Chapter 379: Entering the Icefield, Picking Up the Old Man Who Leads Butterflies

Events in Fengzhou currently held little relevance for Wang Yu.

After a long journey, Wang Yu's gaze met an unbroken expanse of white, stretching endlessly as if connecting heaven and earth. Initially, the vast ice plain appeared pristine, cloaked in a silver-white.

However, looking further revealed a different scene. The deeper one ventured into the ice plain, the denser the dark clouds became, completely obscuring the sun. This rendered the landscape as mysterious as an eternal night, constantly buffeted by cold winds and freezing rain. Periodically, blizzards formed, raging across this ancient, perpetual frozen land, sweeping away all life and vitality.

Gray, desolate, and bone-chillingly cold. These were Wang Yu's immediate impressions upon his initial arrival. According to ancient stone tablets, this realm was a frozen wasteland even before the Immortal Dynasty, which might explain its name, the Ice Prison Realm. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate that it was chosen to be a prison for ancient demons remained unknown.

Upon this ancient land, Wang Yu reduced his speed, proceeding cautiously. The Endless Ice Plain was fraught with unpredictable dangers; it was best to avoid flying high, as sudden blizzards were among its most perilous phenomena. Once caught in one, even immortals would be hard-pressed to escape. He recalled a faction named Zhenbei Tower in the Taihu Spirit Domain, established on the outskirts of the Endless Ice Plain, whose entire cultivation depended on resources sourced from the ice plain. He wondered if he would encounter them.

Pondering the map route, Wang Yu's ultimate destination was the Frozen Demon Seal Land. Approaching this area and absorbing a wisp of its overflowing Frozen Demonic Qi would suffice to meet his objectives. Furthermore, as he was still in the process of purifying his magical power, there was no pressing need to rush. His route would coincidentally take him past a location known as Silver Frost Mountain. According to records from Cold Blood Peak, this place was ideally suited for cultivators new to the ice plain to undergo secluded training. It was neither excessively cold nor too ineffective for cultivation. Therefore, he decided to travel there to refine the majority of his Human Core cultivation, aiming to truly reach the peak of the Core Formation realm, especially since he possessed a Nascent Soul Pill. Only then would he consider himself fully prepared to begin collecting the Frozen Demonic Qi.

As time elapsed, two months later, enduring the relentless blizzards, Wang Yu reached the foot of Silver Frost Mountain. Cultivators easily lost their bearings in the Endless Ice Plain, which significantly slowed his progress. The severe weather conditions caused by the natural environment further impeded his pace and severely obscured visibility. Interestingly, the temperature itself had little impact on him.

As a cultivation site approved by the cultivators of Cold Blood Peak, Silver Frost Mountain naturally bore the remnants of predecessors: abandoned cave dwellings, palaces, and training grounds scattered across its landscape. While there were occasional fresh tracks left by ice beasts, a few sweeps with his spiritual sense revealed no human presence. Wang Yu then ascended to the mountain's summit.

The environment of Silver Frost Mountain closely resembled Scarlet Snow Mountain in the Blood Abyss. However, unlike the latter, it lacked the peculiar Soul-Freezing Wind. Instead, it harbored a pure, extreme cold energy. After a moment of sensing, Wang Yu's eyebrows arched in surprise; Silver Frost Mountain truly lived up to its reputation. What he needed most was precisely this extreme cold energy to purify his magical power.

He simultaneously activated the Cold Absorption Art and the Heavenly Frost Secret Method. Instantly, the previously imperceptible cold currents, infused with spiritual essence, immediately burst forth in a brilliant sapphire glow, forming an inverted, funnel-shaped vortex. All were absorbed by Wang Yu, refined and assimilated.

His robust physique naturally endowed his meridians with greater resilience, which caused Wang Yu's cultivation to rapidly intensify. Enveloped by the extreme cold energy, a look into his inner Qi Sea revealed the problem. Within the blue-black ocean of magical power, faint blood-red threads were interspersed, rendering that portion of his power unstable and difficult to control. However, a single rush of the cold current would swiftly fade the blood threads, and his magical power would become more pliable. While his Qi Sea was being purged, Wang Yu would also consume a Human Core pill, creating a peculiar sensation of simultaneously detoxifying and ingesting poison. Naturally, Wang Yu would wait until the issues within his Qi Sea were completely resolved before consuming Human Core pills to advance his cultivation, then absorb the cold currents again to cleanse his Qi Sea and further purify his magical power.

Maintaining this cycle, a year passed in what felt like an instant.

On this particular day, Wang Yu, whose appearance had reverted to that of a five-year-old, had achieved peak aura. While Silver Frost Mountain didn't elevate the quality of his magical power, it perfectly mitigated the side effects of his frequent Human Core pill consumption. His Golden Core had reached perfection. The next breakthrough, the third 'Core Fortification,' involved surpassing its limits, achieving destruction before creation, and manifesting a Nascent Soul. While the Core Formation stage could still be attained by accumulating heavenly materials and earthly treasures, the Nascent Soul stage demanded an absurdly high level of aptitude, comprehension, serendipity, willpower, and more. All who achieved it were exceptional individuals, standing out among countless beings.

Now, he was just a single step away from this pinnacle. Shattering the Core, Merging the Soul, Condensing the Nascent Soul, and Awakening the Spirit—these were the four crucial steps to breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage! The first two steps presented no difficulty for Wang Yu. The critical steps were Condensing the Nascent Soul and Awakening the Spirit. While the Nascent Soul Pill could assist him with the third step, Awakening the Spirit depended solely on one's personal will and mind. Huang Jiu, for instance, stumbled at this final hurdle. He condensed a 'dead' Nascent Soul, unable to awaken its inherent spiritual essence, and his cultivation path regrettably ended there.

Wang Yu, confident in his mastery of the Mind Dao's second realm, believed that the difficulty of Awakening the Spirit would pose no challenge to him. The true hurdle of this stage lay in piercing through a hazy sense of obscurity, allowing one's consciousness to awaken from within the Nascent Soul, to unify with it and take full command of the physical body. From that point onward, the Nascent Soul would become the cultivator's 'Dao Fruit'—of paramount importance—giving rise to unique and divine realm-specific abilities, all centered around the Nascent Soul.

Firstly, the Art of Spatial Transference! This technique could only be performed once the Nascent Soul detached from the physical body. In less than half a blink, it allowed one to traverse space and flee three thousand li, earning its reputation as the foremost life-saving escape art. However, its primary drawback was the abandonment of the physical body.

Secondly, the Nascent Soul Dao Transformation. This was a passively active ability akin to an Immortal Bone or a Vajra Body. The cultivator's innate divine ability would merge with the Nascent Soul, giving rise to an energy type superior to ordinary magical power. When cultivating spells of the same attribute, their potency would undergo earth-shattering changes. This was known as the 'choice of Dao.' Demonic paths produced Demonic Essence. Orthodox paths, however, generated a myriad of strange essences: Sword Essence, Law Essence, Divine Essence, Fire Essence, and so on. The specific type depended on one's inheritance and cultivation environment. Some asserted that attaining the Nascent Soul stage truly signified entry into the cultivation path. And they were not without reason.

As various insights flowed through his mind, Wang Yu quickly emerged from his contemplation. His spiritual sense rippled outwards, settling on a distant black speck. Judging by its aura and demeanor, it didn't appear to be an Akajuri native. Akajuri demonic cultivators typically exuded a fierce and malevolent aura, often possessing twisted hearts. Their inner disposition visibly affected their outward appearance, instantly giving the impression of an ill-intentioned individual. Indeed, there was a certain truth to the art of physiognomy.

As the black speck drew nearer, it became clear it was heading directly for the mountain peak, trailed by a vast expanse of blue flames. Surprisingly, these flames exhibited characteristics of both extreme cold and extreme heat.

“Halt.” Wang Yu's spiritual sense commanded, his nearly mid-fourth-tier spiritual power erupting forcefully. The startled individual immediately halted, though a hint of pleasant surprise laced his voice.

“Fellow Daoist, I implore your assistance; please lend me a hand, and I guarantee a generous reward.” The speaker, cloaked in tattered black robes, inadvertently revealed his cultivation to be at the early Nascent Soul stage. He had an aged face, white hair and beard, and wore a broken straw hat. He cut a truly unconstrained figure.

The Endless Ice Plain was perilous. Aside from the Zhenbei Tower faction, almost all who dared to venture deep within, specifically to seek opportunities, only did so after reaching the Nascent Soul stage. After all, this was one of the few locations where they could acquire rare opportunities. Resource management in Taihu was stricter than in Akajuri, partly due to the high population density and intense competition. Lower-tier cultivators seeking advancement could only venture into the Endless Ice Plain or the Savage Ancient Plain to the south in search of cultivation resources. However, those who managed to break through to the Nascent Soul stage had essentially 'made it.'

With a mere thought, his Ice Chilong Dan Flame erupted, immediately clashing with the blue inferno. Only when he drew nearer did Wang Yu realize that the blue flames were, in fact, countless dazzling butterflies. The blue flames emanating from their wings, combined with their sheer multitude, created the illusion of a vast blue sea of fire. He seemed to recall encountering this creature in the Five Poisons Scripture.

“These are… Ice Flame Butterflies?”

The scavenger-like elder, upon seeing Wang Yu's true form—that of a five-year-old child—did not express much surprise. Instead, he replied, “Fellow Daoist possesses keen insight; indeed, they are Ice Flame Butterflies.”

The Ice Flame Butterfly, ranked thirty-sixth on the Ancient Exotic Insect List, was a remarkably beautiful and nearly extinct creature, naturally endowed with the ability to manipulate ice flames. In large numbers, they possessed the power to scorch the heavens, boil the oceans, and even freeze the seas solid! They were, indeed, incredibly potent exotic insects. The number of Ice Flame Butterflies the scavenger elder had provoked numbered in the hundreds of thousands, at minimum. Given the varying strengths of the Ice Flame Butterflies, Wang Yu instinctively targeted the Fourth-tier individuals.

He remarked dryly, “Fellow Daoist, you’ve led this trouble to me, yet you have the leisure to merely observe?”

“Not at all, not at all,” the elder quickly shook his head and explained. “Some time ago, I noticed a fellow cultivator practicing on this mountaintop. With your divine abilities, you can certainly deal with these Ice Flame Butterflies. A crisis, after all, is not just danger, but also opportunity!”

“Are you serious?” Wang Yu's eyes narrowed, and his aura immediately grew dangerous.

The Netherworld Earth Grievance Puppet, cloaked in its blood-sac robe and entirely concealed, appeared behind the elder at an unknown moment, creating a pincer formation. Only then did the elder realize that his persuasive rhetoric, which had always proven effective against orthodox cultivators, was useless. Although the child's cultivation realm was indistinct, both the sheer magnitude of his spiritual sense and the Fourth-tier spirit flame he commanded suggested he was undeniably a Nascent Soul cultivator. Furthermore, with the murky-aurad figure behind him also at the early Nascent Soul stage, it was certainly unwise to engage in a two-on-one battle!

“Hehehe, Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand. Regarding these Ice Flame Butterflies… if Fellow Daoist possesses the means to subdue them, then that is indeed your good fortune. The opportunity this old man mentioned, however, refers to something entirely different.”

“Show it to me then.” Whatever this elder had done to incur the relentless pursuit of these Ice Flame Butterflies, their adult forms were notoriously difficult to tame. For cultivating exotic insects, it was always best to start from the egg sac stage; only then could one ensure no backlash and command them at will. While the Ice Flame Butterflies ranked significantly higher than the Immaculate Jade Toad, their true power manifested through sheer numbers. Hence, Wang Yu intended to prioritize live capture. He could pair them up, whether for personal rearing or for sale. Either way, they would yield a substantial number of spirit stones. His hand seals shifted, and chains of condensed black ice shot from all directions into the blue inferno, precisely locking onto each robust butterfly.

Even as his hands worked ceaselessly, Wang Yu's conversation with the elder continued.

“Fellow Daoist, behold.” The elder produced a token-like object, oval in shape and inscribed with an ice phoenix motif. It bore a striking resemblance to the Heavenly Palace Sacred Token Wang Yu held.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“This artifact is an Ice Phoenix Clan Legacy Token from the Endless Ice Plain. Half the reason Zhenbei Tower tirelessly explores the ice plain is precisely for items like this. There are seven hundred and twenty such legacy tokens, each pointing to one of the seven hundred and twenty Ice and Snow Palaces established by the Ice Phoenix Saint Lord during her reign. This old man is willing to explore this region with Fellow Daoist; what do you say?”

Upon hearing this, Wang Yu gained full comprehension. He was already familiar with the legends of the Ice Phoenix Saint Lord, particularly as he possessed a Heavenly Palace Sacred Token—one of the keys to unlock the Heavenly Palace treasury. Now, it seemed, this Ice Phoenix Saint Lord might not be a variant of the Fire Phoenix, as commonly believed, but rather a being of the Ice Clan, who intentionally established these seven hundred and twenty legacy sites. The forms assumed by the Ice Clan were myriad and peculiar, so the existence of a phoenix-shaped Ice Clan member was not surprising.

Compared to the Heavenly Palace Sacred Token, this Ice Phoenix Legacy Token offered only a minor opportunity. Wang Yu already possessed more divine abilities and profound methods than he could master, so there was no need to complicate matters further. Consequently, after the elder concluded his proposal, the atmosphere turned silent.

Before the elder could speak again, Wang Yu extended a hand and gently clenched it towards the blue inferno of Ice Flame Butterflies. In that instant, an invisible force seemed to draw them all together. Pure, crushing force obliterated countless Ice Flame Butterflies. He carefully selected a sufficient number for breeding, securing them safely within his Human Seed Bag. As for the remainder, there was naturally no need to hold back. The strength field bestowed upon him by the Silver Blood Divine Power allowed him to almost completely maximize the advantages of a body cultivator's might. It mattered not how many divine abilities or wondrous methods one possessed; a single punch could counter them all. The myriad subtle applications derived from this power were in no way inferior to those of a Nascent Soul cultivator. In his view, a pure body cultivator's abilities might even hold an advantage in Nascent Soul combat.

This was particularly true for the Evil Demon Dragon Armor, a bloodline true artifact within his Silver Blood that had remained dormant since his advancement. It had consistently been in an awkward, neither-here-nor-there state. In battles of the same tier, he could sweep aside opponents without needing it. Yet in cross-tier battles, which were extremely perilous, even with its aid, it proved insufficient. Thus, it had become a 'chicken rib'—neither crucial nor entirely useless. Wang Yu primarily utilized it as a physical body enhancer, as the Dragon Vein treasure integrated into it years ago had shown no discernible effect. But now, with his body cultivation having broken through to the Fourth Tier, the Dragon Armor, nourished by the Silver Blood, had also naturally entered a state of metamorphosis. Once this transformation was complete, it would become a Fourth-tier bloodline true artifact, and then, regardless of the situation, it would undoubtedly prove effective. It would be even more compatible than the Three-Foot Snow Robe he currently wore.

Witnessing Wang Yu's terrifying might, manifested in every effortless movement, and the unparalleled, domineering strength that so easily eradicated the swarm of Ice Flame Butterflies, the astonished scavenger elder could only gape.

“Fellow Daoist… your strength is truly astounding.”

Every art had its specialty. The danger of Ice Flame Butterflies lay in their mastery of ice flames; once they formed a large swarm, they would incinerate anyone in their path, earning them the reputation of ice plain tyrants. However, Wang Yu's Ice Chilong Dan Flame was by no means inferior. After suppressing the butterflies' most potent ability, it became considerably easier to deal with them using other methods.

“Enough chatter.” As his aura of killing intent flared, the chilling sensation of being watched by a fierce beast instantly enveloped the elder. He now realized that Wang Yu was not a Taihu cultivator. But wealth was often found in peril...

“Gulp—”

“Fellow Daoist, please allow me to explain.”