Dizang Chuan stared coldly at Lian Guang, his whole body draped in black robes billowing dramatically, the black hair draped over his shoulders flying wildly. His pitch-black pupils, beneath the dim sky, shone piercingly, like two points of frigid lightning, fixed unwaveringly on Lian Guang.

Bang—

The Earth Divine Sword cleaved down viciously upon the Heaven-Slaying Dagger. A flash, like a bolt of lightning, illuminated the entire sky, momentarily brightening the very earth. Then, the Heaven-Slaying Dagger was seen tumbling backward, like a defeated, lifeless snake, revolving a dozen times before clattering onto the snow near Dizang Chuan’s feet. The dagger stuck point-down into the accumulated snow, its hilt tilted slightly.

The Earth Divine Sword seemed to exhale in relief, drawing back subtly, hovering around Lian Guang’s body. Its sharp tip swept back and forth, watching Dizang Chuan like a viper poised to strike.

Dizang Chuan’s gaze gradually sharpened. He aimed his palm toward the Heaven-Slaying Dagger, cupping his hand inward. A pulling force snatched the dagger out of the snow. He gently gripped the hilt, lowering his head to examine the exquisite engravings on the blade, as if appreciating a piece of fine art, a bewitching and strange smile playing on his lips. “Originally… I intended to play with you a bit longer. Seeing the situation now, if I don't settle this quickly, once you fully master the recognition of the [Earth’s Shield], killing you will indeed require considerable effort.”

He lifted his head, his smile possessing a bizarre handsomeness, which, under the intermittent flashes of lightning in the gloomy sky, took on an extra layer of malevolence.

Lian Guang’s body felt a chilling dampness. The dim, yellowish light flickering from the [Earth’s Shield] hidden behind his back wavered momentarily, like a candle flame buffeted by the wind, then dimmed slightly before reigniting.

Lian Guang stared intensely at him, remaining silent, channeling the entirety of his mental power to bombard the engravings on the [Earth’s Shield]. Once he completely familiarized himself with these runes and traced them to the innermost Shield Spirit, he would successfully achieve recognition.

Dizang Chuan raised his hand. The Heart of the Earth, resembling a golden seed, rested quietly in his palm. “Do you still remember this?” His smile deepened, thick with mockery. “I owe this to you, in a way. The moment you obtained the Earth Divine Sword, I was preparing to strike you down, but unexpectedly… I stumbled upon this trinket. That is why I kept you alive until today, allowing you and Tia to slaughter each other…”

Lian Guang’s face turned ashen, staring at him coldly.

Dizang Chuan chuckled lightly, his eyes growing sharp. “You must have heard of the might of the Heart of the Earth… Now, you may rest. Slumber in the eternal soil, and become my thrall!” The [Heart of the Earth] in his hand radiated a dazzling golden light, spreading across the vast expanse like countless golden swords and blades.

Rumble~~~

A sound, like the sluggish flow of molten magma, rose from the earth beneath their feet, causing the entire ground to tremble softly.

In the sky choked with dark clouds, the faint daylight illuminating everything for countless miles caused the entire landscape to shake violently, as if something vast was about to burst from the soil.

“Earth Burial!”

Dizang Chuan thrust out his index and middle fingers, folding the remaining three into his palm, then thrust them outward with sharp, staccato movements!

Countless sharp earthen spikes shot out from the ground, completely encircling Lian Guang’s body. Beside him lay the corpse of the deceased Tia, instantly impaled by three or four thick, massive earth spikes. His scalp was torn open, clumps of coagulated blood and brain matter splattering out from his skull, while his chest and abdomen were skewered through by the needle-sharp spikes.

Lian Guang’s body flashed suddenly, leaping high like a hawk, evading the earthen projectiles.

Dizang Chuan glanced at him from a distance, a mocking yet severe smile curving his lips. He raised his hand and clenched his fist in the air toward Lian Guang.

“Break!”

Lian Guang’s body shuddered violently. Then, his entire form seemed to be grasped by an invisible, transparent hand. Something inside his body began to churn—sometimes his chest would bulge outward, sometimes the muscles in his arms would swell high, occasionally his cheeks would puff out like a frog’s, as if a mass of gas was surging wildly inside him.

“You should know…” Dizang Chuan sneered, “The power of the [Heart of the Earth] lies in its ability to command all soil, to merge with the earth itself! By obtaining the Heart of the Earth, the soil of this entire Ancient Continent becomes my body! And naturally, that includes the earth element within your own body.”

Lian Guang’s face flushed crimson, his expression filled with terror. He struggled to part his lips, trying to speak.

Dizang Chuan shook his head and turned away.

Boom—

An explosion, brilliant as fireworks, erupted behind him, sending countless fragments of flesh and blood flying outward. Lian Guang’s entire body detonated into countless pieces of shredded meat, scattering across the snow.

The Earth Divine Sword fell from the sky like an arrow, sticking point-down into the snow, its blade as bright as fresh snow, emitting a low, vibrating hum.

Dizang Chuan turned and walked over, grasping the Earth Divine Sword, lightly stroking its length. The biting, cold wind whipped his robes and hair into a frenzy. He looked up at the distant, gloomy sky, the corner of his mouth curving slightly. “Snow Domain… With this move, even you won’t be able to stop me now…”

Snow Domain, Glacier Passageway.

A blinding white light projected from the front viewport of the spacecraft, causing Ye Chen to instinctively raise a hand to shield his eyes. After a long moment, the intense light gradually receded like the tide. Only then did he open his eyes to see the Heavenly Dao Divine Boat moored in a world of ice and snow. Ahead lay a massive glacier, with two snow-white ice peaks marking the entrance to a narrow passage that gradually tightened before them, seemingly stretching toward a distant horizon. At the end of that passage, a vast world was visible. A mournful wind howled, channeling in from outside through the narrow glacial corridor. Large, feather-like snow obscured the vista at the end of the glacier, blurring the boundary between heaven and earth.

“Master!”

Xiao Zongsheng’s voice pulled Ye Chen back to awareness. “It’s bad, Master! The ship’s energy core and engines are nearly frozen solid, and the heating system is failing.”

Ye Chen quickly glanced at the ship’s status displayed on the virtual window. On the schematic model of the vessel, the two modules at the rear and the base were flashing blood-red, indicating a critical failure that the ship’s internal repair system could not address.

“How can this be?” Ye Chen sucked in a sharp breath. “This is a Void-Heaven artifact-grade ship; how could it be frozen? What is the temperature here?”

Bai Yijun, standing beside him, couldn’t help but show a look of utter astonishment.

This was the Snow Domain?

Ye Chen reacted swiftly, snatching his hand back to draw the thirty-six Divine Emperor powerhouses from the hall behind him into the Runic Space. He then looked at Bai Yijun and said gravely, “You go inside first. My power can only protect myself.”

Bai Yijun nodded. “Don’t worry about me. I know.”

Ye Chen hugged her briefly, took a deep breath, turned, and walked to the cabin door, closing his eyes gently. The imprint of the Wind Origin Law within his body slowly surfaced on his forehead. A dense flow of wind-elemental origin power enveloped his body, forming a transparent wind barrier.

“Open!” Ye Chen said in a low voice.

The hatch hissed open slowly.

The roaring wind and snow outside instantly amplified, wailing like countless ghosts crying out beside his ears. Ye Chen’s expression was grim. He instantly flashed out and sealed the hatch shut.

The biting cold immediately permeated his entire being. He couldn't help but shiver and hurriedly reinforced the thickness of the wind barrier protecting his body, then spun around to rapidly open the Runic Space.

A massive rift tore open in the air. Just as Ye Chen prepared to insert the Heavenly Dao Divine Boat, he saw that the entrance to the Runic Space’s barrier was instantly coated in countless ice crystals, resembling the jagged, interlocking teeth of an ice monster’s maw.

Ye Chen frowned. With a wave of his hand, a transparent gust of wind seemed to sweep through the air, grinding those ice crystals into dust.

Ye Chen quickly coated the entrance of the Runic Space with a layer of wind barrier, like applying a film, before sending the Heavenly Dao Divine Boat inside.

Thick white ice crystals had already condensed on the outer hull railings of the Heavenly Dao Divine Boat. Both wing structures and the thruster nozzles were covered in heavy frost, which spread at a visible rate, threatening to engulf the entire vessel soon.

After storing the ship, Ye Chen closed the Runic Space, standing alone in the vast, desolate world of ice and snow. He turned his head and realized that this glacial corridor was immensely wide; even the ten-kilometer-long Devouring Heaven Divine Boat looked like a tiny black speck within it, insignificant.

Ye Chen’s brows furrowed. He looked at the two towering, unseen ice mountains flanking the corridor and the world visible beyond the passage that was narrowing ahead, where snow howled and swept across the landscape. He pondered for a moment, then moved, rocketing toward that distant view.

“Once outside the protection of the wind barrier, the temperature here would instantly freeze my physical body into ice, capable of freezing the soul itself.”

“The body of the First Ancestor of the Ten Pavilions must be hidden somewhere securely,” Ye Chen mused, flying along the glacial corridor.

It was like trying to reach a distant mountain on foot—though the end of the glacier looked close, reaching it required a tremendously long flight.

As Ye Chen pondered, he kept a sharp watch on his surroundings. After flying several hundred kilometers, he looked down from a high vantage point and suddenly spotted a small white spot of light, resembling a protruding chunk of ice.

Ye Chen frowned. Over the long distance he had already covered, he hadn't seen a single protruding ice chunk on this surface as smooth as a mirror. This piece of ice seemed jarringly out of place and strange. He considered it briefly, then slowly descended.

As he approached, Ye Chen saw that the chunk of ice was actually a silver wolf covered in white fur. Its massive body lay sprawled on the cold ice, a gaping hole marring its flank near the abdomen, from which white blood was oozing.

Ye Chen’s pupils contracted slightly. He released a faint wave of energy to test the form and immediately determined the silver wolf had been dead for a considerable time. He let out a quiet sigh of relief and floated down.

The wolf’s body measured ten zhang long; an elephant could be flattened into a paste with a single swipe of its claws. Its white fur stood up like quills, the hairs as straight and sharp as needles, an intimidating sight that made one’s scalp tingle.

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