Chapter 361

After five hundred li, only then is it the true Profound Soul Abyss.

Wang Ping and Ling Qingxue followed the trail of floating ice chunks, heading downward. The deeper they went, the more pervasive the Profound Darkness killing aura became, no longer the previous formless, substanceless erosion, but gradually condensing into a visible form—

At first, it was merely occasional drifting, like a sheer gauze of pale blue mist; after penetrating a hundred li, the mist thickened into layers of cloud-like fluff; after another three hundred li, the fluff had completely condensed into a substantial mist sea, surging incessantly, obscuring vision, and even divine sense probes were compressed to less than thirty percent of normal.

This is the true danger of the Profound Soul Abyss—a thousand-li mist sea.

Ling Qingxue's Profound Soul Guide Lamp's flame was no longer a steady pale blue; it flickered between bright and dim, unstable, as if under immense pressure. Cracks occasionally appeared on the lamp's surface, which she swiftly repaired with Lunar Yin Spiritual Power.

"The flame is warning." Her voice sounded somewhat ethereal in the thick fog, "The killing aura concentration here has nearly reached the limit my Lunar Yin Profound Body can withstand. If the flame turns red going further, it means we must retreat."

Wang Ping did not respond. His gaze pierced the surging mist sea and fell toward deeper depths.

Within his dantian, the Lunar Yin Stillness Cold Tide Origin was now in an unprecedented state of activity. Like a beast that has caught the scent of prey, it surged and collided through his meridians, striving to break free and dash toward the deeper Abyss Core. Wang Ping had to divert part of his spirit to soothe and suppress it with Chaotic Immortal Essence, just to maintain internal balance.

But it was precisely by relying on this agitation that his perception became unprecedentedly sharp.

He "saw".

In the depths of the mist sea, within the darkness that even divine sense could not reach, there existed something immensely vast, ancient, and……pure, slowly pulsating. That pulsation resembled a heartbeat; each contraction and expansion would trigger violent surges throughout the mist sea, and would cause Wang Ping's internal cold tide origin to frenziedly respond.

That was the Profound Soul Core.

Wang Ping took a deep breath, about to speak——

"Wait."

Ling Qingxue suddenly halted her evasion, her gaze fixed firmly on a point below.

Wang Ping followed her gaze. Through the surging pale-blue mist sea, a huge floating ice platform could be vaguely seen. This ice platform was more than ten times larger than the one they had previously encountered the yao spirits on, resembling a small plaza, silently hovering in the mist sea.

The ice platform was in utter disarray.

Countless ice crystal fragments, shattered ice pillars, and fissures several zhang deep covered the entire platform's surface. Some were clearly pits blasted out by some overwhelming force, their edges retaining scorched marks—the imprint of some high-temperature or corrosive power.

And most striking was a large patch of……remnants at the platform's center.

On one side, roiling gray-black mist persisted; even from a distance of a hundred zhang, its yin-cold, deathly aura that sapped all vitality made Ling Qingxue instinctively step back half a pace.

Netherworld deathly aura.

Moreover, its concentration was extremely high, far surpassing any spot in the Inkrock Star mines. To leave such a dense deathly aura after a fierce battle, the Netherworld cultivators who struck must be at least late Nascent Soul stage, possibly more than one.

On the other side, silver fragments were scattered here and there. The pieces varied in size—some as big as a fingernail, others as a child's fist—with edges remarkably neat, as if precisely cut by some force. Each fragment glowed with a faint, icy silver light; even shattered to this degree, they still emitted an uncomfortable 'absolute order' aura.

Silver puppets.

Moreover, they were a more advanced model than the one from Inkrock Star—among the fragments, several were clearly joint components, with a more intricate structure and more complex energy conduits; one even retained a half-intact 'Order Crystal' shard.

Ling Qingxue's face grew grave as she whispered, "Someone……no, a force arrived here before us and clashed fiercely. Judging by these traces, the Netherworld side had at least three individuals, the Silver Radiance side at least two puppets. Moreover……"

She crouched, her fingertip lightly touching a deep gouge on the ice surface. The gouge was about three zhang long and several chi deep, its edge showing an eerie 'smoothness'—not the mark of a blade cleaving, but a trace left by some force that erased it from existence.

"Order Beam." Wang Ping's voice came from behind, "That puppet's long-range attack method. I encountered it on Inkrock Star."

Ling Qingxue rose, looked at Wang Ping, and with eyes hard to hide worry said, "If they came for the Profound Soul Core, then now……"

"Go." Wang Ping hesitated not, his form turning into a streak of grayish light as he shot ahead into the deeper mist sea.

Ling Qingxue gritted her teeth and followed closely.

The deeper they went, the denser the battle traces became. On ice walls, floating ice chunks, even in the void, remnants of Netherworld deathly aura and silver fragments were everywhere. Clearly, that clash was not a brief skirmish but a prolonged pursuit, a fight-while-retreating fierce melee.

And the flame of the Profound Soul Guide Lamp had now turned completely to a pale orange‑red—the ultimate warning.

"We can't go deeper!" Ling Qingxue's urgent voice echoed in her sea of consciousness, "If the flame turns red, moving forward will exceed the killing aura limit my Lunar Yin Profound Body can bear!"

"Wait here for me." Wang Ping, without looking back, said, "I'll go."

"You——" Ling Qingxue stalled, then gritted her teeth, "No! We agreed to go together; how could I alone retreat!"

She did not halt her evasion; instead, she pushed her Lunar Yin Spiritual Power to the extreme, her body erupting in pale‑blue light, stubbornly withstanding the terrifying killing aura capable of freezing a late Nascent Soul cultivator.

Wang Ping glanced at her sideways, said nothing, merely gave a slight nod.

The two continued their descent.

Three hundred li, four hundred li, five hundred li——

When the Profound Soul Guide Lamp's flame finally turned to a piercing blood‑red and the lamp body began to show irreversible cracks, the mist sea ahead suddenly cleared.

Before them, the view opened up.

It was a vast lake entirely formed of pure profound ice.

The lake surface was smooth as a mirror, displaying a deep indigo nearly transparent, as if billions of years had been frozen. Beneath the surface was not ordinary water, but a thicker, purer liquid killing aura that flowed slowly, occasionally rippling. Each ripple's spread would cause a slight tremor in the spatial laws.

The lake's diameter was about a thousand zhang, its surroundings encircled by profound‑ice walls rising a hundred zhang high. On those walls naturally formed countless strange ice crystal clusters, which, under an unknown source of pale‑blue light, shimmered with a dreamlike halo.

And at the very center of the lake, about three zhang above the water's surface in empty space——

hovered a diamond‑shaped crystal.

It was about the size of a human fist, its whole body showing a strange color between ice-blue and transparent. The surface was not smooth, but covered with countless fine, naturally formed snowflake-like patterns, each slowly flowing like a living thing. Inside the crystal, a faintly visible cluster of deeper azure light pulsed with an eternal rhythm—beating.

With each beat, an invisible ripple spread from the crystal outward, sweeping across the lake surface, across the ice walls, and across the bodies of Wang Ping and Ling Qingxue.

As the ripple swept over, Wang Ping's internal Great Yin Silence Extinction Cold Tide Origin nearly lost control, frantically crashing against his meridians, striving to break free and rush toward that crystal.

Profound Soul Core!

Yet at this moment, Wang Ping's attention could not stay on that crystal.

Because around the crystal, a heart-pounding struggle for possession was unfolding.

Three figures clad in tattered black robes, their bodies shrouded in thick deathly aura, hovered in a triangular formation in midair, constantly unleashing various sinister spells. Their cultivation aura shockingly was all late Nascent Soul! The surging deathly aura condensed into countless ferocious ghost heads, bone claws, and eerie green phosphorescent flames, madly lunging toward the lake's center.

Opposite them, two entirely silver-white, smoothly lined killing constructs, more precise than the puppet on Ink Rock Star, stood with their backs to the Profound Soul Core, fiercely clashing with the three Netherworld cultivators.

These two puppets were slightly larger than the previous one, about twelve chi tall; their joints were no longer simple blue energy lines but composed of more complex, blood-vessel-like silver energy patterns covering their whole bodies. Their 'skulls' were no longer smooth ellipsoids but took on a more humanoid form—even the faint outlines of facial features could be seen, though those features were frozen in an eternal, indifferent expression.

Their eye sockets held no blue light, but two clusters of deeper, icier silver-white radiance. Each flicker of that light released a visible silver ripple; wherever the ripple passed, space seemed to be 'frozen'—not iced over, but solidified like amber, causing the flow of time to become extremely slow.

Order Field!

And it was an Order Field far stronger than that of the puppet on Ink Rock Star!

The ghost heads, bone claws, and phosphorescent flames of the three Netherworld cultivators, upon entering the area enveloped by those silver ripples, would be as if hit with a paralysis spell—instantly frozen in place, then erased from existence by an intangible force, reduced to nothing.

And the two puppets' attack methods became even more varied. One held a silver spear condensed from pure order power, constantly thrusting, jabbing, sweeping; each strike was precise to the tip of a hair and carried a strong space-solidifying effect. The other continuously shot bundles of refined order light beams from its palms, forcing the three Netherworld cultivators to divert attention to dodge.

Both sides had obviously been fighting for a long time. The Netherworld cultivators' black robes were riddled with cracks, their deathly qi expended by more than half; the two puppets were also covered in wounds—one had a bowl-sized hole punched through its chest, revealing its complex internal energy circuits and the slowly rotating order crystal, while the other's right arm was nearly severed at the base, only a few energy conduits barely holding it together.

Yet neither side retreated.

Their target was the same: the Profound Soul Core hovering at the lake's center, throbbing slowly.

At this moment, the appearance of Wang Ping and Ling Qingxue was like a massive stone thrown into boiling oil.

"Someone!" a Netherworld cultivator shrieked, deathly qi surging as he split off two ghost heads that lunged at Wang Ping and Ling Qingxue.

In the eye sockets of both puppets, silver-white light swept toward that direction; that cold, emotionless "gaze" instantly locked onto Wang Ping and Ling Qingxue.

"Ling Daoist, leave the puppets to you!" Wang Ping's voice boomed like thunder as his shape turned into a streak of hazy light, rushing straight at the three Netherworld cultivators.

"You—" Ling Qingxue had no time for more words, as the less‑damaged puppet among the two already brandished its silver spear and thrust fiercely at her!

Space solidified the instant the spear was thrust!

Ling Qingxue felt the surrounding air turn as hard as ten‑thousand‑year profound ice, her body momentarily frozen in place; the tip of the silver spear was already within arm's reach!

"Ha!"

She let out a fierce shout, driving the Profound Ice Heaven Heart Technique to its limit as icy‑blue light burst around her; her Yin Profound Body erupted with astonishing power, forcibly breaking free of the space‑solidifying order force, she shifted sideways three zhang and narrowly avoided the killing thrust!

But as the spear tip grazed her side, that cold order power still left a deep wound on her left arm; no blood flowed, instead a silver‑white film covered the wound, frantically trying to eat deeper.

"You think you can trap me?" Ling Qingxue gritted her teeth; the Ice Soul Cold Light Mirror flew from her hand, its surface facing the wound, a stream of pure yin cold qi surging in to clash fiercely with the invasive order power, emitting a "hiss‑hiss" sound.

Meanwhile, Wang Ping had already rushed into the fray!

Seeing someone interfere, the three Netherworld cultivators had one of them shriek, abandon the puppets and charge Wang Ping. He formed seals with both hands, condensing deathly qi into a hideous ghost king three zhang tall with horns on its head, roaring as it lunged at Wang Ping!

"Scram!"

Wang Ping neither dodged nor evaded; the Heaven‑Overturning Seal shot out, swelling to the size of a small hill, carrying terrifying suppressive gravity, and smashed hard into the ghost king!

"Boom!"

The ghost king was blown backward by the Seal, its body shattering, yet the deathly qi surged and re‑condensed, launching itself again!

"Chaos Domain!"

A hazy gray domain instantly unfolded, enveloping the ghost king. Chaos power embraces all things and can evolve myriad forms; the instant the ghost king entered the domain, it seemed to lose its sense of direction, its attack stalled, and its deathly qi began to be slowly eroded and transformed by chaos.

Seizing the chance, Wang Ping flickered, slipped past the ghost king, and lunged straight at the true forms of the three Netherworld cultivators.

"Courting death!"

The leading Netherworld cultivator, a desiccated old man whose face was hidden in deathly qi save for a pair of crimson eyes, coldly smirked and raised a hand; deathly qi coalesced into a massive bone claw that came crashing down from above Wang Ping's head!

Wang Ping still did not dodge, merely raising his right hand—

Chaos Tribulation Sword!

A hazy gray blade of light, like the first ray that tears chaos apart, shot up from his palm!

The sword light appeared slow, even somewhat delayed, yet it held the profound meaning of "severing causality, seizing a thread." As it swept past the bone claw, the claw suffered no shatter or explosion—it simply—split cleanly down the middle.

The cut surface was smooth as a mirror.

It was as if the bone claw was meant to be two halves.

The bone claw dissipated; the sword's residual momentum did not wane, pointing straight at the leading Netherworld elder!

"What?!" the elder's pupils contracted; deathly qi condensed before him into layer upon layer of bone shields, each capable of blocking a full‑force strike from a late Nascent Soul cultivator!

The sword light swept past.

First layer, severed.

Second layer, severed.

Third layer, fourth layer, fifth layer—

Like a knife cutting tofu, the layers shattered one after another!

The elder shrieked, retreated hastily, and spat out a mouthful of his lifeblood essence, which merged with the deathly qi to form a blood‑red bone shield that finally blocked the sword light; but as the light faded, the "severing" intent still pierced through the shield, stabbing viciously into his sea of consciousness!

"Ah—!" the elder screamed, black blood pouring from his seven apertures as he staggered!

Wang Ping also shuddered slightly; the Chaos Tribulation Sword turned into a flowing light that flew back to circle around him. This sword took a considerable toll, but its effect was significant.

"Old Nine!" another Netherworld cultivator exclaimed, abandoning the puppets and charging straight at Wang Ping!

He was somewhat younger than the old man, the madness in his crimson eyes even greater. He did not summon a ghost king or bone claw; instead he opened his mouth and spat a clump of lurid green phosphor fire that streaked toward Wang Ping like a meteor—wherever it passed, even the void was corroded with microscopic scorch marks, emitting a nauseating stench!

Wang Ping's expression hardened; the Heaven‑Overturning Seal flew back to block in front of him, while the Chaos Domain contracted to shield his entire body.

"Hiss‑hiss‑hiss—

The phosphor fire struck the Seal, erupting in a piercing corrosive sound; dark light flowed across the Seal's surface as chaotic currents cascaded down, fiercely opposing the phosphor fire. Wang Ping could clearly feel his chaotic immortal essence being drained at an astonishing rate.

"Go!"

He pointed a finger; the Chaos Tribulation Sword flew out again, not to stab the cultivator but to sweep around the phosphor fire and strike straight at his neck from the side!

The cultivator snorted coldly, flickered, leaving an afterimage in place while his true form blinked ten zhang away; but his cold smile froze on his face—

because the sword light, upon piercing the afterimage, automatically adjusted its course and continued thrusting at him!

"What kind of sword—" he had no time to think, deathly qi condensed into a large shield before him.

The sword light was blocked again, yet the "severing" intent still pierced the shield, leaving a deep wound on his arm; at the wound, chaotic power and Netherworld deathly qi clashed violently, emitting a "hiss‑hiss" sound, causing excruciating pain!

"Damn it!" he roared, about to counterattack—

"Daoist, be careful!"

Ling Qingxue's voice exploded in his sea of consciousness!

Wang Ping's mind jolted; the Chaos Domain instantly expanded to its utmost, while the Heaven‑Overturning Seal flew back to guard his whole body!

A silver beam shot from the edge of the battle circle, striking his protective domain squarely!

"Hiss—

The Chaos Domain shuddered violently; the icy order power frenziedly corroded its edge, trying to breach inside! Wang Ping grunted, pouring out all his chaotic immortal essence just barely managing to block the blow!

It was the puppet fighting Ling Qingxue, and while she was distracted and giving a warning, it shot a cold arrow at Wang Ping!

And just at that moment——

Ling Qingxue's figure appeared behind that puppet!

The silver scar on her left arm still flickered faintly, showing she had endured the pain and used some secret technique to instantly move to the puppet's blind spot!

"Ice Soul Cold Light, Extreme Freeze Heavenly Splendor!"

The Ice Soul Cold Light Mirror hovered before her, its surface suddenly bursting forth with blinding ice‑blue light! That light was not aimed at the puppet's whole body; instead it condensed into a beam as thin as a hair, yet containing all of her Taiyin Mystic Body cultivation, an extreme‑cold laser that pierced with pinpoint accuracy a tiny, hidden gap in the puppet's neck!

"Crack——"

The puppet shuddered violently, the silver‑white light in its eye sockets flashing wildly! Countless tiny energy lines in its neck were instantly frozen and shattered by the extreme‑cold beam; a bluish‑white frost spread from its neck over its entire body at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"Howl——!" The puppet let out a final piercing metallic screech, its right‑hand silver spear slipping from its grasp as its stiffened body toppled toward the lake surface!

But at the instant it fell, its left arm shot up, palm aimed point‑blank at Ling Qingxue!

An order‑power beam condensed in its palm!

Ling Qingxue's pupils contracted sharply! At this moment her old strength was exhausted and her new strength not yet born; she was less than three zhang from the puppet, with no time to dodge!

That silver‑white beam of deathly light was already charged and ready to fire!

A hair's breadth from disaster——

"Boom!"

A gray‑hazy figure, moving faster than divine sense could track, slammed sideways between Ling Qingxue and the puppet!

Wang Ping!

His Chaos Domain aura was dim, clearly from having just resisted that order beam at great cost, yet he hesitated not, using his own body to shield Ling Qingxue in front of her!

"Sizzle——"

The puppet's palm‑condensed order beam struck Wang Ping's back squarely!

Wang Ping grunted, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with tiny ice crystals that instantly condensed into bloody frost flowers in the air!

His Chaos Domain, unable to withstand the close‑range impact of that order beam, collapsed completely! The freezing order power, carrying the intent of "absolute obliteration," surged unimpeded into his body!

Ling Qingxue stared, stunned.

She blankly watched the gray‑hazy back before her, watching him flesh‑and‑bone block that killing blow, watching him shudder violently under the terrifying order power's impact, watching his blood spatter onto the icy‑blue lake surface……

"Wang Ping…… you……"

She opened her mouth, but found she could utter no words.

And just then——

Inside Wang Ping, a sudden aberration arose!

The order power flooding his body was domineering and icy, frenziedly eroding his meridians, flesh, and even soul; wherever it passed, everything seemed to be "frozen" into an eternal, rigid state.

However, the instant it reached the deep dantian cluster of Taiyin Extinction Cold Tide origin——

The cold tide, angered.

It was not provoked; instead, with a tyrannical majesty Wang Ping had never experienced, it erupted suddenly!

That mass, dormant for myriad ages, linked to Wang Ping's bloodline and bearing a thread of the Profound Ice Palace founder's Dao, now like an ancient beast awakened from slumber, let out a silent roar!

It no longer needed Wang Ping's suppression or soothing.

It surged actively out of the dantian, along the meridians, opposite the direction of the invading order power, and crashed forward violently!

The two forces clashed fiercely within Wang Ping's body!

Order power, icy, rigid, seeking "absolute unity";

Taiyin Extinction Cold Tide, utmost cold, utmost yin, yet containing the true meaning of chaos "evolution" and "inclusiveness."

They were not a simple opposition, but two utterly different Dao origins, unfolding a heart‑pounding contest on the battlefield of Wang Ping's flesh and blood!

Wang Ping's body shuddered violently, his skin alternating between flashing silver‑white frost patterns and being covered by icy‑blue cold tide; his eyes flickered between silver‑white and ice‑blue, each shift accompanied by unbearable pain!

Yet his consciousness, amidst this agony, became unprecedentedly clear.

He clearly "saw":

The order power flooding his body, under the cold tide's frenzied assault, retreated step by step. Though it tried to solidify, harden, and obliterate everything, when it met the cold tide—originating from the Taiyin source and blended with chaos's inclusive‑evolution nature—it was like ice tossed into boiling water, swiftly dissolved and transformed.

Not destroyed, but—tamed.

The cold tide devoured the order power! It was converting it into part of itself!

Wang Ping's heart flashed with sudden understanding.

Extreme Yin cold is not merely "dead still" or "frozen." Its essence is the opposite pole to true Yang fire, the other extreme of cosmic evolution—stillness that gives rise to motion, yin that yields yang. The true Taiyin Dao never fears "order," for order is itself a facet of chaos's evolution, the ultimate expression of stillness.

The Taiyin origin embodied by the cold tide can precisely accommodate, digest, and even transform such "absolute order," integrating it into its own Dao system and making it its own!

And just at this moment——

A stream of even purer, vaster, and……older extreme‑cold qi surged in from the outside!

It was the Xuan Po Core at the lake's center!

It seemed to sense the anomaly within Wang Ping's body, to sense that the Taiyin Extinction Cold Tide sharing its source and lineage was fiercely clashing with the invading order power. A strand of exceedingly fine yet indescribably pure azure light peeled from the core's surface, becoming a flow of light almost invisible to the naked eye, crossing the lake surface, penetrating Wang Ping's body, and sinking straight into his deep dantian!

Profound Darkness True Soul!

It was the most primordial, purest fragment of Taiyin law condensed over hundreds of millions of years from the Xuan Po Core—the quintessence of the Northern Border's extreme‑cold Dao!

Upon entering his body, it was like a drop of clear water falling into boiling oil——

No, that's not right.

It was like a wick of candle flame falling onto a wasteland already laid thick with dry tinder!

The Taiyin Extinction Cold Tide origin, upon contacting that wick of Profound Darkness True Soul, went utterly berserk!

It greedily devoured that strand of true soul, merging it into itself. With each thread fused, the cold tide's hue deepened a shade, its aura grew purer by a degree. The chill that could already freeze a late‑stage Nascent Soul cultivator now multiplied, yet it ceased its fury, turning inward, sinking, like an undercurrent beneath ten‑thousand‑year‑old black ice.

And the remnant order power still stubbornly resisting found itself utterly powerless before this new cold tide, now fused with the Profound Darkness True Soul.

They were quickly devoured, transformed, digested, completely merged into the cold tide, becoming part of it.

From now on, Wang Ping's Lunar Yin Extinction Cold Tide will no longer be mere 'cold qi', but will fuse a trace of 'Absolute Order' characteristic, becoming a more unique and terrifying existence.

All this, though it sounds complicated, actually takes only a few breaths.

Ling Qingxue only saw Wang Ping blocking in front of her, forcibly taking that order light beam, then his whole body shook violently, blood spurting from his mouth. Immediately after, the aura around him suddenly became chaotic, silver-white and icy-blue alternating flashes.

Then——

The Profound Soul Core at the lake's center actually actively emitted a strand of light, which entered Wang Ping's body!

And Wang Ping's aura, after that strand of light entered his body, rose at an unbelievably fast speed, surging wildly!

"This is……Profound Dark True Soul?!!" Ling Qingxue exclaimed in disbelief, her face full of incredulity.

She is a Lunar Yin Profound Body, the Holy Maiden of the Profound Ice Palace, and since childhood has studied all the secrets of the Profound Soul Abyss. She knows better than anyone what that 'Profound Dark True Soul' means——it is the quintessential essence of the Profound Soul Core, something every palace master throughout history has spent a lifetime trying to obtain a strand of, yet no one has ever succeeded.

And now, it actually actively flew toward an outsider!

An outsider who merely relied on a strand of extinction origin and had never cultivated a single day in the Northern Border!

Ling Qingxue stared blankly at Wang Ping, at his pale yet resolute face, at his tightly closed eyes that faintly flickered with icy-blue light beneath the lids, her heart surging with indescribable emotion.

Shock, incomprehension, and even a hint of envy she herself was unwilling to admit.

But more than that, it was a more complex, hard-to-name…… stirring.

He just now, used his own life to exchange for hers.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found she still couldn't utter a word.

And at this moment, Wang Ping slowly opened his eyes.

Those eyes, at this moment, were no longer the ordinary murky chaos gray, but a deep, nearly transparent icy-blue, like two pools of the Profound Soul Abyss shrunk a hundred million times; calm beneath, they held a chill capable of freezing the starry sky.

But soon, that icy-blue gradually faded, returning to his original murky chaos gray.

Only within that gray murk, there seemed to be an added hint of…… profound depth.

He turned his head, looking toward Ling Qingxue.

Ling Qingxue stared blankly, locking eyes with him, her shallow icy-blue eyes filled with complexity.

"You……" she finally found her voice, though still hoarse, "What…… were you doing just now?"

Why exchange his life for hers?

They had only known each other for a few days, cooperated for just a few hours, and weren't even friends.

Why?

Wang Ping looked at her calmly, his gaze tranquil as water, without explanation, without melodrama, and spoke lightly:

"The matter of the promise."

"The matter of the promise."

"Travel together, watch over each other."

Ling Qingxue was stunned.

She recalled that on the ice platform, she had reached out her hand, briefly clasped his virtually, and spoken those words: "You and I will travel together, watch over each other."

Back then, when she said that, it was more out of pride, unwillingness to show weakness, and a desire to prove she was not a burden.

She never imagined that this promise would be kept by someone actually sacrificing their life for it.

She opened her mouth; something warm seemed to well up in her eye sockets, but was instantly frozen by the surrounding ten-thousand-year-old chill.

She said nothing more.

Only, something in her shallow icy-blue eyes quietly changed.

Wang Ping also fell silent. He turned his body, his gaze sweeping over the battlefield——

The puppet that had ambushed Ling Qingxue had completely lost combat ability, standing stiff on the ice surface, covered in thick frost like an ice sculpture. Its order crystal had been completely frozen by Ling Qingxue's final strike, leaving no sound.

The other puppet was still fighting the three Netherworld cultivators, now also covered in wounds, teetering on collapse. The three Netherworld cultivators had expended most of their deathly energy; one of them had been gravely wounded by Wang Ping's sword, his aura feeble, now being shielded by his companions.

Both sides were stunned by the recent anomaly, temporarily ceased fighting, and simultaneously turned their gazes toward Wang Ping.

In those gazes there was wariness, madness, and also naked greed——

They all saw the Profound Soul Core emit a strand of light that entered Wang Ping's body.

They knew better than anyone what that meant.

"Kill him!" the leading Netherworld elder screamed, "Retrieve that strand of true soul!"

Three figures simultaneously abandoned the puppets and lunged at Wang Ping!

And the other puppet, its eye sockets flashing with frantic silver-white light, was obviously executing some supreme order——

"Anyone who obtains the Profound Soul Core's energy shall be killed without mercy!"

It also gave up fighting the Netherworld cultivators, condensed a silver spear, and thrust at Wang Ping!

Wang Ping stood still, watching the four figures simultaneously lunging at him from two directions, his expression still calm.

He raised his right hand.

In his palm, a strand of azure-blue light slowly appeared.

That was the brand-new Lunar Yin Extinction Cold Tide, just fused with the Profound Dark True Soul and the power of Order.

It was no longer mere 'cold qi', but a more unique existence fused with a trace of 'Absolute Order' characteristic.

Wang Ping gently grasped it.

That strand of azure-blue light suddenly expanded!

An intangible, yet irresistible wave of extreme cold, centered on him, swept across the entire Ice Soul Lake!

Wherever that wave passed, space seemed to be frozen——not solidified, but truly 'sealed', like mosquitoes trapped in amber, forever fixed in that instant!

The three lunging Netherworld cultivators, together with that puppet, all froze in unison!

Their figures, as if hit by an immobilization spell, stiffly froze in midair! That extreme cold power fused with the Order characteristic not only froze their bodies, but also sealed their spiritual power circulation, divine sense fluctuations, and even their thought activity.

Three breaths!

Exactly three breaths of time!

For a Late Nascent Soul cultivator, three breaths are enough to decide life and death!

After three breaths, the extreme cold fluctuation dissipated, and the four regained their ability to move. But that three‑breath 'freeze' had already completely shattered their offensive, scattering their formation and causing a brief disruption in their aura.

And what Wang Ping wanted was precisely this brief instant.

"Heaven-Overturning Seal!"

The dark light surged, expanding to the size of a small mountain, carrying the terrifying gravity that suppresses all things, and it slammed heavily toward the two Netherworld cultivators who had not been severely wounded!

"Chaotic Tribulation Sword!"

The ashen sword light blazed forth again; this strike was sharper, swifter, and moreover… colder than any before!

The sword light swept over the puppet's broken body and precisely pierced the order crystal in its chest!

"Crack——!"

The crystal shattered; the silver‑white light in the puppet's eye sockets faded completely, and its stiffened body plummeted onto the ice!

Under the Heaven-Overturning Seal, the two Netherworld cultivators cried out as they joined forces to resist, but they were firmly suppressed by the sealing force that combined the fourth‑level true intent of gravity arts, unable to move!

"Fellow Daoist Ling!"

Wang Ping let out a low shout.

Ling Qingxue awoke as if from a dream; the Ice Soul Cold Light Mirror was instantly unleashed, its light condensing into a piercing azure beam that struck precisely into the back heart of the Netherworld elder whom Wang Ping had previously wounded and who was now trying to flee!

"Ah——!"

The elder screamed miserably, his form shattered, his deathly aura scattering, leaving no trace of life!

The remaining two Netherworld cultivators, seeing the tide turn, let out a fierce cry, each spitting a mouthful of their lifeblood essence, and through a blood‑secret technique forcibly broke free of the Heaven-Overturning Seal's suppression, transforming into two streaks of black light that madly fled toward the Abyss Mouth!

"You think you can leave?"

Wang Ping was about to give chase when the newly merged cold surge inside him suddenly stirred, a wave of weakness washing over his whole body. He grunted, staggered, and almost lost his footing.

Forcibly merging the Profound Dark True Essence and then unleashing the 'Frozen Space' technique with power he had not yet fully mastered, his expenditure far exceeded his limits.

Ling Qingxue stepped forward and grabbed his arm; her hand was icy cold, yet trembled slightly.

"Don't chase." Her voice was somewhat hoarse, "You've already… enough."

Wang Ping steadied himself, drew a deep breath, and the chaotic immortal essence within him flowed slowly, soothing the restless cold surge.

He looked toward Ling Qingxue.

Ling Qingxue met his gaze; in her pale icy‑blue eyes there was now no complexity, only a clear, sincere… concern.

Wang Ping gave a slight nod, saying nothing.

He turned his gaze to the lake's center, where the Profound Soul Core still hovered, pulsing gently.

Its light was a shade dimmer than before, yet that eternal beat remained steady as ever.

Wang Ping slowly raised his right hand, palm facing the core, bowed slightly, and performed a salute.

His gratitude needed no words.

The core seemed to sense his intent, flickering faintly, and its pulse softened a little.

Ling Qingxue stood at his side, silently watching the scene.

She suddenly felt that perhaps what her master had said was correct.

Extinction, though cold, also possesses spirituality. Ten‑thousand‑year wait, waiting for… perhaps it truly is him.

In the depths of the Abyss Heart, upon the Ice Soul Lake, two figures stood side by side.

Around them lay shattered puppet remnants, dissipating Netherworld deathly aura, and the eternal stillness and chill.

Between them, the former vague estrangement and opposition had completely vanished, turning into a wordless, steady, and resolute… tacit understanding.

The azure light illuminated their faces, casting upon the eternal ice wall two intertwined, slender shadows.