Ice Sacrifice

The frog-fish opened his mouth, about to say something more. Suddenly, the restriction on the cave dwelling opened, and a rat demon pushed the door open and emerged. In appearance, the rat demon resembled an ordinary rat, but the difference in size was vast. It was as large as a calf, with stout limbs and fur displaying iridescent colors that seemed to shimmer with flowing radiance. The Rainbow Rat had earned its name precisely from this. Its beady eyes darted about, unable to conceal its weakness and exhaustion. Bi Fang and the other demons turned their eyes in unison toward the cave dwelling. Seeing the rat demon, looks of delight surfaced on their faces. However, upon noticing the rat demon's condition, the two Demon Kings—one male and one female—darkened slightly in expression. Exchanging a glance, their figures flickered as they appeared on either side of the rat demon like two bodyguards, subtly on guard against the other three demons. The little fox smiled coyly, exuding irresistible charm. A flash of displeasure flitted through the frog-fish's eyes. Bi Fang seemed not to notice. His expression remained unchanged as he looked at the rat demon and asked with concern, "Fellow Daoist Hong! How are your injuries?" "Someday, I shall have my revenge! Cough, cough..." The rat demon looked toward the Crescent Moon Realm, hatred welling in its eyes. Its voice sounded like that of an octogenarian, frail and breathless. After a fit of coughing, the rat demon's hatred subsided. Turning to Bi Fang, it said in a low voice, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist, this King will not die just yet! However, I need a period of peaceful recuperation before I can complete my divine ability and thoroughly transform my avatar into my primary body. During this time, I can only appear in my beast form, and my cultivation will be severely restricted. It will not be convenient for me to act, so I must trouble all of you." Bi Fang breathed a sigh of relief and pressed on, "Can you first locate the Xuantian Palace traitor's hiding place, Fellow Daoist? My fear is that he might have already fled this sea region." To his surprise, the rat demon shook its head gently with a bitter smile. "Employing that secret art consumes immense energy. In my current state, I cannot bear the burden. I must recuperate for at least a few days..." Seeing the disappointment on the faces of Bi Fang and the others, the rat demon paused before continuing, "Fellow Daoists, rest assured. He was severely injured by me multiple times, and this time his oil is truly exhausted; he is on the verge of death. Had that man named Shen not unexpectedly meddled and ruined my plan, I would have captured him long ago! Right now, he is bound to be hiding to nurse his wounds and cannot have fled far. I can vaguely sense that he is still somewhere in the nearby waters. Once I recover a portion of my cultivation, I will drag him out immediately." Bi Fang exchanged a look with the little fox and voiced his worry, "My only fear is that Old Ghost Feng and Shen might find him first! Since they planned ahead to ambush you, Fellow Daoist Hong, it's very likely they have already caught wind of something." Knowing what Bi Fang feared, the Rainbow Rat sneered, "When my primary body was encircled and escape seemed hopeless, I decisively self-detonated. I did not let them get what they wanted." At this moment, the female Demon King beside the Rainbow Rat chimed in, "Fellow Daoist Bi Fang, there is no need to worry. The Xuantian Palace traitor is skilled in concealment arts and will not be caught easily. Even when Fellow Daoist Hong acted in person, it took a great deal of effort to pinpoint his hiding place." Hearing this, Bi Fang's expression softened slightly, and he consoled, "Fellow Daoist Hong has suffered! Once this matter is resolved, we will certainly help you vent this rage!" The Rainbow Rat gave a noncommittal response and turned back into the cave dwelling. The Demon Kings could only continue waiting. ... In an unknown space, darkness reigned. In the depths of the darkness, a faint blue fluorescence flickered. This place seemed to be deep underground. Where the fluorescence reached, an irregular black stone wall could be seen. Jagged rocks jutted out like interlocking hound's teeth, and a layer of frost coated the surface of the stone. The chill emanated from the blue fluorescence. Four pillars of ice stood on the ground in the four cardinal directions. Each was as tall as a man and covered in runes, which produced the blue glow. In the center of the four ice pillars, the frigid cold had condensed into a massive block of ice. The white ice block hovered above the ground. Within it lay a figure, sealed motionless inside the mystic ice. Dressed in white robes, the person had a pallid, bloodless face and showed no sign of life, resembling a corpse. No one knew how much time had passed. A faint flush surfaced on the white-robed figure's face, suddenly bringing a touch of vitality. The eyelids twitched, and the person actually woke up. A nearly imperceptible sigh sounded in the space. The white-robed person used inner vision to inspect his body. It was a gruesome sight, prompting a bitter expression. "Although the Ice Sacrificial Secret Art can restore me, it actually overdraws my own foundation. It won't last long, and I will be even weaker afterward. Once I unseal the mystic ice, that fellow will come hunting for me. Before that, I must resolve this dire menace..." The fluorescence flickered. The white-robed person closed his eyes, and his aura lapsed back into silence. ... Boom! The stone door suddenly blew apart. Only Bi Fang and the male and female Demon Kings—three in total—were standing guard outside. Startled, they sprang to their feet and looked at the Rainbow Rat as it rushed out of the cave dwelling. The Rainbow Rat's eyes were bloodshot, its breath ragged, and its head swung back and forth in agitation. "What happened?" A foreboding feeling arose in Bi Fang's heart, though he managed to remain steady. The Rainbow Rat panted heavily. "The mark stirred! That person is breaking my tracking secret art!" Hearing this, the faces of the three demons changed drastically. Immediately after, the Rainbow Rat let out a cold snort. "Courting death by daring to trigger the mark! This King will grant his wish right now! Fellow Daoists, lend me a hand!" The three demons' shock turned to delight. The Rainbow Rat opened its pointed snout and threw its head back to unleash a shrill shriek. The shriek was piercingly sharp, like a demonic wail penetrating the clouds, clearly audible even beyond the island. The demon soldiers stationed nearby immediately fell into turmoil upon hearing the cry. Some bird demons flying in midair grew rigid and plunged headlong into the sea. Setting aside the chaos outside, even as the Rainbow Rat shrieked, it spat out a mouthful of essence blood that hovered in midair. Bi Fang and the other two demons exchanged glances and channeled their power together, helping stabilize the essence blood. The Rainbow Rat's eyes gleamed like lightning. Before long, the essence blood abruptly burst apart. Exhaustion surfaced in the Rainbow Rat's eyes, and it barked, "Go!" With that, the Rainbow Rat shrank down to the size of an ordinary rat and sprang into the air. At the same time, spiritual light flashed across the male and female Demon Kings. One transformed into a raptor demon resembling a falcon, while the female Demon King turned into a green snake. Together with the Rainbow Rat, she landed on the falcon demon's back. Bi Fang also revealed his true form. Two streaks of light—one black and one scarlet—shot out from the demon island, heading straight west. Not long after their departure, ripples parted the sea surface as a green line cleaved the water, speeding toward them—it was the frog-fish carrying the little fox on his back. ... Meanwhile, on the Nameless Island, Island Master Shen was at his wits' end. Suddenly, he felt an unusual sensation from the blood worm in his palm. His expression shifted slightly, and he hurriedly activated his secret art, only to find the blood worm tensing up and pointing straight west, easily pinpointing the position of the Xuantian Palace traitor. Surprised and overjoyed, Island Master Shen dashed out of the hall at once and retrieved his messaging treasure to contact the others. When it came to Daoist Mingyue, he hesitated for a moment. After brief consideration, Island Master Shen decided to summon Daoist Mingyue to come along, just in case. Throughout this time, the demons had shown not the slightest sign of withdrawing their forces; clearly, they were unwilling to give up. Although the mastermind, the Rainbow Rat, had already been ambushed and slain by their scheme, Island Master Shen could not be certain whether Bi Fang had other means to track down the Xuantian Palace traitor.