Chapter 812: Reappearance at the Ice Abyss

Uh—

"You're about to die, and this is what you're worried about?" The remnant soul of the hair ornament was on the verge of spitting blood.

How fixated was Gu Xin'er on this matter?

"Tell me!" Gu Xin'er urged, her face reddening.

Jiang Fan's face flushed at the question. He glanced at her rounded, curved chest out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't say there was nothing there.

But it really wasn't much.

He cleared his throat, recalling the East Sea Demon Emperor's art of speaking. He said, "Revered Purple Flame, you look good in anything you wear."

Gu Xin'er froze. Slowly, she understood, and said angrily, "So you're saying I'm small?"

"Get lost!""Go on, get out!""Don't let me see you again, ever!"

Fuming, she raised her foot, wanting to kick him away. Even on the verge of death, she couldn't hear a single pleasant word! Infuriating!

Jiang Fan dodged, then looked at the dark cloud rolling in from the horizon, and said in a low voice: "Don't hesitate, hurry and leave! The matter with the Hellish Beast has nothing to do with you!"

Gu Xin'er stubbornly tried to push the Dustless Talisman back to Jiang Fan, huffing: "I don't want your one-hand-full thing! You go quickly!"

The two pushed and pulled.

Suddenly, a wisp of extreme cold air surged from the ice valley in the distance. Wherever it passed, it froze the spiritual energy in the air, turning it into ice shards that drifted with the wind.

Gu Xin'er's eyes widened in surprise: "What terrifying cold air! Could there be some extremely cold treasure or spiritual item down there?" She spoke without thinking.

Jiang Fan followed the cold air with his gaze. The cold air originated from a deep ice crevice. Wasn't that the location of the ice hole Jiang Fan accidentally discovered when he rescued Liu Qingxian that day? The cold air from that ice hole was extremely terrifying. Jiang Fan hadn't dared to venture deep into it at the time.

Now, out of the blue, why would there be a sudden burst of cold air? Could it be the master of Jiangshan Yipin Tower? Thinking this, his face brightened, and he said, "Quick! Let's go see!"

Gu Xin'er also thought that the dangerous cold air might make the Hellish Beast wary. She decisively grabbed Jiang Fan and soared over.

Soon, they appeared above the massive, abyss-like ice hole. Shocking bursts of cold air spewed out like gushing springs.

Gu Xin'er swayed. Even with her Nascent Soul stage cultivation, she was so impacted she couldn't stand steadily. "Such astonishing cold air!"

"There must be something unusual beneath this ice abyss! Furthermore, this vast expanse of ice and snow might very well be connected to the ice abyss before us." Gu Xin'er said, looking around.

Jiang Fan was startled. Most of the demon race's territory was covered in ice and snow. Could this ice and snow truly originate from the ice abyss before them? But upon closer thought, the ice and snow within the demon race's territory truly were unusual. The human lands to the south had a moist, spring-like environment. If it were due to topographical reasons that the northern demon lands were cold, then why was the absolute northernmost part of the demon race a warm, frontier grassland? On this continent, both the south and north were warm.

Only the central region was covered in ice and snow. This couldn't be explained by geographical reasons. Perhaps Gu Xin'er was right after all. The source of the ice and snow was right here in this ice abyss.

At this moment, the world suddenly darkened. The Hellish Beast, clad in black robes, also arrived, having followed them. "Hiss!"

"Which Soul Transformation cultivator's precious treasure fell here?" Clearly, the Hellish Beast had also sensed the abnormality of this place.

Immediately, he looked at Jiang Fan and Gu Xin'er. "You two are quite good at running. Why aren't you running anymore?"

Jiang Fan gritted his teeth. He grabbed Gu Xin'er, leaped into the ice abyss below, and huffed as he turned his head, "Follow if you dare! Let's see if you value your life!"

The Hellish Beast's face darkened. Looking at the bottom of the ice abyss, he was indeed somewhat apprehensive. Taking such a huge risk for two "bugs" was clearly not worth it. However, there was a reason he was chasing Jiang Fan. He needed Jiang Fan's soul so he could disguise himself as Jiang Fan and trick the Divine Virtue Pearl back from his spirit pet! Otherwise, would he be so bored as to chase them thousands of miles to this point?

Seeing Jiang Fan descend into the ice abyss, he glanced warily at the cold bursts that occasionally erupted, but could only resolutely pursue them. He just needed to kill Jiang Fan and consume his soul before any real danger arose.

Feeling the Hellish Beast pursuing them, Jiang Fan was startled. This Hellish Beast truly had no regard for its life!

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a terrifying ice wind struck. Jiang Fan immediately felt an unusual chill in his soul, as if it were about to freeze. Crucially, the ice wind was invisible. There was no way to defend against it.

Gu Xin'er also felt a strong sense of alarm in her heart and urged, "Hold me tight!" Jiang Fan didn't hesitate for a moment. He directly embraced her from the front. Gu Xin'er's height only reached Jiang Fan's shoulder. With this embrace, she was completely enveloped in his arms.

Sizzle—

A layer of purple flame surged from Gu Xin'er's body, enveloping Jiang Fan and forming a purple fire circle about a foot away from their bodies. The ice wind struck. Hitting the purple flame, it actually extinguished a wisp of it. Jiang Fan watched, his heart pounding. He had witnessed the power of the purple flame. The Dragon-Binding Lock, which could restrain Nascent Soul cultivators, had been melted into molten iron by the purple flame. Yet now, a wisp of ice wind had extinguished a cluster of it.

The terror of the ice wind was beyond expectation.

"Are you trying to suffocate me?" A muffled voice came from his embrace.

He looked down to see Gu Xin'er glaring at him, her head tilted back in annoyance. "Then how should I hold you?" Jiang Fan asked.

"From behind!"

Jiang Fan moved behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pressed tightly against her. Gu Xin'er's delicate body stiffened, and she yanked Jiang Fan's hands away. She turned around and glared at him.

Jiang Fan looked innocent: "Front is no good, back is no good. So, I'll just let you decide what to do."

Gu Xin'er gritted her pearly teeth. She bent down and lifted Jiang Fan in a princess carry.

"How about this?" Gu Xin'er asked.

Jiang Fan felt strange inside and cleared his throat: "Other than being a bit embarrassing for a man, it's not a big problem."

Gu Xin'er's small face also flushed slightly, and she huffed, "Just like this, don't move!" Then, carrying Jiang Fan in a princess hold, she continued to descend.

The Hellish Beast, pursuing them wildly, was also suddenly attacked by a wisp of ice wind. It quickly stopped. A layer of black flowing light surged around it. It was its Beast Domain. The ice wind struck the flowing light, gradually stagnated, and was then solidified. Thus, its true form was revealed.

It was an ice-crystalline insect with a body as flat as a blade! Its sharp mouth, like a steel needle, could easily pierce into a living being's body. Its blade-like body could swiftly cut through flesh, allowing for easy entry. The extreme cold air stored within its abdomen could then be released inside the living being, instantly freezing a creature from the inside out.

"Nightmare Ice Worm!"

"How can there be such things here? Wasn't this the divine insect cultivated by the Ice-Fire Demon Lord a thousand years ago? It should have been extinct a thousand years ago!"

Swoosh, swoosh—

Several more Nightmare Ice Worms attacked. The Hellish Beast hesitated. If there weren't many Nightmare Ice Worms, it wouldn't be a problem; he could handle them. But if they swarmed, his Beast Domain might not even be able to withstand them. However, watching Jiang Fan gradually disappear into the darkness below, he could only grit his teeth and pursue.

And sensing the Hellish Beast's pursuit, Gu Xin'er's expression also grew solemn. The deeper they descended, the more of these unknown ice winds appeared. Moreover, they seemed intelligent, able to launch continuous attacks on one spot, attempting to break through the purple flame's encirclement. Fortunately, her purple flame was abundant, allowing her to continuously repair any breaches. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

They descended for an unknown depth. A glimmer of light appeared. It was a few night-luminescent pearls, deliberately thrown down, illuminating the bottom. Under the faint light, a grand hall faintly emerged.

Jiang Fan recognized its origin with just one glance! It was the Ice-Fire Demon Lord's traveling palace. Because its design was almost identical to the one at the bottom of the lake. However, the one at the bottom of the lake was called the Azure Fire Heaven Palace, while the one before them was called... Profound Ice Hell.