Chapter 11
The night wind, carrying the chill from the mountain's peak, brushed against Mo Xingyun's stealthy figure. He activated the [Hidden Dragon Demonic Art], silently bypassing several patrols on the outer perimeter of the Immortal Palace. Following the familiar path, he once again approached the Xuan Palace.
The tower was constructed entirely from a type of massive, greenish-black stone, starkly different from the white marble commonly used in the Immortal Palace, giving it a somber and ancient air. Moonlight shone upon it, but instead of appearing bright, it was absorbed by the stone, adding to its mystery and oppressiveness. Upon the tower's surface were carved ancient totems, now blurred and indistinct, along with twisted celestial trajectories and strange, icicle-like patterns.
Mo Xingyun ascended the spiral staircase, arriving once more at the great door adorned with a mural of an elegant, extraordinary man and woman, both immortal cultivators, dancing through the air. He took a deep breath and retrieved from an inner pocket of his robes the rubbing of a secret scroll he had stolen from his mother's chambers. On it, written in graceful script, were the unique gestures and sequence to open the Xuan Palace tower's mechanism.
In the center of the stone door was a circular golden ornament. Mo Xingyun focused his mind and held his breath, following the sequence on the scroll to operate the coded mechanism. As the final gesture was completed, a low "hum" emanated from the center of the bronze plate. A stream of deep blue light flowed through the runes on the plate. Immediately after, a series of more complex mechanical unlocking sounds came from within the heavy stone door, which then slowly slid inward, opening a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.
A thick, cold yin aura rushed out from the gap. Mo Xingyun's eyes sharpened. Knowing the gravity of the situation, he hesitated no longer and slipped inside. The tower was pitch-dark, with only dove-egg-sized, deep-blue crystals embedded in the walls every few yards, emitting a faint, cold light that barely illuminated the path ahead. The air was filled with a faint, peculiar smell, a mixture of rusting metal and some unknown medicinal herb. The passage was narrow, allowing only one person at a time. The stone walls on both sides were cold and rough, also covered in ancient runes similar to those on the outside of the tower, which flickered under the blue light as if they were alive.
Mo Xingyun activated the [Hidden Dragon Demonic Art], his form almost merging with the shadows as he stepped into the tower.
He had taken only a dozen or so steps when the stone walls on both sides suddenly made "click and clack." sounds. Several ferocious stone statues, the same color as the walls, abruptly activated their mechanisms. The stone spears in their hands whistled through the air, stabbing directly at him and blocking all his escape routes. Mo Xingyun had been on guard. His form ghost-like, as he ducked and lunged, narrowly slipping through the shadows of the spears. At the same time, he flicked his fingers back, sending out several sharp gusts of wind that struck precisely at the weak points of the statues' joints. With a few cracking sounds, the statues movements halted, and they became still again.
"To think there are still traps. I wonder if they were left by my ancestors, or if they were set up by that man surnamed Wei later on," Mo Xingyun thought to himself.
He dared not linger and pressed onward. Along the way, he triggered several more traps, which he neutralized one by one, relying on his internal energy and the combat instincts honed in the Demonic Sect, each time escaping by a hair's breadth.
At the end of the passage was a spiral staircase leading downward. The staircase, made of the same greenish-black stone, coiled down, seemingly bottomlessm, as if leading to the underworld. With each step down, the cold yin aura grew heavier, and the strange energy fluctuation became ever clearer.
Mo Xingyun held his breath and descended step by step. He didn't know how many levels he went down, but just as he felt he had reached the core of the mountain, the scene before him suddenly opened up.
He had arrived at a massive underground grotto. This was the bottom of the Xuan Palace tower: the Xuan Frost Hall.
The hall was vast and lofty. Its vaulted ceiling was embedded with countless deep-blue crystals, like an inverted river of stars, emitting a cold light that bathed the entire hall in a deep blue glow. In the center of the hall, a massive circular pool, dozens of yards in diameter, occupied the core position. The water in the pool was a strange, deep blue. Its surface was calm and perfectly still, yet it radiated a heart-stopping, extreme cold energy and an indescribable life essence.
Just as Mo Xingyun's gaze was captured by the Yin-Yang Pool, several semi-transparent figures, radiating intense resentment and a protective will, materialized without warning from the shadows around the hall! These ghosts varied in form, but all wore the ancient attire of the Ning clan, their features indistinct, their bodies wreathed in a faint blue yin energy. They were the heroic spirits of past Ning clan ancestors who had died protecting the Xuan Palace. The moment they appeared, they let out silent roars and, with a bone-chilling cold and a decisive killing intent, rushed at Mo Xingyun from all directions!
"Not good!" Mo Xingyun's heart tightened. He hadn't expected there to be demonic guardians here. He immediately circulated his internal energy at full power, and a faint, cyan-green light appeared on his body's surface. This was the protective energy naturally generated by the cultivation method Long Yue had taught him, originating from the secret treasure's energy flowing within him.
"Hiss, hiss…" As the ghosts made contact with Mo Xingyun's protective energy, a sound like melting snow and ice was heard. Mo Xingyun felt an extremely yin force try to invade his body and freeze his meridians. He grunted, staggered back several steps, and dared not be careless. He concentrated his internal energy in his palms and began to fight back against the ghosts.
His palm strikes, carrying the nascent yang energy, had a natural suppressing effect on these ghosts, but they were numerous and fought without fear of death, throwing themselves at him relentlessly. In the heat of battle, Mo Xingyun felt that the power within him seemed to be stirred by these similarly sourced cold yin auras, growing more active, and his palm strength increased accordingly.
Just as he was gradually gaining the upper hand and had dispersed several of the ghosts, Long Yue's cool voice suddenly sounded in his mind: "Xingyun..."
Mo Xingyun froze. Long Yue hadn't spoken to him since he last returned to the Demonic Sect to report to the Demon Queen. Her appearance now meant something significant was happening. His offensive slowed slightly as he communicated with her in his mind: "Master, what is it..."
Long Yue's voice held a hint of an unusual tone: "Below... in that pool, there is a strange energy. It seems to be reacting with what's inside you."
While remaining wary of the circling ghosts, Mo Xingyun asked urgently in his mind: "Master? What is it? Can you sense it?"
"Not very clearly," Long Yue's voice was tinged with confusion. "That energy... it is of the extreme yin and cold, yet it faintly carries an aura that shares the same origin as you. It seems... it can resonate with the treasure within you. If used properly, it might... strengthen you."
Strengthen me? A thought stirred in Mo Xingyun's heart. He could feel that ever since entering the Xuan Frost Hall, especially as he neared the Yin-Yang Pool, the mysterious power within him had become unusually active, as if responding to some kind of summons.
Long Yue's voice sounded again: "That energy is also extremely fierce and domineering. A single misstep could cause it to backlash against its master. You must be extremely careful."
Mo Xingyun nodded, a plan already forming in his mind. He took a deep breath, his eyes sharpened, and his remaining internal energy erupted without reservation. The cyan-green energy surged from his body's surface. With both palms striking out, carrying an indomitable, decisive will, he fiercely attacked the remaining ghostly guards!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Amidst a series of muffled thuds, the few lingering Ning clan ghosts, under the impact of Mo Xingyun's yang-powered palms, let out a series of shrill wails. Their forms flickered and finally, dissipated into wisps of green smoke, vanishing into the pale blue hall.
Mo Xingyun's figure swayed slightly, his chest heaving. After the consecutive battles, a portion of his internal energy was depleted, and fine beads of sweat had formed on his temples. He stepped forward, approaching the center of the vast underground hall. Only now, upon closer inspection, did he realize that the structure of the Xuan Frost Hall was far more magnificent and ancient than he had imagined. The vaulted ceiling was high above, inlaid with deep-blue crystals arranged in a pattern that secretly mirrored a star chart, radiating an ancient, unchanging cold light. The four walls were carved with countless complex and abstract patterns, resembling clouds and water.
The edge of the massive pool in the center of the hall was made of a highly polished jet-black jade stone. The surface of the jade was also covered in ancient runes similar to those on the hall's walls, but even more intricate and profound.
The water in the pool was a deep, mesmerizing blue. It was crystal clear, yet its depths could not be seen. The surface was perfectly still, without a single ripple, but Mo Xingyun could clearly sense a vast, boundless, and terrifyingly extreme yin energy continuously emanating from the bottom of the pool. It resonated with the nascent yang power within him, creating an increasingly strong resonance and a subtle attraction.
He could even see that within the pool water, countless tiny, fluorescent, light-blue particles seemed to be slowly floating and rotating, forming a slowly flowing nebula. It was magnificent, yet concealed a deadly danger.
The "strange life essence" that Long Yue had mentioned was emanating from these fluorescent particles and the depths of the pool.
Standing by the pool, Mo Xingyun felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, which invigorated his spirit. The restless power within him also gave him a strange sense of palpitation and longing. He had a faint feeling that this pool must hold a great secret, one inextricably linked to his own bloodline, the Ning clan, and even his destiny.
"Hehehe... To think that after searching far and wide, you'd deliver yourself right to my door!"
Before he could even catch his breath, a thin, mocking voice rang out, accompanied by several powerful auras, suddenly coming from the spiral staircase above, the same one he had used to enter the Xuan Frost Hall.
*****
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