The enormous complex of buildings seemed to be carved from solid ice, with white mist swirling around it, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene that resembled a fairyland.
In mid-air, various pavilions and towers appeared lifelike, complete with doors and windows, not like statues, but as if they had once been inhabited.
"Where... where exactly is this place?"
"I never imagined there would be such a magnificent place inside the ice cave. It looks like it's over ten thousand years old. Although it's somewhat dilapidated, you can still tell how grand and imposing it was in its heyday."
"To carve such a massive architectural complex in such an icy world is truly a masterpiece of nature; even ordinary craftsmen would likely have struggled for a century to complete it."
"Look! The largest building in the middle seems to have its doors wide open; it's actually a grand hall!"
Everyone present was shocked and discussed among themselves. Even the Ancient Clan in front were staring in horror at the scene unfolding before them. Amidst their whispers, a group of them walked towards Hua Youyue and the others.
"Everyone, this was originally the ancestral land of my Ancient Clan. Now, my Ancient Clan is about to hold the Opening Heaven ceremony. Please wait outside!"
Although the words were spoken politely, the old man from the Ancient Clan had an arrogant expression, and it seemed as if he was not discussing the matter, but rather being driven away.
The Old Ghost Hei chuckled and looked at the old man, saying, "Fellow Daoist of the Ancient Clan, you think we'll just leave because you say so? What will happen to you if we leave and then enter this ruin?"
"Yes, who knows if you're going to hold Opening Heaven ceremony or enter the ruins to search for a legacy?"
"That's right, we can't leave. You're going to Opening Heaven, right? We'll stay here and watch you Opening Heaven. Once you're done and everything's alright, we'll discuss entering the ruins together."
"We discovered this site together, so why should we leave? Your Ancient Clan is far too arrogant!"
The crowd was filled with righteous indignation and expressed their dissatisfaction with the elder of the Ancient Clan. Amidst their accusations, instead of leaving, they drew closer and closer, as if a fight was about to break out at the slightest provocation.
Palace Master Liu and Peak Master Mo exchanged a glance. Peak Master Mo then spoke to the old man, saying, "Senior, this ruin has only just appeared and caused such a commotion. I'm sure everyone in North Isle has already heard the news and is rushing here. It's not fair to ask us to leave like this."
The old man snorted coldly and said, "I was merely offering a friendly reminder; whether you go out or not is not up to you!"
Palace Master Liu gave a half-smile and said, "Senior, isn't it a bit much to say that?"
"That's all I have to say. Take care of yourselves!" The old man snorted coldly, gave Hua Youyue a deep look, and as he turned, asked the people beside him, "Has the Holy Maiden returned?"
The young man beside him nodded and said, "The Holy Maiden has already returned, but..."
"But what?" the old man asked, frowning.
"But Junior Brother Fu seems to be seriously injured. He just woke up, but he's in a daze and has locked himself in the cave, refusing to come out no matter what. It's as if he's suffered an extremely powerful blow."
"Oh?" The old man was taken aback. " Yonglin is a child with a calm and composed State of Mind. How could he have suffered such a blow?"
"This..." The young man looked around and whispered, "It's said that a cultivator from another race, in the Tribulation Transcendence Realm,... ripped off all his clothes..."
"You bastard!" The old man's face turned ashen as he stared at the young man and asked, "Is that Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivator a man or a woman?"
"It's... a man!"
"What?" The old man was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage, muttering a string of Ancient Clan Language, his beard and eyebrows bristling with anger. Finally, he snorted coldly and said, "Never mind Yonglin for now. I will personally visit him later. Go and invite the Holy Maiden over. We will begin the Opening Heaven Ceremony now."
"Elder, those people..."
The elder snorted coldly and said, "Don't bother with those who are courting death!"
"Yes!"
In the crowd, Mo Xueling looked at the old man with a suspicious expression, especially when the old man glanced back, which made Mo Xueling's expression change. She said to Peak Master Mo beside her, "I have a bad feeling about that old man."
Peak Master Mo was taken aback and asked, "What does it feel like?"
"The aura emanating from him seems to be Sha Qi menacing," Mo Xueling said hesitantly.
Hua Youyue nodded upon hearing this and said, "Most of the Ancient Clan possess Sha Qi, which is related to their cultivation methods."
"Why?" Palace Master Liu asked curiously from the side.
Hua Youyue frowned slightly, and after a moment she spoke, "Their cultivation method seems to involve cultivating both the physical body and the inhuman body, and the method is quite radical, which is why the Sha Qi on their bodies is accumulating more and more."
"No wonder!" The Old Ghost Hei looked at the Ancient Clan with surprise, then sneered, "Truly a bunch of barbarians!"
As everyone was talking, the elder of the Ancient Clan had already returned to the clan. Groups of people were moving back and forth, carefully carving some kind of magic array in front of an ice sculpture that was almost indistinguishable from a True Person.
The ice sculpture was incredibly lifelike, especially the faint blue aura flowing within it, which contained a terrifyingly malevolent Sha Qi that sent chills down one's spine.
If Yang Zhen were here, he would surely be able to see that the statue's appearance is remarkably similar to Little Ice Sister, except that Little Ice Sister is more pure and innocent, while this statue gives off a sinister feeling.
Watching the Ancient Clan bustling about, Old Ghost Hei and the others clicked their tongues in amazement. "As expected of the Ancient Clan with a history of ten thousand years, their mastery of even this single restriction technique far surpasses ours."
Shangyao nodded and said, "For many years, although we knew there was a female ice sculpture in the ice cave, we did not know that she was actually the holy maiden of the Ancient Clan. Moreover, no one has ever been able to get within three zhang of this ice sculpture, yet they can come and go freely around it."
The Old Ghost Hei chuckled and said, "Right now, I'm not really interested in their talk of Opening Heaven. I'm just hoping that after Opening Heaven finish, we can enter the ruins."
Shangyao's expression changed, and he looked at the ruins, saying, "I never imagined that the overwhelming aura emanating from the Northern Garden Ice Cavern was caused by the emergence of this ice palace complex. It's truly a masterpiece of nature. I just wonder what kind of terrifying existence these ruins are."
Palace Master Liu and Peak Master Mo exchanged a glance and said, "It must be Elder Gu being that existed before the Ancient Clan chose this ancestral land, right?"
Everyone was startled upon hearing this!
The Ancient Clan were equally shocked upon seeing the ice palace complex. Clearly, they were unaware of its existence. The outcome was obvious: as Palace Master Liu had said, this mysterious ice palace complex existed even before the Ancient Clan chose this location.
"I just don't know what time it was when the Holy Maiden of the ancient Ancient Clan chose this ancestral land!" Everyone felt endless regret.
That turbulent era was so grand that even legends couldn't touch it, let alone witness it firsthand.
Meanwhile, the Zhen-Chicken-Cat Trio had secretly sneaked into the ice cave, but now they were staring at each other blankly.
"Damn it, there are so many forks in the road here, which one should we go through?" The Shameless Cat looked blankly at the rows of caves in front of him.
Yang Zhen took a deep breath and said, "Now it's time for this ' Sage of Saunter' to step in."
"Do you have a solution?" The two, Shameless Cat and Flirtatious Chicken, hurriedly looked at Yang Zhen.
Yang Zhen nodded and suddenly plucked a feather from the Flirtatious Chicken's tail.
"Aww--!"
The Flirtatious Chicken let out a strange cry, glared angrily, and seemed poised to attack without a word.
"Don't be so stingy!" Yang Zhen pouted, put the chicken feather in his hand, shook it around, and then blew it sharply, sending the feather fluttering down to the ground.
"Damn it, kid, is this the method you suggested?" The Shameless Cat glared at them, leaving them both dumbfounded.
Yang Zhen said smugly, "Don't look down on this method; it's based on science."
"What academic basis?" Both the Shameless Cat and the Flirtatious Chicken had clearly never heard of it.
" Nicholas Yang's First Law!" Yang Zhen made up this nonsense with a straight face.