Chapter 405

"A sudden impulse?"

The other five Nascent Soul Grand Cultivators' expressions changed.

They also did not sense any omen, but since Zhang Jian had such an omen, everyone naturally should be cautious.

Zhang Jian thought for a moment, raised his hand, condensed a talisman, and handed it to the Taiyin Immortal Maiden, indicating she should put it away.

This was his innate divine ability, the Golden Lotus Hidden Breath Method.

The Dao-Union-level Golden Lotus Hidden Breath Method is profoundly mysterious, its ability to conceal aura exceptionally strong; as long as one remains hidden and motionless, even a Heavenly Immortal-level immortal might not necessarily detect it.

This is the innate divine ability of the spiritual root, the Jade Pool Golden Lotus.

At this moment, Zhang Jian noticed the gazes of the other four people upon him, thought for a moment, and casually waved his hand, sending four streams of seven-colored flowing light into their hands.

The four streams of seven-colored flowing light transformed into four seven-colored talismans.

"This is the Golden Lotus Hidden Breath Secret Method, esteemed uncles and martial sisters, please keep it; it may prove useful!"

The four people smiled slightly and did not refuse.

They were all connoisseurs, able to perceive the profound disguising power contained within the seven-colored talismans.

The six people quickened their pace and moved forward.

Not long after, the group arrived before a vast mountain cave, only to see the surroundings of the cave covered with countless dense one-eyed star rats, which clearly regarded this mountainside cave as their nest.

"This should be a sect's blessed land?"

Zhu Xing Zhenjun directed his gaze downward.

At this moment, the Taiyin Immortal Maiden spoke: "During its peak, the Xiyue Sword Sect established over a hundred sect secret realms; among them, the Earth Aperture Secret Realms are numerous, respectively including earth, wind, fire, ice, wood—various types for disciples to temper their mana and cultivate techniques. The position of this Earth Aperture..."

She pondered for a moment and said: "It should be a frozen ice cavern; below was originally the Xiyue Sword Sect's area for breeding ice silkworms!"

"Do you have a map of the inner area?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xing Zhenjun's eyes brightened, then he immediately turned his gaze toward Zhang Jian.

Everyone could see that the one in charge was still Zhang Jian.

Zhang Jian smiled slightly and simply said:

"Such a gathering of one-eyed star rats must be attracted by something; we should also go down to take a look—perhaps there are still undiscovered ice silkworms!"

Ice silkworms are ice-attribute spirit insects.

Moreover, they are a highly valuable spirit insect; whether the ice silkworm silk they produce or the ice soul pearls they nurture are of immense value, and after capturing them, one can even establish an ice-attribute cultivation secret realm, as they can well nurture ice spirit veins and continuously generate ice-attribute spiritual energy.

The newly established Xia Dynasty has a great shortage of such spiritual objects.

In the harem, the White Empress is also an ice-attribute cultivator and lacks ice-attribute spiritual materials.

Although Zhang Jian did not give a direct answer, his words amounted to tacit agreement.

Zhu Xing Zhenjun and Zijin Zhenjun exchanged glances; possessing a 'Living Map,' the group not only stood to gain greatly but also saw their safety greatly enhanced.

"Good, then let's go in and explore!"

Zijin Zhenjun made the decision on the spot.

Siming Zhenren glanced at the numerous one-eyed star rats at the cave entrance, furrowed his brow, and said: "I'll clear these star rats from the cave entrance!"

She took out an object from her hand—it was a candle.

However, this candle was surrounded by countless dense golden runes emanating aura.

As Siming Zhenren lit this golden candle with her internal true fire, a wisp of invisible green smoke entered the earth's cave aperture along with her power.

Only to see this wisp of invisible green smoke enter, the numerous one-eyed star rats suddenly panicked, began to scatter and flee wildly, burrowing madly into the depths of the cave.

"Beast Wax!"

Seeing this, Zhang Jian's heart stirred secretly.

The Siming Zhenren before him appeared extremely skilled at driving away beasts.

Her golden candle should have been refined from some special divine beast material, possessing extremely powerful deterrent force against rodent-like strange beasts.

In fact, if Zhang Jian were to use divine authority, he could also deter these one-eyed star rats.

But using imperial authority or human emperor authority for such a task would be overkill.

Zhu Xing Zhenjun's body already had celestial eye pearls flying deep into the cave; seeing the situation, he said:

"Let's go in!"

The six people transformed into six streams of spiritual light and entered, each employing earth-escape techniques.

Zhang Jian, bearing the Great Earth Authority, walked within the earth as if a fish in water, and by relying on the Great Earth Authority, he mapped the deep earth's terrain into his mind.

Far away, he felt a surge of intense cold.

As the Taiyin Immortal Maiden had said.

This is a ten-thousand-year profound cold earth aperture.

Below, there is another profound cold earth vein; ice silkworms should still exist there.

In his sensitive divine sense, he had already sensed the fluctuation of demonic aura.

At depths of myriad zhang underground.

Many strands of demonic aura had condensed together, now battling against hundreds or thousands of strands of chaotic, intense starlight aura.

Not long after, the group discovered a vast ice crystal ice palace.

In this place, the one-eyed star rats gathered like a sea, with countless gnawing sounds coming from them.

At the peripheral areas, Zhang Jian could see from afar that many ice blocks contained frozen one-eyed star rats.

The number was simply astonishing.

These one-eyed star rats were gnawing on the ice blocks; although the cost of gnawing was turning into ice blocks, they still fearlessly persisted.

Meanwhile, the number of one-eyed star rats in the surrounding passages that were not frozen was even greater.

Dense as a vast ocean, they still charged toward the ice palace.

In the depths of the ice palace, more than ten strands of dense and fierce Xuanbing demonic aura gathered.

Zhang Jian, relying on his massive solidified primordial spirit divine sense, could vaguely perceive that they were more than ten ice silkworms of a thousand-year level or higher.

There might even be ten-thousand-year-old, or even hundred-thousand-year-old ancient silkworms.

"Good stuff!"

Zhang Jian thought to himself.

Ice silkworms over a hundred thousand years old probably have demonic aura so intense it shakes heaven and earth, their cultivation nearing that of immortals.

The ice soul treasure pearls they produce are astonishingly valuable, comparable to ice-attribute heavenly and earthly divine objects.

Meanwhile, the other few Daoists felt a chill rising deep between their brows, and had no choice but to withdraw their primordial spirit divine sense, lest they be frozen solid by the cold.

"These star mice are mine and Shimei Siming's to handle!"

At this moment, gazing at these one-eyed star mice, Linghe Zhenren glanced briefly, only to see her entire body suddenly surge with spiritual light, and in the next instant, countless dense raindrops appeared behind her, each carrying intense waves of bitter cold.

As the spiritual light manifested, everyone's figures appeared in the eyes of the numerous one-eyed star mice.

This place caused the one-eyed star mice to go berserk; the mouse horde instantly split into several streams like torrents, rushing toward where the six stood and launching a ferocious assault.

The sound of countless gnawing echoed, chilling to the bone!

But upon encountering the countless raindrops, they instantly turned into vast expanses of icy withering in an instant; the countless dense raindrops now flowed around Linghe Zhenren's body, she formed hand seals, and countless water-element spiritual power rotated around her, one great vortex after another sweeping over this originally not-so-large ice palace.

In the spiritual light, vast numbers of one-eyed star mice were frozen solid.

But at the same time, several strands of fierce starlight, like lightning, tore through the void.

These were seven or eight giant horned mice, their entire bodies entwined with golden starlight.

They stood on high ground, golden starlight rotating above their heads, like countless star-cones tearing through the void and striking downward.

Wherever they passed, vast expanses of solid ice were bored through.

The power manifested by these starlight giant cones was not inferior to that of a Golden Body-level primordial spirit immortal technique!

"A pack of wicked beasts!"

Siming Zhenren gazed coldly at this scene, and with a wave of her hand, numerous talismans condensed into appearance, shrouded in glazed golden light; she slightly brushed her hand, and a tall, slender, green-gold ceramic jar appeared above her head.

Merely forming a slight seal, the clay pot suddenly erupted with endless suction power, like a violent wind continuously devouring the one-eyed star mice surrounding the underground palace until none remained.

Even the several three-zhang-tall golden-horned one-eyed star mouse kings caught within were instantly swallowed whole.

Seeing many of their kin devoured clean, the other few one-eyed mouse kings finally felt fear, suddenly letting out a sharp cry, then transforming into a streak of starlight that fled along the many excavated tunnels.

The mouse kings retreated.

The remaining mice in the tunnels instantly dispersed.

The area returned to calm, leaving only vast expanses of one-eyed star mouse corpses.

Immediately, the six turned their gaze toward the depths of the ice palace.

Next came the task of figuring out how to bore through the ice palace to extract the spirit worms and ice silkworms inside!