Li Qiang said with a grin, "Hello, Lan girl. Is this your third senior sister?"
Lan Xin was furious at Li Qiang's words and protested loudly, "What do you mean by 'Lan girl'? Don't call me that!"
Li Qiang scratched his head, not even knowing why he had blurted it out, and could only laugh and say, "Hehe, let's all come inside and chat."
Seeing that Li Qiang didn't answer her, Lan Xin stomped her foot in anger and pulled her third senior sister into the room first. Just as Li Qiang was about to follow, he saw Zegu's silly look and couldn't help but laugh, " Zegu, stop spacing out, let's go."
Zegu then came to his senses and said with a wry smile, "Brother, please don't take offense, alas... the girls here are really not to behold..."
Li Qiang asked in surprise, "What? You can't look at it? I think it's fine, quite pretty, not ugly at all."
Zegu blushed and whispered, "It's not that it's ugly, it's that it's too beautiful. We mere mortals can't bear to look at it."
Old Man Kabaji also said, "It's better not to watch it; I'm afraid I'll embarrass myself if I do."
Li Qiang couldn't help but burst into laughter. He knew that Zegu and the others' loss of composure was not surprising. They didn't have any improper thoughts; it was just that the visual impact was too much for them to bear.
In the Cultivation Realm, most female cultivators who reach the Nascent Soul Realm will reshape their appearance, which is their nature. Male cultivators, on the other hand, do this much less often; some even deliberately make themselves ugly. Geng Feng is one such example; his mind is entirely focused on cultivation, and he disregards everything else.
Li Qiang said, "It's alright, you'll get used to it after a while. But when you go back to the Western Continent and see other girls, hehe, you might not be used to it again. Oh, let's not talk about this anymore, let's go inside."
The three of them went into the house, Zegu noticed that the girl Lan Xin was sitting on a round stool. He didn't dare to look at her for long and quickly turned his head away.
Li Qiang gestured for everyone to sit down and said, "Dad, from now on you and Zegu will live here. If you need anything or need anything else, just tell the warrior brothers outside, and they will take care of it. We can leave soon."
Lan Xin stretched out a small, white hand and waved it around in front of Li Qiang's eyes, calling out in a sweet voice, "Senior!" She was the darling of Heavenly Melody City, pampered by everyone. This was the first time she had met someone like Li Qiang, who was so indifferent to her.
Seeing that Li Qiang still ignored her, she couldn't help but throw a coquettish tantrum. Her address of "senior" was no joke; it contained the secret techniques of Heavenly Melody City. Li Qiang, with his profound skill, didn't feel anything, Zegu and Old Man Kabaji couldn't take it. They both trembled and said almost simultaneously, "Big brother, she's calling you!" and "Little brother, your daughter is talking to you."
Li Qiang was both amused and exasperated. He said, "Little sister Lan Xin, don't call me 'senior' anymore, it sounds awkward. It sounds better to call me 'big brother'." He had already grasped some of the secrets of the Heavenly Melody City's music through weapon forging, and he couldn't help but try to use it when he spoke, adding his original power as well. Little did he know that this would cause him trouble.
Li Qiang's voice was magnetic, and Lan Xin and the others in the room were suddenly stunned. Old Man Kabaji and Zegu felt as if they were hearing the words of their closest and most beloved person, and they couldn't help but be moved to tears. Lan Xin and her third senior sister felt even more differently. They were both experts in music, and caught off guard, they were immediately captivated by Li Qiang's voice.
They both answered at the same time, "Big brother..." and "Brother..." their voices both sweet and coquettish.
Zegu fell off the stool with a "thud!" Old Man Kabaji, being quite old, could barely hold back, though he couldn't take it either. Li Qiang was startled by their appearance and realized he'd gotten himself into trouble with his words.
Li Qiang coughed, looking pleased with himself, and loudly agreed, "Hey! Hehe, that sounds nice." He used a little of his True Essence Power, and Lan Xin and her senior sister immediately woke up, both blushing with embarrassment.
After a long while, Zegu finally got up from the ground and muttered, "No, I'd better go back. You guys will kill me if I stay here." Everyone couldn't help but laugh, and the atmosphere immediately became harmonious.
Lan Xin said shyly, "How come you also know the ' Han Sound Enchantment ' Vibrating Sound Method? This is a closely guarded secret of Heavenly Melody City. Oh well, you're a strange person anyway, you were fine even in the Heavenly Melody Grand Formation. Hehe, this is my third senior sister, Sister Huang Yan... She, she also wants to use the Ice Eye..."
Li Qiang felt completely overwhelmed and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Little sister, this isn't something I can decide. I don't even know what's in the Ice Eye, how can I take people down there?"
Li Qiang's gaze remained fixed on Huang Yan, Huang Yan said somewhat irritably, "Why are you staring at me like that? If you don't want to agree, fine, but don't make up so many excuses! Humph..."
Li Qiang was taken aback by her comment, then laughed and said, "The pattern on your clothes is a peony scroll design, haha, it really feels familiar."
Although Huang Yan was a little annoyed that Li Qiang was staring at her, she was also secretly pleased. Girls always want to attract attention, but when she heard Li Qiang say that he was only interested in the patterns on her clothes, she got really angry.
She stood up angrily and grabbed Lan Xin, saying, "Let's go! What a weirdo!"
Lan Xin was baffled, wondering why her senior sister was angry, so she could only say, "I'll come to see you again next time. Oh, Master is coming soon... Oh dear, senior sister, don't stop me, I'll go, okay?" The two of them came and went in a hurry.
Zegu and Old Man Kabaji both breathed a sigh of relief almost simultaneously. Zegu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Goodness, anyone who marries a wife like that won't live long. I can't believe it, being too beautiful isn't always a good thing."
Old Man Kabaji chuckled, "Luckily I'm old; I see these young girls like my own daughters, otherwise I couldn't stand it."
Li Qiang thought to himself that the young girls here were probably much older than his father, but it just didn't look like it.
A silver-clad warrior entered and said, "The city lord requests your presence, senior, saying everything is ready."
Li Qiang understood immediately and excitedly agreed. He said to Old Man Kabaji, "Old Man, you rest here. I'll be back soon. If you need anything, just tell the people here to take care of it. When I return, we can leave." Old Man Kabaji and Zegu hurriedly agreed.
Old Man Kabaji pulled Li Qiang aside and said, "Young man, be careful. We'll wait for you to come back safely."
There is a forbidden area in Heavenly Melody City that no one can enter without the permission of Tianhong and the city lord; that is the Hall of Taboos.
Today, the Hall of Taboos was filled with people. Tianhong was wearing a set of bright silver armor, and his whole body was shrouded in mist. He seemed to have become much younger and looked very energetic.
The city lord, dressed in a bright red dress, was beaming with joy and enthusiastically greeting everyone around him.
Geng Feng's armor was rather peculiar, seemingly made from something like fish skin, covered in scales the size of fingernails that shimmered in the light. He looked around happily.
Behind the city lord stood five or six beautiful young girls, while a group of silver-clad warriors, under Wen Qiuli's command, bustled about.
Li Qiang stepped into the Hall of Taboos, somewhat surprised; the sheer number of people was beyond his expectations. He immediately spotted Tianhong standing there and called out loudly, "Brother, Sister, Old Madman, shall we go down now?"
His address stunned everyone in the hall, who were all wondering: Who is Brother? Who is Sister? Everyone knew about the Old Madman, but only Wen Qiuli dared to call Old Madman in front of everyone. The two of them were sworn brothers. No one else dared to call him that. Only a few juniors called him Crazy Grandpa.
Tianhong laughed and said, "Brother, come on over, everything's ready."
Those in the hall were even more surprised upon hearing this. If Grandmaster Tianhong called him "little brother," then who was the "sister" he was calling "sister"? As everyone was speculating, the city lord said, "Little brother, you'll be going down in a moment. You should put on your armor."
Everyone was stunned. What kind of generational hierarchy was this? Everything was in chaos.
Li Qiang nodded and said, "Okay!" He raised his hand to put on the Billowing Essence Battle Armor and the Radiant Sun Ring, and a pale golden light scattered out. Tianhong exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this the legendary Billowing Essence Battle Armor? Good heavens, as expected of someone from the Chongxuan Sect, it's a real gem."
Li Qiang approached Tianhong and said with a smile, "This was a gift from a friend; I didn't cultivate it myself."
The city lord nodded and interjected, "My brother must be very popular; only true friends would gift him such top-quality armor."
Li Qiang suddenly noticed Piao Yuan, Lan Xin, and Huang Yan standing behind the city lord. He nodded to them in a friendly manner, and everyone except Huang Yan gave a slight bow. Huang Yan pouted, looking angry; she was still sulking.
On the floor of the Hall of Taboos stands a massive white jade platform, hexagonal in shape, densely covered with numerous runes. Six crystal stones are embedded in each of the six corners; these are the Forbidden Stone, Spirit Stone specifically designed to seal the Ice Eye.
Tianhong said, " The Ice Eye is down here. I'll move the Spirit Stone aside in a bit, and we'll go down together. We need to be quick; the Spirit Stone can only be moved for a short while. To open it again, we'll have to wait at least two days."
Tianhong formed a hand seal, and the white jade platform began to rotate. Gradually, smoke filled the center of the Spirit Stone, and upon closer inspection, it appeared as if water was rippling within it. Tianhong vigorously activated the Spirit Stone, shouting, "Ready? I'm first, Geng Feng second, brother third, in order!"
The people in the hall immediately tensed up, and the city lord and her disciples slowly gathered around.
The surface of the Spirit Stone rapidly sank, revealing a bottomless hole.
Tianhong shouted, "Open! Go!" His figure flashed, and he jumped down. Geng Feng seemed to be very familiar with the place and followed closely behind. Li Qiang didn't dare to be careless. His figure swayed, and a faint golden light flashed as he also went down. Just as the Spirit Stone was about to seal, Huang Yan suddenly leaped inside, startling everyone.
Amidst the gasps of the crowd, the Spirit Stone returned to its original state.
The city lord was furious. She shouted, "What's wrong with Yan'er? She... she... she's infuriating! How dare she!"
Lan Xin was terrified. She hadn't expected her third sister to be so stubborn, jumping down when no one was looking. What were they going to do now?
Silence fell over the Hall of Taboos. The city lord sighed and sat down cross-legged; she could only wait. The others also sat down, awaiting how things would unfold.
This was a wondrous ice cave, incredibly spacious. Light, from who-knows-where, cast bizarre and surreal shadows upon it. Even more peculiar were the strange plants sparsely growing on the cave walls, their black stems bearing fist-sized, bright red fruits. Tianhong quickly picked a few fruits and flew back.
Just as Tianhong hovered in the air, Geng Feng and Li Qiang flew to his side almost simultaneously. Tianhong laughed, "Wait a moment, and you'll meet... Hey!"
Huang Yan had already arrived beside the three of them. Tianhong asked in surprise and anger, " Little Yan'er, what's going on? Who sent you here?"
Huang Yan looked at everyone pitifully and whispered, "Grandpa... Yan'er wants to go..."
Tianhong was truly enraged and roared, "You think you can just come down here by yourself? Do you think I don't know what level of skill you have? So many cultivators have died in our Heavenly Melody City, don't you know how dangerous it is inside... I..." The old man was furious, puffing out his beard and glaring as he scolded him.
Huang Yan pouted and sobbed, "Isn't there a strange senior? Waaah, he'll have a way to get the book."
Li Qiang nearly fell into the hole and hurriedly said, "Hey... who said I had a way? Your great-grandfather was doing this for your own good; he was worried you'd be in danger."
Huang Yan glanced at Tianhong secretly and cried, "Waaah... Doesn't Senior Eccentric have the Brilliant Swift Heavenly Fire? So... I think he can definitely help me... Waaah... I want to see the Mysterious Domain Secret Chamber!"
Geng Feng shook his head repeatedly. "Of all you little girls, you're the most stubborn and competitive. Sigh... I, this Old Madman, don't know what to say. The Spirit Stone is closed, so even if you wanted to go up, you couldn't." He was still protecting Huang Yan, taking the opportunity to remind Tianhong that losing his temper now was useless, because the Spirit Stone was closed, and Huang Yan could only follow along.
Huang Yan was clever; she used Li Qiang as a shield against Tianhong, leaving the group at a loss. In the end, Li Qiang softened and said, "Alright, brother, let's take her with us. Little sister, put on your armor and be careful. Stay behind me and don't wander off. I'm not familiar with the situation inside, so don't distract me, okay?"
Huang Yan was very obedient this time, saying sweetly, "Thank you, senior, thank you, Grandpa Zu, thank you, Grandpa Crazy." She shook out her battle armor from her storage belt.
Tianhong knew that further cursing was useless, so he handed the bright red fruit in his hand to everyone and said, "Everyone, eat these ' Three Yang Fruit ' to resist the extreme cold. Brother, go and pick some yourself. These Three Yang Fruit only grow in Ice Eye and are a precious ingredient for medicine."
As soon as Li Qiang heard about the Three Yang Fruit, he knew it was a good thing, because it was recorded on the Jade Pupil Slip of the Spirit Coil Sect. Without being polite, he flew over and picked a lot of it, storing it in his bracelet.
Li Qiang didn't eat the Three Yang Fruit; he had a fiery constitution and didn't need such a spiritual fruit to resist the cold. Huang Yan was eating the Three Yang Fruit for the first time. After eating it, she immediately felt unbearably hot, and her complexion became radiant. Her armor was also very unique, resembling overlapping willow leaves, shimmering with a tender green light, making it very beautiful.
Tianhong said, "Let's go down. Everyone stay close, we'll encounter the Frost Mist soon. The three of us will form a triangle, with Little Yan'er in the middle. Okay! Let's go!"
Huang Yan was incredibly excited. This adventure had finally succeeded. Even if she got scolded by her master when she got back, it would be worth it. Which of her fellow disciples had such an experience? She carefully followed closely behind Li Qiang, unable to resist looking around.
The four flew downwards at a slow pace, descending over three hundred meters. Tianhong raised his hand to signal everyone to stop, saying, "Release your flying swords to protect your bodies; the ice mist lies below."
Li Qiang looked down and saw a thin, gleaming membrane floating beneath his feet, like a thin layer of ice. He felt strange and thought, "What's so special about this? My brother seems to be taking this very seriously, so I'd better be careful." He released his Star-Absorbing Sword.
The flying sword released by Tianhong was very unique; it was the first time Li Qiang had ever seen such a flying sword. The flying sword that spewed out of Tianhong's mouth was like colorful fireworks, falling in a dazzling display, instantly illuminating the surroundings.
Li Qiang couldn't help but shout in admiration, "Excellent! Brother's flying sword is truly a masterpiece!"
Geng Feng's flying sword was also quite strange, resembling a group of black fish circling around him. Only Huang Yan's flying sword was not so good; it emitted a bluish-green light that looked somewhat impure and mixed. This was one of her motivations for wanting to go to the Mysterious Domain Secret Chamber. She had long wanted a good flying sword, and she knew that the Mysterious Domain Secret Chamber contained many Law Treasure, so she wanted to try her luck.
Tianhong said, "Everyone, use your Divine Sense, be careful not to lose focus." After he finished speaking, the colorful sword flowers surrounding him suddenly sank down, and a series of dense, rain-like tapping sounds were heard. The layer that looked like floating ice was shattered by the flying sword.
Geng Feng shouted, "Watch out, the Frost Flame is coming!" He had been to the Ice Eye before and knew how powerful it was.
As soon as Geng Feng finished speaking, an incomparably cold wind, mixed with icy flames, surged up.
Huang Yan shivered and said, "Oh dear, it's so cold."
Li Qiang pulled her closer, and Huang Yan was surprised to find herself enveloped in a warm embrace. She immediately relaxed and whispered, "Thank you, senior."
To her surprise, Li Qiang made a face at her, making her burst out laughing. Since she was next to Li Qiang, she simply put away her flying sword, thinking, "I might as well save my True Essence Power and borrow his light."
Li Qiang's mind was fixed on Tianhong. The surroundings were shrouded in mist, and Tianhong's multicolored sword shadows could still be faintly seen. Geng Feng's figure was like a large fish, swimming in the mist.
The fog gradually dissipated, but the air grew even colder. Tianhong said from below, "We're almost at the bottom of the cave."
Suddenly, Geng Feng shouted, "Aha... Ice Spirit Essence! Be careful, whatever you do, don't let it possess you, behold the Fengzi's methods!"
Both Li Qiang and Huang Yan were first-timers, but Huang Yan knew more than Li Qiang. The rumors about the Ice Eye and the thrilling experiences of her predecessors were good stories for them to tell in their spare time. She whispered a warning to Li Qiang: "Senior, if the Ice Spirit Essence possesses you, your Nascent Soul will solidify. It's extremely terrifying."
Li Qiang stared intently and saw that Geng Feng's flying sword had already been pushed forward. The Ice Spirit Essence was just a faint phantom, but to Li Qiang's surprise, the shadow that the Ice Spirit Essence had conjured was exactly the same as Geng Feng's appearance.
The group landed at the bottom of the cave during Geng Feng's battle with the Ice Spirit Essence. Tianhong said impatiently, "What Fengzi! Hurry up and finish it off! What are you dawdling for?"
Geng Feng laughed and said, "Don't be in such a hurry, sir. I'd like to collect an Ice Spirit Essence to play with."
Huang Yan stuck out her tongue and hid behind Li Qiang, exclaiming in surprise, "Grandpa Crazy is really amazing! He actually dared to collect the Ice Spirit Essence!"
Tianhong raised his hand and shot out a beam of colorful light. Geng Feng cried out, "No... Waaah... The Ice Spirit Essence wandering outside are the weakest. Once they go inside, I won't be able to collect them anymore." The colorful light shot into the phantom, and with a muffled thud, energy rippled outwards. The phantom let out a sharp, mournful cry and immediately vanished without a trace.
Li Qiang said, "They wiped it out so easily?"
Geng Feng said irritably, "Easy? Not at all! This is just the illusory form of the Ice Spirit Essence; its true body isn't here. Sigh, it was scattered by the old man. Oh well!"
Tianhong glanced at Huang Yan and said, " Little Yan'er, stay close. Back then, I only managed to get through by hiding behind my master's sword. Your skill isn't enough; if you come out rashly, it might be too late to save you!"
The four of them carefully made their way toward the Ice Eye. After walking a short distance, a huge, vortex-shaped Ice Crystal clearing appeared before them.
It was as if a turbulent, swirling stream of water had suddenly frozen. Layers of swirling ice shimmered with a dazzling Blue Light. In the very center was a small cave, only about ten meters wide, from which pale blue, translucent mist constantly drifted. The surroundings were completely silent, making it seem extremely eerie.
Huang Yan suddenly exclaimed, "Wow... so beautiful!"
The three of them were startled by her. Tianhong whispered a warning, "Are you crazy? Don't make a sound!"
Geng Feng said, "It's too late! The Mystic Cold Qi Tide has already been alerted!"
All around them were strange hissing and rustling sounds. The surrounding light suddenly dimmed, and the cold air slowly emanating from the blue Ice Crystal began to condense and gradually pressed down on them.
Huang Yan knew she had gotten herself into trouble.