Chapter 1835: Abnormal Mutation

Two days later, the Ice Elk Boat appeared over a vast, boundless glacier. Ahead of them was a gigantic fissure, 100,000 zhang long and over a hundred zhang wide, making the ground seem as if it had been split in two.

"Seniors, this is the Wind and Snow Abyss," Liu Tong explained, pointing to the fissure with an uneasy expression. "It's said that fifth-tier demonic beasts lurk deep within, and there are also many ancient restrictions left behind."

He knew very well that he was serving as cannon fodder to scout ahead. If they didn't encounter any restrictions, it would be fine, but if they ran into powerful ones, he would be the first to die.

Shangguan Tianhong and Wang Changsheng released their spiritual sense to investigate. The area imposed significant restrictions on spiritual sense; after extending a few miles, it became blurry.

"Let's go! Be extra careful," Shangguan Tianhong instructed.

Liu Tong responded, and with a flick of his wrist, the Ice Elk Boat immediately soared into the Wind and Snow Abyss.

The ice walls on both sides were uneven, even reflecting light.

After a while, they landed. The ground was also covered in ice, and they had clearly entered a world of ice and snow; everything within sight was pure white.

Wang Yingjie shivered. Even with the protection of his body-guarding spiritual light, bone-chilling cold still seeped into him.

He patted a red jade pendant on his chest. The pendant emitted a dazzling red light, and a red barrier appeared out of nowhere. He felt warmth spread through his body, and the cold suddenly vanished. This was a special treasure Wang Changsheng had given him, specifically for repelling cold.

Red flames erupted from Chen Hong's right fist, and the nearby temperature instantly rose. He smashed his fist towards the ground. With a dull rumble, several small cracks appeared on the surface.

It was unknown how long the ice layer had been there. The fact that Chen Hong's punch only caused a few cracks indicated that this was no ordinary ice.

Not only was it incredibly cold here, but it also severely restricted cultivators' spiritual sense.

They continued forward, encountering multiple forks in the path that led to different places. With Liu Tong guiding them, they didn't encounter any danger. If outsiders came here, they truly wouldn't know where the various passages led.

A day later, a giant pit, several hundred zhang wide and over a hundred zhang deep, appeared before them. Inside the pit, there was a fork leading to different areas.

Liu Tong headed towards the left-hand passage, and Wang Changsheng and the others followed.

After walking for a while, the path ahead narrowed, only wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side. The terrain sloped downwards, feeling like they were descending a landslide.

After about fifteen minutes, the path suddenly opened up, revealing a massive canyon. At the entrance to the canyon were over a dozen thick ice pillars.

Liu Tong released a snow-white ferret, letting it go ahead. The white ferret wagged its tail and entered the canyon without any anomalies.

Wang Changsheng's brows furrowed slightly. Wang Xin's right fist suddenly glowed with dazzling golden light, and he smashed it towards the rock wall on the left.

With a dull thud, a faint white shadow flickered into view. It was a gaunt white demonic beast with a relatively small head and limbs as thin as bamboo poles, giving it a somewhat strange appearance.

This was a third-tier high-grade demonic beast. If not for Wang Changsheng's powerful spiritual sense, they truly wouldn't have detected it.

A red light descended from the sky, striking the beast. After a thunderous roar, surging flames engulfed the beast's body. The beast let out a wail, then vanished without a trace, turning into a puddle of white ice water.

"This is a Snow Cloud Beast, a unique demonic beast of the Wind and Snow Abyss," Liu Tong explained. "They excel at concealment, appearing and disappearing without a trace. Though their cultivation isn't high, they are very aggressive and extremely bloodthirsty."

Just as Liu Tong finished speaking, the white ferret let out a scream. A Snow Cloud Beast had pierced its abdomen, tearing out its heart and stuffing it into its mouth.

A whistling sound pierced the air as a gleaming white whip descended, accurately striking the Snow Cloud Beast. The beast let out a painful roar, and its body exploded.

Along the way, they encountered multiple Snow Cloud Beasts. Although their grade wasn't high and they were no match for the group, they slowed down their progress.

After passing through the canyon, a vast, boundless snowfield stretched out before them. Chilling winds occasionally swept across, carrying countless snowflakes dancing high in the air.

Liu Tong's expression grew tense; it seemed this area was quite dangerous.

"There are some residual restrictions here, mainly involving a strange cold wind," Wang Yingjie explained. "If cultivators come into contact with it, they can easily be frozen, destroying their physical bodies."

Wang Yingjie released three Foundation Establishment-tier ape puppet beasts, sending them towards the snowfield ahead.

Before they had walked a hundred paces, a white, swirling gale suddenly erupted from the ground, rushing directly towards the ape puppet beasts.

They scattered to avoid it, but soon, more white hurricanes appeared across the snowfield. Once struck by a white hurricane, they instantly froze, turning into motionless ice sculptures.

Chen Hong flicked his sleeve, and a green light flew out—a green treasure pearl the size of a pigeon's egg. He cast an incantation, and the green pearl emitted a wave of green light that enveloped one of the ape puppet beasts. When the white hurricane touched the green light, it immediately veered away, leaving the ape puppet beast unharmed.

"This spiritual treasure counters this type of restriction; it won't stop us," Chen Hong explained.

Wang Changsheng nodded. Shangguan Tianhong was incredibly wealthy, possessing many spiritual treasures, which was one of the reasons he dared to seek treasure in the Wind and Snow Abyss.

Shielded by the green treasure pearl, they walked onto the snowfield. They encountered no danger along the way, but after walking over a thousand paces, Wang Ruyan suddenly exclaimed, "Watch out! A spatial rift is coming! Dodge quickly!"

Wang Changsheng and the others quickly dodged, but four Nascent Soul-tier demonic cultivators reacted a beat too late. Their bodies were instantly split in two and then vanished into the void, never to be seen again.

The sudden incident startled everyone. Had Wang Ruyan not detected it in time, their losses would have been much greater.

Shangguan Tianhong's gaze darkened as he looked at Liu Tong. Liu Tong quickly explained, "This junior isn't entirely clear either. I've only been here once before, and I didn't encounter any spatial rifts at that time."

After the demon race occupied Qianhu Realm, they destroyed a large number of its ancient texts and so-called treasure maps. The locations of some forbidden lands and secret realms became unknown, and few topographic maps of these forbidden areas remained. True Monarch Qianhu only knew that the Wind and Snow Abyss had spatial nodes; other details were unclear. After all, before the demon race appeared in Qianhu Realm, True Monarch Qianhu had no need to search for treasure in the Wind and Snow Abyss.

"Never mind, Fellow Daoist Shangguan, let him continue to lead the way!" Wang Ruyan said. Without a guide, their treasure hunt would be even more difficult.

If not for her warning, Liu Tong would have been the first to die.

Shangguan Tianhong took out the Jinwu Pearl and carefully observed his surroundings. Finding no anomalies, he felt considerably relieved.

"If there's any anomaly next time, I won't be so polite with you," Shangguan Tianhong stated coldly.

Liu Tong hastily affirmed, agreeing to his terms.

A day later, they reached the end of their path. Ahead lay a continuous expanse of white mountains, strangely devoid of any trees.

Wang Ruyan used her Black Phoenix Dharma Eyes to observe, but found no anomalies. Shangguan Tianhong also used his Jinwu Pearl, but detected nothing unusual.

Liu Tong and Chen Hong walked ahead, their steps slow and seemingly very cautious.

Shangguan Tianhong and the others followed far behind, maintaining a distance of over a hundred zhang.

After walking several hundred paces, they entered a narrow canyon. A white fruit tree, about a zhang tall, suddenly appeared before Liu Tong. The tree had sparse leaves and bore several snow-white fruits.

Liu Tong quickly ran towards the fruit tree, seemingly intending to pick the fruit, which appeared normal.

Wang Ruyan's eyebrows furrowed. She suddenly shouted, "Junior Liu, are you trying to trigger a restriction? Stop quickly!"

Not only did Liu Tong not stop, but he dashed forward, reached the fruit tree, grabbed a fruit, and tugged hard.

A deafening rumble echoed from high above. Hundreds of thick white beams of light descended from the sky, striking towards Wang Changsheng and the others.

They cursed inwardly, trying to evade, but an unusual chill erupted from the ground. Several demonic cultivators, along with their body-guarding spiritual light, began to freeze.

"Haha, may you all die under the Arctic Forbidden Light! You invaders, we will drag you down with us even if we die!" Liu Tong's face was distorted with madness. If he could use this opportunity to kill his enemies, he would die without regrets. He knew very well that even if they found the treasure, his enemies would not spare him.