Chapter 555: Progress

As the Mage “hired at a high salary” by the Zhu Mansion, Ming Nianwei had her own small courtyard.

At this time, dozens of jade stones were scattered within the small courtyard.

Each jade stone was engraved with various profound runes, which together formed a small Array.

Ming Nianwei stood in the center, holding a Jade Ruyi. With a Finger Technique, she guided the Array’s power to converge.

After a long while, she opened her eyes and said, “It is done.”

“Master, this is the Ding Jia Array. It can align with the seasons and the earth’s Qi to aid Cultivation, and it excels at defense.”

“With its help, I can contend with a Sixth-Grade Martial Artist and, for a short time, even hold back a Fifth-Grade Expert.”

Unlike Martial Artists, Mages were not skilled in close-quarters combat. They excelled at using external objects; the more thorough their preparations, the greater the power they could unleash.

What’s more, Ming Nianwei possessed Li Chengxia’s memories and had received guidance from Zhu Ju, making her methods far superior to her peers.

Only by setting it up with such care could this Array be created.

“Good.”

Zhu Ju stood outside the Array. With a flip of his hand, the Five Elements Mountain appeared in his palm, hovering quietly.

“Activate it!”

“Yes.”

Ming Nianwei acknowledged. Her Spell changed, and the Magical Power in her body surged, connecting with the Array in the courtyard.

Instantly, an invisible pressure emerged. Even with Zhu Ju’s Physical Body’s toughness, his breath hitched.

It was as if his entire body was bound by countless steel wires, rendering him unable to move an inch.

“Not bad!”

He took a deep breath and slowly raised his right hand.

SWISH!

The Five Elements Mountain flew from his palm, growing with the wind until it was the size of a house in the blink of an eye.

If not for the Array concealing it, everyone in the Zhu Mansion would have seen it.

“Fall!”

Zhu Ju shouted lightly.

The Five Elements Mountain trembled slightly, then plummeted, crashing toward the Array with Giant Power.

THUD!

The impact made the ground tremble violently in the immediate area.

Ming Nianwei let out a muffled groan, a strained look on her face. The jade stones in the Array flickered erratically.

It was a struggle, but she withstood it.

“Sixth-Grade Peak.”

Zhu Ju’s eyes glinted.

“Then what about… this…”

As his voice fell, the Five Elements Mountain shimmered with a five-colored halo and then swept downwards abruptly.

BOOM!

In just an instant, the Array Ming Nianwei controlled shattered. She could only watch as the Five Elements Mountain, carrying Giant Power, came crashing down.

Just as she thought she was about to be crushed into a meat patty, the house-sized Five Elements Mountain abruptly shrank, transforming into a streak of light that brushed past her body and landed in Zhu Ju’s hand. The pressure vanished completely.

“Whew…”

Ming Nianwei’s body trembled. After composing herself, she looked over with a fawning expression.

“Congratulations, Master! My sincerest congratulations! To think you discovered such a treasure. It must have an affinity with you.”

“A pity,” Zhu Ju shook his head gently.

“I wasn’t able to test its limits.”

“Master,” Ming Nianwei’s beautiful eyes sparkled.

“When the Five-Colored Divine Light fell just now, the Array crumbled instantly before it. A Sixth-Grade Martial Artist would suffer the same fate.”

“Even a Fifth-Grade Martial Artist would likely need to be at the Upper Fifth Grade to have a chance of resisting it.”

“Fifth-Grade Martial Artists have already achieved Gang Sha Unity. They can fly and move through the earth by wrapping their Physical Bodies in Qi Blood,” Zhu Ju said, shaking his head.

“The power of the Fifth Grade far surpasses the Sixth Grade. Your estimate is likely very mistaken.”

“However…”

“Dealing with the Sixth Grade should be more than enough.”

It wasn’t without its flaws.

Normal wielding wasn’t difficult, but activating the Five-Colored Divine Light required Zhu Ju to use his full strength.

Three times,

and his Qi Blood would be exhausted!

Fortunately, Zhu Ju’s recovery was astonishing. As long as he didn’t use it in quick succession, there was no fear of complete exhaustion.

Moreover, as his Cultivation and strength increased, the grade and power of the Five Elements Mountain would also grow stronger. This was its true, priceless value.

“With the help of this item, can we retrieve the treasure at Ze Lake ahead of schedule?”

Ming Nianwei’s eyes lit up.

*

*

*

「Zhou Mansion.」

「Profound Ice Cave.」

Zhou Ruxuan sat cross-legged on the Ice Bed, the Qi Blood in her body surging rapidly according to the method of the Profound Ice Force.

“Cold Qi Returning to the Origin, Frost Blade. Imperial Decree of the North Sea, Profound Ice Soul Seal!”

Guided by the Heart Method and the flow of Qi Blood, her originally scorching and vigorous Qi Blood turned bone-chillingly cold.

“Condense!”

Her Qi Blood, which should have been illusory, was guided by a Secret Technique to transform into a special state.

Gang Qi!

In Qi Blood Martial Arts, a Sixth Grade practitioner condenses Divine Gang, becoming Extraordinary and Unworldly.

This step was extremely dangerous. Even though countless brilliant talents had tried one after another, it still daunted most people.

Zhou Ruxuan’s foundation could only be considered average, and her comprehension of Cultivation Techniques and Martial Arts wasn’t particularly strong.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have consumed two Innate Pills and still failed to break through.

Now, the Qi Blood surged within her. Her heartbeat grew slower, but each beat was more powerful than the last. However, she was still a long way from condensing a wisp of Divine Gang.

“Haaa…”

Just as her momentum was fading, a wisp of the purest Yang Qi Blood quietly appeared and merged with her bone-chillingly cold Qi Blood.

The Pure Yang Qi!

The Pure Yang Qi from Zhu Ju seemed gentle, yet it acted like a catalyst, revitalizing her Qi Blood that should have been deathly still.

The Dao is the interplay of Yin and Yang!

A sudden understanding bloomed in Zhou Ruxuan’s heart. She no longer pursued a breakthrough, but instead focused on merging her own Qi Blood with the Pure Yang Qi.

That wisp of Pure Yang Qi was insignificant compared to the vast sea of Profound Ice Qi Blood in her body.

But no matter how much of her own Qi Blood she poured into it, she couldn’t weaken that wisp of Qi in the slightest.

Until, with the beat of her heart, a brand-new Qi Blood emerged.

“THUMP!”

“THUMP…”

Extreme Yang births Yin, extreme Yin births Yang. The Yin Yang Qi cycled back and forth, gradually merging into one.

BOOM!

A wisp of Qi Blood, different from any before, appeared.

Like Profound Ice.

Frozen for ten thousand years.

Zhou Ruxuan had long known that even among those who cultivated the Profound Ice Force, the quality of their Qi Blood could differ.

But she never knew that combining her Qi Blood with Pure Yang Qi could actually improve its quality.

And…

it seemed to have improved by more than just a little.

‘If I had known this earlier, I should have dual cultivated with Zhu Ju sooner. Maybe I could have broken through without the Innate Pills.’

Suppressing the distracting thoughts in her mind, she once again spurred her Qi Blood to charge toward the Sixth Grade realm.

This time, something inconceivable happened.

At the bottom of the Profound Ice Cave,

the finger of a female corpse, dead for an unknown number of years, suddenly twitched, and a wisp of the purest Yin Qi emerged.

At the same time,

a spearhead emerged from the female corpse’s chest and abdomen. Drawn by the Qi, it flew upward.

And in Zhou Ruxuan’s perception, her consciousness was pulled by an Invisible Power, suddenly leaping out of her Physical Body.

She ‘saw’ the true form of the Profound Ice Cave.

A corpse!

The so-called Profound Ice Cave was actually an ancient corpse buried deep underground, and the ancestors of the Zhou Family were entombed within it.

Even so, she could sense that within the ice coffins of the Zhou Family ancestors, a few still had faint signs of life.

If certain conditions were met, these few could be briefly resurrected.

‘No wonder whenever the Zhou Family faced a great calamity over the years, a mysterious person would appear to save them. So the so-called mysterious person was actually a Zhou Family ancestor. They froze themselves to serve as the family’s trump card.’

But Zhou Ruxuan knew even better.

This so-called trump card could only be used once. After that, they would die completely.

The Zhou Family ancestors froze themselves on the brink of death to act as a fallback for their descendants. Their loyalty to the family was clear to see.

‘Two Fifth-Grade and three at Sixth-Grade Peak.’

Zhou Ruxuan took a deep breath.

‘To think the Zhou Family has such a hidden card. No wonder it has survived until now. Even if it can only be used once, it’s still incredible. I wonder if the Nie Family has similar methods?’

As her thoughts raced, her ‘vision’ suddenly blurred, and her consciousness was forcefully yanked back into her Physical Body.

In her mind, a profound voice emerged.

“My three hundred years of waiting have not been in vain. Someone from the Zhou Family has finally cultivated the Profound Ice Force to achieve First-Grade Qi Blood.”

“My name is Hanyue, a disciple of the Moon Palace. Today, I bestow upon you the Ice River True Qi and the Third-Grade Qi Blood Divine Weapon, the Celestial Frost Spear Head…”