Chapter 527: Endless Icefield Battle Royale (Part 2)

As the foremost sect of the righteous path, the Void Heaven Sword Sect stood majestically above Taihu Lake, its entire complex appearing as a colossal floating mountain. It occupied the most vital core region of the entire Spirit Domain.

Within the floating mountain, the Ancient Demon of Life was sealed, and beneath Taihu Lake lay the Sword Mound forbidden area. Any direct disciple of the Seventy-Two Sword Masters could enter to choose their natal spirit sword. Upon the death of a Sword Sect cultivator, their natal spirit sword would also be interred within the Sword Mound, available for subsequent generations to choose and use.

The Sword Sect's gate was grand and magnificent, spiritual energy swirling like mist, making the area appear ethereal and mysterious, exuding an otherworldly aura. Surrounding it were countless colossal boulders, scattered like stars, also suspended in mid-air. Upon them rested pavilions, waterside platforms, and jade palaces. There were also special structures such as palatial retreats and training grounds, all interconnected by chains, plank roads, and covered bridges. Spirit cranes occasionally soared past, and spirit monkeys climbed about. It presented a vibrant and natural panorama.

At that time, within the sect's forbidden area—Heavenly Sword Cliff!

A true cultivator, with hair white as a crane's feathers and a youthful face, appearing like an enlightened child, sat at one side of a chessboard. With two fingers of his right hand, he held a white piece suspended above the board. His left hand stroked his smooth chin, and his voice was as clear and tender as a child's.

"The Heaven Refinement Demonic Venerable has gone to the Endless Ice Plains, likely concerning the Azure Dragon Demonic Venerable." As he spoke, he placed the white piece down.

His opponent was a handsome middle-aged man, whose entire body exuded an invigorating medicinal fragrance that could extend the lifespan of any mortal who inhaled it. He played quickly, placing a black piece down with almost no thought, then settled into another long wait. The man said with extreme calm, "Let him go. He'll come knocking on our gates sooner or later anyway, so there's no harm in letting him grow stronger. But this time... Senior Brother Taixu, are you truly planning to allow the ancient demon to break its seal?"

"—Shhh!"

The child-like cultivator was none other than the Sect Master of the Sword Sect, the foremost sword cultivator at the peak of the Soul Transformation stage, Venerable Taixu! He had risen to fame long ago, even earlier than the current Heaven Refinement Demonic Venerable. Thus, he had been forced to cultivate a technique similar to that of Silver Moon Granny. Rejuvenation was both a side effect and a manifestation of this secret art's power, indirectly extending his lifespan. However, it offered no benefit to cultivation, significantly diminishing its value. Nevertheless, for leaving behind a foundational legacy for the sect, it remained one of the top-tier longevity-extending secret arts.

After a soft shush, Taixu said, displeased, "Dan Chenzi, great individuals do not dwell on trifles, but there are some things that should not be spoken of so casually."

The middle-aged man, Dan Chenzi, grinned. "Isn't Senior Brother Taixu here? Your junior brother has long known there's no need for me to worry."

"You..." Choked by the retort, Taixu did not continue to argue. After a moment of silence, he let out a long sigh. "The cage is hard to break, and human hearts are unfathomable. I just worry that Heaven Refinement, in his youthful vigor, might truly be deceived by that scoundrel and believe his nonsense."

"Youthful vigor?" Dan Chenzi immediately chuckled. "Senior Brother has lived too long, I'm afraid you've forgotten that the current Heaven Refinement Demonic Venerable only has three hundred years of lifespan remaining, and he already cultivated to the peak of the Soul Transformation stage long ago. He must reserve enough lifespan to allow ample time for further breakthroughs after ascending to the True Spirit Realm. Otherwise, why would this War between Righteous and Demonic Factions be so urgent? Green Cloud Sect, Moon Gazing Palace... and the clown-like North Suppressing Pagoda are all treating us like pigs to be slaughtered."

From their conversation, it was not difficult to see: although the Sword Sect had not appeared frequently in this War between Righteous and Demonic Factions, they were secretly well-informed about all situations, even aware of North Suppressing Pagoda's clandestine allegiance to the Ice Tribe. They had simply been biding their time.

"They are just a group of opportunists, not yet to the extent of betraying their race. Once Xue Wushuang perfects his Soul Transformation cultivation method, he will naturally sever ties with them completely. This may well be the final stage for our generation. Regardless of success or failure, the Void Heaven Sword Sect will disappear. All of this rests on the Heaven Refinement Demonic Venerable... I hope he obtains what he desires."

Clearly, as a top expert in the Ice Prison Realm, Venerable Taixu's goal was the same as the Heaven Refinement Demonic Venerable's. Both hoped to break free from their fetters, gain new life, and continue their ascent on the Grand Dao. This belief prompted them to cooperate from a distance, even without meeting in person.

When cultivation reaches a certain realm, whether one is righteous or demonic, the sense of being mortal enemies diminishes. Any conflicts can be compromised and discussed. Breaking the shackles of the Ice Prison Realm was their shared interest. This was why Wang Yu had believed that even if he did nothing, these ambitious or Dao-minded old fellows would never sit idly by! This was a common trait among those who had climbed from the bottom. Facing the inspectors from the Immortal Palace, they had once again returned to the lowest echelons of the cultivation world. Victory or defeat would likely be determined within a century.

Casually ending the topic, Venerable Taixu "accidentally" bumped the chessboard, conveniently knocking off half of the pieces. His face lit up with joy. "A draw, a draw! Let's start a new game."

In contrast, Dan Chenzi's face was livid with rage. He snapped, "You cheater! Always up to tricks! I'm not playing anymore, not playing anymore... Next time, call Chunyang. See if he doesn't stab you!"

Taixu blinked, feigning cuteness. "Shall we put them back?"

Given their cultivation realms, they could remember the pieces' original positions even if they were scattered. However, Dan Chenzi, who had long suffered such losses, had no desire to continue playing. He recalled how he had been tricked last time. Taixu, leveraging his superior spiritual sense, insisted Dan Chenzi had misremembered the positions, not only messing up his game but inexplicably turning a highly advantageous position into a complete collapse. Most infuriatingly, he couldn't even defeat Taixu in a fight.

"I never want to play this game again, hmph!" As his words fell, Dan Chenzi transformed into a sword light and vanished from Heavenly Sword Cliff.

Taixu scratched his head, muttering to himself with a bewildered expression. "Is he really angry? No... it must be because he couldn't match this Venerable's incredibly high standard as the Sword Sect's Chess Saint. He's just using anger to hide his embarrassment, mm... it must be."

"Hahaha, truly you."

"Taixu, you're still so shameless. If Dan Chenzi knew you were insulting him like this behind your back, he'd surely fight you to the death."

Suddenly, a voice from beyond the heavens resounded. A sword light descended from the clouds. It was Chunyangzi, one of the Sword Sect's Three Elders. Although he only possessed cultivation at the fifth level of the Soul Transformation stage, with the might of the Pure Yang Sword Scripture, he could exchange blows with Taixu, his combat prowess several tiers higher than Dan Chenzi's. His sudden appearance now was, naturally, not merely to mock his close friend.

After some banter, they finally got down to business. "Jianhe, Fuling, and Miaozhen, while en route to assist Thunderfire Temple, discovered unusual celestial phenomena: the Lunar star position was exceptionally bright. They asked me to inquire if there's been any change in the situation, Senior Brother?"

"Shifting star positions?" The Sword Sect had once obtained a divination method called "Shifting Stars and Changing Dipper" from an ancient ruin, which was another form of the art of prognostication. It allowed one to vaguely glimpse a corner of the future by observing the celestial constellations. This was one reason Venerable Taixu was willing to trust the Demonic Venerable. Therefore, the shifting of star positions was no minor matter.

The Endless Ice Plains.

Whenever Wang Yu thought he had shaken off the Demonic Flame Clone, the opponent would employ a divine ability called "Great Evasion of Departing Fire," which allowed for direct spatial teleportation by summoning a cluster of flames from afar. Wang Yu's Aurora Escape Art was indeed fast. However, at his current cultivation realm, he found it difficult to unleash the true ultimate speed of this escape art. Consequently, while the Demonic Flame Clone couldn't catch up, it was also hard to shake off. It consistently maintained a not-too-far, not-too-close distance.

Currently, his various bodily enhancements had reached the Soul Transformation stage, but his actual cultivation realm was holding him back, preventing him from fully deploying many of his abilities. However, the Heaven Refinement Demonic Venerable was, after all, at the peak of the Soul Transformation stage. Even the Demonic Flame Clone he dispatched was a top-tier expert. The fact that Wang Yu could maintain enough distance not to be caught was already a testament to the effective use of his Aurora Escape Art.

As time passed, three days silently slipped away during their chase. Both continued to delve deeper into the Endless Ice Plains. Originally, Wang Yu had intended to return to the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect. But upon reconsideration, he changed direction, choosing to venture deeper into the core of the Ice Plains. As a high-risk area, Wang Yu had heard rumors of "Ice Plains Storms" being impassable even for Nascent Soul cultivators when he was weaker. This might be an environment worth exploiting.

The colder the environment, the greater the boost to his combat power. Thus, after days of pursuit, Wang Yu distantly spotted an extreme cold storm raging across the frozen tundra. Terrifying black ice crystals formed a dark tornado, resembling a black sandstorm in a desert, shrouding the world in darkness. The extreme cold power could even freeze spiritual sense.

Relying on his Frozen Demon Core's extraordinary resistance to low temperatures, Wang Yu plunged headfirst into the extreme cold storm. The pursuing Demonic Flame Clone showed no fear either; its body enveloped in a layer of demonic flames, it decisively charged in. The core of this clone was a portion of the Heaven Refinement Demonic Flame's essence, meaning its foundation was literally a ball of fire. How could fire fear low temperatures? As long as it didn't exceed its carrying capacity, even the extreme cold would retreat wherever the Demonic Flame Clone passed.

This situation was also within Wang Yu's expectations. The environment was merely inanimate; there were countless ways to deal with it. His true goal was singular: to accelerate the Demonic Flame Clone's energy consumption. The stronger the opponent's resistance to the extreme cold, the greater its consumption would be. As long as they were within the Endless Ice Plains, it was Wang Yu's home ground, and he feared no one!

Wang Yu, who had entered the storm first, decisively cast the Return to the Void Heaven Concealment Spell, hiding himself within a spatial interstice and concealing all his aura. There was only a slight interval between their entry into the storm. Yet, the Demonic Flame Clone completely lost track of Wang Yu. This was something the Demonic Flame Clone hadn't anticipated. It licked its blood-red lips and sneered, "You have some skill. No wonder you repeatedly frustrate Chi Tian. Now it seems he might not even be your match."

In other words, Wang Yu had truly developed. How many years had it been? And whenever it thought of Wang Yu's age, an uncontrollable jealousy flared within it. A young man just over three hundred years old... with fifth-stage body refinement? No one would believe it! If he were allowed to cultivate normally to the age of a thousand, the clone dared not imagine how strong he would become. And every time it remembered this fiend's origins as a spirit slave with inferior spirit root aptitude, that flame of jealousy was about to burst forth!

Realizing that its spiritual sense could not penetrate the storm's interference to search, the Demonic Flame Clone immediately halted, joined its hands, and flesh on its brow began to writhe. Suddenly, a slit appeared. A crimson eyeball emerged from the slit. Strangely, it contained two pupils. The cruel, murderous double-pupiled eye quickly locked onto a spot within the storm.

This was a physical talent the main body had acquired by devouring the fierce beast Chongming Bird using the Heaven Refinement Art. Originally, the Chongming Eye's effects were exorcism and insight. It possessed the ability to purify the defilement of the world. Under the influence of the Heaven Refinement Demonic Venerable's power, it underwent adaptive adjustments, directly transforming into a demonic eye. Its original abilities mutated. It could bring darkness and defilement and possessed the ability to see through true and illusory space. Thus, in a blink, it locked onto Wang Yu's location.

The Return to the Void Heaven Concealment Spell failed for the first time. Wang Yu adapted instantly. Seeing the Demonic Flame Clone attack again, the Ice Prison Demonic Seal, which he had long been charging and intended for a sneak attack, was now launched as a direct assault. This caused the space to violently tremble, and an icy chill filled the cosmos! As if Mount Buzhou had toppled, the Ice Mountain Seal, intended to suppress all, slammed down. The Demonic Flame Clone spun, transforming into a spiraling vortex of red and black flames. With an extremely forceful posture, it directly countered the Ice Mountain Demonic Seal.

The moment they collided, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the ice mountain. One breath, two breaths... then it shattered with a roar! Wang Yu's expression changed drastically. When a suppression-type divine ability like this was broken, unlike simple offensive ones, it still maintained a mental connection with the main body even after being cast. Therefore, under the backlash, Wang Yu immediately spat out a mouthful of old blood.

The Demonic Flame Clone, however, stood proudly with its hands behind its back in mid-air. The howling cold winds around it, sharper than blades, felt like a gentle breeze, not even disturbing a single strand of its hair. Behind it were scattered fragments of ice, remnants of Wang Yu's power. Such a scene revealed a power disparity capable of inducing despair, yet Wang Yu remained relatively calm.

He frowned and said, "Senior, why must you oppose me?"

"Not so." The Demonic Flame Clone shook its head. "It is you who have repeatedly disrupted this Venerable's plans. Since you have already become a Venerable, then you shall further aid this Venerable's scheme."

No sooner had it spoken than the fiery tornado attacked again. Wang Yu summoned his Fiend Dragon Armor, and with a powerful punch from his right hand, a peerless demonic dragon roared forth under the Emperor's Might—it was the Dragon Emperor Fist, at the minor completion stage! The power of this punch was far greater than that of a single Ice Prison Demonic Seal. After all, it perfectly integrated Wang Yu's physical strength, unleashing terrifying brute force at the mid-Soul Transformation stage level.

This made the Demonic Flame Clone frown deeply. This time, it chose not to clash head-on, instead forming a black hole-like fiery vortex with its left hand. When the divine power-formed demonic dragon passed through it, its power was reduced by at least fifty percent. This was a combat technique similar to the Tai Chi Primordial Hand. Longevity certainly had its advantages; it had pushed almost every aspect to its current peak, and its combat experience was exceptionally rich.

The weakened demonic dragon was once again dispersed by a palm strike from the Demonic Flame Clone. Once the dissipating divine energy dissipated, Wang Yu's figure vanished again. He had clearly used this opportunity to escape.

A clone was just a clone; its power was limited. It also could not regenerate its energy autonomously. Therefore, Wang Yu's goal of depleting the opponent had not changed. He wanted the clone to display its strength, which would allow him to stall for a longer time until the White Tiger Demonic Venerable arrived. He had never considered directly eliminating the clone.