22: The Ice Soul Coffin, the Moon Cocoon in Sleep

The crisp moonlight spiritual energy was like tangible ice mist, surging into Chen Feng’s lungs with every breath, carrying a bone-deep chill, yet containing an indescribable purity and vitality. Underfoot was transparent, mirror-like solid ice, reflecting the enormous ice prisms hanging down from the shattered dome above, resembling a solidified river of stars. Broken moon-white stone pillars, like severed fingers of a giant god, slanted into the ice plain, the ancient carvings remaining on them shimmering under the moonlight, narrating a glory long since annihilated. Silence permeated the air, yet a slumbering, immense life force surged beneath it.

This was the core of the Guanghan Ruins.

Every step Chen Feng took echoed crisply in this silent, crystalline world, only to be swiftly swallowed by the boundless emptiness. The dark gold patterns covering his body subtly pulsed like living things under the immersion of the pure moonlight, greedily absorbing this frigid power, repairing the minute cracks caused by forcefully crossing the Gale Wind Cliff and the impact of the Immortal Edict Decree Sound. The chaos base point beat steadily, converting the moonlight spiritual energy into pure chaos energy, but a deeper, stronger pulsation was coming from the deepest part of the ruins, drawing his divine soul forward like a heartbeat.

Su Wanzhao!

That faint but soul-deep familiar aura, like a lighthouse in the darkness, pierced through layers of icy obstruction, becoming clearer and clearer.

He no longer hesitated, rapidly moving through the gigantic ice crystal forest and palace ruins, guided by that aura. Shattered glazed tiles turned to dust beneath his feet; frozen jade steps were crushed into ice chips. The deeper he went, the more intense the cold became. The ice crystals were no longer pure blue, but a deep, dark hue that seemed capable of freezing the soul—Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow! Every ice crystal here contained terrifying cold energy capable of instantly freezing a Golden Core Cultivator.

The path ahead suddenly opened up.

A massive ice lake appeared at the end of his vision. The surface wasn't water, but profound ice marrow condensed into a mirror, smooth as a whetstone, reflecting the huge, teardrop-like stalactites hanging above. In the center of the ice lake, instead of the expected altar or palace, was a single, suffocatingly large ice crystal coffin!

The profound ice marrow coffin was entirely carved from the purest profound ice marrow, semi-transparent, faintly revealing a blurred outline within, winding and undulating like a mountain range. Just gazing at it, a terrifying pressure originating from the Ancient Primordial Era rushed forth, causing Chen Feng’s chaos base point to momentarily stall! Sealed within this coffin was likely a true Great Power of the Guanghan Palace who participated in the Immortal-Demon War. Even after countless ages since their demise, their remnant body still exuded an aura capable of changing the color of the heavens and earth!

The ice coffin was not the target. Chen Feng’s gaze instantly locked onto a point of light suspended in the dark void directly above the coffin.

It was a gigantic “moon cocoon.”

Woven from moonlight energy purified to the extreme, it was shaped like an inverted ice crystal tear drop, roughly three zhang in diameter. The cocoon wall was not solid, but countless flowing rune chains emitting a cool silver glow, slowly rotating, wrapping, and weaving like living things. These runes were ancient and profound, each containing the ultimate truth of the moon phases and Yin Creation and Destruction, constructing a vast and intricate Guardian Formation.

At the core of the formation, in the deepest part of the moon cocoon, a figure floated quietly.

Her plain white Guanghan Palace Attire was tattered, stained with dark gold bloodstains that had long since solidified (that was the Chaos Blood Chen Feng had left behind that day). Her eyes were tightly closed, long lashes casting faint shadows under the moonlight. Her originally cool and stunningly beautiful face was now pale, almost transparent. The broken Sword Mark on her brow was like a hideous scar, proclaiming the tragedy of her Source of Annihilation being burnt out. A cascade of dark hair floated gently in the moonlight energy, moving without wind.

Su Wanzhao!

She seemed to be sleeping within the eternal ice moon, her body wrapped, permeated, and reshaped by the purest Moonlight Source gathered at the core of this ruin over ten thousand years. At the site of the broken Sword Mark, wisps of silver light were painstakingly trying to close the fissure, but the speed was agonizingly slow, like water wearing down rock. Her aura was extremely weak; her flame of life was like a candle in the wind, relying entirely on the Moonlight Source accumulated at the ruin’s core for ten thousand years to forcibly maintain the last sliver of vitality and undergo a slow, heart-wrenching reshaping.

Chen Feng’s heart felt as if it had been fiercely grasped by a cold giant hand! Through the flowing rune chains, he could clearly sense Su Wanzhao's internal source state, like shattered glass, and the weakness and coldness originating from the depths of her soul. Every subtle fluctuation of the Sword Mark on her brow seemed to tug at his divine soul.

“Last Light...” A low, hoarse call broke the silence at the core of the ice lake.

There was no response. Only the faint hum of the moon cocoon's rune chains flowing, like the dripping of an ice spring.

Chen Feng took a step, intending to rush toward the suspended moon cocoon.

Buzz—!

A sudden change occurred!

The core rune suspended above the moon cocoon, radiating a cool glow like a miniature ice moon, suddenly trembled! Immediately afterward, the vast moon cocoon formation enveloping Su Wanzhao abruptly erupted in dazzling silver light! Countless rune chains, like enraged silver snakes, instantly accelerated their rotation, weaving into a silver light net so dense that not a drop could pass, sealing the entire moon cocoon within! A cold, repulsive Power of Law containing a powerful guardian will violently spread!

Boom!

Chen Feng struck an invisible giant wall forged from Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice! The chaos base point operated in response, his dark gold patterns bursting into light to resist, yet he was still violently shaken back several steps by this irresistible repulsive force. Spiderweb-like cracks exploded across the profound ice marrow mirror surface beneath his feet!

“Guardian Formation?” Chen Feng stabilized his figure, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes. This formation clearly regarded all existences not based on the Moonlight Source as intruders! It sensed the powerful energy and divergent aura of his chaos base point and automatically activated the highest level of protection!

Force a breakthrough? The strength of this formation definitely surpassed the Golden Core level. Forcing his way in would only trigger a more violent counterattack from the formation, potentially affecting Su Wanzhao, who was in a critical period of reshaping!

Just as Chen Feng’s mind raced, trying to find a method to break the formation—

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

At the edge of the ice lake, three dazzling golden light spots suddenly lit up without warning on the surface of the massive profound ice marrow coffin, which had been as silent as a mountain! The light spots, like imprints, instantly pierced through the thick profound ice marrow coffin wall, projecting three twisted golden ripples into the dark void!

An aura of supreme majesty and icy killing intent, which Chen Feng absolutely did not wish to sense at this time and place, instantly swept across the entire core of the ice lake like an invisible tsunami!

The Gold-Robed Immortal Envoy!

In such a short time, he had somehow used a secret technique to bypass the tightest blockade of the Ice Fiend Gale Wind Cliff, projecting his power directly into the deepest core of the ruins! Those three golden ripples were the extension of his powerful will and the Immortal Dao Law!

“Ant, stealing fate and defying heaven, you shall be executed!”

The Immortal Envoy’s cold and majestic voice no longer acted upon the divine soul, but directly resonated on the Law level at the core of the ice lake! As the voice fell, the three twisted golden ripples projected into the void suddenly solidified!

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Three Law Spears, condensed to the extreme and appearing forged from solid gold, instantly took shape! Their tips burned with pure golden Fire of Order, carrying the supreme will to pierce the void and judge sin. Ignoring spatial distance and the terrifying profound ice cold qi at the core of the ice lake, they shot out at a speed surpassing thought, aiming for Chen Feng’s brow, heart, and the Dantian chaos base point, respectively!

Before the attack even arrived, the terrifying Law locking force solidified the space around Chen Feng! His brow felt a sharp pain, his heart felt like it was pierced by an ice pick, and his Dantian base point transmitted a strong feeling of alarm and crisis! This was absolutely not a test; it was a guaranteed killing blow launched by the Gold-Robed Immortal Envoy across the ruin's barrier! He intended to thoroughly eradicate this ant who dared to defy the Immortal Dao and possessed the Chaos Anomaly, along with the base point he relied upon!

The shadow of death had never been so distinct and heavy!

Blocked by the Guardian Formation of the moon cocoon ahead, and faced with the Immortal Envoy’s deadly Gold Spears behind! Su Wanzhao was within reach, yet separated as if by a Natural Chasm!

A dead end!

Chen Feng’s pupils suddenly contracted to pinpricks. All the blood in his body seemed to freeze completely at this moment, only to be forcibly ignited by the chaos base point and pumped toward his limbs and bones in the next instant! In this desperation, a savagery and madness originating from the depths of his life soul, tempered by the Nirvana Heavenly Condemnation Imprint and the chaos dao foundation, erupted violently!

“Want to kill me? You’ll pay with your life!”

Amidst the furious roar, Chen Feng did not retreat but advanced! He chose not to dodge the Gold Spears locking onto his three vital points—that was nearly impossible! He poured all his strength, all his will, and all his madness into the base point rotating like a chaos universe in his Dantian!

The chaos base point vibrated wildly at an unprecedented frequency! The amassed, massive Chaos Energy was no longer used for defense but poured out without reservation like a breaching flood. The dark gold patterns on his body were no longer just light but ignited with dark gold Chaos Flames! His entire being transformed into a humanoid Chaos Meteor, charging against the judgment!

The target was not the Gold Spears, but the source of the three Gold Spears’ projection—the three dazzling golden imprints on the profound ice marrow coffin!

He intended to sever the Immortal Envoy’s Foundation of Projection!

At the same time, his left hand formed a claw, carrying the burning Chaos Flames, and fiercely grabbed towards the Guardian Formation covering the moon cocoon! This was not destruction, but forcefully injecting the chaos base point’s characteristic of swallowing and assimilating everything! He intended to use his body as a guide, and his chaos dao foundation as a bridge, to forcefully tear open a brief assimilation gap in this Moonlight Guardian Formation that repelled all things!

“Open—Up!!!”

Rumble!!!

Time seemed to be stretched and distorted at this moment.

The three golden Law Spears, burning with the Fire of Order, tore through the solidified space and, with a shriek of destruction, fiercely stabbed into Chen Feng’s body!

At his brow, the Nirvana Heavenly Condemnation Imprint was passively activated. Purple-Black Lightning and the golden Fire of Order violently collided and annihilated, emitting a harsh screech! Chen Feng’s brow skin instantly charred and cracked, bleeding profusely. His Divine Soul was violently shaken, and his vision went black!

At his heart, Chaos Flames clashed with the Gold Spear, erupting in dazzling gold and dark light! The powerful impact caused Chen Feng’s chest to violently cave in, and several dark gold cracks instantly burst open on his skin, spurting golden-red Chaos Blood! Had it not been for his mid-stage Earth Immortal physical body strength, this spear would have completely pierced and incinerated him!

The most fatal strike plunged straight into his Dantian!

The golden Law Spear, condensed with the Immortal Envoy’s will and aimed at completely destroying the chaos base point, fiercely stabbed into Chen Feng’s lower abdomen! The protective energy surrounding the chaos base point was torn apart like paper! The spear tip, carrying the irresistible Power of Order, pointed directly at the core of the base point!

Buzz—!!!

Inside the base point, the dormant imprint representing the Source of Annihilation seemed to have received the strongest provocation, suddenly erupting in an unprecedented purple-black lightning storm! The entire chaos base point instantly transformed into a violent, light-swallowing micro-thunder domain! Destructive Annihilation Lightning and the golden Law Spear of Order violently collided within the core!

Pfft!

Chen Feng felt as if he had been struck by ten thousand bolts of lightning, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with internal organ fragments and dark gold light spots! A universe-tearing pain came from his Dantian! The base point violently shook, its rotation nearly halted, and even subtle, porcelain-like cracks appeared on its surface! [chaos base point: Energy Plunge (50%)! Core Oscillation! Crack Repair Progress Regression (85%)! Warning!]

The price was heavy!

But in this life-and-death moment, Chen Feng's other hand, his left hand burning with Chaos Flames, finally pressed fiercely onto the rapidly flowing rune chains of the Moonlight Guardian Formation!

Sizzle—!

Like a scorching branding iron pressed against ice! The Chaos Flames and the pure moonlight energy fiercely conflicted and annihilated! Countless fine rune chains, under the frantic erosion of the chaos base point, emitted a wail of unbearable strain, instantly snapping and disintegrating! An unstable hole, just wide enough for one person and burning with Chaos Flames and scattered moonlight shards around its edges, was forcibly ripped open in the impenetrable silver light net!

The other end of the passage was the core of the moon cocoon, the broken Sword Mark on Su Wanzhao’s brow!

An opportunity!

Chen Feng suppressed the agonizing pain of his Dantian tearing and his Divine Soul scattering. Using the immense impact force from the three Gold Spears embedded in his body, his body flew like a kite with a broken string, yet precisely following the channel he had torn open, he slammed fiercely into the moon cocoon gap of chaotic energy conflict!

Thud!

His body heavily crashed onto the “ground” inside the moon cocoon, which was composed of pure Moonlight Source energy. He was less than three feet away from the suspended Su Wanzhao! The dense, liquefying moonlight spiritual energy instantly enveloped him, chilling to the bone, yet carrying a strange soothing power that slightly alleviated his terrifying injuries.

Almost at the exact moment he broke into the moon cocoon—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The three golden Law Spears, having lost their target, fiercely blasted the location of the channel Chen Feng had just ripped open! The violent Power of Order collided intensely with the counterattack force of the Moonlight Guardian Formation and the residual Chaos Flames!

The entire moon cocoon violently shook! The outer rune chains flashed and twisted wildly, emitting a harsh whine! The hole that Chen Feng had forcibly torn open instantly expanded under the pincer attack of the internal and external energies, then violently contracted. Its edges were covered in spiderweb-like cracks, and its light rapidly dimmed, on the verge of complete collapse!

At the edge of the ice lake, the three golden imprints on the profound ice marrow coffin also flickered violently a few times, seeming unstable due to the intense Law conflict and the suppression from the ruin’s core power. The projected golden ripples became much more twisted and blurred. The Immortal Envoy’s cold voice echoed on the Law level, carrying a hint of suppressed shock and fury:

“Bastard! How dare you profane the Immortal Restriction!”

However, his projection also seemed to suffer backlash from the ruin’s core power, preventing him from launching another attack immediately.

Inside the moon cocoon.

Chen Feng struggled to lift his head, dark gold-tinged blood foam constantly spilling from his mouth. His vision was blurry, but Su Wanzhao’s pale face was clearly reflected in his eyes. So close, he could even see the tiny ice crystals condensed on her long lashes.

“Last Light...” He stretched out his bloody, trembling hand, carrying the last trace of gentle power from his chaos base point, wanting to touch the Sword Mark on her brow.

Just then, another anomaly occurred!

Su Wanzhao, who had been floating quietly with a weak aura, seemed to have very slightly... trembled her closed eyelashes!