332: Stones that survived the lightning tribulation

Ice and Snow Domain.

Xu Le held the Beacon and maintained the Lantern-Carrying Monk's spirit Domain the entire time, taking a full three months to arrive.

The Spirit Realm was far too vast!

Cowardly Tiger was also too much of a coward!

According to Cowardly Tiger, the Ice and Snow Domain once stretched across dozens of giant Peaks, covered in snow year-round. Nestled within the mountains was a royal city built by evil spirits—Flying Tiger City.

No fewer than a million evil spirits lived in the city, with a multitude of clans and immense prosperity.

But all of this came to an end eight hundred years ago.

Heaven sent down a terrifying bolt of lightning that wiped out the entire Ice and Snow Domain.

Xu Le looked at the wreckage after the Lightning Tribulation; the world was pitch black, with no light, no mountains, no snow, and certainly no living beings.

The once-massive Ice and Snow City was now nothing but an abyss. It was pitch black, and nothing could be seen inside.

If he hadn't been holding the Beacon from the past, even if he had brought Flying Tiger here, the creature likely wouldn't have believed this was the land where it once lived.

"Big Brother Master, are we really going over there?"

Nine Phoenix could fly, but she grew nervous, sensing a great terror lurking in the darkness that made her skin crawl.

Xu Le also felt a sense of trepidation, his scalp tingling.

He secretly cast the "Star Pattern Deduction Technique." The threads of Karma that should have been connected like countless giant nets were nowhere to be seen.

The entire Ice and Snow Domain seemed as if it were dead.

"Let's go! If we take a look, we might regret it for a day; if we don't, we'll regret it for a lifetime."

The man and the bird jumped into the darkness, their bodies descending rapidly.

With a thought from Xu Le, Nine Phoenix received the signal and reverted to her true form.

Her body, over ten meters long including her tail, blazed with raging flames, illuminating the surrounding space.

She flapped her wings vigorously, brightening a wider area, but the bottom was still not in sight.

After falling for over ten minutes, Xu Le finally sensed the bottom.

Using his spirit Domain, he took a step forward and appeared on the ground below.

"Hiss! A single bolt of heavenly lightning actually has such immense power!" He couldn't help but gasp.

If this were the real world, a single strike like this would probably have obliterated the entire planet.

Before long, Nine Phoenix flew above Xu Le's head, illuminating the space around them.

The ground was nothing but hard rock. The soil, snow, and cities that should have been there had all been incinerated into ash by the lightning; nothing remained.

Xu Le released his spirit to search. After scanning one area, he immediately teleported to the next to continue his scan.

Nine Phoenix followed, using her spirit Domain to keep up. Although she was a step slower than Xu Le, she could sense his direction through their contract bond.

Time passed slowly.

Three hours later, Xu Le had scoured the vast Ice and Snow Domain. He couldn't help but marvel at how large the Spirit Realm was; in the real world, he was confident he could have finished in ten minutes.

But he found nothing!

Everything his spirit scanned was just ordinary rock.

Xu Le was not discouraged. If it were truly that easy to find any remaining secrets, he would have suspected it was a trap instead.

He didn't believe the Heavenly Dao would just walk away and ignore everything after striking with lightning.

If his spirit couldn't scan it, he would search with his eyes.

Comparing the ruins of the Ice and Snow Domain he first explored with the map and descriptions Flying Tiger had given him, Xu Le soon pinpointed the approximate location of Flying Tiger City.

Even though the darkness couldn't obstruct his vision, he still carried the lantern to light up his surroundings.

The evil spirits in Flying Tiger City were mostly beast-like and massive, about ten times larger than those in White Tiger City.

Even without tall buildings or vegetation to block his view, the search was still not fast.

Time passed slowly.

More than ten days passed. Xu Le had searched almost every inch of the Flying Tiger City ruins, yet he still found no clues.

Just as Xu Le was considering whether to expand the search area, a thought from Nine Phoenix came through: "Master, I've found something over here."

With a few teleports, Xu Le appeared by Nine Phoenix's side and saw her clutching a stone.

It was the size of a fist, with a small hole in it and uneven edges—clearly a fragment from the middle of something.

Xu Le felt a faint sense of familiarity, but no matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't remember when he had seen it.

However, he was certain that this was a treasure.

It had survived the heavenly lightning and could even evade spirit scans.

He tried taking out a Paper Blade and slashed at the stone with all his might, but it didn't even leave a white mark.

"It really is a treasure. Keep looking!"

After praising Nine Phoenix, Xu Le had her continue searching the area while he used the map to recall what had once been at this location.

He finally concluded that this place had once been just an ordinary snow-covered mountain.

He wondered if the Old Flying Tiger had intentionally hidden this item here, or if it had been blasted here by the heavenly lightning.

Afterward, Xu Le and Nine Phoenix resumed their search.

Three months later.

Xu Le, Nine Phoenix, and Ghost visually inspected the entire Ice and Snow Domain, but they failed to find any other fragments. He wondered if they had been destroyed in the Heavenly Tribulation or reclaimed by the Heavenly Dao.

Helplessly, they turned back.

As soon as Xu Le landed, a sudden prickling sensation at the base of his spine made him snap his head up. He saw a Flying Tiger staring at him intently.

That Flying Tiger exuded the majestic Aura of the Galaxy Level Peak. Purple tribulation Qi enveloped it like a thick fog, and even its originally fierce eyes were dyed a deep purple.

Something was wrong!

Xu Le's heart tightened.

The Flying Tiger on Flying Tiger Ridge had nowhere near this much Aura, and its Realm was only at the Galaxy Level Middle Stage. The Flying Tiger before him was clearly another, far more powerful being!

Roar!

Seeing Xu Le and Nine Phoenix, the Flying Tiger let out a sky-shaking roar and then suddenly pounced toward them.

astral winds swirled and lightning flashed, as if heaven and earth were trembling before its might.

Screech!

Sensing the other's blatant killing intent, Nine Phoenix no longer held back and unleashed her "Blazing Shockwave" with full force.

Her Divine Soul had already reached the Divine-Grade Peak. The white patterns dancing on the surface of the fireball burned and collapsed the Void Realm.

However, the most heart-stopping thing was the fireball's speed. As soon as it appeared, it had already blasted in front of the Flying Tiger, as if it required no time at all.

Crack!

The expected explosion didn't happen. The half-meter-diameter fireball was actually swatted to pieces by a single claw from the Flying Tiger, dissipating into tiny sparks in the air.

Xu Le's eyelids twitched at the sight, his heart filled with shock.

However, he had no time to think, as the Flying Tiger's attack followed immediately.

He quickly pulled out a Paper Spear and thrust it forward, the tip accurately piercing the Void Realm.

The Flying Tiger's figure instantly appeared, but the Paper Spear also shattered under the force of the recoil. He hurriedly let go, thinking to himself that things were looking bad.

"Feeble human, you dare to raise a hand against me!" The Flying Tiger's voice was as harsh and grating as old chains rubbing together, filled with blatant contempt.

Xu Le's heart pounded wildly. He didn't have time to summon Ghost and could only teleport away immediately.

Boom!

Just as he steadied himself, he saw the Flying Tiger strike the spot where he had been standing.

astral winds and lightning intertwined, shattering that space with a single blow, as if even time had frozen for an instant under that palm strike.

Xu Le took a deep breath. That crater was actually hundreds of meters deep; in terms of localized power, it was more terrifying than a hydrogen bomb.