Qingyunzi sat down beside the ice stone, closed his eyes, took out a healing pill, and swallowed it. The pill melted instantly in his mouth, and a gentle spiritual energy surged into his body, nourishing his damaged meridians. Snow Empress stood in the center of the ice cave, her gaze fixed on the Emperor Bell in her dantian. At this moment, the Emperor Bell had recovered ninety percent of its power; the cracks on its body had almost disappeared, the purple light was becoming purer, and its imperial might was becoming more profound. She could clearly sense that the Emperor Bell was still missing the last fragment. Once the last fragment was collected, the Emperor Bell would be completely repaired, unleashing the full power of an ancient artifact. At that time, it would even be able to fight against the top experts of the Underworld.
"Holy Maiden," Qingyunzi's voice rang out slowly. He had opened his eyes, his breathing much more stable than before. " The Tracking Jade Slip is responding." Upon hearing this, Snow Empress immediately went to Qingyunzi's side and looked down at the jade slip in his hand. On the jade slip, cyan runes slowly lit up, forming a blurry light and shadow. The light and shadow pointed towards the northwest of the Ice Plains, the deepest part of the Kunlun Secret Realm, and the legendary location of the ancient ruins. "The jade slip indicates that the last fragment should be in the ancient ruins in the northwest," Qingyunzi said firmly, pointing in the direction of the light and shadow. "However, the ancient ruins are bound to be filled with restrictions and traps, and there might even be people from the Underworld lying in ambush there. We must be fully prepared."
Snow Empress nodded, her expression grave. "You're right. The Underworld has always coveted the fragments of the Emperor Bell. They certainly won't give up easily. They might have already sent people to infiltrate the Kunlun Secret Realm, waiting for us to collect the fragments before reaping the benefits. We must speed things up and obtain the last fragment before them to repair the Emperor Bell." She paused, then added, "Your injuries haven't fully healed yet. Let's rest for another hour until you're fully recovered, then we'll set off for the ancient ruins."
An hour passed in the blink of an eye. After recuperating, Qingyunzi's injuries had basically healed, and his cultivation at the Third Transformation of Dragon Transformation was completely stable. His spiritual energy flowed smoothly, and his spirit, energy, Divine Capital had reached their peak. Snow Empress also used this time to familiarize herself with her cultivation after the breakthrough and the enhanced power of the Emperor Bell. At this moment, she was full of confidence. As long as they didn't encounter any experts above the Sixth Transformation of Dragon Transformation, she was confident that she could protect Qingyunzi and successfully obtain the last fragment.
After releasing the ice cave's seal, the two once again stepped into the icy wilderness. This time, they didn't deliberately slow down. The Snow Empress activated her Ziwei Power, carrying Qingyunzi, their figures like two afterimages as they sped towards the northwest of the icy plain. The cold wind howled in their ears, and snowflakes danced around them. Their figures darted through the white snow, leaving two shallow tracks that were quickly covered by falling snowflakes.
Along the way, they encountered several dangers—ice traps hidden beneath the snow, which would instantly Ice Seal anyone who stepped into them; enormous Ice Silkworm, having reached the Second Transformation of Dragon Transformation, covered in hard ice armor and skilled at spinning webs to trap the two; and eerie ice mist that, when inhaled, would disturb the mind and trap one in illusions. However, with the combined efforts of the Snow Empress and Qingyunzi, these dangers were all resolved. The Snow Empress, wielding the Emperor Bell, unleashed a purple light that easily broke through the ice traps and mist, deterring the Ice Silkworm; Qingyunzi, wielding a longsword, used his agile movements to slay the Ice Silkworm that tried to stop her, protecting the Snow Empress.
After walking for about three hours, the scenery ahead gradually changed. The once flat ice plain became rugged and uneven, with many huge cracks appearing in the ground. From these cracks, faint wisps of cold air rose, and the dark abyss below could be vaguely seen. In the distance, the outline of a dilapidated ancient city gradually emerged. Built against the mountain, the city's walls were constructed of massive ice stones. Having withstood thousands of years of wind and snow, it still stood tall, exuding an ancient and weathered aura. The city gates were long since broken, and the walls were covered with cracks, as if they might collapse at any moment. Above the city gates were four blurred ancient characters—" Kunlun Ruins."
"That should be the ancient ruins." Qingyunzi stopped and pointed to the ancient city in the distance, his tone tinged with excitement and wariness. "Look, the aura around the ancient city is very strange. There are fluctuations from ancient restrictions, as well as a trace of sinister energy. It seems that the people from the Underworld have indeed arrived." Snow Empress looked in the direction Qingyunzi pointed, her brows furrowing slightly. She could clearly sense that, besides the majesty of the ancient restrictions, there was also a familiar sinister energy within the ancient city. That energy was exactly the same as the Yin soldiers from the Underworld she had encountered before, and it was even more concentrated. Clearly, it was experts from the Underworld who had come.
"It seems a fierce battle is inevitable." The Snow Empress took a deep breath, the Emperor Bell in her dantian vibrated slightly, purple light swirling around it, ready for battle. "Senior brother, when we enter the ancient city, stay behind me and try not to act alone. The people of the Underworld are cunning and treacherous, and skilled in sinister arts. We must be careful and cautious."
"Don't worry, Holy Maiden." Qingyunzi nodded, gripping his longsword tightly, channeling spiritual energy into it, causing the blade to glow with a faint blue light. "I won't hold you back; I will definitely help you obtain the last fragment."
The two exchanged a glance, a resolute glint in their eyes. Then, they moved swiftly, rushing towards the Kunlun Ruins. The closer they got to the ancient city, the denser the eerie aura became, and the fluctuations of the ancient restrictions grew stronger. A suffocating atmosphere filled the air, making it hard to breathe. Outside the ancient city, scattered among the broken ice stones were several cold corpses. The corpses were dressed in the robes of the Kunlun Sect disciples, their bodies covered in eerie energy, clearly murdered by people from the Underworld.
Seeing this, a flash of anger crossed Qingyunzi's eyes. "These scum from the Underworld dare to harm my Kunlun Sect disciples!" Snow Empress's expression also grew increasingly cold. She could sense that the auras of these Kunlun Sect disciples hadn't completely dissipated, clearly indicating they had only recently been killed. "We'll settle this score later," Snow Empress said softly, her tone carrying an undeniable authority. "Now, let's enter the ancient city, find the last fragment, and not let their conspiracy succeed."
The two carefully navigated around the scattered corpses and broken ice stones, entering the gate of the Kunlun Ruins. Inside the gate was a wide ice path, flanked by numerous broken ice sculptures. These sculptures were of various shapes and sizes, some depicting divine beasts, others ancient cultivators. Although they had endured for thousands of years, they remained lifelike, though most were incomplete and covered in cracks. The ground of the ice path was engraved with complex runes, upon which a faint power of restriction lingered. If accidentally triggered, it would unleash a powerful attack.
"These runes are ancient restrictions; we must follow their paths, or we will trigger the restrictions."