Passing Five Palaces, Gaining Five Treasures

"The Profound Ice Cave?"

Luo Shuqing, clinging to Fang Shuwen's back, looked up at the three large characters on the door:

"Underfoot Guiyi Tianshui, and upon entering is the Profound Ice Cave... It seems to have some connection with the Profound Ice Palace."

"This gate at the Kan water level brings together both of these; they are all part of the Profound Heaven Sect's heritage."

Shui Tianxin then said:

"If this place was set up by the group that destroyed the Profound Heaven Sect back then, then it makes sense that they obtained the Profound Heaven Sect's inheritance and used its resources to set up this place."

Fang Shuwen did not participate in the conversation between the two, but instead looked at the two people standing in front of the door.

The two men looked anxious, each holding out a hand on the door.

However, his life ended there.

Their bodies were covered in ice, and they were completely frozen.

Fang Shuwen immediately flicked his hand slightly, and with a flick of his sleeve, the two frozen corpses were swept away.

He reached out again and pressed down with one palm.

With a loud thud, the door was pushed open by his palm strike.

An extremely cold current instantly swept over me.

Fang Shuwen pressed down with one palm, dispelling the chill, and stepped into the doorway.

"Wh... who are you?"

"Again... another unlucky person... chose this place?"

"That's... that's great!"

As soon as I entered, I heard someone speaking in a trembling voice.

A quick glance revealed a fairly large space before them, with a icy pool in the very center.

A misty chill permeated the entire room.

Around this icy pool, a group of people were sitting cross-legged.

As Fang Shuwen looked at them, the person who had said "Great!" had already leaped up and headed straight for the door.

However, his meridians were invaded by the cold air, so even though he was able to stand up, he was much slower.

By the time he rushed to the door, Shui Tianxin had already walked in.

The door closed as well.

The man tried his best, but he couldn't get out before the door closed. He could only reach out and pound on the door, weeping bitterly.

"No... no, open the door! Let me out... let me out!!"

Fang Shuwen had some doubts:

"Can't this door be opened?"

The man shook his head:

"Opening it from the outside... is a piece of cake... but from the inside... it's impossible to open it no matter what."

As he said this, he suddenly glared at Fang Shuwen:

"Why can't you slow down, just a little slower... so I can get out!"

"You... you want my life... I'll fight you to the death!!"

His words were filled with despair, and now he was completely blinded by rage.

Without even looking at who was standing in front of him, he took a step forward, ready to fight Fang Shuwen to the Fang Shuwen.

But before they could get close, a white shadow flashed by.

Shui Tianxin stood in front of Fang Shuwen and pointed her finger.

[Heavenly Water Divine Finger]!

With this finger strike, the technique, seemingly without thickness, penetrated the space between things, instantly breaking through the layers of the opponent's attacks and landing on his brow.

The man's originally pale face instantly swelled and turned purple, his pupils dilated, and he died on the spot.

This was the second time Fang Shuwen had seen this martial art; the first time was Po Jun City in the Eastern Region.

The person who used this martial art was Shui Qianliu; Fang Shuwen only saw the corpse.

Those killed by this technique would have their bodies swell and turn purple. At that time, Fang Shuwen did not understand why, but now he knows that this martial art also contains water poison.

They belong to the same lineage as Guiyi Tianshui.

No wonder that Guiyi Tianshui has no effect on those who have cultivated the [Heavenly Water Return to One Great Law].

Seeing this, the others immediately fell silent.

Fang Shuwen glanced around the room again and asked:

"Why are there only you guys? Where are the others?"

Although there are quite a few people here, even more people will come; it's impossible for them all to gather here.

Even if it's split into thirds, the number of people here is still far less than expected.

"They found... other paths, and... they left."

A woman stood up and spoke in a deep voice.

"Hong Yingqing?"

Shui Tianxin glanced at her and recognized her:

Where's your dad?

My father never traveled with me.

Hong Yingqing's expression was rather unpleasant.

This person is the daughter of Hong Zhengwu, the lord of Boundless Island. However, before landing on the island, she offended Hong Zhengwu with her words, and the Profound Heaven Iron Mirror was no ordinary object.

Hong Zhengwu naturally wanted to find the Profound Heaven Iron Mirror as quickly as possible, and he couldn't care less about his daughter.

Therefore, she had no idea where Hong Zhengwu was at the moment.

She was a step too slow and ended up trapped here with the others.

Fang Shuwen looked around the room. Besides a cold pool, there was a stone platform on one side of the pool.

At the same time, there is a portal on the rock face.

Luo Shuqing had already dismounted from Fang Shuwen's back and walked to the doorway:

Did they leave through this door?

Hong Yingqing nodded.

"Then why don't you leave?"

Luo Shuqing asked again.

Hong Yingqing sighed and said:

"The other side of this gate is even more dangerous; we are not confident..."

Shui Tianxin seemed lost in thought.

The place was filled with cold air, which she didn't care about, but the people in front of her couldn't hold out for long in this kind of place.

Just how dangerous was the other side of that door that made them prefer to stay here, freezing to death, rather than cross that line?

Hong Yingqing then stole a glance at Fang Shuwen.

This Demon Sha God of the mortal realm is truly their greatest enemy; he acts arrogantly and possesses unparalleled martial arts skills.

Such a disdainful person would surely not care about the danger behind that door.

She secretly hoped that Fang Shuwen would be able to break in and be injured by the traps and mechanisms within.

However, Fang Shuwen did not barge into the gate as she had expected, but instead circled the cold pool and looked around.

Shui Tianxin was about to ask when Fang Shuwen said:

"Wait for me here."

After saying that, he leaped into the icy pool.

Luo Shuqing was immediately startled:

"You..."

Before he could finish speaking, Fang Shuwen's figure had already completely sunk into the pool, leaving no trace other than ripples in the water.

Hong Yingqing was overjoyed!

The source of this icy pool is unknown; even disciples of the Profound Ice Palace find the chill in its water unbearable.

Fang Shuwen, oblivious to the danger, recklessly went swimming. No matter how skilled he was in martial arts, he would surely die.

Shui Tianxin was also taken aback, and for a moment she felt uneasy.

She had placed all her bets on Fang Shuwen and absolutely did not want anything to happen to Fang Shuwen.

But she couldn't bring herself to jump in and bring Fang Shuwen back... She could only pace back and forth on the shore, extremely anxious.

Time flew by, and just as Shui Tianxin and Hong Yingqing were both thinking that Fang Shuwen was likely in grave danger, a figure burst out of the water with a bang, spun around, and landed on the shore.

It was naturally Fang Shuwen.

With a flick of his robe, the water from the icy pool, which was still water when it was flung out, froze into ice crystals as it landed on the ground.

"You're finally out."

Luo Shuqing moved closer and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Although she had complete confidence in Fang Shuwen, this icy pool was no ordinary place, and she couldn't be entirely sure that Fang Shuwen would be safe and sound.

Shui Tianxin couldn't help but show a look of surprise:

"That's great, Young Master Fang, you're alright."

Only Hong Yingqing's face remained stiff:

"How... how is this possible?"

Fang Shuwen glanced at her; although the icy pool was powerful, it couldn't harm him.

Even if someone else survived, the cold entering their body would leave them with chronic illnesses.

But for him... it was just a slight chill.

With a circulation of his inner energy, white mist immediately enveloped his body, and in a short while, he felt refreshed.

Luo Shuqing noticed that Fang Shuwen had an extra box in his hand:

"You went down there just for this?"

Fang Shuwen nodded and reached out to open the box.

Inside were two iron coils.

He took out the iron scroll, glanced at it, and his face immediately darkened. He then handed it to Luo Shuqing:

Can you recognize what's written on it?

Luo Shuqing glanced at the dense text above, about to shake her head, but suddenly paused:

"Wait... are those the first few characters 'Tianshui Guiyi'?"

Upon hearing this, Shui Tianxin hurriedly came over. Although these words were written over a long period of time, they were completely different from the words written today.

However, Shui Tianxin had received the inheritance of the Profound Heaven Sect lineage. Although she couldn't fully decipher the contents, she recognized the first few words at a glance:

"This is the secret scroll of [Tianshui Guiyi Dafa]!"

"How could it have been hidden here?"

"And what about the other volume?"

Fang Shuwen asked again.

Luo Shuqing glanced at it and said with a smile:

"Look at the first two characters, haven't you seen them outside the door before?"

"If it starts with the words 'Mysterious Ice,' it is most likely the martial arts lineage of the Profound Ice Palace."

"Guard Fang, do you think the inheritances of the eight forbidden areas are all here?"

Upon hearing this, everyone meditating around Fang Shuwen took a deep breath, their eyes burning with fervor.

Some people even said directly:

"Master Fang, since this is the inheritance of my Profound Ice Palace, please hand it over!"

Fang Shuwen ignored him completely, put the two iron scrolls back into the box, closed it again, and turned to leave.

"Stop!"

One of them immediately leaped up and pounced on Fang Shuwen.

Without turning his head, Fang Shuwen reached back and grabbed the man, who instantly accelerated and rammed his head into Fang Shuwen's hand in the blink of an eye.

With a single turn of the [Beiming Shengong], his entire internal energy was readily accepted by Fang Shuwen.

As the palm strike was released, a cracking sound was heard.

The Profound Ice Palace disciple, having lost his internal energy, died on the spot.

"Outrageous! You have actually slaughtered my Profound Ice Palace disciples!"

"Gentlemen, this boy has killed countless people; we should join forces to eliminate him."

Several more Profound Ice Palace disciples immediately jumped up.

In fact, there are quite a few more disciples of the Profound Ice Palace inside the Profound Ice Cave.

Moving forward would be fraught with uncertainty, but for the disciples of the Profound Ice Palace, staying here was actually a better option.

The cold here didn't affect them as much as it did others. Although they weren't completely immune, they could easily endure it for a few days.

By then, the sect leader will surely have obtained the Profound Heaven Iron Mirror and will be able to return and save them.

However, now that Fang Shuwen has obtained the inheritance of their Profound Ice Palace, as a disciple of the Profound Ice Palace, they naturally cannot sit idly by.

However, they also knew that Fang Shuwen was highly skilled in martial arts, and with their abilities, they certainly wouldn't be able to snatch the things from Fang Shuwen's hands. They said this on purpose to get others to help them.

Even though it might not be of much use, we should still give it a try.

Unfortunately...

Their words seemed to sink without a trace.

Not only did no one pay them any attention, but no one even gave them a second glance.

Instead, he was secretly observing Fang Shuwen.

They seemed afraid that Fang Shuwen would think they were on the side of the Profound Ice Palace and then kill them all.

For a moment, the group of disciples who stepped forward from the Profound Ice Palace stood out from the crowd.

Fang Shuwen frowned slightly, glanced back at them, turned around, and vanished from the spot.

A disciple of the Profound Ice Palace felt a blur before his eyes, and then he was lifted into the air and plunged directly into the icy pool with a splash.

He hurriedly activated the Profound Ice Palace's ultimate technique, trying to resist the chill.

However, the cold air was faster than him, and in the blink of an eye it had traveled through all eight extraordinary meridians, leaving his body stiff and completely unable to move, only able to slowly sink into the water.

The others only heard the continuous splashing sounds of people falling into the water. All the Profound Ice Palace disciples who had just stood up were thrown into the icy pool by Fang Shuwen.

Fang Shuwen had already arrived in front of the stone platform.

It is perfectly reasonable for the disciples of the Profound Ice Palace to want to obtain their secret techniques.

The problem is, Fang Shuwen and they weren't exactly close friends or relatives.

There's no reason to risk things to benefit them.

Even Shui Tianxin didn't ask to return the [Tianshui Guiyi Dafa] of the Heavenly Water Palace. I wonder if the disciples of the Profound Ice Palace have lost their minds.

Fang Shuwen simply threw them into the icy pool to calm them down.

Ignoring the reactions of others, he stared at the stone platform for a while before placing the box in his hand on it.

The once stable stone platform suddenly began to slowly sink.

With a click, the sound of a mechanism turning came from a part of the wall, and then a piece of plaster was lifted to reveal a hidden door.

Shui Tianxin smiled in surprise:

"So there was a hidden door here."

Luo Shuqing then looked at Fang Shuwen:

How did you know?

Fang Shuwen glanced at her and said softly:

"According to the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, we are currently in the Kan position, which belongs to the Water element, so it is the Kan Water Palace."

"Further, based on the principles of the Five Elements' mutual generation and restraint, water generates wood, so the second gate should be located in the Zhen Position, the Zhen Wood Palace."

"But this door on the wall either leads directly into the central palace, or... it points directly to the Li Position. The Li Position belongs to fire, and water and fire are incompatible. Therefore, the girl said that there is extreme danger behind this door."

"Based on the principle of mutual generation, the correct path should be at the Zhen Position... but there is no way to Zhen Position."

"So I suspect it might be hidden."

"As for this stone platform, there are markings on it, but no way to open it."

"The only place in the entire room where you could hide something is this cold pool."

"I went down and searched around, and sure enough, I found it. I placed the box on the stone platform, and the portal to the Zhen Position opened."

Fang Shuwen's words were so logical and reasonable that Luo Shuqing couldn't help but say:

"You still say you know nothing about formations?"

Fang Shuwen was taken aback, recalling that he had indeed said the same thing to Luo Shuqing at the Listening Tide Pavilion.

However, Fang Shuwen's understanding of directions, such as the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams, was indeed not as advanced as it is now.

However, the main reason why he was able to grasp it so clearly was because of the diagram that Elder Hai gave him.

By working backward from the answer, the process naturally became much simpler for him.

"Alright, enough nonsense."

Fang Shuwen took the box away, but the portal did not disappear:

"Let's go."

The others in the room exchanged glances but remained motionless.

It wasn't that they didn't want to leave, it was that they didn't want to leave with Fang Shuwen.

Leaving aside other matters concerning the people of the Profound Ice Palace, at least one thing is true... Fang Shuwen was indeed a ruthless killer.

If you go with Fang Shuwen, who knows what you might say that might displease him and lead to your casual killing?

It would be best to wait for Fang Shuwen to leave first, and then they could secretly follow him later. That would be the proper course of action.

Only Hong Yingqing hurriedly said:

"Young Master Fang, may I travel with you?"

Fang Shuwen glanced at her and nodded. It was just as well as one less person to test the waters. Since she had come to him, he couldn't refuse her.

However, Fang Shuwen still underestimated the document that Elder Hai had given him.

The contents are absolutely true, without any discount whatsoever.

Fang Shuwen used this opportunity to pass through the Kan Palace, enter the Zhen Palace, walk through the Li Palace, pass through the Kun Palace, and turn to the Qian Palace... his journey was unimpeded.

Although there were some obstructions, their power remained within normal limits.

With the martial arts skills of Fang Shuwen and his two companions, they were no match for them.

However, after they obtained a box of hidden weapons from inside the Qian Palace...

Suddenly, a huge stone platform rose from the empty space.

There are five marks of various sizes on it.

These correspond to the five items Fang Shuwen acquired along the way.

Luo Shuqing didn't know the origin of this item, but later, after Shui Tianxin explained it to her, she learned that it was called a "Agarwood Sword Casket".

The sword, nurtured here, not only remains uncorroded but also cultivates its sword energy. Once the sword case is opened, the sword, even before it is drawn, will already injure the user.

Inside the Li Palace, there was also a box. Inside, upon opening, was the [Nine Suns Heavenly Tome] of Everlasting Sun Island. It is speculated that this item should be the complete book, rather than the fragment that Everlasting Sun Island obtained back then.

Hidden Kun Palace is a precious sword, placed in a large box. Due to its antiquity, even Shui Tianxin and Luo Shuqing could not recognize the origin of this sword.

What's remarkable is that, despite the many changes over the years, these weapons and concealed weapons have not decayed and remain in their original peak condition.

Fang Shuwen felt that the Agarwood Sword Casket was the most regrettable thing.

If there's a precious sword hidden inside, nurtured for a thousand years, the sword energy within would be terrifyingly powerful once the scabbard is opened!

It would be more than enough to chop down this "Xuanji Grotto-Heaven".

Having acquired so many things, Fang Shuwen was practically overflowing with them on his journey.

In the end, there was nowhere to put the hidden weapon box, so I had to carry it in my hand.

After glancing at the five dents on the stone platform, Fang Shuwen spoke:

The five elements generate and restrain each other: metal generates water, water generates wood, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, and earth generates metal.

"Along our journey, we have passed through Kan (water), Zhen (wood), Li (fire), Kun (earth), and Qian (metal), gathering the essence of the five elements."

"This stone platform should be the key to activating the Central Palace Taiji Position..."

"You can open it by placing the five items you obtained on it."

"The Profound Heaven Iron Mirror is inside!"

The plot is heating up: Update! Come check it out!

Inside the Kan Palace, Fang Shuwen obtained the inherited secret techniques of the Profound Ice Palace and the Heavenly Water Palace.

Inside the Zhen Palace was a sword box, but there was no sword inside.