The shock of his divine sense reaching fifteen hundred zhang deep had yet to fade. Yun Che sat cross-legged atop the Profound Ice Marrow, eyes closed, yet the entirety of that seven-colored expanse was vividly reflected within his sea of consciousness—

  A Netherworld altar, ruined to the extreme.

  Seven shattered great swords stood embedded in a circular formation around the altar, their Nether inscriptions long since dimmed. At its very center lay an ice coffin, its lid slightly ajar, its entire body suffused with Azure light. Pure Netherworld source qi continuously seeped from within, flowing into the surrounding seven-colored vortex.

  What shook Yun Che’s mind the most was the nine yellowed talismans affixed to the coffin’s surface—

  They were identical to those on A-Mei’s body.

  His divine sense cautiously probed around the ice coffin. Moments later, his heart stirred—

  There were no restrictions at all within the coffin.

  His divine sense entered.

  The interior was empty. Only at the bottom lay a deep circular aperture, from which vast torrents of Netherworld source qi erupted. The concentration was so extreme that it had condensed into liquid, forming layered waves that blocked his divine sense from penetrating any further.

  Inside the cultivation chamber, Yun Che opened his eyes, resolve flashing within them.

  This ice coffin, this altar, this endless Netherworld source qi—

  They were undoubtedly tied to the deepest secret of the Nine Nether Mausoleum.

  And the mutation of the Heaven Nether Pearl, the emergence of the second cloud pattern, further convinced him—

  He had to trace the source of this qi.

  Without hesitation, he took out the Cold Jade Gourd and tilted his head back, swallowing a large mouthful of Netherworld Source Dew.

  “Boom—!”

  The instant the liquid slid down his throat, it felt as though he had swallowed an iceberg. Extreme cold exploded through his meridians. Yun Che let out a muffled groan as his entire body was instantly coated in Azure ice crystals.

  Enduring the pain, he circulated the Nine Nether Cold Prison Art, channeling the violent source power directly into his divine sense—

  His divine sense, like a blade quenched in fire, abruptly condensed severalfold!

  Within the seven-colored space, that strand of divine sense transformed into an Azure spike, violently stabbing into the aperture at the bottom of the ice coffin!

  Three hundred zhang.

  Five hundred zhang.

  Eight hundred zhang…

  The resistance of the liquefied source qi grew ever stronger. Each inch of progress was like forcing his way through viscous magma. Without the continuous replenishment from the source dew, his divine sense would have long since collapsed.

  At roughly one thousand zhang deep, the source qi ahead condensed once more—

  A solid barrier of flowing seven colors.

  A Source Gate.

  Cold light flashed in Yun Che’s eyes. He raised the gourd and drank the remaining source dew in one gulp!

  His sea of consciousness trembled violently. Empowered by the surging source force, his divine sense transformed into a streak of Azure lightning, crashing straight into the Source Gate—

  Rip—!

  The barrier tore apart.

  The instant his divine sense surged through, Yun Che “saw” the scene beyond, and his soul froze.

  A body.

  An unimaginably colossal naked male corpse, suspended within the vast seven-colored void.

  Before it, Yun Che’s divine sense was no more than a mote of dust.

  Across the corpse’s surface grew countless purple-black vine-like plants. These grotesque vines writhed ceaselessly, and with every movement, they siphoned threads of seven-colored radiance from the giant corpse. Immediately afterward, even purer Netherworld source qi would seep from the vines’ surfaces.

  The corpse itself would shrivel slightly after being drained—only to recover moments later under some unknown force.

  Again and again. Endless cycles.

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  “So this is… the source of the Netherworld qi of the Nine Nether Mausoleum?”

  Yun Che’s mind shook violently.

  Clearly, this ancient giant corpse had been deliberately placed here as nourishment for these Nether Parasite Vines. The so-called Earth-grade cold veins—and even any potential Heaven-grade veins—were fundamentally built upon the conversion of nutrients from this corpse!

  Even the Heaven Nether Pearl’s ability to refine source dew and manifest its second cloud pattern was likely inseparable from the primal essence secreted by these vines.

  As Yun Che cautiously examined the corpse, his alarm deepened.

  Though dead, the residual pressure alone made his soul tremble.

  In life, this being must have far surpassed the Divine Transformation Realm—perhaps even the Infant Transcendence Realm.

  And the existence capable of reducing such a being to mere sustenance…

  How terrifying must it have been?

  Just as Yun Che prepared to withdraw his divine sense and plan carefully—

  A faint whisper drifted forth, as though spanning countless ages:

  “Save… me…”

  The voice was ancient and weak, yet carried a sorrow that pierced straight into the soul.

  Alarms blared within Yun Che’s heart. He tried to retract his divine sense—

  But the surrounding liquid source qi suddenly boiled!

  Seven-colored waves descended like mountains, tightly entangling his divine sense. The whisper grew clearer, closer:

  “Junior… help me… sever… these… soul-devouring vines…”

  The binding force surged explosively!

  Yun Che’s face went pale. He bit through his tongue, spraying blood essence onto the Heaven Nether Pearl at his chest!

  “Buzz—!”

  The pearl erupted with Azure radiance. A strange suction burst forth, forcibly tearing open a gap in the binding source qi!

  His divine sense shot back like an arrow released from the bow!

  Behind him, the whisper transformed into an unwilling howl before being swallowed by layers of source qi.

  “Pfft!”

  Back in the chamber, Yun Che spat out three mouthfuls of blood. The blood froze upon touching the ground, crystallizing into Azure ice. His face was deathly pale, his soul battered, his sea of consciousness throbbing with pain.

  Only after three full hours of regulation did he finally open his eyes, lingering terror within them.

  “That corpse… still retains consciousness?”

  His gaze turned toward the apertures in the walls, solemn beyond measure.

  For the following days, Yun Che did not act rashly.

  He cultivated daily, refining source dew. The second cloud pattern on the Heaven Nether Pearl gradually deepened in color. By his estimates, it would take years at this rate for the pattern to reach completion.

  But the Nine Nether Mausoleum was no place to linger.

  Han Mingzi’s intent to confine him was obvious. Outside, the struggle for the Abyssal Cold Edicts had already begun.

  Time was running out.

  “If I could obtain a few segments of those Nether Parasite Vines, it might accelerate the pearl’s evolution…”

  Yun Che pondered, then shook his head.

  Entering that space in person? With his current Foundation Establishment cultivation, even with source dew support, his chance of survival was less than ten percent.

  Not to mention—the giant corpse’s lingering consciousness remained an unknown variable.

  The risk was too great.

  He exhaled slowly and turned his attention to another pressing matter—

  The Bloodfiend Sword Sheath.

  This pitch-black, ancient sheath obtained from Teng Li had only been refined once during seclusion. At the time, his cultivation had been insufficient; he had only managed to sink the flying sword three-fifths of the way before exhausting himself.

  According to Li Han’s assessment before entering slumber, this sheath’s origins were even older and more mysterious than the blood-refined green flying sword itself.

  “Teng Li claimed the sheath and sword were obtained together from an ancient cultivator’s cave. That only Core Formation cultivators using core fire could truly refine it…”

  Yun Che’s eyes narrowed.

  “Half true, half false. It’s not impossible at Foundation Establishment—only that the energy requirement is vast and the process lengthy. Core fire simply makes it easier.”

  Though he had yet to form a core, two Nine Nether Cold Pellets already resided within him. His extreme cold power far surpassed that of his peers.

  Perhaps… he could try again.

  “Blood refinement binds only one object in a lifetime. The sword is already bound. The sheath must be refined through orthodox means.”

  Resolve settled in his gaze.

  With a gesture, the black sheath flew from his storage pouch, hovering before him.

  He exhaled a breath of Azure cold qi.

  The instant it touched the sheath, a layer of crystalline Azure frost spread across its surface, tracing ancient patterns that faintly formed the outline of a formation.

  His hands danced in rapid seals. Streams of condensed extreme cold power shot forth as Azure beams, striking the sheath in an unending barrage!

  Clang! Clang! Clang!

  The sheath shuddered violently. With each strike, the frost brightened, while dark red bloodlight flickered within—as though some dormant ferocity was awakening.

  Sweat beaded on Yun Che’s brow, freezing the instant it formed. He paid it no heed, his movements accelerating—

  One hundred strikes.

  Three hundred.

  Five hundred…

  When the thousandth beam struck—

  “Buzz—!!”

  The frost patterns shattered and reassembled, forming a complete Five-Point Nether Formation composed of countless minute runes, floating across the sheath!

  Yun Che withdrew his hands, breathing lightly, joy flickering in his eyes.

  “Last time, it took over five thousand strikes to barely force out a prototype. Now, one thousand is enough…”

  But he knew this was merely the beginning.

  The true challenge lay in branding his divine imprint into the sheath’s core using the very origin of his cold pellet.

  His eyes sharpened.

  He raised two fingers and slowly pressed them to his dantian.

  The instant contact was made, his face turned deathly pale, veins bulging at his temples as soul-rending pain erupted from deep within!

  Gritting his teeth, he slowly lifted his fingers.

  A dragon-eye-sized Azure cold pellet, ice-crystal patterns flowing across its surface, was forcibly drawn from his dantian, hovering three inches before his lips!

  The moment it left his body, Yun Che’s aura plummeted by thirty percent. Breathing became labored.

  For a cultivator of the Nine Nether Cold Prison Art, removing a cold pellet was tantamount to damaging one’s foundation.

  Yet his resolve did not waver.

  He lightly tapped the pellet.

  Sss…

  The pellet melted, transforming into a deep Azure liquid. Within it, two faint pellet shadows drifted—the origin projections of his twin cold pellets.

  Holding his breath, Yun Che guided the liquid toward the sheath with divine sense.

  The instant it made contact—

  “BOOM!!!”

  A sky-piercing fiendish sword intent erupted, flooding the entire chamber!

  The Five-Point Nether Formation spun madly, actively devouring the cold pellet origin!

  Yun Che groaned but dared not relent, pouring everything into maintaining the flow.

  Deep within the sheath, an ancient will—dormant for countless ages—was slowly awakening…

  From the awakening of the Bloodfiend Sword Sheath, what do you expect more—

  overwhelming power, or a hidden and dangerous price?