Immortality and Cultivation: I can extract entries from all things.

The sea before dawn resembled a huge piece of black jade.

Zhou Xiaolan stood at the bow of the ship, her ice-blue armor gleaming coldly in the approaching dawn.

The sea breeze blew, ruffling her long, tied-up hair. A few strands brushed against her cheeks, but she remained motionless.

His left hand pressed against the communication talisman at his waist, while his right hand rested on the hilt of the ice sword.

Three small boats lined up behind her, with twenty elite Zhou family soldiers standing silently, the only sound being the soft lapping of waves against the gunwales.

"Miss, it's getting light."

Veteran B leaned closer and whispered. He was at the eighth level of Qi Refining and was responsible for Zhou Xiaolan's flank cover, making him the most experienced.

Zhou Xiaolan nodded slightly, gazing at the outline of Black Reef Island in the distance.

The reefs were jagged and rugged, like a lurking beast. A faint, spiritual light flickered in the direction of the island's center; that was the place Fang He and his group were about to infiltrate.

Her fingers tightened around the sword.

Three days ago, during the final assault deployment, Fang He led only ten men to infiltrate the island. With their Qi Refining seventh level cultivation, they had to traverse layers of security to reach the central array of the island's core.

"That's too risky."

She blurted it out at the time.

Fang He smiled faintly: "We need to apply enough pressure head-on to attract the attention of the Dark Abyss Pavilion."

That smile was as calm as the sea, leaving her with no reason to refute it.

She had never seen such a rogue monk before.

Neither arrogant nor humble, neither domineering nor backing down. Every step is taken firmly, and every decision is made after careful consideration.

From initially looking down on this kid who got ahead by luck, to now...

Zhou Xiaolan shook her head, suppressing these thoughts.

The communication talisman glowed faintly in her palm.

Before Fang He set off, she personally handed him this specially made communication talisman.

"If anything changes, send a message immediately."

When she said that, her tone was so harsh that it sounded more like an order than concern.

Fang He accepted the gift with composure, her eyes holding a depth she couldn't decipher.

"In three quarters of an hour, the final assault will begin."

He repeated the agreement in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over the Zhou family's elite.

"Please take the front view."

His gaze was calm and resolute, as if he were entrusting not a life-or-death battle, but a routine cooperation.

Zhou Xiaolan felt inexplicably irritated.

She, the eldest daughter of the Zhou family, is at the peak of the late stage of Qi Refining. When did she ever need a rogue cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining to entrust her with anything?

But Fang He looked at her with a gaze that was neither flattering nor obsequious, but rather filled with a strange trust.

It was as if she was certain she could complete the task.

It was as if she was powerful enough.

"Miss, the communication talisman is active!"

The voice of the new recruit interrupted her thoughts.

Zhou Xiaolan suddenly lowered her head, and the communication talisman in her palm was slightly warm, with a line of text appearing.

"In three quarters of an hour, the final assault will begin."

coming!

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Xiaolan's eyes, and her spiritual power erupted.

The ice-blue battle armor shone with dazzling light, and the pressure of the late-stage Qi Refining Peak swept out like a tsunami.

"All troops, listen to my command!"

She drew her sword and pointed it at Black Reef Island, her voice as cold as cracking ice.

"The final assault begins!"

Three small boats shot out like arrows from a bow, cutting through the waves.

The Zhou family's elite troops activated their magical artifacts, and the glint of swords, blades, and talismans mingled on the sea.

Twenty agile figures strode across the waves and quickly approached the front coast of Black Reef Island.

---

"Clang—clang—clang—"

Warning bells are ringing loudly on Black Reef Island.

The guards of the Dark Abyss Pavilion swarmed out from behind the reefs and caves, numbering twelve in total.

The leader was a middle-aged man in black robes with a sinister face. He was at the late stage of Qi Refining and held a blood-red longsword in his hand that gleamed with an eerie light.

"The Zhou family has indeed arrived."

The middle-aged man in the black robe sneered.

"A mere twenty men, and they dare to launch a frontal assault?"

He brandished his long sword, and the guards behind him quickly formed a battle formation.

The twelve people stood in a mysterious formation, faintly forming a defensive array, with array-like spiritual light flashing on each of them.

It was clear that they had been prepared for this for a long time.

Zhou Xiaolan's pretty face was cold and stern, and her figure flashed forward like a blue lightning bolt.

"Mystic Ice Thousand Kills!"

She held the ice sword high in her hand, frantically pouring spiritual power into it.

In an instant, the temperature of the sea surface within a radius of a hundred feet plummeted.

The seawater froze at a speed visible to the naked eye, and countless ice crystals condensed out of thin air, turning into thousands of ice shards suspended in the air.

As the sun first peeks out, each icicle reflects a dazzling light, like a sky full of stars falling onto the sea.

The Zhou family's elite troops retreated, their eyes filled with shock.

This is a secret technique passed down through the direct line of the Zhou family.

This is the true strength of a late-stage Qi Refining expert at the peak!

"go!"

With a flick of her ice sword, Zhou Xiaolan unleashed thousands of ice shards like a barrage of arrows, piercing the air with a sharp, piercing sound as they shot towards the Dark Abyss Pavilion guards.

The middle-aged man in the black robe's expression changed drastically.

"defense!"

The twelve guards simultaneously activated the formation, and a blood-red light curtain rose out of thin air.

However, there were too many ice crystals and they were moving too fast.

The first wave of ice crystals struck the light screen with a crackling sound like popping beans, causing the light screen to tremble violently.

The second wave followed immediately, and fine cracks appeared in the light curtain.

The third wave...

The crimson light curtain shattered with a deafening roar!

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

Three mid-stage Qi Refining Guardians were unable to dodge in time and were pierced through the body by ice shards, pinning them to the reef.

Before the blood could flow, it was frozen into crimson ice crystals by the extreme cold.

The middle-aged man in black robes retreated in a sorry state, a shard of ice slicing across his shoulder, tearing flesh and instantly freezing it.

"Damn it!"

He gritted his teeth and roared.

"Spread out! Use the terrain to your advantage and counterattack!"

The remaining nine guards scattered and fled, hiding in the crevices of the rocks.

Zhou Xiaolan didn't stop moving, swinging her ice sword repeatedly, sending out several ice blades, and two more guards fell.

"Five people per group, attacking in unison!"

She gave the order sternly.

"Don't give them a chance to regroup!"

The Zhou family's elite troops responded immediately, advancing in groups of five in a triangular formation.

Veteran B led the first group to flank from the left, their blades flashing like lightning, and engaged in battle with the two guards.

The new recruit followed the second group and charged in from the right flank. His longsword flashed with light, forcing a guard to retreat repeatedly.

Array Master Bing stood at the back, rotating the array plate in his hand, constantly analyzing the array enhancements of the Dark Abyss Pavilion guards.

"Miss, their formation is the Blood Fiend Gathering Spirit Formation, which enhances attack power but consumes health!"

Zhou Xiaolan nodded slightly, already having made up her mind.

The Blood Fiend Gathering Spirit Array sacrifices one's own life force to gain a short-term boost in combat power.

This kind of evil formation won't last long.

"Hold them off!"

She said coldly.

"When their life force is exhausted, that will be the time to reap the rewards!"

Upon seeing this, a ruthless glint flashed in the eyes of the middle-aged man in black robes.

"Trying to stall? Not so easy!"

He took out a blood-red jade talisman from his pocket and crushed it suddenly.

"Blood sacrifice, activate!"

The remaining seven guards were enveloped in a surge of crimson light, their auras flared up, and their eyes turned bloodshot, as if they had gone mad.

"Watch out! They've used forbidden magic!"

Veteran B shouted sternly.

A guard roared and charged at the new recruit, his long sword flashing with blood as he slashed down.

The recruit raised his sword to parry, but was forced back several steps by the violent force, his hand split open and blood flowed freely.

"court death!"

Zhou Xiaolan flashed and appeared in front of the new recruit.

The ice sword slashed horizontally in an arc, its icy sword energy sweeping across like a bolt of lightning.

The berserk guard was cut in half at the waist; his upper body spun in the air, while his lower body lurched a few steps before collapsing due to inertia.

Blood spilled onto the sea, instantly freezing it.

"Step back and regroup!"

Zhou Xiaolan shouted without turning her head.

"Leave this to me!"

She faced the remaining six berserk guards alone, her ice armor radiating a blinding blue light.

Ice and blood clashed violently on the coast of Black Reef Island.

Every clash resulted in flying ice shards and spurting blood.

Zhou Xiaolan moved like a ghost, weaving through the six attackers.

Wherever the ice sword points, someone will fall.

Ten breaths later, all six berserk guards were dead.

The middle-aged man in the black robe was terrified and turned to flee.

"Trying to leave?"

Zhou Xiaolan sneered, pointing her ice sword at the distance.

An ice spike shot out and pierced the back of the middle-aged man in black robes.

He staggered a few steps and knelt down on the rocks.

Zhou Xiaolan walked slowly closer, looking down at him.

"Tell me, what ceremony is being held in the heart of the island?"

The middle-aged man in the black robe tilted his head back, black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were filled with a mad smile.

"A ceremony? Hahaha..."

His laughter was hoarse, as unpleasant as a broken bellows.

"You're too late... the ceremony has already begun..."

Zhou Xiaolan felt a chill run down her spine.

"What do you mean?"

The middle-aged man in the black robe opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly his eyes widened.

A beam of black light shot out from between his eyebrows, instantly blasting his head to pieces.

The headless corpse slowly fell to the ground, blood gushing from the severed neck.

"Prohibition!"

The formation master exclaimed in surprise.

"He's been placed under a curse; if he reveals this, he'll be silenced!"

Zhou Xiaolan's expression was solemn.

The Dark Abyss Pavilion is ruthless; they don't even spare their own people.

"Clean up the battlefield, loot anything useful..."

She froze before she could finish speaking.

A chilling surge of spiritual energy emanated from the heart of the island.

The fluctuations were cold and malevolent, carrying an ancient and terrifying aura.

Zhou Xiaolan suddenly turned her head and looked towards the center of the island.

A black beam of light shot into the sky, turning the first rays of dawn into an eerie dark purple.

Countless twisted runes flowed within the pillar of light, and the spiritual pressure emanating from it caused ripples to spread across the sea for miles around.

"This is……"

Zhou Xiaolan's pretty face turned pale, and the ice sword in her hand trembled slightly.

The ceremony has officially begun!

Faster and more intense than expected!

Fang He's image flashed through her mind instantly.

Alone and hidden in the heart of the island, can he cope with this unexpected turn of events?

Could it be that...

"Fang He..."

She murmured softly, her voice carrying a hint of panic she had never felt before.

The next second, Zhou Xiaolan gritted her teeth, and her ice armor emitted a dazzling blue light.

"All troops, listen to my command! Attack with all your might, leave no one alive!"

She must take over the front line of defense as soon as possible and go to the heart of the island to provide support.

No matter what the ritual summons, she will get through it.

Because there, someone is waiting for her.