Chapter 356: Ancient Sacred Land Great Dragon

Ice and Snow Palace is a major sect in the Northern Region. Its legacy spans over ten thousand years, and its power is second only to that of a Sacred Land.

Legend has it that its founder was not a human, but a snow ape whose power was immense, capable of rivaling the Sacred Lands ten thousand years ago.

No matter how grand a legacy, it will eventually decline; no matter how powerful an individual, they will eventually pass away. Nothing lasts forever.

Ye Fan, Pang Bo, Tu Fei, and a large black dog stepped onto an ice plain, beginning their plan to hunt down holy sons and saintesses.

The Substitute Holy Son of Yaoguang had entered the Ice and Snow Palace and had not yet emerged. The group came to this area specifically for him.

This region is at an extremely high altitude, over eight thousand meters. Even in summer, it remains covered in ice and snow, with howling cold winds, a condition that has persisted since ancient times.

In the darkest age of turmoil, a world-shaking war once occurred here. What was originally a pure land of a Sacred Land was utterly destroyed.

Peerless experts tore through the sky and leveled the endless snow-capped mountains, transforming the area into a boundless ice plain.

The Ice and Snow Palace is merely a major power that settled here later. In more ancient times, the ice plain held even older and more glorious legacies.

"Who could have destroyed a Sacred Land?" Ye Fan asked, astonished, after hearing Tu Fei's account.

"It's not very clear," Tu Fei shook his head. "That happened seventy or eighty thousand years ago, during the darkest age after the Desolate Era. The most terrifying turmoil erupted, and many Sacred Lands participated in the war."

"How much power would it take to destroy a Sacred Land?" Pang Bo was also surprised.

"I wonder if it was caused by a forbidden land's movement, uh..." the big black dog said hesitantly.

"Do you know something?" Ye Fan's heart stirred. The big black dog had an astonishing background and understood ancient matters with remarkable clarity.

"There are seven great forbidden life zones in the Eastern Wasteland. Each is terrifying beyond compare; even powerful Great Emperors cannot flatten them. One hundred and ninety thousand years ago, the Primeval Dark Turmoil occurred, causing rivers of blood to flow across the land. One hundred and fifty thousand years ago, the Undying Mountain Dark Turmoil ravaged all living beings."

Everyone looked at the big black dog in astonishment. The Primeval Ancient Mine and the Undying Mountain were terrifying forbidden zones in the Northern Region and Central parts of the Eastern Wasteland, respectively.

None of them had heard that forbidden life zones could trigger such dark turmoil, seemingly so terrifying that they swept across the land, leading to bloodshed and devastation.

"Seventy or eighty thousand years ago, during what was called the darkest age after the Desolate Era, countless lives were lost in that great turmoil, which seemed to be a man-made disaster," Tu Fei said, looking at the boundless ice plain. "I vaguely heard that an invincible Divine King from the Ji family used an ultimate imperial weapon to level this place."

Everyone gasped.

The immense power of an ultimate holy weapon was hard to quantify. There were rumors that, with enough Dao power to support it, it was equivalent to a Great Emperor being resurrected.

"Indeed," Ye Fan sighed, "Sacred Lands also vary in strength."

The Black Emperor, with a profound look, said, "That's natural. Sacred Lands that have produced Great Emperors and possess ultimate imperial weapons have the strongest foundation and fear no major power in the world."

What it said was true. Looking back hundreds of thousands of years, there were more Sacred Lands than now, with half of them having vanished into history.

Upon closer thought, the fallen legacies were all major powers that had not produced Great Emperors and lacked ultimate imperial weapons. Overall, their foundations were insufficient.

Pang Bo said, "It seems that the surviving Sacred Lands not only possess their own ancient scriptures but are also stronger than people imagine."

All of them nodded in agreement. The deeper they delved into understanding, the more unfathomable and terrifying they found the Sacred Lands to be.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the deepest part of the ice plain and saw a range of towering, cloud-piercing snow-capped mountains that stretched into the sky, a vast expanse of white.

Tu Fei explained, "According to legend, seventy or eighty thousand years ago, there was no ice plain at all, but rather endless snow-capped mountains. There are vague rumors that a Divine King of the Jiang family, wielding an ultimate imperial weapon, leveled them, creating the present landscape and leaving behind only this hundred-mile-wide stretch of mountains as ruins."

The high mountains made it difficult to see their peaks, as they soared into the clouds. The Ice and Snow Palace was located atop these mountains, and magnificent ice palaces adorned every major peak.

Ye Fan remarked, "The old ape who founded this great sect truly had foresight to choose this place. This magnificent mountain range appears far from ordinary."

Tu Fei nodded, saying, "That's natural. That old ape's power was immense, capable of rivaling Sacred Lands, leaving behind endless legends. Some say it was born in these snow mountains, while others claim that the cultivation method it practiced was the Dao tradition of the Sacred Land destroyed seventy or eighty thousand years ago, meaning its establishment of the Ice and Snow Palace was equivalent to that Sacred Land's revival."

"I've sensed it; the Substitute Holy Son of Yaoguang is on the snow mountain ahead," Pang Bo said.

He cultivated the Ancient Scripture of the Demon Emperor and possessed extraordinary methods. When pursuing the Substitute Holy Son of Yaoguang, he imprinted him with a divine art of the Demon Emperor, allowing him to sense the Holy Son's presence within a certain range.

If the opponent hadn't escaped into the Ice and Snow Palace, Pang Bo would have certainly slain him; there would have been no escape.

Ye Fan said, "Then let's just wait patiently. The Ice and Snow Palace is too powerful; we definitely can't provoke them, so we'll have to wait outside."

For a hundred miles around, the towering, cloud-piercing mountains were all territory of the Ice and Snow Palace. Through the wind and snow, one could faintly discern glittering structures on many of the great mountains—magnificent ice palaces.

"I estimate he'll need at least seven days to recover," Pang Bo said. "After being hit by my Demon Emperor's Nine Slashes, 'Form Annihilation,' it's already a miracle he's still alive."

Ye Fan deeply understood how terrifying the Demon Emperor's Nine Slashes were. That day, during the battle against the Old Azure Lotus Demon in the Immortal Palace, he and the Black Emperor combined forces and still nearly suffered defeat.

At this moment, when the Black Emperor heard the words "Demon Emperor's Nine Slashes," its eyes burned with fervent desire; it wanted nothing more than to pounce on Pang Bo and force him to reveal the ancient scripture.

"We don't have to wait idly," Pang Bo continued. "I received a secret report that the Saintess of the Purple Mansion will visit the Ice and Snow Palace and then head to the Divine City. Perhaps we can capture her beforehand."

Pang Bo's current status was unique; his position among the demon race was quite extraordinary. Although he couldn't mobilize all demon tribes, it was easy for him to obtain secret reports through his connections.

"This is good news!" Tu Fei's spirits immediately lifted.

The Black Emperor also spoke, saying, "So it's that woman. Last time she chased me, it would have been truly dangerous if I hadn't hastily crossed through space."

"Haha, I'm looking forward to hunting the Saintess. I hope we succeed," Tu Fei laughed heartily.

Ye Fan walked around the great snow mountain range, stroking his chin and pondering seriously. He said, "The more I look at this place, the more unusual it seems. It probably conceals a dragon脉 and large chunks of peerless divine source."

He needed millions of catties of pure source to break through the shackles of the Dao Palace Secret Realm, shatter its confinement, and enter the Four Extremities Secret Realm—an astronomical amount.

"Can large chunks of peerless divine source be unearthed?" Pang Bo and Tu Fei knew he cultivated the Heaven Source Scripture and had great confidence in his source techniques.

Ye Fan shook his head, saying, "It would probably be very difficult. Even if we could stabilize the dragon脉, it would cause too much commotion. This is the Ice and Snow Palace's territory; we would only benefit them."

Tu Fei said, "Let's go take a look first. Seventy or eighty thousand years ago, there was a Sacred Land here. Perhaps it not only contains large chunks of divine source but also other treasures."

For a hundred miles around, the mountains soared into the clouds, with endless ice and snow.

Ye Fan gazed intently using his Earth Observation Art, increasingly feeling that this place was extraordinary. It might contain a great dragon divine pulse, holding super large chunks of divine source.

"It seems to be in the back mountain. Let's go around."

Large goose-feather-like snowflakes fell continuously, almost blinding them, and the cold in the snow mountains was bone-chilling.

Pang Bo used a divine art of the Demon Emperor to investigate, saying, "There doesn't seem to be anyone from the Ice and Snow Palace in the back mountain."

"I understand now. The rumors are true," Tu Fei smiled. "The founder of the sect was an old ape, so the sect shows special care for snow apes."

The hundred-mile radius of snow mountains was enough for the Ice and Snow Palace to build its Dao field. It was said that the back mountain was reserved for a group of snow apes, with no disciples or followers cultivating there.

Upon learning this, all of them were overjoyed. They decided to venture deep into the back mountain to investigate thoroughly, as unearthing large chunks of peerless divine source would be an immense stroke of luck.

"There's definitely a great dragon here!" Ye Fan was deeply shocked.

They ventured deeper into the back mountain, entering between the great snow peaks. As they traveled through the icy, snowy landscape, Ye Fan used his source techniques to see through illusions and detected dragon qi.

"There's an incredibly powerful surge of dragon qi underground! It must be an supreme dragon脉!"

Ye Fan gazed, observing how the snow peaks were connected, resembling the spine of a great dragon, exuding a majestic aura.

"What are we waiting for? Let's dig it out!" the big black dog urged, its eyes glowing green.

"I'm concerned this dragon脉 might be unusual, perhaps sealing away an ancient royal family. Furthermore, seventy or eighty thousand years ago, this was a Sacred Land's Dao field, so there's likely more to it," Ye Fan pondered.

"Let's examine it carefully and thoroughly before deciding," Tu Fei said.

Ye Fan and the others continued to delve deeper, constantly observing the snow mountains. Ye Fan was almost certain that extraordinary divine objects lay beneath the ground.

"This terrain is a True Dragon Nirvana Nest!" Ye Fan was alarmed. The Heaven Source Scripture described this kind of terrain, which involved yin and yang, and life and death—it was incredibly mysterious.

"Are there any special considerations?" Pang Bo asked.

"It's extremely profound. If there are no creatures inside, we might obtain an immense divine treasure."

"What if there are ancient creatures?" Tu Fei asked.

"Then it would be a peerless dangerous place, a royal nest of an ancient race. We definitely wouldn't be able to touch it!" Ye Fan's expression turned solemn.

"What's that smell? So fragrant?" The big black dog suddenly lifted its head, revealing a surprised look.

"Is there? I don't smell anything," Pang Bo wondered.

"Don't compare yourself to it; a dog's nose is the keenest," Tu Fei said. "Especially this scoundrel of a dog with such a significant background."

"Woof!"

The big black dog bared its teeth but didn't bite. It twitched its nose and said, "Most likely, some natural treasures are about to mature."

With that, it dashed wildly through the snow mountains, charging forward.

Seeing this, Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and Tu Fei followed closely. After traveling more than ten miles, they too smelled the fragrant scent.

"This scoundrel of a dog's nose is too keen! It can smell a clear fragrance from over ten miles away, even standing upwind," the three couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

The alluring fragrance emanated from a snow valley. When they arrived, they were startled to see many humanoid creatures covered in long, snow-white fur within the valley.

"These are snow apes! They are naturally incredibly strong; even shortly after birth, they can tear apart lions and tigers. They are definitely demon beasts, and there might be old apes among them who have cultivated to extremely high realms!" Tu Fei exclaimed in surprise.

What surprised them even more was that dragon qi coiled within the snow valley. In the center of the valley, several spiritual herbs glowed with green light amidst the ice and snow, each bearing a golden fruit.

"Dragon-shaped fruits? What kind of wondrous fruit is this?" Even the big black dog didn't recognize it.

There were six spiritual herbs in total, shimmering with green light, each just over a foot tall. Each plant bore a single fruit, about half a foot long, golden and translucent, shaped like a true dragon, truly extraordinary.

"These are Source Dragon Fruits!" Ye Fan exclaimed in surprise, now even more certain that a great dragon lay underground.

"What are Source Dragon Fruits?"

"They are wondrous herbs that grow by being nourished by dragon qi. Although their fruits cannot compare to ancient divine medicines, they are absolutely top-tier spiritual medicines."

The group secretly calculated their chances, feeling it would be very difficult to harvest these spiritual fruits. There were too many snow apes, and infuriating them might alert the Ice and Snow Palace.

"There's a snow cave ahead, and dragon qi is emerging from it too!" Pang Bo's eyes were sharp.

It wasn't very far; a large, dark cave was located halfway up a snow mountain, from which dragon qi was overflowing.

"Let's go take a look."

Ye Fan flew forward first, with Pang Bo and Tu Fei following behind. The big black dog reluctantly cast a glance at the Source Dragon Fruits before turning away and departing.

They quickly arrived in front of the snow mountain, landed, and entered the cave.

Inside the cave, it was very spacious and dry, with some stone basins, stone bowls, and stone beds, among other things.

The cave dwelling was vast, extending deep into the mountain's interior. It was very clean and had no strange odors.

"This appears to be the snow apes' dwelling. Let's take a quick look and then leave!"

They realized this might be the snow apes' lair, and they couldn't stay long.

Tu Fei said, "Quickly search around. These snow apes might be descendants of the old ape who founded the Ice and Snow Palace ten thousand years ago. Perhaps that old ape left something behind."

Pang Bo shook his head, saying, "This group of snow apes clearly doesn't have any terrifyingly powerful individuals among them, so they probably wouldn't hide any treasures."

"Dragon qi is overflowing from here, which is probably related to the supreme dragon脉 underground," Ye Fan said gravely. At the same time, he felt that today might be a special day, as dragon qi shouldn't normally be overflowing.

The big black dog's greedy tendencies resurfaced. It said, "Perhaps we can enter underground from here; who knows, we might dig out some peerless divine source."

All of them were somewhat tempted. They followed the direction of the overflowing dragon qi, descending deeper into the mountain's interior.

"What is that?"

Deep within the mountain, there was a large hole resembling a demonic well, leading straight down into the depths of the earth. However, the well was sealed by a transparent piece of profound ice.

"The dragon qi is overflowing from this well!"

"Look quickly, there's something in that profound ice!"

To their astonishment, the transparent profound ice sealing the well contained an old ape, sitting in meditation with its eyes closed, as lifelike as if it were still alive.

It was tall and covered in snow-white fur, with a serene expression, appearing as if still alive.

The more they observed, the more astonished they became. This old ape actually possessed an aura of the Great Dao, as if it had merged with heaven and earth, which was why they hadn't noticed it at first.

"Could this be the old ape that founded the Ice and Snow Palace ten thousand years ago?"

"Did it pass away here?"

All of them were very surprised. The old ape had sealed the well's opening with its own body, so there must be something extraordinary beneath.