Chapter 813: Swordmaster Relic

"This says 'Demon Script'," Gu Xin'er translated, worried Jiang Fan wouldn't understand. "It's called 'Profound Ice Hell'."

"Doesn't sound like a good place," she murmured, a hint of trepidation in her voice.

Luminescent pearls scattered on the ground indicated that someone had been here, yet there was no sound within the hall. Either the person was hiding, or they were dead.

Either way, the situation was not ideal. Above them, the Hellbeast's aura continued to close in.

"I told you to use the Dust-Free Talisman earlier, but you didn't listen," she said. "Now you'll have to go in with me. Don't blame me if we die inside."

Feeling the increasingly fierce ice winds around them, she wasn't confident that her Purple Flame could protect them both. Entering this clearly dangerous hall filled her with even less assurance.

Jiang Fan, however, wore a strange expression. He subtly glanced at his chest. Unbeknownst to him, the chicken feather there had started to warm up, and by now, it was slightly hot.

"What's wrong with this damn feather now?" he muttered. As if it had heard his whisper, the feather suddenly became scalding hot.

Jiang Fan gasped from the heat, "You... you can really understand me?" If the last time he whispered something and the feather tattooed itself onto him wasn't enough to confirm its sentience, this time it was. This feather was alive!

Good heavens! What kind of entity had he attracted to himself?

Gu Xin'er turned her head in surprise. "Who are you talking to?" Jiang Fan's expression flickered. "Something I don't know what it is."

The feather seemed displeased again, growing even hotter.

Jiang Fan gasped, "Alright, alright, I won't talk about you anymore!" Only then did the feather cool down, though it remained very warm, seemingly reacting to something nearby.

Gu Xin'er eyed him suspiciously. She secretly wondered if he, too, had an old senior's lingering spirit, similar to the hairpin's, attached to him.

Whoosh— The wind howled above them. The silhouette of the Hellbeast was now visible.

Gu Xin'er didn't dare hesitate, sweeping Jiang Fan into her arms and rushing into the hall. The hall's doors were open, indicating someone had been there, but they had vanished without a trace.

The hall's size was similar to the Blazing Fire Heavenly Temple, and one could see to its end with a single glance. The difference was that in the center of the Blazing Fire Heavenly Temple lay a thousand-year-old clam shell, nurturing the Heaven-Scorching Clam Pearl. In the center of Profound Ice Hell, however, was an ice pool. A crystal-clear ancient sword was plunged into the pool, an ice dragon pattern coiled around its blade.

The lingering spirit of the hairpin in Gu Xin'er's embrace let out a low cry. "A top-grade spirit artifact! Icy material, with an ice dragon pattern. Isn't this the Snow-Listening Sword, one of the Nine Heaven-Punishing Swords of the Northern Profound Sword Venerable from back then? How could it be here?"

Gu Xin'er was secretly astonished. It was the first time she had heard her master express such surprise. Even when encountering the shattered Moon Realm, her master had only shown a hint of unexpected awe, never this level of astonishment.

"Xin'er, you've stumbled upon a huge opportunity!" the spirit exclaimed. "The Northern Profound Sword Venerable, wielding the Nine Heaven-Punishing Swords, was once an unrivaled existence below the Sages. Later, he also perished in the ancient great war. His nine swords either shattered or disappeared. To think that the Snow-Listening Sword is preserved here in perfect condition!"

Gu Xin'er's eyes gleamed. The Northern Profound Sword Venerable, the Nine Heaven-Punishing Swords. Just hearing their names evoked the peerless grandeur they held in an era of powerful experts.

"Then wouldn't I..." Gu Xin'er was about to give in to greed, but then she noticed Jiang Fan in her arms staring at the sword. He whispered, "Senior, don't touch this sword. The people who came before us were here but didn't take it; there must be a reason. Let's hide and let the Hellbeast try."

Gu Xin'er instantly sobered. Right. She had been so focused on the sword's extraordinary nature that she had forgotten about its potential risks.

"You're as cautious as ever," Gu Xin'er chided him playfully. Yet, she secretly thought, 'This guy might be a scoundrel, but he's truly cautious. From now on, I need to think twice before acting. I can't be worse than him.'

The hairpin spirit heard these thoughts and was very pleased. Gu Xin'er was finally starting to acknowledge Jiang Fan's strengths.

Gu Xin'er pressed herself against the wall behind them. She pulled out the mid-grade Dust-Free Talisman, instantly activated it, and pressed it onto Jiang Fan. She then swallowed a Myriad-Form Pearl. A faint blue light gradually enveloped her body, then slowly transformed to match the palace wall behind her. From a glance, it was impossible to see anyone there; without touching, one couldn't distinguish her from the wall.

Jiang Fan secretly marveled at its magic. Originally, it was this very pearl that the Purple Flame True Lord used to disguise himself as Liu Qingxian, making it impossible for Jiang Fan to tell the difference just by looking. He only realized the deception after touching. Now he knew that this pearl could not only disguise one as a person but also as an inanimate object.

But why hadn't she used it before? Then they wouldn't have needed to hide in the Ice Abyss, right? Soon, Jiang Fan understood. Once disguised as an inanimate object, one couldn't make any movement, or the invisibility would immediately break. This method was very impractical and easily seen through by the Hellbeast. She wouldn't have used it unless absolutely necessary. Now, they were at a dead end and had no choice but to try.

Thud— A dull thud echoed from outside the hall. The Hellbeast had arrived! It cautiously entered the hall. Its gaze swept left and right, immediately drawn to the ice pool before it. Its pupils contracted sharply. "The Northern Profound Sword Venerable's sword? There's actually one so complete!"

Excited, it was about to step forward. Then it abruptly halted, narrowing its old eyes to scan the surroundings, and cackled coldly. "You two little humans. This sword must have some danger, right? Otherwise, why wouldn't you take it? Are you trying to make me take it and trigger the danger within?"

True to a Hellbeast that had lived countless ages, it immediately saw through their little trick. Jiang Fan scoffed inwardly. "So what if it found out? As long as you're in here!"

He took out his quasi-spirit artifact longbow and shot an arrow directly at the Snow-Listening Sword. A dazzling silver light instantly pierced through space and struck the Snow-Listening Sword. The Hellbeast, tracing the arrow's origin, locked onto the two of them. With a chilling grin, it said, "I've found you!" It laughed and charged forward.

Who knew? As the Snow-Listening Sword shifted, the ice pool below suddenly underwent a drastic change. From what appeared to be a small water pit, countless insects crawled out. They were all those sharp-nosed, flat-bodied Nightmare Coldworms. They seemed to have been awakened and furiously charged towards the Hellbeast.

The Hellbeast's face drastically changed. A few insects, it could handle. But so many? How could it possibly deal with them? It immediately abandoned Jiang Fan, roaring, "You little humans! You ambushed me!" With that, it swiftly rushed out of the hall.

A sky-covering horde of Nightmare Iceworms swept through the entire hall. There was nowhere to hide. Gu Xin'er's heart pounded in terror. With so many insects, her small amount of Purple Flame would easily be extinguished!

She made to grab Jiang Fan and run out. The Hellbeast was dangerous, but these Nightmare Coldworms were even more so.

But soon, she made a surprising discovery. The approaching swarm of insects, just as they were about to reach them, seemed to encounter something they feared, veering away! The entire hall full of Nightmare Coldworms surged out like a tide, pursuing the Hellbeast, completely ignoring them.

"What... what's happening?" Gu Xin'er asked in astonishment. "Master, was that you?" In her opinion, only her master could make these insects afraid to approach. But to her surprise, the hairpin spirit's voice was filled with wonder as it said, "These Nightmare Coldworms wouldn't fear me. They seem to be afraid of this boy!"