Rumors that the black-clad youth could suppress all the saints with a single palm strike and was suspected to be a " Quasi-Emperor " spread throughout the Eastern Wasteland, Central Province, Southern Ridge, and Western Desert through various channels within just a few days, and even began to spread to the Northern Plains.
Countless forces were shaken, the older generation of powerhouses were terrified, and the young prodigies were horrified.
"To force three Saint back with a single palm strike, and to make the Yaoguang, Ji Family, and the Solar Divine Dynasty bow their heads in apology... this is at least the peak of Great Sage, and possibly even Quasi-Emperor!"
"When did such a person emerge from Big Dipper? Could he be an ancient being who emerged from some Life Forbidden Zone?"
" The Azure Emperor Scripture is actually protected by such a person... This is troublesome..."
"I've heard that the woman who inherited the Azure Emperor Scripture's Scripture possesses the Taiyin Physique and has already entered the Four Extremes Secret Realm at such a young age; her talent is terrifying!"
" With the Taiyin Physique obtaining the Azure Emperor Scripture... she may very well become another female emperor of the human race in the future!"
Various opinions circulated, but all factions reached a tacit agreement—to refrain from provoking the young man in black for the time being, at least until his true origins were ascertained.
At this moment, the protagonist of the event has traversed hundreds of millions of miles of mountains and rivers, arriving at the northernmost, frigid land of Big Dipper.
Northern Plains.
The cold wind was like a knife, and the world was vast and desolate.
Here, there is no spiritual energy of the Eastern Wasteland, no prosperity of the Central Province, no teeming with demons of the Southern Ridge, and no Buddha Light Illuminates All of the Western Desert. There is only an endless snowfield, undulating glaciers, and relentless gales.
This is a sacred place for ascetics, but also a forgotten corner.
"Call--"
The cold wind whipped up a sky full of snowflakes, reducing visibility to less than ten feet. Ordinary cultivators from the Dao Palace Secret Realm would be frozen Spiritual Power and turned into ice sculptures in less than half an hour.
But for Lin Hao and Snow Empress, it was as easy as walking on flat ground.
Lin Hao was three feet tall, impervious to wind and snow, not even the hem of his clothes fluttering. The Snow Empress circulated the Taiyin True Scripture, and a faint layer of moonlight appeared on his body, turning the cold into nourishment.
"Your Majesty, the Ice God Palace is located deep within the ' Eternal Frozen Icefield ' in the Far North of the Northern Plains. It is said that its gates have not been opened for thirty thousand years," the Snow Empress said softly. In her hand, she held an ice-blue jade slip, left by her master before his death, which recorded the approximate location of the Ice God Palace.
"Thirty thousand years..." Lin Hao's gaze pierced through the wind and snow, looking north. "It seems the mountain is completely sealed off."
"My master once said that the Ice God Palace was founded by the ancient ' Ice Emperor ' and produced several Great Sage. At its peak, it ruled the Northern Plains and was no weaker than any Desolate Ancient Family. However, since the Ice Emperor is suspected to have passed away 30,000 years ago, the Ice God Palace has closed its gates and has never had any contact with the outside world again."
"Pass away peacefully?" Lin Hao chuckled. "Persons of that level either become emperors, sever their own flesh and enter forbidden zones, or... endure in some other way. How could they easily pass away peacefully?"
The Snow Empress was taken aback. "Your Majesty means..."
You'll know when you get there.
Lin Hao said no more, rolled up his sleeves to wrap around the Snow Empress, and took a step forward.
Space distorted, and the two figures vanished, only to reappear tens of thousands of miles away.
After several such relocations, half a day later, a chilling ice field appeared before them.
This is no longer an ordinary place of ice and snow.
The sky was a deep, icy blue, devoid of Sun Moon, and stars, only the Eternal aurora borealis flowing across the Heavenly Screen. The earth was transparent, black ice, thousands of feet thick, and within its depths, one could vaguely see ancient beasts, ruined palaces, and even... what appeared to be human figures.
The chill had solidified into a tangible form, transforming into chains of ice crystals that drifted through the void. Each chain contained a terrifying chill capable of freezing even those in the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm.
This is one of the forbidden areas of Northern Plains.
Eternal Frozen Icefield.
" The Ice God Palace is located at the deepest part of the Ice Plains." The Snow Empress gripped the jade slip tightly; the jade slip was now emitting a faint light, pointing in a certain direction.
Lin Hao nodded and took the first step.
"Click, click..."
His feet clattered on the ice. The deeper he went, the colder it became. The ice crystal chains began to Entanglement him, but they shattered into ice powder when they were three feet away from Lin Hao.
The Snow Empress activated the Taiyin True Scripture, causing the moonlight on her body to shine brightly, barely managing to withstand the attack.
After walking about a hundred miles, a huge ice gate appeared ahead.
This gate, hundreds of feet tall, was carved entirely from millennia-old black ice. Its doors were tightly shut, and its surface was covered with ancient runes. Most of these runes had faded, but the remaining Daoist aura still sent shivers down one's spine.
"The gate to the Ice God Palace," the Snow Empress said softly.
Lin Hao walked to the door and placed his hand on the ice door.
"Buzz--"
The runes lit up, and a force of resistance surged forth, enough to blast away a Mighty One at the First Heaven of the Immortal Platform.
But Lin Hao's hand remained motionless, a faint golden light emanating from his palm.
"Open."
He uttered a single word.
"Boom--"
The entire ice gate trembled violently, and the runes on its surface flickered wildly in an attempt to resist, but under the golden light, they melted away like ice and snow, quickly dimming and shattering.
"Bang!"
With a loud bang, the ice door burst open.
Behind the door, instead of the palaces and pavilions I had imagined, lay a deep, icy path that stretched downwards, its destination unknown.
A biting wind surged from the depths of the ice tunnel, carrying with it the scent of ancient times, and... a faint trace of death.
The Snow Empress's expression turned grave. "Your Majesty, here..."
"Stay close to me."
Lin Hao was the first to step onto the ice track.
Along both sides of the ice path, luminous pearls are embedded, emitting a Youyou blue light that barely illuminates the way ahead. On the ice walls, one can occasionally see murals depicting ancient people's sacrifices, the Ice Emperor's enlightenment, and the prosperous scene of the divine palace, but most of them are now incomplete and blurred.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, the view suddenly opened up ahead.
A massive ice cave came into view.
The ice cave is thousands of feet high and dozens of miles in circumference, with countless icicles hanging from its top like inverted swords. In the center of the ice cave stands a magnificent palace.
The palace was entirely ice-blue, crystal clear, as if sculpted from crystal. It had nine stories, with flying eaves and brackets, carved beams and painted rafters. Although covered by ice, its former glory was still evident.
Above the main gate of the palace hangs a plaque with three ancient characters inscribed on it.
Ice God Palace.
The calligraphy is vigorous and powerful, imbued with the essence of Daoism; even after tens of thousands of years, it still stirs the soul in those who behold it.
But at this moment, the temple was deathly silent.
There were no guards, no disciples, no lights, only the mournful howl of the cold wind blowing through the hall, like weeping and lamenting.
Dozens of ice sculptures stand in the square in front of the palace.
These ice sculptures are all female figures, dressed in the attire of the Ice God Palace, each with a different posture; some are practicing swordsmanship, some are meditating, and some are conversing... all incredibly lifelike.
But none of them showed any signs of life.
They were frozen in that moment forever, their expressions solidified, their eyes vacant, as if time had stopped there for a brief instant.
Snow Empress walked up to an ice sculpture and reached out to touch it.
It was icy to the touch, and when divine sense probed into it, it was like a stone sinking into the sea.
"They... are all dead." The Snow Empress's voice trembled slightly. "Their souls are annihilated, their bodies eternally sealed. This is... the ' Mystic Ice Soul Seal ' technique, one of the forbidden secret arts of the Ice God Palace. It is only used by the Palace Master when the sect faces annihilation, sealing the entire sect in preparation for a future revival."