Chapter 589

Chapter 589: Ice Crystal Beast

The creature was entirely silver-white, glowing with a metallic sheen that gave it an otherworldly beauty.

Ye Yun gripped it in his palm, feeling a chill seep into his skin.

“Brother Jian, what rank of treasure is this silver long arrow?” he asked. Though it looked extraordinary and faintly spiritual, he sensed no overwhelming energy within it.

The Ancestor of the Sword Path’s voice trembled with excitement. “Boy, have you heard of the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow?”

Ye Yun shook his head. “Naming a bow after shooting the blazing sun? It must be fearsome. A top-quality Immortal artifact?”

The Ancestor snorted. “Correct—a *growing* top-quality Immortal artifact.”

Ye Yun’s brows rose. “So with heavenly materials and earthly treasures, plus the right techniques, it can evolve?”

“Precisely,” the Ancestor replied smugly. “This silver arrow is part of that bow. It’s called the Meteor Arrow.”

A spark lit Ye Yun’s eyes. *Meteor Arrow*—shoot it, and stars fall. The night sky’s pinpricks were actually colossal, merely distant. Exaggerated as the claim was, it spoke volumes about the arrow’s might.

“Where’s the bow?” Ye Yun pressed. If true, no one could withstand such a weapon.

“Release your mental intent. Let the Meteor Arrow converse with me,” the Ancestor ordered, ignoring the question.

Ye Yun blinked. “The arrow… speaks? Does it house a spirit?”

“Not a spirit. A sliver of *my* Soul Power resides within it,” the Ancestor said gravely, yet with undertones of eagerness.

“Soul Power?” Ye Yun froze. The Ancestor’s soul had been split into three: one found by Ye Yun, one in the Great Qin Empire’s palace, the last possibly in a Secret Vault. Was *this* that vault?

“Yes. But this fragment is pitifully weak—not even one-third of my original power. Some saint carved up my already fractured soul, turning part into the arrow’s spirit,” the Ancestor growled.

“Can you reclaim it?” Retrieving it might restore more of the Ancestor’s memories, aiding their exploration.

“Effortlessly. This fragment was always mine.” The Ancestor’s voice resonated from Ye Yun’s soul depths. A foreign energy crawled up Ye Yun’s arm from the arrow, burrowing into his core.

The Ancestor let out a muffled groan, then laughed wildly.

“Incomplete, but a start!” His soul had been sealed by the demon Huo Lie for millennia. This fragment, however small, marked progress.

“Find the fourth layer’s entrance. I need time to fuse with this.”

Nodding, Ye Yun surveyed the area. Near the shattered ice house, a twisting icy light pulsed, forming a whirlpool.

BOOM!

An explosion roared behind him. The spatial array of interwoven lights trembled, edges fraying.

Ye Yun whirled. “Impossible! Even I couldn’t crack this array with my grasp of spatial laws. Who’s strong enough to break it?”

The collapsing array defied belief—its power had seemed unshakable.

Ye Yun took a deep breath, suddenly remembering the Golden Core disciples who had invaded the Ice Tower. But those twenty-odd Golden Core disciples couldn’t possibly break this array. If anyone could break through, it must be an expert who’d reached the Fifth Level of the Nascent Soul stage.

Ye Yun’s cultivation level could advance to the Third Level of the Golden Core stage at any moment. Yet against a Fifth Level Nascent Soul Ancestor, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

"This is bad. If a Fifth Level Nascent Soul Ancestor really comes, escaping will be impossible." His gaze fixed on the spinning icy light.

In an instant, the icy light formed a whirlpool taller than a man. Strangely, it produced no pulling force – even standing right next to it wouldn’t drag you in.

Ye Yun stared at the ice light whirlpool, then stepped inside. If correct, this was the passage to the fourth layer.

Apparently, the fourth layer’s entrance only appeared when the ice house shattered.

He didn’t understand how a light palm strike could destroy such sturdy ice walls, but was grateful it happened. Otherwise, he’d never have found the Meteor Arrow or this whirlpool.

As he entered, icy radiance flashed around him. The cold here was ten times fiercer than previous layers, piercing through his flesh to freeze his very bones.

Without his preparations and deep understanding of Ice Element Law, this cold would’ve overwhelmed him. Even with his cultivation at the Golden Core stage’s Second Level peak and enhanced physique, he nearly got frozen solid.

Now he understood Ling Tianyu’s words – Ye Yun’s current power could barely reach the fourth layer.

If the entrance was this terrifying, the fifth layer defied imagination.

Icy light shimmered before his eyes. When the glare faded, an ice mountain stood revealed.

A true ice mountain!

Ye Yun gaped at the crystalline peak towering hundreds of zhang high, glowing with pale radiance.

Bone-numbing cold struck him, instantly freezing his startled form.

Shaking himself awake, he shattered the ice encasing him. Crystals tinkled to the ground.

"An ice mountain… yet no spatial magical array detected. Such power is unbelievable."

His awestruck eyes traced the mountain’s slope to its summit, where crimson light pulsed like a distant lantern.

"That red light must be the fourth layer’s treasure."

Frowning, Ye Yun channeled seventy percent of his power to resist the pervasive cold. Even this barely sufficed against the freezing assault.

He stood hundreds of zhang from the mountain’s base, already struggling. What cold awaited at its heart?

Rather than fear, excitement sparked in his eyes. Greater challenges meant greater rewards.

Ye Yun darted forward. As predicted, the cold intensified with each step, forcing him to expend more energy.

Reaching the base, ninety percent of his power now fought the cold. Against a sixth level Golden Core disciple, he’d only have ten percent left for combat – certain defeat.

The mountain’s glass-smooth cliff offered no purchase. Attempting to jump, he found the frozen air too thick – barely clearing ten zhang before falling back.

Not only did liquefied cold permeate this place, but hidden spatial arrays also prevented flight.

Circling the mountain’s base, after an incense stick’s burning time, he discovered translucent ice steps winding up the rear slope toward the peak.

The only path upward.

No time for hesitation – a Fifth Level Nascent Soul Ancestor might be pursuing. Delay meant disaster.

The towering mountain’s countless steps challenged him. Halfway up, the cold transformed. Icy essence solidified into countless Ice Needles raining down, leaving nowhere to hide.

Ye Yun’s brow furrowed. Thrusting out his right palm, he unleashed his own wave of icy power to block the assault.

The Ice Needles whizzed toward Ye Yun, clinking against his icy defenses.

Though the Ice Needles weren’t very strong, their endless numbers pressed on relentlessly. If they’d remained at this power, Ye Yun felt confident he could reach the mountaintop. But if their strength doubled, all hope would vanish.

Clearly, the treasure of the fourth layer’s ice mountain wasn’t meant to be easily claimed.

Ye Yun quickened his pace, hands glowing with icy light as he shielded himself and climbed.

Soon, he reached the mountainside. The barrage of Ice Needles abruptly ceased, vanishing as though they’d never existed.

Ye Yun frowned but didn’t lower his guard. Their sudden disappearance likely signaled a deadlier threat ahead. Charging forward carelessly could prove fatal.

He advanced cautiously, climbing thirty steps before spotting a smooth, jade-like platform.

The Ice Platform spanned less than ten zhang. A resting spot? The thought flickered through his mind before he dismissed it.

Rest here? Impossible. A trap awaited.

Ye Yun stepped onto the platform, senses sharp.

A shrill whistle pierced the air. He dodged sideways as a shadow crashed onto the platform—yet not a single ice shard splintered from the impact.

An Ice Crystal Beast stood revealed: dragon-headed, lion-bodied, with two crystalline wings spanning two zhang. Its aura rolled over Ye Yun like tidal waves, crushing and immense.

This was no statue. The creature’s ice-carved eyes glinted coldly as it locked onto him.

Retreat? Futile. Nowhere to flee on this mountain.

Ye Yun’s eyes hardened. With no Ice Needles to hinder him here, his full power surged forth.

The Purple Shadow Sword materialized in a violet shimmer. Instead of lightning, biting cold radiated from the blade—a chill rivaling the mountain’s own.

The beast’s frozen eyelids twitched in apparent surprise before it roared.

Its wings snapped upward, fusing into a colossal ice blade that hurtled toward Ye Yun.

No warning. No mercy. Pure lethal intent.

Ye Yun’s breath caught. This strike surpassed what any peak Golden Core cultivator could endure. Had he not broken through on the second layer, it would’ve ended him.

He leapt upward, sword slashing. Icy light erupted like a towering pillar, its freezing might sealing vast distances.

The blade met his strike.

BOOM!

The collision hurled Ye Yun back two steps. He swatted aside the dispersing Icy Mist to see the rebounding blade split back into wings on the beast’s spine.

The creature studied him, icy gaze calculating. Crouching low, it opened its maw. A azure ice pillar erupted—power dwarfing its previous attack by multiples.

This force could crush Golden Core experts. Even a Fifth Level Nascent Soul Ancestor would perish unless they’d grasped the Heavenly Path’s first truths.

A sage’s method. An Earth Immortal’s might.

One beast to slaughter all below Fifth Level Nascent Soul.

The blue pillar surged forward.