Inside the ice demon crystal, intricate patterns formed clear lines like an enlarged snowflake, without the slightest disorder, possessing an exquisite beauty.
Once the ice chest was opened, the first thing everyone felt was a startling wave of chill.
Those closest to the Grand Elder instinctively fell back, instantly clearing a wide space around her.
Even Nascent Soul cultivators reacted this way.
The low-level disciples visiting the Sacred Ground for the first time gazed upon this sacred relic with even greater awe, frantically channeling their true essence to shield their bodies, seeking whatever comfort it might bring.
A flicker of surprise passed through Qin Sang's eyes. The moment he laid eyes on the ice demon crystal, he had actually felt an inexplicable pressure—faint, yet unmistakably real.
The ice demon crystal was clearly an inanimate object.
It had been removed from the body of an ice demon countless years ago, yet it still retained such power; one could only wonder what realm that ice demon had attained while alive.
Tong Lingyu put away the ice chest as true essence surged from her palm, splitting into slender threads of spiritual light that wove into an intricate pattern and slowly pressed onto the ice demon crystal.
This pattern aligned flawlessly with the crystalline veining inside the ice demon crystal, as if nature itself had formed them together.
At the same time, Tong Lingyu's lips moved without a sound; she was communicating silently with the Palace Master.
The gathered cultivators held their breath, their gazes fixed intently on the ice demon crystal and the Grand Elder.
Following Tong Lingyu's motions, the ice demon crystal began to glow. Light radiated outward from its interior, waxing and waning unpredictably, signaling that its internal energy was growing unstable.
Tong Lingyu's movements grew faster and faster, becoming a dazzling blur.
Eventually, the ice demon crystal itself could no longer be seen with the naked eye, transforming into a brilliant star that slowly rose from Tong Lingyu's palm.
Qin Sang tilted his head back, his gaze following the ascent of the ice demon crystal.
He felt a hint of surprise—the Sacred Ground was not hidden beneath the sea after all.
*Whoosh!*
The carriage's tassels swayed violently as a streak of blue light shot forth, striking the ice demon crystal with unerring precision.
With a dull crack, the upward momentum of the ice demon crystal came to an abrupt halt, and an intense, deep-blue radiance erupted midair like blooming fireworks!
Astonishing energy surged outward in vast, rolling waves.
At that moment, even the surrounding gales seemed to freeze in place.
Qin Sang's eyes suddenly shifted away from the ice demon crystal toward the void above.
The instant the ice demon crystal erupted, a peculiar ripple that had not existed before spread through the void.
At first, only the Nascent Soul cultivators could detect it.
Gradually, the attention of the disciples was drawn there as well.
The anomaly had finally arrived, instantly provoking waves of gasped exclamations.
With the ice demon crystal at its center, a visible black line spread across the void. Immediately after, the void split along the black line, gaping like an enormous black maw that swallowed the ice demon crystal whole!
*Rumble!*
The gales suddenly turned violent. Even when the Nascent Soul cultivators acted to shield their juniors, they found it taxing.
Yet whenever these terrifying gales struck the rift, they were swallowed directly into it without stirring the slightest ripple.
The scene looked remarkably like a colossal spatial fissure.
However, there was no spatial turbulence here. The interior of the rift was choked with dense, murky clouds that blotted out the sky and sun, making it impossible to see what lay within.
The rift cut straight through the storm belt; where they stood was merely a small section of it.
The howling winds were everywhere, obscuring their vision so thoroughly that the far ends of the rift remained out of sight.
As the rift widened, the brilliance of the ice demon crystal gradually dimmed until its power was completely exhausted, at which point the Grand Elder retrieved it into the ice chest and sealed it once more.
Only now could they see clearly: directly above them, the dark clouds inside the rift were slightly thinner, and the majestic silhouettes of mountains could faintly be discerned within. That was the Sacred Ground, and this was the passage leading into it.
A stir ran through the crowd at the sight of the Sacred Ground, anticipation written across their faces.
Right at that moment, the Chongming Bird let out a cry, pulling the carriage back to clear the way.
Qin Sang was startled and asked Hall Master Jiang via voice transmission, "The Palace Master isn't entering the Sacred Ground?"
Hall Master Jiang nodded and explained, "It was the same the last two times. The Palace Master possesses peerless cultivation; there are no treasures left in the Sacred Ground that could tempt him."
As they spoke, the murky clouds inside the rift shifted, growing thinner in the center.
Sensing the right moment, Tong Lingyu led the group in a charge toward the rift.
Qin Sang flew side by side with Liuli, having awakened his Heavenly Eye Butterfly early on in hopes of peering through the clouds to observe the Sacred Ground.
Right then,
Qin Sang suddenly felt a stir in his Nascent Soul within his dantian. The Killing Sword fragments stored there trembled for the very first time. His gaze froze for a split second before returning to normal so swiftly that no one noticed.
Yet inside, he was overjoyed.
For the first time since falling into slumber, the dormant sword spirit reacted, sending out a yearning thought.
There really were Killing Sword fragments in the Sacred Ground of Xuantian Palace!
Suppressing his delight, Qin Sang submerged his consciousness into his dantian and discovered that the sword fragments had vibrated only once before falling quiet again.
The sword spirit's thought had been simple and urgent, containing no detailed information and indicating only a rough direction.
Qin Sang could tell that merely conveying this thought had strained the sword spirit immensely, a clear sign of just how slow and grueling its recovery had been.
From here on, he would have to explore on his own. He wondered whether the sword spirit might recover enough in a little while to give him another hint.
As these thoughts raced through his mind,
Qin Sang drew closer and closer to the rift.
Maintaining a calm expression, he quietly channeled the power of the Heavenly Eye, gazing deep into the murky clouds!
***
Just before the Sacred Ground opened.
Across an unknown expanse of sea rested a Black Dragon Treasure Ship.
It was an enormous vessel rarely seen in this world, moored right at the edge of the storm belt. Yet compared to the towering curtain of gale-force winds that blotted out the sky, the ship seemed incomparably tiny and fragile.
Aboard the vessel were numerous immensely powerful auras, all deliberately restrained. It was hard to imagine that so many Nascent Soul experts could be gathered on a single ship.
*Crash...*
Heavy waves surged repeatedly, slamming against the Black Dragon Treasure Ship.
The ship remained rock-steady, as if waiting for something.
At the prow,
Old Man Hunmo stood with his hands behind his back, staring into the storm belt with profound, inscrutable eyes.
At that moment, his eldest disciple walked up, halted behind Old Man Hunmo, bowed, and said, "Master, a fight nearly broke out inside again."
"Those demon kings again?"
Old Man Hunmo continued looking toward the storm belt, his expression calm.
His eldest disciple gave an affirmative grunt and said indignantly, "Great Sage Tianpeng is clearly indulging them! Those demon kings are growing more brazen by the day!"
Old Man Hunmo chuckled. "Our two races have always been like fire and water, bound by sea-deep blood feuds. It would be bizarre if we could actually get along in peace. That Great Sage Tianpeng is willing to cooperate with this old man is purely out of respect for what Xuantian Palace's Sacred Ground offers."
With that, Old Man Hunmo took out a jade slip and tossed it to his disciple.
"These contain the information this old man gathered on various treasure sites within Xuantian Palace's Sacred Ground. The time should be near. There is no harm in letting Primordial Lady Yuyi and the others know now, so urge them to endure a little longer. When the moment comes, whether they can snatch food from the tiger's jaws before Xuantian Palace will depend on their own ability."
Chapter 1484