Chapter 1626: Qilin Shadow Wall

The terrain within the Ice Instrument Palace was not particularly complex. Besides two paths leading to the side halls, the central path was almost entirely straight, leading directly to the innermost palace. Along the way, there were several small offshoots leading to what appeared to be living quarters and smaller halls. These were likely less important areas, probably dwelling caves and other functional halls prepared for Ice Palace disciples. After broadly understanding the layout of the Ice Instrument Palace, the avatar rarely paused.

He continued until he exited the forest. The avatar saw a courtyard ahead, with a screen wall standing at its entrance. The screen wall was adorned solely with depictions of Qilins, eight in total. Each Qilin had a different posture, seemingly playing in the ripples of a river: some with heads held high, others bowed; some standing still, others leaping, showcasing a variety of movements. It was a vivid "Qilin Playing in Water" mural.

Years of neglect had left the screen wall's colors faded and its patterns mottled, giving it an ancient and dilapidated appearance. Passing around the sides of the screen wall, one could glimpse parts of the courtyard: pavilions, waterside structures, stone sculptures, and artificial mountains. It was quite elegant, suggesting it was once a place of recreation for Ice Instrument Palace cultivators.

Similar to the small lake encountered earlier, there were no strong restrictions here. The courtyard lay abandoned, and even a section of the Qilin screen wall had collapsed, implying there should have been more Qilins in the original depiction. However, beyond the screen wall, the avatar could see a sky-filling, ethereal blue light emanating from deep within the courtyard, mesmerizing and clearly indicating the presence of powerful formations or restrictions. This was undoubtedly good news. If the Ice Instrument Palace's formations had been completely destroyed, all treasures within would surely have been plundered.

The avatar instinctively scanned the area for abnormalities, finding none. Without stopping, he was about to dart into the courtyard when his expression suddenly changed dramatically, his eyes instantly turning pure white.

*Whoosh!*

A vast, white cold light shot forth, directly engulfing the screen wall. Without hesitation, he unleashed his Ice Soul Divine Light!

Simultaneously, the screen wall glowed intensely, instantly transforming into a transparent ice wall. Then, streaks of cold light burst from the screen wall, rushing directly towards him. Within the cold light were surprisingly a multitude of Ice Qilins. At this moment, the original Qilin figures on the screen wall had vanished. These Qilins had come alive at some unknown point, emerging from the screen wall. Each was ferociously formidable, exuding a menacing aura.

The avatar hadn't detected any abnormality in the screen wall before the Qilins attacked, unaware that even the remaining half of the screen wall concealed a profound secret. Fortunately, the avatar maintained constant vigilance and secretly accumulated power. Given the unknown situation, his first move was to unleash the Ice Soul Divine Light. Instantly, the two beams of cold light clashed. The leading Ice Qilin directly collided with the Ice Soul Divine Light.

Although the Ice Soul Divine Light appeared less imposing than the Ice Qilin, upon contact, it suppressed the Qilin's icy aura. A cracking sound echoed as the Qilin was frozen solid into a block of ice. The Ice Qilin was sealed within the ice on the spot.

However, the avatar knew well that freezing just one Ice Qilin was insignificant. The vital energies of all the Ice Qilins were connected to the screen wall, forming a cohesive whole. A combined attack from eight Ice Qilins would undoubtedly be far more terrifying than a single one. Furthermore, unless the screen wall was destroyed or the power of its restrictions exhausted, these Qilins were immortal.

Even with the ability to protect himself, the avatar couldn't afford to get entangled with the Ice Qilins here. Just as he was contemplating a forceful breakthrough, he witnessed a strange scene. After seeing the Ice Soul Divine Light, the ferocity in the eyes of the remaining seven Ice Qilins significantly diminished. They appeared hesitant, seemingly pondering whether to rescue their companion. For a moment, they abandoned their aggressive stance and merely circled in front of him.

Seeing this, the avatar's expression subtly changed. The Ice Soul Divine Light was refined with the aid of the mysterious ice disk, and thus carried a unique chilling malevolent aura!

The good fortune was short-lived. After a brief hesitation, the ferocity in the Ice Qilins' eyes regained dominance. With a shrill roar, they pounced forward. Instead of advancing, the avatar retreated, his sleeves billowing as the mysterious ice disk spun and flew before him. With the shielding secret art withdrawn, the aura of the mysterious ice disk was fully revealed!

The Ice Qilins' forward momentum instantly ceased. They then collectively displayed joy, and to the avatar's astonished gaze, they circled the ice disk reverently, emitting clear chirping sounds. Ignoring the avatar completely, they retreated into the screen wall, transforming back into the ordinary "Qilin Playing in Water" mural.

"This treasure is indeed greatly connected to the Ice Instrument Palace!"

Having easily overcome a crisis, the avatar discovered a new power of the mysterious ice disk, greatly uplifting his spirits. He speculated that the chilling malevolent aura carried by the Ice Soul Divine Light was too faint to be recognized, and only upon seeing the true form of the treasure did these Ice Qilins abandon their attack.

Thinking this, the avatar simply left the mysterious ice disk exposed. He glanced at the now dormant screen wall, pondered for a moment, then turned and waved his hand towards the forest. The next moment, several streaks of white light flew out successively—all identical ice bees. These ice bees, entirely composed of transparent profound ice, melted silently into the avatar's hand, disappearing without a trace. This was a warning secret art obtained from the Mysterious Heaven Palace. The avatar had left them outside to detect if anyone entered the Ice Palace unaware. Although the Ice Palace and the Langhuan Jade Pavilion were not far apart, it was always better to be cautious. Since the screen wall was here, there was no need for such a superfluous action, which might instead expose him and make the other party wary.

The Ice Qilins were deterred by the ice disk before a true confrontation. By simply erasing the fluctuations caused by the Ice Soul Divine Light, no trace would remain here. This also indirectly proved that he was likely the first to enter; others without the mysterious ice disk would find it difficult to avoid leaving traces when dealing with the Ice Qilins' attack.

After tying up loose ends, the avatar bypassed the screen wall and entered the courtyard. After some travel, he finally reached the source of the ethereal blue light, which was the core of the Ice Instrument Palace and the main body of the Ice Palace's manifestation.

What greeted his eyes was a ruined palace, entirely constructed from profound ice. Illuminated by the ethereal blue light, it appeared dreamlike. The avatar stood at the base of the profound ice steps, looking up. Nine ice pillars stood before the palace entrance, each supported by a sculpture of a different water-element divine beast. Only three remained intact, the others having shattered. The palace's main gate was also gone, allowing a direct view into the interior. Above, a broken plaque remained, bearing only the characters 'Water Aspect'. The missing character was presumably 'Palace' or 'Hall'.

"It truly is the Water Lineage!"

With this confirmation, the avatar secretly nodded. Mindful of the lesson learned at the screen wall, the avatar kept the mysterious ice disk hovering above his head as he ascended the steps one by one. The avatar gazed at the ethereal blue light suspended above the palace. It seemed solidified, showing no signs of disturbance even as he approached the palace entrance. He wondered if the ethereal blue light was merely a reflection from the Ice Palace, or if he hadn't yet entered its sensing range.

The avatar hesitated briefly, then entered the palace. He floated above the ground, careful not to touch anything. The palace interior could only be described as riddled with holes, bearing extensive marks of battle. One could imagine how fierce the war must have been back then. The restrictions here were severely damaged, and skeletons lay exposed, having decayed into dust. However, many fragments of magic treasures remained to this day, though they had lost their power.

"This must have been the main battlefield of the Ice Instrument Palace..."

The avatar envisioned the old scenes in his mind as he silently proceeded. The palace's scope was even vaster than it appeared from the outside, with grand halls connected one after another. Almost none had survived the war unscathed. The avatar's pace quickened. After traversing through numerous halls, he estimated he was nearing the deepest part of the palace when he suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of pressure and involuntarily stopped.

At this moment, he stood in a corridor between two palace halls. The ethereal blue light cascaded down, painting everything in shades of blue. The pressure originated from the ethereal blue light. Simultaneously, the avatar noticed that the traces of war extended further, not stopping here, but the signs of combat had become noticeably sparser. As the avatar walked, he sensed the changes in the ethereal blue light. He found that while he couldn't control the restrictions here through the mysterious ice disk, as long as he didn't make any aggressive moves, the restrictions wouldn't actively attack him. This emboldened the avatar, and he quickly passed through the corridor.

Arriving before the next palace hall, the avatar was startled. An eye was watching him through a gap in the hall's door! He instinctively slowed his pace, observing carefully, only to realize it was merely a statue. He transformed his true essence into a hand and pushed open the hall door, finally seeing the statue in its entirety. The statue was almost as tall as the palace, seated serenely, with hands resting on its lap. Its left hand formed a complex mudra, and its right hand held a whisk, giving it a detached and ethereal air.

"Not a deity statue!"

Based on his experience, this was likely the ancestral master statue of the Water Lineage. The offering table before the ancestral master statue had been overturned, and even the statue itself was severely damaged. There was a prominent saber scar on its head, which had directly flattened its right eye and half of its face. Only the left eye remained, watching over this silent ruin for countless years. Perhaps, the Ice Palace was personally constructed by this ancestral master.

In this scene, Qin Sang was suddenly moved. The avatar sighed, bowed to the ancestral master statue, and looked around. He found that there was another hall behind the statue, but its door was closed. The avatar hastened over and tried to push the door, but was repelled by a force. Then, a blue light wall shimmered into existence on the door.

"The restrictions here are still active..."

The avatar stepped back two paces, intending to have the ice disk help him open this door, but ultimately failed. However, there was good news: when the restrictive counterattack touched the ice disk, it would dissipate on its own. The avatar did not need to worry about backlash when breaking the restriction, further confirming his judgment that the ice disk was extremely important to the Water Lineage!

*Swish!*

The Ice Soul Divine Light reappeared. The next moment, the door appeared to be covered in a layer of white frost. Cracking sounds of ice continuously echoed, and the ice layer grew thicker, freezing the light wall. Immediately after, a glint of saber light burst from the avatar's palm. The saber aura illuminated the hall, and with lightning speed, it fiercely struck the center of the ice layer.

The light wall vibrated, and a visible ripple of energy abruptly swept out. The restrictive backlash was exceptionally fierce and caused a reaction throughout the entire palace, and the ethereal blue light also began to show abnormalities. Seeing the unusual phenomenon about to erupt, the avatar immediately propelled the ice disk forward. Upon contact with the ice disk, the backlash dissipated instantly, and the ethereal blue light quickly calmed down.

The avatar's expression eased slightly, but he saw the light wall still resisting stubbornly. With a thought, he immediately changed his hand seals, and then a small seal slowly rose into the air. To save time, he directly summoned his spiritual treasure. Cold flames surged like a tide. A Tengshe detached from the Four-Riding Tengshe Seal, its body rapidly shrinking to arm-size. It wiggled its delicate form, pressing close to the Snow-Treading Divine Blade, and charged head-on into the light wall!

*Boom!*

The cold light was blinding. The sound of shattering intensified. The avatar deployed almost all his divine abilities and treasures, finally blasting open the light wall! The restrictive backlash was also blocked by the ice disk, leaving the avatar unharmed. After the fluctuations subsided slightly, he darted through the light wall and pried open the door with the Snow-Treading Divine Blade.

*Crash!*

As the door opened, the avatar saw a skeleton behind the crack. Its empty eye sockets faced outwards as it toppled forward. The avatar's gaze narrowed slightly. He immediately wielded the Snow-Treading Divine Blade to guard himself, only to see the skeleton fall to the ground and instantly weather into white ash. Although the time was short, the avatar keenly observed a wound on the skeleton's spine, almost severing it at the chest. The skeleton had no belongings; a pile of white ash was the last trace it left in the world. It was unclear if it belonged to a cultivator of the Water Lineage or an enemy.

The avatar stepped over the ashes. Behind the door was another palace hall, no smaller in scale than the front hall. Ice walls separated different chambers, and a little less than half of the doors were open. The avatar entered and surveyed the ice walls on either side. The ice walls had a blocking effect, preventing a clear view of what was beyond. He quickened his steps, reaching the first open door, pushed it open, and was surprised.

Shelves made of profound ice filled the chamber, divided into ice compartments of varying sizes. This reminded Qin Sang of the Mysterious Heaven Palace's treasury. As expected, this was the Water Lineage's treasury! Most of the ice compartments were empty, but a considerable number of treasures remained in place. The vast majority were spiritual materials like precious metals and stones, all invaluable and rare materials hard to find outside.

"Radiant God Stone, Human-Faced Ghost Jade, Purple Soft Gold..."

Although there were no unique, rare treasures, their sheer quantity still represented a significant fortune. Unbeknownst to him, the majority of the treasures in the treasury had been taken during the great chaos to forge magic treasures, magical tools, and array instruments to resist the enemy. Otherwise, Qin Sang's current haul could have rivaled that of a major sect.

The avatar, without ceremony, swept the treasury clean. He continued to search other chambers but gradually showed disappointment. There were chambers in the treasury for storing spiritual medicines, spiritual elixirs, and magic treasures, but not many remained. The most well-preserved was the Transmission Hall, where cultivation techniques and secret arts were stored. The avatar gained a rich harvest here. A quick glance revealed that most were water-elemental, encompassing Daoist, Buddhist, and demonic arts—truly all-encompassing. The avatar found several secret arts that were quite useful to him.

However, in Qin Sang's estimation, these were insufficient to support the Formless Immortal Sect lineage, indicating that the true inheritance had already been taken! The origin of the ice disk and the two spiritual elixirs remained a complete mystery, and he was unwilling to give up. Furthermore, he hadn't yet found the core of the Ice Palace's grand array, meaning there must still be more secrets here!

After searching for a while, the avatar indeed found a hidden passage at the end of the treasury, leading straight downwards. Not long after, he discovered several skeletons lying in the passage. The avatar paused, observing them, and noticed that one of them was different from the others. This particular skeleton had more injuries than the rest, but the avatar judged that it was the last one to survive. The skeleton sat cross-legged in a corner, leaning against the stone wall, looking up at the sky. Though its empty eye sockets couldn't convey its emotions in life, a sense of desolation welled up in the avatar's heart.

Around it, some miscellaneous items and jade bottles were scattered. The jade bottles had originally contained spiritual elixirs. Beneath it was a spiritual formation used for healing. However, none of these could prolong its life. It was unknown what this person's cultivation level was during their life, but they ultimately died alone here. In front of it, several items were solemnly placed: jade slips, magic treasures, and some unusual tokens, along with an eight-character dying message: "This disciple is incompetent, shaming the ancestors!"