“It is not in the water.”
The palace lord shook her head and raised her hand, pointing to the highest of the three ice peaks. “It is there.”
Chen Ping followed the direction of her finger. On the midway slope of that peak, a massive ice cave was faintly visible.
The cave mouth was shrouded in perpetual chill mist. The interior could not be clearly seen, but a profoundly concealed yet immensely powerful aura could vaguely be sensed emanating from within.
That aura was ancient, icy, majestic, carrying the savage ferocity unique to primordial fierce beasts.
“That is…” Chen Ping’s pupils contracted slightly.
“The guardian spirit beast of the Ice Soul Blood Lotus, and one of the true native inhabitants of this Eternal Ice Plain.”
The palace lord spoke slowly. “It has guarded the blood lotus here for over a thousand years. There is a special symbiotic relationship between them.”
“The blood lotus absorbs chill poison and earthly vein blood qi to grow, while the beast absorbs the pure chill essence emitted by the lotus for its own cultivation.”
“To harvest the blood lotus, you must obtain its consent, or defeat it.”
Scarlet Cloud Demon Lord’s face paled. “Defeat it? What strength does that spirit beast possess?”
The palace lord glanced at him. “When I first arrived thousands of years ago, it was already at the seventh grade of Heavenly Immortal realm. Now, I do not know its current strength.”
Seventh grade Heavenly Immortal thousands of years ago!
Scarlet Cloud Demon Lord drew a sharp breath. The hope that had just risen plunged instantly to the depths.
An existence like that, let alone them, even if the palace lord acted personally, might not be easily subdued.
Chen Ping also frowned deeply.
Seventh grade Heavenly Immortal?
Over these thousands of years, if it had broken through, it could be eighth or ninth grade Heavenly Immortal, or even higher.
That already exceeded the limits of what he could currently handle.
Even if he gave everything and unleashed all his trump cards, he could at most defeat a peak eighth-grade Heavenly Immortal and hold his own against a ninth-grade.
But if the spirit beast was stronger, serious trouble awaited.
Moreover, spirit beasts of this kind were generally far superior to human cultivators of the same realm.
“Palace Lord, is there truly no other way?” Ling Shuang asked urgently.
“There is.”
The palace lord nodded. “I can attempt to communicate with it and offer equivalent treasures in exchange. But the beast has a proud and violent temperament, and its bond with the blood lotus runs deep after a thousand years of symbiosis. It may not agree. Moreover…”
“It most detests the mundane aura carried by human cultivators. Yesterday, as you killed your way here reeking of blood, you almost certainly alerted it. That it did not strike immediately is already out of respect for me.”
Chen Ping was silent for a moment, then asked, “If communication fails?”
“Then you must rely on yourself.”
The palace lord spoke calmly. “I can temporarily suppress the guardian grand array outside the chill pool, allowing you to enter the depression. But whether you obtain the blood lotus will depend on your own ability.”
“Cannot the Palace Lord assist?” Scarlet Cloud Demon Lord could not help asking.
The palace lord shook her head. “I have an agreement with it: mutual non-interference. It guards the blood lotus, and I do not enter the depression.”
“I rule the Northern Darkness Palace, and it does not attack my clansmen. If I were to act, I would break the pact. Should it go berserk then, the entire Northern Darkness Palace would suffer calamity.”
She turned to Chen Ping. “I can tell you this: the beast possesses a trace of ancient ice chi bloodline. Though not pure, it is still extraordinary. It is extremely sensitive to draconic might and divine beast auras. If you have any special methods, you may attempt them.”
Ancient ice chi bloodline?
Draconic might?
A thought struck Chen Ping.
His golden dragon bloodline was pure. To a spirit beast, even a divine beast, encountering his golden dragon would demand kneeling in reverence.
Though he could not yet fully unleash that bloodline power, its purity remained absolute.
Perhaps it was truly worth trying.
“I understand.”
Chen Ping drew a deep breath. Resolve flashed in his eyes. “Please open the array for me, Palace Lord. I will go meet that guardian spirit beast.”
“Chen Ping!” Scarlet Cloud Demon Lord cried in alarm. “That is a fierce beast above the fifth grade of True Immortal realm! You…”
“Senior, this is our only hope.”
Chen Ping cut him off. “No matter what, I must try. Senior Ling Yue cannot wait much longer.”
Scarlet Cloud Demon Lord opened his mouth, but in the end it became a long sigh. He clapped Chen Ping heavily on the shoulder. “Be careful. If it proves impossible, retreat at once. We will find another way for Ling Yue.”
Ling Shuang gazed at Chen Ping with worry, yet knew she could not dissuade him. She could only whisper, “Senior, you must return safely.”
Chen Ping nodded to both, then stroked the little fire qilin’s head. “Little one, I may need your help this time.”
The little fire qilin nuzzled his hand. Battle intent blazed in its eyes. It let out a low roar, signalling readiness to fight at any moment.
The palace lord regarded Chen Ping. A trace of approval flickered in her eyes. “You have courage. Remember, if it proves impossible, retreat immediately to the edge of the depression. I will reactivate the array and ensure your temporary safety.”
With that, she formed seals with both hands and began chanting softly. The ice crystal divine pattern between her brows lit up.
“Hum!”
The forbidden guardian grand array enveloping the depression began to fluctuate violently. The ice-blue light curtain rippled like water. Directly before Chen Ping, a gap barely wide enough for one person slowly opened.
From within the gap, even denser chill poison and bloody aura rushed forth, causing even Chen Ping to shiver involuntarily.
“Go,” the palace lord said.
Chen Ping hesitated no longer. He nodded to Scarlet Cloud Demon Lord and Ling Shuang, cupped his fists to the palace lord, then flickered into a streak of light that shot through the gap into the depression.
The little fire qilin let out a low roar and followed closely.
The array gap swiftly closed behind Chen Ping, returning to its original state.
Scarlet Cloud Demon Lord and Ling Shuang stood tensely outside the array, eyes fixed on Chen Ping’s receding figure.
The palace lord stood quietly, her gaze profound, lost in unknown thoughts.
The instant he entered the depression, Chen Ping felt the surrounding temperature drop at least tenfold compared to outside.
That bone-piercing chill seemed capable of freezing the soul. Even with chaos immortal power shielding his body, threads of cold still invaded.
The ice beneath his feet was not pure white, but veined with faint bloody patterns, as though blood flowed beneath the frozen layer.
The air was thick with heavy bloody scent and a yin chill poison. Breathing it in through mouth and nose slowed the circulation of immortal power slightly.
