Ice Gorge in the Depths of the Extreme North

Stepping into the Extreme North Core Circle felt like crossing into an entirely different world.

The cold here had gained "weight" and "will," constantly trying to crush and freeze everything that entered.

Rampaging Ice Elemental Energy formed visible turbulent currents, cutting through space like invisible blades.

An ordinary Spirit Master would likely have found it immensely difficult even to keep their Soul Power circulating here, let alone discern their direction.

Yet for Jiang Zhen, whose Martial Soul had already undergone a transformation and who possessed the Deep Sea's Eye, this place was dangerous but not a dead end.

The ubiquitous extreme Ice Element instead gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

The Profound Water Clear Mind Art circulated at full force, not only resisting the bitter cold but also gradually absorbing and refining the pure Ice Elemental Energy around him to replenish his expenditure.

Following the increasingly clear call in his heart, one that had nearly taken tangible form, he struggled onward through ice storms and glacial crevasses.

Several more days passed before he stopped before a massive fissure in the ice field, as though it had been cleaved open by a divine axe.

This was the place!

It was exactly the same as the scene he had seen countless times in his dreams!

A huge, narrow, bottomless dark-blue Ice Crevice stretched before him like a hideous scar across the earth.

The edges of the Ice Crevice were jagged and uneven, radiating a chill a hundred times more intense than the surrounding environment, as though all coldness originated from this abyss.

That ethereal, unceasing call now came with incomparable clarity from the deepest part of the Ice Crevice, carrying an attraction that made his soul tremble.

"Come here..."

That mysterious, ethereal voice, devoid of even a trace of emotion, resounded directly in his mind once more, clearer than ever before.

Jiang Zhen stood at the edge of the Ice Crevice and looked down. Below lay only an unimaginably deep dark blue, as if it connected to another world. Even with his Deep Sea's Eye, he could not see through to the bottom.

Biting cold winds surged upward from below, howling like wailing ghosts.

He sat cross-legged beside the Ice Crevice, adjusted his breathing, and silently circulated his Soul Power, restoring himself to peak condition. The environment below was unknown and might contain immense danger. He had to make every possible preparation.

About two hours later, Jiang Zhen opened his eyes, a sharp gleam shining within them.

He hesitated no longer. With a thought, a faint blue-gold light flashed behind him—the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone Soul Bone Skill—Flight!

A light force lifted his body, allowing him to slowly rise into the air.

Controlling his speed, he carefully descended into the depths of the Ice Crevice.

The moment he entered the Ice Crevice, the light abruptly dimmed. Only the faint Blue Light flowing over the ice walls on either side offered some illumination.

The farther down he went, the more terrifyingly low the temperature became. The cold seemed capable of freezing Soul Power and the soul itself.

The surroundings were so silent that only the wind and his own heartbeat remained, and a sense of eternal loneliness spread through the air.

Jiang Zhen maintained his flight with all his strength while warily observing his surroundings.

The ice walls were as smooth as mirrors, reflecting his descending figure, as though countless versions of himself were falling through the endless abyss.

How long had he been descending? One hour? Two?

Within this dark-blue abyss, where all sense of space and time had vanished, it was difficult to judge accurately.

He only knew that he had been descending, descending for an incredibly, incredibly long distance—so deep that it seemed he had already left the surface of Douluo Continent.

And that calling voice was drawing closer and closer, growing more and more intense.

He did not notice that, long after he had entered the Ice Crevice, at the entrance to that enormous rift above—

The ten-thousand-year ice on both sides, as though alive, began to slowly and silently writhe together.

There was no earth-shaking Loud Noise, no shower of ice fragments. It was like ripples smoothing out as the surface of water healed.

The massive Ice Crevice quietly sealed itself, returning to a level, smooth surface indistinguishable from the rest of the ice field.

As though it had never existed.

As though no one had ever entered.

Jiang Zhen, deep beneath the abyss, knew nothing of this.

All his attention was drawn to the changes gradually appearing below.

The ice walls around him were no longer dark blue. Instead, they began to emit a crystalline, gentle, yet even purer white light.

The concentration of Ice Element in the air had reached an inconceivable level, almost turning into a viscous liquid.

Every breath felt as though he were swallowing countless icy needles, yet it also brought an indescribable sense of energy-filled satisfaction.

The calling voice was already at his ear—no, it seemed to be sounding within his heart.

Finally, after a descent that seemed to have lasted an eternity, he broke through the last layer of hazy ice mist.

His view suddenly opened up!

He landed within an underground space beyond description.

There was no wind, no snow, no sound—only absolute, eternal silence and cold.

And illuminating it all was the incomparably breathtaking sight surrounding the cavern—

The Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow Ore Vein!

The enormous cavern walls were composed entirely of crystalline, flawless Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice, but that was not the most astonishing part.

What was truly astonishing was that deep within the profound ice were embedded countless milky-white crystals, as thick as dragon ribs, twisting and coiling through the walls, radiating a gentle yet ultimate chill!

These crystals were Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow!

Like living creatures, they slowly and rhythmically emitted a soft white glow.

With every pulse of light, vast amounts of the purest, most primordial Ultimate Ice Element energy spilled forth, filling the entire space.

The Ice Element here was so dense that it was no longer gaseous, but had transformed into faint, flowing white mist that permeated every corner of the cavern.

The ground, the ceiling, the surroundings... everywhere his eyes could reach was filled with these treasures containing the wonders of heaven and earth.

This place seemed to be the source where the Ice Law was born, the final destination of all "ice" in the world.

Standing within it, Jiang Zhen felt as insignificant as a speck of dust.

Inside his body, his Ultimate Water Martial Spirit became more active than ever, spinning madly of its own accord as it greedily absorbed the surrounding energy of the same origin, yet a level higher.

He could even feel his Martial Spirit giving off a joyous hum, as a desire stemming from the life Origin urged him to make contact and merge with it.

"This is the place..." Jiang Zhen murmured, his eyes filled with shock.

The opportunity he had dreamed of, the final destination of that unseen guidance, was this unparalleled treasure land—enough to drive any ice-attributed Spirit Master mad!

He slowly stepped forward and extended a finger, wanting to touch the nearby Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow glowing with white light.

Before his fingertip could truly make contact, a thin layer of frost instantly covered his finger.

An overwhelming ultimate chill surged in through his fingertip, as though even his thoughts were about to freeze.

Jiang Zhen withdrew his finger, and the frost on his fingertip slowly melted as the Profound Water Clear Mind Art circulated.

Yet the bone-deep chill still sent his mind reeling.

The energy within this Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow was indeed vast and boundless, but it seemed... this was still not the end.

The call from the depths of his soul had not ceased upon reaching this place. Instead, it became clearer and more urgent, guiding him to venture deeper.

He drew a deep breath of air filled with icy mist, air that could nearly freeze one's soul, then looked past the dazzling clusters of Ice Marrow crystals before him toward the dark end of the cavern.

There, an even purer and more primordial light seemed to flicker faintly.

He did not rush to absorb the surrounding Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow. Instead, he followed that final guidance and walked deeper, step by step.

The farther he went, the more wondrous the surrounding scenery became.

The Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow embedded in the ice walls grew ever larger, their glow increasingly lustrous. They even began to pulse faintly like hearts, each beat stirring the Energy Tides throughout the entire ice cavern.

The viscous Ice Element mist had nearly become tangible. Walking through it felt like wading through freezing milk, the resistance multiplying with every step.

At last, he reached the deepest part of the space.

The sight before him made his breathing halt. Compared to it, the vast Ice Marrow vein he had seen earlier seemed like an utterly insignificant decoration!

On the ice wall at the very end, there was not more Ice Marrow embedded within it, but rather a mass of ultimate radiance that defied description!