Ice Soul Secret Tome

The Ice Soul Sect was nestled within a massive iceberg. The entire complex had been carved from thousand-year Mysterious Ice, its crystalline palaces refracting Colorful Light beneath the sun. Ning Xiaochuan followed the Third Elder through winding ice corridors, his breath frosting over his eyelashes.

"The cold of the Northern Territory is a trial for those outside our sect." The Third Elder glanced back at Ning Xiaochuan's bluish lips. "But with Sacred Source Power protecting your body, you should adapt soon enough."

Su Linger, however, looked perfectly normal. Her Mysterious Ice Phoenix Source Soul gave her a natural resistance to the cold. She quietly took Ning Xiaochuan's hand, sending a gentle chill into him to help regulate his body temperature.

"Thank you," Ning Xiaochuan said softly, lightly squeezing her palm with his fingers.

Lan Feng, walking ahead, suddenly stopped. "We're here. This is the Library Pavilion."

Before them stood a pyramid-shaped structure of ice crystal. Two guards stood at the entrance and immediately bowed upon seeing the Third Elder. One of them curiously examined the Sacred Spirit Dragon on Ning Xiaochuan's shoulder, where Little One had curled into a ball against the cold.

"Lan Feng, take Miss Su to the guest rooms to rest," the Third Elder instructed. "Young Hero Ning will come with me to consult the Sacred Origin Tribe's records."

Su Linger frowned, clearly unwilling to part from Ning Xiaochuan. Seeing her concern, the Third Elder explained, "Some areas within the Library Pavilion may only be entered by those with specific bloodlines. I hope you understand."

"Go on. I'll be back soon." Ning Xiaochuan reassuringly patted her hand. "Little One will stay with me."

The Sacred Spirit Dragon let out a "Goo Chu," as if in response.

After watching Su Linger leave with Lan Feng, Ning Xiaochuan followed the Third Elder into the Library Pavilion. The interior was even grander than its exterior. Dozens of rows of ice shelves were packed with all kinds of texts—some were paper books, while others bore illustrations and writing carved into ice slabs.

"The Ice Soul Sect was founded three thousand years ago by a branch patriarch of the Sacred Origin Tribe," the Third Elder explained as they walked. "Some of these texts were passed down directly from the Sacred Origin Tribe."

He led Ning Xiaochuan to a circular chamber at the very back. The room was empty except for an ice pillar standing in the center, with something seemingly sealed inside it.

"This is..." Ning Xiaochuan leaned closer and discovered a golden scale floating within the pillar. Its material resembled the Dragon Soul Jade his mother had left behind.

"The Inverse Scale of the Primal Dragon." The Third Elder's expression turned solemn. "Only someone with a true Sacred Source Bloodline can awaken the memories sealed within."

Ning Xiaochuan's heart jolted. He instinctively reached out to touch the ice pillar. The instant his fingertips met the ice, the Sacred Spirit Dragon suddenly flew up from his shoulder, the Dragon Horn on its forehead blazing with golden light. At the same time, the Dragon Soul Jade on his chest flew out on its own and hovered above the ice pillar.

The Third Elder staggered back in shock. "The Dragon Soul Jade?! That is a supreme treasure of the Sacred Origin Tribe!"

The ice pillar began to melt. The golden scale slowly floated out and touched the Dragon Soul Jade. In an instant, golden light filled the entire chamber. Ning Xiaochuan's vision went black as his consciousness was pulled into a strange space—

Within the boundless void, a white dragon stretched across Heaven and Earth, silently suspended in the darkness. It opened its eyes, its golden pupils like twin suns.

"At last, I have waited for you—the final Son of Sacred Source." The dragon's voice rang directly in Ning Xiaochuan's mind. "I am the last wisp of consciousness the Primal Dragon left in this world."

Ning Xiaochuan was too stunned to speak. He could only look up at the magnificent being before him.

"Darkness is about to return." The dragon continued, "The sealed Hall Master is only a facade. The true threat comes from beyond this realm—those beings known as the World Devourers."

The void shifted, revealing a horrifying sight: countless Black Vortices devoured world after world, leaving all things withered and dead in their wake.

"The World Devourers feed upon the origin of worlds. The Primal Gate guarded by the Sacred Origin Tribe for generations is the last line of defense." The dragon's voice grew urgent. "Your mother, Bai Li, sacrificed herself to reinforce the seal and buy you time to grow."

The scene changed again, showing Bai Li standing before a colossal gate of light, her body surrounded by holy radiance. She handed the swaddled infant to a blurred figure, then transformed into a stream of light and merged into the gate.

"Mother..." Ning Xiaochuan's throat tightened.

"There is little time." The dragon's voice began to fade. "The Primal Gate lies at the Spine of All Realms. Only by gathering the Five Primal Fragments can the passage be opened. You have already obtained two—the Dragon Soul Jade and the Primal Ice Core."

Ning Xiaochuan wanted to ask more, but the golden space had already begun to collapse. At the very end, the dragon left him with one sentence: "Beware the Dark Current within the Ice Soul Sect..."

The golden light before his eyes faded, and Ning Xiaochuan found himself still standing in the chamber. The ice pillar had completely melted. The golden scale had fused with the Dragon Soul Jade, forming new patterns across its surface.

The Third Elder was utterly stunned. "You... you saw the Primal Dragon?"

Ning Xiaochuan nodded. Just as he was about to explain what he had seen, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from outside. Lan Feng rushed in, panic-stricken. "Elder! Something's wrong! Miss Su has been attacked!"

"What?!" Ning Xiaochuan felt as though he had been struck by lightning. Without asking anything further, he rushed out.

The guest room area was in complete disarray. The walls were covered in sword marks and scorched black traces. Several Ice Soul Sect disciples lay unconscious on the ground, while both Su Linger and her attacker were nowhere to be seen.

"What happened?" Ning Xiaochuan's voice trembled as the Sacred Spirit Dragon circled anxiously around the room.

Lan Feng's face had gone pale. "After taking Miss Su here to rest, I went to tend to my wounds. When I came back, I heard fighting. By the time I arrived, I only saw a dark figure taking Miss Su toward the forbidden grounds!"

"The forbidden grounds?"

The Third Elder's expression changed sharply. "Marrow Cave! The sect's supreme treasure, the Heart of Ice Soul, is sealed there!"

Without another word, Ning Xiaochuan rushed outside, the Sacred Spirit Dragon flying ahead to guide him. The Third Elder and Lan Feng followed close behind as the group sped through the maze-like ice corridors toward the forbidden grounds at the rear mountain.

The closer they came to Marrow Cave, the lower the temperature dropped. Their exhaled breath froze instantly, and even the Sacred Source Power within Ning Xiaochuan began to circulate sluggishly. The guards at the entrance had already collapsed unconscious, while the stone gate was coated in strange black ice crystals.

"This is... Soul Devouring Ice!" the Third Elder cried in horror. "Only the Dark Source Soul Hall High Ranks can wield it!"

Ning Xiaochuan kicked open the stone gate, and freezing air surged out like a tide. Inside was an enormous ice cavern. A heart-shaped blue crystal pulsed in midair at its center—the Heart of Ice Soul. Beneath it, Su Linger was bound to a raised ice platform by five black chains, unconscious.

"Su Linger!" Ning Xiaochuan was about to charge forward when a dark figure suddenly descended from the ceiling and blocked his path.

The dark figure gradually solidified, revealing a person wearing a silver mask—not Han Li, but a woman Ning Xiaochuan had never seen before. She was tall and slender, with silver hair cascading down her back. Beneath the mask, only a pair of icy blue eyes could be seen.

"We meet again, Son of Sacred Source." The woman's voice rasped like ice blades scraping together. "Though you do not recognize this appearance, we are old acquaintances."

Ning Xiaochuan warily assumed a fighting stance. "Who are you? Let her go!"

The woman gave a soft laugh and removed her mask. The face beneath it made Ning Xiaochuan feel as if he had fallen into an ice pit—it was unmistakably Su Linger's face. Yet her gaze was cold and unfamiliar, and a cruel smile hung from her lips.

"Surprised?" The woman—or rather, the entity occupying Su Linger's body—caressed "her own" cheek. "This body should have belonged to me from the start, Su Xue'er."

Ning Xiaochuan's mind exploded. Su Xue'er? Wasn't she Su Linger's deceased younger sister?

"Impossible... Su Xue'er already..."

"Died?" The woman—Su Xue'er—sneered. "Yes. When the Dark Source Soul Hall attacked that night, I did indeed 'die.' But my Source Soul was taken away by the Third Hall Master and cultivated into a Soul Devouring Emissary."

She paced around the ice platform. "Sister always believed she was the one who caused my death. How laughable. In truth, that night, I deliberately lured the Guard away and allowed the people from the Dark Source Soul Hall to invade the Su Family without hindrance!"

Ning Xiaochuan felt a chill run through his entire body, not because of the cold within the cave, but because of this cruel truth. If Su Linger learned that the guilt she had carried for so many years was actually...

"Now, hand over the Dragon Soul Jade." Su Xue'er's expression abruptly changed. She seized the unconscious Su Linger by the throat. "Otherwise, I'll make sure Sister never wakes up again!"

The Sacred Spirit Dragon roared furiously, only for Su Xue'er to freeze half its body with a wave of her hand. Ning Xiaochuan was caught in a dilemma. The Dragon Soul Jade was of immense importance, but Su Linger's safety...

"Don't listen to her!" the Third Elder suddenly shouted. "Soul Devouring Emissaries are best at bewitching people's hearts. She's stalling for time!"

As if confirming his words, the Heart of Ice Soul suddenly shook violently, Black Cracks spreading across its surface. Su Xue'er laughed wildly. "Too late! The ritual has already been completed. The Heart of Ice Soul is about to be corrupted! When that happens, the entire Northern Territory will become the territory of the Dark Source Soul Hall!"

Ning Xiaochuan suddenly realized—Su Xue'er's true target was the Heart of Ice Soul! He hesitated no longer. His Sacred Source Power erupted at full force as he charged straight for the ice platform!

"Courting death!" Su Xue'er flung out dozens of ice spikes, each one entwined with Black Qi.

Ning Xiaochuan neither dodged nor evaded. Ice Crystal Dragon Armor covered his entire body. The ice spikes shattered one after another upon striking the armor, but the Black Qi clung to it like living creatures and began corroding the armor.

At the critical moment, Su Linger suddenly opened her eyes on the ice platform! Her pupils had turned completely ice-blue, and the Mysterious Ice Phoenix Source Soul emerged on its own, crying out toward the heavens!

"What?!" Su Xue'er's face changed drastically. "How could you wake up..."

Su Linger spoke coldly, yet her voice sounded as though two people were speaking at once. "Little sister... you have made me... very disappointed..."

The ice platform instantly exploded, and the chains binding Su Linger snapped inch by inch. She floated in midair, her long hair moving without wind. The Mysterious Ice Phoenix fully spread its wings, every feather gleaming with golden light—the mark of Sacred Source Power!

"Impossible! How could you fuse with Sacred Source Power?!" Su Xue'er screamed as she stumbled backward.

Su Linger—or rather, the fusion of Su Linger and another consciousness within her—slowly raised a hand. "Because love is stronger than hatred, little sister."

A pure blue-gold pillar of light shot from her palm and struck the Heart of Ice Soul directly. The Black Cracks were purified at a visible rate, and the heart regained its translucent, crystalline blue color.

"No!" Su Xue'er let out an unwilling shriek as her body began to collapse. "You can't stop it! The World Devourers will descend eventually!"

With one final scream, her body dissolved into black mist and scattered away. Calm returned to the ice cavern, with only the faintly trembling Heart of Ice Soul bearing witness to the danger that had just passed.

Su Linger slowly descended from the air, and Ning Xiaochuan hurried forward to catch her. The blue glow in her eyes gradually faded, returning them to their usual color.

"Ning Xiaochuan..." she called weakly. "I saw... Xue'er, she..."

"Don't say any more." Ning Xiaochuan held her tightly. "It's all over."

The Third Elder and Lan Feng inspected the Heart of Ice Soul and confirmed that the corruption had been completely purified. The Sacred Spirit Dragon also broke free from the ice, flew over, and affectionately rubbed its cheek against Su Linger's face.

"Unbelievable." The Third Elder looked at Su Linger with awe. "A trace of Sacred Origin Will has actually fused within her body. That is how she was able to resist the Soul Devouring Emissary's corruption."

Ning Xiaochuan recalled the Primal Dragon's words—Love is stronger than hatred. Perhaps it was Su Linger's guilt and longing for her younger sister that had awakened the hidden power within her at the crucial moment.

"We need to leave the Northern Territory as soon as possible," Ning Xiaochuan said softly to Su Linger. "The Primal Dragon gave me a new clue. The Dark Source Soul Hall's activities are far more widespread than we imagined."

Su Linger nodded and rose to her feet with his support. Though weak, her gaze had regained its resolve. "Together."

The Sacred Spirit Dragon happily chirped, "Goo Chu," and flew down onto Ning Xiaochuan's shoulder. The Third Elder stepped forward and solemnly handed him an ice-blue jade slip. "This contains all of our sect's records concerning the Sacred Origin Tribe. It may be of use to you."

Lan Feng also brought over an ice crystal bottle. "This is a medicine made using the purified energy of the Heart of Ice Soul. It can treat injuries to the soul caused by soul devouring."

Ning Xiaochuan accepted them with thanks, then supported Su Linger as they headed toward the cave entrance. Before leaving, he turned back for one last look at the Heart of Ice Soul. There seemed to be a vague figure there, nodding to him in farewell—perhaps Su Xue'er's final repentance, or perhaps the gaze of some other unknown existence.