A leisurely life in the world of cultivation

Chapter 174 Ice Dragon, Demonic Energy

The deeper you go into the ice field, the heavier the cold becomes; it's no longer just a simple, bone-chilling cold, but rather carries a viscous, stagnant chill.

Ordinary cultivators at the Spirit Transformation stage would likely find this icy cold unbearable.

When even ordinary Spirit Origin Realm cultivators could no longer endure it, Li Weizhou discovered that the tail following him had left...

That old bastard is no good.

He was still alright, because he was a Five Elements Spiritual Body, which not only gave him a high tolerance for ice, but also made him a "furnace".

Although there was some pressure, the fusion of the five elements was enough to make him immune to most of the extreme cold in the world.

According to Shen Quan, this small secret realm can only be entered at most into the Spirit Origin Realm.

In other words, the location he is in now is off-limits to most cultivators.

The hem of the green robe swept across the ice surface, bringing up not fine ice shards, but translucent scales. These scales landed on the ice and slowly spread out, transforming into tiny runes, just like the flowing silver patterns on the cliff face.

Ahead, an ice cliff appeared, which was recessed inward, forming a natural cave.

With his exceptional skills and daring, Li Weizhou entered the cave alone and saw an inverted ice bell hanging from the ceiling. The bell was translucent, but it was not ice crystal; it was more like some kind of solidified light. Occasionally, it would tremble gently and emit a low "hum." Wherever the sound waves passed, the silver patterns on the ice surface would light up, like snakes coming to life.

Li Weizhou held up his camera, the lens sweeping across the depths of the grotto. There, countless tiny crystals were embedded in the ice walls, each crystal shimmering with a ghostly blue light.

Countless fragments of ice crystal beads, some as small as grains of rice and others no larger than a fingernail, were scattered in the ice crevices and among the crystal fragments, like crushed stars, densely covering half the bottom of the cave.

Li Weizhou was delighted; the Ice Soul Pearl he had seen before was the size of a pigeon's egg.

However, so many people have been searching since last year, and only one has been found so far. Of course, it's also possible that someone else is making a fortune quietly and hasn't said a word even after finding it.

But no matter what, it's not easy to find.

Although these numerous Ice Soul Pearls, as many as the stars in the sky, are not large, their abundance makes them a valuable asset.

Little by little, it adds up to a considerable amount.

He simply flew up on his sword, took out the Xuanjin Sword as a screwdriver, and quickly gathered the items together.

The blue patterns on the cave ceiling trembled gently under his hand, reflecting a light blue sheen onto the front of his clothes.

"Buzz!"

The ice bell on the cave ceiling trembled again. Li Weizhou didn't look up; he was quite happy with his harvest.

However, the shadow cast by the ice clock seemed to grow even darker.

Li Weizhou knew that there wasn't much time left before the secret realm closed.

However, he didn't care much. He would go back in a little while, and he could leave behind a blood-eyed phantom image there, so he could come and go as he pleased.

He felt pleased, but after a while, his hand holding the beads suddenly stopped, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as the Five Elements Spiritual Body gave him a warning.

A dangerous aura came from behind.

Li Weizhou looked back and saw a person standing at the cave entrance, who had been standing there for who knows how long.

The white robe trailed on the ground, its hem blending seamlessly with the white of the ice, making it impossible to see whether the feet were touching the ground.

The hood was pulled down very low, and there was only a dark mass under the brim, making even the outlines blurry, as if a piece of the face had been forcibly cut away.

The most striking thing was his hand, half of which was sticking out from his robe sleeve, holding a bone staff.

The skin of the hands was a deathly white, and there were dark red lines on the back of the hands. They weren't tattoos... they were brands, probably burned into the bone with a red-hot iron.

For some reason, without any explanation, Li Weizhou thought of a word: criminals.

The air inside the grotto seemed to freeze, and the humming of the ice bell stopped.

There was another silence, lasting about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea...

Without warning, the white-robed man slightly raised his bone staff.

Dark red malevolent energy surged from the tip of the staff, splashing like ink. Wherever it passed, the azure blue of the Shattered Ice Soul Pearl instantly faded, and the silver patterns on the ice surface shattered inch by inch, turning into dust.

Li Weizhou's Xuanjin sword suddenly trembled, and golden light flashed out like lightning.

The sword wind and the baleful aura collided, producing a hissing sound as if tearing silk. Sparks flew onto the ice, melting into tiny white spots.

"Duh!"

The man in white robes let out a muffled thud as he swept his bone staff horizontally.

The malevolent energy condensed into claws, carrying a bone-chilling coldness as it clawed at Li Weizhou's face.

Li Weizhou moved Kunwu's foot about ten feet to the side, and his Xuanjin sword swung back, the spine of the sword striking the evil claw.

With a crisp clang, his arm went slightly numb, and the murderous aura climbed up the blade, instantly covering the cuffs of his blue robe with a layer of black frost.

"The Five Elements Revolve!"

Li Weizhou gave a low shout, his inner thoughts racing. Suddenly, crimson fire mixed into the golden light, like a red-hot iron, scorching the black frost until it steamed with white smoke.

He didn't rush to use his supernatural powers. A single trick might be useful, but if you rely on it for too long, it will be useless once someone figures it out...

One must hone one's skills to the fullest; supernatural abilities can be a trump card.

The thick black hair under the white-robed man's hat brim twitched slightly, and his bone staff slammed down onto the ice.

"boom!"

The cave floor exploded, and countless ice spikes, imbued with malevolent energy, shot into the sky, weaving a dense, impenetrable net.

Li Weizhou's swordplay changed again, the Xuanjin Sword transforming into a streak of light, weaving through the gaps in the ice spikes. Wherever the golden light passed, the baleful ice spikes shattered. He pressed forward, his sword pointing at the white-robed man's chest, the sword wind so fierce that it forced the man's hood to tilt back slightly.

Just then, the white-robed man's ashen hand suddenly shot out, swift as lightning, ignoring the sharpness of the Xuanjin sword, and grabbed Li Weizhou's wrist. The red light on the brand on the back of his hand surged, and a chilling power pierced through to the bone.

Li Weizhou felt a chill run down his spine, spun around and retreated quickly, his Xuanjin sword slashing back at the opponent's wrist.

"Ding!"

The sword tip collided with the palm, as if striking metal or stone. The white-robed man remained motionless, his other hand already gripping the bone staff, the gray bead at the staff's tip aimed at Li Weizhou's brow.

At the critical moment, Li Weizhou suddenly ducked, and his Xuanjin sword swept across the ice, creating a wave of gold.

The ice surface was sliced ​​open by the sword energy, revealing a layer of ice underneath that shimmered with a deep blue hue, which, when reflected in the golden waves, was dazzlingly bright.

The man in white was forced to take a half step back.

Taking advantage of the brief moment, Li Weizhou moved like an arrow, darting towards the outside of the cave.

He knew the Sin Clan was unpredictable, and killing them wasn't necessarily impossible, but there was no need for it at the moment, especially since the secret realm was about to close.

The malevolent aura followed him like a shadow, but it suddenly dissipated when it touched the faint light at the cave entrance.

Li Weizhou turned around and saw that the white-robed man was still standing deep in the cave, his bone staff pointing diagonally at the ground. In the thick blackness under the brim of his hat, there seemed to be two eerie lights, coldly watching the direction he had left.

He smiled and walked away.

There's something wrong with this cave.

……

Li Weizhou met up with Shen Quan, who seemed to have made a good haul, at the entrance, and then left the small secret realm with a smile.

Looking back at the entrance that had begun to slowly mist, the icy aura that swept over me seemed to freeze even one's consciousness.

Shen Quan said, "Sect Leader, you see? If we had come any later, we might not have been able to get out. It's too cold inside."

Li Weizhou nodded, sensed that the blood-eyed phantom was still there, and smiled, saying, "Deacon Shen, I took a walk around inside and found everyone to be quite friendly. Except for the fight between Huangfeng Valley and Shifu Sect, which ended in a gamble and no one was killed. It seems not so difficult after all."

Shen Quan smiled bitterly, “Sect Leader, those who are visible in public won’t kill. But when no one is watching, it’s hard to say whether they’re human or ghost. Besides, that’s why everyone is wary of the Sin Clan. At least people like us can maintain a respectable facade. But the Sin Clan can strike at any time, and when they do, they kill and eat people, so everyone hates them. Of course, the Sin Clan is a minority. The ones who truly harm the most are cultivators. Sect Leader, in the small secret realm, never trust anyone.”

Li Weizhou replied with a smile, "Steward Shen is right."

……

When they returned to the Five Elements Sect, it was just dawn.

Li Weizhou summoned the four women and shared his experiences of the day with them.

After projecting the camera footage onto the screen, the four were indeed captivated by the beautiful scenery of the Icefield Secret Realm.

Zhou Yueniang smiled and said, "I originally thought that the Five Elements Sect was a paradise on earth, with beautiful scenery and all the peaks were wonderful. I didn't expect that this place is just as good."

Situ Qingyue chuckled softly, “I’ve read through many jade slips and books about the customs and culture of the Spirit Realm. There are countless wonders in this world. In the East Sea, there is an island called ‘Tide Sound Island.’ The corals around the island can sing tunes, and the tunes they sing are different at different times of the day. When the moon is full, they sing the ‘Returning Sails Tune,’ which can guide lost ships to the harbor automatically. The sand on the island is pinkish-white, changing color with the tides. When the tide is high, it shimmers with a pearly light, and when the tide is low, it reveals translucent ‘Tide Sound Shells.’ Inside the shells are ‘Sea Soul Pearls,’ which are more gentle and nourishing than Ice Soul Pearls and can nurture water-based spiritual roots. However, the island only surfaces once every thirty years, and each time it only stays above sea level for three months. Countless cultivators guard the sea, just waiting for it to appear.”

Li Weizhou promised, "We definitely have to go see it!" The four women all laughed.

The recording continued, and when Qi Erniang saw that the cave was full of Ice Soul Pearls, she exclaimed in surprise and said happily, "We've struck it rich!"

Li Weizhou took out a packet of Ice Soul Pearls and said with a smile, "Keep this with you while cultivating to stay calm."

Of course, he had another way of playing, but he couldn't express it verbally or put it on paper...

Situ Qingyue's bright eyes suddenly narrowed as the figures of the Sin Clan appeared on the video.

The others quickly noticed as well, and one by one they held their breath.

The pressure emanating from this eerie person seems to have been transmitted through the screen.

The violent shaking began, signaling the start of their magical duel.

Although intense, it ended quickly; by the time the camera stabilized, Li Weizhou had already drifted away.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief...

Feng Biwu asked curiously, "Why not use supernatural powers to kill him?"

Li Weizhou laughed and said, "My identity is not difficult to find out. Killing me back then would have left behind troubles."

Situ Qingyue remained focused on the frozen image, then suddenly said, "This grotto seems to have something special about it."

Li Weizhou nodded and said, "I think so too. There's still some space inside the cave, but I haven't gone in yet."

Situ Qingyue said softly, "My master's wife and several deacons have said that ordinary members of the Sin Clan are no different from normal people, but this person... his identity is probably extraordinary, and his strength is also extraordinary. He is holding back his strength when attacking, probably because he is worried about causing the collapse of the small secret realm. Strange, why would the Sin Clan allow cultivators to develop the small secret realm?"

Zhou Yueniang asked, "Sister Situ, could the Sinners be hiding in various secret realms?"

Situ Qingyue nodded, then shook her head and said, "It's possible, but the Righteous Immortal Alliance can think of things we can think of. They won't let the Sin Clan occupy so many small secret realms. The Sin Clan relies entirely on killing to improve their power; they are a real threat."

Li Weizhou deeply agreed and nodded, saying, "It's too evil; they're simply inhuman."

Situ Qingyue: "..."

She personally witnessed someone devour Xia Shijie, break through the Xuan Guan in one fell swoop, and become a Martial Grandmaster.

Li Weizhou coughed lightly and said, "What I mean is, we can't kill innocent people indiscriminately. Alright, go back and think about how you would deal with such opponents, including those from Huangfeng Valley and Shifu Sect. Don't let my efforts go to waste. I also need to go into seclusion to reflect."

"Oh, right, starting tomorrow...the day after, I'm going to cultivate my mind and body, purify my heart and reduce my desires, and prepare for pregnancy. No alcohol, no spicy food, no women...don't tempt me."

"Pooh!"

"Pooh!"

"Pooh!"

"Really~~ I don't want to~"

Amidst laughter and curses, Qi Erniang was also dragged away.

After chuckling for a while, Li Weizhou began to make some preparations. In the spirit world, people don't need to wear masks; they can use spiritual power to change their appearance.

However, doing this is like a woman having surgery on her face; it's very easy for people to notice.

Therefore, you must not use spiritual energy fluctuations on your face.

Is this a difficult task for Li Weizhou?
Of course, spiritual power is easier to recognize, and everyone's spiritual power has subtle differences.

This makes things much easier. We know about the five elemental spiritual roots from the outside world and from the space itself, but we still don't know about the lightning-type spiritual power.

The Xuanlei Sword Sect is the best at using lightning in the Northern Spiritual Domain!

That was the Spirit Guiding Platform. He still remembered what clothes Xiao Chaozong from the Xuanlei Sword Sect was wearing and what he looked like...

They had already asked the other side of the world to make preparations, including matching clothes and makeup techniques.

Compare the model of his face with Xiao Chaozong's face, and then use makeup techniques to fill in the differences. At least 90% similarity is enough.

After donning the Taoist robe of the Xuanlei Sword Sect and disguising himself as Xiao Chaozong, Li Weizhou quietly left the Five Elements Sect and headed to the Northern Ice Plains once again.

……

After consuming ten million liters of pig's blood, Li Weizhou entered the small secret realm.

On Earth, the distance from the mountain city to the city of Furong is 500 li, but it can be instantly teleported over in just 10,000 liters of pig's blood.

In the spirit world, Li Weizhou had experimented and found that it took three million liters of pig's blood to travel just one mile.

Perhaps it's because the pig's blood is of such low quality; in any case, the cost is alarming.

However, compared to the more than 100 million liters of pig's blood produced daily on Earth, it seems acceptable...

Moreover, he could even penetrate the protective array of a small secret realm, so Li Weizhou was full of confidence in the future!

Cold, extremely cold.

When they entered at midnight, it was daytime inside the secret realm. Now that it's bright outside, it's pitch black inside.

Only the faint blue stars in the "sky" gave the small secret realm a hazy glow.

Li Weizhou glanced at it at first glance and didn't pay much attention, but upon closer inspection, a thought suddenly struck him.

He drew his Kunwu sword and flew upwards.

The higher you go, the colder it gets. If he were just using the five elements to continuously generate energy, he definitely wouldn't be able to withstand such rapid energy depletion. He would freeze halfway down and fall to his death.

However, his Hidden Divine Palace contains the essence of the sun's fire, so even if it were ten times colder than the extreme cold of a small secret realm, it wouldn't freeze him.

As they flew higher and higher, Li Weizhou's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Those "stars" hanging in the sky slowly revealed their true faces...

Ice Soul Pearls, as numerous as the stars!
……

Li Weizhou always considered himself a person who was indifferent to fame and fortune. As for wealth, how much is enough?
But even now, faced with this sudden windfall, he still couldn't help but feel parched.

The Ice Soul Pearl can be refined into the Ice Heart Pill, which can reduce the mental demons that trouble cultivators when they break through their cultivation stages. This alone makes it extremely valuable.

In other words, the Ice Heart Pill has no effect on those above the Spirit God Realm; otherwise, it would be invaluable.

You might not care about top-grade spiritual roots, but how many top-grade spiritual roots are there in the world?
The vast majority of them have medium or low spiritual roots. For these low-level cultivators, it is no exaggeration to say that the Ice Heart Pill is a life-saving pill or a treasure pill.

The Kunwu Sword pierced through the cold air, carrying Li Weizhou higher and higher.

The "stars" drew closer and closer, their eerie blue light flowing through the darkness. Finally, it became clear that they were all Ice Soul Pearls!
The large ones are as big as fists, and the small ones are as small as pigeon eggs. They are densely packed and suspended in the dome of the secret realm, as if someone has strung them together into a sea of ​​stars with invisible threads.

Each bead emitted a ghostly blue light, and wisps of cold air seeped down from within, condensing into tiny ice crystals in mid-air. These crystals drifted in the wind and touched the blade of the Kunwu Sword, producing a soft "ding-ding" sound.

Something's not quite right.

Li Weizhou narrowed his eyes, the Taoist robes of the Xuanlei Sword Sect fluttering in the cold wind. He could sense that these Ice Soul Beads were not naturally suspended; extremely faint spiritual lines were wrapped around them in the surrounding void, just like the silver patterns in the grotto, indicating that they were artificially arranged.

How can it be……

He condensed a wisp of lightning-type spiritual power at his fingertips and gently flicked it toward the nearest Ice Soul Bead.

The moment the laser touched the bead, the Ice Soul Bead trembled violently, and a thin shadow flashed in the dark blue light. It was a semi-transparent little worm, curled up inside the bead as if hibernating.

These are cultured beads?

Li Weizhou suddenly realized, "Aren't pearls also cultured on Earth?"

Good guy!
These Ice Soul Beads are not inanimate objects; they are spiritual cores parasitized by Ice Soul Insects.

The insects feed on the icy spiritual energy, and the pearls grow larger as the insects grow, which explains their astonishing numbers.

But who would suspend so many Ice Soul Pearls in the dome?

He manipulated the Kunwu Sword to rise another hundred feet, finally seeing the end of the dome.

There lay a massive ice crystal, like an inverted ice mirror, from which countless spiritual threads extended, connecting each Ice Soul Bead. Intricate runes were etched upon the ice crystal…

Li Weizhou's heart sank. He remembered that it vaguely echoed the brand on the back of the hand of the sinner he had met today, only it was denser and more ancient.

Are these Ice Soul Pearls being used as "nourishment" to sustain something...?

The ice crystal was like a container, absorbing the icy spiritual energy from the Ice Soul Bead through the spiritual thread.

What a grand gesture!
Li Weizhou flew slowly forward on his sword, feeling that there must be something extraordinary inside this huge ice crystal.

Suddenly, a "whoosh" sound came from in front of the ice crystal.

It was the cracking sound of ice splitting, coming from the darkness in front of the ice crystals.

Li Weizhou abruptly stopped the Kunwu sword, and lightning-type spiritual power quietly gathered in his palm.

No, that sound wasn't from the ice cliff breaking apart; it was more like some kind of giant beast grinding its teeth, carrying a fierce and savage energy that climbed up with the cold air and seeped into the bones of people.

In the darkness, two eerie lights slowly lit up, ice-white, vertical pupils like two ice lanterns suspended in mid-air, staring intently at Li Weizhou.

Worthy!

Li Weizhou's heart skipped a beat. He finally saw clearly that inside the huge ice crystal was a... dragon?

No, it doesn't have horns, but it has dragon claws; it's a Chi!

It resembles a dragon, but it's not a dragon!

Its body was ten zhang long, and its scales were not yet fully formed, with a translucent bluish-white color, like jade frozen in ice.

What's most terrifying are its eyes, filled with a violent aura, staring at Li Weizhou as if it wanted to destroy him in the most cruel way.

pity……

It was unable to move.

At this moment, the giant ice crystal was being pulled by countless spiritual threads, greedily absorbing the spiritual essence of the Ice Soul Pearl.

With each breath, the blood vessels within the ice crystals brightened, the ice dragon's scales solidified, and even its breath carried a muffled sound like ice cracking, echoing within the crystals and causing the cracks to widen.

Li Weizhou's fingertips felt a little cold.

Those Ice Soul Beads suspended in the dome were indeed just "feed," the Spirit Threads were "conduits," and this huge ice crystal was the real "culture dish," while the Ice Dragon was the "seed" that the Sin Clan placed in the culture dish.

The spiritual energy of the Ice Soul Pearl flowed into the ice crystal along the spiritual threads, and under the catalysis of the runes, it turned into a pale golden liquid that seeped into the gaps in the Ice Dragon's scales. Its body was growing at a visible speed, and its originally translucent scales were slowly being tinged with dark gold. Even the tip of its tail began to grow barbs, indicating that it was transforming into a more ferocious form.

"Click."

Another crack exploded open. This time, being closer, Li Weizhou could see clearly that on the reverse scale under the Ice Dragon's belly, there was a fist-sized black crystal embedded in it. Inside the crystal, dark mist churned, and within the mist, countless wronged souls were vaguely wailing.

"hiss!"

Li Weizhou gasped in shock. He realized that the black mist was demonic energy!
Tao Xixing was in excruciating pain and almost became inhuman after just a tiny bit of contamination.

And right now, the Sin Clan is using demonic energy to raise ice dragons?!
What do they want to do?
are you crazy?
Roughly estimated, perhaps in five years, this ice dragon will be fully grown and its demonic energy will be exhausted.

At that time, the Demon Cave might actually be in turmoil...

Should the inside and the outside fit together?

Li Weizhou gripped the Xuanjin sword tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Can't wait any longer.

For the sake of all living beings, for the sake of the spirit realm, for the sake of humanity...

Li Weizhou began using the Xuanjin Sword to pry open the Ice Soul Pearl!
With his current cultivation level, he could pick it up incredibly quickly.

One, two, three...

One hundred, two hundred, three hundred...

One thousand, two thousand, three thousand...

Li Weizhou's finger dexterity improved rapidly, his technique was astonishing!

He wasn't after money; he would never forget the greater good for petty gains. He was saving the people!
Let's give it our all!!

Four hours later, the bright stars near the giant ice crystal were almost completely wiped out.

Fortunately, as the sect leader, he obtained a treasure pouch from the Five Elements Sect's treasury, which contained a space the size of a room.

Otherwise, these things would be really hard to carry...

Indeed, opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared!

After dismantling it most of the way, Li Weizhou looked at the ice dragon inside the ice crystal, whose eyes were beginning to tremble. He smiled and his gaze fell on the black crystal on its reverse scale.

After thinking about it, he used the Xuanjin Sword to pry it out.

The illusory image of the Tai Chi symbol rotated, completely absorbing the demonic energy.

The yin-yang symbol has gained an added touch of dynamism.

Tsk tsk, this black crystal must be something of great importance; its quality is definitely not low.

The ice dragon was completely enraged, and the sound of cracking ice was deafening, indicating that it wanted to be born ahead of schedule.

That's true, all the food rations are gone, are we just going to stay inside and wait to starve to death...?

But before it could even emerge, Li Weizhou gave a wicked smile.

Do you know what extreme cold means?

This means that metals will have better electrical conductivity under these conditions, and may even exhibit superconductivity.

He slowly pierced the ice crystal with the Xuanjin Sword. The Ice Dragon scoffed, not believing that this little insect at the Spirit Origin Realm could harm it or break through its defenses.

then……

"Mysterious Thunder Sword Sect, Divine Thunder Sword Control Technique, Slash!"

Li Weizhou let out a soft whistle, and endless thunder erupted within the Hidden God Palace.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

……

(End of this chapter)