Chapter 338: Mysterious Ice Flame, Boundless Sea, and the Grand Void Palace

Chapter 338: Mysterious Ice Flame, Boundless Sea, and the Grand Void Palace

At this moment, Chu Ning's gaze fell upon a strange flower.

The flower was as large as a bowl, with ice-blue and fiery-red petals alternating. The petals flickered like flames, giving it an otherworldly appearance.

Even from a distance, Chu Ning could sense the power emanating from it.

"A mysterious ice flame formed by the convergence of ice and fire—this is indeed a treasure, a heavenly spirit fire."

The giant tortoise's voice echoed slowly.

"If one can refine it, its power will be astonishing.

You can admire it from a distance, but don't touch it. Not only will a Golden Core cultivator die upon contact, but even an ordinary early Nascent Soul cultivator will meet the same fate."

Chu Ning's eyes flickered, and he stirred the power within him. A ball of scarlet flame with hints of dark purple appeared at his fingertips.

"Senior Turtle, with this, is there a chance to obtain the mysterious ice flame?"

"Oh? Earth Vein Spirit Fire?"

A hint of surprise laced the giant tortoise's voice.

"The mysterious ice flame is a heavenly spirit fire. To capture and refine it with one's spiritual power requires profound cultivation at the late Nascent Soul stage or higher; otherwise, it is impossible.

For other cultivators who wish to capture and refine it, using ice and fire power is naturally the best method.

However, possessing a powerful icy or fiery force can also achieve the same effect.

Since you have the Earth Vein Spirit Fire, you can try to capture the mysterious ice flame. Whether you can refine it afterward will depend on your abilities."

Chu Ning nodded. This was precisely what he intended to do.

He tapped his fingers, and the Earth Vein Spirit Fire flew out, slowly approaching the mysterious ice flame.

As the Earth Vein Spirit Fire drew closer, the mysterious ice flame seemed to sense its presence. The ice and fire power surged violently.

Its might caused the solid Earth Vein Spirit Fire to nearly extinguish in an instant.

However, the Earth Vein Spirit Fire was also one of the heavenly spirit fires, and although it wavered, it soon stabilized.

Chu Ning manipulated the Earth Vein Spirit Fire, causing it to envelop the mysterious ice flame.

As soon as they made contact, Chu Ning felt a powerful fusion of extreme cold and heat rushing toward him.

Even though the impact was on the Earth Vein Spirit Fire, because Chu Ning had refined it, he could still sense it clearly.

Chu Ning was certain that if this force acted on his body, it would instantly destroy him.

He flicked his fingers, sending forth another burst of Earth Vein Spirit Fire.

After doing this five times in succession, only a tiny spark of the Earth Vein Spirit Fire remained within Chu Ning, and the rest had been exhausted.

It was only at this moment that the Earth Vein Spirit Fire truly enveloped the mysterious ice flame.

However, Chu Ning could sense the violent power within, threatening to break through the Earth Vein Spirit Fire's freezing and burning at any moment.

Carefully manipulating the Earth Vein Spirit Fire, he drew the mysterious ice flame closer.

Chu Ning's expression turned solemn. In its current state, he couldn't just take it away.

He needed to seal the mysterious ice flame first, just as he had done when he captured the Earth Vein Spirit Fire.

Without the Earth Vein Spirit Fire, Chu Ning wouldn't even dare to think about attempting this.

His spiritual power would be instantly destroyed upon contact with the mysterious ice flame.

But now, with the protection of the Earth Vein Spirit Fire, Chu Ning dared to act.

Activating the Five Elements Chaos Formula, Chu Ning formed a series of hand seals, channeling his spiritual power from his fingertips and infusing it into the Earth Vein Spirit Fire.

Sensing the anomaly, the mysterious ice flame once again unleashed its power.

Tendrils of ice and fire power seemed to want to penetrate through the Earth Vein Spirit Fire.

Chu Ning responded by increasing his spiritual power, using the Earth Vein Spirit Fire to forcefully resist the might of the mysterious ice flame.

His internal spiritual power was also being rapidly depleted. In just a few breaths, Chu Ning felt that over 70% of his spiritual power had been consumed.

He immediately took out a drop of Thousand Year Spirit Milk from his storage bag and consumed it.

Then, Chu Ning's expression changed slightly.

"The power of this mysterious ice flame is truly immense. With my current level of spiritual power, it's being depleted far too quickly.

Moreover, even with the Thousand Year Spirit Milk replenishing my spiritual power at such a rapid rate, it still can't keep up with the speed of consumption."

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Chu Ning quickly retrieved another jade bottle—the one containing the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Milk he had obtained from the bottom of the Spirit Spring Pool! He poured out a drop and ingested it.

Instantly, a surge of powerful spiritual power filled him, and Chu Ning felt his spiritual power recover to its peak almost instantly.

"As expected of Ten Thousand Year Spirit Milk. The effect is indeed remarkable!"

A gleam flashed in Chu Ning's eyes.

With this treasure in hand, he had nothing to fear.

His spiritual power continuously transformed into seals that landed on the mysterious ice flame, which was now enveloped by the Earth Vein Spirit Fire.

The ice and fire power on the mysterious ice flame gradually stabilized.

The entire flame also began to shrink.

It was only after Chu Ning consumed the third drop of Ten Thousand Year Spirit Milk that he truly breathed a sigh of relief and ceased his spellcasting.

He looked at the Earth Vein Spirit Fire, which had reduced in size by several folds, and carefully controlled it to return to his body.

He didn't dare to retract the spirit fire all at once but did so gradually, just as he had when he captured it.

At the same time, he sensed the changes within the mysterious ice flame.

Feeling that the mysterious ice flame remained exceptionally stable without any signs of eruption, Chu Ning finally relaxed.

As the last strand of the Earth Vein Spirit Fire retracted into his body, a red and blue ice flower now hovered before Chu Ning.

Its appearance was similar to the previous mysterious ice flame, but it was only a tenth of its size.

Moreover, not a trace of ice and fire power could be felt emanating from it.

"Finally, the sealing was successful!"

Chu Ning exhaled softly as he looked at the blue and red ice flower.

The voice of the giant tortoise echoed once more.

Indeed, beside the place where the Mysterious Ice Flame had originally been, he spotted a translucent jade stone.

It was most likely the Ice-Fire Spirit Jade the giant tortoise had mentioned.

Chu Ning opened his mouth and spat out the Fire Spirit Sword, using the flying sword treasure to dig out the jade.

The Spirit Jade was about one foot in length and width.

At first glance, it appeared translucent and colorless, but upon closer inspection, one could faintly discern hints of red and blue within, a rather peculiar sight.

Chu Ning cut off a small piece of the Spirit Jade and stored the rest in his storage bag.

Then, he crafted the piece he had cut into a suitably sized jade box to hold the Mysterious Ice Flame in front of him.

Afterward, he consumed another drop of the Thousand Year Spirit Milk to restore his spiritual energy while standing at the mountain path.

Although the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Milk was beneficial, Chu Ning was somewhat reluctant to use it unless it was an emergency, as it was too precious.

Leaving the icy realm and entering this scorching environment would likely cause great discomfort to others.

However, the Ice-Fire Silkworm Silk Armor proved to be truly remarkable, as Chu Ning instantly felt a cooling sensation.

With just a slight activation of his spiritual power, Chu Ning confidently continued on his way.

"Red Flame Golden Lotus!"

"Blazing Sun Grass!"

"Fiery Crystal!"

...

Along the way, Chu Ning couldn't help but exclaim in delight from time to time.

He collected all these heavenly treasures and earthly treasures into his possession.

After traveling for a long time, Chu Ning exited the winding mountain path and found himself in front of a stone wall.

On this wall was a stone door, from which he could faintly sense the fluctuations of restrictions.

Chu Ning immediately stopped in his tracks.

"Senior Turtle, what is beyond this door?"

"It's the entrance to the inner hall of the Grand Void Palace." The giant tortoise's voice echoed slowly.

"Under normal circumstances, there shouldn't be anyone inside at this time.

However, you've spent quite some time searching for treasures along the way, and others may have entered only half a quarter of an hour after you. It's highly likely that they've arrived by now."

After a slight pause, the giant tortoise continued, "But it doesn't really matter if you're early or late. The inner hall won't open immediately. It should take about half a day for the inner hall to open, and by then, everyone who is supposed to arrive should be here."

Hearing the giant tortoise's words, Chu Ning hesitated slightly.

This implied that if he entered this door, he would encounter other cultivators.

And those were all Nascent Soul cultivators.

After some thought, Chu Ning spoke, "Senior Turtle, I've already gained a lot on this trip. I think I'll skip the inner hall of the Grand Void Palace.

Do you know if there's any other exit from the Grand Void Abyss that leads directly out?"

"Then just go back the way you came." The giant tortoise replied nonchalantly.

"However, you don't have much time left. When the inner hall of the Grand Void Palace opens, the passages outside will be closed. You can only leave through this inner hall.

Other Golden Core cultivators who want to leave will probably do so around this time as well."

Chu Ning fell silent after hearing the giant tortoise's words.

"Senior Turtle, why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"You didn't ask me, did you?" The giant tortoise asked in return.

"You kept asking me for directions on where to go, so I assumed you wanted to go to the inner hall to obtain spiritual treasures."

Chu Ning asked curiously, "Spiritual treasures? Do you mean ancient treasures? Are there any ancient treasures in this inner hall?"

"Ancient treasures? No! Ancient treasures are one thing, but spiritual treasures are another," the giant tortoise explained. "Many ancient treasures crafted by ancient cultivators have been passed down, but there may be no more than ten items that can truly be called spiritual treasures.

The Grand Void Sect had one such item, known as the Mysterious Night Mirror, but whether it's still in this inner hall or not is unknown."

After hearing the giant tortoise's words, Chu Ning's eyes glanced at the stone door in front of him.

He had already witnessed the power of ancient treasures firsthand.

The ancient treasure dagger's might was such that even an eighth-rank demon beast couldn't withstand it.

And this was with him, a Golden Core cultivator, wielding it.

If a Nascent Soul cultivator were to use it, they would undoubtedly be able to unleash its true power to a greater extent.

According to the giant tortoise, the power of spiritual treasures surpassed even that of ancient treasures, which was truly astonishing.

It was impossible for Chu Ning not to be tempted.

He turned back to look at the path he had come, and even with White Spirit's help, he didn't think he could make it back to the entrance in half a day.

At this moment, Chu Ning said in a low voice, "Senior Turtle, if any Nascent Soul cultivators make a move later, I hope you can protect me."

"Rest assured, the probability of them making a move against you here in the Grand Void Abyss is low.

As long as you don't actively compete with them for treasures when they appear in the inner hall, they won't pay attention to you.

As for after leaving the Grand Void Abyss..."

The giant tortoise paused before continuing, "It's a bit difficult for me to take action directly, and even if I do, it will only be once or twice.

Didn't you pick up my tortoise shell?

If any Nascent Soul cultivators attack, take it out to defend yourself. It should be enough to save your life."

Chu Ning's eyes lit up as he asked, "Senior Turtle, I was just about to ask you. Earlier, you mentioned a way to leave this Northern Cold Land. Do you know of any methods?"

"Methods? Just fly across the Boundless Sea," the giant tortoise replied casually.

Chu Ning frowned slightly upon hearing this.

"Fly across the Boundless Sea? Senior Turtle, what is this Boundless Sea, and can one really fly across it? Won't there be any dangers?"

"Of course, there are dangers, but they lie in the depths of the Boundless Sea. I, the old tortoise, used to wander within the Boundless Sea. If you fly above, no one will bother you.

The reason why few cultivators choose to fly across is that the Boundless Sea is lacking in spiritual energy, and ordinary cultivators' spiritual power won't be able to support such long-distance flight.

But you have the Spirit Milk, don't you?"

Chu Ning's eyes lit up as he realized that the giant tortoise seemed to know quite a bit about the Boundless Sea.

"The Eastern Sacred Continent!" Chu Ning's heart finally eased upon hearing this.

He had wanted to leave the Northern Cold for quite some time.

Chu Ning's greatest desire was to return to the Nine Lotus Sect and focus on his cultivation.

Although he couldn't go directly to the Western Alliance Continent, the Eastern Sacred Continent would be a good alternative.

At least he had spent time there before, and moreover, if the teleportation formation among the Thousand Lakes and Islands leading to the Western Alliance Continent was still there, he could use it to reach his desired destination.

For now, his concerns were focused on the moment right after he exited the Grand Void Abyss, as well as the subsequent journey across the Boundless Sea.

However, with the giant tortoise promising to aid him once or twice, he felt somewhat reassured.

Though there seemed to be some risk, it didn't seem like an utterly hopeless situation.

With these thoughts in mind, Chu Ning inquired about the inner hall from the giant tortoise.

Then, he turned his gaze back to the restrictive barrier on the stone wall in front of him.

"White Spirit, go!" Chu Ning commanded.

As his voice fell, White Spirit emerged from Chu Ning's sleeve and, using her innate divine ability, carried Chu Ning through the stone wall barrier.

After passing through, Chu Ning found himself in a winding passage.

Expecting to encounter the Nascent Soul cultivators soon, Chu Ning instructed White Spirit to return to the spirit beast pouch.

He extended his spiritual sense to scan the area and then proceeded along the winding passage.

After walking for a while, Chu Ning found himself in a spacious hall, measuring about three hundred feet in size.

Inside the hall were already over twenty cultivators.

Among them were the old demon Qu, the sect master of the Illusion Spirit Sect, Qiu Qijun, the great elder of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, and other Nascent Soul cultivators.

There were also a few Golden Core cultivators, such as Dan Tai Song and Li Bailin.

However, the group from Long Kong Temple was noticeably absent.

As soon as Chu Ning appeared, everyone's eyes turned to him, their gazes filled with surprise and suspicion.

Apparently, no one expected Chu Ning to show up in the inner hall.

Many of them stared intently at Chu Ning, their eyes filled with curiosity.

Chu Ning naturally noticed the attention he was receiving, and although he had anticipated this, he couldn't help but feel a slight sense of unease under the intense scrutiny of so many Nascent Soul cultivators.

However, he maintained a calm expression and casually surveyed the room.

He quickly discerned the different factions present.

As expected, the old demon Qu and the Illusion Spirit Sect had formed an alliance, and their members were gathered together.

In addition, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect's Li Xiao and Li Bailin were also part of this alliance.

There were also several cultivators from the Sea Cloud Basin and a few overseas demon cultivators.

On the other side were the remaining sects from Cold Rock Continent, but their numbers were significantly smaller.

The Nascent Soul cultivators among them wore solemn expressions, occasionally glancing toward the entrance.

They seemed to be waiting for someone to arrive.

Chu Ning quickly surmised that they were most likely expecting Lu Xue Dao and the cultivators from the Divine Sound Valley.

In addition, four Nascent Soul cultivators sat apart from the others, seemingly uninterested in joining any faction.

They were either from small sects or rogue cultivators.

Among them was Qiu Qijun.

Chu Ning hesitated for a moment before deciding to approach this group.

Since he hadn't joined Long Kong Temple when he entered the abyss, he assumed that Lu Xue Dao and the others wouldn't give him a warm welcome.

As for the alliance between the old demon Qu and the Illusion Spirit Sect, Chu Ning had no interest in joining them either.

When the others saw Chu Ning walking towards Qiu Qijun's group, their gazes turned even more peculiar.

This was because the other three cultivators were all well-known Nascent Soul cultivators from the Northern Cold, each with their own means of self-preservation.

Both factions refrained from provoking them, respecting their neutrality.

However, Chu Ning, a mere late-stage Golden Core cultivator, dared to choose neutrality as well, which added a hint of amusement to the Nascent Soul cultivators' expressions.

Qiu Qijun was also surprised to see Chu Ning approaching. He had heard that Chu Ning had been cultivating in the Ice Island Immortal City and assumed he had joined Long Kong Temple's faction.

However, as Chu Ning drew near, Qiu Qijun greeted him with a warm smile. "I haven't seen you around, friend Chu. I thought you might have already left the Grand Void Abyss.

I didn't expect you to venture into the inner hall as well."

Qiu Qijun maintained his friendly demeanor, seemingly unbothered by Chu Ning's Golden Core cultivator status.

Chu Ning, on the other hand, wore a slightly confused expression.

"Leave? Is it possible to leave the Grand Void Abyss directly? I thought we could only go further in.

Senior Qiu, is it possible to exit through that entrance?"

As he spoke, Chu Ning turned as if to leave.

Qiu Qijun laughed in response. "Don't be hasty, young friend. By the time you rush back, that entrance will be sealed as well.

Once this inner hall opens, you'll be able to exit from here as well."

"Thank you, Senior Qiu, for the information," Chu Ning said, bowing slightly to express his gratitude.

Their conversation naturally caught the attention of the other cultivators. While the Nascent Soul cultivators didn't pay much heed, some of the Golden Core cultivators listened intently.

Upon hearing Chu Ning's apparent lack of knowledge about the inner hall, they disregarded him.

However, Li Bailin scoffed, his eyes filled with ridicule. "How dare you enter the inner hall of the Grand Void Palace without knowing anything? Ignorance!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end