C974 The Frost Well in the Dark Domain!
"I know you hate me."
With a deliberate flick of his sleeve, Ruan Fu revealed an ancient, green-brown well, its surface etched with the wear of ages.
The well's opening faced Yu Yuan, while its depths connected to Ruan Fu's Yellow Court Little World.
Peering into the well's shadowy depths, Yu Yuan initially saw no water.
Yet as he gazed into its maw, a chilling darkness crept into his very flesh, bone marrow, and soul—a cold that seemed to flicker like ice at the corner of his eyes.
"The Frost Well of the Dark Domain!"
A spark of memory burst within the Yin God's soul.
Yu Yuan, with no prior knowledge or experience of such a dread well, instantly recognized its name and its formidable legacy.
The Frost Well of the Dark Domain was the creation of the Asura Clan from the Outland Star River.
The Asura Clan forged these wells as gateways to the frigid Dark Domain.
Within that icy realm, Asura warriors who survived would emerge transformed, ascending as Asuras of the Dark Domain.
These Asuras were the clan's most extraordinary and formidable warriors, exalted within their ranks and emblems of their nobility.
The well before him was indeed the "Frost Well of the Dark Domain," refined by Ruan Fu, the Great Elder of the Cold Yin Sect.
"Integration with the Dao, a Frost Well of the Dark Domain!"
The revelation struck Yu Yuan, and the words escaped him in awe.
Ruan Fu appeared to be at the threshold of the Unrestrained Stage, not by merging with a realm of Dao Integration, but rather by aligning with an object as mystical as his Spiritual Spell—the Frost Well of the Dark Domain.
Those who achieved Dao Integration typically saw their combat prowess soar within their unique domains.
Such was the case with Zu Ann, Desolate God, and Yu Zhu...
Yet outside their domain, those who had reached Dao Integration were no different from any other cultivator at the Unrestrained Stage, with no distinct advantage in the wider world.
For instance, Ruan Fu, who had achieved Dao Integration with an artifact, might not possess the same strength as those who had merged with the heavens and earth. Yet, with the artifact in hand, he could maximize the power of Dao Integration.
Likewise, if a Dao Integration artifact were to be damaged or destroyed, the cultivator linked to it would suffer grievous harm.
In severe cases, they might perish alongside their artifact!
Thus, there are advantages and disadvantages to both Dao Integration with the heavens and earth and with an artifact.
Ruan Fu opted for the latter, gaining immense freedom through his choice of artifact – a "Frost Well of the Dark Domain," which was quite an unconventional pick.
Puff!
Yet another memory orb burst!
Yu Yuan's soul quivered, and he suddenly recalled that Ruan Fu, the esteemed elder of the Cold Yin Sect, was still at the Yang God Stage and hadn't ascended to the Unrestrained Stage.
"The world is in upheaval, nations clash ceaselessly, and hordes of Outland Evil Demons emerge, spurring on cultivators. In such times, it's easier for cultivators to shatter the fetters of their realms and achieve breakthroughs more swiftly."
"This is because, with the onset of war, a great many cultivators will perish in a fleeting moment."
"The multitude of deaths causes an unprecedented concentration of Yin Qi at the source of the Yin Meridians. This not only gives rise to more Ghost Kings but also accelerates the growth of existing powerhouses."
A series of fresh memories was etched into the core of his Yin God, destined to endure forever.
Yu Yuan found himself in a trance.
The insights about the "Frost Well of the Dark Domain" and how powerhouses could more easily breakthrough—or just as easily fall—during times of chaos were not meant for Yu Yuan or his past life as Hong Qi.
Yet, unexpectedly, these thoughts surfaced at this moment.
"It's the Dragon Slash Platform, the legacy of my first master."
Yu Yiyi's faint voice emerged from beneath the earth, resonating in Yu Yuan's mind.
He vividly remembered his journey through the shattered remains of the Dragon Slash Platforms, extracting mysterious "little dragons" from the corpses of the Space-time Dragon, Golden Giant Dragon, and Frost Dragon using the Ghosting Arts.
Prompted by Yu Yiyi's hint, he realized the truth.
"The Frost Well in the Dark Domain! Ha, I knew that well hadn't simply vanished without cause. You had stealthily acquired it and secretly refined it."
Zhongli, locked in combat with the Golden Elephant Ancient God, cracked a sinister grin and let out a chilling laugh. "Young Yu, you perished in the Absence Relic, your skull pierced by Nie Qingtian's sword sheath. The Asura who died in the Dark Domain had brought the Frost Well with him. Yet now, the Frost Well has vanished without a trace."
"So that's the truth of it," Yu Yuan exclaimed softly.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Frost Well, linked to Ruan Fu's Yellow Court Little World, began to brim with icy water at its base.
The water appeared to be a manifestation of Ruan Fu's icy spiritual energy, as if it were drawn straight from the frigid depths of the Dark Domain.
Yu Yuan's eyes sparkled as he activated his Wisdom Eye, and he caught sight of ferocious beasts lurking within the crevices of the Frost Well's walls, their presence exuding an eerie chill.
These odd creatures dwelling within the Frost Well seemed to have been deliberately cultivated by Ruan Fu, stirring from their prolonged dormancy as the well filled.
Whoosh!
A glacial presence drew near, and the Ice Concubine, like a towering iceberg, left her adversary to materialize behind Yu Yuan. Her ice-blue eyes fixated unblinkingly on the Frost Well, ignoring Ruan Fu completely.
In contrast, Ruan Fu's excitement surged at her arrival. "You are the soul I've tirelessly sought to meld with the Dark Domain Frost Well!"
His words unleashed a tumult within the Frost Well's waters, which roiled toward Yu Yuan and the Ice Concubine like the gaping maw of a monstrous ice serpent.
Ice shards, fragments, and beams burst forth from within the Frost Well.
Yu Yuan felt as though his soul had plunged into an abyss of darkness and ice, where every touch was met with the piercing chill of frost crystals.
"The walls of the Dark Domain's Frost Well!"
In a flash of insight, Yu Yuan realized he was lost, unaware of the Ice Concubine's location or his own, his senses shrouded.
A sharp, agonizing pain shot through his left hand as an unknown, frigid beast from beyond sank its razor-like teeth into his fingers, intent on severing and devouring them.
As the beast gnawed on his fingers, a wave of intense cold flooded in, leaving him with a numbing pain that soon robbed him of any sensation in his digits.
The fingers on his left hand seemed to vanish from his limb, as if they had been gnawed off.
The pain was so distant it was unfeelable.
Then, his shoulders, waist, the nape of his neck, and his knees were successively gnawed upon by the vicious beasts of extreme cold lurking in the Dark Domain's Frost Well.
After each bout of excruciating pain, a wave of cold would wash over him, followed by a loss of consciousness.
His body, forged through relentless trials, appeared to have been devoured piece by piece by these frigid beasts, swallowed into their bellies, no longer his own.
He was overwhelmed by a sense of despair, as if he was being dismembered alive, yet numbed to the point of insensibility.
Suddenly, a chill touched his chest.
"The chest, the heart, the Yellow Court Little World!"
A jolt of alarm surged through him, and he realized the gravity of the situation. If his Yellow Court Little World were to be conquered and frozen by Ruan Fu, an Unrestrained Stage cultivator, using those extreme cold beasts, his chances of escape would be slim.
The chill didn't numb him into unconsciousness as it took hold.
Dazed, he sensed that the source of the cold was a small, cool hand. As he visualized the shape of this hand in his mind, he abruptly murmured, "Ice Concubine..."
Had the Ice Concubine been dragged into the Frost Well too, her form reduced to its usual size as she searched for him within its depths?
It was only when the small hand touched his chest that the Ice Concubine seemed to confirm that she had indeed found him, and not just another beast tamed by Ruan Fu in the well.
Suddenly, a speck of light flickered like a firefly, then burst forth in a brilliant blaze akin to the sun.
"Canli!"
