Chapter 511: Lake Bottom Ice Palace, Ninefold Mysterious Ice Lotus

"Hmm?"

Yu Tangtang's eyes immediately lit up, and her mind quickly settled. However, her eager expression still betrayed a hint of unease.

Everyone continued forward.

Wang Yu had originally planned an ambush to gather resources for refining the Blood Infant Pill. However, as the Northern Demonic Tribe's team, trailing at the rear, also entered his spiritual sense range, he abandoned the idea of making a move. The disappearance of the Five-Colored Saint Lord particularly caught his attention. Moreover, apart from the environmental hazards, there seemed to be no other traps on the Path of Extreme Cold Hell. The environment was also unsuitable for direct combat, so after a moment's thought, he gave up on collecting alchemy resources. He instead accelerated his journey using the Aurora Escape technique.

However, shortly after entering the latter half of the path, as the dazzling aurora whizzed past, the calm lake waters on both sides began to pour upwards like waterfalls towards the sky. In the blink of an eye, an inverted dome of water formed. Wang Yu, keenly aware of the terrifying extreme cold within, did not charge directly into it. Instead, he narrowly halted at the edge of the water curtain.

Before he could react, countless water tentacles, numbering in the thousands, wrapped around him from all directions, leaving no space to dodge. Wang Yu's expression turned stern, and his aura filled with killing intent! His Natal Magic Treasure, the Glazed Pagoda, flew out from his Qi Sea, hovering and spinning above his head. A curtain of light descended from its base, forming a solid protective spiritual shield. Simultaneously, the precious orb at the top of the pagoda shot out two streams of Ice Soul Divine Light. He reached out and grasped, and the Ice Soul Divine Light molded in his hands like dough, allowing him to knead and manipulate it. In a flash, it transformed into two rapidly spinning wheels of light.

He pushed them outwards... Instantly, the myriad liquid tentacles were shredded as if caught in a meat grinder, sending countless droplets of extreme cold ice liquid splattering. Like two great windmills, they forcefully created space for him to dodge in the confined area. The aurora darted left and right, rapidly approaching the apex of the water dome. However, the Ice Dragon Pill Flame suddenly appeared on his shoulder. After sensing the emotions revealed by its spiritual essence, Wang Yu ceased resisting. With his body engulfed in ice flames, he allowed the liquid tentacles to drag him into the lake bottom. Soon, the area became calm once more.

Not long after, Yan Ling and others entered this section, completely unaware of the intense struggle that had just taken place. Yu Tangtang pouted and transmitted a discontented spiritual message.

"Sister Yan Ling, why didn't Wang Yu save us? Has he changed his mind? Does he no longer want to hang out with Tangtang?"

Yan Ling: "..."

It was hard to imagine that a powerful cultivator at the mid-Nascent Soul stage still had the mentality of a child. She could guess that Yu Tangtang harbored a great secret, but now was not the time to discuss it.

"Senior Brother Wang probably has his reasons. For now, it's still safe. If we truly encounter danger, remember to stay close to me."

"Oh~"

Possessing a true Ice Phoenix Soul Imprint, Yan Ling couldn't fully discern the secrets of the Path of Extreme Cold Hell, but she relied on her affinity for ice-element spiritual energy. She could roughly sense the terrifying coldness hidden within the lake water. However, this coldness could not harm her, and in case of danger, jumping into the lake while holding Yu Tangtang would be the best solution. Thus, even if Wang Yu didn't offer help, she wasn't particularly anxious, at least not as critically as their encounter at the starting point of the Hell Path when they first entered the Heavenly Palace Secret Realm. Deep down, however, she still hoped this soul imprint could finally demonstrate its true power, at least here in the secret realm, truly making her the focus for once.

"—Boom!"

Just as she was lost in thought, the liquid tentacle attack that Wang Yu had faced earlier reappeared. This time, the water curtain enclosed a much larger area, engulfing the two scouting women, along with the Joyous Demon Cultivator and the overseas Nascent Soul cultivator.

"Another trap?!"

Yan Ling's rising concern quickly subsided. She took Yu Tangtang's small hand, and ice crystals automatically formed around their bodies, encasing them in protection. Pulled by the tentacles, they sank to the bottom of the lake in a blink.

Wang Yushan of the Sky Sea Ancient Sect widened his eyes: "Those two didn't resist. Could there be another reason?"

Ancient Beast True Monarch said with a solemn expression. "Perhaps they didn't react in time..." As he spoke, a low-key yet luxurious black-gold bracelet on his right wrist suddenly glowed with spiritual light. A gigantic horned toad, entirely deep blue and emitting cold mist, appeared before him. It opened its mouth and inhaled, and the extreme cold power hidden within the myriad liquid tentacles vanished completely, swallowed by the Frost Horned Toad beast as if a clay ox had sunk into the sea.

This obvious change immediately put the other three on alert.

"There's something wrong with the lake water; it contains more cold energy than the path surface... Fortunately, Fellow Daoist's methods are astonishing, perfectly countering the environment here."

Unexpectedly, Ancient Beast shook his head directly. "The Frost Horned Toad's swallowing ability is limited. If we can't quickly break through this water curtain's confinement, I'm afraid we'll all be dragged to the bottom by these tentacles and turn into eternal ice crystals."

These alarming words prompted Yu Hongchen and Ji Changqing to act immediately. The two combined their strength to strike upwards, and a massive skull formed from pink spiritual light. It violently shattered countless tentacles, ultimately tearing a large hole in the water curtain diagonally above their heads.

"—Go!"

The surging water flow became even fiercer. With a sudden increase in volume, like a heavenly river pouring down, more extreme cold water condensed into even larger tentacles. They swung down directly at the cultivators. Ancient Beast True Monarch stood on the back of the Frost Horned Toad, which he had specially prepared for the secret realm journey. Ice crystals condensed out of thin air, allowing the toad to leverage them to change its upward trajectory. After dodging the strike of the giant tentacle, he was the first to escape the water curtain prison and immediately fled the area without hesitation. Closely behind were the two cultivators from the Joyous Sect, who escaped by transforming into pink mist. They were both dual cultivation partners and practiced combined techniques, displaying truly astonishing speed when working together.

And in a group of four, there's always one unlucky person. Wang Yushan from the Sky Sea Ancient Sect had the slowest speed among his peers. He couldn't dodge in time and was slammed down by the extreme cold tentacles, falling directly into the lake.

"Hiss!"

The sensation of extreme cold made him involuntarily gasp. He immediately activated his body-refining technique, the True Dragon Soaring Cloud Art. This inheritance was the authentic upgraded version of the first-tier body-refining technique, "Dragon Strength," which Wang Yu had obtained years ago—an ancient body-refining inheritance from the Sky Sea Ancient Sect. The rapidly flowing Qi and blood within his body caused Wang Yushan's temperature to rise sharply like a furnace. The moment it came into contact with the low-temperature cold Qi, a massive amount of steam surged up from the lake bottom, making it appear as if the lake water was boiling. Amidst the continuous clash of high temperature and extreme cold, Wang Yushan was swept deeper by the currents.

Not far away, the two Joyous Sect cultivators reunited with Ancient Beast True Monarch. The three looked at each other, speechless for a long time. After a while, Ancient Beast True Monarch spoke.

"The Northern Demonic Tribe's team is still behind us. This is a good opportunity to break free from their control... Shall we go ahead first?"

Luo Tianji's suggestion was reasonable, but the dangers of the Heavenly Palace Secret Realm made Yu Hongchen hesitate slightly. As she exchanged glances with her Dao partner, her mind suddenly made a decision. In a group of three, they were two, a unit. They could certainly make use of this person. Therefore, she readily agreed.

"—Alright!"

At the bottom of the lake, Wang Yu was the first to be dragged down by the extreme cold tentacles. After realizing that the source attracting the Ice Dragon Pill Flame was here, he simply went with the flow. Although the extreme cold in the lake was even stronger than above, with the Tier 5 Ice Flame protecting him, it would only consume a bit more demonic essence, allowing him to endure for a long time. This was enough for him to explore the secrets of the lake bottom. Thus, when he was frozen into an ice block by the extreme cold liquid, the tentacles spontaneously disappeared, as if they determined he couldn't unfreeze himself.

After waiting for a moment, pale blue ice flames surged from within him, rapidly melting the ice crystals on his body. Wang Yu then stood on a rock at the lake bottom. His eyes glowed with a crescent moon imprint, quickly locking onto the area with the most concentrated yin-cold energy. While a cultivator's spiritual sense is a versatile ability, many forces can restrict it. The extreme cold at the lake bottom could freeze spiritual sense into ice shards, forcing cultivators to rely solely on their eyes for sight. It was like being blind, with their spiritual perception reduced by half. For Wang Yu, who had cultivated transformation-type pupil techniques, the impact wasn't significant. His eyes were extraordinarily mystical, like two small Lunar Stars. They could accomplish all sorts of incredible feats. The underwater environment made movement difficult, so he activated his Demonic Transformation ability, shifting into his Extreme Yin Dragon form, and swiftly headed towards the region with the densest yin-cold energy.

A moment later, an ice palace at the lake bottom came into view. Gigantic ice spikes, rising from the ground, resembled blooming lotus flowers, and at their center stood the mysterious ice palace, appearing tiny from afar but massive up close. At its entrance stood an ice phoenix statue, poised as if to soar. When Wang Yu arrived, the Ice Dragon Pill Flame's pulsations grew more intense, almost impatiently surging out from his body, transforming into a long tongue of flame that directly poured into the palace entrance.

The ice palace interior was empty, save for its pillars. Only in the center was a full pool of water, seemingly unremarkable. However, the spiritual object within it, resembling a nine-layered lotus pagoda, deeply captured his attention.

"Nine-Layered Profound Ice Lotus... a Tier 5 supreme-grade spiritual object, and an ancient legendary spiritual treasure that has long been extinct!" Wang Yu muttered to himself. He already understood why it attracted the Ice Dragon Pill Flame. Legend had it that this object could help ice-path cultivators comprehend top-tier profound meanings and awaken the intelligence of ice-attributed spiritual objects. For the spirit of the Ice Dragon Pill Flame, just three layers of the lotus pagoda would allow its spirituality to reach the limit of Tier 5. Furthermore, Wang Yu could use it to directly comprehend the cherished Profound Frost profound meaning. This would truly merge "Extreme Cold" and "Lunar Yin." It could even allow him to bypass the beginner stage and directly reach the minor accomplishment stage. At the same time, this item was highly beneficial for his cultivation of Frozen Demonic Essences. If successfully absorbed and refined, it would increase his Demonic Essence Crystals by at least five or more.

Of course, the best way to utilize it would be to refine it into a pill before consumption. However, Wang Yu didn't possess an alchemy formula that primarily used this spiritual medicine. To avoid complications and to prepare for future high-level opportunities after the Heavenly Palace Secret Realm, digesting it as soon as possible was the correct approach.

"So, the so-called Path of Extreme Cold Hell is actually just a pool created to nourish this Nine-Layered Profound Ice Lotus..." Muttering with a hint of uncertainty, Wang Yu took a few steps to the edge of the pool. He condensed a phantom hand from his demonic essence and reached directly for the spiritual object.

However, things did not go as planned. Although the Ice Phoenix left many opportunities, they were primarily for the Ice Clan. Low-tier items were one thing, but spiritual objects like the Nine-Layered Profound Ice Lotus, of such high caliber, would undoubtedly be protected by deadly traps. Wang Yu knew this well; since he couldn't discern any traces, he would simply reach out and touch it. Any problems would then reveal themselves.

And now... it appeared!

A ferocious, dark-blue, humanoid armored puppet, three meters tall with black ice spikes at its joints, suddenly burst forth from the pool. Even though its body bore traces of decay from time, the aura it exuded subtly reached the peak Nascent Soul stage.

"A puppet?" It was hard to imagine what level of craftsmanship could allow such an ancient armored puppet to retain its power to this day, and its extraordinary standby capabilities were also unusual. Vaguely, Wang Yu felt it might be related to the methods used when the entire secret realm was created. Perhaps this armored puppet itself was a part of the secret realm's operation. If so, its preservation made sense.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, the dark-blue armored puppet had already charged, delivering a powerful, heavy punch enveloped in a small storm of shattered ice. It rapidly struck towards his jaw. Soulless puppets, unable to comprehend profound meanings, often possessed incredibly exaggerated physical strength, only slightly inferior to body refiners of the same cultivation level, and their fighting style was extremely brutal. Every move was a life-for-life exchange.

As Wang Yu reached out to parry, his force field, compressed to its extreme, converged on his right fist. Silver Blood Divine Power erupted with it, even forcing the air around him to flatten. The dark-blue armored puppet raised its knee to block, attempting to use the black ice spikes on its knee to force Wang Yu to abandon his attack, while simultaneously swinging its other fist towards his temple. With a punch augmented by the force field, Wang Yu's right hand was like an invisible weighted gauntlet. With a crushing force, it shattered the spikes and directly plunged into the puppet's knee, piercing through the back of its leg, proving that the hard armor plates were still very fragile under Wang Yu's divine power.

At the same time, Wang Yu's right hand gripped the puppet's knee bend. His entire body leaped into the air, dodging the puppet's punch aimed at his temple. He then spun and swept his leg, like a war dance, his heel crashing hard into the side of the armored puppet's skull. The tough metal head was directly caved in, resembling a horizontal "V" shape. Wang Yu then curled his body and kicked again, his feet pushing against its jaw, sending the entire armored puppet flying towards the sky. He then made a pulling gesture with his right hand, and the Sun-Piercing Demonic Bow and Lunar Star Arrow instantly materialized.

"—Whoosh!"

The huge burst of ice that exploded in the sky was the armored puppet's last image in the world. As for puppets, aside from human puppets, other types generally have significant limitations. Furthermore, without a cultivator controlling it, even possessing a peak Tier 4 rank, it was rendered useless by Wang Yu's extensive combat experience in just a few blows.

"It's a pity my puppetry skills aren't up to par, otherwise, capturing one of these would have been a decent gain."

Having dealt with this dangerous trap, Wang Yu finally successfully retrieved the Nine-Layered Profound Ice Lotus. Just as he had safely secured the treasure, he saw two figures, one large and one small, enter the ice palace. It was Yan Ling and Yu Tangtang.

"—Oh~"