The hall was frigid, the temperature unbearably low. Gu Xichen continuously channeled his Zhenqi into his Taoist robe and cloak, activating the treasures. The resulting barrier of light was nearly a meter thick, yet rolling waves of chilling air still seeped through, causing Gu Xichen’s teeth to chatter uncontrollably, making his very viscera and brain feel like blocks of ice.

With a great effort, he forced himself to take two more steps forward, gathered his inner strength, and blew out a fierce gust of wind that scattered the white mist before him, revealing a bizarre spectacle.

On the floor in the center of the hall, nine enormous dragon heads were cast from silver metal, and pale silver flames continuously spewed from the mouths of the nine dragons. Directly above them, at the center of the ceiling, nine golden crow heads were cast from golden metal, and nine pale golden flames similarly erupted from the crows’ beaks.

The silver and gold flames intertwined in the air, forming a pair of interlocking Yin-Yang spheres, each the size of a washbasin, composed of gold and silver fire. Tightly enveloped within the rapidly spinning Taiji spheres was a pure white pearl.

Countless streams of white cold energy ceaselessly erupted from this extremely restrained, lusterless white bead, blasting outward. The dense white mist breached the containment of the gold and silver Taiji spheres and permeated the hall.

Gold and silver flames? A breached restriction?

Glancing back at the blackened nuclear reactor with a hairline fracture, Gu Xichen seemed to grasp something. This reactor, whose operating principle he didn't understand, was probably intended to supply the energy for these gold and silver flames, thereby sealing the white pearl. But why would such a crucial energy core be placed outside the main gate, making it vulnerable to damage?

Could it be that the one who set up the seal harbored ill intentions? That anyone who managed to break the external reactor and enter here would be frozen to death by the cold?

“It’s possible! Those ancient cultivators could travel from Earth to Planet Heaven to establish their caves for cultivation—what couldn't they accomplish?”

Xin Jia’s voice suddenly echoed near Gu Xichen’s ear: “Exalted One. The materials used to cast the dragon heads and the crow heads are all rare primordial materials: Primordial Geng Metal and Primordial Taibai Essence, respectively. These primordial materials are extremely rare. If one dragon head and one crow head were melted down and cast into an Immeasurable Divine Chain, no one below the level of a Taiyi Immortal could break its restraint!”

“The Immeasurable Divine Chain—is that the iron chain you use?” Gu Xichen asked in surprise.

“Yes, it is the Immeasurable Divine Chain this subordinate normally employs,” Xin Jia replied excitedly. “However, only the Yellow Turban Warriors attending the Great Heavenly Venerables of the Thirty-Three Heavens possess the fortune to use chains forged from primordial materials. What we use are merely chains forged from common Five Metal Essences.”

Primordial materials—unbreakable by anyone below the Taiyi Immortal level!

Gu Xichen immediately recalled the vicious battle atop the Gu Group Headquarters tower against the Withered Bone Divine Lord. Xin Jia, Zhao Yi, and the others had set up the Heavenly Net and Earthly Trap Grand Array, managing to entangle the Withered Bone Divine Lord, one of the Evil Path Grandmasters of the Asian Dao Alliance! If Xin Jia had used the chain forged from primordial materials that day, the Withered Bone Divine Lord would likely have been bound and defeated long ago!

After pondering for a long time, Gu Xichen cautiously took another step forward.

As this step landed, the flames within the nine dragon heads and nine crow heads suddenly vanished, and a muffled voice resonated through the hall: “Youngster, you know not the immensity of heaven and earth and court death. You deserve to die!”

A burst of intense silver and gold light flashed around the hall, and immeasurable white cold energy suddenly erupted from the white pearl. This bizarre bead, as if it had discovered fresh blood, became immensely excited and shot toward Gu Xichen in a streak of white light, plunging directly into his Dantian!

Rolling cold energy exploded from his Dantian, surging through the Qijing Eight Meridians and Twelve Regular Meridians to permeate his entire body. The immense power contained within the cold air madly ravaged Gu Xichen’s body. Wherever the cold passed, his cellular tissues fractured into minute particles. In the blink of an eye, Gu Xichen was transformed into a white ice sculpture, collapsing onto the floor, his entire body turned a deathly, ashen white. Only the fierce cold light radiating from his Dantian and the reddish glow swirling near his heart betrayed any sign of life.

Almost instantaneously, Gu Xichen lost all consciousness. In the Zifu Sea of Consciousness, a wisp of extremely faint bright light shot out from the slowly revolving massive Taiji vortex. It moved deliberately, tracing a path along his meridians, nerves, and blood vessels throughout his entire body. Wherever the bright light passed, the terrifying cold energy immediately submitted, as if a rampaging Tyrannosaurus Rex had transformed into a gentle, adorable lapdog. The essence of the Hanba (drought demon) bloodline energy stored within the Hanyuan Dao Fetus was fully activated, and the scorching energy containing boundless vitality surged rapidly along with this single thread of light throughout his body.

The body, pulverized by the cold, slowly began to regenerate. The terrifying power contained within the cold air was integrated, drop by drop, into Gu Xichen’s body.

The cold energy’s destruction of the body was absolute and devastatingly thorough. Gu Xichen’s body had been reduced to the finest energy particles; consequently, the energy contained within the cold air fused with his body with absolute completeness. Gu Xichen’s body became this cold air, and this cold air became Gu Xichen’s body.

Slowly, Gu Xichen instinctively straightened his body. He placed his hands around his Dantian, with his five senses facing the heavens, and the Hanyuan True Canon circulated naturally.

The amount of bright light was exceedingly small. It only flowed through Gu Xichen’s body repeatedly. Wherever it traveled, the cold energy became utterly compliant, its energy constantly merging into Gu Xichen’s body. The pure essence of the Dao continuously repaired the shattered flesh, restoring him to his original state. But just as the Zhenqi flowed past, new cold energy would surge out from the Dantian, continuing to destroy the newly repaired flesh, freezing it into dust again. After a short while, the bright light, carrying the energy from the Dao Fetus, would slowly return, repairing the body once more…

Repair after repair, shattering after shattering, energy constantly merging with the body.

Meridians, acupoints, Dantian, bones, bone marrow, blood cells—everything was being continuously strengthened.

Gradually, the internal organs followed: heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, spleen, intestines… All internal organs were pulverized, repaired, and strengthened in the same manner.

The cold air contained an extremely terrifying yet indescribably pure spiritual energy, though this spiritual energy was entirely oriented toward extreme cold. Spiritual energy of this magnitude was entirely beyond absorption by someone of Gu Xichen’s realm; even cultivators of the Corpse Emperor’s level could not harness it for their own use. However, with the aid of this faint bright light, this potent spiritual energy continually infused Gu Xichen’s body, filling every single cell within him…

Finally, this surge of spiritual energy met Gu Xichen’s spiritual force. The spiritual force, which also leaned toward the Ice Element, greedily lunged toward this intense cold spiritual energy, much like starved chicks desperately pouncing upon a giant dragon starved for a hundred thousand years… Fortunately, that wisp of bright light arrived in time. Under the light’s appeasement, the ravenous dragon transformed into tiny, obedient millet grains, which the hungry chicks swallowed and absorbed grain by grain, converting it into usable energy.

Gu Xichen’s soul origin grew robust once more, increasing from ten times that of a normal person to a hundred times, and it continued to strengthen…

The white pearl suspended in Gu Xichen’s Dantian continued to emit rolling white mist, releasing ever-intensifying cold. Gradually, white mist began to seep out from Gu Xichen’s pores. This intense cold filled the entire hall, and the white mist, now holding absolute dominance, saturated Gu Xichen’s entire body, even beginning to invade his heart, the Hanyuan Dao Fetus. The vital blood energy contained within the Dao Fetus had been completely squeezed dry. The strange cold spiritual energy contained within the white mist relentlessly eroded the Dao Fetus, gradually altering its fundamental attributes…

Hissing softly, the white pearl traveled through Gu Xichen’s meridians toward his Dao Fetus. It seemed this throbbing Dao Fetus, which contained immensely powerful life energy, was more to the bead’s liking. Ultimately, it burrowed into Gu Xichen’s heart.

The Taiji vortex in the Zifu Sea of Consciousness abruptly stalled. It seemed to exhaust all its power, shooting out eight beams of bright light. Including the initial one, nine dim beams of light pierced into Gu Xichen’s heart, striking hard against his nascent Dao Fetus. Though seemingly weak, the bright light possessed an extremely miraculous power. The white pearl was struck by this light and immediately collapsed along with the Dao Fetus. Under the maintenance of the bright light, the two began an extremely slow fusion. Gu Xichen’s heartbeat grew slower, but the power of each beat grew exponentially stronger. Gradually, his Dao Fetus and his heart underwent a fundamental, earth-shattering transformation.

At the satellite city construction site, the sun shone brilliantly.

Mu YanHua and Bell Adams hovered like dark clouds high above the heads of all the special agents disguised as construction workers and the original site foreman.

Following the scent of cooking smoke, Mu YanHua, carrying cameras, video recorders, and various logging instruments, excitedly arrived at the construction site’s workers’ canteen. The nearly one hundred construction workers, former special agents, stood in perfectly straight, almost unnervingly orderly lines while queuing for their meals. Mu YanHua, displaying professional rigor, questioned several workers about meal fees, meal standards, and meal hygiene.

Afterward, the group toured the entire construction site, moving from one foundation pit to another. They behaved like curious children, inquiring about various construction indices and specifications. Several heads of the Special Services Bureau were left speechless by Mu YanHua’s sharp and peculiar questions. When Mu YanHua asked if these foundation pits could withstand a nuclear bomb attack, one of the agent leaders nearly drew his sidearm to execute Mu YanHua on the spot.

The group of ‘reporters’ passed by the sealed-off tunnel several times. Bell Adams casually inquired about what was sealed inside. The agents’ hands almost simultaneously moved to their waists. Fortunately, Mu YanHua’s group merely laughed and strolled past the tunnel entrance.

The Special Services Bureau’s inside source had already relayed the intelligence: these individuals were genuine reporters from Earth Telecommunications, meaning their ultimate backer was the Federal Congress Chairman, Jean Joann!

The agents at the site could only wear mournful expressions as they accompanied these esteemed guests around the site for the entire day.

Because the ‘reporters’ continuously passed the tunnel entrance, not a single agent dared to approach that perilous area.

The second day passed similarly.

On the night of the third day, Siren, who had been waiting in the nearby mountains, suddenly received a strange signal. He pondered for a moment, exchanged a glance with Aredia, and then silently slipped into the forest.