C1251 Holy Land of Extreme Coldness
In a secluded corner of the Deep Starfield, a miniature landmass mirrored the layout of the Ember Waters, with the sea dominating the majority of the territory. The azure expanse was dotted with islands, each one a speck in the vast ocean.
On one such island, the Yin Corpse King had fashioned numerous burial grounds, infusing the entire land with a chilling Yin Qi. Within these graves, Corpse Slaves lay dormant, ready to rise and battle at his mere thought.
At present, the Yin Corpse King gazed across the sea at a distant island. There, Lim Zhuyun, clad in an elegant green robe, sat stoically before a glacier. Recently, she had shattered the body of a Yang God from the Cold Yin Sect, and now its fragments were assimilating into the island itself.
Before Lim Zhuyun, the ice mountain's smooth surface reflected silver-white beams that danced and twisted, etching an image into the ice. Soon, the vague outline of a man began to emerge. But as his features neared clarity, a sudden flash of cold light in Lim Zhuyun's eyes signaled the end of the visage.
With a puff, the man's image she had so painstakingly carved burst into nothingness. After a brief adjustment, Lim Zhuyun's focus returned, and she once again summoned her visible soul power to resume her drawing on the ice. Each time the man's face nearly took shape, it was relentlessly erased by her hand.
The Yin Corpse King, observing from afar, was no longer surprised by such occurrences. With his Unrestrained Stage cultivation, he found himself obeying Lim Zhuyun's commands due to the Chaos Roc's directive.
Before the great conflict in the Plover Realm could erupt, the Chaos Roc had claimed Lim Zhuyun and departed with her. Lim Zhuyun, who had narrowly escaped death, seemed to have truly earned the Chaos Roc's favor and began to cultivate diligently.
The Chaos Roc not only assisted Lim Zhuyun in refining her Yang God Body and purging the taint of the Devaputras from her being but also helped her dissolve the soul of the Devaputra that sought to possess her, significantly enhancing her combat prowess.
Subsequently, the Chaos Roc transported them to the Outer Battlefield, where they were tasked with cooperating to gather items of extreme cold, integrating them into the ever-expanding glacier.
It seemed that a unique place was being crafted for Lin Zhuyun, a space to merge with the Dao, preparing her in advance for her breakthrough to the Unrestrained Stage.
In recent days, Lin Zhuyun had been at the fringes of the Deep Starfield, gathering cold veins, slaying cold-attributed alien beasts, and practicing the Spiritual Spell of Extreme Coldness.
The Yin Corpse King was unclear about the nature of the ice mountain, but it somehow drew these alien beasts and cultivators to their doom, one after another.
"Ever heard of the Ghost Spirit Sect?"
Out of the blue, Lin Zhuyun, who had been silent for quite some time, turned to face him.
Even the Yin Corpse King, who was a level above in cultivation, felt a shiver run down his spine. He pondered for a moment before responding, "Yes, I've heard of it. The sect no longer exists within the Vast Expanse. Like many lesser sects, the Ghost Spirit Sect perished in the internal conflicts of the Vast Expanse. To the five supreme forces, a sect that has never produced an Unrestrained Stage cultivator is essentially expendable."
"The deceased from the Cold Yin Sect revealed that there's a surviving practitioner from the Ghost Spirit Sect somewhere in the Deep Starfield, who has also claimed an extremely cold treasure land," Lin Zhuyun said with an icy demeanor, before giving a blunt order, "Release some of the corpse slaves to search the vicinity."
"Understood."
The Yin Corpse King complied without hesitation, and with a mere thought, corpse slaves began to emerge from the earth.
Most of these corpse slaves were from other races, their bodies exuding a chilling presence and wrapped in a thick miasma of death. They stiffly took flight, scattering in all directions like swarms of fireflies.
...
On the opposite end of the Deep Starfield.
Qi Yunhong, having advanced to the Middle Period of the Yang God Stage, was adorned with Qiao Yuling's red agate necklace.
He was submerged in a vortex of lightning and thunder, his Yang God physique being cleansed by the crimson bolts.
His face contorted in agony as he let out frenzied roars, seemingly in unbearable pain.
Yet, his eyes betrayed an odd glint of thrill.
In the Outer Star River, the elderly woman who founded the Thunder Sect watched with a smile, nodding in approval, "This young man is indeed cut out to be one of our Thunder Sect!"
The necklace around Qi Yunhong's neck occasionally emitted a haunting glow that penetrated his mind. This man, long since branded an evil demon by the Vast Ocean, had an increasingly intense gleam of madness in his eyes. With each breath, it seemed as though tiny lightning dragons were snaking in and out of his nostrils.
"My dear, when will I be able to advance to the Late Period of the Yang God Stage?" he bellowed.
"Very soon," Qiao Yuling assured him with a beaming smile. "The times we're in now are ripe for the rise of our Thunder Sect! Despite years within the Vast Expanse, the Thunder Sect has yet to ascend to the ranks of the upper sects. Hehe, I do harbor a bold ambition for us to outshine the two major Thunder Sects in the Outland Star River, and to become yet another pinnacle sect following in the footsteps of the Red Devil Sect and the Silver Moon Sect!"
The rise of a Primordial Spirit had significantly elevated the status of these sects.
Qiao Yuling had decided to sever ties with the Thunder Sect within the Vast Expanse and forge a new Thunder Sect in the Outer Star River, with the vision of one day transforming it into a force that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the five supreme sects of the Vast Expanse.
Then, the Thunder Sect would make a triumphant return to the Vast Expanse, openly recruiting disciples to further its legacy.
"You will surely achieve it," Qi Yunhong complimented.
Qiao Yuling simply smiled, her silence speaking volumes as she stoked the fires of the red agate necklace, channeling even more soul-strengthening power into Qi Yunhong's psyche.
The next moment, Qi Yunhong's screams became even more piercing.
...
Yu Yuan felt a sudden lightness in his body.
He was about to share updates on the fresh dynamics of the Vast Expanse and the Outer Star River when his feigned composure was shattered by a sudden surge of panic.
He spun around abruptly!
The empress, who had been in slumber since he boarded the derelict warship, had unexpectedly descended to the ground, crouching down to gaze at the chilling river.
The river was filled with glistening cold crystals, resembling a swarm of icy serpents.
Chen Qinghuang, with her side turned, still possessed a beauty that could turn the world on its head, flawless from every angle. The sight of her instantly soothed the alarmed Yu Yuan, who spoke to her with a gentle voice, "Have you awakened?"
On the other side, Yan Ziyang was still reeling from shock, muttering to himself, "The Divine Soul Sect, the Divine Soul Sect has returned..."
He was completely oblivious to the presence of the Empress.
Chen Qinghuang's arm, as delicate as a white lotus, reached out towards the river concealing the frigid veins.
As she made her move, the biting winds within the cave stilled, and a suffocating aura suddenly descended upon the small world.
Yan Ziyang, startled, exclaimed, "You!"
Yu Yuan, his face etched with gravity, pressed a finger to his lips, signaling Yan Ziyang to remain silent with a hushing gesture.
Confused, Yan Ziyang watched as the cave he had known for countless years transformed before his eyes. The icy stone walls were suddenly etched with dense, frosty patterns that seemed to have been concealed for millennia, only to reveal themselves now.
The once gentle river turned tumultuous, its cold veins erupting with countless tiny sparks of frost, as if imbued with sentient life, desperately trying to escape this confined space.
The essence of souls permeated the air!
Chen Qinghuang's gaze was detached as her hand, dipped in the river, slowly traced a circle.
Mysterious ripples spread, and an enigmatic force of attraction emerged, drawing the soul consciousness from within the ice of the walls and blocks, converging and crystallizing rapidly.
The spectacle left Yan Ziyang and Yu Yuan utterly dumbfounded.
Before long, a walnut-sized cold crystal formed beneath her fingertip.
The crystal, like a prison, encapsulated a swirling mass of Devil Soul.
"Freezing Devaputra!" Yan Ziyang was thunderstruck, his face a kaleidoscope of astonishment. He had never imagined that a Freezing Devaputra lay hidden in what he believed to be a mere illusion.
"I suspect it's been waiting for you to grow stronger, biding its time to take over your body when the moment is right," Yu Yuan mused.
With a quivering voice, Yan Ziyang replied, "It's a Demon God!"
