I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

Not long after.

Zhou Yuan landed in front of a giant mountain that was thousands of feet high.

This mountain is tall and precipitous, entirely composed of huge rocks in shades of blue and black.

The entire mountain peak was miraculously split in two at its midpoint, the crack extending all the way to the base of the giant mountain, forming a natural canyon.

But what's even stranger is that the middle part of the split mountain peak is clearly marked by flashing red and blue lights, each covering half of the giant mountain.

From a distance, it looks extremely eerie.

At the entrance to the grand canyon at the foot of the mountain, more than forty cultivators were sitting in meditation.

These forty-odd people were all Core Formation stage cultivators.

Most of them were in the middle or late stages of Core Formation, while there were only six or seven cultivators in the early stages of Core Formation.

Those Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, knowing their own limitations, would not choose to attempt the second trial, the Ice and Fire Path.

Zhou Yuan glanced around and spotted a familiar figure in the crowd—Xue Ye.

She was still dressed in a white palace gown, sitting quietly in a corner, eyes closed, resting.

That gentle face carried a mixture of composure and determination.

It seems she didn't find the elixir that appealed to her in the first level's reward.

So I decided to keep going.

Zhou Yuan did not step forward to dissuade him.

Everyone has their own path.

Moreover, this Void Heaven Palace was originally an opportunity left behind by ancient cultivators to benefit future generations.

If one can pass the wondrous illusion of the third level, it will be considered an early experience of the Nascent Soul stage's inner demons, which will be of immense benefit to the future Nascent Soul stage.

Many Nascent Soul cultivators achieve their Nascent Soul status only after undergoing special trials. Since Xue Ye has chosen to continue, let her go.

Zhou Yuan found an inconspicuous corner and sat down cross-legged.

……

As time goes by.

A whooshing sound came from afar, and several figures descended from the sky.

The three demonic Nascent Soul cultivators, namely, the Yin Ancestor, the Qingyi Hermit, and the Barbarian Beard, landed one after another in front of the canyon.

Beside the Yin Ancestor was another figure—Han Li.

Han Li's expression was calm, but his eyes revealed a hint of helplessness and tension.

He followed beside the Yin Ancestor like a prisoner being escorted.

He glanced around and met Zhou Yuan's gaze.

That look seemed to say:

"Senior Brother Zhou, I'm in trouble!"

However, he dared not communicate with Zhou Yuan through telepathy in front of these Nascent Soul stage monsters, for fear of revealing his secret.

He could only silently withdraw his gaze.

Immediately afterwards, three more figures descended from the sky—Wan Tianming, Tian Wuzi, and Mu Tengzi, the three righteous Nascent Soul cultivators, also arrived.

All the Nascent Soul cultivators on this trip, except for Madam Wen who left early, have arrived.

Finally, the two white-robed elders from the Star Palace arrived at a leisurely pace.

……

Just then—

Suddenly, a bright red and blue light shone from the direction of the giant mountain!

Near the entrance to the canyon, the mountain wall split open with two narrow passages amidst a violent earthquake, seemingly leading directly into the interior of the canyon.

Outside the entrances to the two passages, a stone tablet about three or four feet high appeared. One was inscribed with "Mystic Crystal Path" and the other with several ancient characters such as "Lava Road".

Immediately, some of the closest cultivators rushed over first.

But as soon as you approach the passage to Lava Road, before you even enter, a scorching wind that makes you dizzy and your mouth immediately goes dry.

Outside the Xuanjing Path, white, icy air constantly emanated from within, accompanied by the faint sound of howling winds, sending chills down one's spine upon seeing it.

"Han Li, which path do you plan to take?"

The Yin Ancestor looked at Han Li with a cold gaze.

Han Li pondered for a moment, then raised his hand and pointed to the Lava Road.

"This disciple chooses this one."

The Yin Ancestor nodded.

"This treasure of mine can slightly protect you from the high temperature inside..."

The Yin Ancestor gave Han Li a treasure.

Surprisingly, neither Barbarian Beard nor Qingyi Hermit were at all surprised that Han Li had suddenly become Ji Yin's disciple.

Next, the Extreme Yin Ancestor watched as Han Li stepped into the Lava Road passage and disappeared into the depths before heading towards the Mystic Crystal Path.

Qingyi Jushi followed closely behind and also chose the Xuanjing Path.

The bearded man grinned and swaggered into Lava Road.

Zhou Yuan watched all of this quietly from the side.

After Ji Yin and Qing Yi entered the Xuanjing Path, he stood up and walked towards the entrance of the Xuanjing Path.

He has to deal with the bearded man, but before that, he might as well do something here first.

For example, let the Extreme Yin Ancestor remain in this Ice and Fire Path forever.

With one less ally, the pressure on the three righteous heroes will increase significantly.

……

Step into the Mystic Crystal Path.

As soon as you approach the passage, a biting wind hits you, carrying a chill that could freeze your blood.

But for a Nascent Soul cultivator like Zhou Yuan, this chill was nothing at all.

His body was surrounded by a protective aura that kept out the cold wind, and he walked forward at a leisurely pace.

As they reached the end of the passage, a sudden dizzying sensation swept over them—

He was teleported.

When Zhou Yuan opened his eyes again, he was greeted by a world of ice and cold.

The sky was overcast and the sun and moon were nowhere to be seen. The earth was covered with a thick layer of ice and snow, stretching as far as the eye could see.

A biting wind howled past, whipping up a flurry of snowflakes that stung our faces like knives.

He was teleported.

When Zhou Yuan opened his eyes again, he was greeted by a world of ice and cold.

The sky was overcast and the sun and moon were nowhere to be seen. The earth was covered with a thick layer of ice and snow, stretching as far as the eye could see.

A biting wind howled past, whipping up a flurry of snowflakes that stung our faces like knives.

This is the Mystic Crystal Path of the Ice and Fire Path.

This place is protected by a powerful anti-flying barrier, preventing all cultivators from taking to the air and forcing them to move forward on foot.

In this way, those who are teleported a little further away would have to walk for several days and nights without sleep to reach the end of the canyon.

Moreover, the harsh environment is not the only problem faced by the cultivators. The innate demonic spirits with ice and fire attributes gathered in the canyon are the biggest obstacle for them to pass this test.

Every time cultivators venture into the Ice and Fire Path, a small percentage die at the hands of these demonic spirits.

Zhou Yuan walked forward at a leisurely pace.

Not only was his protective aura fully activated, but he also constantly enhanced his speed with agility spells.

Other cultivators might need to conserve their mana, but Zhou Yuan was equipped with seven high-grade spirit stones, making his mana recovery speed astonishingly fast.

Even after such continuous consumption of energy and walking for several hours, his magical power remained at its maximum.

Occasionally, crystalline monsters would emerge from under the ice, attempting to ambush him, but he would effortlessly slice them in two with a single cyan sword beam.

……

About a day later.

Ahead of Zhou Yuan, a vast forest of blood-red ice pillars appeared.

The icicles ranged in height from several zhang to over ten zhang, and were entirely blood red, like congealed blood.

They are densely distributed, with one every few feet, without any discernible pattern, forming a strange, blood-red maze.

"Blood Ice Forest".

Zhou Yuan's gaze sharpened.

This was one of the dangerous places that the two Star Palace elders had secretly set out.

"Let this place become the burial ground of extreme Yin."

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips as he strode into the Blood Ice Forest.

Not long after.

Hundreds of small silver beasts appeared ahead.

The small beasts resembled mice, only the size of a palm, with shimmering silver fur. They darted and leaped among the blood-red ice pillars at an astonishing speed.

Most remarkably, they all have a short, delicate silver horn on their heads, small and exquisite, making them quite adorable.

But Zhou Yuan knew that these little guys weren't cute at all.

They are the infamous Silver Horned Beasts, appearing in large groups. Once entangled with them, even a late-stage Core Formation cultivator would have a headache.