That faint yet undeniably real soul resonance, which pierced through absolute ice, was like a pebble thrown into the lifeless lake of Qingxu Immortal Lord's heart. Though the ripples were small, they completely altered the "landscape" of his inner world.
Hope, this most dangerous yet most precious spark, once ignited, is difficult to extinguish.
He was no longer struggling to survive merely for revenge or duty, but for that stubbornly flickering starlight deep within the ice. Every time he activated the thorny "Ice Mark Dao Seal," every time he endured the excruciating pain, it seemed to have a clear meaning—he had to become stronger, strong enough to break through that barrier of laws and awaken her from her eternal slumber!
This almost obsessive belief, like a cold yet resilient skeleton, supported his collapsing will, allowing him to stumble but steadfastly move forward on this perilous road.
The process of healing and cultivation remains a hellish torment.
The "Ice Mark Dao Seal" was like a rebellious and fierce spirit, requiring both the suppression of internal chaos and constant vigilance against its backlash. Qingxu Immortal Lord had to devote most of his attention, like a master craftsman, carefully crafting and guiding the flow of every wisp of power within the Dao Seal. He forcibly incorporated the nearly depleted chill of the Ice Soul Jade Bed beneath him, along with the sparse yet continuous spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the outside world, into this dangerous system, using his own Dao foundation and divine soul as fuel to painstakingly maintain a fragile balance.
Pain is his constant state.
But his eyes grew colder and calmer each day, like black ice that had been polished by wind and snow for millions of years. He no longer resisted the coldness and deathly stillness in the Dao Seal that originated from Su Nian and from his own despair, but tried to understand, accept, and even... imitate Su Nian's extreme "stillness" and "constancy" in the ice.
He discovered that his understanding of the "Ice Soul Condensation Technique" was undergoing a strange transformation. Originally used to temper the mind and resist external demons, the method, under the influence of the "Ice Mark Dao Seal," began to focus more on "inner restraint" and "symbiosis." He no longer tried to dispel the inner demons, but instead learned to coexist with the Ice Sealing Law, just as Su Nian did, treating those restless demonic thoughts and bone-corroding poisons as a special kind of "energy." Using the Dao Seal as the core, he forcibly "stilled" and "isolated" them, and tried to refine and absorb them little by little, transforming them into nourishment to support the operation of the Dao Seal.
This process is extremely dangerous, like drinking poison to quench thirst. Every attempt is like dancing with the devil on the edge of a cliff, and the slightest mistake will lead to utter destruction.
However, whenever he felt powerless and about to be swallowed by chaos, he would immerse himself in his sea of consciousness and desperately "call out" to and "perceive" that ice crystal.
However, Su Nian's soul did not seem to have completely fallen silent.
Although there was no clear transmission of meaning as before, occasionally, when his emotions were at their most intense or when he reached a critical point in his cultivation, a very faint, almost imperceptible "response" would always come from the depths of the ice crystal.
Sometimes, it's like a gentle breeze brushing across the ice, bringing a brief moment of tranquility;
Sometimes, it's like a spark in the abyss, dispelling a moment of confusion;
Sometimes, it's like a sigh from a distant dream, carrying endless weariness, yet revealing an indomitable resilience.
These responses were so faint, so elusive, that it was impossible to even be sure if they were his own imagination. But Immortal Lord Qingxu stubbornly believed that it was her! It was she who, amidst the boundless darkness and ice, was still trying to send him a signal!
It was this extremely faint connection, this resonance that transcended the barriers of life and death and the laws of nature, that became his only spiritual pillar and source of strength in boundless pain and darkness.
As time passed (perhaps days, perhaps months, it's difficult to calculate precisely in this chaotic spacetime), Qingxu Immortal Lord's injuries miraculously stabilized and even began to slowly heal under his almost self-destructive cultivation method. Meanwhile, the "Ice Mark Dao Seal," through his arduous refinement, gradually shed some of its initial ferocity and chaos, becoming slightly more "tamed," although its icy essence remained unchanged, even becoming more profound.
His mastery of the power of "stillness" and "isolation" has become increasingly refined. Although he is far from reaching the level of a law, he has already begun to integrate it into his sword techniques, resulting in astonishing power and a strange, unpredictable quality.
On this day, he was trying to slowly refine a wisp of demonic energy using the power of the Dao Seal.
Just as that wisp of demonic energy was about to be completely "frozen" and "purified" by the icy essence of the Dao Seal's core—
A sudden change has occurred!
The soul ice crystal, which had been dormant deep within his sea of consciousness and absolutely frozen by the dark gold consciousness, suddenly... trembled slightly without warning!
This tremor was far clearer than any of the previous faint resonances! It even caused the outer layer of ice-sealing law patterns to flicker, emitting a faint yet real dark blue halo!
At the same time, the wisp of demonic energy within Immortal Lord Qingxu's body, which was about to be refined, seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, suddenly breaking free from his control. Instead of merging into the Dao Seal, it transformed into a thin black thread, as if summoned, and rushed rapidly towards the vibrating ice crystal deep within his sea of consciousness!
"What?!"
Immortal Lord Qingxu was terrified and instinctively tried to stop him! The demonic energy was so filthy and violent, and Su Nian's soul was extremely fragile at the moment. If it were to invade, the consequences would be unimaginable!
However, his intervention was a step too late.
The black thread easily pierced through the ice barrier set up by the dark gold consciousness (as if the barrier was not prepared for it, or... tacitly allowed it?), and went straight into the ice crystal!
Immortal Lord Qingxu's heart sank to the bottom! His soul was shattered!
He stared intently at the ice crystal, bracing himself for the worst possible outcome.
However, the anticipated scene of the ice crystals being corrupted by demonic energy and Su Nian's soul being completely annihilated did not occur.
The wisp of demonic energy, upon entering the ice crystal, vanished without a trace, causing no violent reaction. The ice crystal still emitted a faint blue light, but... at the deepest part of that light, there seemed to be... an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible... black pattern?
Immediately afterwards, a faint yet exceptionally pure energy, carrying an aura of coldness and tranquility, slowly emanated from within the ice crystal, as if it had been "filtered" and "transformed." Instead of spreading, it actively and wisp by wisp merged into the "Ice Mark Dao Seal" of Immortal Lord Qingxu, which was slightly sluggish due to the forced extraction of demonic energy!
This energy, though weak, was exceptionally pure, possessing a peculiar quality that shared the same origin as Su Nian's soul, yet seemed to have incorporated some kind of "impurity" (purified demonic energy?). Its integration did not cause the Dao Seal to reject it; instead, it imbued the originally cold and lifeless Dao Seal with an indescribable... "activity"? It was as if parched land had received sweet rain, and its processes had become smoother!
This...this is...
Immortal Lord Qingxu was completely stunned.
Just as he was reeling from this unbelievable turn of events and trying to figure out what had happened—
That immense will, which had been hidden behind the scenes and coldly monitoring everything, was once again alarmed by this obvious "abnormal data," and with a clear hint of displeasure, it descended with a roar!
It instantly scanned the entire process of the ice crystals, the Dao seal, and the flow of energy.
[WARNING: Unauthorized energy interaction behavior detected in the observed sample (anchor point - Su Nian)!]
[It was detected that it was using a sealing unit (Frozen Law - Sub-body) to forcibly filter and convert the energy of the 'container'...]
[Behavioral patterns deviate from preset expectations...posing a potential risk of loss of control...]
[Assessment: The symbiotic and fusion system shows unknown evolutionary tendencies... stronger monitoring and restrictions are needed...]
The cold, icy intent carried an unquestionable sense of judgment.
The next moment, several more complex and imposing dark golden chains of law, like venomous snakes appearing out of thin air, suddenly coiled around the soul ice crystal! They did not destroy it, but rather, like reinforcing a cage, added several more layers of more complex and more insulated seals on top of the original ice seal!
The light on the surface of the ice crystal was instantly suppressed, and the faint "activity" that had just appeared disappeared without a trace, returning to an absolute state of deathly stillness where not even a ripple could be stirred.
It was as if the brief energy interaction and vibration just now were just an illusion.
As Qingxu Immortal Lord watched helplessly as the reinforced seal was completed, feeling the ice crystals once again become as cold and silent as cosmic tombstones, an indescribable anger and powerlessness almost overwhelmed his cold rationality.
He understood.
Su Nian wasn't entirely passive. She was trying! She was using this symbiotic freezing law to try and interact with him, even... helping him?! But that dark gold consciousness would absolutely not allow this "out-of-control" evolution!
It wanted to imprison her forever in this absolute stillness, making her merely a "sample of observation"!
"No..." He forced out a hoarse growl from deep in his throat, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force, and his aura fluctuated violently due to extreme emotional turmoil, with even the Ice Mark Dao Seal showing signs of losing control.
However, just as that dark gold consciousness completed its reinforcement and its will was about to fade away again—
At the very core of that soul ice crystal, sealed by layers of shackles, that absolutely frozen spark of primordial energy seemed to... flicker in his direction in an extremely subtle way.
It was as if it was telling him silently:
Don't give up... I'm still... trying...
The suspense in the story deepens dramatically at this moment—the female protagonist is able to actively interact with energy within the absolute seal, suggesting that her consciousness activity far exceeds expectations; the male protagonist witnesses his hope being extinguished once again, his anger and helplessness intertwined; and the intensified monitoring by the dark gold consciousness foreshadows an exponential increase in the difficulty of breaking the seal in the future. How will this stalemate between despair and hope be broken? All awaits to be revealed in the next chapter.
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