Ao Sheng and Xiao Die rushed onto the deck of the Seven-Star Boat. As soon as they stepped onto the deck, they felt the slowly rotating Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron emitting a warm Summer aura. Although the chill of the Extreme Ice still pierced through, the resonance from the Law Artifact created a much-needed comfort zone. Zhi Xuan channeled Pure Wind-Lightning essence into the Seven-Star Boat. He no longer cared about concealment. In his Sea of Consciousness, the map of the Extreme Ice Mountains he had just acquired rotated, showing the most efficient and lethal path. The route twisted between peaks shrouded in Ice Laws, moving away from the mining areas but approaching the zones where the Ancient Ice Beasts nested.

  WHOOSHH! ZZZRTTT!

  The Seven-Star Boat roared, shooting upward and piercing the layers of Ice Law that enveloped the lowlands. Their speed increased sharply. With the Laws of Wind and Lightning, the boat moved as if without resistance, gliding through spatial Laws like a blade cutting through cold silk. The scenery below them immediately transformed into magnificent icy ravines and peaks. The Extreme Ice Mountains were a cruel natural wonder. Giant ice crystals towered, reflecting the sunlight into a thousand blinding glitters. The air was thick with dense Ice Law energy, strong enough to freeze an ordinary Consciousness Transformation realm cultivator into an eternal ice statue.

  Zhi Xuan, standing at the prow, closed his eyes for a moment, letting the Ice Law strike him. He felt the seed of the Ice Law in the Heavenly Samsara Wheel pulse, responding to this pressure with a cold desire. He knew that after Fire and Earth, he had to conquer Ice in this place. The journey felt long, with the Heavenly Cauldron encircling the Seven-Star Boat, providing warmth that held back the extreme cold. Zhi Xuan added a Four-Directional Blood Shield to the two small children sitting behind him, keeping them in good condition.

  Three days of gliding over the sea of ice crystals had brought a deceptive tranquility. The dense Ice Law attacked the Seven-Star Boat relentlessly, but the combination of Zhi Xuan's Pure Wind-Lightning Law and the Summer Law from the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron created an extraordinary balance. In his Sea of Consciousness, Zhi Xuan did not only focus on navigation. He allowed the Extreme Ice Law from the mountains to attack his Heavenly Samsara Wheel. The seed of the Ice Law on the pillar of the Samsara Wheel pulsed, as if thirsty for frozen destruction, while the Pure Wind-Lightning Law rotated, waiting for the right moment to reach a new equilibrium.

  Ao Sheng and Xiao Die, now protected by a double shield—the Summer Cauldron and Zhi Xuan's Four-Directional Blood Shield—sat cross-legged on the deck, meditating quietly. Just as Zhi Xuan was levitating Wind-Maintaining Runes onto the hull of the Seven-Star Boat to resist the erosion of spiritual ice, a sudden primal roar tore through the silence of the frozen night.

  ROARR! WHUMP! WHUMP!

  The roar was so sudden that the fluctuations around the boat rippled and the boat's balance faltered for a moment. Zhi Xuan immediately sharpened his divine sense and looked down. Upon the frozen snow, a Black Tortoise beast with a snake-shaped tail was fighting a Frost Dragon Snake. The battle between these two Ancient Beasts, whose realms reached at least the Crimson Lotus level, unleashed a brutal storm of spiritual essence. The Black Tortoise, with a shell shrouded in Earth and Water runes, emitted a frozen Water Law that made the ground around it tremble. The Frost Dragon Snake, a rare beast with crystal horns, glided with Wind speed, releasing blades of Extreme Ice Law that sliced through the air.

  WHUSH! CRACKLE!

  The Ice Law blades struck the Black Tortoise's shell, creating a series of spiritual ice sparks, but failed to pierce the sturdy Earth defense. In retaliation, the Black Tortoise roared and exhaled a black water mist that immediately froze in the air, attempting to lock the Frost Dragon Snake. A battle of two Crimson Lotus entities was a fight comparable to Soul Transformation cultivators, yet even stronger because their souls had transformed and they were not easy to kill. With the Extreme Ice Mountains surrounding them, these two Crimson Lotus beasts were figures that would not tire of fighting.

  "Crimson Lotus," Zhi Xuan hissed. The fluctuations hitting the boat were not from a Verdant Titan like Xiao Die, but from beasts at the Crimson Lotus level. "Black Ink Tortoise and Blue Water Flood Dragon."

  Zhi Xuan narrowed his eyes. The roars and shockwaves of essence from the fight below began to erode the Wind-Maintaining Runes he had just placed on the hull of the Seven-Star Boat. Although the boat was a high-level artifact, the Law attacks unleashed by two Crimson Lotus beasts simultaneously were too fierce to ignore in this already extreme environment.

  "We cannot linger here," Zhi Xuan muttered. He did not want to disturb the fight between the two Ancient Beasts. The Ice Law they released, though lethal, was not something he wanted right now. His goal was the Crimson Land Valley, and interfering in this fight would only waste time and essence. He channeled Pure Wind-Lightning essence into the control helm, preparing to steer the Seven-Star Boat higher, away from the combat zone. However, even the roars of the two beasts were enough to shatter the runes Zhi Xuan had made, giving no chance to speed away as if the surrounding nature itself were raging.

  ROARR! KRAK! KRAK! WHUMP!

  The Wind-Maintaining Runes shattered instantly; the defense against the Extreme Ice broke and the piercing cold crept in, trying to freeze the Seven-Star Boat. Zhi Xuan snorted harshly and immediately turned back, catching Xiao Die and Ao Sheng in both arms and jumping from the Seven-Star Boat, gliding downward. Xiao Die and Ao Sheng, suddenly held and gliding down with Zhi Xuan, had no time to scream. The Seven-Star Boat immediately drifted back into Zhi Xuan's storage bag along with the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron, as both artifacts were not quite capable of enduring the Extreme Ice for too long. Zhi Xuan snorted again, holding the two small children tightly at his sides.

  "Hold on tight!" Zhi Xuan commanded hurriedly, his Heavenly-Blood Body Law radiating warmth that enveloped the two small children. Then, Zhi Xuan streaked away with his Wind-Lightning Law. "We cannot fight these Extreme Ice Mountains; I will search for a shelter."

  Zhi Xuan streaked through the lethal cold. His speed, amplified by the Pure Wind-Lightning Law, allowed them to fall with control rather than in a free-fall. Below them, the ripples from the fight between the two Crimson Lotus beasts swept with indescribable force, forcing Zhi Xuan to repeatedly deflect random spiritual ice blades.

  ROARR! WHUMP! WHUMP! DUAGH! BOOM!

  Zhi Xuan narrowed his eyes, searching for a gap amidst the churning storm of essence below. He did not want to land near the combat zone, as that would be inviting the wrath of the two Crimson Lotus beasts. However, the Extreme Ice Mountains offered few choices. The spiritual ice walls around him appeared solid, but the ice blades launched by the Frost Dragon Snake and the frozen water mist of the Black Ink Tortoise made those gaps dangerous.

  "Speed," Zhi Xuan hissed, closing his eyes for a moment. The Pure Wind Law he had recently tempered rotated, providing an extraordinary sensitivity to the movement of air around him. He did not see a safe gap; he felt the path with the lowest density of Ice Law.

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  ZZZTT!

  He dashed sideways, avoiding a Black Water sphere recently frozen by the Black Ink Tortoise, which had turned into a missile of pure ice. The ice sphere struck the icy peak behind him, creating an earthquake that cracked the ice cliff.

  "Senior, over there!" Ao Sheng shouted, pointing to a small niche in the cliff wall, about a hundred zhang below them. The niche was protected by a thick layer of ice but was still accessible.

  Zhi Xuan nodded quickly. The niche was not ideal, but it was the only place offering spatial protection from the ripples of destruction. He exerted his Pure Lightning Law. The lightning at his feet exploded, providing a very fast downward thrust.

  WHUSH! CRACKLE!

  They hit the niche hard. Zhi Xuan immediately used his back to absorb the impact, creating a Four-Directional Blood Formation behind him as he hit the ice wall. The ice wall cracked, and Zhi Xuan snorted harshly; his Heavenly-Blood Body Law created enough hardness to fracture the ice. Ao Sheng and Xiao Die, protected in his embrace, were shocked but unhurt. Once they landed, Zhi Xuan immediately brought out the Heavenly Sword. The sword hovered before them, its red blade emitting a steady light, ready to deflect.

  ZZZTT! ZHINGG!

  Just as the Heavenly Sword hovered in the air, it emitted a Pure Lightning aura as a challenge and defense. The niche they had entered felt incredibly cold, but the narrow gap in front of them protected them from the wind and the spiritual essence churning from the fight of the two Crimson Lotus beasts still raging outside. Zhi Xuan took a long breath, exhaling a thin white mist that immediately froze in the air. He released Ao Sheng and Xiao Die. He waved his hand and the Heavenly Cauldron drifted out once more. Zhi Xuan flicked his fingers and ignited the cauldron with the Azure Holy Flame, making the niche now illuminated with enough heat.

  "You two stay here," Zhi Xuan commanded coldly. He waved his hand and formed a Concealment and Separation Formation from the beast fluctuations outside. "I will go out to draw those beasts away."

  Ao Sheng and Xiao Die nodded in unison. They knew that their presence here would only be a burden. The Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron now radiating Azure Holy Flame heat did indeed dampen the lethal cold, but the cauldron could not parry Law attacks from a Crimson Lotus.

  "Senior, let me come," Ao Sheng pleaded, his Black Water Dragon King Spear already in hand, radiating a Black Water aura ready for battle. "My Ancient Blood has recovered. I can help divert attention."

  Zhi Xuan shook his head, his eyes narrowing as he observed the narrow gap ahead. "No need. This fight is not about killing; it is about escaping and wasting essence."

  ZRRRT! WHUMP! WHUSH!

  Zhi Xuan immediately shot out of the niche after ensuring the protective formation was functioning properly. He hovered in the air, and the fluctuations of the Heavenly Sword hovering nearby provided a crimson shockwave around him. Zhi Xuan called for Ruo Xianxue. Instantly, a figure in dark robes like eternal embers with nine graceful tails emerged from the Sea of Consciousness, floating beside Zhi Xuan. Ruo Xianxue, now in a solidified spiritual form, looked even more beautiful against the background of ice. Her Sun and Moon dual eyes shone with a light far sharper than before.

  "Now, you have a Spiritual Body," Zhi Xuan said coldly, his eyes fixed on the two fighting beasts. "Can you swallow them? No one here will see your form; you are free to unleash your power. However, give me that Black Tortoise shell, and also the Extreme Ice Core from that Dragon Snake."

  Ruo Xianxue snorted softly, a small laugh that sounded like the rubbing of fine crystals breaking the cold. Her nine graceful tails moved, fanning out a dense spiritual essence, but without excessive fluctuations.

  "Swallow them?" Ruo Xianxue replied, her tone containing a gentle mockery directed at Zhi Xuan's simple ambition. "Of course. Their blood is an excellent meal to perfect my Spiritual Body. That Black Ink Tortoise possesses thick Earth and Water essence; that Blue Water Flood Dragon has sharp Ice and Wind Laws. They are perfect resources to strengthen your mortal foundation, Devil."

  Ruo Xianxue shifted her gaze, staring at the two Crimson Lotus beasts still raging in their brutal combat. The Frost Dragon Snake glided with mad speed, piercing with its crystal horn, while the Black Ink Tortoise defended behind a rune shell that seemed impenetrable before unleashing a churning vortex of earth and water.

  "However," Ruo Xianxue continued, stepping forward and away from Zhi Xuan. "I will not swallow them crudely. That would be too fast and boring. I will play with them first."

  Ruo Xianxue laughed. She shifted her entire focus to the Frost Dragon Snake, which was now wounded by its own ice blades and trying to escape with Wind speed. Ruo Xianxue raised her hand, and the dual light of the Sun and Moon shone from her eyes. The Spiritual Devil power solidified. She created a subtle Ancient Heavenly Illusion, projecting the image of a Nine Heavens True Dragon above the Frost Dragon Snake. The Frost Dragon Snake froze completely. A primal fear coursed through its entire Ancient Blood core. Before the shadow of a True Dragon, its bloodline—which was merely a Flood Dragon—felt insignificant.

  "Disgusting. You are not even worthy of being a shadow of a Dragon," Ruo Xianxue sneered. With the Frost Dragon Snake paralyzed by fear, Ruo Xianxue ended the game. Her nine graceful tails shot out, not attacking physically, but attacking the Soul and Essence. The tails pierced the defenses of the Frost Dragon Snake, draining its spiritual essence dry. The Frost Dragon Snake collapsed, its body that had once shone with Ice Law now dimming, turning into a dull ice statue. Ruo Xianxue waved her hand, absorbing the soul of the snake without resistance, and sent the pure Extreme Ice Core of the dragon floating toward Zhi Xuan.

  "Your first core, Devil," Ruo Xianxue said.

  The Black Ink Tortoise, witnessing the destruction of its peer, roared once more, this time in pure desperation. It tried to release its final Black Water vortex. The Heavenly Sword streaked forward. This time, without mercy. The sword pierced the gap between the cracked runes of its shell, heading for the weak point under its neck.

  ZHINGG!

  The Ancient Blood of the tortoise sprayed out, immediately freezing in the air. Zhi Xuan did not want to drain that core too much; he targeted its soul. The Heavenly Sword immediately severed the head of the Black Tortoise. He withdrew the Heavenly Sword, and the Black Ink Tortoise collapsed. Its soul drifted and was absorbed into the Heavenly Sword.

  "Ugh," Zhi Xuan hissed, coughing lowly and clutching his chest. The backlash from the Heavenly Sword's absorption felt like it was hitting his Sea of Consciousness. "Fortunately, the Immortal Artifact is capable of neutralizing all the souls killed by it."

  Ruo Xianxue approached the tortoise carcass. She wasted no time. Her nine tails enveloped the body. A thick spiritual essence—a mixture of Earth, Water, and Ancient Blood Laws—was pulled out, absorbed by Ruo Xianxue's Spiritual Body. Her fluctuations solidified, and she appeared slightly more real than before. Ruo Xianxue absorbed greedily, stretching her arms and drawing all the essence the Black Tortoise possessed, not letting an inch of that essence vanish and leaving behind the now empty body of the tortoise. Ruo Xianxue's nine tails released the carcass, her face looking satisfied.

  "Two Soul Transformation souls, truly delicious," Ruo Xianxue murmured, her face radiant in a way she rarely showed. "If you ask for my help like this, next time direct me to cultivators, not just lowly beasts. It is more delicious to absorb human blood than wild animals."

  Ruo Xianxue drifted back to Zhi Xuan's side, her spiritual body emitting an admirable cold aura—a combination of her spiritual majesty with the extreme cold of the mountains. She flicked her hand, and the now empty carcass of the Black Ink Tortoise slid toward Zhi Xuan.

  "Take that shell. It is a top-tier defensive spiritual treasure. It is a pity I have already absorbed its Laws; a fair exchange since you only asked for the shell," Ruo Xianxue said, a cheerful yet piercing laugh spreading in the cold air.

  Zhi Xuan gave a small nod. He accepted the Extreme Ice Core and the tortoise shell, storing both in his storage ring. He felt a wave of relief and a piercing pain—relief because the Crimson Lotus threat was gone, and pain from the brutal use of the Heavenly Sword on his newly recovered body.

  "Thank you for your help, Great Saint," Zhi Xuan replied. He turned toward the cliff niche where Ao Sheng and Xiao Die were hiding. "Now, let us move them. The scent of blood and destruction will soon draw the attention of other beasts."

  Zhi Xuan did not waste time in negotiation. He streaked back to the niche, followed by Ruo Xianxue, whose spiritual body immediately faded and returned to the Sea of Consciousness with a rare sigh of satisfaction. He found Ao Sheng and Xiao Die standing beside the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron, Ao Sheng's Black Water Dragon King Spear pointed warily toward the opening. As soon as they saw Zhi Xuan return, the tension on their faces eased, replaced by relief and great curiosity.