Immortal Refiner

Boom!

A thunderous explosion suddenly reverberated across the vast, snow-covered mountains, shaking the very earth.

This was almost unimaginable. The Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains earned their name for a reason. To trigger such a violent disturbance here meant an inevitable, cataclysmic snowstorm was about to descend.

Rumble!

True to form, the mountain trembled. The thick layers of snow, accumulated over countless years, instantly collapsed, cascading down in a world-devouring avalanche.

At the heart of this snowstorm, a stone egg slowly floated upward, radiating an overwhelming aura.

Mysterious runes circled the egg—ancient demon script, so rare that few in the modern world could decipher them.

Below, Ling Ying and Liu Hongyuan’s faces turned ashen. Their expressions were grim; they hadn’t anticipated that the ancient Demon Venerable would disregard their presence and directly attack the ancient seal atop Snow Mountain Peak.

The colossal disturbance triggered an avalanche of apocalyptic proportions, its deafening roar threatening to obliterate all life in its path.

In truth, though the Crocodile Venerable disregarded many conventions, it was not entirely careless in its actions.

A spiritual light emanated from the surface of its stone egg, shielding the massive crater where it had resided, ensuring the safety of both Ling Ying and Liu Hongyuan.

The massive avalanche abruptly halted as it approached their position, while the surrounding blizzard continued to rage fiercely.

Seeing this, Ling Ying and Liu Hongyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, realizing the old demon venerable had shown some consideration for them after all.

Their awe for this ancient Demon Venerable, who had survived from ancient times to the present, deepened.

The casual display of its power had protected them from the avalanche.

If this was the extent of its power before fully hatching, how terrifying would it become once it emerged completely?

As the avalanche began to engulf the entire snow mountain, the Crocodile Venerable acted again, casting a series of mysterious seals toward the Snow Mountain Peak.

Buzz!

The summit of the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains, arguably the most perilous place in the entire forbidden land, was perpetually shrouded in bone-chilling gales, making it virtually impossible to ascend.

Only during specific periods of time would the frigid gale winds temporarily subside, revealing the Cold Wind Pool atop the mountain peak—the entrance to the Cold Wind Secret Realm.

Now, Crocodile Venerable was forcibly breaking the seal of the Cold Wind Secret Realm, unraveling this ancient secret realm that had existed since time immemorial.

The mountain trembled as brilliant black demon script rapidly expanded, then seared itself into the snow-covered peak.

”Once this seal is completely broken, the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains will no longer deserve their name,” Ling Ying murmured, gazing at the spiritual light emanating from the secret realm’s entrance. ”Perhaps from now on, one of the Azure Ridge Domain’s four forbidden lands will be removed from the list.”

Liu Hongyuan, who had been staring in awe, couldn’t help but ask, ”What exactly will happen when the seal is broken?!”

Ling Ying chuckled. ”It’s related to the founding purpose of the Lingyun Sect. Though they remain aloof from worldly affairs, their true mission is to guard the Southern Domain of Azure Ridge—or, more precisely, to contain the ancient demon clan sealed within these snow mountains.”

Upon hearing the words ”ancient demon clan,” Liu Hongyuan’s hunched frame trembled slightly.

”If the ancient demon clan is released, won’t it bring disaster upon our sect in the future?!”

Ling Ying chuckled and shook his head. ”You underestimate the Lingyun Sect’s strength. Besides, the remaining ancient demon clans within have been sealed for so long that they’re no longer at their peak.”

”With the Lingyun Sect’s current power, dealing with them might cause some headaches, but it’s far from an insurmountable challenge.”

”Enough of these distant concerns. What happens next is beyond our control. Let the Lingyun Sect worry about it.”

The Lingyun Sect’s mountain gate stood across a vast, snow-covered plain from the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains. Over the years, occasional avalanches from the mountains had swept across the plain—a common occurrence.

As the long night deepened, the ground began to tremble faintly.

Several Lingyun Sect disciples guarding the mountain gate formation were immediately alarmed.

”What’s happening? Is this an earth dragon stirring?!”

”Why is the ground shaking? Is something wrong?!”

”Should we notify the elders?”

These panicked disciples were recent initiates from the ascension conference, still unfamiliar with many things.

A few seasoned veterans scoffed. ”Calm down, newbies. Avalanches happen every few years in these mountains. It’s perfectly normal. No need to overreact.”

”Just keep an eye on the mountain gate. What major incident could possibly occur?”

”Heh, newly initiated disciples are always like this. The most amusing one I remember was Junior Brother Zong Han. He was sound asleep when the first avalanche hit and jumped up in a panic, shouting about a foreign invasion.”

”Hahahaha! I remember that too! They say it even alarmed several Law Enforcement Elders back then!”

”...”

Hearing the explanations from their seasoned senior brothers, the new disciples finally calmed down and decided to ignore the commotion, resuming their meditative postures before the mountain gate.

Only one disciple remained uneasy, his gaze fixed anxiously on the snow-covered mountains.

”Senior brothers, have avalanches ever caused such a prolonged disturbance before?”

”Remember, the sect is separated from the snow mountains by a vast, boundless snowfield. Even if an avalanche occurred, it shouldn’t last this long, right?”

One of the senior brothers replied impatiently, ”It’s just a particularly large avalanche this time. Maybe some foolhardy rogue cultivators are trying to climb the mountains in search of opportunities.”

”Though rare, such incidents do happen. Every few years, there are always some reckless individuals who dare to tempt fate.”

Silence returned to the mountain gate, broken only by the persistent tremors in the ground, a testament to the immense scale of the distant avalanche.

Even after a considerable time, the ground continued to shake.

This time, even the seasoned senior brothers began to sense something was amiss.

”Hiss... This is strange. Why is this avalanche lasting so long?”

”Indeed. And it seems to be intensifying. Could the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains be on the verge of collapse?!”

”...”

No one truly believed the mountains were about to collapse; such a scenario seemed utterly unrealistic.

The Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains were renowned as one of the four great forbidden lands of the Azure Ridge Domain precisely because of their extreme danger. Even core formation realm cultivators couldn’t possibly shatter an entire mountain range.

Yet, unbeknownst to them, a being equivalent to a core formation realm cultivator was currently attempting to break the seal at the Snow Mountain Peak.

”I think we should report this to the elders. I’m getting the feeling the temperature around here has dropped significantly.”

”Hmm, it does seem much colder now. Almost as cold as when I ventured deep into the snowfields on that sect mission.”

Positioned at the edge of the formation, they barely benefited from its cold-resistant properties, making the chilling sensation all the more palpable.

After conferring, the qi refining disciples guarding the mountain gate decided to send one of their own to report the matter to an elder.

”Chu Mingyi, since you were the first to notice this, you should be the one to inform the elder,” a senior brother, naturally exercising his minor authority, assigned the task to the newly initiated junior brother.

Chu Mingyi didn’t object. He was the disciple who had felt uneasy earlier and was now eager to take on the errand.

”Understood, Senior Brother!”

With that, Chu Mingyi summoned a flying magic artifact and soared toward the sect’s inner sanctum.

Lingyun Sect, Law Enforcement Hall.

”Ground tremors? Avalanches are common in the snow mountains. Why bother with such trivial matters?” The Law Enforcement Elder leisurely fanned himself with a feather fan, his voice languid.

Protected by the sect’s formation, the hall remained warm, making it impossible to sense the disturbances at the mountain gate.

(End of the Chapter)

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