Returning to the passage, Han Jue resumed his search for the Ice God's inheritance location while simultaneously contacting Venerable Lianyi through the Virtual Universe.
"Oh? You've reached Ice Mountain already?" Venerable Lianyi's voice carried a hint of amusement. "Well... logically, I shouldn't directly reveal the specifics of your cultivation mission's opportunities, but since Ice Mountain connects to our Ice Peak lineage's heritage, I suppose some guidance is permissible."
"Senior Sister, what should I do?" Han Jue asked with genuine curiosity.
"It's simple. Venture deep into the mystical beast lair and locate a deep pit," Venerable Lianyi explained. "This pit appears as a chasm exceeding a million kilometers in depth. As long as you can reach the bottom alive, you'll find what you're looking for."
She paused deliberately before continuing. "The bottom typically swarms with mystical beasts, including some at the Immortal level. But if you're fast enough, you can evade them."
"I won't elaborate further," Venerable Lianyi added, her tone becoming more serious. "The dangers here are formidable enough that even you face a high probability of death. However, the rewards for success are equally immense. Whether you choose to attempt this is entirely your decision."
"Thank you for the guidance, Senior Sister!" Han Jue said respectfully before disconnecting from the Virtual Universe.
Venerable Lianyi smiled to herself, shaking her head slightly, before preparing to notify the Lord of Ice Peak. If Han Jue perished on Ice Mountain, the Lord of Ice Peak would need to resurrect him. A genius of his caliber couldn't simply be allowed to die permanently.
After exiting the Virtual Universe, Han Jue followed Venerable Lianyi's instructions and located the passage leading to the mystical beast lair.
This time, he chose not to engage the beasts. Upon entering, he immediately fled at maximum speed toward a corner of the endless ice field, leaving the mystical beasts far behind in his wake.
As the number of mystical beasts around him gradually diminished until none remained visible, Han Jue didn't slow down. He continued pushing forward, his enhanced senses alert for any changes in the environment.
After traveling over one hundred thousand kilometers, his expression shifted.
The intensity of the cold here is already enough to threaten even a peak World Master!
The environmental protection offered by his Force armor could withstand attacks from high-level World Masters at best, but against this level of cold, it was proving inadequate. The space around him began shattering layer by layer, the fracturing accelerating with each passing moment.
Han Jue retreated quickly. He could still rely on his physical body to withstand cold that threatened Domain Lords, even using such exposure to aid his Ice Derivative Body cultivation. But at World Master level and above, he always turned and fled without hesitation.
This wasn't Devil Note Mountain, where one could rely solely on willpower to endure the assault of demonic sound. No matter how strong one's will, if the physical body couldn't withstand the environment, death was inevitable.
After retreating several thousand kilometers, the surrounding cold returned to levels he could manage.
Of course, "manageable" was relative, ordinary Domain Lords would still suffer severe frostbite in this environment.
"Hmm?"
Han Jue turned his head toward a particular direction, his enhanced perception detecting something unusual.
An indigenous World Master had just intruded into the mystical beast lair, emerging from one of the side passages.
The indigenous World Master also noticed Han Jue. His face lit up with predatory joy as he prepared to attack.
Han Jue had no time to waste on such annoyances. He immediately released his Star-Eating Grass, which instantly engulfed and killed the indigenous World Master before the opponent could even complete his first technique.
A mere fourth-level indigenous World Master dared to attack me?
Han Jue collected the black tokens from the corpse, quickly counting them. Nearly two thousand tokens. Adding them to his previous accumulation, Han Jue's total had exceeded eight thousand, reaching exactly 8,096.
Almost at the ten thousand mark.
Han Jue rushed toward the direction from which the indigenous World Master had emerged. Soon, he discovered four passages of varying sizes branching from a central junction.
One of them was a vast, seemingly bottomless pit that led directly downward into the earth itself.
"Is this the deep pit?" Han Jue murmured doubtfully.
"Master, I cannot measure the depth of this passage," Rimuru reported. "The sensors are unable to penetrate far enough to detect the bottom."
Han Jue approached the edge cautiously, peering into the darkness. Suddenly, without warning, an incredible suction force erupted from the depths below. The surrounding space instantly formed visible vortices of compressed air, forcibly ripping nearby ice blocks and ground layers from their foundations and dragging them into the abyss.
Whoosh!
Han Jue was pulled directly into the pit, the temperature plummeting instantly as he lost control of his body's trajectory. The air shrieked harshly in his ears, and even his Star-Eating Grass proved powerless to resist the overwhelming suction force.
Unless he retrieved his Ice Wasteland spacecraft and sealed himself inside, there was no escape from this descent.
"Master, if this isn't the deep pit Venerable Lianyi mentioned, we're in serious danger!" Rimuru said anxiously, his voice tight with concern.
Han Jue looked down at the inky black abyss below, watching the darkness rush up to meet him.
All I can do now is hope this is indeed the pit Senior Sister spoke of, the entrance to the Ice God's inheritance temple.
If not...
Han Jue had already prepared contingencies. He could instantly activate the Water-Sky Origin Fire within him. Combined with the protection of his Ice Wasteland spacecraft, there might still be a slim chance of survival.
Time became meaningless in the darkness.
After falling for nearly a million kilometers through the seemingly endless void, Han Jue finally noticed a faint glimmer of light beneath his feet.
We're almost there!
Han Jue stretched his body, and a layer of azure flame quickly coated his skin, the manifestation of the Water-Sky Origin Fire's protective power.
As for the Water-Sky Holy Flame, Han Jue couldn't yet activate that level of power without severe consequences.
As the Water-Sky Origin Fire enveloped him, Han Jue's aura surged steadily, rapidly reaching the ninth level of World Master in raw power output.
"Boom!"
Below, thousands of mystical beasts suddenly came into view! Among them were numerous World Master-level creatures, and even several Immortal-level beasts whose presence radiated crushing pressure!
If caught in the swarm without the Demon Killer Clan's natural concealment abilities, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Han Jue burst into action the moment he emerged from the shaft, quickly determining his direction before rushing toward what his instincts told him was the center of this underground space.
How did he determine the correct direction?
Simple, the cold here was powerful enough to threaten a peak World Master. The weaker the cold, the closer one was to the Inheritance Temple. By following the gradient of decreasing temperature, he could navigate toward his destination.
Han Jue's current physical strength couldn't sustain peak World Master-level power for extended periods. Having found his direction, he didn't waste a single moment, bursting forward at top speed as he raced toward the center.
Before long, a magnificent sight appeared in the distance.
Floating palaces radiating golden light materialized before Han Jue's eyes, thirty-two of them in total, each measuring tens of kilometers in diameter and emanating a divine glow. Twenty-seven of these palaces were shrouded in white light, as if sealed or already claimed.
The Inheritance Temple!
Relief flooded through Han Jue as he recognized the legendary structures. Seeing that he was about to collapse from the strain of maintaining his enhanced state, he slowed slightly and entered one of the five palaces not shrouded in white light.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the oppressive cold vanished completely, replaced by a comfortable ambient temperature. The azure flames dissipated from his body as Han Jue examined his damaged form, shaking his head ruefully before retrieving healing items from his world ring. His body began rapidly regenerating as the medicine took effect.
The entire palace complex possessed a simple but majestic structure.
At the center stood a towering hall whose architecture suggested both functionality and grandeur. Surrounding this central structure was a rocky plaza where numerous mystical beasts leisurely strolled or sprawled on the ground sleeping, seemingly unconcerned by Han Jue's presence. The creatures here appeared completely docile, as if the inheritance grounds themselves enforced some form of peaceful coexistence.
Han Jue took a deep breath, steadying himself as he prepared to explore the temple that would determine his future cultivation path.
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