Han Muchun did not act rashly.
Leaning in the shadow of the ice pillar, she slowly and methodically ran her fingertips over the cover of the book in her hand, whose material was unrecognizable, until she flipped to the final page, which was covered in cinnabar annotations.
Han Muchun's gaze swept back and forth between the runes on the ice wall and Ning Qinghan. The faint smile on her lips grew deeper, like a hunter who had finally watched her prey step into an absolute death trap.
“So that's how it is... Using the ‘Xuanming Soul-Suppressing Runes’ as a facade with a ‘Blood Malevolent Trigger’ embedded inside. No wonder ordinary methods only trigger the defenses instead of opening the core.”
Han Muchun murmured.
At the same time, she pressed the book to her brow, closing her eyes to concentrate.
A moment later, Han Muchun snapped her eyes open, a sharp light flashing within them.
She bit the tip of her tongue and spat several drops of essence blood onto the mark on the page.
Instantly, the mark came to life, transforming into a palm-sized, blood-red talisman insect.
With a flick of Han Muchun's finger, the talisman insect buzzed and vibrated its wings. Trailing a bizarre line of blood, it shot forward with a whoosh, pinning itself precisely into the most strangely distorted rune nodes on the cave wall.
“Clack... Creak...”
This time, it was not just the crisp click of a mechanism, but a succession of teeth-gritting sounds like bones grinding together. The muffled noises echoed from deep underground, as if the very skeleton of the ice cave was being forcibly torn apart.
Immediately after, a sudden change occurred.
The runes pinned by the blood-red talisman insect lit up like ignited fuses, their eerie blue glow instantly dyed a sinister crimson.
This crimson color surged and spread wildly along the ancient lines. In the blink of an eye, the entire passage leading deep into the ruins lit up. However, this light was not an auspicious treasure glow, but a surge of Xuanyin malevolent energy far purer than what was outside.
At this moment, the Xuanyin malevolent energy erupted like a volcano suppressed for ten thousand years!
Zhao Yue, who was in the middle of battle nearby, had his expression change drastically.
The intensity of this malevolent energy was beyond imagination. The destructive will mixed within it made even the sword essence in his body tremble slightly.
The Northern Underworld disciples behind him were hit even harder. Those with weaker cultivation groaned, forced back step after step, their faces pale. Their protective spiritual light flickered unstably under the wash of malevolent energy, as if it could be snuffed out at any moment.
Using the rebounding force of the majestic malevolent energy, Han Muchun's figure drifted like willow catkins caught in a gale, shooting gracefully into the depths of the passage. Her crisp laughter sounded exceptionally grating amidst the rolling malevolent energy: “Thank you all for holding the line. The Falling Star Pavilion will gladly accept this core inheritance.”
Deep in the passage, blood-red light shot into the sky. The ancient chanting was distorted into a sharp shriek, making everyone's scalp tingle and their souls feel as if they were splitting apart.
“Stop her!”
Zhao Yue could no longer afford to target Bai Qingxue. At this point, the opportunity was secondary; if Han Muchun truly gained control of the core, the consequences would be unimaginable.
His figure blurred as he transformed into a gray rainbow, preparing to charge into the blood-lit passage regardless of the cost.
Yet, at the very instant he was about to step inside, the true nightmare descended!
When the runes, forcibly melted and triggered by the blood-red talisman insect, reached a certain node, they did not open the passage as expected. Instead, they seemed to have touched an absolute taboo.
Boom!!!
The entire ice cave let out a death-rattle groan, shaking violently.
With a sharp creaking sound, the ice platform cracked and collapsed inch by inch. The Mystic Ice Lotus floating above it, along with several other spiritual items, was instantly pulled into the depths of the passage by an irresistible, terrifying suction.
The originally orderly runes on both walls of the cave seemed to fall into complete madness. They briefly outlined a fragmented map in the void that exuded an aura of endless desolation, before exploding into a shower of light specks.
“Argh!”
In the next instant, an extremely furious roar, sounding as if it came from the deepest depths of the Nine Underworlds, slammed heavily into everyone's hearts!
“Roar!!!”
Accompanied by a thunderous crash like a collapsing glacier, a colossal behemoth as towering as a mountain charged out, enveloped in destructive cold air, crushing through layers of ice barriers!
It was a Xuanming Malevolent Golem, formed from ten-thousand-year-old profound ice blended with extreme malevolent energy.
Its massive body was entirely translucent, yet covered in bizarre, blood-red veins that bulged like blood vessels.
These lines were not static; they pulsed slowly, emitting a heart-stopping, evil aura. Most terrifyingly of all, its two massive eye sockets, formed from top-grade ice marrow, had no pupils—only two dancing clumps of blood-red flames!
“Han Muchun! You lunatic! You woke up the Guardian Malevolent Golem!!” Zhao Yue cried out in disarray. In his haste, he summoned his flying sword to block a giant, millstone-sized ice spike that came flying toward him.
Zhao Yue stared at the blood-red veins on the golem in shock and anger, utterly horrified in his heart: “These lines... are so bizarre!”
The moment the golem charged out, Bai Qingxue, who had been standing as still and deep as an abyss, gave a violent shudder that was almost imperceptible.
An indescribable, intense pain surged from the deepest part of her body.
The Demonic Sect restriction that originally belonged to Ning Qinghan, which she had forcibly contained within her Ice Spirit Physique, now writhed and burned frantically like a venomous snake thrown into a fire!
The restriction seemed to share the same source as the blood-red veins on the golem. Stirred by the golem's aura, it rampaged through her meridians, trying to break out of her body to return to its origin!
Bai Qingxue's face instantly lost all color, becoming even paler than the hard ice surrounding her.
Bai Qingxue's light-colored pupils contracted slightly. She could clearly see that beneath the skin of her fingertips hanging inside her sleeves, a faint trace of crimson—identical to the color on the golem—was beginning to show.
She could even feel the restriction “leaping” in excitement, yearning to merge with the golem.
Yet, Bai Qingxue did not let out even the slightest cry of pain, nor did she even furrow her brow.
Only her slightly trembling eyelashes betrayed the immense pressure she was currently enduring.
“Junior Sister Bai!” Lu Xueqing was the first to notice her anomaly. Her longsword left its scabbard completely, its cold light flaring as she shielded Bai Qingxue firmly behind her.
Staring at Bai Qingxue's suddenly bloodless face, her eyes were filled with anxiety and heartache. Yet, she did not dare to touch her rashly, fearing she might disrupt Bai Qingxue's focus as she channeled her power to resist the bizarre erosion.
Ning Qinghan also sensed something. She stared blankly at Bai Qingxue's slightly trembling yet unyielding back, and then at the pulsing blood-red veins on the golem, an unprecedented wave of guilt flashing through her eyes.
Bai Qingxue took a deep breath, forcing down the metallic sweetness rising in her throat. Then, her fingers formed a hand seal inside her sleeve, doing everything she could to soothe the rampaging restriction inside her.
Bai Qingxue raised her eyes. Her light-colored pupils looked increasingly cold and translucent amidst the violent, blood-red, freezing malevolent energy. Due to the restriction's erosion, the corners of her eyes were even dyed with a very faint, yet highly sinister crimson.
Staring at the roaring golem that resonated with the restriction inside her, she spoke with a heart-stirring calmness and determination:
“Do not worry about me.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she raised the Frost Moon Chant to her lips. A wisp of ice-blue spiritual light gathered on it, but within this light, several hair-thin yet clearly visible crimson threads were mixed in, looking like a frozen river of blood.
Rate on N.U.
