Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 497 The Frozen Throne
Lu Xingzhou found the previous Mingyi hexagram quite interesting.

Because in this adventure, there is a city under the ice and fire under the city, which can be interpreted as the hexagram "Dìhuǒ Míngyī" (地火明夷), as if a single hexagram encompasses many subsequent changes.

Looking back now, it seems that the other hexagrams did not all point to a single interpretation.

The designer of this formation understood human nature very well. The moment the formation was broken was when people were most relaxed, yet a silent fire suddenly erupted, potentially turning joy into sorrow. Fortunately, Lu Xingzhou understood both formations and fire; if Little White Hair had come alone, this would have put her at a great disadvantage.

As for the fire itself, its ability to remain undying for ten thousand years in such icy conditions is no ordinary flame. However, its power is greatly weakened under these icy conditions; otherwise, Lu Xingzhou might not have been able to withstand it.

"What kind of fire is this? Is it also the Black Flame of Wutian?" Dugu Qingli asked, as she was unfamiliar with flames.

Lu Xingzhou said, "If I'm not mistaken, this is the Taiyin True Fire, a high-level one. It seems that your Fish-Catching Martial Aunt knows how to use it, but I rarely see her use it."

Dugu Qingli almost laughed.

He said he loved Tinglan, but Tinglan denied it, and Tinglan insisted that he was the fish-catching master.

If Master knew that her stubbornness had secretly become part of these two games, I wonder what his expression would be like. It would probably be as bad as Yu Yu's liver.

He said, "If it is the Taiyin True Fire, then Master... well, Uncle Fishing used it less often before because he was not strong enough to fully control it and was afraid of backlash. Now it should be fine."

"She's even catching fish, Uncle-Master... I wonder what kind of change in mindset that reflects." Lu Xingzhou suppressed a laugh and said with a smile, "If she's worried that she's not strong enough to control it, I guess she's even less capable... But this kind of environment happens to weaken the flames, so we can think about it."

Dugu Qingli said, "There is only one cluster of Taiyin True Fire seeds in the entire Tianyao Holy Land. This place has such a treasure right from the start. The level of this city is higher than I imagined."

Lu Xingzhou grunted in agreement and cautiously circled the palace courtyard several times, unsure how deep the seed of fire was buried. He summoned a ghostly spirit to try and probe downwards, but it couldn't reach it.

Dugu Qingli also tried: "This is solid ground, only the surface is frozen, so I can't escape here either."

Lu Xingzhou turned to look at the ice sculptures of the Imperial Guards around him, still feeling a chill run down his spine: "Let's not dig for now. We'll wait until we understand this place and are sure there are no other dangers before we start. Otherwise, if we get into a fight with the Taiyin Fire Seed, other dangers could kill us."

Dugu Qingli nodded in agreement. She had seen Lu Xingzhou's qualities of not being greedy or presumptuous even with such a treasure before him long ago, but she still admired him greatly upon seeing him again. For exploring secret realms, this quality was even more important than strength.

And... the scene of pushing her away even when he was on fire still echoed in his mind, and then it turned into past images of her pressing down on him in the Danxia Secret Realm, and the protection and kiss in the Yuanci Secret Realm.

Dugu Qingli pursed her lips.

It's likely that Lu Xingzhou hasn't ventured into many secret realms in his life, but he's been with Dugu Qingli several times, which is a rather strange twist of fate.

Lost in his own thoughts, the two walked side by side toward the main hall of the palace.

The moment they stepped inside, the biting cold made them both shudder, instantly dispelling any wild thoughts they might have had.

On the throne, a king-like figure held a waving gesture, seemingly making a decision. Several generals knelt before him, their hands clasped in a gesture of receiving orders. On either side of the throne, rows of civil and military officials stood, the atmosphere solemn.

But when all of these are ice sculptures, they only bring a chilling and eerie feeling.

And... the king's eyes were flashing red.

Both of them felt a sudden jolt of fear: "He can move!"

I don't know what caused it, but even though there was no sign of life, it definitely started moving.

Lu Xingzhou only felt a blur before his eyes, and the king, who had just made a slight movement, suddenly appeared in front of the two of them, his icy hand plunging towards Dugu Qingli's throat: "Flesh and blood..."

That speed, that explosiveness.

Huiyang.

As an ancient king, he might have been a Qian Yuan in his previous life... but in his current state, he can only exert the strength between the early and middle stages of the Huiyang realm.

This level of strength is enough to overwhelm both of them.

Dugu Qingli only had time to parry with her sword before she was sent flying more than ten feet away, straight out of the hall.

Lu Xingzhou punched the king in the head from the side. The king instinctively blocked the blow, preventing him from continuing his pursuit of Dugu Qingli. But with that block, Lu Xingzhou felt a terrifying force surge in, like a flash flood, a roaring sea, and a torrent of violent water elemental power pouring in, threatening to sever his meridians inch by inch.

This is a water-based cultivator... Corresponding to this place, which should be a sea, it is roughly an ancient water-based kingdom?

As Lu Xingzhou thought to himself, the Tai Xu Wheel within his body began to operate frantically, first neutralizing nearly half of the damage, and then guiding the power of water element into his water bones, barely managing to withstand the attack, though he staggered and fell back.

He had already suffered some internal injuries from breaking through the formation, and this one blow only aggravated his injuries, causing blood to spill from the corner of his mouth.

But at least she stopped the king from attacking Dugu Qingli. Dugu Qingli, who had just been caught off guard, adjusted her qi and blood, paused slightly, and shot back with her sword as one, heading straight for the king's brow.

At the same time, Lu Xingzhou's Crimson Lotus Calamity Flame rose up beneath the king.

A strange look of pain appeared on the king's icy face.

As Lu Xingzhou retreated, he understood the situation. No wonder the king's eyes were red; it was demonic intent, most likely an invasion by the Ice Demon. And the judgment effect of the Crimson Lotus Calamity Flame was specifically designed to counter demons, so its demonic intent must be burning quite severely at this moment.

At that moment, Dugu Qingli's sword pierced the king's brow.

The king let out a painful roar, his body erupting with energy that shattered the crimson lotus flames. At the same time, he struck the side of Dugu Qingli's sword with his palm, the icy blade grazing his brow as Dugu Qingli passed by.

Lu Xingzhou delivered another flying kick to the king's forehead.

If he had been even a fraction of a second slower, the little white-haired boy, now suspended in mid-air with nowhere to hold on, would have been sliced ​​in two. "Boom!" A water dragon materialized in the void, bypassing Lu Xingzhou's flying kick and striking his chest. Lu Xingzhou coughed up another mouthful of blood and fell backward.

Dugu Qingli thrust her sword back at the king's head, but the king vanished without a trace.

Looking up, I was already in mid-air, my icy feet stomping wildly down.

Dugu Qingli dodged quickly, and the ground cracked with a bang.

Speed, strength, and magic—its combat abilities are well-rounded; it cannot be considered a mere corpse puppet. Even its combat awareness is not bad. Only the Crimson Lotus Blaze can slightly restrain it; overall, it seems completely outmatched.

The two retreated to the left and right, each calculating how to win the game.

Before they could figure out a solution, all the civil and military officials on both sides were mobilized.

"Holy crap!" Lu Xingzhou immediately shouted, "Retreat!"

Dugu Qingli had already thrust her sword out when she heard this, she decisively turned around and flashed out of the hall.

Lu Xingzhou moved just as quickly, slipping out of the hall before being surrounded.

The officials were slow to recover, and the king himself chased after them, blocking their path in a flash.

Lu Xingzhou grabbed Dugu Qingli's hand and turned northeast, towards the spot where the black flames had burned the array stones.

This time, Dugu Qingli did not break free from his grasp... not only because she had entrusted him with the battle plan, but also because his Bishui Dichen was rapidly healing.

Both of them simultaneously pounded their other hands with pills, working together with Bishui Dichen to rapidly heal their injuries.

I never expected to encounter such terrifyingly powerful enemies so soon after starting my investigation of the secret realm. And not just one, but a whole group!
A single king might be manageable through coordinated attacks; even a tough opponent would have at least a health bar, so there's still a chance. But what's the point of fighting a whole group of officials rushing in?
The king was incredibly fast, closing in ever closer. Lu Xingzhou gritted his teeth and unleashed another crimson lotus flame behind him, but this time the king broke free even faster, only providing a slight delay.

But the two had already approached the location of the array stones.

Lu Xingzhou took out one of his own array stones from a great distance and threw it directly into the original array stone's position.

With a "click," the destroyed formation was put back in place.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" The power of the Radiant Sun attacked from all directions once again. This was an indiscriminate area attack, and even a king would be affected.

The difference is that the two were prepared, while the king was caught off guard.

Just as the formation's power was activated, the two activated their own defenses, bracing themselves against the formation's attacks and breaking out of the palace. The king, however, was caught in the midst of the formation's combined assault, roaring in fury.

Hearing the explosion behind them, the two fled in terror.

They finally managed to create some distance between them.

However, the formation obviously cannot restrain the king for too long. It is unknown whether the king in this state can still use his divine sense to track them and find their escape route.
Lu Xingzhou quickly said, "Let's find a secluded place to hide and observe for a while. If his spiritual sense is weak, we can use the divine soul technique to ambush him. If his spiritual sense is still very strong, then we should leave the secret realm immediately and not linger in battle."

Dugu Qingli nodded in agreement.

This is a big city. Although there are ice sculptures everywhere that could revive at any time, it is still easy to find a deserted place.

Even the icy surroundings could tell Dugu Qingli where no one was around, and she could even pick the most suitable spot. This time, Dugu Qingli became the guide, and she pulled Lu Xingzhou with her slender hand: "This way."

The two quickly entered a narrow alley. At the end of the alley, in what appeared to be an ordinary house, there was a well with frozen water in the backyard.

Dugu Qingli merged back into the frost and ice, disappearing into the bottom of the well. As if she had foreseen this, she pressed a mechanism at the bottom of the well, revealing a secret chamber.

Just as they slipped into the secret chamber and closed the door, the king had already broken free of his own protective formation and left the palace, searching for any trace of the intruders in mid-air.

After a short period of fighting and fleeing, the two were already exhausted and leaned against the wall of the secret room, panting as if they had survived a disaster.

They then looked at each other and smiled at the same time.

"It seems his divine sense is indeed only average." Lu Xingzhou chuckled as he worked hard to regulate his breathing, "There's still a long way to go."

Dugu Qingli said, "He is not afraid of ice, so my abilities are at least half as weak as his."

"He has at least three weaknesses: his soul is damaged, he is countered by demon-slaying techniques, and he doesn't have the ability to replenish and recover while fighting like we do. As for not being afraid of ice, I don't think so. Did you use ice-based damage methods just now? How about we try activating the icy aura on him later? He died from ice, so if we find the right method, we might have a special attack."

Dugu Qingli said, "I wanted to try, but I didn't have time."

Lu Xingzhou took out two more pills: "These are to restore mana. We can play with him again after we rest."

Dugu Qingli's gaze, however, fell on the wall behind Lu Xingzhou: "There seems to be something else here..."

Lu Xingzhou turned his head to look.

This place was originally intended as a secluded retreat for the homeowner, and naturally, there would be some ancient treasures inside. However, I didn't expect to find anything of value.

Looking at it now, there are some jade bottles and jade slips on the shelf behind, but I don't know what they are.

(End of this chapter)