Chapter 1633: Wuxin Pavilion

Wuxia and Xianxia

The ethereal blue light illuminated every corner of the ice palace. For a long time, the ice palace's appearance had remained unchanged, resting quietly within the Immortal Gate's relics. Without intruders, the ethereal blue light barely flickered. Only where the Odd-faced Man and the Weeping Spirit Cave Master passed did the ethereal blue color in the light suddenly deepen, constantly assailing them with relic formation power.

"Bang!""Boom!"

The gate of one of the ice palaces was blasted off, slamming heavily to the ground and shattering into pieces. A green wave surged out from the ice palace, causing nearby runes to dissipate and the maintaining restrictive power to collapse. Immediately after, the two walked through the empty doorway and emerged.

A ball of green light, a wooden bead, floated before the Odd-faced Man's chest. The wooden bead had just retracted its spiritual glow; it was this treasure that had just blasted away the ice palace gate and shattered the restrictions here. As the two stepped out of the ice palace, they immediately felt the pressure intensify. They instinctively looked up to see the sky's light bearing down on them. The light was somber, and the heavy pressure was suffocating. Breaking the ice palace gate had clearly triggered a chain reaction in the relic formation.

The Weeping Spirit Cave Master unhurriedly formed a hand seal. The red flower artifact hovering above his head gently vibrated, emitting a soft force that lifted upwards, supporting the downward-pressing sky light. The Weeping Spirit Cave Master did not confront the relic formation directly but rather used gentleness to overcome rigidity. After enduring for a moment, the sky light naturally calmed, and the pressure dissipated.

The spirit formation was incomplete; among the various ice palaces, some were intact, while others were severely damaged. The relic formation was fragmented and could not form a unified whole. They only needed to deal with the relic formation power within a certain surrounding range, being careful not to make too large movements. It was not a very difficult task to handle. For the two, the threat within the ice palace was even less than that of the Kylin Shadow Screen.

"There aren't many palaces left inside. Based on the layout of the Wood Phase Hall, the remaining ones should all be core palaces, similar to the Ancestor Hall..."The Weeping Spirit Cave Master estimated the distance they had traveled within the ice palace, noting they were already close to its core. The Odd-faced Man still hadn't found the unknown treasure wood.

"The aura is still ahead," the Odd-faced Man's sensing became clearer. "It won't be too far!"

The Weeping Spirit Cave Master rubbed his hands together. "It seems that treasure wood is of high value, and the Water Phase lineage treasures it greatly. By following its aura, we can not only obtain the treasure wood but also have a chance to find the Water Phase lineage's treasury, making a huge fortune. It's truly killing two birds with one stone!"

"If we find the treasury, that treasure wood will be mine, and the Cave Master can choose other treasures first."The Odd-faced Man was not greedy. For their upcoming trip to Emperor's Grant Mountain, the Weeping Spirit Cave Master was an indispensable helper, and it wasn't worth falling out over the Water Phase lineage's treasury.

"I thank you in advance, fellow Daoist."The Weeping Spirit Cave Master laughed heartily, quickened his pace to catch up with the Odd-faced Man, and entered the next palace.

Not long after they left, a figure flashed and gradually solidified before the shattered gate; it was Qin Sang's true self. He stood openly beneath the ethereal blue light, yet suffered no attacks.

"What a pity. These two don't seem to be planning to split up. Otherwise, it would be much easier to defeat them one by one..."Qin Sang looked in the direction the two had left, thoughts flickering in his mind, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes. He had clearly developed killing intent.

The Odd-faced Man's divine abilities were too strange; he could even sense Qin Sang's clone, despite it being hidden in the ice palace's dark hall. Moreover, this person coveted the clone's body relentlessly, making him a constant threat in the future. Previously, the Odd-faced Man's energy was focused on the Formless Immortal Gate. Once this matter was resolved and he had free time, he would inevitably target the clone. Having gained benefits from the Formless Immortal Gate, his future strength would be hard to gauge.

Qin Sang could not simply hand over the Path-Evolving Tree, nor could he constantly remain on guard, never allowing his clone to leave his main body. One coveted the spirit tree. One had to protect the clone. The animosity between them could no longer be resolved! Qin Sang understood the principle of striking first and would not sit idly by. At this moment, with the enemy in the open and himself in the dark, even though the opponent had a helper, it was an opportunity not to be missed, worth trying! Qin Sang's figure flickered and vanished.

Meanwhile, inside the dark hall, the clone sat cross-legged beside the ice platform, its mind fully focused on the relic formation. Through the relic formation, the clone could perceive the actions of those within the spirit formation, thus knowing the movements of the Odd-faced Man and the Weeping Spirit Cave Master like the back of its hand. As expected, the two were heading directly for the Ancestor Hall, getting closer and closer! The true self followed behind them. None of their actions could escape the clone's perception. With the clone's assistance, the true self calmly tracked the two, unafraid of being discovered.

"Almost there..." the clone murmured to itself, its expression growing more serious.

The relic formations corresponding to the treasure flag and the damaged flags were located near the Ancestor Hall, ahead of the Odd-faced Man and the Weeping Spirit Cave Master. Qin Sang planned to set an ambush there. At this point, only two rows of palaces separated him from the two! A great battle was on the verge of breaking out. In this battle, the Odd-faced Man must be left behind; the Weeping Spirit Cave Master was secondary. Of course, if both could be slain, Qin Sang would not hesitate in the slightest. Fighting two top experts alone, even with the advantage of timing and terrain, Qin Sang dared not relax in the slightest. His mind was taut, having rehearsed the scenario countless times in a short period. A tense atmosphere filled the dark hall, the void almost solidified. The treasure flag's surface was taut, its spiritual light flickering erratically, finally having a chance to enter battle and slay enemies after ten thousand years of dormancy!

In the blink of an eye, the Odd-faced Man and the Weeping Spirit Cave Master passed through another palace. Only one row of palaces separated them from the ambush site! Qin Sang's true self abandoned his previously relaxed pace, suddenly accelerating and rushing through the rows of palaces at top speed, closing in on the enemies! A great battle was imminent! At this critical moment, as the Odd-faced Man and the Weeping Spirit Cave Master passed through the ice garden between two rows of palaces, just about to enter the main hall of the last row of palaces, the Odd-faced Man suddenly noticed a pavilion in a corner of the ice garden, letting out a soft exclamation, "Heartless Pavilion!"

The two stopped short, pausing before the last row of palaces. Qin Sang and his clone nearly swore aloud.

"Do you recognize this spirit pavilion, fellow Daoist?" the Weeping Spirit Cave Master asked, looking in the direction.

The Odd-faced Man nodded. "I recall reading an ancient text that recorded anecdotes of some extraordinarily talented seniors from the Five Lineages, among whom was a Venerable Heartless from the Water Phase lineage. The Formless Immortal Gate didn't confine itself to Buddhism, Daoism, or anything else. It's said this person was a Buddhist cultivator who once sealed his cultivation, bearing only a begging bowl and a kasaya, to undergo arduous cultivation among mortals. Upon his return, he constructed a Heartless Pavilion in the Ice Instrument Palace, where he secluded himself for a century. He achieved great enlightenment and ascended to the Deity Transformation Stage upon emerging from seclusion, a truly remarkable tale!"

"This Heartless Pavilion is a Deity Transformation cultivation ground?"The Weeping Spirit Cave Master's eyes lit up. He scanned it up and down, saw that the Heartless Pavilion was intact, and eagerly rushed forward. The Odd-faced Man hesitated for a moment, then also flashed forward to follow.

Compared to the other palaces, the Heartless Pavilion was not tall, only two stories high, nestled in a corner of the ice garden. There was nothing remarkable about it, which likely explains why it went unnoticed and thus escaped destruction. Arriving before the Heartless Pavilion, the Odd-faced Man and the Weeping Spirit Cave Master fumbled around for a while, finding a weakness in the Heartless Pavilion's entrance restriction. One controlled the wooden bead, the other conjured a wooden thorn, and they jointly broke open the door.

A golden light suddenly appeared. Buddhist light formed a wall of light, but some areas of the wall were thick, while others were thin. The two had sharp eyes, attacking precisely where the Buddhist light was weakest.

"Crack!"

The wall of light was continuously eroded by the two, the Buddhist light growing dimmer and dimmer until it was torn open with a rending sound. A vine shot through the light wall and pushed open the Heartless Pavilion's door. Seeing no abnormalities, the two also stepped inside.

However, they soon emerged from the Heartless Pavilion with expressions of disappointment. Inside the Heartless Pavilion, there was only a meditation cushion, an incense burner, and a censer of incense ash. Where were the Deity Transformation relics? That Venerable Heartless had truly immersed himself completely in the mortal world; the meditation cushion and incense burner were surprisingly mundane objects, made of very common materials, not even considered artifacts. The Deity Transformation cultivation ground was truly a misnomer!

The two had wasted their time. Their gaze swept over the row of palaces, their interest greatly diminished. Finding the treasure wood and treasury was the main priority. They walked out of the Heartless Pavilion, no longer returning to the main hall, but instead chose a nearby small path, breaking through restrictions along the way to pass through this row of palaces.

What seemed like an ordinary action, however, caused Qin Sang's true self and clone to change expressions. Behind this row of palaces was an ice lake. Mist drifted over the ice lake, and several jade bridges spanned its banks. Coupled with a central island and pavilions, they appeared and disappeared amidst the cold mist, like a celestial realm. Despite some damage, the flaws did not obscure its beauty. Strangely, though it was a single lake, some areas were frozen, while others had clear ripples. This ice lake was precisely the area controlled by the treasure flag! The frozen areas were due to the incomplete spirit formation, where the formation power overflowed and caused an effect. The areas that were not frozen, appearing calm, were precisely where the spirit formation was most intact and could be manipulated by the treasure flag. Under the clone's deliberate concealment, there was no spiritual formation fluctuation on the ice surface.

The jade bridge connecting to the main hall, which ran almost through the center of the water, was the perfect choice for an ambush. Had the two not been attracted by the Heartless Pavilion and suddenly changed their route, they would have certainly passed over this jade bridge and fallen into the trap. Qin Sang could have fully leveraged the spirit formation's power to separate them and defeat them one by one. But they had taken a small path, stepping onto another jade bridge! No matter how perfect a plan, accidents are always unavoidable. Qin Sang, having cultivated for many years, already understood this principle and was not emotionally affected. His mind raced, contemplating countermeasures.

In a flash, the two figures appeared by the ice lake shore. After pausing for a moment, they saw that the ethereal blue light around the ice lake was no different from elsewhere, with no abnormalities. They selected a jade bridge and walked onto it. This jade bridge was not far from the one connected to the main hall. However, the scenery beneath the two jade bridges was vastly different. Beneath the bridge they chose was an ice surface. Fortunately, the ice on the right side was not extensive and was close to the water surface, putting it at the edge of the treasure flag's control. However, top experts like them react extremely quickly. Once the clone activated the spirit formation and triggered anomalies, they would immediately react. It would be nearly impossible to pull them both into the formation. In the blink of an eye, the two were almost at the middle of the jade bridge. Once they crossed the ice lake, the Ancestor Hall was not far ahead, and there would be no more opportunities for an ambush. Qin Sang had to make an immediate decision.

On the jade bridge, the Odd-faced Man and the Weeping Spirit Cave Master walked side by side. The Odd-faced Man was on the left, and the Weeping Spirit Cave Master was on the right, closest to the water. If Qin Sang made a move, he could only pull the latter into the formation; the Odd-faced Man would likely be able to escape.

"To be safe, I can only deal with one first! It will be him!"Qin Sang made a decisive choice, unwilling to give up this prime opportunity. He still decided to act, believing that even if he couldn't stop the Odd-faced Man, crippling his associate would be beneficial, and he could then figure out how to deal with the Odd-faced Man later!

Inside the dark hall, the clone's palm pressed tightly against the ice disk, ready to activate the relic formation at any moment. Qin Sang's true self had also stealthily reached the ice lake shore.

"Most of the buildings here are preserved, and there are fewer traces of battle..." the Weeping Spirit Cave Master observed the surroundings of the ice lake, communicating with the Odd-faced Man.

The Odd-faced Man hummed in agreement, looking down at the ice lake. He grew a little more wary of the deeply chilling ice surface, and just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt something was amiss. The next moment, the ice lake abruptly began to boil.

Inside the dark hall, the clone's palm slammed down, and his entire body's true essence surged out frantically, pouring into the ice disk. The illusionary realm within the ice disk changed in an instant. Visible streams of chilling evil qi rapidly flowed within the ice disk, their aura overflowing. A thin layer of ice crept onto the ice platform, threatening to freeze the clone's arm. Just then, the ice platform suddenly lit up, its light bursting forth to a dazzling degree. The chilling, eerie glow illuminated the entire dark hall as if it were daylight.

A powerful suction force simultaneously erupted from within the ice platform."Crack, crack, crack..."The newly formed thin ice shattered one after another. All the chilling evil qi was immediately absorbed by the ice platform, and the coldness in the dark hall significantly diminished. The ice platform could absorb spiritual veins to replenish the ice disk's energy, while also serving as a medium between the ice disk and the grand formation of the ice palace. Activated by the clone, the ice platform transformed into a suction force. The chilling evil qi from the ice disk was continuously absorbed, flowing downwards through the ice disk, finally injecting into the formation's core. In an instant, the spirit formation runes flickered in succession. Guided by the clone, the chilling evil qi gathered into streams, flowing towards the location of the treasure flag. Even the damaged flags were not spared. Qin Sang had always been like this: once he decided to act, he held nothing back! He would not hesitate to cause the entire grand formation of the ice palace to collapse, activating both the damaged flags and the treasure flag!

"Whoosh, whoosh..."The treasure flag's surface tautened as chilling evil qi was injected into its interior via the spirit formation. The treasure flag's form immediately changed drastically, transforming into chilling evil flags, emanating profound coldness and overwhelming power. At the same time, "clanging" sounds rang out. These sounds came from the other damaged flags. Some damaged flags had lost their banners entirely, leaving only bare flagpoles. As soon as the chilling evil qi was injected, the flagpoles vibrated wildly, and clear cracks appeared on their bodies. The clone, multitasking, exerted all its effort to control the chilling evil qi, trying to make the damaged flags last as long as possible. And at this moment, above the ice lake, the power of the spirit formation had already erupted!

"Rumble!"The calm lake surface was suddenly torn apart, waves surged, and pillars of water shot towards the sky. All the power of the relic formation, under the clone's manipulation, surged towards this area. The ethereal blue light converged frantically above the ice lake. Covered by the dense sky light, the ice lake instead grew dim.

"Boom!"The water pillars crashed into the sky light. Though there were clearly no frozen areas, a boundless cold wind, visible as white currents, swept in from unknown origins, raging above the water surface. Illusions dissipated, chilling evil qi soared to the heavens! In an instant, the ice lake completely transformed into a realm of extreme cold.

The Weeping Spirit Cave Master was right at the edge of the cold wind!"Be careful!" the Odd-faced Man let out a furious roar, crying out inwardly, "This is bad!"Throughout their journey, they had provoked the relic formation's counterattacks countless times and had largely grasped its patterns. This kind of phenomenon was clearly not spontaneously formed by the relic formation.