Not long after, a map carved onto a wooden board was brought up by Ji Chuan's tribesmen.
"Senior, please take a look. Every tribe in the Northern Continent has a copy of this type of map. It's different from the paper maps we usually carry. Whenever we go to a new place in the snowfields, we'll make it more detailed. This way, the overall outline of the maps between different tribes is consistent, but the details are vastly different."
Ji Chuan stood up and walked to the map to explain.
This was an easy-to-understand approach. Chen Xiao would do the same, except the map he carried covered a larger area, encompassing the entire Dou Qi Continent, with annotations only he could understand.
After introducing the map, Ji Chuan began to describe the various regions of the Extreme Northern Land and the locations of the eight major tribes one by one.
"This is the Fallen God Ice Plain you mentioned, Senior. It was originally the territory of the Huangji Tribe, but after that catastrophe, it became ownerless land, occupied by some powerful Magical Beasts. Only on the edges do some small and medium-sized tribes survive."
Chen Xiao looked at the map. Further north of the Fallen God Ice Plain lay a boundless ice sea.
According to his understanding, the place they were going to was within that ice sea.
"The northern ice sea of the Fallen God Ice Plain, are there no islands?"
"No, in that ice sea, it's a hazy, endless expanse filled with unknown dangers. It's said that decades ago, a Dou Zong expert ventured deep inside and never returned. Since then, no one has dared to go there at the risk of their lives."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao nodded slightly, becoming even more certain that the place he was looking for was there.
Memorizing the entire map, Chen Xiao had no other questions and immediately looked at Little Fairy Doctor.
She also shook her head, having nothing to add.
Seeing this, Chen Xiao decided not to delay any further and stood up directly, saying, "In some time, a friend of mine might pass through here. If she inquires about us, tell her to head north and come to the Fallen God Ice Plain to find us."
As he spoke, Chen Xiao left a soul imprint in the Shuofeng Tribe.
This was a guide for Qing Lin. As long as Qing Lin arrived in the Northern Continent, she could follow the information he left to find him and Little Fairy Doctor.
"Yes, I've noted it down."
Ji Chuan bowed respectfully in response, sensing their intention to leave soon and secretly feeling relieved.
When facing strangers who were powerful, the best attitude was to keep a respectful distance. Otherwise, they might inadvertently displease the other party, leading to disaster. Even if they gained the favor of these powerful individuals, they might also incur the jealousy of their rivals, still leading to disaster...
The powerful had their way of life, and the insignificant had their own ways of survival.
A gamble might yield great profits, or it might result in total loss.
Chen Xiao could see the other party's thoughts but paid them no mind. He smiled slightly and directly took Little Fairy Doctor away from the Shuofeng Tribe.
With a more detailed map in mind, the two of them increased their travel speed.
And with their strength, they had no need to hold back in the Extreme Northern Land. Whether it was humans, barbarians, or the active Magical Beasts, none could pose the slightest obstacle.
Under these circumstances, the two of them flew for a full month, finally arriving at the Fallen God Ice Plain.
Being called by that name, the Fallen God Ice Plain naturally had some peculiarities.
The moment Chen Xiao and Little Fairy Doctor arrived, they could clearly sense that the environment of this ice plain was even more harsh.
Looking around, although it was an endless permafrost ice plain, strong winds constantly blew. The biting winds were like knives, sweeping wantonly, enough to make those with lower strength hesitate.
Even in some hidden spots, Chen Xiao and the other person discovered spatial rifts, which were a potential threat to the people of the Extreme Northern Land.
"So many skeletons… could this be the result of that catastrophe?"
Deep within the Fallen God Ice Plain, Little Fairy Doctor soon noticed something unusual. She struck an ice mound with her palm, revealing densely packed, pale white skeletons.
These skeletons were piled together, like a mass grave, a shocking sight.
"The competition for Heavenly Flames has always been like this. As far as I know, the Bone Spirit Cold Flame back then possessed intelligence comparable to ordinary people. Before Yao Chen and the others arrived, the Bone Spirit Cold Flame had committed countless atrocities. Added to the people who died fighting for the Heavenly Flame, the total number is immeasurable."
Little Fairy Doctor nodded lightly. She raised her jade hand, and a dark green flame erupted, melting the eternally frozen ice and turning countless skeletons to dust.
Aside from its unique potent poison, the Netherworld Poison Flame also possessed the extreme heat characteristic of Heavenly Flames.
Since refining the Netherworld Poison Flame, Little Fairy Doctor had undoubtedly gained another means.
Leaving an imprint for Qing Lin, the two continued to venture deeper towards the extreme north.
After several more days, the two finally reached the northern end of the Fallen God Ice Plain.
Ji Chuan had not lied to them. Standing here and looking north, everything was hazy. The distant horizon seemed to be shrouded in an endless, heavy fog, making it difficult to see clearly.
Below them was an ocean of mixed ice and water, exuding a chilling aura.
Gazing at the hazy horizon, Chen Xiao's consciousness sank into his mind, checking a subsequent detail of the pre-paid Heavenly Demon Puppet.
Outside the Fallen God Ice Plain, False Heaven...
This likely referred to this place.
His soul perception quietly released, probing into the depths of the ice sea.
However, even with Chen Xiao's current Soul Power, he couldn't tell how far he had probed. The feedback he received was the same, as if there was no change at all.
"It's really hard to find, but it's normal. Otherwise, it would have been discovered long ago."
Chen Xiao wasn't surprised that he hadn't sensed the ruins he was looking for; it was within reason.
Not to mention anything else, Chen Xiao knew that recently, the Earth Demon Old Ghost had come to the Northern Continent, but he still returned disappointed without any success, which was enough to show how secretive the ruins were.
"I can't sense anything unusual either. At this time, it would be much more convenient if Zi Yan were here. Zi Yan is always sensitive to space," Little Fairy Doctor said with a light smile, shaking her head.
The Void Ancient Dragon excels in this area.
Even though she's already a Dou Zun expert, her sensitivity to space might not be as keen as Zi Yan's. That innate talent is something others can't envy.
"It's fine, we have time to search."
Of course, even so, Chen Xiao didn't want to linger in this Extreme Northern Land for too long.
It was only because Little Fairy Doctor was by his side; otherwise, staying in such an uninhabited place for too long could easily cause mental issues.
"We'll stay here for two days. Xian'er, leave a message for Qing Lin. I need to prepare."
Little Fairy Doctor nodded gently. Seeing that Chen Xiao seemed to be lost in thought again, she didn't disturb him and walked to the side.
After leaving the message for Qing Lin and seeing that Chen Xiao still hadn't moved, Little Fairy Doctor casually set up a spatial barrier. Then, with a flick of her finger, streams of Dou Qi shot out.
In an instant, the profound ice in the distance, as hard as iron, was cut into massive 'bricks' by Little Fairy Doctor, as if it were fragile tofu.
A slight smile touched Little Fairy Doctor's lips. With a gentle pull of her jade hand, the 'bricks' that had been cut off immediately flew over. Under her control, they began to stack up, fitting perfectly together.
Just like that, it didn't take long for a simple ice palace covering over ten zhang to take shape, providing a temporary resting place.
On the other side, Chen Xiao's consciousness entered his mind, checking the pre-payment information.
[Currently available for pre-payment—
Spells: (0/1)
Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures: (1/1)
General: (1/1)]
[Subsequent pre-payment: Read 50,000 volumes.]
[Current progress: 40396/50000.]
Ever since he pre-paid for the cultivation technique, the pre-payment information in his mind had looked like this.
The first few items were the same every day, only the final progress changed frequently.
This was because, during their journey, Chen Xiao had already finished reading the numerous cultivation techniques and Dou Skills, as well as various ancient texts, obtained from the Desire Immortal Sect and the storage ring of the Barbarian Bear Tribe leader.
In comparison, although the gains from the Desire Immortal Sect were difficult to describe, they were more practical. Chen Xiao put them to use, and even when sparring with the Dou Zun-level Little Fairy Doctor, he could maintain a steady advantage.
On the other hand, the gains from the storage ring of the Barbarian Bear Tribe leader, while containing some secret cultivation techniques for merging with beast souls, were of little use beyond broadening his knowledge due to the difference in species.
After all, merging with beast souls was a unique ability of the Barbarian Tribe.
For normal humans to merge with beast souls, they would need to strengthen their physiques to a level comparable to Magical Beasts.
Many people could achieve this.
Even Chen Xiao wouldn't find it difficult to reach this point.
What he found truly difficult to accept was that once a beast soul was merged, one could no longer use Dou Skills and could only fight using the abilities of the merged beast soul.
This method of merging had very obvious advantages and disadvantages in Chen Xiao's opinion.
However, the characteristics of the Barbarian Tribe's beast soul merging reminded Chen Xiao of the Great Thousand World on the Dou Qi Continent…
Returning to the main topic, looking at the pre-payment information in his mind, Chen Xiao didn't hesitate and directly set his target on the Purple Spirit Cold Qi.
[Purple Spirit Cold Qi: An Ice Attribute Spiritual Object. Can be pre-paid using Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures or General pre-payment counts.]
[Subsequent pre-payment: Enter the False Heaven and pass the trial to obtain it.]
[Pre-pay?]
The Purple Spirit Cold Qi, like the Heavenly Cold Qi, was only born in extremely cold regions.
However, this item was even more precious than the Heavenly Cold Qi, and it possessed a characteristic: it could not be stored in a storage ring. If it were in a normal temperature environment, it would instantly dissipate. Conversely, in a low-temperature environment, it would actively converge towards a place more suitable for its existence.
This item still lacked a source but was quite spiritual.
Looking at the only subsequent pre-payment option, Chen Xiao suddenly had a guess.
The Purple Spirit Cold Qi in this Extreme Northern Land was very likely gathered in one place!
Otherwise, in such a vast Extreme Northern Land, it was unlikely there would be only one strand of Purple Spirit Cold Qi!
And by chance, pre-paying for the Purple Spirit Cold Qi required entering the ruins of the False Heaven. Wouldn't that mean that by pre-paying for it, he could use its characteristic to lead the way, helping Chen Xiao find the location of the ruins!
It was with this thought that Chen Xiao had held back his second pre-payment, waiting until he arrived here.
"Pre-pay!"
Without further hesitation, Chen Xiao nodded and confirmed.
At that very moment, a strand of extremely cold purple energy, like a long snake, drifted out from Chen Xiao's embrace.
The instant this purple energy appeared, even with Chen Xiao's current strength, he felt a bone-chilling cold, and the surrounding temperature plummeted further.
Without time to think, Chen Xiao quickly circulated the Dou Qi within his body, completely sealing off the surrounding space to prevent it from escaping.
Under Chen Xiao's gaze, this purple energy kept drifting towards the northern ice sea, but it could never break free from the barrier's space, again and again, tirelessly.
Seeing this scene, Chen Xiao's guess became even more certain.
"What is this? I feel like the Netherworld Poison Flame within my body has a primal fear of it?"
Little Fairy Doctor's figure appeared, and she stared at the purple mist before her, her pretty face stunned.
"Purple Spirit Cold Qi, an ice-attribute rare treasure even more precious than Heavenly Cold Qi, which counters Heavenly Flames," Chen Xiao replied, gazing at the purple mist.
Even Heavenly Cold Qi could heavily injure a Fallen Heart Flame, let alone the more precious Purple Spirit Cold Qi.
Moreover, Netherworld Poison Flame's ranking was far inferior to Fallen Heart Flame. With the addition and subtraction, the gap was naturally immense.
The reason they said they countered each other was merely because Heavenly Flames had room for growth, whereas Purple Spirit Cold Qi lacked a source. If Netherworld Poison Flame were to grow for tens of thousands of years, the situation of mutual restraint might even reverse.
"The world truly is vast and full of wonders. However, its sentience seems inferior to Heavenly Flames."
"This thing is inanimate. Rather than sentience, it possesses only instinctive reactions. If we follow it, we can find the location of the ruins!"
Looking at the purple mist before him, Chen Xiao really wanted to refine it.
But he couldn't for the moment.
This strand of purple mist had a greater purpose.
"This makes things much more convenient. Shall we set off now?" Little Fairy Doctor asked, nodding slightly.
Chen Xiao turned to look at the newly built ice palace in the distance and chuckled, shaking his head. "No rush. Purple Spirit Cold Qi won't dissipate in this extremely cold environment. Let's wait a few days for Qing Lin. If she hasn't arrived in a few days, we'll proceed to find the ruins first, determine the location, and then make plans."
The more he understood, the more Chen Xiao valued those ruins.
They even contained a Bone Spirit Cold Flame, as well as Purple Spirit Cold Qi, Heavenly Demon Puppets, and other items. Furthermore, after an unknown vast amount of time, the ruins showed no signs of appearing, which was enough to prove that these ruins were extraordinary!
Therefore, entering them required extreme caution!
After all, here, he no longer had the advantage of foresight. Being fully prepared would definitely be the right move.
And Qing Lin, who had already reached the high-level Dou Zun, was a powerful assistant.
Little Fairy Doctor nodded gently, without any objection.
The leisurely days drifted by, and in their waiting, ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Chen Xiao withdrew and arrived at the edge of the endless ice sea.
Qing Lin had not yet arrived, but spending the entire day idly wasn't an option. Gazing at the distant horizon, Chen Xiao finally decided to first determine the location of the ruins.
After a while, Little Fairy Doctor, having changed into a brand new white dress, also walked out of the ice palace.
Without further ado, the two exchanged a look, and Chen Xiao immediately released the sealed barrier.
Just as predicted, the Purple Spirit Cold Qi, freed from its restraint, seemed to be drawn by something. It moved at an unhurried pace, roughly at the speed of a Dou Wang, and flew deeper into the ice sea.
Exchanging another glance, Chen Xiao and Little Fairy Doctor rose hand in hand, following at a leisurely pace.
They flew for a full two and a half hours, covering an unknown distance into the sea. Finally, under their gaze, the Purple Spirit Cold Qi stopped in mid-air.
In Chen Xiao and Little Fairy Doctor's perception, there was no apparent anomaly, yet the Purple Spirit Cold Qi was like it was blocked by an invisible wall of energy. It repeatedly collided but couldn't advance even half a step.
Its appearance was like a child who had playfully sneaked out, only to find the door locked upon returning home and anxiously knocking.
"Xian'er, do you sense anything unusual?"
Little Fairy Doctor shook her head. If not for the obvious behavior of the purple mist, she would never have imagined that a ruin could be hidden here.
"Then let's pinpoint the location first. At the very least, we've confirmed the site of the ruins."
As his voice fell, Little Fairy Doctor immediately waved her delicate hand, dropping a spatial node.
This was precisely the method for creating spatial wormholes: first, determining two spatial nodes, and then opening up space between them, creating what was known as a spatial wormhole.
Similarly, this method could also be used for positioning.
The other spatial node they left behind was at the edge of the ice sea where they had been staying these past few days.
The moment Little Fairy Doctor placed the spatial node, a drastic change occurred!
The space before the Purple Spirit Cold Qi suddenly split open, revealing a gaping maw.
Simultaneously, an incomparably terrifying suction force erupted from this spatial rift.
In an instant, the ambient energy stirred up a gale, and dense fog surged wildly. Chen Xiao and Little Fairy Doctor, who were extremely close, were also pulled uncontrollably towards the spatial rift.
Their expressions changed as they discovered, to their horror, that they were completely unable to mobilize any of their strength!
Just as Chen Xiao was about to use his last pre-pay opportunity to acquire a space jade slip and escape, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
Chen Xiao quickly turned to look at Little Fairy Doctor.
"Xian'er, did you hear something?"
Little Fairy Doctor, who was about to unleash her Woeful Poison Body to break the invisible restraint, shook her head slightly upon hearing Chen Xiao's question.
Seeing this, Chen Xiao's heart stirred.
"Xian'er, don't resist. Accept what comes. Let's go in and see. If things become impossible, I have a way out!"
Upon hearing this, Little Fairy Doctor, though puzzled, gave her unconditional trust, and the hand seals she was forming quietly dispersed.
With their cooperation, in just a few breaths, they were completely swallowed by the spatial rift along with the Purple Spirit Cold Qi!
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Read 999+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------