Chapter 1019: Mystic Ice Plains

Sword light burst forth, forming a spinning sword wheel that slashed fiercely at the puppet beasts. Qin Sang controlled his spiritual sword, engaging the puppet beasts in battle. Surrounded on all sides, his senses were completely sealed by the surging sword qi.

He immersed himself in comprehending the sword force hidden within the puppet sword array while simultaneously launching full-powered attacks, trying to draw out the array’s true might. At the same time, he awakened the Sky-Eyed Butterfly to help deconstruct the sword array.

It was impossible to fully grasp the mysteries of the array within one incense stick’s time, but Qin Sang memorized as many of its variations as he could. Those insights could later be integrated into his sword wheel.

The puppet sword array was extremely formidable. There was no doubt that whoever had crafted these puppets possessed profound mastery over the Sword Dao. To completely fuse a sword array into a puppet design required extraordinary skill.

After a short while, the sword light that filled the air suddenly dissipated. Qin Sang sheathed his sword, standing still with lingering excitement. He could not help but wonder what Seven-Kill Hall had been like at its peak.

The path of swords and the puppet sword array was the best teacher for sword cultivators.

If one could train in such an environment constantly, their sword cultivation would advance at incredible speed. Even comprehending sword force would no longer be difficult. It was truly a sacred land for sword cultivators.

From the corner of the hall, Bai approached. He asked Qin Sang for a blank jade slip and, after a short moment, handed it back. "This contains what I observed while watching the sword array just now. You were inside while I was outside, so between us, we’ve seen the full structure. Once you integrate our insights, you should be able to reconstruct most of the array. This puppet sword array is unusual; it feels like a simplified version of some top-level sword array. If we can comprehend it, the gains will be considerable."

Qin Sang took the jade slip with a smile, thanked him, and stored it away. Now was not the time to study it in depth.

Bai glanced around and then pointed behind them. "Over there should be the entrance to the next trial. You said earlier that the Soul-Cleansing Liquid benefits the soul, perhaps it could help me as well. Would you..."

Qin Sang’s eyes brightened before Bai could finish. Without hesitation, he agreed. If Bai could advance to the realm of the corpse king, it would be a great help to him. Should there be a chance to obtain a second portion of the Soul-Cleansing Liquid, Qin Sang would make every effort to secure it.

After the puppet beasts vanished, two doors appeared on either side of the hall. It was clear that one led to the next trial, while the other would teleport him back to the inner hall entrance. Bai returned to the Corpse Puppet Pouch.

Qin Sang stepped toward the next trial. The moment he entered the door, that familiar sensation came again, and darkness descended. In the blink of an eye, he found himself standing in a vast frozen plain.

"The Mystic Ice Plains?" Qin Sang surveyed the glittering world around him. "Yes, this must be the Mystic Ice Plains. This trial is fairly straightforward. You must constantly circulate true essence to ward off the cold, and beware of ferocious beasts that appear from time to time. Other than that, it’s not too dangerous."

The icy wind howled as Qin Sang raised his hands. A thin layer of frost instantly crept up from his fingertips. The chill was bone-piercing.

"The farther one goes, the colder it becomes. Ordinary cultivators with weak bodies would consume vast amounts of true essence just to resist the cold. Once their energy is depleted, being attacked by a beast could prove fatal. But this cold poses no real threat to me," Qin Sang muttered confidently.

A flash of azure light burst from his body as a pair of wings unfurled behind him. He had activated the Heavenly Demon Transformation. With the transformation active, the cold of the Mystic Ice Plains could not harm him in the slightest.

He tested the chill for a moment, then smiled faintly and looked straight ahead. "It’s said that the Mystic Ice Plains contain several places where rare spiritual herbs grow. Those were herbs almost impossible to find in the outside world. Each trial realm supposedly has such blessed grounds where the fortunate may find great opportunities. Many cultivators enter not for the final rewards, but to seek these fortunes. With my physical strength, I could remain here and collect all those herbs with little trouble. But wasting too much time might cost me the chance to obtain more Soul-Cleansing Liquid."

After considering this, Qin Sang spread his wings and glided swiftly across the icy surface. The Sky-Eyed Butterfly also activated its Sky Eyes ability, scanning beneath the ice. Most of the ferocious beasts were said to attack from below.

Sure enough, not long after, the ice ahead suddenly collapsed. A flash of white light shot out, revealing a serpent as thick as an arm. It was an Ice Python.

A foul, icy wind swept toward him as the python opened its maw, fangs gleaming, eyes filled with savagery. Suddenly, sword light flashed. Sensing danger, the Ice Python tried to retreat, but it was already too late.

The ebony sword streaked forward like lightning, piercing straight into its open mouth. Its roar was severed mid-sound as the blade sliced through its body from head to tail, splitting it cleanly in two.

Whoosh!

The sword light withdrew. Without even glancing at the corpse, Qin Sang darted past, continuing on his way.

***

Elsewhere on the Mystic Ice Plains, a young man’s figure appeared out of thin air. His face was pale at first, but when he saw the frozen expanse before him, joy filled his expression. "The second trial is the Mystic Ice Plains! Excellent!"

He was only at the middle stage of the Core Formation Realm and had barely survived the first Puppet Battle by exhausting every trick he had. He had thought his chances were slim, yet the second trial turned out to be exactly what he was hoping for.

"Nether Crystal Flower, here I come!" Licking his lips, he quickly muttered an incantation. His true essence surged, and a robe of flame condensed around his body. It was a secret technique for resisting the cold.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

At the same time, he took out a peculiar red crystal that radiated waves of warmth, clearly another treasure for warding off frost. He had prepared thoroughly.

Scanning the landscape, he fixed his gaze in a distant direction and shot forward at full speed.

***

Somewhere on the Mystic Ice Plains, a large hole gaped in the icy surface. Beside the shattered ice lay two crystalline Ice Lizards, their bodies stiff and motionless. Beneath them was a pool of congealed blue blood frozen solid. Both were dead.

Standing near the corpses was a young woman. It was Su Nu. The Ice Lizards had fallen to her hand. Despite the battle, Su Nu bore not a single injury.

She wore a fine red robe of excellent quality. When activated, it dispelled the chill, keeping her perfectly warm despite the frigid winds of this frozen world.

Su Nu gazed toward the far end of the plains, but did not move on immediately. She held a black command token in her hand, her expression thoughtful.

After a while, she bit down gently on her lower lip, as if making a difficult decision. Then, with a light tap on her Mustard Seed Pouch...

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Several streaks of light flew out, revealing a handful of identical jade bangles.

Murmuring softly under her breath, Su Nu began chanting an incantation. The bangles sank one after another into the ice beneath her feet with a faint swish. The translucent jade blended perfectly with the frozen surface. In this chaotic battlefield of shattered ice, they were invisible to the naked eye.

Once the bangles were in place, a fierce light flickered through Su Nu’s eyes. Suddenly, she raised her palm, true essence flashing across it, and struck herself squarely in the chest.

Spat!

She let out a muffled groan and spat a mouthful of bright red blood onto the snow.

She had wounded herself. Not satisfied, Su Nu secretly injured several of her meridians as well, leaving her complexion pale as snow.

Then she drew out a meditation mat, set up several defensive barriers around her with a wave of her hand, and sat cross-legged upon it, choosing to remain right where she was.