HLnovel Chapter 1809 3 Roads
Chapter 1809 3 Roads
The moment they landed, a chilling cold seeped into their bodies.
The two elite Divine Race members, both at the late Nascent Soul stage, suddenly turned bluish-purple. Their protective spiritual light, as fragile as thin ice, shattered with a crack, and the cold air penetrated straight into their dantian. Their Nascent Souls were covered in white frost, as if they were about to freeze to death on the spot!
Kuafu Chonghu's eyes were wide open, his muscles were bulging like steel coils, his bronze skin was tinged with a dark red like lava, and his blood and qi roared like thunder.
The cold air was forcibly forced out of the pores, turning into rising white mist, but every muscle was trembling violently, clearly indicating a huge consumption of energy.
Fang Fengting flipped his hand and summoned his natal magic weapon, the "Xunfeng Flag." The flag fluttered and shimmered with blue light, but it only barely protected himself and the closest person, Xuan San. The remaining few Nascent Soul cultivators of the Divine Race could only grit their teeth and endure the attack, their faces pale.
Ye Zhenjun produced an "Eight-Scenery Glazed Lamp" from his sleeve. Its warm yellow light spread out like an umbrella, steadily covering him and the eighteen straw-hatted men behind him. Frost condensed on the outside of the light, but it was as warm and gentle as spring inside.
He looked at the gods with a calm and even leisurely expression; this was the perfect time for him to establish his authority.
However, Chen Wanli only raised his hand and made a gesture of pressing down.
There was no blazing, explosive flame, only a gentle, mellow, and continuous pale golden warmth that quietly spread from his palm.
Like a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain, it silently enveloped all the remaining elite of the divine race, along with Kuafu Chong and Fangfeng Ting.
The warmth wasn't from directly resisting the severe cold, but rather from gradually drawing away and transforming the icy energy that had invaded everyone's bodies. Everyone immediately felt a sense of relief, and the frozen spiritual energy began to flow again.
A hint of surprise flashed across Ye Zhenjun's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. In his heart, however, he couldn't help but sneer. Here, Chen Wanli's desire to maintain his authority as the "backbone" wouldn't be so easy.
He had seen Kuafu Chong and Fang Fengting wavering these past few days.
But here, his advantage as someone who has been through it all is something that others cannot imagine.
It's not surprising that Chen Wanli can hold on for now, given his abilities, but as he goes deeper and his spiritual energy is exhausted, he will realize who he is relying on.
"This place is not safe to stay any longer." The Dragon King spoke, and dark golden sparks seeped from the gaps in his dragon scales, forming a scorching force field, but the range was limited to three zhang around his body, protecting his son and the Dragon Blood Guards.
He then turned to look at Ye Zhenjun: "The way!"
Ye Zhenjun nodded, the light from the glass lamp illuminating his calm face:
"We all know that our destination is the teleportation array at the third-level altar."
There are three paths ahead, all leading to the deep altar.
Firstly, the 'Ancient Frost Marrow Path' follows the course of an ancient glacial river. The path is relatively straight, and along the way, one may find cold-attribute spiritual materials such as 'Ice Heart Jade Marrow' and 'Mysterious Frost Grass,' but one must be wary of ice cracks and lurking 'Ice Soul Serpents'—the danger is manageable, and the rewards are promising.
Secondly, the "desolate snowy wilderness" is flat and flat, with no great dangers or treasures, but the cold wind is fierce and exhausting.
If a safer approach is desired, this might be a good route, but it's still a pity that everyone will return empty-handed.
He paused, then pointed to the pitch-black mountain peak to the due north, a mountain that seemed to absorb all light:
"Thirdly, 'Xuanming Black Peak' is one of the sources of this layer of cold air, a forbidden zone."
The creatures that dwell there are not ordinary soul-devouring beings, but 'Frosty Evil Spirits,' formless and intangible, specifically designed to erode the soul. Even those who have reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage can have their primordial spirit frozen upon entering, and face the danger of perishing.
Everyone was silent.
There are three paths, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
Judging from Ye Zhenjun's tone, it seems he had planned this all along.
He seemed quite open and honest, but no one knew what he would encounter along the way.
In such an environment, fraught with danger, who would dare to completely trust him?
Not only the gods, but even the Dragon King's eyes were fixed on Chen Wanli.
"Which route did Ye Zhenjun originally plan to take us?" Chen Wanli asked with a smile.
Without hesitation, Ye Zhenjun replied, "The Ancient Path of Cold Marrow. Last time, I was fortunate enough to obtain a small piece of Ice Heart Jade Marrow on this path, which helped me get through the rest of the journey."
Chen Wanli did not speak. He had sent the golden body earlier, but it had no direction and was exploring on its own. It was now in a desolate wasteland.
The surrounding area was deathly silent, quite like the desolate snowy wasteland that Ye Zhenjun had described.
As he turned the golden body around, he pondered where to place his divine soul and spiritual root so that the golden body could retrieve and refine it, while also studying Ye Zhenjun's words.
Regardless of Ye Zhenjun's purpose, the probability of him framing everyone by acting on the third level is relatively small.
Surely they couldn't just lure everyone to the third level to kill them, could they? If it was simply a matter of killing, they could do it even in the Demon Cave; Chen Wanli had no doubt that Ye Zhenjun could do it.
Therefore, Ye Zhenjun at this point can actually be trusted.
Thinking of this, Chen Wanli nodded directly: "Okay."
The Dragon King's vertical pupils suddenly contracted!
Chen Wanli agreed far too readily, didn't he?
Did Ye Zhenjun offer some kind of bargaining chip to persuade this guy?
It frowned, displeased, and said, "You two aren't up to something, are you?"
"If the Dragon King does not believe me, he may choose to explore one of the routes himself." Ye Zhenjun said calmly, "He has half an hour. Whether he finds anything or not, we can return here to discuss it further."
These words were frank, and both Kuafu Chong and Fang Fengting lowered their heads.
"Fine!" The Dragon King laughed in extreme anger.
Chen Wanli shook his head and reassured him, "Dragon King, there's no need to worry. The journey should be smooth!"
The Dragon King pondered for a moment, then snorted softly, "Dragon Blood Guards, follow me into the wilderness! Let's see whether the road is more treacherous than the hearts of men!"
Having said that, he transformed into a golden rainbow and soared into the sky.
Chen Wanli did not try to persuade him further. The old Dragon King was good at acting. He seemed angry, but in reality, he was both giving himself a message and wanting to take the initiative to investigate.
It's not necessarily a bad thing.
Ye Zhenjun shook his head and said gently to everyone, "Let's find a sheltered place and wait a while to recuperate."
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, heading towards Black Peak, a furious dragon roar and violent energy fluctuations suddenly resounded!
Long Jihai took out the Dragon Clan's exclusive Transmission Dragon Pearl.
The crystal-clear dragon pearl projected the situation on the Dragon King's side: the snow curtain was torn open, and the Dragon King's massive body was bound by dozens of nearly transparent 'ice soul chains' that burst forth from the snow.
The end of the chain disappeared into the snow, as if pulled by a tremendous force. Despite the dragon flames burning it, the chain kept regenerating!
Several Dragonblood Guards were desperately attacking the snowfield, but with little success.
Chen Wanli looked into the distance, but his divine sense was blocked, so he couldn't see that far; all he could see was a vast expanse of white.
He narrowed his eyes, looked at Ye Zhenjun with a half-smile, and said, "Ye Zhenjun, won't you lend a hand?"
Kuafu Chong and Fang Fengting both nervously licked their lips.
The danger of this place is unlike anything I've ever experienced in my life.
No wonder it's a dangerous place that even those in the late stages of the Nascent Soul realm travel in groups.
Even a being as powerful as the Dragon King suffered a setback after only a short distance.
“These are the tentacles of the ‘Snow Demon Chapter.’ This creature is extremely well-hidden and excels at trapping enemies.” Ye Zhenjun’s tone remained calm as he flicked his wide sleeves and laughed.
"They are all allies, so of course I must save them. Please wait a moment, I will be right back."
He did not put away the glass lamp, but instead transformed into a wisp of clear light and disappeared.
Upon arriving before the Dragon King and his entourage, the eerie light emanating from his body transformed into a longsword.
Instead of striking the chains directly, the sword precisely struck several specific spots in the snow, causing a dull, painful hissing sound from beneath the snow, and the chains immediately loosened.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Dragon King broke free of his restraints and retreated together with Ye Zhenjun.
Several ice crystal scratches appeared on the Dragon King's scales, his breathing became slightly disordered, and his face was extremely pale.
Ye Zhenjun remained spotless, and the glow of the glass lamp remained stable.
"Thank you." The Dragon King squeezed out two words through gritted teeth, but his eyes became even more sinister—he could tell that Ye Zhenjun knew this place like the back of his hand, and had clearly deliberately sent him to "test and make mistakes" just now.
"It's nothing." Ye Zhenjun waved his hand. "Since you already know how dangerous the exploration will be, why don't you listen to my suggestion?"
The Dragon King, having suffered a setback, returned to his ranks without a word, looking dejected and humiliated, even glaring at Chen Wanli.
Chen Wanli found it amusing; the old Dragon King's act was truly elaborate, but he also knew that the old dragon was genuinely annoyed.
However, trust can only be built through experience; empty words are useless.
Looking at his father's disheveled appearance, Long Jihai hesitated several times before speaking.
The group set off again and soon embarked on the Cold Marrow Ancient Road.
Just as Ye Zhenjun had said, the road wound through the glaciers and was relatively flat. Along the way, they only encountered a few weak and scattered soul-devouring attacks.
Chen Wanli resumed his "get rich by collecting scraps" method.
A clump of inconspicuous withered vines hanging with icicles by the roadside?
He walked over and carefully peeled off a few withered, dark blue leaves:
"The withered leaves of the Frost-Patterned Iron Wire Vine still retain their spiritual energy, but their fibers are tough enough to be used to make mid-level talisman paper, which is better than nothing."
A few dull, gray stones in the crevice?
He tapped and picked up the two pieces: "These are discarded 'cold iron slags.' We can take them back and use them to make weapons for the disciples of the Heavenly Medicine Sect in the future."
He would even examine the half-hidden, white skeletons of unknown beasts in the snow, picking out a few that looked intact to collect.
If Xiang Qing were here, he would certainly be used to it.
But none of the gods present had ever seen such a scene before!
A powerful and mighty god-ancestor, picking up trash everywhere!
Even Lian Xuansan, a die-hard fan of Chen Wanli, couldn't stop twitching at the corners of her mouth and couldn't bear to look at him.
Ye Zhenjun glanced at Chen Wanli out of the corner of his eye, his lips twitching almost imperceptibly, inwardly cursing him.
Ultimately, it's the petty mentality of the lower realm; even with some opportunities, their vision remains limited.
He became increasingly convinced that he could easily control Chen Wanli.
After all, greed is the best leverage.
The Dragon King, observing this, also had some doubts: "So greedy, could he really have been bribed by Old Monster Ye? Should I find an opportunity to talk to him again and raise the price?"
Kuafu Chong and Fang Fengting looked at each other, both with complex expressions.
After traveling for most of the day, an icy valley appeared ahead.
The valley was unusually cold, with a faint blue light emanating from its depths.
"Be careful, there's something strange about this place," Ye Zhenjun warned, as the light from the glass lamp shone into the valley.
In the center of the valley, a small tree, its entire body as clear as blue jade, with seven leaves and a fruit the size of a longan at its top, constantly emitting a cold glint, was growing quietly.
Beneath the tree, three wolf-shaped Soul Devourers, with illusory bodies and eyes burning with ghostly blue flames, were coiled, their auras all reaching the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm!
"It is the 'Seven-Leaf Mystic Ice Tree,' and its fruit, the 'Mystic Ice Soul,' is a top-grade spiritual object that can temper the soul and enhance the level of ice-attribute cultivation techniques!"
A flicker of eagerness flashed in Ye Zhenjun's eyes, but he quickly concealed it: "These three 'Ice Soul Wolf Spirits' are not easy to deal with, especially here, where their strength is enhanced. I suggest..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Wanli had already stepped forward.