"Careful!" Bai Wei called out in a low voice, a pair of gleaming short blades already in her hands as she charged forward first. Bai Qingxue also drew her longsword, frost forming along the blade.
The remaining Bai family members each employed their techniques, frost spells and sword energy crisscrossing the air.
These black ice sha spirits were formidable, and in this extreme cold environment they were in their element—their forms flickering, their ice blades sharp and carrying a severe frostbite effect. One Bai family member was careless and had his arm slashed by an ice blade. The wound was instantly covered in white frost that spread toward his shoulder, and his entire arm immediately went numb.
Seeing this, Bai Wuhen's gaze sharpened.
He didn't even draw his sword. He simply pointed two fingers at the clan member's wound from a distance.
"Hiss—"
A fine yet incredibly condensed thread of frost sword energy shot out, precisely entering the wound. The spreading frost met its nemesis and was instantly dispersed and devoured by the purer, more refined cold within the sword energy.
The clan member regained feeling in his arm. Though the wound remained, there was no longer any danger of frost invasion.
"Wuhen's sword intent... has already reached such a level?" Bai Wei was shocked. Using cold to counter cold, even using a purer frost to purge cold poison from a clansman—this level of control and the essence of his sword intent far exceeded her imagination.
Bai Wuhen didn't pause. His sword fingers guided again, and the ice crystal longsword at his side let out a joyful hum, transforming into a brilliant blue streak that wove through the sha spirits.
Wherever the sword light passed, sha spirits froze and shattered, dissolving into the purest ice sha energy and dissipating—far more efficiently than everyone's combined efforts.
With Bai Wuhen's powerful combat strength, the team's advance quickened. But the Frost Ice Ravine's trials didn't end there.
Deeper in, "Soul-Freezing Gale Winds" began appearing silently within the ravine. These winds didn't harm the body but attacked the spirit directly. Those swept by them felt their consciousness slow, their thoughts freeze, and horrifying visions of freezing to death.
The jade pendant in Bai Qingxue's possession proved its worth now, its gentle warmth protecting her mind's clarity. Bai Wei and the others also had their own methods or artifacts for steadying their spirits.
But one clan member with slightly weaker cultivation still had his eyes go unfocused from the gale, his movements stiffening. He nearly tumbled into a bottomless ice chasm beside them before Bai Wuhen's sword energy swept him back.
At a turn in the path, they discovered an ancient corpse frozen within a massive block of black ice.
The corpse maintained a seated meditation posture, its features lifelike, wearing ancient clothing. Beside it lay an ice-blue jade ruler, its spiritual light contained within—extraordinary despite the ages.
"An ancient cultivator's remains!" Bai Wei approached and carefully examined the ice layer and jade ruler. "This black ice is unusual—it should be the ancient cultivator's own cold essence manifested when they passed, serving as both seal and protection. This jade ruler... appears to be some kind of high-grade ice-element auxiliary treasure, usable for formations and spell amplification."
To claim the treasure, they would first need to break through this solid black ice without damaging the remains or jade ruler inside—no small difficulty.
Bai Wuhen stepped forward and placed his right hand gently on the black ice surface.
He closed his eyes in concentration. The ice crystal longsword hovered above his head as wisps of extremely pure cold energy flowed from his palm and sword, slowly seeping into the black ice.
He was using his own sword intent to communicate and resonate with the ancient cultivator's cold essence within the ice!
Moments later, faint cracking sounds came from within the black ice. Then web-like fractures appeared across its surface. Finally, with a crisp sound, it broke apart uniformly, revealing the ancient corpse and jade ruler within—both completely intact.
Bai Wei carefully retrieved the jade ruler. After a brief examination, joy appeared on her face: "It truly is a fine treasure! It's called the 'Mystic Ice Heaven-Measuring Ruler.' Not only can it be used to set up ice-element formations, but it can also greatly amplify ice-attribute technique power—tremendously beneficial to our clan!"
This unexpected gain greatly boosted the team's morale. During the resonance, Bai Wuhen seemed to have gained deeper insight into his own frost sword intent, his aura becoming more harmonious.
After a brief rest, the team continued upward. Ahead, at the end of the Frost Ice Ravine, stood a hundred-zhang-tall waterfall of black ice, smooth as a mirror. Behind the waterfall, a cave entrance was faintly visible—that would be their next trial.
Due west, "Wind Thunder Cliff."
This was the path chosen by the Zixiao Yu Family. Known for its treacherousness, it rose almost vertically, with bare rock faces devoid of any vegetation—only smooth surfaces polished by ages of violent winds and lightning.
Climbing was extremely difficult. One had to constantly resist fierce gales capable of blowing a person away, as well as golden heavenly lightning that occasionally struck down from the ninth heaven.
The Yu family's expedition this time boasted an impressive lineup, personally led by an early Golden Core elder named "Yu Zhenting." The team numbered over thirty, with the lowest at mid Foundation Establishment, plus several peak Foundation Establishment experts.
Yu Chenzi, still recovering from his injuries and needing to oversee subsequent family matters, had not come. But his hatred for the Bai family had been deeply conveyed to those on this expedition.
Yu Zhenting was tall and imposing, his face like a dark jujube, beard and hair bristling. Lightning flickered faintly around his body, his aura domineering.
He gazed at the impossibly steep cliff before him, wind and thunder howling, showing not fear but bold, heroic laughter: "Hahaha! Wind Thunder Cliff! Perfect for tempering our Yu family's 'Zixiao Divine Thunder Technique'! Men, follow this old one up! Let this wind and thunder temper our bodies and forge our souls!"
The Yu family members responded in unison, their momentum unstoppable.
– Marinien
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