Chapter 473

The door at the deepest part of the Ice Abyss was a massive gate three zhang tall and two zhang wide, forged from dark ice.

Its surface was carved with countless dense runes, each slowly swirling and emitting a deep blue glow.

The light seeping from the door's seam was more profound than any other, as if originating from another world.

But the most critical thing were the two recesses on the door.

One on the left, one on the right.

One on top, one on bottom.

The shapes of the two recesses perfectly matched two jade keys.

One was held by the Valley Lord, Li Yuan.

The other was held by the Grand Elder, Hu Nianjing.

Only when both jade keys were inserted simultaneously would the Ice Abyss door open.

Chen Mu stood before the door, staring at the two recesses, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

He had no jade key.

But he had something more effective than a jade key—Gu Yanzhao's memories.

Chen Mu raised his hand and pressed it against the door.

A deep blue mark appeared on his palm—the permission imprint of Hu Nianjing, copied from Gu Yanzhao's memories.

But that was only one part.

Li Yuan's imprint was still needed.

Chen Mu took another jade talisman from his robe and gently crushed it.

Inside the talisman was sealed a trace of Li Yuan's aura—

Taken from a looted equipment card, belonging to a deceased Guardian of the Dark Yin Valley.

That Guardian had died under the "Demon Eradication Edict."

Before dying, the Guardian still retained a sliver of Dark Yin energy bestowed by Li Yuan.

Now, that trace of aura was in Chen Mu's hands.

The aura merged into the imprint!

Both recesses lit up simultaneously.

Hum—

The massive ice door slowly opened.

……

Inside the Ice Prison Hall.

Li Yuan suddenly frowned and whirled around, staring into the hall's depths.

His face turned instantly ashen.

"The Ice Abyss…"

He murmured, "Someone… has entered the Ice Abyss!"

Hu Nianjing's pupils shrank sharply. "What did you say?"

"The door opened," Li Yuan said slowly, each word deliberate. "Both keys activated the Ice Abyss door at once!"

Hu Nianjing's face paled. "Impossible! My jade key is still on me, and yours is still on you—unless…"

She fell silent.

Unless someone had simulated their auras by other means.

"Gu Yanzhao."

Li Yuan spoke slowly, "He knows your aura and can mimic mine—could he have given your imprint to someone else?"

Hu Nianjing remained silent.

Her silence was the answer.

Li Yuan drew a deep breath, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.

"We've all been fooled."

He turned to act—

BOOM!!!

The ceiling of the Ice Prison Hall shattered violently.

Three figures descended from above!

The leader wore a green robe, his face as refined as jade.

Yue Canglan, the Sect Master of Dragon Tiger Sword Sect!

Behind him stood two others—Master of Transmission He Lingfeng, and Master of Surveillance Qin Su.

Three Tiangong Realm cultivators.

Li Yuan's pupils narrowed slightly as he slowly turned to face them.

"Sect Master Yue… what a grand entrance."

Yet in the same motion, he reached through the air and removed the bindings from Hu Nianjing.

Hu Nianjing regained her freedom; though her face was pale, her aura did not weaken.

Regarding this.

Yue Canglan smiled faintly, as if he hadn't noticed, standing with hands behind his back, speaking calmly, "Valley Lord Li, long time no see."

"Long time no see?"

Li Yuan sneered, "Your Dragon Tiger Sword Sect ambushed my Grand Elder, burned her soul and left her gravely wounded—now you ask if I'm well?"

Yue Canglan shook his head.

"At Yingchun Gorge, my Dragon Tiger Sword Sect also lost an elder. I'm not here for that. I'm here to tell you this: we arrived at Yingchun Gorge because we received intelligence—but that intelligence wasn't something we sought out; it was delivered to us."

He pulled out a letter and tossed it through the air to Li Yuan.

Li Yuan caught it, glanced at it, and his expression subtly changed.

The letter contained only one sentence—

"The Sun-Moon Mo Sect has bound Canglong; they will meet secretly with Hu Nianjing at Yingchun Gorge on the fifteenth of this month."

No signature, no seal—only a single line of hasty handwriting.

"Someone deliberately lured us to ambush Hu Nianjing," Yue Canglan said coolly. "We walked into a trap."

Precisely because we knew we were trapped, set up by someone.

That's why Yue Canglan didn't launch an attack the moment he arrived.

Anyone who leads a sect, a Tiangong cultivator, is no fool.

On this matter, the Dragon Tiger Sword Sect, the Xuan Yin Valley, the Sun-Moon Mo Sect's branch, and the Zhen Wu Bureau's branch—all were manipulated!

Compared to the hatred between these sects, Yue Canglan hated the mastermind behind it all more!

…

Li Yuan fell silent.

He looked down at the letter, then suddenly smiled.

"Brilliant tactic… truly brilliant…" he murmured. "One trap after another, pulling everyone in."

Then he looked up at Yue Canglan.

"Master Yue, why are you here today? To explain yourself… or to take advantage of our misfortune?"

Yue Canglan smiled faintly.

"Neither. I came to tell you, Master Li: the one who set this trap is now thirty zhang beneath your Xuan Yin Valley, and he has already opened the Xuan Bing Cave."

Li Yuan's expression didn't change. "How do you know this?"

"Because my Dragon Tiger Sword Sect's intelligence network isn't that worthless," Yue Canglan said coolly. "He may have hidden well, but he can't escape the eyes of those who are looking."

Li Yuan fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly. "What do you want?"

"The Twelve Palace Pearls," Yue Canglan said slowly, each word deliberate. "When he gets them, I want six."

"Six?!" Hu Nianjing cried sharply. "Yue Canglan, are you mad?!"

Yue Canglan ignored her, his gaze fixed on Li Yuan.

Li Yuan stared at him for a long while, then slowly nodded.

"Deal."

"Li Yuan!!" Hu Nianjing shrieked. "You—"

"Shut up."

Li Yuan said coldly. "Can't you see what state Xuan Yin Valley is in right now? Canglong is outside. Qin Nanxian is outside. The Pei and Xiao families are watching like wolves. How many pearls can we even keep?"

Hu Nianjing opened her mouth but said nothing.

Yue Canglan nodded, satisfied.

"Then let's go. If we wait any longer, he'll escape."

…

Thirty zhang underground, inside the Xuan Bing Cave.

Chen Mu stood in the circular ice chamber, staring at the twelve pearls on the ice pedestal.

Each was the size of a baby's fist, completely transparent, with nebula-like patterns slowly swirling inside.

The light they emitted was soft and warm, sharply contrasting the bone-chilling cold around them.

The Twelve Palace Pearls!

Shhh~

Qi surged outward, drawing all twelve pearls into his palm-space.

Just then.

In his spiritual sense, five terrifying qi signatures were rapidly approaching.

Li Yuan, Hu Nianjing, Yue Canglan, He Lingfeng, Qin Su—five Tiangong cultivators, hurtling down from above.

They've been spotted!

Chen Mu looked up at the thick rock layer above, a faint smile curling his lips.

Want to catch me?

Wuuuum~

He pulled out the Star Token and activated its true essence.

"Boom!!"

Five figures shattered through the rock layer and landed inside the ice chamber.

Li Yuan, Yue Canglan, and the other four Tiangong cultivators stood in a line before Chen Mu.

Then they saw something astonishing.

Stars glittered brilliantly.

A figure stood amid the starlight, the space around him twisting violently.

The figure lifted his head, looked at them, and smiled.

"Farewell, all of you."

Before the words had fully faded—

Swish!

Starlight erupted, spatial ripples spread, and the figure vanished into thin air.

"…"

The five Heaven Palace Realm cultivators stood in place, silent for a long time.

After a long while, Yue Canglan spoke slowly.

"What was that just now?"

No one answered.

Li Yuan stared at the direction where the figure had vanished, his eyes filled with complexity.

"That… was the summoning power of an independent space."

Hu Nianjing's face turned pale. "An independent space? He has a token of an independent space?"

"More than that."

Li Yuan spoke slowly, "I think I know who this person is."

At these words,

Yue Canglan and the other three all turned to look at Li Yuan.

"Who is he?"

Li Yuan fell silent for a long time, then spoke solemnly.

"If I'm not mistaken, he comes from a mysterious sect, one that traces its lineage back to ancient times…"

"Star God!"