Inside the Lingxu Market, the atmosphere among Lin Yang and the leaders of various sects was as heavy as the calm before a storm after learning that evil forces were pursuing a legendary artifact. This artifact, possessing world-destroying power, would plunge the cultivation world into utter ruin if it fell into the hands of evil forces.
"We must act quickly and find the artifact before the evil forces do. But we know nothing about it. Where should we begin?" The elder of the Spirit Sword Sect frowned, his eyes filled with worry.
The Pavilion Master of Wanbaoge stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and said, "Our pavilion has a large collection of ancient books, and perhaps we can find some clues about the divine artifact. I will arrange for people to search for relevant records immediately."
The sect leader of Qingyun Sect nodded and said, "Qingyun Sect also has many ancient books. I will send people back to read them immediately. At the same time, we can mobilize disciples from various sects to inquire about information in various parts of the cultivation world. Perhaps we can obtain clues from some ancient families or reclusive seniors."
Everyone agreed and immediately began their search. Inside the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, disciples busily searched through mountains of ancient books, opening each yellowed scroll and carefully studying every word, leaving no stone unturned in their search for any information that might be related to the divine artifact. The Scripture Pavilion of the Azure Cloud Sect was equally brightly lit, with disciples moving among the bookshelves, looking for records about divine artifacts.
Meanwhile, disciples from various sects dispersed to every corner of the cultivation world. They ventured deep into the territories of ancient families, visited their reclusive elders in the deep mountains and forests, and seized every opportunity that might reveal clues about the divine artifacts.
The Linghe Chamber of Commerce's intelligence agents also used their vast intelligence network to inquire everywhere. One agent, in a remote town, happened to learn from an old man that mysterious spiritual energy fluctuations had been emanating from the depths of the icy abyss in the far north, supposedly related to an ancient artifact. The agent dared not delay and quickly relayed this information back to the Lingxu Market.
Upon learning of this, Lin Yang immediately summoned the leaders of various sects to discuss the matter. "The clues about the Far North Ice Abyss may or may not be true, but we cannot let any possibility slip by. I plan to personally lead an elite team to investigate," Lin Yang said with a determined look.
Su Ran immediately stepped forward: "Young Master Lin, I am willing to go with you. The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect are willing to be the vanguard and provide protection."
The Qingyun Sect and Zixiao Palace also expressed their willingness to send capable disciples to join the team. Soon, an exploration team led by Lin Yang and composed of elites from the Lingjian Sect, Qingyun Sect, and Zixiao Palace was formed.
Having prepared the necessary magical artifacts and elixirs, the group embarked on their journey to the far north. In the far north, the wind howled fiercely, and snow blanketed the land. The gale-force winds, carrying snow and ice, scraped against their faces like sharp blades. The closer they got to the icy abyss, the lower the temperature became, even slowing down the flow of their spiritual energy.
"Everyone be careful. The spiritual energy around this icy abyss is very strange; it seems to be interfering with our senses," Lin Yang warned. Everyone circulated their spiritual energy to resist the cold and the interference.
Finally, they reached the edge of the Ice Abyss. The Ice Abyss was bottomless, filled with a thin layer of blue mist, within which faint lights shimmered.
"This ice abyss is so strange, we must be careful when we go down," Su Ran said. Everyone nodded and used their movement techniques to carefully descend towards the bottom of the ice abyss.
As they descended to a certain depth, suddenly, a group of giant, ice-blue pythons burst forth from the mist. The pythons were enormous, some tens of meters long, covered in a layer of hard ice armor, and spewing out chilling, icy breath.
"Watch out, it's the Ice Abyss Python!" a disciple of the Qingyun Sect shouted.
"Form the formation!" Lin Yang swiftly gave the order. The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect instantly formed a sword formation, their multicolored sword energy crisscrossing as they slashed towards the Ice Abyss Python. The disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect unleashed the "Azure Cloud Blazing Flame Spell," attempting to use fire to resist the icy breath. The disciples of the Purple Cloud Palace threw out "Immobilization Talismans," trying to restrict the giant python's movements.
The Ice Abyss Pythons had thick, tough hides; sword energy struck them, leaving only white marks. The collision of icy breath and flames generated a large amount of water vapor, further blurring the surrounding environment. The "Immobilization Talisman" only slightly slowed the pythons' movements.
"These frost pythons are quite strong! Everyone, attack with all your might and find their weaknesses!" Lin Yang shouted. He wielded the "Starry Sky Golden Sword" and unleashed the "Starlight Sky-Splitting Slash," a golden sword aura shooting towards one of the giant pythons. The sword aura struck the python's head, and the python, in pain, roared and turned to pounce on Lin Yang.
Seeing this, Su Ran quickly unleashed "Thousandfold Sword Shadows," countless sword energies raining down on the giant python, temporarily restraining its movements. The other team members also intensified their attacks, various spells and sword energies intertwining as they attacked the Ice Abyss Python.
After a fierce battle, the group finally managed to kill several Ice Abyss Pythons. Seeing that the situation was not good, the remaining Pythons retreated back into the mist.
"Is everyone alright?" Lin Yang asked. Although everyone was a little tired, thankfully they were all unharmed.
After descending some distance, they discovered an ancient ice palace. The palace exuded a mysterious aura, its doors tightly shut and covered with ancient runes.
“It seems this palace holds important clues,” said a disciple of Zixiao Palace who was skilled in rune arts. He stepped forward and carefully examined the runes on the door.
However, just as he was deciphering the runes, beams of icy blue light suddenly shone around the palace, coalescing into ice-armored warriors. These warriors, wielding ice spears, charged towards the group.
"More enemies! Everyone, prepare for battle!" Lin Yang shouted. The group quickly formed ranks and engaged the ice-armored warriors. The ice-armored warriors were agile, their ice spear attacks fierce. The Spirit Sword Sect sword cultivators used their sword formation to block the ice spear attacks while simultaneously seeking opportunities to counterattack; the Azure Cloud Sect disciples unleashed various spells, attempting to break through the ice-armored warriors' defenses; and the Purple Cloud Palace disciples used talismans to disrupt the ice-armored warriors' movements.
In the heat of battle, the Zixiao Palace disciple who was studying runes shouted, "I've found a way to open the door, but I need someone to protect me. I can't be distracted while I'm using the rune-breaking technique."
"Don't worry about breaking it, we'll protect you!" Lin Yang said. Su Ran led several sword cultivators and quickly arrived beside the Zixiao Palace disciples, forming a tight defensive sword formation to block the ice-armored warriors' attacks.
The disciple of Zixiao Palace concentrated, rapidly forming hand seals while chanting incantations. With his movements, the runes on the door flickered and gradually changed. Finally, with a resounding boom, the palace doors slowly opened.
Will the group be able to successfully enter the palace and find clues about the divine artifact? The attacks of the ice-armored warriors are becoming increasingly fierce; will they be able to successfully withstand them? The journey of exploration is full of unknowns and dangers, and the fate of the cultivation world rests on whether they can obtain crucial information in this icy palace.
The ice-armored warriors seemed to sense that the group was about to enter the palace, and their attacks intensified. Ice spears rained down on the defensive sword array, which shimmered with light and endured immense pressure.
"Everyone hold your ground! Don't let them get any closer!" Su Ran shouted, brandishing his sword and unleashing a torrent of sword energy that cleaved through the approaching ice spears. However, the ice-armored warriors continued to surge in from all directions, putting immense pressure on the defensive sword formation.
While defending against the attacks of the ice-armored warriors, the disciples of the Qingyun Sect also diverted some of their spiritual power to cast the "Qingyun Thunder Gathering Spell." Dark clouds instantly filled the sky, thunder rumbled, and thick bolts of azure lightning struck down from the clouds, hurtling towards the ice-armored warriors. The lightning crackled as it struck the warriors, and some of them became sluggish after being hit.
The disciples of Zixiao Palace continuously threw out various talismans. The "Exploding Flame Talisman" exploded among the ice-armored warriors, generating a powerful impact; the "Slowing Talisman" greatly reduced the speed of the ice-armored warriors, relieving a lot of pressure for everyone.
Within the sword formation, Lin Yang closely monitored the progress of the Zixiao Palace disciples in deciphering the runes. "Almost there, just a little more! Everyone, hang in there!" he shouted, simultaneously unleashing the "Starlight Shattering Void Slash," a sword aura imbued with powerful stellar energy slashing towards the densest concentration of ice-armored warriors. Wherever the sword aura passed, the ice-armored warriors were sent flying, creating a brief empty area.
Just then, the disciple of Zixiao Palace finally completed the rune-breaking technique. "The door is open!" he shouted.
"Charge in!" Lin Yang ordered, and the group rushed into the palace. The ice-armored warriors tried to stop them, but failed due to the group's fierce attack.
The group rushed into the palace, and the doors behind them slammed shut. The interior was dimly lit, with only a few luminous pearls embedded in the walls emitting a faint glow. In the very center stood a huge ice sculpture depicting an immortal dressed in ancient attire, holding a faintly glowing crystal ball in his hands.
"This crystal ball seems extraordinary; it might be related to clues about a divine artifact," said an elder of the Qingyun Sect.
Lin Yang stepped forward and carefully examined the crystal ball. Suddenly, the crystal ball shone brightly, and an image emerged from it. In the image, an old man slowly said, "To find the divine artifact, you must go to the coast of the East Sea. There is a mysterious island on the island, and an ancient ruin is located there. The clues to the divine artifact are hidden within. However, the island is surrounded by dangers, so you must be careful."
After the image disappeared, the crystal ball's light dimmed.
"It seems our next stop will be a mysterious island on the coast of the East China Sea," Lin Yang said.
However, at this moment, the palace began to shake violently. "Oh no, it seems the palace's self-destruct mechanism has been triggered!" Su Ran shouted.
The group hurriedly searched for an exit, but the door was tightly shut, and cracks began to appear in the surrounding walls, with chunks of ice constantly falling down.
"Don't panic, everyone. Let's look for another way out!" Lin Yang said. The group quickly began searching the palace.
Finally, a sword cultivator from the Spirit Sword Sect discovered a narrow passage in a corner of the palace. "There's a passage here!" he shouted.
Without a second thought, everyone rushed towards the passage. The passage was extremely narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time, and it was winding and twisting. They proceeded cautiously, the palace behind them swaying more and more violently, seemingly on the verge of collapse.
Just as they were about to exit the passage, a huge block of ice fell from above, blocking their path. "What should we do?" a disciple of Zixiao Palace asked anxiously.
Lin Yang looked at the ice block and said, "Everyone, let's attack together and shatter the ice!" Everyone unleashed their spells and sword energy, bombarding the ice block. With their combined attack, the ice block was finally shattered.
The group continued forward and finally managed to exit the passage. At that moment, the Ice Abyss Palace collapsed with a violent roar.
They successfully obtained clues about the divine artifact, but what dangers lurk on the mysterious island off the coast of the East China Sea? Have the evil forces also learned of this clue and are heading to the island? The journey to uncover the mystery is fraught with difficulties, and the people of the cultivation world must race against time to find the divine artifact before the evil forces and safeguard the peace of the cultivation world.
Upon returning to the Lingxu Market, Lin Yang immediately summoned the leaders of various sects and informed them of the discovery of the Ice Abyss Palace. "We must proceed to the mysterious island on the coast of the East Sea as soon as possible to find clues to the artifact before the evil forces do. However, this operation is fraught with danger, and we must be fully prepared," Lin Yang said.
The head of Wanbaoge Pavilion stated, "Wanbaoge will prepare a batch of magical artifacts suitable for naval battles and dealing with island dangers, such as the 'Wave-Breaking Boat' which can travel quickly in the sea, and the 'Sea-Suppressing Shield' which can resist attacks from sea monsters."
The elder of the Spirit Sword Sect said, "The Spirit Sword Sect will select a group of sword cultivators with superb swordsmanship and strong adaptability to join the team to ensure everyone's safety on the journey."
The sect leader of Qingyun Sect and the palace master of Zixiao Palace both expressed their willingness to select capable disciples, equipped with various powerful spells and talismans, to assist in this operation.
With the close preparations of all parties, a stronger exploration team was quickly assembled. Carrying the expectations of everyone and the mission of protecting the cultivation world, they set off towards the coast of the East Sea.
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