The icy arc drawn by the Frost Moon Chant shattered a drift of floating ice shards. Debris like broken jade splattered outward, landing right between the two flushed Northern Underworld disciples.
“Crack!”
The cold air from the exploding ice shards was almost tangible, forcing both of them to stagger back half a step.
They spun around in anger, but when they clearly saw Bai Qingxue standing at the entrance of the passage, the ferocity on their faces instantly froze, replaced by a subtle trace of wariness.
In this ice cave, the reputation of this Xuantian Sect True Disciple Bai was even more bone-chilling than the Mystic Ice Lotus itself.
In the center of the ice cave, a translucent ice platform stood quietly.
Several spiritual treasures floated above it, their precious light swirling and casting kaleidoscopic reflections across the dim space.
The most eye-catching among them was undoubtedly that crystal-clear Mystic Ice Lotus. Its petals were layered upon layer, each one frosted with fine ice crystals. As it slowly rotated, it sent out visible ripples of cold air, slightly distorting the very air around it.
At this moment, the area around the ice platform had already devolved into chaos.
Aside from the disciples of the Northern Underworld Sword Sect, there were also two cultivators from the Falling Star Pavilion. One of them had taken a strike of sword qi to his left shoulder. The wound was deep enough to expose bone, and the blood seeping out froze in the extreme cold before it could even drip, turning into eerie, bright red ice beads hanging from his frost-covered lapel.
His companion was shielding him protectively behind, his face as pale as paper.
“The Xuantian Sect wants a piece of this too?” The Northern Underworld disciple who had been forced back by the ice shards wiped the frost from his face. His sword pointed diagonally at the ground, and though his tone was harsh, he clearly lacked confidence. “We spotted this Mystic Ice Lotus first.”
Before he could finish, he was cut off by an even colder blast of sword qi.
Lu Xueqing stepped forward, shielding Bai Qingxue completely behind her.
Though the longsword in her hand was not fully unsheathed, a fine layer of white frost had already formed on its ancient scabbard. The freezing sword intent radiating from her was actually several times more biting than the cold air of the ice cave.
“Spotted it first?” Gone was the usual gentleness in Lu Xueqing's voice. Now, it was as cold as a blade tempered in ice. “Do we really talk about first come, first served in these primordial ruins?”
The Northern Underworld disciple's face flushed with anger and embarrassment. Just as he was about to retort, an indifferent voice drifted over from the other side of the ice platform, drowning out all the noise.
“There is no need to waste words with them.”
Zhao Yue slowly stepped out of the shadows, his gray Daoist robe shimmering with a cold, metallic luster under the colorful light of the treasures.
He did not look at the imposing Lu Xueqing. Instead, his gaze bypassed the crowd and locked straight onto Bai Qingxue's cold, indifferent face. His fingertips carelessly caressed the ancient, dark patterns on his scabbard. Though his tone seemed calm, it carried a needle-like chill:
“If it is yours, you must be able to hold onto it.”
The moment the words fell, Zhao Yue's wrist flicked almost imperceptibly. A highly condensed sword qi silently sank into the thick ice beneath his feet, precisely triggering a thread of Xuanyin malevolent energy drifting deep within the ice wall.
Boom!
Instantly, the cold air around the ice platform intensified threefold, turning into an invisible wave of frost that surged toward Bai Qingxue with overwhelming force, seeming to freeze even the light in its path.
“Trivial tricks.”
A very soft sneer rang out, carrying undisguised mockery. Ning Qinghan, who had been leaning against an ice pillar all this time, finally cast aside her lazy demeanor.
Without even raising a hand, she merely allowed her originally restrained, dark cold aura to ripple slightly.
The Xuanyin malevolent energy rushing toward Bai Qingxue behaved as if it had met its natural nemesis—or like a traveler returning home. Under the shocked gazes of the crowd, it abruptly reversed direction, sweeping back toward Zhao Yue with even greater ferocity!
Zhao Yue's expression shifted slightly. With a violent sweep of his sleeve, his massive spiritual power erupted, finally dispersing the rebounding malevolent energy.
Yet, a flash of astonishment and doubt flickered deep in his eyes, impossible to conceal.
The spiritual power of this girl was so bizarre that it could actually resonate with and attract the earth vein malevolent energy of the Mystic Ice Mansion!
And from beginning to end, Bai Qingxue's gaze never lingered for even a second on that brilliant, dazzling Mystic Ice Lotus.
Her light-colored eyes, like a cold pond shrouded in mist, quietly swept across the ice platform, finally locking onto the dense, twisting, and bizarre runes on the cave wall behind it.
Those patterns were deeply embedded in the ten-thousand-year-old mystic ice, exuding a desolate and obscure aura.
“...It's that mark,” she murmured softly, her voice almost drowned out by the sound of flowing cold air, yet carrying a resolute chill.
Ning Qinghan followed her gaze, her body trembling almost imperceptibly. Her fingertips curled uncontrollably, as if the runes had triggered some dormant pain.
“As expected... it's almost identical to the one in the Nanhuai ruins...”
Bai Qingxue's voice was kept extremely low, carrying a barely perceptible tremor.
At the same time, Ning Qinghan instinctively nudged forward half a step. Her bare feet stepped on the mirror-smooth ice without leaving a single trace, as if she were naturally a part of this ice and snow.
Bai Qingxue tilted her head slightly, her cool fingertips gently brushing against Ning Qinghan's cold sleeve, a movement as light as falling first snow.
This touch, however, made Ning Qinghan freeze in her tracks.
Ning Qinghan lowered her eyelashes, concealing the complex emotions churning in her eyes, and ultimately stopped.
On the other side, Lu Xueqing took all of this in.
Watching Bai Qingxue's finger touch Ning Qinghan, and seeing Ning Qinghan's profile instantly soften, a trace of gloom flashed deep in her eyes. Her grip on her sword tightened even further, guarding Bai Qingxue's left flank flawlessly.
“Senior Sister Han, it seems our target is correct.”
At the edge of the ice cave, a massive ice pillar cast a deep shadow.
Han Muchun had closed the ancient book in her hand at some point, her lips curled in that inscrutable smile.
Her gaze remained glued to Ning Qinghan and those runes, completely ignoring the nearby spiritual treasures and the chaotic battle.
The Falling Star Pavilion disciples behind her understood. Spreading out silently like ghosts, they fanned out and crept toward the fork behind the ice platform where the runes were most dense. Their footwork was so exquisite that they did not disturb a single speck of ice.
From the very beginning, their goal had not been the spiritual treasures, but the secrets hidden deep within the core of these ruins.
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