Translator: AnubisTL
The ice butterfly spread its wings anew, as if having undergone a rebirth from its cocoon. Its aura surged with overwhelming power!
Before the dreamlike Extreme Ice Palace, Li Qing and Shen Ningbing witnessed the Frost Jade Ice Butterfly evolve into a third-tier demonic insect!
Just as Shen Ningbing's delicate face lit up with indescribable joy, a terrifying aura suddenly erupted from the depths of the Ice Palace.
Boom!
Their expressions instantly changed. The aura was so immense and terrifying, as if they had awakened an ancient, colossal beast.
"Let's go!"
Without hesitation, Li Qing grabbed Shen Ningbing and leaped upward, charging toward the narrow fissure in the ice above.
The terrifying aura continued to awaken, growing increasingly monstrous, as if it could collapse the entire vast underground space at any moment.
Their figures shot upward, squeezing through the narrow ice fissure before flying frantically toward the surface.
Behind them, the Frost Jade Ice Butterfly kept pace, trailing a chilling mist as it relentlessly pursued Li Qing and Shen Ningbing.
Boom!
The moment the trio burst through the ice surface, the entire subterranean ice layer trembled violently, as if collapsing.
Li Qing didn't dare relax. His scalp prickled, and every hair on his body stood on end.
Even after breaking through the ice, he still felt as if a pair of eyes were watching him from behind!
Without hesitation, Li Qing grabbed Shen Ningbing and fled southward at breakneck speed.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two figures streaked across the sky like sharp arrows, their speed unmatched.
Finally, after escaping the northern reaches of the Great Wilderness Domain, the oppressive sensation of being watched by that terrifying gaze vanished.
"Senior Brother... what was that just now?" Shen Ningbing asked, her face pale with lingering fear. Clearly, she had been deeply shaken as well.
Li Qing, finally able to breathe freely, gasped for air. His mind remained unsettled. For that brief moment, he had felt like an ant, utterly powerless under the weight of that overwhelming aura.
"I don't know for sure, but it was an incredibly powerful being. Even True Monarch Yue Xuan, whom I've met before, or the sect master of the Ghost Sword Sect couldn't compare."
Li Qing slowly shook his head, completely clueless about the entity they had encountered.
"My guess is that an overwhelmingly powerful expert was slumbering within the Ice Palace, and the Frost Jade Ice Butterfly's breakthrough awakened them."
Hearing this, Shen Ningbing finally let out a slow breath of relief. At least their lives weren't in immediate danger—a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
"I thought we might find a way to reverse Master's ice crystal body inside," Shen Ningbing said, her face still tense. "But it's far too dangerous. Thank goodness you thought things through so carefully, Senior Brother."
Li Qing, however, didn't dwell on it. He shook his head.
"At least the Frost Jade Ice Butterfly advanced. Getting even that much benefit is enough."
"As for the Ice Palace, we shouldn't venture back inside unless absolutely necessary."
He suspected that the being awakened from its slumber was at least at the divine transformation stage—a true peerless old monster, one of the rarest entities in the entire world!
Such beings should have long since broken through the mortal realm and ascended, or at least remained confined to ancient texts. How could one still be slumbering deep beneath the Polar Ice Plains?
He couldn't fathom it, nor did he dare inquire further.
This was beyond his current concerns; pointless speculation would only waste his energy.
Thus, their minds preoccupied with these mysteries, the pair sped southward. Before they realized it, they had already approached the western reaches of the Great Wilderness Domain.
"Strange," Li Qing remarked, his curiosity piqued. "The western Great Wilderness Domain is Moonchase Palace territory. This sect has always maintained a low profile, avoiding worldly affairs. Why are so many cultivators passing through this area?"
In just the past hour, he had spotted no fewer than four or five cultivators hurrying toward the depths of the western Great Wilderness Domain.
The mention of Moonchase Palace inevitably brought one person to mind: True Monarch Yue Xuan, whom Shen Ningbing had encountered during her breakthrough in the Ancient Imperial City.
True Monarch Yue Xuan had ties to both Ancestor Devourer of Heaven and Ancestor Bing Yun.
"Senior Brother," Shen Ningbing said, "I'd like to visit Senior Yue Xuan at Moonchase Palace. She might know how to resolve Master's ice crystal transformation."
"Also, Senior Yue Xuan might know something about what happened in the underground Ice Palace earlier."
Hearing this, Li Qing nodded before replying, "Moonchase Palace has existed in the Great Wilderness Domain for ages. Their sect must possess a vast collection of ancient texts, so it's possible they know how to save Ancestor Bing Yun."
"However, I still feel that the events in the underground Ice Palace just now were far too significant. We shouldn't reveal anything about it for now."
In short, Li Qing didn't mind visiting Senior Yue Xuan at Moonchase Palace, but he needed to carefully consider what to say and what to keep secret.
Shen Ningbing nodded in agreement, accepting Li Qing's suggestion.
"Before we go, though, I'd like to know what's happening at Moonchase Palace that's drawing so many cultivators there."
As he spoke, Li Qing narrowed his eyes and unleashed his divine sense.
He quickly locked onto a lone early-stage foundation establishment rogue cultivator nearby. Without hesitation, he flew toward the rogue cultivator.
Boom!
Li Qing subtly released his aura, instantly causing the rogue cultivator in the early foundation establishment realm, who was flying on his sword, to turn ashen-faced.
"I apologize if I have disturbed you, Senior! Please forgive me!"
Li Qing chuckled softly. "No need to panic. I simply wanted to ask you something. I noticed many cultivators rushing toward Moonchase Palace earlier. What exactly is happening?"
"I thought Moonchase Palace was a secluded sect?"
Hearing this, the young foundation establishment cultivator breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, At least he's not here to cause trouble.
"It seems you've just emerged from seclusion, Senior? To be honest, three days ago, the demonic path..."
His thoughts drifted back to three days earlier, the very moment Li Qing and Shen Ningbing had entered the underground Ice Palace.
The demonic path had boldly accepted True Yang Daoist's challenge. Gui Fan, the young sect master of the Ghost Sword Sect, publicly declared that True Yang Daoist could choose the time and location of the battle himself.
If he dared to break his word, the three demonic sects would immediately launch a full-scale assault on the remaining forces of the righteous path, completely annihilating the dwindling Righteous Alliance.
Since the Pure Yang Physique himself had proposed the decisive battle, he would undoubtedly accept.
However, this raised a critical question:
Where should the battle take place?
With the righteous path's strength waning, choosing any location outside would be tantamount to suicide.
After all, their opponents were demonic path cultivators who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
If they could eliminate a future calamity, the demonic path patriarchs, including Gui Li, would undoubtedly show no mercy upon witnessing the Pure Yang Physique.
How could they possibly deserve their positions without ruthless decisiveness?
However, holding the battle within righteous path territory would put the demonic path at a severe disadvantage.
The mountain gate's Grand Formation would pose a grave threat even to nascent soul realm demonic path patriarchs who dared to enter.
Ultimately, to ensure the decisive battle could proceed smoothly, both sides agreed to hold the clash between Gui Fan and the Pure Yang Physique at the Moonchase Palace, the sole isolated immortal dao faction in the Great Wilderness Domain.
This immortal dao faction belonged neither to the righteous nor the demonic path, having truly achieved seclusion from the world.
By a stroke of coincidence, the Moonchase Palace, which hadn't produced a holy maiden in centuries, had finally chosen its new generation's holy maiden!
As tradition dictated, whenever the Moonchase Palace selected a new holy maiden, they would extend invitations to cultivators from across the land to celebrate.
These two events converged, transforming the once desolate western region of the Great Wilderness into a bustling hub of activity.
Countless cultivators flocked from every corner of the Great Wilderness Domain, eager not only to witness the birth of the Moonchase Palace's new holy maiden but also to witness an earth-shattering showdown!
The Moonchase Palace had become a gathering place where destiny's currents converged.
(End of the Chapter)
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