Chapter 1075

Snow Lian Mountain had been shrouded in endless white mist for over ten years.

Everyone knew a powerful expert was cultivating in seclusion there, so naturally no one dared to cause trouble in the area, keeping the mountain as quiet as when Han Li first moved in.

Nearby powers, seeing this "expert" only wanted to find a spiritual place to cultivate, had taken no other actions these years and likewise felt relieved, ordering their disciples not to enter this region while continuing their own affairs.

One day, the sky above Snow Lian Mountain suddenly began to snow heavily, with goose-feather-like snowflakes as large as dandelions falling in gusts of wind, blanketing the entire mountain range in an instant, leaving the sky a vast white with no other color.

In almost an instant, the snow on the ground piled up to several chi in depth.

Such a heavy snowstorm was rare even in Frost Commandery; ordinary cultivators would not venture out in such weather, yet suddenly a piercing blue rainbow shot from Snow Lian Peak, vanished in a flash, and disappeared from the nearby sky.

After half an hour, the blue rainbow appeared tens of thousands of li away, having already escaped the blizzard and appeared above a desolate mountain ridge elsewhere.

The light faded, and a blue-robed youth emerged—dark-skinned, ordinary-looking, indeed Han Li.

After over ten years of diligent secluded cultivation, he had finally refined all his treasures, including that strand of Yin True Fire, which he absorbed into his body and preliminarily refined successfully. He felt fully prepared; as long as he did not encounter a large group of Nascent Soul cultivators attacking together or run into the terrifying existence of the Yuan Cha Sacred Ancestor again, he could roam the human world safely.

After all, with the Five Children Devil and humanoid puppets assisting him, his cultivation and divine abilities were far stronger than before entering Mount Kunwu, and he would not be at a disadvantage even against multiple Nascent Soul cultivators.

Moreover, after so many years, he estimated the affairs of Mount Kunwu had largely settled, so without hesitation he took advantage of this weather to leave the mountain and fly straight toward the North Ice Island.

Only after half a month did cultivators nearby occasionally notice that the white mist on Snow Lian Mountain had completely cleared, leaving it empty and abandoned.

The cultivator powers, surprised, naturally began to contest ownership of the now-vacant spiritual land, stirring up another storm.

In fact, the "North Ice Island" is merely a peninsula adjacent to the inland of Great Jin, surrounded by sea on three sides and connecting to the inland on one side, only one prefecture away from Frost Commandery.

Actually, saying it is surrounded by sea on three sides is less accurate than saying it is surrounded by ice on three sides.

Because this place is already the northernmost reach of mortal humans, the cold is so extreme that water freezes on contact; even cultivators with low cultivation dare not walk outside in single garments.

And in this freezing climate, the seas on all three sides facing the ocean have turned into boundless glaciers—vast ice plains and snowfields stretching as far as the eye can see, nearly impossible to measure.

North Ice Island itself is only a million li in width, and at its northernmost part stands a great ice city, known as the North Pole Small Extreme Palace, the so-called Number One Sect of the North.

To speak frankly, the Small Extreme Palace's sect strength is not inferior to the top ten righteous and devil sects of Great Jin, but because North Ice Island is too remote, most sects in the Great Jin cultivation world do not recognize it as part of Great Jin, regarding it instead as a barbaric land and treating it as a sect of overseas cultivators.

Hence it is excluded from the Great Jin major sect rankings.

Yet in the several sparsely populated prefectures of northern Great Jin, the fame of the North Pole Small Extreme Palace is feared only by the Taiyi Sect and the Tianmo Sect, not surpassed by them, making it truly the Number One Sect of the North.

In these prefectures, the Small Extreme Palace is also called the North Immortal Palace. Countless wandering and low-level cultivators wish to join its doors.

The Small Extreme Palace accepts disciples with both inner and outer palace divisions; inner palace disciples are taken only from the few major cultivator clans residing on North Ice Island, while outer palace disciples are selected from minor clans and wandering cultivators outside the island. Of course, if an outer palace disciple has astonishing talent or achieves great merit, they may have a chance to transfer to the inner palace.

Inner palace disciples aside, if someone considers their talent inadequate but still wishes to join the outer palace, they must trek on foot through the hundred-thousand-li-wide extreme cold region surrounding the Small Extreme Palace.

Upon entering this region, due to the restrictions, low-level cultivators cannot fly with magic tools and must rely solely on their own cultivation and divine abilities to withstand the endless bitter cold. Whoever can reach the Small Extreme Palace from this region will likewise be accepted as an outer palace disciple.

After all, whether relying on cultivation, magic tools, or pills to pass through this place proves they still have some merit.

But few succeed; many cultivators freeze to death within. Yet for the sake of their future immortal path, like moths to a flame, low-level cultivators still flock here every year in great numbers.

One day, in a region tens of thousands of li outside the Small Extreme Palace, another group of over ten people appeared, each wearing cloaks of various colors and furs, their bodies flashing with spiritual light, trudging step by step through the howling wind and snow.

They had walked in such weather for half a month already, and several had already turned pale and stumbled, yet none dared to pause even briefly, for here there is no place to rest and recover—only relying on spirit stones in hand and the magic power within their bodies to endure.

But one person's face was especially grim, his breathing unsteady. After a while, he suddenly gritted his teeth, took out a red pill from his bosom and swallowed it; his originally sallow face regained some color.

"Brother Gu, you still have a few Yang Fire Pills left? If you keep taking them so frequently, you won't make it to the Small Extreme Palace. The hail zone ahead is several times harder than now." A middle-aged man wrapped in deep-yellow light ahead spoke without turning back, his tone calm, as if he knew the situation behind him like the back of his hand.

"Rest assured, Brother Gu, I still have a backup bottle—enough to get through this area." The pill-taking cultivator was a youth in his twenties, who forced a smile in reply, seeming somewhat fearful of the middle-aged man.

"Good! I don't want to bring along someone hopeless to hinder us." The middle-aged man seemed satisfied with the youth's answer; under the flickering light of his shield, he continued striding forward, as if the wind and snow had little effect on him.

The others hurried to follow, as if only by staying close to this man did they have hope of reaching the Small Extreme Palace.

But after just a few steps, the middle-aged man suddenly let out a soft "eh," stopped in his tracks, and stared in surprise toward the high sky.

The others quickly followed his gaze and saw, in the vast white wind and snow, a faint blue figure hovering in midair. Strangely, within a thirty- to forty-zhang radius around this person, all wind and snow were blocked by an invisible force, unable to enter.

The middle-aged man discovered this anomaly and thus noticed the person in the air.

Everyone's hearts jumped, their faces changing dramatically. To ignore this area's flight-restricting ban—something even Foundation Establishment cultivators could not do—suggested this person might be a legendary Nascent Soul cultivator, or perhaps originally a high-level cultivator of the Small Extreme Palace, though their attire seemed too similar.

These people stared at each other, hearts filled with unease.

"Are you wandering cultivators seeking to join the Small Extreme Palace?" the blue-light-shrouded figure suddenly spoke, voice sounding young.

The middle-aged man, though not highly cultivated, had seen much of the world; upon being questioned, he was startled, immediately bowed deeply, and hurriedly replied:

"Junior Gu Tianqi, indeed a participant in the trial. Senior, do you have any commands?"

"You do have some 'color' in your eyes. There's nothing much, though—this place seems rather strange; even I can't quite determine the direction forward, yet you all proceed with such certainty. You must have some object guiding you!" The bluish-green figure spoke leisurely, as if merely asking casually.

"You have some perceptiveness. Nothing much, but this place seems strange—I'm not even sure of the direction forward, yet you all advance so confidently; you must have some guiding device!" The blue figure spoke calmly, as if merely asking casually.

"It seems Senior is visiting North Ming Island for the first time, hence unaware of this matter. Other areas of North Ming Island are fine, but this region is already within the forbidden great formation of the Little Extreme Palace. This formation uses the renowned treasure 'Mirage Stone' from the cultivation world as its eye, capable of randomly diverting a cultivator's spiritual sense from the actual direction. Those unaware who advance according to their spiritual sense's direction may never find the Little Extreme Palace. As for us juniors, we beforehand purchased a Stabilizing Yuan tablet at the market near North Ming Island's entrance. As long as we follow the direction indicated by this artifact, we will not 'lose' our way."

"It seems Senior is visiting North Ice Island for the first time, so you are unaware of this. In other regions of North Ice Island it's fine, but this area is already within the Small Extreme Palace's great forbidden formation. This formation uses the renowned treasure 'Mirage Tower Stone' from the cultivation world as its eye, capable of randomly diverting a cultivator's divine sense from the actual direction; one who relies on divine sense to navigate will likely never find the Small Extreme Palace. As for us, we bought a Stabilizing Element Tablet from the market at the North Ice Island entrance beforehand; following its indicated direction ensures we won't lose our way."

"This is the item. Although not a particularly rare artifact, one must have a clean record and someone to vouch for them to purchase it from the Little Extreme Palace shop, and only thirty are sold each year. After a year, the artifact's efficacy will spontaneously cease. To be prepared, I bought two at once; this one I present to Senior. I hope Senior will kindly accept one or two." The middle-aged man's eyes shifted slightly, then he suddenly shook his sleeve, and a pale yellow disc slipped out, which he held up with both hands.

"Exactly this. Though not a rare magic tool, one must have a clean background and a guarantor to purchase it from the Small Extreme Palace shop, and only thirty are sold per year; after one year, its effect fades on its own. To be safe, I bought two at once; this one I offer to Senior. I hope Senior will accept it." The middle-aged man's eyes shifted slightly, then he shook his sleeve, and a pale-yellow disc slid out, which he held up with both hands.

The blue figure stroked his chin, hehehed, and then reached out empty-handed into the void below.

A yellow flash— the Stabilizing Element Disc was drawn into his hand.

The blue figure is naturally Han Li, who after half a month of rushing finally arrived at North Ice Island.

He originally thought his divine abilities would easily let him pass through the area with flight and spatial restrictions and reach the Small Extreme Palace directly, but he never expected that upon entering, his divine sense would frequently err, making it impossible for a moment to locate the Small Extreme Palace.

This made his heart sink and he felt somewhat stifled.

Because this time he came to find someone; otherwise, relying on his divine abilities, he could have forcibly broken this restriction.

Just as Han Li was considering another approach, he happened to encounter the group before him.