Chapter 1045: Forbidden Magic Ring, Ice Soul Valley

Qingzi thought to herself, coughed a few times, and was about to speak when a cold voice echoed from a distance.

"What's this? Our Heavenly Devil Sect and Supreme Unity Sect forbid you from entering. Do you fellow Daoists intend to force your way in?"

Upon hearing this, the elderly cultivator surnamed Luo subtly changed his expression. Then, a black streak of light shot from the distance, reaching them in an instant.

As the light dissipated, a middle-aged scholar with a hooked nose and dressed in a black robe appeared.

As soon as he materialized, his gaze swept over the elderly Luo and the cultivator shrouded in green mist, his eyebrows furrowed with a sinister expression.

"True Monarch Seven Marvels!" The elderly Luo immediately recognized the scholar and couldn't help but gasp.

This wasn't because True Monarch Seven Marvels possessed powers far exceeding Xuan Qingzi, but rather because the scholar, as an Enforcer Elder of the Heavenly Devil Sect, employed exceptionally cruel and ruthless methods against his enemies. He was a notorious demonic grand-master in Great Jin. Even a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator like the elderly Luo would never wish to provoke him.

"True Monarch Seven Marvels is right," the elderly Luo chuckled. "Since both your esteemed sect and the Supreme Unity Sect are so cautious, it seems the rift is indeed quite perilous right now. It's no problem for this old man to delay for a few days." He retreated into the crowd.

The cultivator in the green mist also turned and left without a word.

However, other nearby cultivators were stirred into a commotion upon seeing the two largest sects, one righteous and one demonic, apparently joining forces.

By now, even an idiot would understand that whatever was being sealed was absolutely extraordinary. Otherwise, why would the two major sects adopt such a hardline stance?

But pressured by the combined might of the two sects, rogue cultivators and those from smaller sects dared not voice their anger. Cultivators from slightly larger sects also did not wish to be the first to cause trouble.

At this moment, seven or eight more Heavenly Devil Sect cultivators flew over from a distance, all of them at the Nascent Soul stage.

Upon arriving, they immediately took out array plates and formation flags without a word. In a blink of an eye, they set up a powerful restrictive array, conjuring a dense white mist that completely obscured the rift's entrance. Xuan Qingzi and True Monarch Seven Marvels, along with the others, turned and entered the formation, disappearing from sight.

This caused the nearby cultivators, who had initially hoped to find some advantage, to exchange bewildered glances.

Inside the formation, Xuan Qingzi let out a light breath, then stopped walking and suddenly smiled at True Monarch Seven Marvels.

"Brother Seven Marvels, you arrived much faster than I expected. But it's fortunate you did, otherwise, I truly wouldn't have been able to keep those fellow cultivators in check. Only someone of your renowned reputation could inspire such great awe in them."

"You mean to say I have a notorious reputation, don't you?" The middle-aged scholar replied, his smile not reaching his eyes.

"Haha, how could I think such a thing?" Xuan Qingzi chuckled dryly.

"Alright. Let's not dwell on other matters. Both of us were ordered to come here this time, and we had no choice. I overheard you from afar just now, and it seems the people from the Yin Luo Sect have already entered. Could it be Old Devil Qian who has come? Otherwise, how would you have let them in?" The scholar said, frowning.

"When I arrived, Old Devil Qian had already entered the seal with a few rogue cultivators. Later, the Yin Luo Sect and some people from the Heavenly Azure Plains also went in, including a Grand Immortal Master from the Heavenly Azure Plains. I didn't realize how crucial this seal was at the time, so I didn't stop them too forcefully."

Xuan Qingzi's expression also grew solemn. However, perhaps due to an oversight, he made no mention of the two women from the Transcendent Immortal Sect.

"Hmph, I can't believe the Ye family would use such a feint, publicly displaying a replica of a Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure to draw our two sects' attention, while secretly attempting to retrieve the true Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure. If we hadn't planted an inside agent in the Ye family long ago, we'd probably still be in the dark now," True Monarch Seven Marvels said sinisterly.

"The unfortunate thing is that the Ye family acted with extreme secrecy this time. Although that inside agent knew about this long ago, they couldn't send the message out in advance. They could only damage some of their arrays and escape during the chaos. Otherwise, if we had received this news earlier, we wouldn't have given them the chance to break the seal. A Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure is indeed extraordinarily rare, but releasing that ancient demon ancestor's avatar would be a much greater loss. Old Devil Qian has been inside for so long; he might have already found the sealed area," Xuan Qingzi sighed.

"Old Devil Qian isn't a fool; he wouldn't do something so self-defeating. But I'm not entirely at ease with those cultivators from the Heavenly Azure Plains. They aren't cultivators from Great Jin and don't have as many scruples," True Monarch Seven Marvels shook his head.

"Oh, I heard your esteemed sect has some connections with the Heavenly Azure Sacred Hall. I didn't expect you to be so wary of them," Xuan Qingzi chuckled upon hearing this.

"What connections? Merely some exchanges of interests," True Monarch Seven Marvels said dismissively.

"An ancient cultivator's seal, how could it be so easily opened? As long as those people haven't fully unleashed the ancient demon restrictions, with our two sects cooperating, we should be able to stop their reckless actions. If the ancient demon's clone has already been released, that demonic creature has been suppressed for so many years, surely its essence has been severely weakened. Our combined strength, plus the five Demon-Binding Rings I brought, should be enough to subdue it again," True Monarch Seven Marvels slowly said.

"Demon-Binding Rings? You mean those ancient artifacts that originated from the Spirit Realm, specifically for trapping demons?" Xuan Qingzi's eyes suddenly lit up at the mention of the item's name.

"Precisely. These are treasures brought by Spirit Realm cultivators during the invasion of the Ancient Devil Realm, specifically designed to deal with high-tier ancient demons. Even if the one sealed is an ancient demon ancestor's clone, with five Demon-Binding Rings attached, it will only be able to surrender obediently," True Monarch Seven Marvels said with a cold smile.

"That's good. I was originally worried that this trip would carry some risks. I didn't expect Brother Seven Marvels to be so thoroughly prepared, even finding such ancient treasures." Xuan Qingzi's expression visibly relaxed.

"How could I possess such wondrous treasures? These five Demon-Binding Rings were sent by that individual within our sect, along with the orders. Speaking of which, did that person from your Supreme Unity Sect not send you any treasures to contend with the enemy?" The scholar squinted at the old Daoist, a look of disbelief on his face.

"This poor Daoist was quite busy when setting out, so I didn't have time to prepare any treasures. However, this time, when leaving the sect, I brought the Heavenly E Divine Sword with me. I trust it can also lend a hand to you, fellow Daoist," Xuan Qingzi said with a wry smile.

"Heavenly E Divine Sword? That treasure is most suitable for dealing with demons," the scholar nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"However, this poor Daoist still doesn't quite understand. The personal letter I received from that individual within the sect instructed us not to harm the ancient demon's life unless absolutely necessary, and preferably to reseal it. What does this mean? Wouldn't destroying it be a permanent solution to future troubles?" Xuan Qingzi suddenly asked.

"Who knows! The orders I received had the same implication. But come to think of it, even the ancient cultivators didn't eradicate this demon back then. It seems there must be some special reason. We should just follow the instructions from above," the scholar pondered for a moment, then said solemnly.

"What you say is true! We shouldn't interfere too much, lest we cause further complications. Brother Seven Marvels, have you brought the Spirit Turtle Flying Chariot? Let's go in without delay," Xuan Qingzi nodded thoughtfully, then glanced at the rift entrance and said.

The scholar chuckled upon hearing the old Daoist's words, then flicked his sleeve. A ball of black light, enveloping a flat, oval object, shot out.

Before the two, the object spun once, then grew larger in the wind, transforming into a several-zhang-sized spirit chariot, resembling a giant turtle shell.

Xuan Qingzi smiled slightly at the sight.

Immediately, the scholar and Xuan Qingzi each gave a few instructions to the cultivators who had accompanied them, then their figures flickered as they entered the chariot.

The spirit chariot transformed into a black rainbow and flew directly into the rift.

Mount True桓, or True Huan Mountain, is one of the four great spiritual veins of Great Jin. The Supreme Unity Sect, hailed as the foremost righteous sect, is located within this mountain range.

The Supreme Unity Sect, known as the number one righteous sect, commands vast power. Apart from the Heavenly Devil Sect and the Myriad Monster Valley, which can barely rival it, no other force in the entire Great Jin can compare. Therefore, within the 100,000-li expanse of the True Huan Mountain Range, hundreds of large and small spiritual mountains are under the control of Supreme Unity Sect cultivators.

The Ice Soul Valley is an inconspicuous small valley within this mountain range.

Unlike other spiritual mountains and lands in the range that enjoy spring-like weather year-round, this valley is not only lacking in spiritual energy but also filled with chilling winds and biting cold. The entire valley remains crystal clear and covered in a thick layer of ice and snow throughout the year.

Yet, this harsh place, which ordinary cultivators would not even bother to glance at, is one of the Supreme Unity Sect's rarely known forbidden grounds.

Ordinary disciples not only haven't visited this valley, but few have even heard of it.

This mysterious place, apart from a mirage formation at the valley entrance, has no other restrictions outside, nor any Supreme Unity Sect cultivators guarding its exterior.

However, in reality, for hundreds of years, no one has dared to step inside this valley. Even high-ranking elders, if they occasionally came here, would only speak respectfully from outside the valley, never daring to enter even a single step.

But on this day, just as True Monarch Seven Marvels and Xuan Qingzi entered the sealed rift in the Southern Border, a pale-faced old man in a gray robe appeared like a phantom at the valley entrance.

He looked at the mirage formation at the entrance, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes. After two light coughs, he transformed into a green light and shot into the valley, treating the mirage formation as if it were nonexistent.

A moment later, the green light dissipated at the end of the valley, and the old man's figure reappeared.

Staring coldly at a massive ice wall before him, his expression suddenly darkened, and he spoke in a frigid tone:

"Old Ghost Bai, you know I'm here, why hide in your coffin and not come out to greet your guest!"

The old man's voice was not loud, but moments later, the entire ice valley rumbled with his words, echoing repeatedly like thunder.

The ice wall in front of him trembled violently, appearing as if it could collapse at any moment.

Yet, the gray-robed old man ignored it, narrowing his eyes and standing motionless before the ice wall.