Gathering

Among the eleven disciples of the Crimson Flame Sect, besides Yan Lie who was at the late Nascent Soul stage, there were three at the middle Nascent Soul stage and seven at the early Nascent Soul stage. On our side, there were four at the middle Nascent Soul stage, and myself, at the "early Nascent Soul stage."

On the surface, the strength was vastly different.

But...

Seeing Qin Yuan standing still, one of the Crimson Flame Sect disciples thought he was scared stiff and sneered as he lunged forward, "Kid, give me your life!"

The long sword in his hand thrust towards Qin Yuan's throat.

Qin Yuan raised his hand and flicked his index finger gently.

"Clang--!!"

The long sword flew out of the disciple's hand. The disciple felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow, and his entire body flew backward, crashing into the ice wall. He slid down limply, his breath completely gone.

One strike, a kill of an early Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

The surroundings instantly fell silent.

Even Yan Lie and Li Qingfeng, who were fighting, stopped and looked over in shock.

Qin Yuan slowly walked towards another Crimson Flame Sect disciple.

That disciple's face turned ashen, and he retreated repeatedly, "You... don't come any closer!"

Qin Yuan's footsteps did not stop.

"Attack together!" Yan Lie roared, "Kill him first!"

Three Crimson Flame Sect disciples at the middle Nascent Soul stage lunged at Qin Yuan simultaneously!

One wielded a saber, one a spear, and one unleashed fire-element magic. The combined might of the three was astonishing, and the temperature within the ice canyon rose a few degrees.

Qin Yuan still did not stop.

He raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and gently clenched his fist in the air.

"Condense."

The air within a ten-zhang radius suddenly solidified! The charging figures of the three instantly froze, as if tightly bound by invisible shackles!

"Break."

Qin Yuan clenched his right fist.

"Pfft!" "Pfft!" "Pfft!"

Three bursts of blood bloomed!

The three middle Nascent Soul stage cultivators turned into three headless corpses before they could even let out a scream.

The entire scene was dead silent.

Yan Lie's face was as pale as paper, and the hand holding the flame trembled.

The Crimson Flame Sect disciples behind him were all ashen-faced and retreated one after another.

Qin Yuan looked at Yan Lie, "Still want to fight?"

Yan Lie's throat bobbed. After a long pause, he squeezed out three words from between his teeth, "...We're leaving."

He led the remaining disciples and fled the ice canyon without looking back.

Li Qingfeng and the others looked at Qin Yuan with complex expressions.

Especially Tuoba Shan, Su Mei'er, and Yin Jiuyou—they had doubted Qin Yuan's strength before, but now... only reverence remained.

"Fellow Daoist Qin..." Li Qingfeng gave a wry smile, "With your strength, you can probably fight even a late Nascent Soul stage cultivator, right?"

Qin Yuan did not answer. He turned and walked towards the corpses, beginning to search for spoils of war.

The Crimson Flame Sect disciples were quite wealthy. Especially the three middle Nascent Soul stage cultivators, their storage bags contained many good items. Qin Yuan collected everything, intending to offer it to the System after they left.

"Let's go," he said lightly.

The five continued forward.

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After passing through the Ice Wind Valley, the Cold Pond, and the Ice Soul Forest, five days later, the five finally arrived at the inheritance site.

It was a massive ice palace, suspended in mid-air. Below the ice palace was an endless abyss. There was only a staircase made of ice crystals, extending from the ground to the entrance of the ice palace.

There were already people at the foot of the stairs.

They were the other two from the Book Sword Sect—a refined middle-aged scholar and a stern young man in green. Both were at the middle Nascent Soul stage, with auras similar to Li Qingfeng's.

"Senior Brother Li!" the middle-aged scholar greeted them, "You're finally here."

He glanced at Qin Yuan and the other two, a flicker of confusion in his eyes, but he didn't ask further.

Li Qingfeng introduced them, "These two are my fellow disciples, Junior Brother Wen Ruohai and Junior Brother Lin Qingfeng. These two are Fellow Daoist Tuoba Shan from the Savage King Sect, Fellow Daoist Su Mei'er from the Hundred Flowers Valley, and Fellow Daoist Yin Jiuyou from the Corpse Yin Sect. This is Fellow Daoist Qin Yuan from the Xuan Yuan Sect."

Wen Ruohai and Lin Qingfeng nodded to everyone, their gazes lingering on Qin Yuan for a moment longer. He seemed to have average strength?

But Li Qingfeng didn't explain, he got straight to the point: "We're just one person short now. Once the last person arrives, we can open the inheritance."

"Who is the last person?" Tuoba Shan asked.

"It's me." A clear, cold female voice came from behind.

Everyone turned and saw a woman in white walking slowly towards them.

Her face was stunningly beautiful, yet as cold as ice. A faint blue aura of cold energy surrounded her, and with every step she took, a layer of ice crystals formed beneath her feet. Her aura was clearly at the peak of the Nascent Soul mid-stage, and extremely solid.

"Ice Soul Sect, Leng Yue," the woman said indifferently.

The Ice Soul Sect, ranked twelfth among the hundred sects, specialized in ice-element cultivation techniques. It was only fitting that this woman appeared here.

"Now that everyone is here," Li Qingfeng looked at the ice palace, "according to ancient records, eight cultivators at the Nascent Soul mid-stage or above must simultaneously attack the eight ice pillars beneath the ice palace to open the entrance."

Eight people, exactly.

"Attack!"

The eight people attacked simultaneously, their spiritual energies of various colors blasting towards the eight ice pillars.

"Boom--!!!"

The ice pillars trembled violently, and the entrance to the ice palace slowly opened.

A terrifying cold air surged out from within, causing even Nascent Soul cultivators to shiver involuntarily.

"Enter!" Li Qingfeng was the first to charge in.

The others followed closely behind.

Inside the ice palace was a vast hall.

In the center of the hall, a crystal-clear ice coffin floated. Inside the ice coffin lay a complete set of remains—an old man with a gaunt face, wearing a blue daoist robe, his eyes closed, as if he were merely asleep.

The remains exuded a faint blue light, the residual Dao charm left behind after a Dao Integration stage cultivator perished!

"Dao Integration remains!" Wen Ruohai exclaimed excitedly, "If we can refine the Dao charm within, our chances of breaking through to God Transformation will greatly increase!"

A glint of fervor also flashed in Leng Yue's eyes.

But just then, a group of people rushed in from the entrance of the ice palace.

It was Yan Lie!

Behind him, besides the Crimson Flame Sect disciples, there was another person—an old man in black robes with a sinister expression. The old man's aura was as deep as an abyss; he was clearly at the peak of the Nascent Soul mid-stage, and even stronger than Leng Yue!

"Li Qingfeng, did you think you could shake me off?" Yan Lie sneered. "This is Elder Yin Sha of the Black Fiend Sect. Now, it's time to discuss the ownership of the remains."

Li Qingfeng's expression sank.

The Black Fiend Sect, ranked twentieth among the hundred sects, was known for its insidious cultivation techniques. Elder Yin Sha was a notorious figure who had been famous for a long time, rumored to have once killed a cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage.

Eight people against more than ten, and their opponents had a powerful expert like Elder Yin Sha.

The situation had instantly reversed.

The narrow ice gorge resembled a wound cleaved open by a giant axe. The ice walls on both sides towered over a hundred zhang, smooth as mirrors, allowing only four or five people to walk abreast. The cold wind howled through the gorge, kicking up fine ice crystals that stung the face.

Qin Yuan and his four companions occupied one end of the gorge, while Yan Lie led eleven people blocking the other end. The two sides were only about thirty zhang apart. In this confined space, the fluctuations of spiritual energy clashed with each other, stirring up bursts of ice shards.

"Li Qingfeng, hand over what you obtained in the ice mansion," Yan Lie's voice echoed in the ice gorge, carrying an undeniable forcefulness. "This area was discovered by my Crimson Flame Sect first. According to the rules, the opportunity belongs to my Crimson Flame Sect."

Li Qingfeng's expression remained unchanged, and he closed the scroll in his hand: "Fellow Daoist Yan Lie, your words are mistaken. The secret realm is ownerless; first come, first served. We opened the cave mansion by our own skill, so what we obtained naturally belongs to us. What 'hand over' are you talking about?"