C99 Ice Fire Mystic Realm(2)

"Xuan Tianshang's disciples? Those brutes from his sect actually managed to break into our Ice Crystal Fire Palace? That's quite unexpected!" the woman's voice expressed surprise.

Woo Zhengyang was also taken aback. From what the woman said, it seemed incredibly difficult to enter this Ice Crystal Fire Palace. But perhaps that was true for today's practitioners. In ancient times, there were surely many who trained both body and spirit, so breaking in might not have been so hard.

"Wait a minute... Why isn't my Ice Crystal Fire Formation working?" the woman suddenly exclaimed, her voice filled with shock and anger.

"Ice Crystal Fire Formation?" Zhengyang was confused. He hadn't encountered any such formation on his way in.

"Are you really that clueless? You don't even know about the Ice Crystal Fire Formation of our palace? Tell me, what's happened to our Ice Crystal Fire Palace? Did you all team up to bully us and destroy the formation's support? Otherwise, how could you have gotten in here? When this secret realm was established, we never intended for disciples from other sects to enter!"

"Bullying?" The woman's voice was tinged with anger, yet it had a playful, almost teasing quality that left Zhengyang dumbfounded. Was this really how the esteemed figures of ancient times behaved?

"Of course it's bullying. You all just love to pick on our sect of delicate women, hmph!"

"This... is no longer ancient times!" Woo Zhengyang prepared to explain truthfully.

"Ancient times?" The woman seemed puzzled.

Woo Zhengyang then began to converse with her, recounting the great calamities of ancient times, the decline of Body Tempering cultivators, and describing the current state of the world. The woman listened, utterly captivated.

Through their conversation, Woo Zhengyang finally gained a true understanding of the Mystic Trace Realm. It turned out this realm wasn't a training ground for some ancient sect but was created by several powerful factions working together, with the Ice Crystal Fire Palace being one of them.

The Ice Fire Mystic Realm was established for the disciples of the Ice Crystal Fire Palace. To prevent outsiders from entering, they set up the Ice Crystal Fire Formation outside the palace. This was the floating bridge Woo Zhengyang had crossed to reach the palace. For some unknown reason, the formation had failed; otherwise, Woo Zhengyang would never have made it this far.

The woman was the current Palace Lord of the Ice Crystal Fire Palace, or rather, a fragment of her spirit left here to observe the effectiveness of the palace and identify the first disciple to enter. However, something unexpected occurred after its completion, and no one had entered until Woo Zhengyang awakened it today.

The conversation, spanning countless years, left both of them in disbelief. The woman then fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.

After a long silence, a weary and wistful voice softly echoed, "Young man, does the Ice Crystal Fire Palace still exist out there?"

"Well... I'm not sure..."

Woo Zhengyang, despite his extensive study of ancient texts, had only delved into the collections of the Profound Heaven Sect. Compared to the vast world beyond, his knowledge was just a drop in the ocean. So many years had passed, and even the once-great sects might have faded into history. Whether the Ice Crystal Fire Palace still existed was uncertain, but it certainly wasn't anywhere near Dongjue Country. The very notion of a 'Palace' wouldn't be allowed there.

"Why did it come to this? What exactly happened..." the woman murmured to herself, filled with endless sorrow.

"Even though our Profound Heaven Sect has evolved from the Xuan Tianshang, we have at least maintained some legacy. Perhaps the Ice Crystal Fire Palace still exists, maybe somewhere else," Woo Zhengyang offered, trying to comfort her.

"Let's hope so! Young man, if you ever come across disciples of the Ice Crystal Fire Palace, and they find themselves struggling, could you look after them for me? We women are, after all, quite pitiable."

The woman spoke with such a sense of vulnerability that Woo Zhengyang felt a wave of relief; her tone suggested she had found some peace.

According to her original plan, the fragment of her soul left here was meant to awaken, witness the outcomes, and then return to her true self, thus understanding what had transpired in this place.

However, now the Ice Crystal Fire Array can't operate, and she can't even sense where her true self is. She can only maintain her form for about an hour before fading away. Even as a remnant soul, Woo Zhengyang didn't want her to disappear with regrets.

Upon waking, he had no idea how many years had passed. He didn't know if his true self was alive or dead or where he might be. This feeling was truly desolate, leaving Woo Zhengyang deeply moved.

"Young man, you're really out of luck. The rewards from our Ice Crystal Fire Palace rely on the Ice Crystal Fire Array to be delivered, and it's clear they haven't been sent. You might have made this trip for nothing!"

"No worries, I've already gained a lot!" Woo Zhengyang replied with a light smile.

Learning these ancient secrets was a significant gain. More importantly, from this woman's presence, Woo Zhengyang experienced a profound sense of desolation, an understanding even deeper than his own past despair. This insight solidified his martial spirit even more.

"In that case, I'll take my leave!" Woo Zhengyang bowed deeply and prepared to depart. He truly didn't want to witness the moment when this woman's soul would dissipate.