Chapter 384: Ice Yi Shrine

The disciples of Xiao Sect and Burning Heaven Sect number in the tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, and if branch sects and outer disciples are included, their count becomes immeasurable. Heavenly Sword Villa, on the other hand, boasts hundreds of thousands of members. In comparison, Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, though equally renowned, is far more modest in size; its entire population combined barely reaches two thousand.

Despite its smaller population, the main hall of Ice Cloud Immortal Palace is exceptionally vast, capable of accommodating tens of thousands of disciples. Surrounding it are undulating ice peaks and various forms of profound ice, each potentially thousands, or even tens of thousands, of years old. Most of the structures here are built from ice crystals, and rare ice flowers and frost herbs, virtually unseen elsewhere, flourish throughout the palace, each plant immensely precious.

Yun Che followed Xia Qingyue for nearly half an hour but encountered only a few Ice Cloud disciples. Ice Cloud disciples each have their own independent living quarters and training rooms, and most possess a serene and aloof nature, rarely appearing even within the sect.

"Isn't it a bit too quiet here? Wouldn't you get bored and restless staying in this place year-round?" Yun Che couldn't help but ask, looking around. The scenery here was so pristine it felt almost illusory, like stepping into a fairyland. While it was pleasant for an occasional visit to admire the views, Yun Che figured he'd quickly go stir-crazy if he had to remain in such a desolate place indefinitely.

Xia Qingyue softly replied, "The cultivation of our sect's Ice Cloud Art and Ice Heart Art emphasizes tranquility and serenity, making this environment perfectly suited for practice. Such an atmosphere suits me, and it isn't significantly different from how I lived before entering Ice Cloud Immortal Palace." Before joining the Immortal Palace, Xia Qingyue had also largely stayed indoors, rarely leaving her family home. Even Yun Che, who had been betrothed to her since childhood, had only seen her a few times over more than a decade.

"Everyone in the Ice Palace has their own independent living quarters and training rooms," Xia Qingyue explained. "Once the Palace Mistress announces your entry into our sect tomorrow, arrangements will be made for your rooms..." She briefly glanced at Yun Che. "...If you require them."

"Need them? Of course, I need them!" Yun Che immediately exclaimed. "Housing prices are so high these days; only a fool would refuse a free home... By the way, my dear Qingyue, where are your living quarters and training room? We've been married for so many years, and not only do you not sleep with me, but I don't even know where you sleep."

Xia Qingyue turned her head, gazing at a cluster of ice crystal coral reflecting kaleidoscopic light. "My training room is somewhat unique. After I finally comprehended the Ice Soul Divine Art, the Palace Mistress granted me permission to cultivate in the Ice Cloud Secret Realm, where the art is inscribed."

"Ice Soul Divine Art..." Yun Che's eyebrows twitched. Over the past month, he had repeatedly recalled the day he married Cang Yue, and the scene of Xia Qingyue alone fending off two Monarch Profound practitioners from the Phoenix Divine Sect, freezing their flames and immobilizing them. The flames unleashed by those two Monarch Profound practitioners were Phoenix Flames, born from the Phoenix bloodline! Yet, they were frozen by Xia Qingyue, who was at the same cultivation level! This absolutely implied that the power and law-level of the Ice Soul Divine Art were even higher than... or at least no lower than, the Phoenix Flames! Of course, these were not the pure Phoenix Flames released by a true divine beast Phoenix, but profound flames ignited by individuals possessing a faint Phoenix bloodline, with only a trace of Phoenix properties. Nevertheless, even an impure Phoenix Flame was far superior to ordinary profound fire, otherwise, the Phoenix Divine Sect would not have become the foremost sect among the Seven Nations of Profound Sky.

"Take me to this Ice Cloud Secret Realm you mentioned; I suddenly want to witness your... oh no, *our* sect's Ice Soul Divine Art." Feng Qianhui had instructed that Yun Che could go anywhere Xia Qingyue was permitted. Xia Qingyue did not refuse, simply saying, "If that's the case, follow me."

The Ice Cloud Secret Realm Xia Qingyue spoke of was located beneath the eastern side of Ice Cloud Immortal Palace. Yun Che followed her down a long ice crystal staircase. Xia Qingyue's icy eyes were like water, her demeanor elegant and serene, her gaze unwavering. Yun Che spent a small portion of the time observing the surroundings and scenery, and a large portion gazing at Xia Qingyue's face and figure. The first time he had seen Xia Qingyue, when she was not yet ten years old, he had found her beauty ethereal, almost unreal. Now, looking at her so close, he still felt the same. Marrying a woman of such illusory beauty, renowned as Cangfeng's foremost beauty, was naturally every man's dream. Yet, despite being his wife for three years, their marriage had never been consummated. As a normal man, it was absolutely impossible for Yun Che not to harbor some resentment and natural desires.

"Cough, cough..." Yun Che suddenly spoke, his tone surprisingly serious. "My dear Qingyue, the Supreme Palace Mistress said we can't consummate our marriage until your Ice Soul Divine Art reaches Grand Perfection... Hmm, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Xia Qingyue continued walking lightly ahead of Yun Che, completely unresponsive, as if she hadn't heard him at all.

"How about I ask a different question?" Yun Che's gaze traveled from top to bottom, keenly observing Xia Qingyue's perfectly graceful figure, like a fairy from the moon palace, and he couldn't help but quietly swallow. "When... will you be able to cultivate the Ice Soul Divine Art to Grand Perfection?"

Xia Qingyue remained unresponsive, but if Yun Che had been walking in front of her, he would have noticed the significant rise and fall of her chest beneath her snowy robes. Yun Che's question, plainly put, was: When will you sleep with me?

"My dear Qingyue, please don't think this is a minor issue; among spouses, it's a very serious matter," Yun Che said with a "serious" expression. "To become a truly complete couple, it's not just about a nominal and emotional union, but also a physical and spiritual one. And physical intimacy is even more so for both partners..."

"We've arrived." These four words, like water falling on ice crystals, interrupted Yun Che. Xia Qingyue had stopped before a large ice crystal door shrouded in an eerie white mist.

Xia Qingyue extended her palm and pressed it against the ice crystal door. A faint blue light flickered in her palm, and with a soft click, the tightly sealed ice crystal door silently swung open. A biting cold air rushed out, revealing an exceptionally spacious hall. However, this hall was not constructed with ice walls or ice bricks, but was paved with deep cyan-colored stones. The cold air carried a faint, familiar fragrance—the maidenly scent of Xia Qingyue. It seemed she spent a significant portion of her time in this place.

"This hall is called the 'Ice Soul Divine Hall'," Xia Qingyue said softly as she slowly walked inside. "It was the serene cultivation place of the Ice Cloud Ancestor, who also passed away here." As for Yun Che's earlier rambling, it seemed completely beyond her notice.

Yun Che quirked his lips, then made a subtle, air-grabbing motion towards Xia Qingyue's rear beneath her snowy veil, feeling a slight release of frustration before following her inside.

The hall was vast and empty. Its floor, walls, and ceiling were all uniformly paved with dark cyan stones that had a deep color and a faint, crystalline luster, reflecting light subtly like dark jade. Other than these stones, the entire hall was devoid of objects; there wasn't even a seat or a lamp stand.

"You usually practice here? It doesn't seem to have anything special about it," Yun Che said, looking around. Suddenly, his gaze settled on the far right side of the hall, and his eyes fixed on something. "What's that?" On the hall's far right was a circular, ring-shaped protrusion, about ten feet wide and half a foot high. Its color was indistinguishable from the rest of the hall, making it easy to overlook at first glance. From Yun Che's perspective, the top of the protrusion seemed to be carved with a special pattern.

"That is an escape profound formation left by the Ice Cloud Ancestor," Xia Qingyue explained, slightly turning her beautiful eyes. "When the sect faces disaster and is on the verge of ruin, this profound formation can be activated using the Ice Cloud Art. It contains the power to tear through space and, once activated, can transport one person to an unpredictable location. However, it can only transport one individual, and after activation, it requires a hundred years to absorb enough spatial energy to be used again. In other words, once used, it cannot be used again for a century." She added, "However, in the entire history of Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, this escape profound formation has never been used."

"Oh..." Yun Che took a few more glances at the peculiar profound formation, surprised that Ice Cloud Immortal Palace possessed such an escape profound formation capable of tearing through space and allowing someone to flee thousands of miles in a desperate situation. "You said earlier that the Ice Soul Divine Art's profound formula is inscribed here, but there's clearly nothing," Yun Che said, shifting his gaze.

Xia Qingyue said nothing. She raised both arms, and her jade-like palms simultaneously glowed with a cold, pale blue light. Instantly, rows of profound blue characters appeared on the previously smooth and flawless cyan stone wall in front of them. To the far right of the characters, four large blue words, like an arrangement of frosty crystals, emitted a chilling, soul-stirring radiance: ICE SOUL DIVINE ART!

Xia Qingyue lowered her arms, and as the blue light in her hands faded, all the characters on the wall vanished as well. Her voice soft and gentle, she explained, "By shining the profound energy light of the Ice Cloud Art onto the wall, the imprints of the Ice Soul Divine Art will appear. If one is not an Ice Cloud disciple, even if they came here, it would be impossible to obtain the profound formula for the Ice Soul Divine Art."

"I see," Yun Che said, enlightened.

"Additionally, the cyan stones in this hall are called 'Heavenly Stone Jade'," Xia Qingyue continued. "They are said to be divine stones from ancient times, nurtured by the power of true gods, making them incredibly hard. They cannot be cut by blades, shattered by ice, or melted by fire. Not even the power of a peak Monarch Profound practitioner can damage them in the slightest. Therefore, one can cultivate here using any technique without any concern of accidentally causing damage."

"Peak Monarch Profound... can't damage them?" Yun Che looked down at the stones beneath his feet, his face full of disbelief. Yet, upon inspection, he couldn't find a single damaged spot on any of the cyan stones within his view. Forget chips; not even a tiny scratch was discernible. Could these stones truly be as hard as Xia Qingyue claimed?

Without a second thought, and without even greeting Xia Qingyue, Yun Che grabbed Dragon Fault and casually smashed it downwards. *CLANG!!*

Though he was striking jade, Yun Che distinctly felt Dragon Fault collide with an impossibly hard steel plate. With a deafening clang, the over twenty thousand jin Dragon Fault was immediately bounced back, the recoil leaving Yun Che's wrist slightly numb. Yet, the spot where Dragon Fault had struck remained perfectly intact, without even the slightest visible mark. Yun Che was momentarily stunned. His arm strength was unparalleled, and Dragon Fault was a formidable Monarch Profound heavy sword, normally indestructible and unstoppable. Forget a mere stone; it could collapse a small mountain with a single strike. Yet now, it had failed to leave even a faint mark on a simple stone!

Yun Che's mouth twitched, and an agitated dragon's roar emanated from Dragon Fault itself. For a grand Monarch Profound heavy sword to be unable to leave a mark on a mere stone—even if Yun Che were willing to accept it, the sword's own consciousness would not be.

"I don't believe it!" A surge of defiance rose in Yun Che's chest, which he could no longer suppress. Gripping Dragon Fault with both hands, he activated "Burning Heart" and, with a fierce roar, slammed it downwards with ninety percent of his power. "Hah!!"

*CRASH!!!!* Space trembled, but the floor itself remained unshaken. The moment Dragon Fault collided with the Heavenly Stone Jade, an excruciatingly piercing clang nearly tore Yun Che's eardrums. A colossal recoil surged forth, forcing Yun Che's arm upwards and sending him staggering back several steps, his entire body's blood and qi boiling. Even Dragon Fault nearly flew from his grasp. Yet... the point of impact between Dragon Fault and the ground remained completely unblemished, without even the slightest mark.

Yun Che was utterly dumbfounded this time. "Holy cow! Stones this hard actually exist in this world!"