Chapter 1485: Companions

The Mortal Realm

The internal patterns of the Ice Demon Crystal were intricate and distinct, forming an enlarged snowflake. There was no trace of disorder, making it exceptionally beautiful.

Upon opening the ice casket, everyone immediately felt an astonishing chill.

Those closest to the Grand Elder subconsciously recoiled, and a large space instantly cleared around them. Even Nascent Soul cultivators reacted in this manner.

The low-level disciples, participating in the sacred land event for the first time, gazed at the sacred object with profound reverence, hastily activating their true essence for protection as a measure of comfort.

A flicker of surprise crossed Qin Sang's eyes. The moment he saw the Ice Demon Crystal, he felt an inexplicable pressure, faint yet undeniably present. The Ice Demon Crystal was clearly an inanimate object. That such an object, extracted from an ice demon's body countless years ago, still possessed this power, made one wonder what cultivation realm that ice demon had reached in its lifetime.

Tong Lingyu closed the ice casket, and true essence surged from her palm, branching into fine spiritual threads that wove intricate patterns. These patterns slowly imprinted themselves onto the Ice Demon Crystal. The patterns aligned perfectly with the internal textures of the Ice Demon Crystal, appearing entirely natural. Simultaneously, Tong Lingyu's lips moved subtly without emitting any sound; she was silently communicating with the Palace Lord. All the cultivators held their breath, their gazes fixed on the Ice Demon Crystal and the Grand Elder.

As Tong Lingyu continued, the Ice Demon Crystal gradually began to glow. The light, emanating from within, flickered erratically, indicating that the crystal's energy was becoming unstable. Tong Lingyu's movements grew increasingly swift, a dazzling blur. Eventually, the Ice Demon Crystal's true form became indistinct to the naked eye, transforming into a shimmering star that slowly ascended from Tong Lingyu's palm.

Qin Sang tilted his head back, his gaze following the rising Ice Demon Crystal. He was somewhat surprised that the sacred land was not hidden beneath the sea.

"Whoosh!"

The treasure carriage's tassels swayed, and a blue beam of light shot forth, striking the Ice Demon Crystal squarely. With a 'bang', the Ice Demon Crystal's ascent abruptly halted, exploding mid-air into an intensely deep blue light, like blossoming fireworks! A tremendous wave of energy surged forth. In that instant, even the surrounding hurricanes seemed to freeze.

Qin Sang's gaze suddenly shifted from the Ice Demon Crystal to the void above. The moment the Ice Demon Crystal erupted, a peculiar fluctuation, never felt before, emanated from the void. Initially, only Nascent Soul cultivators could perceive it. Gradually, the disciples' gazes were also drawn upwards. The phenomenon had finally arrived, immediately eliciting gasps of astonishment.

With the Ice Demon Crystal at its center, a black line, visible to the naked eye, spread out from the void. Immediately after, the void cracked along this line, like a giant black maw, swallowing the Ice Demon Crystal!

"Rumble!"

The hurricane suddenly intensified violently. Even Nascent Soul cultivators, protecting their respective juniors, felt somewhat strained. These terrifying hurricanes, upon encountering the rift, were directly devoured by it, without causing the slightest ripple. This scene greatly resembled an enormous spatial rift. However, there were no spatial currents here; the rift's interior was filled with dense, dark clouds that blotted out the sky, making it impossible to discern the scene within.

The rift extended through the entire hurricane belt; their current position was merely a small section of it. Hurricanes raged everywhere, obstructing visibility, making it impossible to see the end of the rift. The rift continued to expand, while the Ice Demon Crystal's glow gradually faded, eventually exhausting its power before the Grand Elder returned it to the ice casket and resealed it. It became clear then that above them, the dark clouds within the rift were slightly thinner, allowing faint glimpses of magnificent mountain silhouettes inside. That was the sacred land, and this was its entrance.

Upon seeing the sacred land, a murmur of excitement rippled through the crowd, their faces reflecting anticipation. Just then, the Chongming Bird let out a cry and pulled the treasure carriage back, clearing the path. Qin Sang was startled and sent a voice transmission to Hall Master Jiang, asking, "Is the Palace Lord not entering the sacred land?"

Hall Master Jiang nodded and explained, "It was the same the previous two times. The Palace Lord's cultivation is peerless; there are no longer any treasures within the sacred land that can attract him."

As they spoke, the dark clouds within the rift swirled, and the central area grew increasingly thin. Tong Lingyu seized the opportunity and led everyone rushing towards the rift. Qin Sang and Liu Li walked side by side, having already awakened their Heavenly Eye Butterfly to peer through the dark clouds and observe the scene within the sacred land.

Just then, Qin Sang suddenly felt a disturbance in his Nascent Soul within his dantian. The kill-sword fragment stored there vibrated for the first time. His gaze momentarily froze, then instantly returned to normal, unnoticed by anyone. Yet, his heart was already filled with immense joy. After remaining dormant for so long, the sword spirit reacted for the first time, transmitting a yearning thought. The Xuantian Palace Sacred Land truly holds a kill-sword fragment!

Qin Sang suppressed his joy and immersed his consciousness into his dantian, finding that the kill-sword fragment had vibrated only once before falling silent again. The sword spirit's thought was simple and urgent, containing no precise information, only indicating a general direction. Qin Sang could feel that transmitting even this simple thought had been extremely strenuous for the sword spirit, revealing how slow and arduous its recovery process truly was. From now on, Qin Sang would need to explore on his own. He wondered if the sword spirit would recover enough later to provide further guidance.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Qin Sang drew closer and closer to the rift. His expression remained unchanged as he silently activated the power of his Heavenly Eye, gazing into the depths of the dark clouds!

Just before the sacred land opened, in an unknown sea region, a Black Dragon Treasure Ship was docked. This colossal treasure ship, a rarity in the world, was currently moored at the very edge of the hurricane belt. Compared to the sky-obscuring curtain of hurricanes, the ship seemed incredibly small and vulnerable. Incredibly powerful auras emanated from the ship, though they were deliberately restrained. It was hard to imagine that so many Nascent Soul-level experts were gathered on a single vessel.

Enormous waves surged and crashed against the Black Dragon Treasure Ship. The Black Dragon Treasure Ship remained perfectly still, as if awaiting something.

At the bow, Old Man Hunmo stood with his hands behind his back, his profound gaze fixed on the storm belt. Just then, his eldest disciple approached, stopped behind Old Man Hunmo, bowed, and said, "Master, there was almost another commotion inside."

"Still those demon kings?" Old Man Hunmo remained gazing at the storm belt, his expression unruffled.

The eldest disciple grunted in affirmation, then indignantly added, "The Great Sage Heavenly Peng is clearly indulging them; those demon kings are becoming increasingly rampant!"

Old Man Hunmo chuckled. "The two races have always been like fire and water, with deep blood feuds between them. It would be truly strange if they could coexist peacefully. The Great Sage Heavenly Peng's cooperation with this old man is solely for the sake of the Xuantian Palace Sacred Land."

As he spoke, Old Man Hunmo took out a jade slip and tossed it to his eldest disciple. "This jade slip contains information this old man has gathered about the various treasure grounds within the Xuantian Palace Sacred Land," he said. "The time should be drawing near, so it's fine to inform Yu Yi Yuanjun and the others now. Advise them to be patient for a little longer. When the time comes, whether they can snatch treasures from the Xuantian Palace will depend on their own abilities."