Second floor entrance
There are a considerable number of ice sculptures in front of us, probably as many as a hundred. They are copied one to one and behave exactly the same. The snow is full of guarding ice sculptures.
Jiang Chanyi and Qian Luo retreated together. This was completely different from what the Zhao brothers said. The situation was urgent, and they didn't worry about whether the Zhao brothers had deceived them or whether there was something strange in the secret realm. The four of them retreated three meters.
Staring at the strange ice sculpture in front of me, I thought about how to break the deadlock.
Jiang Chanyi swung out a long whip made of spiritual power, dodged the attack of the ice sculpture by moving sideways, flew forward, stepped on the shoulder of the ice sculpture, and took in the overall situation. Looking around, he saw countless identical ice sculptures trying their best to drive away the monks. Their attack methods were relatively simple, usually using the long spear in their hands to pierce the monks' vital points. However, the long spear in his hand was made of ice and snow, and he was helpless when facing a guy like Jin Manlou who was armed with magic weapons.
The ice sculptures are not living people and cannot feel pain. Even if their bodies are melted by flames, they cannot make a single wail. The ice sculptures behind them struggle forward, one after another, and the human wave tactics can exhaust the four of them to death.
The highest cultivation level among the four of them was only at the late Jindan stage, and there were only two of them at the late Jindan stage at most, so they were no match for the hundred ice sculptures at the early Jindan stage.
Just as Jiang Chanyi was standing on the puppet's head thinking, the magic weapon surrounding Jin Manlou burst into dazzling light, surrounding her tightly and protecting her from the ice sculpture's attack.
But Qianluo and Sun Rushuang were not so lucky. Qianluo summoned the Dragon Roar Sword. The sword light was dazzling and the momentum was majestic above the cold light. One sword could match the power of a hundred swords. It cut off the bodies of dozens of ice sculpture puppets as neatly as cutting vegetables.
But what was strange was that these ice sculptures did not stop attacking just because their bodies were separated. Instead, their upper bodies held spears while their lower bodies continued to walk with undiminished momentum.
"What's going on!" Qianluo frowned and stepped back.
Sun Rushuang narrowed her eyes, protected Qianluo behind her, and shot out black Yin water from her fingertips. As soon as it touched the ice sculptures, they began to melt, forming a pool of icy water from head to toe.
A bead shining with blue light slowly rose up.
"This..." Qian Luo was surprised. The ice sculpture with its body chopped off could walk normally. Could it be because of this strange bead?
Jiang Chanyi was also shocked. She flew down and landed in front of the bead. Holding the map, her eyes lit up: "This is the Frost Bead recorded on the map. No wonder these ice sculptures can still move freely even after being cut off. It turns out that the Frost Bead is constantly supplying them with energy!"
Qianluo leaned over to look at the map. The map did indeed record the uses and locations of the Frost Orbs, but... the actual locations were different. They had encountered a group of ice sculptures with Frost Orbs. The locations on the map should be densely packed, so why were there no responses?
"The frost beads recorded on the map can only resist severe cold, but now the function of the frost beads... everyone has seen it..." Jin Manlou collected all the magic weapons on his body, rubbed his shoulders, and grinned.
"Don't you think everything has been unusual since we came here? Yiyi, are the ice sculptures you mentioned the Zhao brothers encountered the same ones we're encountering now? Are the frost beads recorded on the current map the same as the ones we've encountered? Don't you think they've all mutated? The Frost Blue Secret Realm only opens once every few decades, and lately, it's been opening later and later. What exactly happened during this time?"
Jin Manlou: "Everyone knows that the Frost Blue Secret Realm is the remains of the Snowland Kingdom, but everyone overlooks why such a powerful Snowland Kingdom perished?"
This made Qian Luo's scalp tingle. She pursed her lips and felt a little panic in her heart. She still had one simulation chance, but she was afraid it would not be enough in the secret realm.
She looked at the frost beads in front of her, and her eyes lit up. With so many ice sculptures and so many frost beads, wouldn't her simulation points be settled?
[Didi - sufficient spiritual energy, expected to gain 1 point]
Great, collect these frost beads and you can get a lot of points!
Qianluo instantly felt that the cold ice sculpture puppet in front of her became cute, and she was filled with energy!
Without waiting for Jiang Chanyi and Jin Manlou to react, she pulled Sun Rushuang, one throwing strange fire, the other throwing Yin water, busy and happy. However, the ice sculpture was too powerful to be defeated by a drop of Yin water or a cluster of flames.
Seeing this situation, Jiang Chanyi and Jin Manlou were confused, but at the moment, the important thing was for the four of them to work together to kill the ice sculpture, and they could think about other things slowly!
Although the ice sculptures moved in a simple manner, they had the cultivation level of the early stage of Jindan. The four people were sweating profusely and their spiritual power was almost exhausted. It took them three days to kill twenty ice sculptures.
Jiang Chanyi collapsed on the snow in exhaustion: "No... I've finished all my soul-boosting pills!"
Jin Manlou emptied the glass bottle and panted, "My soul-replenishing nutrient solution is gone..."
Sun Rushuang took back the black Yin Water, her face pale: "My Tiangui Yin Water has also consumed too much of my spiritual power..."
Qian Luo exhaled a breath of cold air, using the last bit of her strength to support the Dragon Roar Sword. Her legs felt weak, and if Sun Rushuang hadn't supported her, she would have plunged into the ice and snow. "...I can't do it anymore."
It was indeed too much for four people to deal with a hundred Jindan stage cultivators. They were lucky not to be frozen to death by the ice sculptures.
They didn't expect the first level of the secret realm to be so difficult. Looking at the ice sculptures staring at them hungrily, they did think about leaving, but when their flying magic weapons were useless, they were like turtles in a jar, unable to escape. The encirclement was getting smaller and smaller, and they were facing only death.
[This recharge is 10 points, a total of 11 points, and 11 simulations are left! ]
[This simulation consumes 1 point, 10 simulation opportunities remaining, and 10 points remaining.]
Start simulation
At age 128, you encountered a strange ice sculpture in the Frost Blue Secret Realm. The ice sculpture's cultivation was so powerful that you could not resist it. You fought hard, and after four days, you finally obtained fifty frost beads.
[Looking at the ice sculpture before you, you, without a trace of spiritual power, feel despair. And at this moment, the map emits a huge light, enveloping you all.]
[When you open your eyes, you find yourself in a collapsed palace. A nearby boundary marker reads "Snow Country Ruins." Then, people are constantly being teleported in.]
You saw many old friends, but also many people with ill intentions. A new rule has appeared on the map: One month from now, the top ten people who obtain the Frost Orb will be able to take home one of the Snow Country's treasures.
[It turns out that the first level of the secret realm is used to select monks, and the frost beads are the weights. Whoever has more frost beads will obtain the inheritance of the Snowland Kingdom.]
[Everyone starts killing each other. One month later, you, Sun Rushuang, Jiang Chanyi, three members of Gu Qiuchi's team, and four members of Wu Xingxue's team can enter the Snowy Kingdom and obtain the inheritance.]
[The Snowland Kingdom has many heritages, including ice magic, ice skills, ice magic weapons, the legendary eighth-grade elixir, rare talismans and advanced formations.]
[Each person can only choose one thing. Each of the ten of you chose one thing.]
[One night later, you died mysteriously.]
[Simulation ends…]
A mysterious death? What happened? Was it poisoned before, or was there something wrong with the treasure they received?
Ever since entering the Frost Blue Secret Realm, everything has been strange. A secret realm that was once a secret realm turned into a promotion tournament, where you had to get the Frost Orb to get the treasure, and then you died because of the treasure?
[The simulation ends, and you have obtained a number of Frost Orbs.]
This time, she didn’t win the treasure from the Snowland Kingdom. If she had won it, Qianluo was a little afraid that she would die.
She cast a circle of fire to surround the people around her, while Jin Manlou cast a defensive formation, preventing the ice sculpture from getting close for the time being, and the four of them got a chance to catch their breath.
Qianluo started the second simulation.
[This simulation consumes 1 point, 9 simulation opportunities remaining, and 9 points remaining.]
Start simulation
[128 years old, you are in the Frost Blue Secret Realm...]
[Each person can only choose one. You did not choose immediately, but waited overnight to check on the others.]
[One night later, you died mysteriously.]
[Simulation ends…]
Why did they die again? The problem wasn't the treasure. Could it be that the monks who had fought with them before had a problem? Did they poison them?
Qianluo chose to remember, and the situations of all the cultivators appeared in her mind. There were only ten poison cultivators, including Chu Lianxi, and Chu Lianxi, who was a poison cultivator, was dead. It can be seen that either the poison cultivator's poison skills were higher than his, or the murderer was not a poison cultivator.
Qianluo conducted a third simulation, and this time she did not intend to participate in the fight.
[This simulation consumes 1 point, 8 simulation opportunities remaining, and 8 points remaining.]
Start simulation
At 128 years old, you were in the Frost Blue Secret Realm... You hid yourself and didn't participate in the battle. However, someone always saw you and attacked you.
[You were caught off guard for a moment and were penetrated by the opponent. You fought back hard, using your magical treasures to engage the opponent, who turned out to be someone from Gu Qiuchi's team, a male cultivator named Gu Wumian.]
[His eyes are filled with hatred, as if he has some deep hatred for you. He will show you no mercy and will use all his fatal moves.]
[Sun Rushuang comes to help you deal with Gu Wumian. The two of you work together to fight Gu Wumian, but your spiritual power is overdrawn, and the people around you are watching closely.]
Gu Wumian gave up the chance to kill you, and the two of you breathed a sigh of relief. Then everyone around you rushed over, fighting for the Frost Beads. You pulled off all the Frost Beads, causing panic, and only then did you escape.
[A month later, the first ten monks successfully entered the Snow Country. One night later, you and the other monks also died mysteriously.]
[Simulation ends…]
"This..." Qianluo couldn't help but exclaim, she really couldn't figure out the cause of death.
Sun Rushuang, who was meditating nearby, was born with a pure Yin body, close to the Yin spirit energy, and her water spirit root was of high purity. Therefore, after years of being away from home, she was able to quickly improve her cultivation. In the Frost Blue Secret Realm, amidst the ice and snow, her spirit energy recovered faster than others.
She exhaled a breath of cold air and looked at the glazed jade cup in the center of the four people, which was providing them with warmth. Then she looked at Jin Manlou, who was at odds with her. His lips were pale and his forehead was sweating, which was obviously a sign of weak spiritual power.
"Cough cough, Lan Qianluo!" Jin Manlou covered his chest, stopped breathing, and called Qianluo embarrassedly.
Qian Luo came back to her senses from the simulation and saw Jin Manlou's awkward expression. "During the fight just now, a lot of my magic weapons were damaged. I'm also out of my soul-replenishing and healing nutrient solutions. I heard from Jiang Chanyi that you're also an alchemist?"
Sun Rushuang heard the implication in her words and was a little dissatisfied. Xiaoluo was also injured and had eaten most of the pills, with not much left. Why did this person only care about herself and want Xiaoluo to make pills for her?
"Don't you have spirit stones on you? Can't you just crush them and absorb the spiritual power? Xiao Luo is still recovering and doesn't have that much energy to make pills."
Sun Rushuang was right. Qianluo's spiritual power hadn't recovered yet, and she didn't have the energy to refine the elixir. She was completely focused on understanding the cause of everyone's death. So, Qianluo forced a smile and said, "I still have a bottle of a fourth-grade rejuvenation pill and a fourth-grade soul-replenishing pill."
"Hmph!" Jin Manlou obviously hadn't expected such a simple and crude method, but after hearing what Sun Rushuang said, the dissatisfaction in his heart came up again, "Tsk, what do you care!"
Sun Rushuang glanced at her and said, "If you hadn't troubled Xiaoluo, no one would bother with you."
Jiang Chanyi's spiritual power had only recovered half when she heard the two little ancestors quarreling. She felt sorry for them and coaxed Jin Manlou with sweet words, and she got her to take out top-grade spirit stones, one for each of them. Top-grade spirit stones were full of spiritual power, and the two of them quickly recovered their spiritual power.
The two men, their spiritual powers restored, were muttering to each other, plotting something. Sun Rushuang approached, frowning, "Everything happened too fast. We can't handle so many Dan-forming ice sculptures."
Qianluo held her hand and whispered softly, "Don't worry, everything will work out in the end."
She looked at Sun Rushuang and suddenly had an idea: "Rushuang, do you know anything about poison?"
Sun Rushuang shook her head. "I haven't done any research on this, but foreigners are quite knowledgeable about it. I've also seen how they make poisons. They simply take the blood, flesh, elixirs, bones, and tendons of poisonous beasts..."
Qian Luo: "Then do you think these ice sculptures are poisonous? How do these Jindan stage puppets compare to your green-haired puppets?"
Hearing this, Sun Rushuang blinked: "Are these ice sculptures poisonous?"
Qianluo was just guessing. Eliminating the most unlikely possibility meant the truth remained. Everyone in the simulation was dead, whether inside or outside the palace. The only things everyone touched in common were the ice sculptures and the frost beads.
They died on the same day. Besides the Frost Blue Secret Realm itself being a massive poison chamber, the only remaining issue was the ice sculptures and frost beads. If her theory were confirmed, she would suspect someone was manipulating them, forcing them to kill each other and die, so that the mastermind could reap the benefits.
Sun Rushuang looked through the defensive formation at the ice sculptures outside that were constantly approaching the flames and said, "These ice sculptures are at the early stage of Core Formation. Their behavior is simple and they are not as flexible as the green-haired puppets. However... to be able to mass-produce so many ice sculpture puppets, their cultivation must be above the Nascent Soul stage, and it is even possible..."
She didn't dare to say the rest, and spoke carefully: "Outsiders told me that they and the monks of District Nine once shared the same ancestor, but they left their homeland because they discovered that there was a secret within District Nine that could not be revealed."
Qianluo approached her: "What secret?"
Sun Rushuang looked around to make sure the other two hadn't heard, then whispered, "Someone is imprisoning a Nascent Soul cultivator and trying to achieve Divine Transformation."
"Gather the power of the Nascent Soul, break free from restraints, and become a Transformed God?" The more Qian Luo listened, the more it sounded like a sorcery. However, with the advancement of technology, cultivators could reach the heavens and the earth, but they could never transcend the stars. It was said that Nascent Soul cultivators could move mountains and fill the sea, but they could never cross the Black Sea.
Sun Rushuang nodded. "That's why they left District Nine and settled on a deserted island outside of District Nine. They multiplied and thrived, and even formed a population of their own district. The outsiders didn't discriminate against me, but were very welcoming. Knowing I was from District Nine, they asked me about the situation there. I answered them one by one, and in return, they gave me the most suitable Yin-yang skills and taught me how to refine puppets. That's why I've been able to rapidly improve my cultivation over the years."
So that's how it is... Qianluo hadn't asked before, until Sun Rushuang brought it up. It turns out these foreigners weren't savages, but monks living on a deserted island.
"But... they..." Qianluo was also a little worried. Were the foreigners really so kind as to teach magic for free?
Sun Rushuang: "At first, I was worried they had ulterior motives, but in the past hundred years, it would have been easy for them to kill me. When I left, they not only gave me the glass beads, but also explained to me why they had helped me all these years."
Could it be that... Qianluo had an idea in her mind...
Sun Rushuang nodded, her shadowy blue eyes gleaming with earnestness in the snow. "Yes, they want me to search for traces of the outsiders in District Nine. A while ago, a Yuanying Grandmother from the outsiders entered District Nine, hoping to negotiate peace with the area and secure more cultivation resources for the outsiders. She never returned, and the outsiders were worried that the stories of the imprisoned Yuanying would come true. Knowing that I have exceptional talent and am suited to practicing puppetry, they've been desperately trying to provide me with resources, just to get me to find the Yuanying Grandmother."
It really is! Qianluo held Sun Rushuang's hand and said worriedly: "They didn't threaten you, did they?"
Sun Rushuang felt relieved after hearing her words. She smiled and shook her head, "No, I'm just looking for the whereabouts of Yuanying Grandmother. I still need to go to the upper three districts."
The upper three areas... this is too far away, so they should think about how to get out of the first level of the secret realm.
"By the way, what's so special about this frost bead? Why can it continuously supply energy to the ice sculpture?" Qianluo took out a small frost bead and handed it to her.
It was also the first time for Sun Rushuang to carefully observe the frost beads. She looked at them in the sunlight and saw a few turbidities flashing in the transparent frost beads, and it seemed that a gray shadow was floating by.
She had made puppets before, and only knew that a puppet spirit bead could be placed inside the puppet's body to provide it with power and allow it to move freely. However, the puppet spirit bead contained the owner's spiritual power, not the gray shadow. Moreover, the gray shadow was floating around, and it seemed to have some resentment.
She closed her eyes, frost beads stuck to her forehead, and a warm white light enveloped the girl. The girl looked calm and beautiful. After a while, she didn't know what happened, she began to frown, her expression was distorted, and finally her body was out of control!
"Rushuang!"
"Sun Rushuang!"
The three people exclaimed. Qianluo quickly severed the connection between her and the Frost Pearl and fed her the Guyuan Pill. Rushuang, with a pale face, woke up. She looked like she had exhausted her spiritual power. Her lips trembled, as if she wanted to say something, but she had not yet regained any strength.
Finally, Qianluo approached her and heard her trembling voice: "These ice sculptures are made of living people."
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