Mountain and River Festival

517 The Octopus's Strongest Form

Ling Qixuan truly never expected that the reason his major undertaking, which he had been working on for half a year, had failed was because of this.

I thought it was Si Han who had to ask Tianyao Holy Land for help with such a small matter so early on, showing no respect for the country's ruler, what a disgrace... Turns out the disgrace was Lu Xingzhou.

No, you came here to curry favor with the Dragon Emperor, so why are you accompanied by the Holy Maiden of Tianyao?
Even if Long Qinghuang and Ye Tinglan were to come in person, they might not be able to understand the Ice City incident. The only one in the world who could resolve this incident in advance is Dugu Qingli's Frost Unity, which allows people to dive into the ancient ice to operate below.

Then, pair it with a formation master to stabilize the space and purify the demonic atmosphere.

And it really was this combination, as if it were destiny.

Ling Qixuan felt a sense of bewilderment, as if he had been ordained by Heaven, not by his own fault in battle.

That said, it was Dugu Qingli who came, which was originally part of the plan: "Actually, we also thought that if the Tianyao Holy Land investigated and found that it had to be handled by Miss Dugu, that would be a good thing. Miss Dugu would likely come to the Ice Prison Sect to consult us. At that time, we could launch a surprise attack, capture Miss Dugu, and the Ice Demon could directly descend in Miss Dugu's body. But you went to ask the Hanlan Sect and then went directly to Si Han, without considering us at all... I don't know where we missed a loophole that led to this."

Lu Xingzhou said, "There are no flaws, but I suspect that the matter is related to the Ice Demon, so I naturally need to avoid forces related to the Ice Demon."

Ling Qixuan said, "There's another thing that surprised us. The King of Beihai is incredibly powerful, and in theory, he shouldn't be someone that two first-grade cultivators could handle. Originally, if you had been captured by the King of Beihai, it would have been the same... Even if you had escaped, you would have been injured and in a sorry state. We would have easily captured you from our ambush. But we just can't figure out how you suddenly disappeared from the ambush, and how you were able to pinpoint that it was us who did it."

Dugu Qingli said, "When the yamen investigates a case, they often get clues from beggars on the street, and so do we."

Ling Qixuan: "?"

Jiang Yuan slowly woke up: "?"

Lu Xingzhou coughed lightly: "Alright, we know the whole story. Now I just want to know, if you capture Qingli, how will you turn her into an ice demon?"

Ling Qixuan remained silent.

Flames appeared in Lu Xingzhou's hand.

"No, no!" Ling Qixuan trembled in fright. "I'll take you there."

Led by Ling Qixuan, the group once again arrived at the great formation where Dugu Qingli resonated with the Ice Demon.

It was within this grand formation that Dugu Qingli first sensed the presence of the Ice Demon, witnessing its crimson eyes and its piercing demonic voice.

However, looking at it now, the structure of the formation is somewhat different from before. The previous formation was based on the resonance of the Ice Demon's origin. Because of the spatial vibrations below, the resonance was transmitted layer by layer, and there was a certain chance that it could resonate with the Ice Demon below. Ling Qixuan himself communicated with the Ice Demon through this, as did Dugu Qingli.

But this is only communication and resonance; it is far from enough to achieve the arrival of the Ice Demon.

The current array patterns have taken on an evil sacrificial meaning. There are many corpses around that have been pierced by ice pillars, with blood flowing out and converging in the center. The bloodstains have congealed into a dark brown color, making them look extremely ferocious and terrifying.

The icicle in the very center was also prepared with iron chains, seemingly intended to bind Dugu Qingli to it, making her the chief sacrifice for some kind of evil ritual.

Anger finally flashed in Dugu Qingli's eyes: "Ling Qixuan, you're asking for death!"

Ling Qixuan: "...I am already dead."

Lu Xingzhou flicked his finger, and a cluster of red lotuses ignited on Ling Qixuan's vengeful spirit. Ling Qixuan screamed and rolled on the ground in agony.

Yuan Muyu stood up from her wheelchair, walked to the central ice pillar, and placed her hand on it.

Ji Wenchuan, who was following at a distance, said, "So, what are you pretending for...?"

Yuan Muyu closed his eyes and sensed for a while, then suddenly said, "Activate the formation."

Lu Xingzhou kicked Ling Qixuan: "Activate the formation!"

Ling Qixuan's eyes were filled with resentment, but he said nothing and activated the core of the formation.

These people are so arrogant, daring to provoke the Ice Demon. It would be best if they were actually summoned and slaughtered.

The surroundings glowed with an icy blue light, and the central ice pillar grew brighter and brighter, its strange patterns shimmering.

Yuan Muyu closed his eyes, his spirit resonating deeply.

Gradually, just like Dugu Qingli before her, she saw what appeared to be a palace beneath the distant ice layer. The palace seemed to contain a dungeon, and a pure white monster was chained below, its appearance obscured. Only its bright red eyes, wicked and ferocious, were visible through the thick ice mist.

Seemingly sensing someone "spying," its red eyes flashed, and a terrifying spiritual power surged straight into Yuan Muyu's spiritual platform. A chilling soul voice resounded throughout its sea of ​​consciousness: "Die!"

Yuan Muyu suddenly opened her eyes, her long hair moving without any wind.

Invisible ripples seemed to explode deep within the ice, causing the abyss to tremble, the ice mist to ripple, and the iron chains to rattle.

"Even if you are formless, sealed here, how much power can you exert? You are just a skeleton in a tomb, putting on airs and offering yourself as a sacrifice to me. Are you worthy?" Yuan Muyu's voice echoed on and under the ice: "In my eyes, you are nothing more than a reference point for the laws and a source of demonic intent."

"Boom!" It seemed as if an earthquake was occurring deep beneath the ice.

“The Abyss of Demons is deep and cold, where Yin reaches its extreme and Yang is absent; this is also the Netherworld.” Yuan Muyu murmured to himself, “I understand.”

The ice demon roared and howled madly, but the iron chains became heavier and could no longer tear and tremble as before.

It wasn't that the chains had been reinforced, but rather that a tiny bit of the extreme yin and frigid energy within the ancient, condensed abyss of extreme cold had been stolen, reducing the external force driving the Ice Demon. The Ice Demon was momentarily stunned; so, it turned out a thief had come?
The Ice Demon roared in fury: "Who... are you...?"

“Your martial uncle.” Yuan Muyu’s hand left the ice pillar, severing the connection with the Ice Demon.

The Ice Demon was enraged, its chains rattling loudly, but it was all just powerless rage.

Lu Xingzhou and the others stood with their hands clasped in their sleeves, looking at Yuan Muyu as if she were a goddess. But they saw that her face was also very pale, and the short game had almost exhausted all her mental energy.

But her bright, sparkling eyes clearly showed that she had gained a great deal.

Ling Qixuan looked like he'd seen a ghost: "You...you..."

Yuan Muyu glanced at him: "Do you really think that I formed the Ten Kings of Hell Alliance just by picking someone off the top of my head? The reason I formed an alliance with you was originally to use you as a stepping stone to comprehend the meaning of Yin. It would have been even better if I could have captured the Ice Demon, but unfortunately it's a bit too strong. Even though it's sealed, I still can't do it... I'll come back to find it after I break through the Qian Yuan realm."

Ling Qixuan opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

The embodiment of the Frost Law that he worshipped was, in some people's eyes, merely a "heavenly treasure" to be used for enlightenment or even for "capturing and plundering".

From this perspective, she should be the overlord of the demonic path.

But then again, the "King Yama" who came to the Ice Prison Sect to form an alliance last time didn't say that. He seemed worried about the Ice Demon and its rampage, which was a completely different perspective... Ling Qixuan couldn't help but blurt out, "When you came to the Ice Prison Sect last time, were you putting on an act? Was it necessary?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how stupid he had been. What was so strange about Yama lying to people? Who cared whether it was necessary or not?

Yuan Muyu was even more confused than him: "What do you mean last time? I've never been to your Ice Prison Sect."

Ling Qixuan: "?"

Lu Xingzhou and Dugu Qingli both turned their heads away.

Yuan Muyu transmitted her voice from afar: "Yin wind."

The old man with the cold wind was startled: "Here."

What did he just mean?

"Well, the judge knows more about this matter than I do. I was just cooperating with the judge."

"...That's okay."

"..."

Yuan Muyu glanced at Lu Xingzhou and said, "I'll leave this formation to your Western Division. We'll settle things after I reach the Qian Yuan stage."

The old man with the cold wind sighed: "Yes."

“Um…” Lu Xingzhou asked hesitantly, “You allied with the Ice Prison Sect for the sake of the Ice Demon…”

Yuan Muyu hummed in agreement: "The idea of ​​rebellion is only a small part of the story. You know my original intention was not to rebel."

"So, what is the purpose of your alliance with the Enchanting Maidens Sect?"

Yuan Muyu glanced at him but didn't reply. She simply said, "I'm tired and need to rest. I'll tell you tomorrow."

Lu Xingzhou said, "Aren't you going to ask me about what you said about my last visit to the Ice Prison Sect?"

"What's there to ask? Since it's related to you, then you must have hired someone to impersonate me. The only person who could fool Ling Qixuan and look good enough to impersonate me is Ye Tinglan."

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Ling Qixuan was dumbfounded.

So the Yama King from last time was actually the Holy Lord of Tianyao in disguise? Is the Holy Lord, the number one in the world, just playing house?

Yuan Muyu sat back in her wheelchair and glided away as if on a rocking horse: "Ye Tinglan has a pretty clear understanding of her own position. She's just a... well, a fake."

Dugu Qingli watched her retreating figure and asked Lu Xingzhou, "Do I need to uphold my master's dignity?"

Lu Xingzhou could not provide an answer.

You can't defend anything; even if you all gang up on her, you still can't beat her.

Today's fish is quite a departure... or perhaps it shouldn't be called a departure, but rather a return to the original, ambitious and charismatic Yama, who achieved the status of the overlord of the demonic path in just a few years, instead of his previous muddled or neurotic behavior.

Lu Xingzhou had always said that he was merely adding icing on the cake, which wasn't entirely modesty. For the Underworld, he might be an important support, but Yuan Muyu was always the strongest core.

I used to fall in love with a fish like that. Who can fall in love with a lunatic?

Seeing Yuan Muyu leave, the Yin Feng Elder began to set up a guard formation. Lu Xingzhou withdrew his thoughts and let out a long sigh: "Let's go, let's go to the Ice Prison Sect to rest and also see what good things the Ice Prison Sect has."

(End of this chapter)