Qin Sang recalled the treasures he had obtained from the decoy tomb of the Water Element Master.
A mysterious ice disc and two spirit pills.
With the help of the mysterious ice disc, his external incarnation had cultivated the Ice Soul Divine Light and sensed an opportunity for a breakthrough, yet he was still only able to harness the disc's power in a rudimentary way.
Qin Sang believed he had yet to unearth the true might of this treasure.
As for the two spirit pills, he had no clues about them whatsoever, so he had simply shelved them away.
The mysterious ice disc had always been carried by his external incarnation.
The incarnation took out the treasure.
Illusions shifted constantly within the ice disc. Every few breaths, the phantom silhouette of an ice palace would flash past. The corner of the ice palace currently visible in their field of view was precisely part of that silhouette.
Qin Sang flew horizontally to another mountaintop to get a clearer view.
Since the mysterious ice disc was a relic of the Water Element Master, it was bound to be intimately connected to the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. However, Qin Sang had never expected that the phantom silhouette of the ice palace was a real place. He simply did not know which had come first—the palace or the disc.
"Could this be the Water Element Palace?"
Qin Sang suspected that the ice palace was where the lineage inheritance of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect's Water Element branch lay.
Now that he had discovered the legacy of the Water Element lineage, it was an opportunity not to be missed. His incarnation cultivated frost Dao arts; with any luck, he might obtain even greater fortunes in the ice palace.
At the very least, he needed to ascertain the purpose of the ice disc and the spirit pills.
Back then, Qin Sang had deduced that the ice disc was something used as a formation core.
"Could it be the treasure that suppresses the core of the ice palace's grand formation?" Qin Sang thought to himself.
If that was the case, he would inevitably be somewhat disappointed.
How could one allow others to sleep peacefully beside one's own bed? Now that the immortal abode had emerged, no matter which faction ultimately seized control of it, none would ever allow him to claim a cave dwelling here.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
His true body and the incarnation did not linger long, quickly flying off.
Qin Sang's gaze swept over the Langhuan Jade Pavilion and the ice palace. Having already formulated a plan for their next move, he decided to have his avatar and true body continue exploring separately.
In the Northern Barrens lay the decoy tomb of the Water Element Master.
At the entrance of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect stood the stone tablet of the Earth Element Hall.
The inheritances of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect were linked to the five elements. These five heritages, combined with the scripture repositories, artifact-forging grounds, pill-refining chambers, and other places most likely to contain treasures, were already not enough to go around among the great cultivators present in the immortal sect.
Not to mention that Old Demon Fan could break free at any moment, and more remnants of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect and experts of the Daoist sects would soon arrive in succession.
If he spent too much time in the Langhuan Jade Pavilion, someone might beat him to the ice palace by the time he emerged.
***
Among the countless peaks of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, the mountain where the Langhuan Jade Pavilion stood could certainly be called precipitous.
Yet the contours of this peak were not harsh or jagged.
Clear springs flowed across the mountain, ancient trees cast lush shade, and mist coiled like dark silk, creating a scene of refreshing, timeless elegance.
The reason the incarnation had been able to spot the Langhuan Jade Pavilion from afar was that the jade structure was simply too conspicuous.
A terrace had been excavated halfway up the mountain, upon which the jade building was erected. The mountainside above the terrace had been sheared clean away to form a vertical stone precipice. With its back against the stone wall, the jade pavilion rose a thousand zhang tall, piercing straight into the clouds.
The pinnacle of the jade pavilion even extended a stretch past the mountain's summit.
Upon the cliff face beside the pavilion, four ancient characters were carved vertically: Langhuan Jade Pavilion!
Two silhouettes flashed at the foot of the mountain.
Qin Sang and his external incarnation appeared here. Seeing a stone stele standing before the mountain path inscribed with the words "Scripture Inquiry Path," they knew they had found the right place.
The true body walked up to the stele, while the incarnation paused briefly before continuing northward, heading straight for the ice palace.
***
The Five Element Halls encircled Mount Dishou, but their distances from it were not entirely equal, some being farther and others nearer.
Nor was there any obvious rule to their distribution; the only discernible pattern was that they had been constructed according to the flow of the spirit veins.
To the north of Mount Dishou.
The peaks here were lower than elsewhere. As far as the eye could see stretched vast swathes of jungle, a rolling ocean of green that blanketed the undulating hills.
The vegetation was exceptionally lush.
Ancient trees towered into the sky, their crowns spreading like canopies. Cloud and mist drifted among the foliage, lingering endlessly and lending a chill air to the jungle.
A figure was leaping among the tree canopies.
Only from up close would one realize that the treetops this person traversed were taller than those around them. All these particular treetops aligned to form a road through the clouds, winding deep into the dense forest.
Parting the canopy revealed wooden bridges suspended beneath his feet, hidden among the boughs to form a concealed passage.
Now, however, the bridges were in a state of utter ruin, severely battered in many places—evidently the scars left by battles between cultivators. From these traces, one could glimpse a mere fraction of the apocalyptic clash that had occurred in the past.
The wooden bridges were heavily guarded by restrictions; with every step this person took, he was met with immense resistance.
Above his head, strange light flickered as a small medallion slowly rotated—it was none other than the Wood Element Token!
This person was the scar-faced man. After parting ways with the Master of Qiling Cave, he had come alone in search of the Wood Element Hall.
He had been walking here for who knew how long.
A look of impatience showed on his scar-ridden face, and he glanced frequently toward the precipice.
The treasures of the Wood Element Hall were important, but the opportunity within the Immortal Palace could not be missed either!
As long as the treasures of the Wood Element Hall were in his grasp, he would not have to fear the Master of Qiling Cave going back on his word. His only worry was that Zhu Wudao acted with overbearing tyranny, and the Master of Qiling Cave would not be able to hold him back.
"The Wood Element Token can't even govern the outer restrictions!"
The scar-faced man felt somewhat irritated, yet he could only advance bridge by bridge. "Once I reach the Wood Element Hall and unseal its main hall, it should be of some use..."
Amid these thoughts, the scar-faced man traversed another patch of forest and finally spotted the silhouette of a palace ahead.
The palace was built atop the tree canopy, radiating a dense green light and teeming with vitality. It was constructed entirely of wood, and some cave abodes were even carved directly into the trunks of giant trees.
A wooden palace in the clouds, harmonious and natural; every corner conformed to the essence of nature, blending seamlessly into the jungle without the slightest discordance.
This was precisely the location of the Wood Element Hall!
The scar-faced man was overjoyed. He surged forward, but was blocked by the restrictions. Letting out a cold snort, a faint green glow suddenly surfaced around his body. With a boom like thunder, his frame acted like a heavy sledgehammer, forcibly smashing through the layers of restrictions and rushing right up to the gates of the wooden palace in a single breath.
The green glow receded.
The scar-faced man exhaled softly, turning his gaze toward the main hall situated at the center of the wooden complex. Before stepping inside, he glanced back toward the precipice.
Just then, azure light would occasionally surge skyward from the cliff, only to fall dormant moments later.
The scene was bizarre, looking nothing like the normal activation of a teleportation array, which went far beyond his expectations.
Given the vast distance and the obstructions of restrictions and clouds, seeing even this much was his limit. The scar-faced man knitted his brows, unable to fathom what was happening there.
For some reason, an ominous premonition suddenly gripped him.
Without lingering any longer, he darted into the wooden palace.
***
At the bottom of a valley between two mountains.
The area was in shambles, crisscrossed with ravines and heavily devastated.
The flora had suffered terribly; half had been contaminated by blood energy and withered away completely, while the other half was blanketed in frost, frozen solid by a chill that extinguished all signs of life.
Clearly, a fierce battle had just taken place.
Astride a hilltop to the side of the valley, Su Zinan stood with his hands behind his back, staring intently at the precipice, equally drawn by the anomalies occurring atop it.
Not being a descendant of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, those people had deliberately concealed crucial information from him. He could only speculate based on the secrets his foster father had shared and the intel he had gathered during his travels.
"Could that be the entrance to the Immortal Palace? Mo Xingdao should have rushed over by now..."
Su Zinan pursed his lips and looked down into the valley.
At this moment, the valley floor was in utter chaos.
Freezing winds howled as heavy snow poured like torrential rain.
An subterranean river seemed to surge beneath the earth, throwing up deafening waves of water that clashed violently with the chill to produce powerful shockwaves, sweeping in all directions and spreading continuously outward.
Yet no matter how fierce the shockwaves were, they remained confined to the valley, unable to affect the outside world, for the sky above was sealed by a massive web of blood-red light.
Struck by the impacts, the blood net trembled incessantly, yet proved exceptionally resilient.
Beneath the blood net, a figure hovered in midair—it was Elder Wu, who had already fallen under Su Zinan's control.
Elder Wu channeled the Blood-Drinking Demonic Halberd, unleashing none other than the great divine ability he had wielded in life: the Heaven-Stabilizing Divine Halberd!
Halberd shadows multiplied.
The astonishing pressure actually forced down the freezing chill.
Right at this moment, a beam of blue light shot out from within the frost, encasing a pale water droplet.
The icy bead did not display any visible power, yet Su Zinan's expression turned abruptly grave. He suddenly pointed two fingers toward the valley, shooting forth demonic light that condensed into a black ruler.
In an instant, the black ruler pierced through the blood net and appeared directly above the water droplet. Ruler shadows blotted out the sky, omnipresent.
The myriad ruler shadows abruptly converged, striking furiously at the water droplet with overwhelming force.
Boom!
The droplet burst apart at the impact.
However, whether it had been triggered by the ruler shadows or had detonated on its own remained unknown.
Crash!
The roar of waves sounded like thunder.
Streaks of white water shot forth violently from the droplet like bolts of silk. Unfortunately, half of the water droplets were forcibly suppressed in place by the black ruler, their radiance dimming as they were knocked straight to the valley floor.
Elder Wu directed the Blood-Drinking Demonic Halberd skyward; the halberd's tip trembled lightly before dividing into multiple demonic halberds that thrust down furiously.
The next instant, a demonic halberd appeared above every streak of water, locking it in place.
Su Zinan's pupils turned crimson, yet he ignored both the droplets and the water currents. His gaze pierced through the chaotic phenomena to fix upon a cliff face on one side of the valley, while his left hand behind his back quietly formed an incantation seal.
Boom!
A blood formation abruptly materialized from the earth, shaped like a talisman plate.
It was a talisman plate that Su Zinan had laid down here in advance.
The power of the talisman plate manifested across a vast range, with intersecting crimson runes spreading like veins through the earth and the surrounding peaks, reaching everywhere.
Boom!
Rocks shattered.
A large crater blasted open on the cliff face, within which a precious mirror was revealed.
Inside the mirror was a white figure, but the mirror's surface was wrapped in countless blood threads, forcing it to reveal its form here.
The white silhouette had disheveled hair and looked thoroughly disheveled; it was none other than Old Man Yanshan.
With a loud hum, the mirror snapped the blood threads, and the white figure faded rapidly, about to vanish. But the mirror was suddenly engulfed by demonic light, and a ruler shadow abruptly materialized above it!
"Hehe, Fellow Daoist, you certainly have many means of escape. If I hadn't laid an inescapable net, I would have lost you long ago..."
Su Zinan's figure appeared at the mouth of the cave, blocking the light.
Before his words finished, his face darkened.
Down in the valley, the remaining half of the water droplet underwent a sudden transformation, turning into a phantom that darted frantically toward the valley's exit.
Elder Wu moved with extreme swiftness. The Blood-Drinking Demonic Halberd flashed and vanished, piercing straight into the phantom's body. Amid a thunderous roar of surging waves, the phantom melted into a mass of water, writhing as if preparing for yet another metamorphosis.
Right at that moment, two streams of ghostly qi surged in with eerie shrieks—the other two sinister phantoms of the Three Corpses God-Perishing Banner, tearing at it frantically.
Still uneasy, Su Zinan scanned the valley and sneered sinisterly, "Fellow Daoist, why not simply offer up your Nascent Soul? Would it not be splendid to enjoy eternal life within my divine banner?"
***
Before the entrance of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect.
The cloud-carved dragon collapsed.
The cloud wall had expanded dozens of times compared to when it had first appeared, its domineering power blocking the entrance of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. Only when these forces fully vented themselves would the area gradually return to normal.
Just then, a tear suddenly opened on the inner side of the cloud wall. Within it, clouds churned, intermittently flashing with demonic light, poison clouds, and fist shadows.
A figure was the first to break free—none other than Old Demon Fan.
Immediately after, two more figures flew out one after the other: the Poison King and Master Huaiyin, who had caught up from behind.
Master Huaiyin, barefoot and clad in a simple robe, stepped out from the cloud wall. His expression was serene and his stride steady; the violent forces within had not left the slightest mark on him.
The rift was about to close.
A cluster of poisonous cloud drifted out, and as the cloud receded, the Poison King's figure was revealed.
Old Demon Fan was noticeably in a far more wretched state than the two of them, his robes tattered in many spots.
A soft chuckle came from behind him.
The laughter sounded soft and feminine.
As the Grand Elder of Tianhao Tower, Old Demon Fan possessed a formidable demonic reputation that struck terror into people outside, yet the Poison King harbored no such scruples and laughed whenever he pleased.
"To think the dignified Grand Elder of Tianhao Tower would have such a day!"
While breaching the cloud wall together, the Poison King and Master Huaiyin had already learned what had transpired.
Feeling he had lost face, Old Demon Fan flared with spiritual light, his robes instantly restored to perfection. He barked angrily, "That person was crafty and deceitful. The collapse of the cloud dragon happened too coincidentally—it was definitely his doing! Daring to ruin my plans, this old man will not let him off!"
"Old Demon, assuming you haven't held anything back, that person's cultivation is not inferior to ours, and he even managed to turn the tables on you. I doubt you're his match."
The Poison King prodded him intentionally. Seeing Old Demon Fan suffer a setback delighted him, and he would gladly watch the two of them fight to the death.
After flying forward for a while, a continuous chain of mountains came into view.
The Poison King murmured, "Is this the Wuxiang Immortal Sect?"
"Old Daoist Zilei and Old Ghost Yue have already entered. Could it be fake?" The anger on Old Demon Fan's face vanished, as if he had already forgotten the previous unpleasantness.
"Interesting! Old Daoist Zilei had supposedly shown himself in Jinyu Province earlier, so that was actually an impostor. Eight Views Abbey has maintained a strict guard against the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, yet they've acted behind the backs of the Buddhist sects, even condoning the remnants of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect reopening the immortal abode. Truly bizarre."
The Poison King sent a voice transmission, explaining the various secrets of Zhongzhou to Master Huaiyin. He then glanced sideways at Old Demon Fan. "Old Demon, you didn't attend the Dharma assembly and instead came to the Southern Frontier at this time. You've had your eye on them all along?"
"Likewise, likewise."
Old Demon Fan gave a hollow laugh. He cast a wary glance at Master Huaiyin, having already learned of his origins, and mused, "Delayed by the cloud dragon, we're several hours behind those people. One side is the Daoist sects, and the other is the remnants of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect; neither side's strength can be underestimated..."
Before he could finish, the Poison King cut him off. "Old Demon, since when did you become so indecisive! We've already lost the initiative. If we don't join forces, are we just going to watch them scour all the treasures?"
Old Demon Fan burst into loud laughter. The instinctive retort on the tip of his tongue was swallowed back down. "You're more straightforward than I imagined."
Master Huaiyin chimed in, "It is said that the Wuxiang Immortal Sect once controlled the Immortal Palace?"
"Indeed," the Poison King looked around, then fixed his eyes on the precipice. "The primary objective of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect remnants is bound to be the Immortal Palace. The goal of the Daoist sects is harder to guess, but they surely won't let the remnants have their way easily! The place with the most conspicuous phenomenon is most likely the entrance to the Immortal Palace!"
Old Demon Fan asked curiously, "Are there Immortal Palaces in the Western Lands?"
Master Huaiyin shook his head. "I have never heard of such."
Chapter 1624