Chapter 243: Extreme Cold

Before long, with a jolt, the golden-patterned spirit boat's runes flickered, and it rose into the sky supported by a golden glow, speeding toward the depths of the Frozen Sea.

Han Li did not enter the cabin but went to the bow of the spirit boat, standing alone with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance. His clothes fluttered in the wind, making a rustling sound.

The sea was a vast expanse of white, covered everywhere with thick, solid ice. Occasionally, black reefs covered in white frost or huge icebergs jutted out sporadically from the sea surface.

In the distant sea, mist and haze spread, blurring the view.

Above the entire sea, birds were rarely seen. Both the sea and the sky were very quiet, giving a false sense of emptiness and desolation, as if life in this frozen world had ceased, with few living creatures.

In fact, through his spiritual sense, Han Li could perceive that in the higher clouds, the deep seabed, and even within some icebergs, many powerful demon beasts were hiding, but they dared not act rashly, intimidated by the trio's strong auras.

Recalling the Thunderstorm Ocean, Han Li couldn't help but marvel at the diverse and unique geographical features of the Northern Frost Immortal Domain.

After all, neither the former human world nor the Spirit Realm seemed to have such sights. He believed that in places he had not yet visited, there were many scenes he had never seen or even imagined.

At this thought, for some reason, his mind suddenly drifted back to the brief but warm time he had spent with Nangong Wan before he secretly ascended to the Spirit Realm, a period of shared bliss.

This memory had been buried deep in his heart, in a place he was reluctant to touch.

This was also the reason why, since embarking on the path of cultivation, he had mostly traveled alone and was unwilling to easily involve himself in emotional matters.

After all, separation from loved ones was something he was unwilling to face directly, even now.

"If Wan'er were by my side, we could soar together across the skies, roam the eight wilds and four seas, and enjoy the wonders of the Northern Frost—that would be carefree and unrestrained."

"I wonder how Wan'er is now. The resources I left her should be enough for her to cultivate to the Mahayana stage, right?"

"I don't know if we will ever meet again in this life..."

Han Li muttered to himself absentmindedly for a while, then silently turned around, entered the first-floor cabin, and closed the door.

...

About half a year later.

In the southern part of the Frozen Sea, on a vast misty expanse of water, floated a white island less than a thousand zhang in circumference.

Its body was round, with clear contours, looking like a huge white porcelain plate. It was clearly not natural but artificially created.

On the island stood many white stone pillars of varying heights, some engraved with runes, others inlaid with spirit stones full of spiritual power.

The entire island looked like a giant white formation.

Just then, above the sea near the island, a golden-patterned spirit boat flew in from afar, hovered in midair for a moment, then suddenly flashed with golden light and vanished.

High in the sky, three figures descended swiftly toward the island.

These three were none other than Han Li and his companions, who had rushed all the way to Yanling Island. At this moment, their cultivation aura was not overly concealed, but their appearances and figures had been greatly altered.

Lin Jiu had transformed into a burly man with a full, bristly beard, Lin Shiqi had become a refined scholar in a blue robe and tall hat, and Han Li had taken the form of a fair-skinned youth barely twenty.

The three landed on a small plaza at the edge of the island. Seeing a hall built of white stone ahead, they walked toward it together.

The interior of the hall was extremely simple, with only a circular stone platform in the center, upon which sat a white-bearded old man with legs crossed.

Han Li's gaze swept over, and he was somewhat surprised to find that this man was a True Immortal初期 cultivator, wearing robes that were actually the style of an inner sect elder of the Candle Dragon Sect.

"Have you come to go to the Minghan Continent?" the white-bearded old man asked, glancing at the three without rising.

"Indeed," replied Lin Jiu, now in the form of a burly man, unhurriedly.

"Seven Immortal Origin Stones each," the old man said expressionlessly.

After each of the three paid the fee, the white-bearded old man straightened up, descended from the circular stone platform, and led them out through a stone door at the back of the hall.

Leaving the hall, the three followed the white-bearded old man along a path about ten feet wide toward the center of the island.

Han Li looked down at the road surface and noticed that the path was slightly lower than the ground on either side by a few inches, resembling a groove embedded in the earth, with a cluster of runes carved every several zhang.

The closer they got to the island's center, the denser such paths became, crisscrossing in a complex and somewhat eerie and mysterious manner.

"Brother Lin Jiu, if I'm not mistaken, the robes this old man wears are those of a Candle Dragon Sect cultivator?" Han Li transmitted his voice, looking at the back of the old man ahead.

"Correct. This man should be an inner sect elder of the Candle Dragon Sect," Lin Jiu replied.

"Does that mean all the teleportation arrays between the Guyun Continent and the Minghan Continent are built by the Candle Dragon Sect?" Han Li asked, puzzled.

"Not exactly. The only teleportation array built and controlled by the Candle Dragon Sect is this one on Yanling Island. The teleportation array on Bingji Island near the Minghan Continent is in the hands of the North Han Immortal Palace," Lin Jiu replied.

"I see. Thank you for the guidance," Han Li transmitted.

As the two were speaking, they had already followed the white-bearded old man to a flat area near the center of the island.

Han Li's gaze swept over, and he saw in the distance a circular formation surrounded by dozens of stone pillars, each requiring at least seven or eight people to encircle, presenting a majestic sight.

On the plaza outside the formation, seven or eight people were waiting, some standing with hands behind their backs, others sitting cross-legged on the ground.

"Elder Fu, these three are also going to Bingji Island. The number is sufficient; the formation can be activated," the white-bearded old man said, leading the three to the plaza and addressing another middle-aged man also wearing the robes of a Candle Dragon Sect elder.

"You may enter the formation," the middle-aged man nodded, then turned and said to those people.

Those people had been waiting for a long time, and upon hearing these words, their faces immediately lit up with joy as they filed into the teleportation array.

Han Li and the other two, seeing this, immediately followed them in.

Once all ten people were standing in place, the white-bearded old man nodded to the middle-aged man, and the two each went to a round stone platform on either side of the array and sat down cross-legged.

As a chant emanated from their mouths, the white stone pillars around the great array lit up one after another, and the spirit stones embedded in them and the carved patterns all emitted a dazzling light.

Soon, the light spread, and even the paths on the ground lit up one after another. Other stone pillars standing in various parts of the island also shone with brilliant light, and the entire island's great array began to operate.

"Buzz buzz buzz"

A strange humming sound emerged, and the entire white island trembled violently.

Standing within the array, Han Li looked up at the sky and saw that the clouds high above were churning wildly, gradually forming an unfathomably huge void, from which came waves of space fluctuations that made one's heart palpitate.

Outside the island, the enveloping mist was also affected by this force, receding toward the island's periphery and accumulating into a ring-shaped wall of mist.

Just then, with a loud "boom,"

the entire island shook violently, and a multicolored light emerged from the array at the island's center, transforming into a huge pillar of colored light that shot straight into the sky.

The figures of Han Li and the others were swallowed by the colored light and vanished in an instant.

After a moment, the great array gradually subsided, but the clouds stirred up by the array in the high sky and the surrounding mist wall lingered for a long time.

…

In the northern part of the Frozen Sea, leaden clouds hung low in the sky, and a fierce wind howled.

Blizzard flew everywhere, shrouding the entire sea area.

On the somewhat dim sea surface, frozen seawater and the blizzard, whipped up by the gale, formed huge ice cones over a hundred zhang high, slanting toward the sky, dense as a forest.

Within this forest of ice cones stood an oval-shaped island enveloped by a cyan light barrier.

Just then, a sound like rolling thunder suddenly came from the high sky. The entire oval island shook with a bang, and a multicolored light lit up. On an array at the center of the island, more than ten figures appeared.

They were none other than Han Li and the others, who had been teleported from Yanling Island.

At this moment, due to the effects of the ultra-long-distance teleportation, everyone's faces looked somewhat pale. A few of the weaker cultivators even felt their divine souls somewhat unstable.

Han Li only felt a slight tightness in his chest and had no other sensations.

He swept his gaze around and saw that the surrounding environment was not much different from Yanling Island, with the same array layout, except that the original white stone pillars had all been replaced by crystal ice pillars.

"Since the teleportation is complete, why don't you all leave quickly? What are you waiting for?"

Just then, a cold voice suddenly came from outside the array.

Han Li looked over and saw a withered old woman standing there, draped in a white cloak with white hair loose, leaning on a white gnarled wooden staff, staring coldly at everyone.

Everyone quickly walked out from the center of the array and, under the old woman's guidance, hurried toward the northern edge of the island.

There stood a white ice crystal hall, inside which was a wide desk, and behind it sat a round-faced old man with a kind expression.

Compared to the old woman's cold face, this old man's face was full of smiles.

"Welcome to Minghan Continent. But before you leave Bingji Island, please pay three immortal jade coins per person for the teleportation," the old man said with a chuckle, spreading his palm.

Han Li was taken aback and turned to Lin Jiu with a questioning look.

Lin Jiu, seeing this, nodded and explained:

"This is the usual practice of Candao Sect and the Northern Cold Immortal Palace. It will be the same when we return to Yanling Island."

Han Li nodded silently, but couldn't help feeling a bit speechless inside.

A one-way trip cost ten immortal jade coins, meaning a round trip would cost twenty. Even if he undertook a high-level mission in the Wuchang Alliance that involved long-distance travel, it probably wouldn't cover the travel expenses for this round trip.

If it weren't for the fact that compared to the high reward of this mission, this expense was nothing, he would never have paid the travel fees so easily with his means.

After everyone paid the immortal jade coins, they came to the hall's door on the other side.

The round-faced old man didn't get up but merely raised his hand and wiped it across the hall door in the air.

A cyan light flashed at the hall door, and a circular passage one person high immediately opened in the light barrier covering the outside.

"I wish all fellow daoists a smooth journey," the old man said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiu took the first step out of the hall and arrived at the square outside. Han Li and the other followed closely behind, stepping out.

After the three, the other seven who had come here also walked out one after another.

As soon as they stepped outside, the blizzard poured down on them, accompanied by a bone-chilling cold that made even Han Li, who had been prepared for it, frown slightly.

Looking at the vast white world before him, his thoughts drifted back to the scene when he first ascended to the Northern Cold Immortal Domain. At that time, he had also stepped into the wind and snow, but the extreme cold in his memory seemed even more intense.

Back then, he was full of anticipation, and the feeling of embarking on the immortal path was still fresh in his memory. However, the various encounters that followed still eluded his memory.

This immortal path was vast and fraught with dangers. He wondered when he could openly use his real name.

At this thought, he tightened his fists hanging at his sides.