Because he did not know how deep the cave went and feared a demonic beast might ambush him, Xu Yang could not afford to worry about wasting his power. As soon as he dropped into the cave, he immediately mounted his Flying Sword and flew downward.
As Xu Yang descended, the temperature in the cave plummeted. Even his Iron Body began to feel cold. Soon, he reached the bottom of the cave. It was pitch-black inside, save for the occasional flash of silver light.
Ahead of him was a round passage, just wide enough for one person to pass through. Xu Yang stepped into it and walked slowly forward. The farther he went, the wider the passage became, and the colder the air grew.
Xu Yang's Iron Body was already struggling to hold out. After all, it had only reached the minor mastery stage, equivalent to the fourth level of the Qi Refining Realm. With no other choice, he circulated his Gang Qi to ward off the bitter cold. With both defenses working together, he managed to keep the chill at bay.
Suddenly, Xu Yang caught a flash of silver from the corner of his eye. His heart jumped, and he cautiously went on guard as he looked toward the light. A white root, about a foot long and as thick as his little finger, grew from the cave wall, shimmering with silver light. Xu Yang relaxed and hurried over.
Taking a closer look, Xu Yang's face lit up with delight. This root was none other than the Ice Soul Root he had come for. The so-called Ice Soul Root was actually the root of a plant. The plant was useless in every other respect and grew in places rich in water spiritual energy. Only when its root mutated and took on an ice attribute did it become a spiritual treasure.
With delight, Xu Yang dug up the Ice Soul Root and put it in his Qiankun Bag. His task was complete, and a Peiyuan Pill was within reach. This task had been very simple, so the reward was naturally meager. Xu Yang had deliberately chosen it to experience the process of taking on a task firsthand and get a clear idea of how it worked.
After collecting the Ice Soul Root, Xu Yang continued onward. The roots grew more and more numerous along the way, until they densely covered the cave walls. He stared at them in astonishment. From what he knew, Ice Soul Roots were not rare, but there certainly should not have been this many.
His curiosity piqued, Xu Yang hurried forward. Before long, he reached a spacious cavern. The Ice Soul Roots here were much thicker, like little trees, and white vapor drifted through the cave.
The vapor gathered in clumps, floating back and forth. The moment Xu Yang saw it, alarm bells rang in his mind. His instincts told him it was extremely dangerous. He carefully swept his divine sense toward the white vapor, and a bone-deep chill surged into his heart, threatening to freeze his thoughts.
Xu Yang's expression changed. He quickly retreated two steps and circled around the vapor. Just as he was about to continue forward, a sound suddenly came from behind him, accompanied by faint voices. His face changed. He glanced around, then swiftly hid behind a thick Ice Soul Root.
A moment later, five people entered the cave. Xu Yang peered out quietly and saw three men and two women. From their clothes, they appeared to be disciples of Bailian Pavilion as well. One of the women, who had delicate features, spoke up. "Senior Brother Xu, what's going on here? Why are there so many Ice Soul Roots?"
The man leading them replied gravely, "I don't know either. It seems some kind of change has taken place here. Everyone, be careful. There may be danger."
The five then reached the center of the cave. When they saw the white vapor, Senior Brother Xu's expression shifted, and he hurriedly warned them, "Careful! That vapor is Extreme Freezing Qi, formed from cold that has been chilled to the absolute limit. The moment it touches you, you'll be frozen into an ice sculpture."
The other four retreated at once and sent their divine senses toward the freezing vapor. "Hmph, hmph!" All four groaned and withdrew their divine senses, their faces pale. Senior Brother Xu looked displeased and mocked them. "What, you didn't believe me? Now you've paid for it. You're far too reckless. You'd better learn to be more cautious from now on."
The four looked thoroughly embarrassed. A tall, thin man among them flashed a resentful look. The woman who had spoken earlier said sheepishly, "Senior Brother Xu is right. We junior sisters were too careless. Sorry for the trouble."
At her words, Senior Brother Xu's expression softened slightly. He nodded. "Enough talk. Follow my orders. If we find any treasures, everyone gets a share. If anyone acts recklessly, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
The other four exchanged glances, then nodded, agreeing to follow Senior Brother Xu's lead. He set off first toward the depths of the cave, and the others followed. Soon, all five disappeared from Xu Yang's sight.
Once they were far away, Xu Yang stepped out from behind the Ice Soul Root and followed at a distance. All five were at a higher cultivation level than he was, so he dared not scan them with his divine sense. He had to rely on his eyes to watch their movements. Fortunately, his eyesight had greatly improved after he cultivated the Indestructible Golden Body Art, allowing him to see them clearly.
Following the five, Xu Yang soon reached the deepest part of the cave. From far away, he saw an enormous Ice Soul Root standing ahead. Senior Brother Xu and the others were gathered in front of it. Xu Yang immediately slipped into the shadows and watched.
Senior Brother Xu and the others stared at the enormous Ice Soul Root in astonishment, exclaiming in wonder. It stood three zhang tall and three meters thick, gleaming silver-white and radiating specks of light. It was breathtakingly beautiful. A white flower bud grew at its crown, poised to bloom, and a faint fragrance drifted from it, lingering in the air.
As time passed, the bud slowly opened. The fragrance in the air grew rich, and even Xu Yang, standing at a distance, caught its scent. A cool sensation spread through his mind, and his spirits lifted.
Just then, a rustling sound came from all around. Xu Yang started and turned to look. Mystic Ice Turtles, each about the size of a washbasin and half a meter tall, were closing in on the giant Ice Soul Root from every direction. They were packed together by the hundreds—at least one or two hundred of them.
Fortunately, the Mystic Ice Turtles did not attack him; otherwise, Xu Yang would have been exposed at once. Even so, he was extremely tense, and a Flying Sword and a Talisman appeared in his hands.
The five Senior Brother Xu and his companions had naturally noticed the Mystic Ice Turtles too. They were so close to the giant Ice Soul Root that the turtles had surrounded them completely.
Their faces turned grim. Mystic Ice Turtles were weak; if there had been only forty or fifty, the five would not have taken them seriously. But there were now more than two hundred—four or five times as many. This was more than they could handle.
At that moment, the flower bud atop the giant Ice Soul Root opened completely. A huge pearl floated above the flower, sending out waves of fragrance. It was a deep blue, its light held within, and not the slightest trace of aura escaped its surface. It seemed to have returned to its natural simplicity.
The Mystic Ice Turtles roared in unison at the sight of the pearl, their cries shaking the cave. Then they all opened their mouths, and blades of ice gathered before them. The next instant, they shot toward Senior Brother Xu and the others.
More than two hundred ice blades came hurtling down like a storm. The five men's faces changed, and they immediately scattered, urging their Flying Swords to slash at the blades. Shattered ice flew in every direction. Just as they managed to break all the blades, the Mystic Ice Turtles launched another wave.
Another two hundred ice blades shot toward them. The five men looked even more grim and hurriedly drove their Flying Swords to shatter them. Before long, the next wave was already upon them. Seeing this, Senior Brother Xu said to the other four, "We can't go on like this. Our Gang Qi is draining too fast. At this rate, we'll all be worn down to death here. Junior brothers and sisters, show them what you're made of!"
As he spoke, Senior Brother Xu pulled out a Talisman and threw it toward the Mystic Ice Turtles. In midair, it transformed into a massive fire dragon that hurtled straight at them. Seeing this, the other four also brought out their trump cards. Flying Swords, vines, and giant logs all struck toward the turtles.
The Mystic Ice Turtles roared. White light shone from their bodies, quickly linking together to form a barrier above their heads. The fire dragon, Flying Swords, and the other attacks slammed against it but could not break through.
For a time, the fire dragon roared, Flying Swords rang out, and giant logs crashed down without pause. The Mystic Ice Turtles roared as well, pouring their power into the barrier without end. The two sides were locked in a stalemate.
After a short while, the fire dragon vanished, and the attacks from the giant logs and the other spells weakened considerably. The Flying Swords were recalled, and the white barrier grew thinner and thinner, until it finally disappeared along with the spells.
Once the barrier vanished, all the Mystic Ice Turtles collapsed to the ground, unconscious from exhaustion. Seeing this, the five men were overjoyed and immediately prepared to control their Flying Swords and other Dharma Artifacts to kill the turtles. Just then, a loud crash rang out. Alarm bells sounded in Xu Yang's mind, and he hurriedly looked toward the source of the noise.
A gigantic Mystic Ice Turtle came slowly toward them. It stood three meters tall and stretched five or six meters long. Its huge, bell-like eyes glared viciously at the five men. It opened its mouth and sent a stream of white frost toward them. Thick ice formed wherever the freezing vapor passed.
The five men were horrified. They had never imagined a Mystic Ice Turtle could grow so enormous. They hurriedly dodged the freezing vapor. After driving Senior Brother Xu and the others back, the giant turtle immediately headed toward the deep-blue pearl floating above the flower.
Seeing what the giant turtle intended, Senior Brother Xu and the others immediately sent their Dharma Artifacts to attack it, trying to stop it from reaching the treasure pearl. The turtle roared in fury, turned around, and clashed with the five men.
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