Chapter 6271 - 6280

Kai gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain within his body, and relaxed his control over the dragon energy.

The golden dragon energy no longer resisted the icy blue divine light, and the two forces began to slowly merge.

At first, it was very slow, so slow that the change was almost imperceptible.

But gradually, the merging began to accelerate.

The gold and icy blue mixed together, creating a completely new color—a warm, pale gold like the dawn.

That pale golden light surged from both of them, enveloping the entire open space.

The leaves of the Tree of Life fell faster in this light, golden leaves swirling and dancing in the air, finally settling around the two of them, forming thick carpets.

Kai could feel the bloodline of the Ice God lineage merging into his body.

It was an extremely ancient and extremely pure power.

It was cold but not piercing, powerful but not domineering, like a wisp of spring breeze sealed within millennia of ice, slowly flowing through Kai’s meridians.

At the same time, the golden dragon bloodline within him was also flowing back into Jiang Xuelan’s body.

Golden dragon energy and icy blue divine light intertwined and merged within her body, awakening the long-dormant Ice God bloodline within her. The

bloodline power, dimmed by the passage of time, began to revitalize under the nourishment of chaotic energy.

Time flowed silently around them.

They didn’t know how much time had passed—perhaps an hour, perhaps a whole night—before the pale golden light slowly receded, merging back into their bodies.

Kai slowly opened his eyes.

He felt a wondrous change in his body.

The spiritual energy in his dantian was more abundant than before, his meridians were wider, and even the golden dragon bloodline within him had become more solid and pure.

He could feel that although his cultivation level hadn’t broken through, his strength had undergone a qualitative leap.

It was an indescribable feeling, like a sword that was already incredibly sharp, now reforged and honed, becoming even more resilient and sharper.

Peak of the fifth rank of the Upper Immortal Realm.

Just one step away from entering the sixth rank of the Upper Immortal Realm.

Jiang Xuelan’s changes were even more pronounced.

Her aura was significantly stronger than before.

A touch of color returned to her usually cold face, replacing

her previous pallor. Her eyes were brighter, like polished stars, radiating a soft glow.

The bloodline of the Ice God lineage had been revitalized within her.

Jiang Xuelan looked down at her hands, feeling the power flowing through her, and remained silent for a long time.

Then, she looked up at Kai.

Something subtly changed in his deep eyes.

It was no longer scrutiny, no longer a mere glance, but rather a tenderness she herself couldn’t quite define.

“Thank you,” she said softly, almost inaudibly.

Kai shook his head, remaining silent. The

atmosphere between them was somewhat delicate.

What had just happened had caused an irreversible change in their relationship.

Although Kai had said, “This is just a transaction,” some things, once done, can never be undone.

Jiang Xuelan seemed to sense this change as well. She stood up, her back to Kai, picked up the scattered veil from the ground, and draped it over her shoulders.

Her movements remained composed, but her slightly trembling fingers betrayed her inner turmoil.

“You…” she hesitated, not turning around, “Do you regret it?”

Kai remained silent for a moment.

“No regrets.” His voice was calm and firm. “This is what I promised you, and what’s done is done. There’s nothing to regret.”

Jiang Xuelan’s shoulders relaxed slightly, as if she had breathed a sigh of relief.

She didn’t speak again, simply standing quietly beneath the Tree of Life, looking up at the golden canopy above.

The night breeze rustled the golden leaves, as if telling some ancient secret.

Kai walked to her side, standing shoulder to shoulder.

Neither of them spoke, simply standing quietly, watching the Tree of Life sway gently in the night breeze.

After a long time, Jiang Xuelan suddenly spoke.

“Do you know why the Divine Palace was built here?”

Kai shook his head.

Jiang Xuelan turned around, her gaze passing over the lake’s surface, looking towards the place deep within the lake where the enormous creature called “Return to the Void” slept.

“Because this is the oldest place in the Fourteenth Heaven. Older than the gods, older than the humans, older than any known race.”

Her voice deepened, carrying the solemnity of recounting an ancient legend.

“The Tree of Life wasn’t planted by us gods. It was already here when we discovered it. And the reason it can grow here is because…”

She pointed to the bottom of the lake.

“Because of Guixu.”

Kai followed her gaze.

The dark blue lake was bottomless, and the enormous creature had sunk to the deepest part, only a faint golden light shimmering in the darkness.

“Guixu is more than just a fish.” Jiang Xuelan’s voice was soft, “It is the guardian of this lake, the guardian of the Tree of Life, and even more so… the guardian of a door.”

“What door?” Kai asked.

Jiang Xuelan didn’t answer immediately.

She remained silent for a long time, so long that Kai thought she wouldn’t answer, when she suddenly spoke.

“A door leading to… the ancient era.”

Kai’s pupils contracted slightly.

“The roots of the Tree of Life extend to the deepest part of the lake. At the bottom of the lake, there is a fissure guarded by the Void. On the other side of that fissure lies a world forgotten by time, an ancient battlefield.”

Her voice carried a strange rhythm, as if chanting an ancient epic.

“There lie the most powerful beings of ancient times. The ancestors of the gods, the progenitors of the demons, the emperors of the dragons… all left their legacies and relics on that battlefield.”

She turned to look at Kai, her gaze intense.

“I’ve always wanted to go down and see. But the Void forbids anyone from approaching that fissure. It has guarded it for countless years, forbidding anyone from stepping onto that ancient battlefield.”

“But now it’s different.”

A slight smile played on her lips, a hint of cunning mixed with anticipation.

“The Void recognizes my bloodline, and it recognizes your Golden Dragon bloodline. But it doesn’t recognize…our bloodline.”

Kai was taken aback. “Our bloodline?”

Jiang Xuelan held out her hand, palm up.

A pale golden light appeared in her palm—neither pure gold nor pure ice blue, but a perfect fusion of the two colors.

It was the power of the fusion of the Ice God bloodline and the Golden Dragon bloodline. It was

also the power that Kai and Jiang Xuelan shared after their dual cultivation.

“The Void won’t stop those who possess this power,”

Jiang Xuelan’s voice held a hint of excitement. “Because this power, and the power of certain beings in that ancient battlefield…is of the same origin.”

Kai finally understood her meaning.

“You want me to go down with you?”

Jiang Xuelan nodded.

“That’s the second thing.” She held up two fingers and waved them in front of Kai. “Accompany me to explore the place guarded by the Void.”

Kai was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

“Okay.”

Jiang Xuelan smiled.

The smile was faint, yet more genuine than ever before.

It was no longer a cold, aloof, distant smile, but a woman’s heartfelt smile after receiving a promise.

“Tomorrow,” she said, turning to the colossal creature slumbering deep within the lake, “we’ll go down tomorrow.”

Deep in the lake, the golden eyes of Guixu slowly opened a crack in the darkness.

That gaze pierced the inky blue water, landing on the two people standing side-by-side beneath the Tree of Life.

It lingered on them for a long time.

Then, those golden eyes slowly closed, sinking back into the darkness.

As if in acquiescence.

As if waiting. The next morning, before dawn,

Kai stood by the lake, watching the dark blue water ripple gently in the morning breeze.

The aurora borealis overhead had lost its deep blue-purple hue of the night, returning to its pale color, like an old piece of silk washed countless times, drifting silently in the sky.

Jiang Xuelan stood beside him, dressed differently today. Instead of the plain white dress, she wore a form-fitting ice-blue water-colored gown that accentuated her slender and graceful figure.

Her long hair was tied up high, secured with a white jade hairpin, revealing her fair neck and well-defined collarbones.

In her hand, she held a fist-sized bead, which emitted a faint blue light. The light was not dazzling, but it possessed a penetrating quality, as if it could illuminate the deepest seabed.

“This is a water-repelling pearl.”

She handed the pearl to Kai. “Hold it in your mouth, and you can breathe freely underwater. The Lake of Return to Nothingness is unfathomably deep, and the water pressure increases the deeper you go. An ordinary cultivator’s protective true qi won’t last long.”

“I don’t need this. I can freely enter and exit the vast ocean…” Kai felt he didn’t need the water-repelling pearl.

He had even been in the sea; what was a small lake to him?

“The ocean you’ve entered is just an ordinary ocean, while this is the Lake of Return to Nothingness, which is incomparable to an ordinary ocean. If you insist on showing off and refuse, then I can refuse to give it to you.” Jiang Xuelan pretended to put the water-repelling pearl away.

“Since that’s the case, then I still want it.”

Kai snatched the water-repelling pearl.

The water-repelling pearl felt cool to the touch, its surface as smooth as a mirror.

He did as she said and put the pearl in his mouth. A cool breath immediately flowed from the pearl, down his throat, and into his lungs, making him feel refreshed.

“Stay close to me.” After Jiang Xuelan finished speaking, she leaped into the lake.

Her entry into the water was as graceful as a waterbird returning to its nest, without stirring a single ripple, her entire body silently disappearing into the dark blue lake.

Kai took a deep breath and followed suit, leaping into the lake.

The moment he entered the water, the power of the Water-Repelling Pearl took effect.

A thin layer of blue light covered his body, isolating him from the lake water.

That light membrane was like an invisible armor, completely neutralizing all pressure.

The temperature of the lake water was much lower than he had imagined.

Even with the protection of the Water-Repelling Pearl, he could still feel the bone-chilling cold.

That cold was not just ordinary low water temperature, but an ancient chill that had permeated countless years, as if the lake water had never been warm since the beginning of time.

Feeling the piercing cold, Kai was somewhat relieved that he had used the Water-Repelling Pearl.

Jiang Xuelan was not far in front of him, the icy blue water almost blending into her, only the white jade hairpin that bound her hair emitted a faint light in the darkness, like a guiding lamp.

The two dived one after the other into the depths of the lake.

At first, they could still see light; the aurora borealis and the golden light of the Tree of Life shone through the water, forming shimmering pillars of light like holy light emanating from a church dome.

But as they went deeper, the light grew dimmer and weaker.

Eventually, all that remained was pure darkness; they couldn’t even see their own hand in front of their face.

Kai could only rely on the light from Jiang Xuelan’s white jade hairpin to orient himself.

The surrounding lake water began to change.

It was no longer ordinary lake water, but a thicker, heavier liquid, as if swimming in ink.

The light membrane of the water-repelling pearl hissed in this thick liquid, seemingly under immense pressure.

“We’re almost at the territory of Guixu,”

Jiang Xuelan’s voice suddenly rang in Kai’s ears, clear as if speaking face-to-face.

She was using divine sense to transmit her voice.

As soon as she finished speaking, Kai felt something move ahead.

It was an extremely faint vibration, emanating from the depths of the lake, passing through the thick water, and reaching his body.

The vibration was very slight, almost imperceptible, yet the power it contained made Kai’s heart leap.

It was a heartbeat.

An unimaginably enormous heart, beating slowly and powerfully deep within the lake.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Each beat caused the lake water to tremble slightly, each beat made Kai’s blood resonate.

“It’s awake.” Jiang Xuelan’s voice held a hint of tension.

In the darkness ahead, two golden lights appeared.

The lights were initially small, like two distant stars.

But they grew larger and brighter, like two rising suns.

When the two lights were large enough to illuminate an area of ​​hundreds of feet around them, Kai finally saw what they were.

Eyes.

The eyes of Guixu.

The pair of golden eyes floated in the darkness, each tens of feet wide, larger than any building Kai had ever seen.

There was no emotion in the golden pupils, only an indifference that transcended time, as if watching two ants that had strayed into the nest of a giant beast.

And behind those eyes was the outline of Guixu.

The outline was so enormous that Kai’s vision couldn’t contain it.

He could only see patches of dark blue scales, each the size of a house, reflecting a cold, eerie luster in the golden light.

Dark red light flowed between the scales, like magma surging in cracks in rock.

Gui Xu’s body twisted and turned, extending into the deeper darkness of the lake, its end invisible.

“Don’t be afraid,” Jiang Xuelan’s telepathic transmission sounded again, “It won’t harm us. But it will…test us.”

Test?

Before Kai could react, one of Gui Xu’s eyes shifted slightly, and its golden gaze fell upon him.

That gaze felt like a mountain pressing down, and Kai felt his very soul tremble.

It wasn’t pressure, but something more fundamental; before that gaze, he felt all his secrets were laid bare, as if he had been seen through from the inside out.

Gui Xu’s gaze lingered on him for three breaths.

Then, it looked away.

Its golden eyes slowly closed.

At the same time, a deep rumble came from the depths of the lake, like the earth groaning.

The rumble grew louder and closer, and the entire lake trembled violently.

Kai felt the lakebed beneath his feet cracking open.

A fissure extended from the place where the Ruins slumbered, widening and deepening.

Blinding white light surged from the fissure, a light unlike sunlight or the aurora, but a more ancient and primal radiance, like the first ray of light at the beginning of time.

“Now!” Jiang Xuelan grabbed Kai’s wrist and pulled him towards the fissure.Like two arrows released from a bow, the two sped through the thick lake water towards the white light.

The crack drew closer, the white light growing increasingly blinding.

Kai could feel a power within that white light that made his blood boil.

That power resonated with the chaotic energy within him, causing every inch of his flesh to tremble and rejoice.

Then, they plunged into the white light.

The white light lasted for about three breaths before abruptly vanishing.

Kai found himself standing on unfamiliar land.

The ground beneath his feet was a dark gray rock, as hard as refined steel, its surface covered with countless cracks.

These cracks were not naturally formed, but rather traces of something shattered and reformed by an extremely terrifying force. He could sense a faint trace of aura lingering within each crack, an aura so ancient it was chilling, so powerful it was despair-inducing.

He looked up and surveyed his surroundings.

At that sight, his breath caught in his throat.

This was a battlefield.

A vast battlefield stretching to the horizon.

Three moons hung in the sky: one blood-red, one pitch-black, and the third, half-broken, a lonely crescent moon gleaming palely.

The three colors of moonlight bathed the battlefield in an eerie, dark purple hue.

Countless enormous skeletons lay scattered across the land.

Kai had never seen such colossal creatures.

Some skeletons stretched hundreds of feet long, like the spines of mountain ranges;

others soared into the clouds, like pillars supporting the heavens.

Their owners must have possessed world-destroying power in life, but now, only cold white bones remained, silently recounting their former glory under the moonlight.

“These are…” Kai’s voice was hoarse.

“The remains of ancient races.”

Jiang Xuelan stood beside him, her gaze sweeping over the massive skeletons, her voice filled with complex emotions. “The ancestors of the gods, the progenitors of the demons, the emperors of the dragons, and some races I don’t even recognize. They all perished here.”

She pointed to the tallest skeleton in the distance.

The skeleton stood upright on the ground, towering a thousand feet tall. Even as just a skeleton, it exuded a suffocating aura of power.

The skeleton’s shape vaguely resembled a human form, and it possessed a pair of enormous bone wings on its back, hundreds of feet wide when spread.

“That is my ancestor, the progenitor of the Ice God lineage. His name was Bei Mingyuan, the first being in the world to master the laws of ice. Legend says he could freeze time, seal space, and plunge the entire Chongtian realm into an eternal winter with a single thought.”

She then pointed to another side.

There lay an even larger skeleton, exceeding a thousand feet in length, shaped like a winding mountain range.

The skeleton’s head still had two enormous horns, and even after countless millennia of death, faint arcs of electricity still flickered on those horns.

“That’s the Dragon Emperor, the Void Dragon King. Legend says he’s the ancestor of all dragons, and his bloodline later branched into major dragon races such as the Golden Dragon, Silver Dragon, Black Dragon, and Red Dragon. His power was enough to tear apart the void; a single claw could shatter a star.”

Kai stared blankly at the Dragon Emperor’s skeleton, his Golden Dragon bloodline suddenly boiling uncontrollably.

It was a resonance from the depths of his bloodline; his blood was telling him that the skeleton before him was

his ancestor, the source of the dragon blood flowing within him.

He involuntarily took a step towards the skeleton.

“Kai!” Jiang Xuelan grabbed him, “Don’t go near. The residual power on those skeletons is still enough to kill a True Immortal Realm cultivator. You don’t know what’s still alive inside.”

Kai stopped, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the boiling dragon blood within him.

She was right.

This place was too dangerous; he couldn’t act impulsively.

He looked around, beginning to carefully observe the battlefield.

“Is this battlefield only accessible through the Ruins of Return?”

Kai was extremely puzzled. Such a vast ancient battlefield—among the thirty-six heavens of the Celestial Realm, could it only be entered through the Ruins of Return, the fourteenth heaven?

Jiang Xuelan looked at Kai as if he were a fool.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Kai asked, confused.

“This is an ancient battlefield. This area is outside the Celestial Realm, unbound by its laws. How could it be that only the fourteenth heaven can enter?”

“There should be passages to this ancient battlefield in all thirty-six heavens of the Celestial Realm, but not all of these passages are known to anyone,”

Jiang Xuelan explained to Kai.

“So you mean, we might encounter cultivators from other heavens here?”

Kai was stunned!

Jiang Xuelan nodded: “Possibly…”

“Damn, if we encounter cultivators from the thirty-sixth heaven, wouldn’t we be utterly insignificant?” Kai’s heart skipped a beat.

He was incredibly powerful, able to fight beyond his level, possessing the Golden Dragon bloodline and the power of chaos.

But if he really encountered a cultivator at the 36th Heaven, with his current strength, he’d probably be finished off with a single breath.

“So we need to explore this area as quickly as possible and then go back!” Jiang Xuelan said, then began to examine the battlefield.

Kai followed suit, looking around.

He saw that besides the enormous skeletons, countless broken weapons were scattered on the ground.

There were broken longswords, shattered battle axes, dented shields, and other objects whose purpose he couldn’t recognize.

He’d never seen the materials of these weapons before; some emitted a faint blue light, some had a liquid metallic sheen, and some, even broken, still trembled slightly, as if still yearning for battle.

“These weapons…” Kai crouched down, wanting to pick up a broken blade.

“Don’t touch them!”

Jiang Xuelan stopped him again, “Those weapons are imbued with the resentment of those who died in ancient battles. If you touch them, that resentment will immediately erode your soul, dragging you into an endless nightmare.”

Kai’s hand stopped in mid-air, slowly withdrawing.

He stood up and looked at Jiang Xuelan: “Have you been here before?”

Jiang Xuelan shook her head: “No. But the records of this battlefield are in the books of my divine palace. Those records were left by the ancestors of the Ice God lineage. They once entered this place and left alive.”

She paused, then took out a palm-sized jade slip from her bosom and gently rubbed it.

The jade slip glowed faintly, projecting a map into the void.

It was an extremely complex map, marking the general terrain of the battlefield. In the center was a vast plain, surrounded by continuous mountain ranges, and in the very center of the battlefield was a striking red marker. “Where is that?” Kai asked.

“The deepest part of the battlefield,”

Jiang Xuelan’s voice deepened. “The records of our ancestors say that the most powerful being on this battlefield is buried there, an enemy that even the combined might of the gods and the dragon emperors couldn’t defeat.

No one knows its identity, no one knows its origin, no one knows why it’s here, or why it’s hostile to all the ancient races.”

She put away the jade slip and looked at Kai.

“I’m going there.”

Kai frowned. “Why? That place is too dangerous.”

Jiang Xuelan shook her head, her gaze resolute. “Although the bloodline of the Ice God has been strengthened through our dual cultivation, it’s only temporary. If we don’t find the true source, the Ice God’s bloodline will eventually decline again and perish completely.”

She stretched out her hand, palm up. A pale golden light appeared—the power of their fused bloodlines.

But at the edge of that light, a faint dimming had begun to appear.

“Look. The power of fusion is waning. Our dual cultivation can only maintain the activity of our bloodlines, but it cannot change the root cause of the Ice God bloodline’s decline. That root cause lies deep within this battlefield.”

Kai fell silent.

He understood Jiang Xuelan’s meaning.

She wasn’t taking a risk; she was searching for a final way out for her race.

“Let’s go.” Kai’s voice was calm and firm. “I’ll go with you.”

Jiang Xuelan looked at him, a complex emotion flashing in her deep eyes.

She didn’t say thank you, only nodded slightly.

The two walked towards the depths of the battlefield.

After walking for about an hour, the surrounding environment began to change.

The skeletons on the ground became increasingly dense and enormous.

Some skeletons piled up together, forming small mountains of white bones.

A faint stench of decay began to permeate the air. It wasn’t the smell of rotting flesh, after all, these skeletons had existed for countless millennia, but something more essential—the aura of death, the law of decay flowing through the air.

“Something’s wrong.” Jiang Xuelan suddenly stopped, her brows furrowed.

Kai sensed it too.

It was too quiet.

Not just ordinary quiet, but a deathly stillness, a stillness that swallowed even sound itself.

Their footsteps, their breathing, even their heartbeats, vanished completely after a few steps, as if sucked away by something.

“Something’s watching us,” Kai whispered.

His intuition was screaming a warning.

It was the feeling of being watched by a predator, like a wild beast lurking in the darkness, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Jiang Xuelan gripped the jade slip in her hand tightly, icy blue divine light swirling around her.

“Be careful…”

Before she could finish speaking, the ground beneath her feet suddenly trembled violently.

Rumble…

Amidst the deafening roar, a skeleton not far away began to move.

It was the skeleton of a dragon, smaller than the surrounding skeletons, but still over a hundred feet long.

It had been lying quietly on the ground, like a small mountain of bones, but now, its skeleton began to reassemble. Spine vertebrae joined together one by one, ribs returned to their places, and the bones of its limbs clattered and snapped together.

In just a few breaths, a complete bone dragon stood before the two.

Two eerie green flames burned in its eye sockets—the fire of death, a product of ancient resentment.

Its mouth slowly opened, emitting a silent roar. The roar was soundless, yet the shockwave distorted the surrounding air, sending rubble flying everywhere.

“This is…” Kai instinctively gripped the Dragon Slayer Sword.

“The resentment of ancient warriors has attached itself to the skeletons,”

Jiang Xuelan’s voice was urgent yet calm. “They will attack any intruder. Don’t linger, come with me!”

She grabbed Kai’s hand and rushed in another direction.

The bone dragon’s massive tail swept across, creating a gust of wind.

Each of the bone spikes on its tail was several meters long, sharp enough to cut through gold and jade.

The two leaped into the air, barely dodging the sweep.

The bone tail grazed their feet, slamming into the ground with a deafening roar, creating a huge crater and sending debris flying.

Kai glanced back after landing, his pupils suddenly contracting. It wasn’t just that one bone dragon.

More skeletons began to move.

The enormous skeletons scattered on the ground rose one after another.

There were skeletons of divine ancestors, their massive bone wings spreading out, blotting out the sky;

there were skeletons of demonic progenitors, with two horns on their heads and gleaming fangs in their mouths;

and there were other races that Kai couldn’t recognize, some with three heads and six arms, some covered in bone spikes, some like mobile fortresses.

Dozens of enormous skeletons surrounded them from all directions, eerie green necromantic flames flickering in their eye sockets like dozens of ghostly lamps.

“Run!” Jiang Xuelan shouted, pulling Kai along as they sprinted.

The two transformed into streaks of gold and blue light, weaving through the gaps between the skeletons.

A massive skeletal hand emerged from the skeleton of a divine ancestor, reaching for them.

Each finger of that hand was several meters long, its tip sharp as a knife. Jiang Xuelan dodged to the side, striking the skeletal hand’s wrist with a backhand.

A burst of icy blue divine light erupted, instantly covering the skeletal hand’s wrist with a thick layer of ice, its movement momentarily halted.

Kai seized the opportunity, drawing his Dragon-Slaying Sword and slashing at the skeletal hand’s knuckles.

The golden sword light collided with the eerie green necromantic fire, erupting in dazzling sparks.

The finger snapped off, crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

But more skeletons had already surrounded them.

A skeleton of a demonic ancestor opened its massive maw, spewing forth a torrent of black flames that swept towards the two.

The flames were so hot that even the air itself seemed to burn, melting the ground into dark red magma wherever they passed.

Jiang Xuelan formed hand seals, and an ice-blue light shield materialized before them.

Boom…

Black flames crashed into the light shield, the collision of ice and fire unleashing a deafening roar.

Countless cracks appeared on the shield, and Jiang Xuelan was thrown back several steps, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of her mouth.

“This way!” Kai grabbed her, rushing towards a seemingly weak opening.

A three-headed, six-armed skeleton blocked their path.

Its six bony arms swung simultaneously, each hand wielding a massive bone blade, hacking down at the two of them.

Kai gritted his teeth, his golden dragon bloodline surging completely.

Golden dragon energy burned fiercely on his body, and the Dragon-Slaying Sword erupted with dazzling golden light. He slashed with his sword, colliding simultaneously with six bone blades.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Six metallic clangs rang out almost at the same time, shaking the surrounding air.

Kai’s hands went numb from the impact, and he nearly dropped his Dragon-Slaying Sword, but even the three-headed skeleton was forced back several steps.

“Quick!” Jiang Xuelan pulled Kai, rushing through the gap created by the skeleton.

The two ran with all their might towards the depths of the battlefield.

Behind them, dozens of enormous skeletons pursued relentlessly, each step shaking the earth.

After running for an unknown amount of time, the pursuers finally faded into the distance.

The skeletons seemed to have their own territories, ceasing their pursuit once they reached a certain boundary.

They stood on that unseen boundary line, the eerie green flames in their eye sockets flickering a few times, then slowly turned and returned to their original sleeping place.

Kai and Jiang Xuelan stopped, panting heavily.

Both were injured. Kai’s left arm was slashed by a bone blade, blood dripping from his wrist;

Jiang Xuelan had blood at the corner of her mouth, and her face was paler than usual.

“You’re injured,” Kai said, his brow furrowing as he looked at the blood at her mouth.

“It’s just a minor injury, nothing serious,” Jiang Xuelan wiped the blood from her mouth, her gaze fixed on the distance. “We’re almost there.”

Kai followed her gaze.

The terrain ahead had changed; it was no longer a flat plain, but a vast basin.

The basin’s edge was a steep cliff, riddled with countless cracks, like marks left by the fingers of a giant.

And at the bottom of the basin…

Kai gasped.

At the bottom of the basin was a sea.

A sea composed of necromantic fire.

The eerie green flames surged, burned, and roared at the bottom of the basin, covering the entire basin and stretching as far as the eye could see.

The flames were extremely hot; even from thousands of feet away, Kai could still feel their scorching heat.

In the very center of the Sea of ​​the Dead lay a solitary island.

The island was small, only a few hundred feet in circumference.

There were no skeletons, no fragments of weapons, only a stone platform.

On the platform lay a bead the size of a fist.

The bead’s color constantly changed, sometimes gold, sometimes black, sometimes ice blue, sometimes transparent and colorless.

With each change, a visible ripple spread from the bead, sweeping across the entire Sea of ​​the Dead.

Wherever those ripples passed, the fires of the dead would be temporarily extinguished, then reignited.

“What is that?” Kai asked.

Jiang Xuelan stared at the bead, her gaze burning like two flames.

“The root of the Ice God lineage, the Heart of the Northern Abyss.”

Her voice trembled, a surge of excitement suppressed for millennia.

“The bloodline of the Ice God lineage originates from the Northern Abyss. And the core of the Northern Abyss’s power is this bead he left behind after his death.

As long as we can obtain it, the Ice God bloodline will be truly strengthened, no longer needing to rely on any external force to maintain it.”

She looked at Kai, a pleading glint in her eyes.

“Help me get it.”

Kai looked at the Sea of ​​the Dead, his brows furrowed.

“How do we get across that sea of ​​fire?”

Jiang Xuelan took out an ice-blue talisman from her bosom. The talisman was covered with dense runes, radiating a bone-chilling cold.

“This is an Ice-Sealing Talisman left by the ancestors of the Ice God lineage. It can be used to open a passage in the fire of the dead. But it can only last for thirty breaths. Within thirty breaths, we must cross the sea of ​​fire and reach that island.”

“Thirty breaths?”

Kai estimated the distance.

From the cliff edge to that island, it was at least several thousand feet away.

Crossing thousands of feet of necromantic flames within thirty breaths, and facing the potential dangers within the sea of ​​fire…

“Enough.” He took a deep breath. “Let’s go.”

Jiang Xuelan threw the Ice-Sealing Talisman towards the Sea of ​​Necromantic Flames.

The talisman exploded above the sea of ​​fire, transforming into a dazzling ice-blue pillar of light.

The pillar shot straight into the Sea of ​​Necromantic Flames, parting the eerie green flames to reveal a narrow passage.

The passage’s floor was charred rock, flanked by fire walls tens of feet high.

The fire walls were extremely hot; even with the Ice-Sealing Talisman protecting them, Kai could still feel the suffocating heat.

“Go!”

The two leaped into the passage, sprinting with all their might.

The charred rock beneath their feet was as hot as a branding iron, each step sizzling with every step.

The fire walls on either side were constantly writhing, as if they might close at any moment.

Ten breaths.

They had covered a third of the distance.

Twenty breaths.

They could already see the island.

The stone platform and the bead on the island were clearly visible.

Just then, the Sea of ​​the Dead suddenly churned.

A gigantic skeletal hand emerged from the sea of ​​fire, reaching for the two.

This skeletal hand was larger than any skeleton they had encountered before; each finger was tens of feet long, its tips burning with eerie green flames.

“Don’t stop!” Jiang Xuelan shouted, striking out with her palm.

The icy blue divine light collided with the skeletal hand, instantly covering its surface with a layer of ice, slowing its speed.

But that layer of ice lasted less than a breath before being melted by the necromantic fire on the skeletal hand.

The skeletal hand continued its grab.

Kai gritted his teeth, drew his Dragon-Slaying Sword, and unleashed a full-force strike.

The golden sword light transformed into the phantom of a five-clawed golden dragon, roaring as it crashed into the skeletal hand.

Boom!

The skeletal hand was blasted back several feet, but the force of the impact caused Kai’s blood to surge, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

“Ten more breaths!” Jiang Xuelan shouted.

The two continued their charge.

The bony hand caught up again, this time faster and more ferocious.

At the same time, a second and a third skeletal hand emerged from the sea of ​​fire, surging in from all directions and completely blocking the passage.

“It’s too late!” Jiang Xuelan’s voice carried a hint of despair.

Kai watched the approaching skeletal hands, then glanced at the beads on the island not far away, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

“You go first.”

He grabbed Jiang Xuelan’s shoulder and hurled her violently towards the island.

“Kai!” Jiang Xuelan’s voice drifted in the wind; she tried to turn back, but her body had already been thrown into the air above the island.

Simultaneously, Kai turned around, facing the three enormous skeletal hands.

Within his body, chaotic power began to boil.

Purple light surged from his body, condensing into a thin layer of armor on his skin.

That armor was neither golden nor ice-blue, but a deep purple, like the first ray of light before the chaos was created.

The three skeletal hands reached for him simultaneously.

Kai raised his hands, palms facing outwards.

Purple light erupted from his palms, colliding with the three bone hands.

Boom!

The entire Sea of ​​the Dead trembled.
The three skeletal hands, struck by the purple light, instantly had their eerie green flames extinguished, revealing countless cracks on their bones.

They let out a silent roar and slowly retreated into the sea of ​​fire.

But Kai paid a price.

Blood seeped from his seven orifices, his meridians felt like they were being burned by flames, and the excruciating pain nearly made him faint.

Although the power of chaos was immense, its consumption was also staggering; this attack had almost exhausted all his strength.

The passage began to collapse.

The walls of fire on both sides closed rapidly, and eerie green flames surged in from all directions.

Kai mustered his last strength and rushed towards the island.

Ten zhang.

Five zhang.

One zhang.

His feet finally touched the ground of the island.

The passage behind him slammed shut the moment he stepped onto the shore, and the necromantic fire once again covered the entire basin.

Kai’s legs gave way, and he collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. Blood seeped from the corners of his mouth, nostrils, and ears, dripping onto the charred rocks.

Jiang Xuelan rushed over and caught him.

“Are you crazy!” Her voice trembled, her eyes reddening. “Do you know how dangerous that was? If you had been a step slower, you would have…”

“I didn’t die, did I?” Kai forced a smile, wiping the blood from his lips. “Where’s the bead?”

Jiang Xuelan looked at him, her lips trembling slightly, wanting to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

She stood up, walked to the stone platform, and reached out to take the bead that kept changing color.

The bead trembled slightly in her palm, then fell silent.

Its color finally stabilized at a pale gold, the color of the fusion of the Ice God’s bloodline and the Golden Dragon’s bloodline.

Jiang Xuelan held the bead, silent for a long time.

Then, she turned around, walked to Kai, and squatted down.

“Here you go.”

Kai was stunned: “What?”

“The Heart of the Northern Abyss.”

Jiang Xuelan placed the bead in Kai’s hand. “Your chaotic power can contain it. Integrate it into your body, and your strength will experience a qualitative leap.”

Kai looked at the bead in his hand, then at Jiang Xuelan.

“Isn’t this what you wanted? The source of the Ice God lineage…”

Jiang Xuelan shook her head, a slight smile playing on her lips, a smile filled with relief and an indescribable gentleness.

“I don’t need it anymore.”

She stretched out her hand, palm facing upwards.

A pale golden light appeared in her palm, more solid and brighter than before, the dimness at the edges completely gone.

“Our dual cultivation, plus the battle in the Sea of ​​the Dead just now, has sufficiently tempered my bloodline. The bloodline of the Ice God lineage has regained its vitality.”

“Most importantly, the bloodlines we’ve fused through dual cultivation now possess mutual affection.”

She looked at Kai, her gaze gentle.

Kai understood Jiang Xuelan’s meaning. If their initial dual cultivation was merely a transaction, now, Jiang Xuelan definitely had feelings for Kai.

“Right now, the Heart of the Northern Abyss is just icing on the cake for me. But for you… it’s a lifeline. Your chaotic power is still too weak and needs more nourishment.

The Heart of the Northern Abyss contains the essence of the Northern Abyss’s life’s power. If you can absorb it, your strength will rise to a whole new level,” Jiang Xuelan said.

Kai was silent.

He looked down at the bead in his hand, feeling the immense power contained within it.

That power was ancient, pure, and powerful, like a sleeping ocean waiting to be awakened.

“Then I won’t be polite.” He didn’t mince words and pressed the bead directly against his chest.

The moment the bead touched his skin, it turned into a ball of pale golden liquid and entered his chest.

Then…

an unprecedented power exploded within him.

That power surged wildly through his meridians like a flood bursting its banks or a volcanic eruption.

His dantian swelled violently under the impact of this power, and his meridians were almost shattered.

“Ah!”

Kai roared to the sky, his purple light surging and enveloping the entire island.

His cultivation had broken through at that moment.

Upper Immortal Realm, Rank Six.

Upper Immortal Realm, Rank Seven. Only

when he reached the peak of Rank Seven did the power gradually subside. He

was only one step away from the True Immortal Realm.

Kai gasped for breath, his body drenched in sweat.

He looked down at his hands, feeling the terrifying power flowing through his body, a sense of unreality washing over him.

Peak Rank Seven of the Upper Immortal Realm.

His combat power was already enough to instantly kill a True Immortal Realm Rank Four cultivator.

If Ning Zhi appeared before him again, he could easily defeat him.

“How do you feel?” Jiang Xuelan’s voice came from beside him.

Kai looked up at her.

His eyes held a trace of confusion and doubt.

“I feel… there’s more than just power within the Heart of the Northern Abyss.”

Jiang Xuelan’s brows furrowed slightly: “What else?”

Kai closed his eyes, carefully sensing the changes within his body.

Deep within that immense power, he vaguely sensed an extremely faint aura.

That aura was unimaginably ancient, terrifyingly powerful, yet incredibly weak, like a flickering candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

That aura was conveying a message to him.

A fragmented, indistinct message.

“Save me…”

Kai suddenly opened his eyes, his face changing drastically.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Xuelan asked anxiously.

Kai looked at her, his voice hoarse.

“Bei Mingyuan… is still alive.”

Jiang Xuelan’s pupils suddenly contracted.

The two locked eyes, the surrounding necromantic flames churning silently, as if responding to a slumbering being.

The three moons still hung in the sky, one blood-red, one pitch-black, and one half-broken.

Their tricolored moonlight bathed the battlefield in an even more eerie hue.

And in the deepest part of the battlefield, something that had slumbered for countless millennia seemed to stir slightly.
“Alive!” Kai nodded.

Kai’s words instantly turned Jiang Xuelan’s face deathly pale.

“Bei Mingyuan…is still alive? Still alive?” Her voice trembled slightly, her gaze fixed on Kai’s chest, as if something terrifying might emerge from there at any moment.

Kai closed his eyes, carefully sensing the faint aura within his body.

That aura indeed came from the Heart of Bei Mingyuan—no, from a wisp of remnant soul deep within the Heart of Bei Mingyuan.

It was so weak, almost imperceptible, yet it undeniably existed, like a spark buried deep in ashes, ready to reignite at the slightest disturbance.

“Not completely alive,”

Kai carefully chose his words, “a wisp of remnant soul, sealed within the Heart of Bei Mingyuan. When I absorbed the bead, it merged into my body.”

Jiang Xuelan placed her hand on Kai’s chest, icy blue divine light surging into his body, attempting to locate the remnant soul.

But her divine light circled Kai’s meridians, finding nothing.

“I can’t find it.” Jiang Xuelan’s brows furrowed. “It’s hidden very deep.”

Kai opened his eyes, his gaze grave.

“It’s lurking near my dantian. It’s not a threat for now, but I can sense… it’s waiting for something.”

“Waiting for what?” Jiang Xuelan pressed.

Kai shook his head.

He didn’t know.

But his intuition told him that what that remnant soul was waiting for was definitely not good news.

“We must leave here.”

Kai stood up and stretched his still somewhat stiff body.

After absorbing the Heart of the Northern Abyss, his injuries had mostly healed, and the power flowing within him was several levels stronger than before.

Jiang Xuelan also stood up, her gaze sweeping over their surroundings.

The Sea of ​​the Dead was still churning, and eerie green flames roared at the bottom of the basin.

The three bone hands had been severely injured by Kai’s chaotic power and had temporarily retreated into the depths of the sea of ​​fire, but who knew when they would burst out again.

“Should we go back the way we came?” Kai asked.

Jiang Xuelan shook her head: “The Ice Seal Talisman has been used up, so we can’t cross the Sea of ​​the Dead anymore. And…”

She looked up at the three moons in the sky, her voice low, “I can feel this battlefield awakening. The longer we stay here, the more dangerous it will be.”

She took out the jade slip and projected the map again.

This time, her finger pointed to a spot on the edge of the map.

“There’s a secret passage here. The records left by the ancestors of the Ice God lineage say that this secret passage leads directly to the bottom of the Lake of Return to Nothingness, without having to cross the Sea of ​​the Dead.”

Kai glanced at the route marked on the map and nodded.

“Let’s go.”

The two left the isolated island and hurried along the edge of the basin in the direction marked on the map.

The surrounding skeletons began to stir again.

The bone dragons, the skeletons of the ancestors of the gods, and the skeletons of the progenitors of the demons that had retreated earlier seemed to sense the change in the aura of the two and awoke from their slumber once more.

They did not immediately attack, but followed the two at a distance, the eerie green flames in their eye sockets flickering, as if hesitating about something.

“They fear the Heart of the Northern Abyss within you,”

Jiang Xuelan said softly. “The Northern Abyss is one of the most powerful beings on this battlefield; his aura naturally suppresses these skeletons.”

Kai didn’t speak, but quickened his pace.

He could sense that although the skeletons dared not approach for the time being, they wouldn’t hesitate indefinitely.

Once they overcame their fear of the Northern Abyss’s aura, they would swarm forward.

The two walked through the skeletons for about half an hour before finally finding the entrance to the secret passage marked on the map.

It was a hidden cave, the entrance blocked by a huge skeleton.

Jiang Xuelan pushed aside the skeleton, and a putrid smell wafted from the cave. In the darkness, a stone staircase leading downwards could be vaguely seen.

“This is it.” Jiang Xuelan stepped into the cave first.

Kai followed closely behind. The moment they entered the cave, a low rumble came from behind them, and the skeleton that had been pushed aside moved back to its original position, sealing the entrance again.

The cave was pitch black.

Jiang Xuelan’s white jade hairpin emitted a faint light, barely illuminating the distance a few steps ahead.

The stone steps were narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. The cave walls on both sides were covered with ancient runes, which shimmered slightly under the light of the white jade hairpin, emitting a faint blue glow.

“These runes…” Kai reached out and touched the engravings on the cave wall.

“They are sealing runes of the Ice God lineage,” Jiang Xuelan said without turning her head. “Our ancestors used these runes to seal the secret passage, preventing anything from the battlefield from escaping from here.”

The two walked down the stone steps for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, until they finally reached the end.

Ahead was a stone door.

The stone door was also covered with runes, even denser and more complex than those on the cave walls.

In the very center of the stone door was a palm-shaped indentation, the edges of which still retained a faint icy blue light.

Jiang Xuelan placed her hand on the indentation.

Icy blue divine light surged from her palm, resonating with the runes on the stone door.

Runes lit up one after another, like lamps being lit, their light growing ever brighter. Rumble

…

The stone gate slowly opened.

Outside the gate lay a deep blue lake.

The bottom of the Lake of Return to Nothingness.

The two stepped out of the stone gate, which closed silently behind them. The light of the runes gradually dimmed, and the entire gate merged with the surrounding rocks, leaving no trace.

The Water-Repelling Pearl was still in Kai’s mouth, and a blue light membrane once again covered his body.

Jiang Xuelan didn’t need the Water-Repelling Pearl; she was a descendant of the Ice God lineage, and the lake water was like air to her.

The two swam towards the surface of the lake.

After swimming less than a hundred feet, Kai sensed something was wrong.

The surrounding lake water had become thicker than before, as if something was secretly stirring the currents.

Deep in the lake, the two golden lights shone again—brighter and more dazzling than before.

The Lake of Return to Nothingness had awakened.

This was no longer the half-awake, half-asleep state of before, but a true, complete awakening.

The two golden lights grew larger and closer.

The entire lakebed trembled, the dark blue water churning and surging, and a massive whirlpool rose from the bottom, whipping up rocks and silt into a frenzy.

Kai and Jiang Xuelan were pulled by the force of the whirlpool, their bodies unsteady.

“Steady up!”

Jiang Xuelan shouted, and icy blue divine light surged from her body, freezing the water around them into a huge block of ice.

The ice block shook violently in the whirlpool, but at least it stabilized.

Guixu slowly rose from the darkness at the bottom of the lake.

Kai finally saw its full form.

It was a… dragon.

No, not a dragon.

It was more ancient, more primal than a dragon.

Its body resembled a snake, but without scales, it was covered with a smooth, dark blue skin, beneath which flowed a dark red light, like magma from the earth.

Its head had seven eyes; besides the two enormous golden eyes, there were five smaller eyes distributed on either side of its head, each emitting a different color of light.

How long was its body?

Kai didn’t know.

He could only see it rising continuously from the darkness at the bottom of the lake, seemingly without end.

The seven eyes of Gui Xu simultaneously watched the two people in the ice block.

Then, a voice rang in Kai’s mind.

The voice wasn’t language, but a more direct mental fluctuation.

It had no sound, no tone, yet Kai clearly “heard” its meaning.

“Hand over… the… spoils of the battlefield.”

Jiang Xuelan’s expression changed.

“It wants the Heart of the Northern Abyss,”

she whispered to Kai. “The Void Guards the entrance to this lake and the ancient battlefield, forbidding anything from being taken out. It sensed the Heart of the Northern Abyss within you.”

Kai frowned. “The Heart of the Northern Abyss belongs to the Ice God lineage. Why should I hand it over?”

Before Jiang Xuelan could answer, the Void’s voice rang out again.

This time, it was deeper and more oppressive than before.

“Hand it over… or… die.”

The voice exploded in Kai’s mind, making his vision go black.

The chaotic power within his body automatically activated, and purple light surged from his body, neutralizing most of the mental impact.

The Void’s seven eyes flickered simultaneously.

It seemed surprised by the chaotic power within Kai.

“Chaos… you are… that person’s… successor?”

Kai didn’t know who it was referring to, but he had no interest in knowing.

“The Heart of the Northern Abyss has become one with me; I cannot hand it over.” His voice was calm yet firm. “If you want it, you can come and take it.”

Jiang Xuelan turned sharply to look at him, her eyes filled with horror: “Are you crazy? The power of Guixu is unfathomable.”

“I know,” Kai interrupted her, “but we have no way out.”

He was right.

Guixu had already blocked the path to the lake.

Even if they handed over the Heart of the Northern Abyss, Guixu might not let them go.

Rather than waiting to die, they might as well take a gamble.

Guixu’s seven eyes narrowed simultaneously.

That was an expression of anger.

“Arrogant…humans…”

The lakebed trembled violently, Guixu’s body began to contract, and then it suddenly sprang back.

Like a spring compressed to its limit, it rushed towards the two at an unimaginable speed!

Its speed was so fast that even Kai’s dynamic vision couldn’t keep up.

He only saw a dark blue shadow flash before his eyes, and then a terrifying force crashed into the ice block in front of him.

Boom!

The ice shard shattered instantly, sending Kai and Jiang Xuelan flying. They tumbled dozens of feet in the lake before barely regaining their footing.

A trickle of blood escaped Kai’s lips; Gui Xu’s attack was many times stronger than the skeletons on the ancient battlefield.

“Split up!”

Jiang Xuelan shouted. “Don’t give it a chance to wipe us all out.”

The two swam off in opposite directions.

Gui Xu’s seven eyes flickered, seemingly hesitating about which one to pursue first.

Kai gave it no time to hesitate.

The Dragon-Slaying Sword was drawn, golden dragon energy exploding in the lake, transforming into a hundred-foot-long golden dragon that roared as it charged towards Gui Xu.

Gui Xu didn’t even dodge, merely flicking its tail.

That tail, like a colossal pillar supporting the sky, lashed out with terrifying force, striking the golden dragon.

The dragon shattered with a deafening roar, turning into a shower of golden light.

But this was the pause Kai needed.

The chaotic power within him erupted completely.

Purple light surged from his body, dyeing the surrounding lake water purple.

The light contained the domineering power of the Golden Dragon bloodline, the serene coldness of the Ice God bloodline, and the all-encompassing power of chaos.

He poured all his power into the Dragon-Slaying Sword, transforming himself into a purple streak of light, rushing towards the seven eyes on the head of Guixu.

Guixu seemed to sense the threat, and its seven eyes simultaneously erupted with blinding light.

Golden, red, blue, green, purple, white, and black light—seven colors of light shot out from the seven eyes, weaving into a massive net of light before Guixu.

Kai’s purple sword light collided with the net of light.

Boom!

The entire Guixu Lake trembled.

A large portion of the lake water was evaporated by this force, revealing the rocks and silt at the bottom.

The surrounding temperature instantly rose by tens of degrees, steam billowing, like a fairyland.

Dense cracks appeared on the net of light.

But Kai’s sword light had also exhausted its power.

He was thrown backward by the recoil, his tiger’s mouth split open, blood staining the hilt of the Dragon-Slaying Sword.

Just then, Jiang Xuelan launched an attack from the other side of Guixu.

Her icy blue divine light transformed into countless thin ice needles, each containing the power of the Ice Sealing Law, silently shooting towards Guixu’s seven eyes.

Guixu sensed the danger and tried to turn to defend itself, but Kai’s light net was still in front of it, blocking its vision.

The ice needles pierced through the gaps in the light net, precisely striking Guixu’s seven eyes!

“Roar!”

Guixu let out a sound for the first time.

The sound was not a mental fluctuation, but a real, deafening roar.

The sound contained endless pain and rage, shaking the rocks at the bottom of the lake, causing the lake water to surge, and causing blood to seep from the eardrums of Kai and Jiang Xuelan.

All seven eyes closed simultaneously.

Guixu’s body began to writhe wildly, its tail, torso, and head trembling violently.

The dark red light beneath its inky blue skin grew even brighter, as if it were about to burst forth.

“Its eyes are its weak point!” Jiang Xuelan shouted, “Now!”

Kai gritted his teeth and once again channeled the power of chaos.

This time, he held nothing back.

The purple light condensed to its limit on the Dragon-Slaying Sword, the dragon patterns on its blade flashing wildly, and the entire sword emitting a piercing hum.

He took a deep breath, pouring all his power, all his will, and all his life into this single strike.

Then, he released his grip.

The Dragon-Slaying Sword transformed into a purple streak of light, like a shooting star, trailing a long, fiery tail, shooting towards the two largest golden eyes on Guixu’s head.

Guixu sensed a deadly threat and frantically twisted its head, trying to dodge.

But all seven of its eyes were injured by ice needles, its vision blurred, making it impossible to accurately judge the trajectory of the Dragon-Slaying Sword.

The purple streak of light pierced its eyelids and entered its left eye!

“Roar!”

Guixu’s roar grew even more shrill and frenzied.

Dark blue blood gushed from its eyes, its temperature so high it boiled the surrounding lake water.

Kai was scalded by the boiling water, his skin torn and bleeding, but he didn’t retreat; instead, he charged towards Guixu.

Jiang Xuelan moved as well.

The two, one on the left and one on the right, simultaneously rushed towards Guixu’s head.

Kai’s chaotic power and Jiang Xuelan’s ice god power converged above Guixu’s head, the two forces merging together to unleash an even greater power than before.

Pale golden light surged from their hands, transforming into a gigantic light sword, which slashed fiercely down towards Guixu’s head!

Guixu let out a final roar, and then…

it stopped moving.

Its massive body froze in the lake water, all seven eyes tightly closed, dark blue blood slowly flowing from their sockets, staining the surrounding lake water a dark red.

The light sword struck its head, leaving a deep wound, but not fatal.

Kai gasped for breath, every part of his body aching.

Jiang Xuelan wasn’t in much better shape; her face was as white as paper, her lips purple, and she swayed precariously.

Gui Xu’s seven eyes slowly opened a crack.

This time, the indifference in its gaze vanished, replaced by a complex mix of emotions: anger, resentment, and even a hint of…acknowledgment?

“Chaos…successor…you…won.”

Gui Xu’s voice echoed in Kai’s mind, much weaker than before.

“Take…the Heart of the Northern Abyss…and go…but…be careful…he’s still…alive…”

With that, Gui Xu’s eyes closed completely.

Its body slowly sank to the bottom of the lake, returning to the darkness.

The dark blue lake water gradually calmed, and the temperature began to return to normal.

Kai and Jiang Xuelan exchanged a glance, both seeing the relief of surviving a catastrophe in each other’s eyes.

“Let’s go.” Kai grabbed Jiang Xuelan’s hand and swam towards the surface.

This time, nothing could stop them.

When they emerged from the lake, it was already evening.

The golden leaves of the Tree of Life shimmered in the afterglow of the setting sun, like millions of golden stars.

The aurora borealis drifted slowly overhead, its color changing from pale white to a gentle pinkish-purple.

Kai stumbled onto the lakeshore and collapsed onto the grass.

Jiang Xuelan sat beside him, equally exhausted.

They remained silent for a long time.

“Gui Xu’s last words…” Jiang Xuelan spoke first, “…he’s still alive, and he was talking about Bei Mingyuan?”

Kai nodded.

“The remnant soul of Bei Mingyuan is indeed within me. Gui Xu sensed it.”

Jiang Xuelan frowned, her expression grave. “Gui Xu said to be careful, does that mean the remnant soul of Bei Mingyuan… poses a threat to you?”

Kai smiled bitterly. “What threat could a wisp of remnant soul pose? It’s so weak right now that it can’t even sustain itself, what can it do to me?”

Jiang Xuelan shook her head, her expression serious. “Don’t underestimate Bei Mingyuan. He is the ancestor of the Ice God lineage, the first being in the world to master the laws of ice. His methods are beyond our comprehension.”

Kai didn’t speak, but closed his eyes, trying to sense the location of the remnant soul within his body again.

This time, he sensed it.

That remnant soul… was no longer in his dantian.

It was moving.

It was moving towards his sea of ​​consciousness!

Kai suddenly opened his eyes, his expression changing drastically.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Xuelan asked anxiously.

“It’s heading towards my sea of ​​consciousness…” Kai’s voice trembled slightly, “It’s trying to possess me!”

Jiang Xuelan suddenly stood up, pressing her hands to Kai’s temples. Icy blue divine light surged wildly into his head, attempting to stop the remnant soul.

But the remnant soul was too fast.

It seemed to have waited for this moment for countless years, knowing every meridian and acupoint in Kai’s body intimately. Before

Jiang Xuelan’s divine light could catch up, it had already rushed into Kai’s sea of ​​consciousness.

Kai’s consciousness was instantly dragged into his sea of ​​consciousness.

His sea of ​​consciousness was a golden ocean, with countless golden specks floating on its surface—his memories, his emotions, fragments of his soul.

In the very center of his sea of ​​consciousness, a book was shimmering with golden light—the Great Luo Golden Scripture.

It stood quietly in the center of his sea of ​​consciousness, radiating a soft and warm light.

And at this moment, an icy blue figure was floating above his sea of ​​consciousness.

It was a blurry humanoid silhouette, its face indistinct, only vaguely discernible as it wore ancient armor and had a pair of enormous ice wings on its back. A

chilling aura emanated from it, and a thin layer of frost formed beneath its feet in the golden ocean of consciousness.

“How many years…” the figure spoke, its voice aged and deep, “How many years… I have finally waited for this moment.”

Its gaze fell on the book in the center of the consciousness, its brow furrowing slightly.

“The Great Luo Golden Scripture? I didn’t expect… you would have something like this in your consciousness?”

Its gaze then swept across the golden ocean of consciousness, seeing the floating golden specks—Kai’s memories.

“Golden Dragon Bloodline… Chaotic Power… and the aura of the Ice God lineage…”

the figure’s voice carried a hint of excitement, “This body is even more perfect than I expected.”

It raised its hand, reaching towards the depths of Kai’s soul.
Kai felt an irresistible force tearing at his consciousness, trying to rip his soul from his body.

The feeling… was like being choked by an invisible hand, unable to breathe, unable to struggle, only able to watch helplessly as he was dragged bit by bit into the abyss.

“Give up, little brat,” the light and shadow’s voice carried a hint of pity. “Your body is mine.”

Just then, the Great Luo Golden Scripture suddenly lit up.

Not the soft light of before, but a blinding, scorching golden radiance, like the sun!

The light transformed into beams of golden light, shooting towards the icy blue light and shadow above his sea of ​​consciousness.

The light and shadow’s expression changed drastically, spreading its ice wings to try and defend itself.

But the power of the golden beams was too terrifying.

The ice wings melted instantly in the golden light, and the light and shadow’s body was pierced through with several holes by the beams, the icy blue light rapidly dimming.

“Ah!”

The light and shadow let out a shrill scream, its voice filled with resentment and fear.

“The Great Luo Golden Scripture… how can it possess such power… impossible… impossible!”

The light of the Great Luo Golden Scripture grew increasingly intense, enveloping the entire sea of ​​consciousness in golden light.

The icy blue light and shadow, like snow under the blazing sun, rapidly melted and shrank within this light.

It desperately tried to escape Kai’s sea of ​​consciousness, but the golden light formed an invisible barrier, trapping it within.

In just a few breaths, the light and shadow shrank from a human form into a fist-sized icy blue sphere.

It hovered above the sea of ​​consciousness, trembling, its light dimmed to the extreme, like an oil lamp about to go out.

The light of the Great Luo Golden Scripture slowly receded, returning to its previous gentle state.

But it did not completely relax; a faint golden halo still surrounded the icy blue sphere, like a cage, firmly locking it in.

Kai gasped for breath, his consciousness regaining control of his body.

He opened his eyes and saw Jiang Xuelan looking at him anxiously, her forehead covered in sweat.

“How are you?” Her voice trembled.

Kai opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his voice hoarse beyond belief.

“I…I’m fine.”

He sat up, closed his eyes, and sensed the situation in his sea of ​​consciousness again.

The icy blue sphere of light still hovered above his sea of ​​consciousness, trapped by a golden halo.

It no longer tried to possess him, but remained there quietly, like a caged beast.

A faint spiritual fluctuation came from the sphere of light.

“I…I surrender.”

It was Bei Mingyuan’s voice, a hundred times weaker than before.

“The Great Luo Golden Scripture…protects you…I can’t possess you…Spare me my life…I can…be used by you…”

Kai was silent for a moment.

He didn’t want to leave this threat behind.

But Bei Mingyuan was the ancestor of the Ice God lineage, Jiang Xuelan’s ancestor, and he couldn’t make a decision on his own.

He opened his eyes and told Jiang Xuelan about the situation in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Jiang Xuelan listened and remained silent for a long time.

Then, she sighed softly.

“Spare his life.”

Her voice was soft, tinged with weariness. “He is, after all, my ancestor. Besides… he’s trapped now and poses no threat to you. Keeping him might be useful later.”

Kai thought for a moment and nodded.

He spoke to the icy blue sphere of light in his sea of ​​consciousness: “I’ll spare your life, but you must behave yourself in my sea of ​​consciousness. If you do anything improper again…”

He didn’t finish, but the meaning was clear.

The sphere of light trembled slightly.

“I… understand… thank you…”

The icy blue sphere of light slowly sank into the depths of Kai’s sea of ​​consciousness, falling asleep under the golden halo of the Great Luo Golden Scripture.

Kai opened his eyes and looked at Jiang Xuelan.

“It’s resolved.”

Jiang Xuelan looked at him, her eyes filled with worry, relief, and a hint of indescribable emotion.

“In your sea of ​​consciousness lives an ancient god-ancestor.” Her voice carried a bitter smile. “How does it feel?”

Kai thought for a moment and said seriously, “A bit cramped.”

Jiang Xuelan paused for a moment, then smiled.

The smile was faint, yet more genuine than ever before.

“Let’s go.” She stood up, extending her hand. “Go back and rest. Your body needs proper care.”

Kai took her hand and stood up.

The two walked side-by-side towards the Tree of Life.

Golden leaves rustled gently in the night breeze.

The aurora borealis drifted slowly overhead, its pinkish-purple light bathing them like a soft blanket.

Deep within the lake, the seven eyes of Guixu slowly opened a crack.

It watched their departing figures, remaining silent for a long time.

Then, it closed its eyes and sank back into the darkness.

The dark blue lake returned to its calm, as if nothing had happened.