Without exception, the cultivators' postures were all pointing outwards, as if they had been frozen in an instant, a sight that was breathtaking to behold.
Geng Feng said in a low voice, "They were all injured by the Mystic Qi and frozen instantly. Even their Nascent Soul couldn't withstand it and immediately turned into unconscious Ice Spirit Essence, which were absorbed by the Mystic Qi. Alas, although we brought their physical bodies here, it's no use now. These are all our brothers from Heavenly Melody City."
Li Qiang asked, "If we send them back to be thawed, can they be revived?"
Tianhong shook his head. "It's no use. We transported it back, but after thawing, the body turned into mincemeat and was completely destroyed. We need to be careful when we go in, especially Little Yan'er. You've only reached the Middle Stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. Anyone who enters here needs to be at least at the Nascent Soul Late Stage, otherwise, you won't even have time to run away, understand?" His last sentence was already very stern.
Actually, the experts of Heavenly Melody City died somewhat unjustly, as they relied on their internal strength to resist the Mystic Qi. If they had similar Law Treasure to Li Qiang, the casualties would not have been so heavy.
Huang Yan was so frightened that she didn't dare to utter a sound, only clinging tightly to Li Qiang's arm. When she saw the corpses of those seniors from Heavenly Melody City, she knew that Grandpa Zu hadn't lied. Although she had heard many strange tales and legends about the Ice Eye, she had never truly witnessed its power and hadn't paid much attention to it. It wasn't until she saw these corpses with her own eyes that she truly understood the cruelty of the Ice Eye. But once she got here, there was no turning back.
Tianhong continued, "Everyone, follow me. There used to be a formation here, but although it's been broken, it's still like a maze."
Geng Feng respectfully bowed to the corpses, and Li Qiang and Huang Yan also stood and bowed, expressing their heartfelt respect. The four of them did not linger and continued flying inside.
Tianhong said, "There's a garden ahead. Let's go in and rest for a bit. It'll be a good shortcut. I reckon some of the exotic ice plants inside are ripe. Let's pick some; it wasn't easy for us to come down here."
Li Qiang was surprised and said, "A garden? Did I hear that right? There's actually a garden here?"
Geng Feng and Huang Yan seemed to be hearing about this for the first time as well. Geng Feng said, "I've been here twice before, and I've never heard of a garden in the Ice Eye."
Tianhong laughed and said, "Of course you don't know, this garden was sealed off by Master a long time ago. After we picked the fruit once, Master said that it would take a long time for the fruit to ripen here, and that no one should accidentally wander in and waste these heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Fortunately, I still know how to break the seal."
Huang Yan felt very happy; the garden was a place every girl loved.
Since refining pills, Li Qiang has also developed a strong interest in medicinal herbs. Moreover, the Jade Pupil Slip of the Spirit Coil Sect records many spirit medicine, but Li Qiang has never seen most of them before. He laughed and said, "Brother, it's really strange that the garden is in a place like this. Is there some kind of zoo here?"
Tianhong asked curiously, "What's a zoo? I've never heard of one... Hehe, we've arrived."
Seeing that the surroundings were empty except for the ice pillars, Li Qiang wondered, "Where's the garden?"
Tianhong made a hand seal, held Whistling Arrow in his mouth, and a soft melody rang out. In conjunction with the hand seal, a hollow appeared out of thin air on the left, and a faint fragrance wafted out.
Tianhong put away the Whistling Arrow and said, "Everyone, hurry up and go in. Once inside, keep flying without stopping. The monsters outside will come after they smell the scent, so be quick!" After everyone went in, he also flew in, and with a flick of his wrist, the void vanished without a trace.
Flying into the cave entrance, Li Qiang discovered it appeared to be a passageway, shrouded in mist. Without daring to delay, he pulled Huang Yan along and flew rapidly forward. After about a minute, their vision suddenly brightened, and Huang Yan exclaimed, "Wow, we're here! What a beautiful place!"
This is a world sculpted from mystic ice. Everything is made of pale blue mystic ice, from tables and chairs made of ice to flowerpots of all shapes and sizes. There's even a house made of mystic ice in the distance. Li Qiang was truly amazed. The plants here are even more peculiar. One plant in front of him particularly surprised him. It had a winding, semi-transparent branch with a thin red line clearly visible in the center. The branch branched into seven twigs, each bearing a red fruit covered in sharp thorns.
Tianhong said, "You can pick the fruits here as you like. There are many jade boxes in the room. If you put the picked fruits in them, they won't rot. However, everyone should be careful when picking them and be careful not to damage the roots. Many of the plants here are unique specimens."
Huang Yan pulled Li Qiang and ran towards the Xuanbing Hut. Sure enough, on the rows of Xuanbing shelves inside, there were many Xuanyu boxes of various sizes and colors, each one exquisite and delicate.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Little sister, go pick them yourself. It's not too cold here anymore, and you're strong enough."
Huang Yan took two steps back, cheered, grabbed several jade boxes, and rushed out.
Tianhong laughed from the side, "This kind of Xuanyu box is a real treasure. Back then, Master was afraid that this place was already taken, so he wouldn't let me take any. He only picked some fruit and left. Now it seems that it's unclaimed. Brother, just take what you need."
The three Primordial Movement searching the shelves. Li Qiang, having a storage bracelet, was extremely quick at collecting; anything he touched was immediately put away. Tianhong and Geng Feng, using storage belts, had limited storage space, so they each took seven or eight before stopping and leaving. There were hundreds of jade boxes on the shelves inside; Li Qiang took about fifty or sixty, finding that enough, and then turned and walked out the door.
The garden seemed quite large. Li Qiang went out but didn't see Tianhong and the others, and didn't know where they had gone. Li Qiang walked along the path and found that many fruits had already been picked. As he was looking around for Tianhong and the others, he suddenly saw a black ice pillar next to him, about half a person's height, with a fist-sized white bead on it. He curiously reached out to take it.
The moment he touched it, a flash of white light appeared, and Li Qiang was teleported away.
Li Qiang was slightly startled, realizing he had arrived in an unfamiliar place. It was a large room, probably over a hundred square meters, surrounded by walls of mystic ice with no exit. He immediately noticed a similar mystic ice pillar in the corner and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that touching the white bead on the pillar would teleport him back.
Composing himself, he looked around and saw a square platform made of black ice in the center of the room. On the platform was a meditation cushion, seemingly for meditation. The cushion was quite interesting; he didn't know what it was woven from, but it was dark with a purplish-black hue. Li Qiang felt that this thing might be a treasure. He reached out and took it down, only to find that it was light and warm to the touch. Without thinking too much about it, he casually put it into his bracelet.
Strangely, besides the table and the futon, there was nothing else in the large room. Li Qiang walked to the ice pillar, reached out and touched it, and another beam of white light transported him away. Li Qiang continued walking forward along the same path.
The various exotic flowers and fruits along the way dazzled him, and as he picked them along the way, Li Qiang heard Tianhong's voice. "This is the ' Heavenly Countenance Fruit,' which can nourish yin and beautify the complexion. It's a miraculous medicine that we cultivators can't use, but mortals in the secular world who eat this fruit, hehe, can really reverse aging, stay young forever, and die looking young."
Li Qiang approached the three of them, very curious about the Heavenly Countenance Fruit. It was unbelievable that such a thing could grant eternal youth. The plant lay on a strangely shaped piece of ice. Li Qiang wasn't sure if it was actually a plant. It was like soft cotton, covering the surface of the ice, and he could clearly see tiny, light pink fruits inside, only the size of grapes, looking crystal clear and adorable.
Tianhong and Li Qiang two companions greeted Li Qiang, who then took out a jade box and began picking Heavenly Countenance Fruit. Geng Feng laughed loudly, " Little Madman, what do you need this for? It's useless to you."
As Li Qiang picked the fruit, he said, " Old Madman, who knows if it'll even be useful? Let's pick it first, so we don't want it later and then not have any left."
Geng Feng shook his large head dismissively. Huang Yan was busy picking Seven-Colored Exquisite Flower nearby. She wasn't interested in medicinal fruits, only in the exotic flowers. Tianhong only picked the rarer and more precious ones. Geng Feng barely picked anything; he had no interest in these flowers and plants. Only Li Qiang picked almost everything he could find. He knew his own situation best. With so many friends, the more the merrier. Besides, his path of cultivation was still long, and preparing more things wouldn't hurt.
The four of them picked fruit as they walked through the garden. Tianhong said, "If we go out from here, we can avoid a lot of dangers. It's a shortcut. Once we get out, we'll be in the Mysterious Domain Secret Chamber."
Geng Feng said in surprise, "Does that mean we don't need to go through that ice tunnel anymore? Sigh, we've taken so many wrong turns before."
Tianhong said, "Brother, Fengzi, get ready. Release your flying swords. It'll be very dangerous outside soon. Besides the Mystic Qi, there's also the Ice Spirit Essence, which is a genuine illusory spirit condensed from Nascent Soul True God. It's extremely powerful. Little Yan'er, just wait in the garden. Don't follow us in. It's still safe here."
Huang Yan panicked immediately. She had finally managed to get here, but her grandfather wouldn't let her go. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, "Grandfather, Yan'er wants to go, please, please..."
Geng Feng advised, "Little girl, it's really dangerous inside. Your grandfather is doing this for your own good."
Huang Yan burst into tears and suddenly threw herself into Li Qiang's arms. "Senior, let Yan'er go! Waaah... Waaah..."
Li Qiang was at a loss. He knew that sending her was too dangerous, so he patted her on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Little sister, I know why you want to go. Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
Upon hearing this, even Tianhong was stunned. Huang Yan raised her head, her expression truly pitiful, and said in a sweet voice, "What does Senior know?"
Li Qiang laughed and said, "I'll definitely find you a good flying sword, okay?"
Huang Yan realized that her thoughts had been exposed and knew that even if she begged Grandfather Zu again, he would not agree. Helpless, she had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Li Qiang comforted him, "Even if we can't find one, I'll forge one for you myself when we get back."
Huang Yan burst into laughter through her tears, saying sweetly, "Senior, you must keep your word! Then Yan'er will wait for you in the garden. Hurry up, Yan'er will be scared."
Tianhong stroked his beard and said, "I don't know how Hai'er trains his disciples. They've been cultivating for so long and they're still afraid. Sigh, these kids are really something."
Li Qiang laughed and said, "It's normal for girls to be a little timid, brother. Let's hurry back." Actually, Huang Yan wasn't scared at all; she was just using the opportunity to act cute, a fact that Li Qiang didn't understand.
Geng Feng exclaimed excitedly, "Damn it, every time I went to the Mysterious Domain Secret Chamber, I returned empty-handed. This time, I can finally get my wish!"
The three of them released their flying swords at the same time. Tianhong made a hand seal and flew out first, followed closely by Geng Feng. Li Qiang waved to Huang Yan and flew after them.
Outside was still a sea of black ice pillars. Unlike where we had just entered, here the layers of black ice were visible both above and below. The closer we flew, the smaller the gaps between the vertical layers became. Tianhong said, "We're almost there, everyone be careful!"
After passing through several narrow passages, facing an ice wall, Geng Feng stepped forward and released the restriction, and the three of them flew into a spherical ice cave.
Before Li Qiang could get a closer look, Tianhong's flying sword flashed with a dazzling series of sword flowers, and a series of loud crackling sounds immediately shook the ground. Geng Feng shouted as he rushed forward, "Ah ha... the Ice Spirit Essence here... so exhilarating!"
The space within this Xuanbing Cave resembled an upright egg. In the lower center, a rapidly swirling, thick, black mist, occasionally flashing with blue light, hovered in the very center of the spherical space. Li Qiang suddenly recalled seeing something similar when he witnessed the Heavenly Fire burning in the Star Palace. He thought, "Perhaps this Mystic Qi, like the Heavenly Fire, is some form of pure energy. I'd better be careful; the Purple Flame Heart can't save me this time."
Fifteen or sixteen Ice Spirit Essence came forward. These Ice Spirit Essence were almost tangible, and some of them even had flying swords, although their methods of use were somewhat clumsy.
Tianhong blocked five or six of them, and Geng Feng sword circled around and blocked four or five of them as well. The remaining Ice Spirit Essence and the book rushed towards Li Qiang like bees.
Li Qiang was startled and shouted, "How come there are so many Ice Spirit Essence?!" The silver light of the Star-Absorbing Sword immediately shone brightly. "Bang! Bang!" With two sharp sounds, it forcefully dispersed the two Ice Spirit Essence that were charging in front. Before Li Qiang could even rejoice, the two Ice Spirit Essence regrouped. Li Qiang exclaimed, "Huh! Why do they look like Nascent Soul that have been cultivated!"
Geng Feng laughed loudly, "Haha, Little Madman! If we can't beat them... haha, we'll end up like them! This isn't a place for politeness, so give it your all!"
Tianhong shouted, "This is the most dangerous spot, brother, be careful!"
Li Qiang flicked his finger, and a tiny purple Heavenly Fire flew from his fingertip, moving slowly and drifting towards the Ice Spirit Essence.
These Ice Spirit Essence, smelling the primordial yang energy on the cultivators, charged forward madly. They were scattered by the flying swords but then reassembled. They were even more powerful than the Nascent Soul souls refined by cultivators. Because they carried sharp profound Mystic Qi, anyone who was attacked by them would immediately become an unconscious Ice Spirit Essence, just like them.
The eerie chuckles emanating from these Ice Spirit Essence sent chills down one's spine. Li Qiang's Heavenly Fire Purple Flower silently entered the body of one of the Ice Spirit Essence. The Ice Spirit Essence Ice Spirit Essence seemed to be stunned for a moment, and suddenly, with a "hiss," it let out a strange cry, like a snowman being roasted by fire, and rapidly melted away.
Li Qiang hadn't expected the Heavenly Fire to be so powerful. He laughed loudly, "Watch this! Haha!"
Li Qiang immediately enveloped his entire body in Heavenly Fire. He sheathed his Star-Absorbing Sword and, mimicking the Ice Spirit Essence, charged forward with a strange cry. Tianhong and Geng Feng, confused, couldn't help but shout, "Brother, what are you doing? Don't...!" and " Little Madman... Wow, damn it, he's even crazier than me!"
In an instant, Li Qiang had already embraced one Ice Spirit Essence, while he was simultaneously embraced by two other Ice Spirit Essence. Li Qiang felt a surge of extreme cold, a truly unbearable sensation. His Fire Essence immediately expanded, instantly dispelling the chill. Now, the Ice Spirit Essence embracing him were more than just uncomfortable; in the blink of an eye, the three Ice Spirit Essence emitted a large amount of dense mist, and within three or four seconds, the Ice Spirit Essence vanished without a trace.
Tianhong and Geng Feng could hardly believe that Li Qiang was so powerful.
In truth, Li Qiang already regretted it. Although doing so could melt the Ice Spirit Essence, he felt terrible, and his power was greatly depleted; the Fire Essence seemed unable to withstand it either. He released the Star-Absorbing Sword- Absorbing Sword again, flicked his finger wheel, and immediately seven or eight purple Heavenly Fire flew out, tiny sparks the size of a fingertip drifting slowly. The Ice Spirit Essence seemed to sense the danger; a sharp roar rang out, and the Ice Spirit Essence actually flew back into that ball of Mystic Qi.
Li Qiang raised his hand and retrieved the flying purple flower.
Tianhong Hongfei approached Li Qiang and said, "Brother, you're truly amazing. These Nascent Soul souls are very difficult to destroy. I originally planned to use the Empty Sound Fork to force them back, but I didn't expect the Heavenly Fire to be so powerful. This is truly wonderful."
The reason he was unwilling to use the Empty Sound Fork earlier was because it would consume a lot of True Essence Power. He was afraid that if he didn't have enough True Essence Power when breaking through the Mystic Qi later, the three of them would be doomed.
Geng Feng looked Li Qiang up and down. After a long while, he said, "I'm not Fengzi, you're the Fengzi! Damn, you almost scared me to death." He raised his hand and punched Li Qiang, shaking his head and smiling bitterly.
Li Qiang laughed and punched him, "Haha, I'm not qualified to be Fengzi, I still have to learn from you!"
Tianhong couldn't help but smile wryly after hearing the two guys' nonsense. They were actually competing to see who was crazier in a place like this.
Tianhong said, "Alright, let's get ready. We'll rush in right away. Once I break through the Mystic Qi, be quick, the faster the better. This piece of music can only last for a short while. Brother, grab my left arm, Fengzi, grab my right arm. We'll go in at the same time." He paused slightly and added, "You absolutely cannot act like a hero here, especially Fengzi. If you go crazy, don't blame me for abandoning you."
Li Qiang knew that Tianhong was indirectly reminding him, so he said, "Don't worry, not only will the Old Madman behave himself, but even my underlings will be obedient."
Geng Feng laughed and said, "Of course, the Old Madman will definitely listen."
Tianhong felt even more uncertain after hearing this. The two guys' words sounded awkward no matter how you looked at them. He decided not to say anything more, so he clipped the Empty Sound Fork to his armor and said, "Get ready... let's go!"
A strange, booming sound rapidly vibrated around the three of them, the force of which was so immense that it distorted their figures.
The ball of profound energy was stirred by the Mystic Qi, and its originally rapidly spinning speed suddenly slowed down. As the three of them quickly approached, the Mystic Qi blasted open a gap in the ball of profound energy. The three of them used all their strength to rush forward desperately, knowing that if they stopped in the Mystic Qi, none of them would be able to escape once the Boeing stopped.
The resistance was unimaginable, and just as the Boeing came to a stop, the three of them finally broke through the Mystic Qi.
Tianhong gasped for breath, "At first, I thought it wouldn't be difficult going in with Master, but now I realize how terrifying it was. We're lucky! We're finally back, haha!"
Li Qiang remained silent. It was the first time he and Geng Feng had ever seen the Mysterious Domain Secret Chamber. They saw a golden pagoda that shone with countless dazzling rays of light, which held back the Mystic Qi outside. The three of them were suspended in the colorful light.
The pagoda was exquisitely detailed, only about the height of a person. Li Qiang muttered to himself, "How am I supposed to get in? It's too small. Thirteen stories? That's impossible."
Geng Feng was also puzzled and asked, "Is this really the Mysterious Domain Secret Chamber?"
Tianhong laughed and said, "Don't be surprised. The restrictions on the bottom level have been broken. You'll see when I go down now." He leaped down and flew towards the bottom of the pagoda.
Li Qiang and Geng Feng were both dumbfounded, their mouths agape. They watched as Tianhong flew away in the myriad rays of light, his figure growing smaller and smaller until he reached the bottom of the pagoda, where he was only about the size of a soybean.
Li Qiang and Geng Feng exchanged glances, their confusion evident. Li Qiang spoke first, "Let's talk about it down there. This is fucking interesting, I've learned something new." Li Qiang leaped down and discovered that the closer he flew, the larger the pagoda appeared, until it grew so large that he could no longer see its tip.
He landed next to Tianhong and couldn't help but say, "Brother, this is truly amazing." Immediately afterward, Geng Feng also flew down.
The golden door at the bottom of the pagoda was closed. Tianhong stepped forward and used his internal energy to hold it open, saying, "This door is very difficult to open. You should go in quickly and get ready..."
With a series of crisp "crack!" sounds, the golden gate slowly opened, only about a foot wide. Li Qiang and Geng Feng darted inside, while Tianhong moved even faster, disappearing into the doorway. With a loud "boom!" the gate slammed shut again.
The three had just stood still, and before they could even get a good look at what was happening inside the tower, they heard a long laugh, "Haha, someone actually came to the ' Mystic Suppression Pagoda '! Haha, let this old man see who it is!"
The lingering sound echoed in the air. Li Qiang exclaimed in surprise, "How could there be someone here?"
Geng Feng had already unleashed his flying sword. Tianhong, extremely tense, exclaimed, "He's broken through! He's broken through!"
"That's right! This old man has already passed the test, haha!"
Tianhong trembled all over...