Chapter 505: Azure Frost

"This..."

Above the battlefield, there was absolute silence.

From the moment the two great Nascent Soul powerhouses began their battle, until the advantage shifted back and forth, everything had remained within the realm of the expected.

But the sudden appearance of four other Nascent Soul True Persons, each unleashing their ultimate techniques to surround and kill the Proud Howl Wolf Emperor, was far beyond anyone's expectations.

While the process seemed complex and drawn out, it actually occurred in an instant, as swift as a rabbit escaping or a falcon striking.

The Proud Howl Wolf Emperor, who had been arrogant and unstoppable just moments before, chasing Han Zhan, had been defeated in such a miserable fashion.

Its physical body was destroyed, and its Nascent Soul was captured.

A generation of Demon Emperors had fallen in the blink of an eye.

However, the words of True Person Han Zhan did not give the coalition cultivators much time for reflection or discussion.

Following the assignment of tasks, there came the sound of names being chanted one after another.

"Haoran Zi, Wei Wuya, the Sloppy Daoist..."

All the Core Formation powerhouses whose names were called, after briefly handing over affairs to their sect members, hurried up to the Wind-Thunder Pavilion standing tall in the sky.

Luo Chen, situated at the edge of the battlefield, watched those who had been called.

They came from various sects, some strong and some weak, but the only commonality was that their combat strength remained intact, and they had not suffered any injuries.

Those like Linghu Jie and the Heartless Fairy, who had been heavily injured by a casual flick from the Proud Howl Wolf Emperor earlier, were simply skipped over.

The only exception was perhaps Master Cheng Yan of the Falling Cloud Sect!

Leaving him behind was likely intended for him to oversee the overall situation and preside over the subsequent battlefield cleanup work.

When even the early-stage Core Formation Yu Jiaolong was called,

"It seems I will not be an exception either," Luo Chen muttered to himself.

Sure enough.

After a while, True Person Han Zhan called out indifferently: "Dan Chenzi."

As the gaze swept over, Luo Chen pursed his lips and nodded slightly toward the old man.

Han Zhan glanced at him, then began calling other names again.

"Master Uncle, you..."

Luo Chen did not hesitate in the slightest and quickly instructed: "This trip to the Great Snow Mountain should be a sure success. And with the Proud Howl Wolf Court broken, it means the Howling Moon Mountain Range is secured; it will surely be renamed the Falling Cloud Domain in the future. You don't need to stay on the battlefield, Little Long. Return to the Luo Tian Sect at top speed and inform the Sect Master of this news. Once she knows, she will know what to do."

Having received the order, Ceng Yilong nodded quickly.

"I understand."

"In that case, I shall be going."

Luo Chen moved his body, preparing to board the Wind-Thunder Pavilion.

However, Ceng Yilong called him back.

"Is there something else?" Luo Chen frowned.

Ceng Yilong hesitated for a moment before saying: "Master Uncle, take care of your safety. You must return safely."

His brow relaxed, and Luo Chen waved his hand with a smile before departing.

With five great Nascent Soul True Persons, plus the top powerhouses from various sects accompanying them, the Great Snow Mountain could be destroyed with a flip of the hand.

Even if a few more powerhouses like the Proud Howl Wolf Emperor appeared in the million-strong mountains, so what?

One could always escape.

As he boarded the Wind-Thunder Pavilion, Luo Chen looked back once.

True Person Han Zhan's roll call had ended.

He was not in a hurry to set off, instead recalling the puppet avatar that had been knocked into the dust earlier, and incidentally collecting the massive skeleton of the Proud Howl Wolf Emperor's true form.

The other True Persons also had their own actions.

The Cloud-Crane couple went to the rear of the Heaven-Drum Plain, each unleashing a technique to completely dismantle the final defensive forces of the Proud Howl Wolf Court.

True Person Jade Cauldron roamed the battlefield, gathering the four puppet corpses that had once been members of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.

And he reinstalled the four sword pellets he had collected earlier.

"Could it be that they can be brought back to life?"

Luo Chen was curious.

Without looking further, he entered the Wind-Thunder Pavilion.

As soon as he entered, gazes swept over him.

He acted as if he didn't notice, found a chair, and sat down.

Only then did heated discussions begin regarding the sudden Nascent Soul battle that had just occurred.

Battles at the Nascent Soul stage were simply not clearly visible to ordinary low-level cultivators.

Even for Core Formation cultivators, only top-tier mid-stage Core Formation powerhouses, or even late-stage Core Formation Great Cultivators, could glimpse the truth.

It was precisely because of this that many Core Formation cultivators in the hall were surrounding those Great Cultivators to ask questions.

Although Luo Chen did not join them, he listened attentively.

"After reaching the Nascent Soul realm, victory or defeat depends on strength, which is common in military affairs. But wanting to completely capture or kill is extremely difficult."

"I don't know what price True Person Han paid to move four peers of the same rank to take action, which is why they barely managed to severely injure the Proud Howl Wolf Emperor. But even so, they almost let the demon wolf's Nascent Soul escape."

"The Demon-Locking Tower! It truly deserves to be the treasure of the Ghost God Valley. Under that seemingly ordinary suppression power, its most unique aspect is the binding and capture of a cultivator's Nascent Soul."

"If not for this treasure, the five True Persons might have been able to kill the Proud Howl Wolf Emperor, but capturing the Nascent Soul alive would have been absolutely impossible."

"In my view, True Person Han seems to have replaced his natal magic treasure and refined the Demon-Locking Tower into his natal treasure."

"That's not it. The Falling Cloud Sect has a secret technique that allows for the simultaneous refining of two natal magic treasures. True Person Han did not replace his natal object; that Nascent Soul puppet is actually his natal magic treasure as well. It's just that on this foundation, he refined an additional natal treasure."

"A puppet avatar with both offense and defense, a Demon-Locking Tower for capture and confinement, and a sword array with astonishing lethality. Tsk tsk, these existences capable of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage are indeed monster-like existences!"

"But looking at his appearance, that sword array has been almost destroyed, and the four puppets that made up the sword array have all been taken back by True Person Jade Cauldron. It's a pity that True Person Han is now missing a major means."

"What's a pity? He obtained the Proud Howl Wolf Emperor's body and Nascent Soul. As long as the war ends, he can use secret techniques to nurture it into a puppet. Oh my, by then, his strength..."

Listening to the discussions of these veteran sect powerhouses, Luo Chen also benefited greatly.

Nascent Soul existences can win or lose, but killing or capturing them alive is too difficult.

In that previous battle, five Nascent Soul powerhouses acted together to capture the Proud Howl Wolf Emperor alive, which shows the difficulty.

As for True Person Han Zhan, Luo Chen felt nothing but respect.

The other party was also not very old, and was not even five hundred years old yet!

Under such circumstances, he not only advanced to the Nascent Soul stage but also conquered a domain for his sect, and his own strength had not fallen behind in the slightest.

If given more time, he would possess two Nascent Soul puppets, one human and one demon; who could be his match at the same level?

Furthermore, with the Demon-Locking Tower in hand, if an enemy lost, they wouldn't even be able to run!

"We cultivators should be like this!"

Luo Chen muttered.

As for them being despicable by using numbers to overwhelm the few?

Such things were not worth mentioning at all!

You demon race are merely cultivation resources for immortal cultivators; joining forces when you can't win is the true path.

While everyone was discussing heatedly,

At the palace gate, after a long time without anyone entering, three more people walked in.

Everyone looked over in unison, and the three smiled, tucked their sleeves, and bowed.

"Next, opening up the Great Snow Mountain will depend on the efforts of all you fellow Daoists."

It was precisely the three Masters of the Hundred Flower Palace: the Hundred Flower Fairy, the Peach Blossom Ancestor, and the Fragrance Eater.

Because of the appearance of the three, everyone confirmed one thing.

This trip to the Great Snow Mountain was also part of the opening war!

However, it was no longer opening up for the Falling Cloud Sect, but opening up a new domain for the branch of the Joyous Sect that the Cloud-Crane couple belonged to.

Moreover, the war mode this time was completely different from the previous large-scale legion warfare and step-by-step approach.

If one really had to describe it, perhaps it could be described by the strategy the Proud Howl Wolf Emperor had used earlier—striking directly at the heart!

Gathering various sects, totaling thirty Core Formation cultivators!

One must know, among these thirty Core Formation cultivators, not a single one was weak!

Just the late-stage Core Formation ones included Haoran Zi, Wei Wuya, the Hundred Flower Fairy, the Sloppy Daoist, the Moon God Messenger, and the Supreme Elder of the Dream Spring Cave, totaling six people!

The mid-stage Core Formation ones were either sect masters like the Blazing Sun Sect or the Lotus Sect, or founding ancestors like Chu Baihong, or elders of superior sects like Ye Xiang or Jin Buque.

And among the early-stage Core Formation cultivators, there were also heaven-gifted individuals like Luo Chen, Yu Jiaolong, and the Fragrance Eater, who had exchanged for some talents and revealed extraordinary combat strength.

Such a lineup was something that most veteran Nascent Soul superior sects could not produce.

Once released, it was enough to sweep across a domain!

Especially since, above this, there were five great Nascent Soul powerhouses presiding.

How could a mere Great Snow Mountain resist?

Although it happened in a rush, everyone had some psychological preparation.

Now that the three cultivators of the Hundred Flower Palace representing the Cloud-Crane couple had arrived, with everyone's minds racing, they also inquired about the corresponding inside information.

These three female cultivators had also long been prepared.

"Although the Howling Moon Mountain Range is large, it cannot accommodate too many sects, especially those among you who have ambitions for the Nascent Soul."

"After taking down the Great Snow Mountain, True Person Cloud-Crane is willing to share half of the territory to provide for the sects behind the fellow Daoists present to inhabit."

"In the future, if any become Nascent Soul superior sects, the Falling Cloud Sect and the Hundred Flower Palace are also willing to fully support them in opening up new domains!"

The Hundred Flower Fairy spoke eloquently, a confident radiance appearing on her beautiful face.

The rewards offered also made countless people's hearts race.

Even the principals of sects that had already established territory in the Howling Moon Mountain Range, such as the Star-Moon Temple, the Dream Spring Cave, and the Luo Tian Alliance, were quite excited.

This opening war, although there were twists and turns, was generally very smooth.

Among the eighteen great Core Formation sects, only the Taihe Gate was lost.

The remaining seventeen, after deducting the seven that came to do business like the Liu Sen Studio, Ailao Mountain, and the Huanzhu Tower, still left a full ten!

With so many forces squeezed into one Howling Moon Mountain Range in the future, one could imagine how tense the resource allocation would be.

Who knew if, once the Howling Moon was settled, there would be another round of bloody reshuffling of sects within the human race.

Now, being able to divide a portion to the Great Snow Mountain side meant that the contradictions in resource allocation could be greatly alleviated.

Who could not be tempted by this?

Amidst everyone's excitement and anticipation, the Wind-Thunder Pavilion paused with a boom, then started up and flew toward the nearby Great Snow Mountain.

Time passed slowly.

The heated discussion in the Wind-Thunder Pavilion had temporarily come to an end.

Everyone was adjusting their breath and meditating, trying their best to bring their state to the peak.

Everyone knew that the next step would be another great battle.

Even with the five great Nascent Soul True Persons presiding, no one wanted any accidents to happen to themselves.

Luo Chen was in a quiet corner, not meditating or adjusting his breath.

During the decisive battle at the Heaven-Drum Plain earlier, he hadn't really taken much action and had almost no consumption.

There were a few others like him.

Haoran Zi was one of them.

At this moment, the other party looked over, and the two smiled at each other, everything understood without words.

The Wind-Thunder Pavilion suddenly paused and stopped in mid-air.

Amidst everyone's surprise, the gate opened, and three more female cultivators walked in.

Luo Chen looked over and revealed a look of surprise.

He was not unfamiliar with the newcomers.

They were none other than the three Core Formation female cultivators of the Ice Fortress: Bo Shuang, Yin Yue, and an Ice Fortress elder.

After the three entered the hall, they swept across the room, nodded slightly when they saw Luo Chen, and then found a quiet place to sit.

"Although the Heartless Fairy cannot go, the Ice Fortress still has to send people."

"Earlier, because Master Cang Long failed his tribulation, a full four Core Formation cultivators were lost. Even though the Ice Soul Fairy was added later, the Ice Fortress only had six Core Formation cultivators in total."

"This time, half were dispatched directly. Of the remaining three, Cang Long and Heartless were both heavily injured, leaving only the newly advanced Core Formation Sect Master, the Ice Soul Fairy, to hold the fort alone."

"It seems the Ice Fortress also attaches great importance to opening up the Great Snow Mountain!"

While Luo Chen was thinking, the Wind-Thunder Pavilion did not stay for too long and started up again.

In the top floor of the Wind-Thunder Pavilion.

The five great Nascent Soul True Persons were talking heatedly, occasionally taking things out of their respective storage magic treasures to exchange.

For example, Han Zhan, after fulfilling his promise, paid many things.

Returning the sword pellets of the four Core Formation sword cultivators of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, the broken puppet bodies, and the Core Formations from before their deaths.

"With these things, plus the natal soul lamps preserved within my sect, Ren Pingsheng and the others can finally regain their freedom."

True Person Jade Cauldron's expression relaxed.

However, his expression toward Han Zhan remained unkind.

Tian Yezi, who was on the side, smoothed things over.

"Why must you hold such a grudge, fellow Daoist? It's just that your disciples were useless; you can't blame fellow Daoist Han."

This smoothing over was better left unsaid!

The sword cultivators known for having the strongest combat strength at the same level had been defeated one by one by the powerhouses of the Falling Cloud Sect; speaking of it was a great humiliation.

True Person Jade Cauldron snorted coldly and stared directly at Han Zhan.

"I only hope fellow Daoist does not forget the latter part of what was promised."

Han Zhan did not say anything, just dissolving the medicinal power of the elixir in his body, trying to recover his state as much as possible.

In the battle with Proud Howl, although he did not suffer fatal injuries, his losses were huge.

His magic power was only a small fraction left, his soul was exhausted, he could no longer launch the soul attacks like before, and the Two-Yi Five-Element Sword Array was destroyed.

Especially that Nascent Soul puppet avatar, which was severely damaged and could now at most exert Core Formation level strength.

He couldn't even transfer injuries anymore.

If it weren't for fulfilling the contract and helping the Cloud-Crane couple open up the Great Snow Mountain, he would absolutely not want to go on this trip.

Sensing Tian Yezi's burning gaze, Han Zhan sighed helplessly.

"Fellow Daoist, don't worry."

"As agreed, after the overall situation is settled, I will give the Demon-Locking Tower to you for research; I will not break my promise."

Tian Yezi nodded with a smile.

As long as he remembered!

The Demon-Locking Tower's grade was not very high, and now it had only recovered to the high-grade level, far inferior to the several true artifacts mastered by their Sky Sail City.

But this treasure covered the essence of the Ghost God Valley's formations and could even lock enemies in the void, targeting the condensation of Dao fruits of cultivators like Core Formation and Nascent Soul.

This was quite remarkable!

If he could get his hands on it and research something out of it.

The artifact refining techniques of Sky Sail City would definitely rise to a higher level!

Thousands of years from now, he, Tian Yezi, would definitely leave a heavy mark in the history of Sky Sail City.

The five sat in a circle, and True Person Cloud-Crane, who hadn't spoken for a long time, suddenly spoke.

"We caused such a big scene in the Howling Moon Mountain Range earlier, even if we solved Proud Howl instantly. But the Great Snow Mountain side must have been alerted. Han Zhan, are you sure that Bone Mysterious Snake won't run away?"

Bone Mysterious Snake, the master of the Great Snow Mountain!

Facing this question, Han Zhan snorted coldly.

"First, opening wars generally only fight one domain; there is a convention, so he won't think we will violate the alliance."

"Second, my friend's tribulation earlier, although failed, destroyed most of the Great Snow Mountain's fourth-order spirit vein. In order to keep this place that fits his cultivation, the Bone Mysterious Snake has been repairing it for many years and has never moved."

"Finally, if he runs away, isn't that a good thing?"

Facing these three answers, True Person Cloud-Crane breathed a sigh of relief.

It was his partner, He Qingzi, who had a mocking smile on her lips.

"Violating the opening alliance between humans and demons set in ancient times, are you really not afraid of the ancient demons in the Savage Mountain Range taking action in anger?"

Ancient demons, above the Demon Emperor, existences that rival the human race's Soul Transformation powerhouses!

Facing this mocking question, the four human Nascent Soul powerhouses fell into silence.

After a long while, Tian Yezi said gloomily: "That's also something that can't be helped. The Holy Land side asked us to test the attitude of the demon race, and we have to do it."

Once someone started, it was easier to talk.

True Person Jade Cauldron sneered: "He Qingzi, you are also part of the demon race. If an ancient demon powerhouse really takes action, the first to die will be you, the traitor. Do you still have the mood to laugh?"

He Qingzi's face stiffened, and she couldn't say anything.

Or rather, her previous mockery was just a show of bravado.

True Person Jade Cauldron was worthy of having a clear sword heart, glimpsing the fear in her heart in an instant.

Seeing the atmosphere become awkward again, He Qingzi's partner, Cloud-Crane, waved his hand: "No need to worry about this kind of thing. If an ancient demon powerhouse takes action, that would be truly tearing up the agreement. In that case, it would instead give those existences in the Holy Land an excuse to make trouble. Fellow Daoists, isn't this the significance of our action this time?"

That was what was said, but when it really involved life and death, no one could be calm.

Or rather, how many people in this world could face death calmly?

Han Zhan advanced to Nascent Soul the latest and knew the least about the top-level secrets of the human race.

At this moment, he couldn't help but ask: "If those ancient demons in the depths of the Eastern Wasteland take action, can the Holy Land Mingyuan Sect suppress them?"

"Perhaps not in ancient times, but after thousands of years of development, the Mingyuan Sect's strength is unfathomable and enough to suppress everything!" True Person Cloud-Crane said decisively.

Behind him was the Joyous Sect, which had the most well-informed news.

He knew better than anyone how strong the Holy Land Mingyuan Sect was.

But did he really know how strong those forbidden existences in the depths of the Eastern Wasteland were?

Tian Yezi said gloomily: "Fellow Daoists, be more cautious. Don't pin all your hopes on the Holy Land side! Be careful of the North Sea chaos repeating itself!"

North Sea chaos!

Once the four words were spoken, everyone was horrified.

True Person Jade Cauldron gritted his teeth and said: "Forget it, as long as the ancient demon powerhouses don't take action, who in this world can keep me? If the ancient demon existences really disregard their faces and take action against us, then this old man will accept it!"

Tian Yezi sighed and stood up calmly.

"Fellow Daoists, we have arrived."

Boom!

The sound of wind and thunder suddenly subsided.

As the brilliance bloomed, figures walked out of the palace, overlooking the massive mountain range that stretched for ten thousand miles below.

The mountain range rose and fell, with high peaks towering.

In the flat terrain, a Bone Dao Palace built of eerie white bones was striking.

And in the distance of the mountain range, figures exuding powerful auras were constantly gathering.

They were the many third-order Demon Kings who had followed the Wind-Thunder Pavilion all the way and were gathering toward the Great Snow Mountain Bone Dao Palace.

Upon seeing the Core Formation powerhouses exuding fierce auras walking out of the Wind-Thunder Pavilion, all the Demon Kings were terrified.

Click, click...

As if an iron gate that had been in disrepair for a long time was pushed open with force, and as spots of rust fell off, a demonically handsome young Daoist walked out from within.

He looked up at the Wind-Thunder Pavilion, his pupils shrinking.

On the nine-story Wind-Thunder Pavilion, five figures walked out one by one.

True Person Cloud-Crane cleared his throat: "Fellow Daoist Bone, leave the Great Snow Mountain, and you can go."

Facing the five great Nascent Soul True Persons, the Bone Mysterious Snake smiled grimly, showing not a hint of panic.

"Go?"

"Today, no one is leaving!"

Everyone was stunned.

Then, they saw the Bone Mysterious Snake step aside and bow respectfully.

A pair of beautiful little feet stepped out from the deep, snake-mouth-like Bone Dao Palace.

And at that very moment!

"Run!"

A voice was issued by the five in unison.

The five great Nascent Soul True Persons did not hesitate in the slightest, all flying away backward.

True Person Jade Cauldron was the fastest, his sword light transforming and wrapping around his whole body, turning into a rainbow light and shooting out.

Tian Yezi clasped his hands together, the power of wind and thunder erupting all over his body, following behind.

He Qingzi trembled all over, her eyes revealing disbelief, and then she directly manifested her true form. A huge white demon crane, a hundred feet long, appeared in the world, its wings trembling, stirring up endless demon energy. Not only that, large patches of white crane feathers fell, and she had already activated a flight secret technique, with layers of white light covering her.

Only Han Zhan and Cloud-Crane were slower and fell behind.

This change was too sudden.

So much so that on the Wind-Thunder Pavilion, many Core Formation cultivators who had felt sure of success earlier were completely unable to react.

And at this moment, the owner of the beautiful golden lotus in the Bone Dao Palace finally revealed her true face to everyone.

Dressed in water-green clothes, with fine eyebrows, beautiful eyes, a delicate nose, and thin lips.

The snow of the Great Snow Mountain was not half as white as her skin.

The eerie white bones of the Bone Dao Palace were not three parts as cold as the chill emanating from her eyes.

Long hair reached her waist, black as thick ink.

As the leisurely mountain wind blew, her waist, which could be held in one hand, seemed as if it would be blown apart.

A weak willow in the wind, nothing more than this.

What was eye-catching was that a black three-legged crow stood on her shoulder.

"Please take action, Master Qing Shuang!" The Bone Mysterious Snake was respectful, his tone not daring to be the slightest bit negligent.

She nodded slightly, then extended her slender, jade-white palm and slowly clenched it into a small fist.

Just one punch!

Boom!

As if traversing space, it landed on True Person Cloud-Crane, who was at the back; his physical body exploded, turning into a sky full of blood rain, falling in the vast snowfield.