered into the clouds, its surface crystal clear, reflecting a myriad of colors in the sunlight. However, the closer they got to the iceberg, the more they felt a bone-chilling cold that seemed to penetrate to their very marrow.
"Everyone be careful. The chill of this iceberg is extraordinary. Do not touch the mountain unnecessarily," the old man warned.
The group struggled to climb a steep, slippery ice path, where a slight misstep could lead to a fall. During the climb, one disciple slipped and was about to plunge off the cliff when the old man, with lightning speed, flicked his sleeve, a gentle force catching the disciple safely.
After some effort, the group finally arrived at the cave at the top of the iceberg. The cave entrance was sealed by a thick layer of ice, which was covered with ancient runes that shimmered with a faint light, seemingly telling a story of unknown history.
The old man carefully observed the runes on the ice. After a moment, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "These runes record clues to an ancient ice-type inheritance. It seems there is a hidden world in this cave."
Having said that, the old man gathered spiritual energy in his hands and gently pressed them onto the ice. The spiritual energy flowed along the runes, and the ice began to slowly melt. As the ice melted, an ancient and mysterious aura emanated from the cave.
The group cautiously entered the cave. The cave was spacious, its walls inlaid with glowing ice crystals that illuminated it as bright as day. In the center of the cave stood a massive ice sculpture depicting a woman in ancient attire, exquisitely beautiful, with a solemn expression, as if guarding something.
"This ice sculpture... seems to contain powerful energy," Su Ran remarked, sensing the aura emanating from it.
The old man nodded: "Indeed, this ice sculpture is likely the key to unlocking the ancient inheritance. However, we still need to find a way to trigger the inheritance."
The group began searching for clues throughout the cave. Su Ran carefully observed the cave walls and discovered some blurry patterns and characters carved on them. She leaned closer to examine them closely; the patterns seemed to depict an ancient battle of ice magic, while the characters were records of insights into ice magic cultivation.
"Senior, please look at these." Su Ran beckoned the old man over. The old man looked at the patterns and words on the wall, and his expression changed slightly: "These are cultivation insights left behind by an ancient ice-type expert. They are priceless treasures for ice-type cultivators. But this is not the key to triggering the inheritance."
Just then, a disciple discovered an ice stone platform in a corner of the cave, on which sat an ancient book radiating an icy aura. Su Ran and the others hurriedly gathered around. The old man picked up the book and gently opened it. The book read: "To obtain the inheritance, one must awaken the guardian of ice with the power of the ice element."
"The Ice Guardian, could it be this ice sculpture?" Su Ran asked, looking at the ice sculpture in the center.
The old man nodded: "Very likely. However, awakening it with the power of ice elemental origin is no easy task. The power of ice elemental origin is the most core power of ice elemental cultivators, and the slightest carelessness will result in severe damage to their vital energy."
Su Ran pondered for a moment and said, "Senior, I'm willing to give it a try. I have obtained..."
Su Ran's mind was made up. She knew this might be the key opportunity to enhance everyone's strength and cope with the many crises to come. She took a deep breath, slowly circulating her ice-type spiritual power, condensing it in her palm to form a crystal-clear, ice-blue sphere of light. This sphere contained her purest ice-type primordial power. As the sphere condensed, the surrounding temperature dropped sharply, and the ice crystals within the cave shone even brighter, as if echoing this powerful ice-type force.
The old man watched Su Ran's every move with a solemn expression. Although he acknowledged Su Ran's courage and determination, he also understood the enormous risks involved. If Su Ran made the slightest mistake in guiding the power of origin, not only would the inheritance fail to open, but she herself would also likely suffer a backlash from the origin, ending up with the tragic fate of her spiritual power dissipating and her cultivation completely destroyed.
Su Ran closed her eyes tightly, concentrating intently as she slowly pushed the icy blue orb in her hand towards the ice sculpture. The moment the orb touched the ice sculpture, a powerful suction force emanated from it, and Su Ran felt her primordial energy surge uncontrollably into the sculpture like a burst dam. Startled, she hurriedly tried to stabilize her spiritual energy output, but the suction force was too strong, and her resistance seemed insignificant.
"Not good!" Upon seeing this, the old man immediately intervened. He swiftly formed hand seals, and a gentle yet powerful white spiritual energy wrapped around Su Ran like a rope, helping her resist the terrifying suction force of the ice sculpture. With the old man's help, Su Ran gradually regained control over her primal power, and the ice sculpture's absorption of primal power also stabilized.
As the primal energy was continuously poured in, the ice sculpture began to emit a dazzling light, which grew stronger and stronger, hurting everyone's eyes. Suddenly, cracks began to appear on the surface of the ice sculpture, and the cracks spread rapidly like a spider web. Then, with a loud "crack," the ice sculpture shattered completely, turning into countless ice shards that scattered throughout the cave.
Where the ice sculpture shattered, a humanoid figure radiating a soft blue light appeared. The figure's face was blurred, but the powerful ice aura emanating from it instilled a sense of awe in everyone present.
"It is fate that you have come here." The voice of the light and shadow was ethereal and distant, as if it came from ancient times. "I am the guardian of the ancient ice-type heritage. Now that you have awakened me, you are qualified to receive the inheritance. But the path of inheritance is full of trials. Are you prepared?"
Su Ran and the others exchanged glances and nodded. Su Ran stepped forward and said firmly, "We are ready. Please bestow the inheritance upon us, senior."
Guangying nodded slightly, and with a wave of his hands, five ice spheres emitting different lights appeared in the cave. "These five ice spheres represent five different abilities in the ice-based inheritance. Each of you will choose one and undergo the inheritance test. If you pass, you will gain the corresponding ability."
The disciples stepped forward one by one, each choosing an ice puck. The ice puck Su Ran chose emitted a deep blue light, containing a mysterious and powerful force. The moment she grasped the ice puck, a surge of information flooded into her mind.
Su Ran found herself in a frozen wasteland, surrounded by howling winds and swirling snow. Before her stood a colossal ice demon. Several meters tall, the demon emanated a chilling aura and lunged at Su Ran, baring its fangs and claws. Su Ran knew this was an illusion from the inheritance trial, but she dared not be careless.
She swiftly unleashed the ice magic she had learned, sending streaks of icy sword energy towards the Ice Demon. The Ice Demon, however, remained unfazed, swinging its massive arm to shatter each icy sword energy. Su Ran frowned, knowing she couldn't fight the Ice Demon head-on. She began circling the Ice Demon, searching for its weakness.
The old man watching Su Ran's test nodded slightly, secretly admiring Su Ran's composure and resourcefulness. He knew that this inheritance test was not only a test of strength, but also a tempering of mind and adaptability.
While dodging the Ice Demon's attacks, Su Ran observed its patterns of movement. She noticed that the Ice Demon's ice armor would tremble slightly before each attack. So, seizing the opportunity, she unleashed a full-force strike the instant the Ice Demon attacked again, targeting the spot where its ice armor trembled.
With a resounding boom, Su Ran's attack struck its mark, cracking the ice armor on the Ice Demon. The Ice Demon roared in fury, attacking Su Ran even more frantically. Su Ran, however, remained calm and continued searching for an opening. After a fierce battle, Su Ran finally found an opportunity, delivering a fatal blow to the Ice Demon and successfully defeating it.
The moment Su Ran defeated the Ice Demon, the ice ball in her hand shone brightly, and a powerful surge of ice energy flowed into her body. She could clearly feel her control over ice magic increase several times over.
Su Ran successfully passed the inheritance test and gained powerful ice-type abilities. She could feel a river of ice flowing through her body, her spiritual energy circulated more smoothly, and her perception of ice elements became extremely acute. At this time, the other disciples also completed their inheritance tests one after another, each of them radiating energy and showing a significant improvement in strength.
"It seems you have all passed the test successfully. This inherited power has now merged with you, and you must make good use of it in the future." The voice of the light and shadow rang out again. "However, a great crisis is hidden beneath this icy plain. Soon, an evil force will be revived. You need to improve your strength as soon as possible in order to deal with it."
Su Ran and the others were startled and quickly asked the figure for details. The figure slowly said, "In ancient times, after a great battle between good and evil, the evil forces were sealed away, but the power of the seal gradually weakened over time. Now, the seal is loosening, and the evil forces are about to break free. And this icy plain where you are is the key to the sealed land."
Everyone's expressions were grave, knowing the situation was critical. Su Ran asked, "Senior, what should we do to strengthen the seal and prevent the evil forces from reviving?"
After a moment of contemplation, Guangying said, "To strengthen the seal, we need to find three ancient ice keys. These three keys are hidden in three mysterious places in the ice plains. Only by collecting all three keys can we enter the core of the seal and reinforce it. However, these three places are fraught with danger, so you must proceed with extreme caution."
Su Ran and the others nodded firmly, indicating that no matter how difficult it was, they would complete their mission. Seeing their determination, the light and shadow revealed the approximate locations of the three keys and some methods for dealing with dangers. Then, the light and shadow gradually dissipated, the inheritance space disappeared, and the group returned to the cave.
"It seems our next task is daunting," Su Ran said to his disciples. "But in order to prevent the resurgence of evil forces and protect this continent, we must go all out."
"Don't worry, Senior Sister, we will definitely work together to complete the mission!" the disciples responded in unison, their morale high.
The old man said from the side, "Your determination is admirable, and I will lend you a hand. However, the process of finding the key will surely be arduous, and we must be fully prepared."
The group began organizing their equipment and restoring their spiritual energy in the cave. Su Ran practiced her inherited ice-type abilities repeatedly, becoming increasingly proficient. She discovered that her ice-type spells were now not only much more powerful, but also extremely fast. Many spells no longer required complicated hand seals; they could be activated with just a thought.
After finishing their preparations, the group followed the direction indicated by the light and shadow and headed towards the location of the first Ice Key. It was a mysterious ice lake, said to hold a great secret at its bottom.
The group arrived at the edge of the frozen lake, where the surface was as calm as a mirror, the ice crystal clear, resembling a giant mirror. However, they could sense that beneath this seemingly tranquil surface, a dangerous aura lurked.
"Everyone be careful, this frozen lake is not simple," the old man warned.
Su Ran carefully observed the ice surface and discovered faintly flickering runes. She tried to infuse the ice with her spiritual energy, and the runes shone brightly. The ice surface began to slowly crack, revealing a deep, dark opening.
"It seems this is the passage to the bottom of the lake," Su Ran said. The group carefully entered through the opening. The passage was filled with a cold and damp atmosphere, and strange ice flowers grew on the surrounding walls, shimmering with a faint light that illuminated the passage.
As the group ventured deeper, the passage became increasingly narrow, and the temperature plummeted. Some disciples began to shiver uncontrollably. Seeing this, Su Ran cast an ice spell, creating a warm spiritual energy shield around them to protect them from the cold.
Suddenly, a hissing sound came from ahead in the passage, as if some enormous creature was moving. Everyone immediately became alert, gripping their weapons tightly. A huge ice serpent darted out of the darkness, its body covered in hard scales, its eyes gleaming with a cold light, and it opened its blood-red maw to bite at them.
Su Ran swiftly unleashed his newly acquired ice-type ability, instantly trapping the ice serpent in an ice cage. The ice serpent struggled desperately within the cage, its powerful force causing cracks to appear.
"Attack together, everyone! We can't let it break free!" Su Ran shouted. The disciples unleashed their spells, various ice-based magics like Ice Spirit Sword Qi and Ice Explosion, all aimed at the ice serpent. With their combined attack, the ice serpent was finally defeated, turning into a puddle of icy water and disappearing.
The group continued onward and finally reached the bottom of the lake. At the bottom was a huge ice cave, and in the center of the cave stood an ice platform. On the platform lay a key emitting a ghostly blue light—the first Ice Key they were searching for.
Su Ran stepped forward and was about to pick up the key when suddenly, countless ice golems surged out from all around the ice cave.
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