Zhang Zi watched as Li Xuanxiao entered the massive gate with Caishen in tow.

Soon after, three figures landed simultaneously before Zhang Zi.

"Junior Sister, is everything alright?"

Zhang Zi shook her head. "Senior Sister, I'm fine."

"What happened here?"

"I'll explain in detail when we return."

"What kind of place is this? It doesn't seem like an ordinary realm."

The senior sister from the Hehuan Sect stared into the distance.

Zhang Zi quickly stopped her. "Senior Sister, we should leave this dangerous place immediately."

"Why? What happened?"

"I'll explain when we return."

Zhang Zi truly didn't want to stay in this place for even a second longer.

Though they were both at the Divine Transformation stage, the power Li Xuanxiao had displayed far exceeded common sense.

"What's wrong? Junior Sister, who was that person with you?"

"Senior Sister, let's go first."

Zhang Zi insisted again.

"We must complete the task Master entrusted to us."

"............."

It must be said that Zhang Zi's choice was undoubtedly wise.

The moment Li Xuanxiao touched the gate seemingly made of ice,

he immediately felt as though he had fallen into an endless, boundless world.

This world was pure white, bitterly cold, and utterly chilling.

Li Xuanxiao unleashed all his spiritual energy, his Purple Palace Dantian burning fiercely with boiling power.

Behind him, the massive hand of his Dharma Form Avatar tightly shielded both himself and Caishen.

Yet despite his full effort, the surrounding ice and snow still surged toward him like starving tigers.

This ice was unnaturally cold—the slightest contact would rapidly freeze a person into an ice sculpture.

Though the flames on Li Xuanxiao's Dharma Form blazed intensely, they seemed almost powerless in this frozen wasteland.

The howling wind was no ordinary breeze—it scraped against the skin like ten thousand icy blades.

A clone Li Xuanxiao had created was instantly stripped of flesh, its bones quickly coated in crimson frost.

Li Xuanxiao glanced down.

"This is only the first layer!!"

Occasionally, explosive ice vortexes would erupt in the wind.

These vortexes possessed immense suction before violently detonating in space.

When they exploded, countless shards of ice, accelerated to extreme speeds by the fierce winds,

screeched piercingly as they tore through the air.

The Dharma Form Avatar was struck by the ice shards, which instantly transformed into frost upon contact, covering its body.

The flames on the Dharma Form rapidly dwindled. Content originally comes from novel-fire.ɴet

By the time Li Xuanxiao reached the second layer at full speed,

the ice crevices below resembled gaping wounds in the earth.

At their edges, objects that had once been the size of small ice saplings

suddenly grew into towering Spirit-Devouring Ice Trees in the blink of an eye!

These trees had transparent trunks glowing with an icy blue light, their presence tearing through space itself.

Seeing this, Li Xuanxiao dared not hesitate.

He instantly accelerated to his limit, darting between the countless ice trees.

His figure moved like a ghost, weaving effortlessly through the forest, each dodge and turn executed with precision.

Yet the Spirit-Devouring Ice Trees refused to let him pass easily.

Hundreds of ice pillars, each a hundred meters tall, erupted from the ground.

Their surfaces sprouted countless icy spikes.

Li Xuanxiao narrowly avoided one lethal strike after another.

"Pfft—!"

Caishen, panicking at the sight, watched helplessly as Li Xuanxiao was about to crash into a razor-sharp ice spike.

Instinctively, she twisted aside—but this sudden movement disrupted Li Xuanxiao's rhythm.

With a sickening "thud," a burst of crimson mist sprayed from Caishen's chest as she was impaled.

Immediately, a bone-chilling cold spread from the wound.

This was no ordinary frost—it carried a terrifying ice energy that instantly froze blood solid.

Caishen's body began trembling uncontrollably.

She plummeted downward.

Small storm vortexes formed around her, dragging her deeper.

This is it...

Her vision blurred.

In her fading sight, she saw Li Xuanxiao's figure, the map that had once belonged to her, and most crucially—the Ice Soul Compass in his hand.

The next moment, Li Xuanxiao vanished, replaced by an oncoming ice spike.

He had already flashed away.

In that instant, Caishen understood everything.

He had been using her all along to find the Frost Venom Toad.

Her grandfather had said merchants lived by profit alone.

This couldn't even be called betrayal.

If anything, she had been the one slowing him down.

Caishen closed her eyes in despair.

Suddenly, large hands caught her from below.

The howling wind rushed past her ears as she stared in shock and joy at Li Xuanxiao's profile.

"Cough! Cough!!"

Li Xuanxiao spat blood, the flames in his Dantian already seventy percent frozen, with only thirty percent remaining.

"Haah..."

He exhaled sharply, landing steadily on the ground.

Here, the ice pillars had disappeared.

"This is the place. My grandfather told me about it."

Caishen spoke excitedly.

They had narrowly escaped death multiple times to reach this point.

Though temporarily safe, the area was vast—like a palace.

Now, the Ice Soul Compass in Caishen's hand became crucial.

The two proceeded cautiously,

passing numerous frozen corpses—likely cultivators who had entered before them.

Li Xuanxiao initially considered taking their storage rings and artifacts.

But with the slightest touch,

the frozen bodies shattered into countless crystals.

Still, they discovered many treasures:

The Ice Soul Snow Lotus, its petals transparent as glass—

exceptionally effective for ice-attribute cultivation, though harvesting required heart's blood, or the lotus would instantly wither.

The Blood Marrow Ginseng, its roots pulsing like blood vessels.

Frostbone Dragon's Saliva Grass...

Yet these rare items failed to interest Li Xuanxiao.

His sole purpose was finding the Frost Venom Toad.

Caishen, however, was fascinated by the treasures.

But seeing Li Xuanxiao's impatience, she suppressed her urge to search.

Finally, their efforts bore fruit.

"........"

In the toxic swamp, frigid poison mingled with the rotting corpses of ice-attribute demon beasts,

forming a noxious gas that seeped endlessly into the air like a glacial flood.

A chorus of clear croaks echoed through the empty space.

Li Xuanxiao halted, unable to suppress his joy.

Found it!!!

At last, they had found it.

With one hand forming a seal and the other clutching a talisman,

Li Xuanxiao knew a fierce battle lay ahead and warned Caishen to stay back.

Watching his resolute figure, Caishen felt an unexpected envy toward the friend he had never mentioned—

to have someone willing to risk their life for you...

A life worth living, indeed.