Compared to the dazzling, robbery-worthy path outside, the old palace was not too luxurious, but too spartan.

Surrounded by ice mountains soaring ten thousand li high, there lay a thousand-li diameter ice-and-snow plain. Suspended a hundred zhang above the ground was a single room, condensed from the essence of ice and snow. A plaque above the door, inscribed with the hastily written characters "Ice God Palace" in three strokes, announced this place as the Ice God Palace, the residence of the Primordial-level entity, True Monarch Taiyin.

The room, containing only one space, was barely a few dozen zhang square. Inside, a few prayer mats woven from seaweed were spread out—this constituted all the furnishing.

In front of the Ice God Palace, across the thousand-li plain, thousands of cylindrical ice pillars of varying diameters, from a few feet to several zhang across, jutted out at different heights. These pillars were entirely transparent, each encasing one, several, or even dozens of magical artifacts glowing with various colors. Every single artifact was of a quality superior to Supreme Immortal Artifacts, with some possessing power no weaker than ordinary Innate Treasures.

This was the Ice God Palace; these ice pillars were the locations where ancient immortals, who had offered vast celestial treasures and gained True Monarch Taiyin’s permission, sat to attend his sermons on the Great Dao. Upon gaining enlightenment from the Great Dao taught by True Monarch Taiyin, these ancient immortals habitually refined superior artifacts on the spot, leaving behind their original magical tools within the ice pillars.

This demonstrated the respect these immortals held for True Monarch Taiyin, and also symbolized their complete transformation after hearing the Great Dao—a farewell to their former selves. Among these sealed artifacts were even Primordial Supreme Treasures, comparable to the Sacred Artifacts accompanying the Demonic Dragon, yet their original owners had left them behind in these pillars.

It was clear that True Monarch Taiyin’s sermon, held once per Yuanhui cycle, had its own profound significance. Those powerful beings who were themselves Innate Creatures had ascended to higher realms beyond their original trajectories after receiving True Monarch Taiyin’s guidance.

Gazing upon these thousands of ice pillars, Gu Xiachen slowly nodded. This was the primary objective of his visit to the Ice God Palace.

So many sealed artifacts; their original owners no longer needed them, but Gu Xiachen was in desperate need. As his followers and disciples grew, how could he contend with others without sufficient high-grade magical tools?

Conversely, the superficial heavenly treasures along the Profound Ice Path held little meaning for the current Gu Xiachen. He had means to conduct large-scale mining operations in the lower realms for the common Innate materials he could refine; as for the exceedingly rare materials, such as the eighteen tortoise shells and the bodies of thirty-six divine dragons, though immensely precious, they were beyond his current capability to refine.

Of course, besides the treasures sealed within these ice pillars, there were a few other items in the Ice God Palace that he had coveted for a long time.

After instructing Peng Hua and the others to shatter the ice pillars and retrieve all the magical artifacts within—allowing them to choose several treasures they fancied for refinement and protection—Gu Xiachen, accompanied by Fuya Ming, flew with solemn reverence toward the Ice God Palace.

The tiny Ice God Palace floated silently in the air. Although many, many years had passed since True Monarch Taiyin last departed, this empty little cabin remained utterly unchanged. Gu Xiachen looked upon this unremarkable dwelling, condensed from the essence of ice and snow, and understood that this was where the Great Dao of True Monarch Taiyin resided. The Profound Ice Path was merely something to be shown to outsiders, whereas this Ice God Palace, built not through grand divine abilities but by him painstakingly condensing ice and snow essence, hand-over-hand, was where True Monarch Taiyin concentrated all the Dao he comprehended.

However, the Great Dao contained within the Ice God Palace held no meaning for Gu Xiachen; all of True Monarch Taiyin’s Dao were already imprinted in his mind.

Gazing at the faintly visible finger impressions left by True Monarch Taiyin on the outer wall of the Ice God Palace, Gu Xiachen nodded once. With a single palm strike, he pulverized the Ice God Palace into dust.

Destroying the Ice God Palace and collecting the Profound Ice Path, the last traces of True Monarch Taiyin in this world vanished completely. From this day forward, there was no more True Monarch Taiyin, only Gu Xiachen, who had inherited his entire legacy. As the ice shards from the palace gradually merged into the ice plain beneath his feet, Gu Xiachen suddenly felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted; his vital essence and spirit surged dramatically.

From this day on, he began to forget True Monarch Taiyin, to forget everything left behind by him. All his insights, everything, were henceforth disconnected from that unlucky wretch who once sought to seize his body.

When the Ice God Palace completely disintegrated, a pure white treasure vase, four chi and nine cun tall, materialized before Gu Xiachen. This vase was hazy, seemingly condensed from nothing more than a wisp of cold energy, flickering and intangible as if a gust of wind could scatter it. Yet, this wisp of cold energy was extraordinarily tough; despite the fierce winds blowing, it remained unshaken.

Yes, the reason the Taiyin Profound Pearl Gu Xiachen possessed had lost over half its power and had not fully recovered to this day was not only because True Monarch Taiyin had suffered a sudden encounter with a powerful foe, draining too much of his source energy, but also because forty percent of the Taiyin Profound Pearl’s source essence had been condensed into this treasure vase and left behind in the Ice God Palace.

The Taiyin Profound Pearl slowly spewed forth from above his head, closely followed by the pitch-black Solar Profound Pearl.

The vase, which had been tranquil as still water, suddenly began to ripple, and wisps of cold energy, visible to the naked eye, continuously diffused outward as mist.

With a pointed finger, the vase instantly disintegrated. A vast tide of Taiyin essence, accompanied by sharp, air-tearing sounds, joyfully surged into the Taiyin Profound Pearl. A greyish-white cold light erupted from within the pearl, piercing through the thick, leaden clouds high above. The dense clouds, which had been condensing for untold tens of thousands of years, were shattered by the cold light. The Gang winds, swirling with countless snowflakes sharp as knives, roared down from the sky, cleaving the ice mountains on the ground...

The plain where the Ice God Palace stood was protected by the Taiyin Prohibition Array; no matter how fiercely the Gang winds howled or the ice shards flew, it remained completely unharmed. However, the area covered by the cold light spewed from the Taiyin Profound Pearl grew ever wider, and the expanse of shattered clouds expanded correspondingly. The frigid winds swept down from above like countless raging flood dragons, and the black cold wind stirred up countless greyish-white rays of light, sweeping across all directions. Heaven and Earth became a chaotic void, and the Eternal Light Domain was instantly transformed into a dead land.

Gradually, the storm’s reach widened, spreading through the Eternal Light Domain in a chain reaction. Several days later, the chaotic winds swept across the Little North Pole Eternal Light Domain. The gale stirred up massive ice peaks, which exploded, sending countless sharp ice fragments hurtling everywhere—each impact rivaling the full force of a high-level Immortal casting a sword spell.

A large number of immortals who had relied on their superior immortal arts to venture into the periphery of the Eternal Light Domain, either to collect cold-attribute spiritual herbs or prospect for cold-attribute ores, met with terrible misfortune. Nearly half of them were swept into the storm and utterly annihilated by the myriad ice shards. The other half, luckier, managed to flee the Eternal Light Domain in time, anxiously inquiring about the cause of the celestial upheaval.

The Taiyin Profound Pearl chirped happily. Having recovered the forty percent of its source essence that originally belonged to it, the tens of thousands of colossal spirit veins Gu Xiachen had fed into it over the years were instantly digested. A massive and pure Taiyin essence flooded the entire pearl. A faint Primordial spiritual pressure gradually spread outward. The Taiyin Profound Pearl suddenly gave people the sensation that it had come back to life.

The Corpse Emperor, who had been cultivating within the Taiyin Pearl using the Taiyin Qi, suddenly groaned. The pressure surrounding his body intensified sharply. Even though he now possessed the Luo Hou True Body, his formidable physique was compressed to only about ten zhang in height by the immense force.

Struggling to move his arm as if to wave it away, the Corpse Emperor discovered helplessly that his arm was nearly crushed. The Corpse Emperor could only sit cross-legged with a pained expression, blankly watching the colossal amount of Taiyin essence pour into his body.

What earth-shattering thing had his precious disciple done this time? But it seemed like a good thing!

The Corpse Emperor squinted, watching the surface area of the Taiyin Continent before him rapidly expanding.

Suddenly, the Corpse Emperor pondered a strange question: "Why is Xiachen unwilling to let Baishui and Hè Crane also enter the Taiyin Profound Pearl to cultivate?"

The two Sect Masters, Baishui and Hè Crane, possessed the physical bodies of two Ancient Great Sages and could utilize Taiyin Qi for their own benefit. If they could cultivate inside the Taiyin Profound Pearl, their progress would not be slow. Yet, Gu Xiachen intentionally concealed the existence of the Taiyin Profound Pearl from them. Why?

The Corpse Emperor propped his chin with his hands, deep in thought.

The Eternal Light Domain suddenly convulsed, trembling across billions of li. Almost simultaneously, all the ice mountains disintegrated. Vast quantities of Utmost Yin cold energy surged up from beneath the earth, transforming into white dragons that rushed toward the Taiyin Profound Pearl.

Gu Xiachen perceived the information transmitted from the Taiyin Profound Pearl, smiling and nodding repeatedly: "You are reclaiming all the power you released over the years? Then, do as you wish! The Little North Pole Eternal Light Domain—if it ceases to exist, then so be it!"

The Taiyin Profound Pearl let out a joyous cry, diving straight into the ground, frantically sucking up the subterranean Yin-cold terrestrial spirit energy.

Gu Xiachen then turned his gaze toward a cluster of flickering black flames ahead—a flame no larger than an infant’s fist, yet giving the illusion that it could incinerate everything in heaven and earth, a flame of absolute blackness reflecting no light whatsoever.

One seal, one stone, one mirror, one whisk, one cushion, one bell-lock, and one chime—seven magical treasures, all emitting a hazy white light, encircled this cluster of black flames. However, they had already been so eroded by the black flame that their radiance was dim, looking as if they could shatter at any moment.

"The Seven Taiyin Treasures—how did they become like this?" Gu Xiachen was stunned. These Seven Taiyin Treasures were the personal belongings of True Monarch Taiyin in his time. The Taiyin Profound Pearl was his Natal Artifact and was rarely displayed openly. The seven treasures before him were the artifacts he usually employed.

All seven Taiyin instruments were tempered within the Taiyin Profound Pearl and were all innate magical artifacts of extraordinary quality. Now, they were nearly reduced to a pile of scrap metal by this cluster of black flames, indicating the profound origin of this flame. "The five-tenths of the source essence of the Solar Profound Pearl, the natal artifact of True Monarch Sol, the eternal mortal enemy of True Monarch Taiyin?" Gu Xiachen took a deep breath: "It was worth it. Trading the Seven Taiyin Treasures for this five-tenths portion of the genuine Solar Profound Pearl’s source essence—no loss!"

True Monarch Sol was the innate nemesis of True Monarch Taiyin. Before they even manifested forms in the Primordial Chaos, they fought bitterly, each desiring to devour the other to achieve possession of both Taiyin and Yang energies, thus evolving the Chaos and gaining the qualification to ascend to the Heavenly Dao.

But as they originated from the same source, neither was stronger than the other. They fought through countless eons, and neither had achieved victory even by the time Pangu split the heavens and earth.

When Pangu divided the cosmos and the Heavenly Court was established, the Sages carved out the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, forcing hidden Primordial Immortal Sages like them into those realms. The two remained sworn enemies, frequently engaging in violent confrontations that unsettled all living beings.

Just before they left the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths to participate in that grand Calamity, they fought another decisive battle.

This time, True Monarch Taiyin was lucky; somehow, True Monarch Sol’s vital energy was heavily depleted, allowing Taiyin to gain a great advantage. The Taiyin Profound Pearl and the Solar Profound Pearl clashed, and Taiyin managed to forcibly seize five-tenths of the Solar Profound Pearl’s source essence. True Monarch Taiyin was overjoyed and used the Seven Taiyin Treasures, along with four-tenths of the Taiyin Profound Pearl’s source essence, to seal this solar essence tightly.

Now that Gu Xiachen had arrived, this solar essence was precisely what he had coveted for so long, and it finally met his desires.

The Solar Profound Pearl, which Gu Xiachen had spent several hundred years painstakingly refining, could not wait; it pounced forward and swallowed the cluster of black flames in one gulp. A flash of black light erupted, and the Solar Blazing Flame soared into the sky. The Seven Taiyin Treasures, their bodies already softened by the scorching heat, let out a mournful cry and finally dissolved into nothingness amidst the black flames. Gu Xiachen felt a pang of heartache but could do nothing.

Reluctantly recalling the Solar Profound Pearl, Gu Xiachen gently stroked its body and sighed deeply, "You are satisfied this time. Hurry and digest it; I will rely on you in the future." The Solar Profound Pearl let out a highly humanized cry of joy and happily bounced a few times in Gu Xiachen’s palm.

The Eternal Light Domain vibrated violently as the Taiyin Profound Pearl spent a full day and night draining all the subterranean Taiyin terrestrial veins to emptiness.

Countless ice mountains melted overnight, and the rolling leaden clouds in the sky vanished without a trace. The Taiyin Profound Pearl was finally sated and contentedly returned to Gu Xiachen’s hand.

Peng Hua and the others had long since collected all the artifacts. They had even captured several ice...

Glancing at Peng Hua and the rest with a smile, Gu Xiachen pressed and swept toward the location of the Profound Ice Path. A colossal fissure suddenly split open the earth. The Profound Ice Path, eighteen hundred million li long, a hundred li wide, and ten li high, roared upward, soaring into the sky. It danced in the air like a white flood dragon for several circles before rapidly shrinking and descending into Gu Xiachen’s palm.

This enormous Profound Ice Path had now transformed into a rope, one zhang and eight chi long, as thick as a thumb. The crystal-clear white rope writhed in Gu Xiachen’s palm as if alive. A faint layer of icy mist perpetually shrouded it, and the countless Taiyin divine script within the rope faintly emitted white light.

Nodding with satisfaction, Gu Xiachen brought the rope close to the Taiyin Profound Pearl. The celestial and terrestrial treasures contained within the eighteen hundred million li Profound Ice Path poured into the Taiyin Profound Pearl, piling up on the Taiyin Continent. He formed a Taiyin divine seal with his hand and pointed it at the rope. The rope emitted a soft chime, and brilliant white light circled it swiftly; the rope had transformed into an ordinary white sash.

Casually tying the sash around his waist, Gu Xiachen admired it: "Another fine treasure; I have one more means of fighting others."

The Profound Ice Path was personally refined by True Monarch Taiyin. It contained one thousand eight hundred puppets, each possessing cultivation at least at the level of early-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal. When compressed into the rope state, these one thousand eight hundred puppets became the array nodes of the rope, capable of independently absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, making the rope increasingly powerful.

The main body of the Path was a terrestrial spirit vein spanning tens of trillions of li beneath the Eternal Light Domain, whose essence was extracted by True Monarch Taiyin and materialized to form the array's core. As for the Path’s primary components, they were cast from countless ice mountains of varying sizes. One ice mountain spanning ten thousand li in length, width, and height, when refined by the Taiyin Profound Pearl, could yield only a tiny sliver of ice the size of a mung bean.

Every thirty-six thousand ice slivers cast from Primordial ice mountains constituted one large Ice and Snow Dragon Scale, and it took untold numbers of these scales to forge this one Profound Ice Path. It was only possible because True Monarch Taiyin was the source of all Utmost Yin energy in heaven and earth, providing him with so many ice mountains and cold energies to waste.

Although this Profound Ice Path was a Post-Heaven creation, its might surpassed that of most Innate Supreme Treasures. If used to whip someone, one lash would be equivalent to billions of Primordial ice mountains crashing down; the sheer gravity alone would crush bones and tendons.

If used to bind someone, its utility was even more boundless. The Taiyin Qi is Utmost Yin and supremely soft, coupled with the immense weight of the rope’s body—ordinary individuals could never break free. Not to mention that True Monarch Taiyin spared no expense in laying down countless layers of Taiyin Forbidden Restrictions upon it. This was something tens of thousands of times more potent than the God-Sealing Supreme Treasures like the Dragon-Binding Rope or Immortal-Binding Cord that Gu Xiachen had acquired.

Patting the sash contentedly, Gu Xiachen was just about to call Peng Hua and the others to leave when he noticed a cascade of colorful light rapidly flying toward them in the distance.

His divine sense swept over, and Gu Xiachen instantly spotted a middle-aged man bearing a ninety percent resemblance to Bai Changsheng.

This middle-aged man was subtly shrouded in purple mist and possessed the cultivation of a Mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal. As for the dense crowd of several thousand subordinates behind him, they were masters aplenty; there were already one hundred and fifty Taiyi Golden Immortals alone, and two early-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortals.

What imposing strength! Qing Tian Lan Yu Mountain, though not famous in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, possessed such power!

The Taiyin Profound Pearl had completely drained the subterranean spirit veins of the Eternal Light Domain, transforming the former deadly chasm into a clear path. It was no wonder that Bai Changsheng’s father had tracked them down here, given the immense commotion Gu Xiachen had made while collecting the Profound Ice Path.

With a cold laugh, Gu Xiachen casually plucked several strands of hair, chewed them to fragments, and sprayed them toward his side. A golden light erupted, and out stepped Ghost Saint, Crimson Moon Divine Lord, Azure Sun Divine Lord, White Water Divine Lord, Tian Yuan Young Master, and a few other Grand Unity Golden Immortals known to Gu Xiachen. They emerged looking composed, chatting quietly with Gu Xiachen as if they had been old friends for years.

The middle-aged man, leading his large contingent of subordinates, rushed toward this location, his eyes twitching violently when he suddenly saw Gu Xiachen.

"Hey, villain! You killed my child! You killed my child! You are doomed! You are absolutely doomed!"

Gu Xiachen feigned panic, stepping back a few paces while pulling Fuya Ming behind him, and hurriedly shouted toward Peng Hua: "The enemies have found us! The situation is tight—let's scram!"

Peng Hua and the others also leaped up with expressions of "extreme alarm," hastily dropping the roasted meat they were holding and fleeing.

Gu Xiachen glanced at Peng Hua. In his "haste," two or three magical artifacts shining with strange light slipped from Peng Hua's sleeve.

The group transformed into streaks of light and fled urgently, while the figures Gu Xiachen had manifested faced the middle-aged man.

Ghost Saint shouted from afar: "Hey, junior! Stop right there! Do you recognize your Second Heart Ghost Saint Lord?"

Crimson Moon Divine Lord and the others also called out loudly, announcing the names of their Three Divine Palaces.

The middle-aged man and the immortals behind him halted their light trails, clearly stunned by the luxurious lineup before them.

Crimson Moon Divine Lord chuckled scornfully, glancing at the middle-aged man before shaking his head: "Forget it. A group of juniors, we won't bother arguing with you. The Young Master has already gone far; we should leave too!"

Second Heart Ghost Saint also happily agreed: "Indeed. We don't know where the Young Master got the treasure map, but who knew that the famous ancient 'Grand Unity Earth Mother's' grotto-heaven was right here? Hahaha! Too bad all the magical artifacts and techniques aren't suitable for the Young Master; they are cheap gifts for us!"

Amidst hearty laughter, the Second Heart Ghost Saint and the others suddenly transformed into plumes of black smoke, shooting skyward and vanishing into the Gang winds in the void in the blink of an eye.

The middle-aged man’s face changed drastically. He darted forward and "accidentally" snatched up the few magical artifacts Peng Hua had "dropped"—every single one was a premium item!

"Grand Unity Earth Mother! This... how is this possible?"

The middle-aged man's eyes flickered, and then he suddenly roared: "Ghost Saint, Three Divine Palaces! Quickly convey this news to the Master!"

The immortals of Little Qing Tian Lan Yu Mountain responded in unison, quickly transforming into streaks of light and departing.