C516 The Pavilion in the Sky

A structure soared through the void.

Its radiant jade sheen cascaded forth, dazzling under the harsh sunlight, its splendor scattering in a kaleidoscope of colors.

Beneath a canopy of white clouds, the Jade Tower glided on the wind, resembling the divine abode of deities from the heavens.

Tong Laoqian had dedicated his life's work to crafting this jade edifice. A fortress as much as a sanctuary, it was in perfect harmony with the Way of Heaven he had mastered.

Within the Jade Tower, Tong Laoqian's combat prowess could be fully realized.

Yet, in this moment, he was as vigilant as if facing a formidable foe, his remnant soul casting out expansively like a net.

He was perpetually wary of Lin Zhuyun.

He had covertly observed the slaughter at Demon's Scar.

Both being in the Spirit Walk state, Pei Zhen had been swiftly slain by Lin Zhuyun. Pei Zhen belonged to the Ruby Hand, practitioners of the orthodox dark arts, and even his drum was a heavenly artifact.

With Pei Zhen's rapid demise, Tong Laoqian was understandably shaken.

Over the azure sea, an isolated island emerged abruptly.

From the vantage point of the Jade Tower, the island resembled a horse's hoof, no larger than the size of a palm, likely one of the obscure isles within the Sundering Isles.

But Tong Laoqian dared not underestimate it. His remnant soul poured forth like quicksilver from the heights above.

He needed to ascertain whether formidable adversaries were lurking on the island.

Invisible to the naked eye, Tong Laoqian's remnant soul threads grew icy upon contact with the horse hoof-shaped island.

In a mere moment, Tong Laoqian's face contorted with alarm: "She's here! Retreat!"

Yu Yuan, set down by Yuan Lianyao and seated atop a golden copper plate, was drenched in sweat, his right hand gripping the sword sheath tightly as his eyes snapped open.

Yuan Lianyao inhaled deeply, her hand resting on Yu Yuan's shoulder, and advised, "Let's take a closer look before we act."

Whoosh!

Golden filaments descended upon the island like a divine drizzle.

These strands were the tangible form of Tong Laoqian's remnant soul.

The island lay in utter stillness, its insects and birds entombed in ice.

At the instant Tong Laoqian's remnant soul touched down, he sensed the island transform into a frigid, ice-bound realm in the span of a single breath.

A piercing chill suddenly erupted from deep beneath the island!

Upon realizing Lin Zhuyun was concealed within, Tong Laoqian attempted to withdraw his remnant soul, but it was too late.

The surface of the island, once grayish-white, was now coated in a vibrant green hue.

The island ignited, transforming into a horseshoe-shaped mark ablaze with emerald flames.

Tong Laoqian's soul threads, forced into visibility, hung like golden strands. They were infiltrated by the biting cold, freezing solid and eluding Tong Laoqian's control.

Amidst the billowing green flames, a cold, wraith-like figure emerged unexpectedly.

She stood at the heart of the inferno, her head tilted back, her deep blue eyes brimming with frostiness.

Behind her, a cold moon, mirroring her chilly presence, silently ascended.

Within ten miles, the sea rapidly turned to ice. Her mere appearance transformed the world into a frigid, silent realm in mere moments.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

Beneath the clouds, the resplendent Jade Tower, basking in the fierce sunlight, began to succumb to the encroaching frost.

Boom!

The newly formed ice at the base of the tower shattered abruptly.

The luxurious tower, crafted from layers of black, white, green, and red jade, with spiritual energy coursing through the stones, erupted with a powerful surge of spiritual energy.

Hundreds of copper coins, bearing the dynasty's fortune and the arcane secrets of the realm, detached from the tower's base.

These coins had been embedded within the floors, serving as a foundation.

Now, they levitated, continuously rearranging themselves inside the tower, forming an array of grand and mystical patterns.

Tong Laoqian, with a grave and dignified air, sat cross-legged amidst the coins, deftly manipulating the spell and the magic diagram.

Figures in imperial crowns, long vanished from history, emerged from the coins. Clad in dragon robes and wielding jade seals, they commanded with authority.

A majestic dragon's fate emanated from these men and women.

The rotund Tong Laoqian radiated brilliance, his hands weaving the spell with unfathomable dexterity.

Emperors, both men and women, grasped jade seals, gold coins, and imperial swords, their silhouettes towering as they launched an assault from the skies above the Jade Tower toward the island below.

The jade seal plummeted like a mountain, the golden coins shimmered like a kaleidoscope of clouds, and the Emperor Sword streaked through the air like arc light.

Inside the Jade Tower, a torrent of spiritual energy surged into the bodies of the emperors, momentarily reviving them with the vigor of life, allowing them to unleash the formidable might of their prime.

In Aetherius, where countless dynasties and empires had risen and fallen, numerous emperors had shone brightly across the ages.

In the Everlands, where martial prowess and cultivators were revered, every emperor possessed not only grand ambitions but also exceptional combat skills and spiritual realms.

There were legends like the Stormcrowned Emperor, the Songbird Queen, the Silvermoon Queen, and others.

Though these emperors, emerging from the coins, could only exhibit a fraction of their strength, their combined assault on the island was monumental. With a fleeting burst, they channeled their comprehended mantras of power, creating a majestic and overwhelming force.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The already modest island crumbled under the weight of the mountainous jade seal, the onslaught of the golden clouds, and the unrivaled sharpness of the imperial swords. In mere moments, it shattered and plunged into the sea below.

The small island was obliterated in an instant.

Yet Lin Zhuyun, amidst the verdant flames, and the cold moon that loomed behind her, merely sank with the fragments of the island into the depths of the sea for a short while.

"Hu!"

Seizing the moment, Tong Laoqian directed the Jade Tower toward Celestial Isle with fervor.

The emperors, adorned in their dragon robes, each resumed their place, retracting back into the copper coins.

"I can only hinder her briefly; I'm no match for her," Tong Laoqian gasped, seated among the levitating coins. He mopped his brow with his sleeve and added with a wry smile, "I dared to escort you because I believed the items I've gathered over the years could offer some resistance against her."

"The Frozen Flames she acquired from the Frozen Hellscape, that cold moon—none can penetrate the Jade Tower, ensuring my safety."

"My Jade Tower is quite formidable. It's not so simple to breach from the outside."

Despite his words, he drifted to the edge and cast anxious glances backward.

He watched as Lin Zhuyun, once submerged beneath the sea, began to rise to the surface once more.

With a resounding crack, the sea's icy surface shattered for miles around.

Tong Laoqian chuckled softly, "The breaking of the ice suggests that her battle with Pei Zhen must have been quite draining. Otherwise, the sea would still be encased in ice!"

"That's not it," Yu Yuan countered, shaking his head.

"What do you mean?" Tong Laoqian inquired.

"The Frozen Flames lie at the very bottom of the Frozen Hellscape. This fearsome fire is in perfect harmony with the seawater, unleashing its most formidable force," Yu Yuan explained with a sigh.

As Tong Laoqian mulled this over, he suddenly had a realization.

Glancing behind him once more, he was so frightened that he blurted out a curse, "Damn! It really is happening!"

The frozen sea had not only cracked but now, icicles formed from the frozen water were detaching and soaring into the sky.

These icicles, with their interior green flames, ranged from hundreds of meters to mere meters in length, numbering in the hundreds.

Controlled by Lin Zhuyun's power, the glittering icicles shot up into the sky, transforming into cold, piercing beams of light aimed directly at the Jade Tower.

The assault wasn't just from behind; icicles were surging towards the Jade Tower from all directions.

The sea's icy crust continued to fracture, and chunks of ice collided with the Jade Tower from every side.

As Lin Zhuyun plunged into the sea, she unleashed the Frozen Flames into the icy waters, shattering the frozen surface and creating even deadlier icicles that encircled and attacked the Jade Tower.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Jade Tower, Tong Laoqian's meticulously crafted aerial pavilion, was battered by the relentless icicle barrage, sending jade shards flying as it trembled violently.

Sizzle sizzle!

The green flames within the broken icicles, carrying the chill of the Arctic Breath, swooped down like frigid birds upon the Jade Tower, subjecting Tong Laoqian to a relentless onslaught of icy impacts.

Before he could revel in his achievement, the Jade Tower, into which he had poured a century's worth of effort and imperial relics, was already buckling under the strain.

"Miscalculation! Damn it, what a blunder!" Tong Laoqian cursed, stamping his feet in frustration as if he were sweating bullets, "This is a massive setback, a total loss! Yu Yuan, I might have to abandon the Jade Tower and find another way to delay her."

"Hold on, there's no rush," Yu Yuan said, rising to his feet with the sword sheath in hand.

Lin Zhuyun drifted forward from within the depths of the emerald flames.

Under the bright, clear sky, a cold moon hung suspended above her head.

In that instant, she bore a greater resemblance to a queen than even the fabled Silvermoon Queen of yore.

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