95: Chapter 95 Driving a Tiger to Devour a Wolf, Chaotic Battle in the Ice Cave

"Everyone, close in on me, restrain your aura, and prepare to defend!" Lin Ye shouted sharply. At the same time, without hesitation, the black light on the "command token of ten thousand ghosts" in his left hand surged. A pure, cold, evil magical power that seemed capable of commanding ten thousand ghosts and ordering the netherworld was deliberately guided by him, rushing toward the two ice sculpture guards like a tidal wave! His right hand, holding the "yan jun token," erupted with a scorching pure gold light, which transformed into a condensed pillar of light, following right behind the black light and slamming fiercely into the chest of the ice sculpture guard on the left!

These two forces, one Yin and one Yang, one evil and one righteous, were completely opposite in nature but both contained the implication of "invasion" and "provocation," instantly shattering the dead silence at the entrance of the ice cave!

Hum—!

In the empty eye sockets of the two ice sculpture guards, two clusters of ice-blue Soul fire, seemingly condensed from ten thousand years of cold ice, suddenly lit up! An even more terrifying and ancient icy death intent erupted, sweeping across the bottom of the crevice!

They had "come alive"!

Moreover, just as Lin Ye had anticipated, the moment the guards awoke, the first thing they locked onto was not Lin Ye and his four companions, who were closer but had "peacefully" (deliberately restrained) auras. Instead, they locked onto Master Chihuang's side, who were descending from above and exuding rich "evil ghost aura" (Master Chihuang's evil Cultivation Technique and Yinkui Sect Cultivation Technique) and "scorching Yang fire" (Golden Flame Valley Cultivation Technique)!

"Intruders... blaspheming Reincarnation... die!" A dry, cold intention, as if countless ice crystals were rubbing together, sounded in everyone's minds simultaneously.

The two ice sculpture guards moved at the same time! Their massive bodies moved lightning-fast, and they condensed huge ice crystal battle axes and long spears in their hands, carrying the terrifying power to freeze Souls and tear apart space, hacking and stabbing fiercely toward Master Chihuang and his coalition who were grinning and diving down from above the crevice!

"What the hell is this?!" The grin on Master Chihuang's face instantly froze. He had not expected the guards at the entrance of this ice cave to be so terrifying, nor had he expected Lin Ye to have the means to provoke them into attacking him! In his haste, he shouted sharply and sacrificed a red-gold fire shield, clashing head-on with the hacking ice crystal battle axe!

Boom!

Ice and fire intertwined, and the loud noise shook the entire crevice. Master Chihuang was shaken until his blood churned, and he retreated several steps, the fire shield covered in frosty cracks. A Golden Core Elder of the Yinkui Sect behind him could not dodge in time and was grazed by the other guard's ice crystal spear. His protective spiritual light shattered instantly, half of his body was covered in thick blue ice, and he fell down screaming, his life or death unknown.

"Bastard! Little thief Lin Han! You are courting death!" Master Chihuang was shocked and furious, but at this moment, the two ice sculpture guards had already regarded him and his coalition as their primary enemies. Violent attacks enveloped them like an ice storm, forcing him to deal with them with all his might.

"Form up! Destroy these two ghost things first!" Master Chihuang ordered sharply. The coalition of the Golden Flame Valley and the Yinkui Sect had to temporarily abandon Lin Ye and the others to form a formation and resist the two ice sculpture guards.

The bottom of the crevice immediately fell into a chaotic battle. The ice sculpture guards were infinitely strong, their ice-type Spells were terrifying, and they seemed able to mobilize the surrounding "Death Qi of Xuanming" and cold ice power, making them astonishingly powerful. Although Master Chihuang's side had more people, their individual strength was inferior to the guards. Moreover, in this extreme cold environment, the Golden Flame Valley's fire Spells were suppressed, and the Yinkui Sect's ghosts were also interfered with by the Death Qi. For a time, they were actually suppressed by the two guards and were in quite a sorry state.

"Now! Charge into the ice cave with me!" Seeing the opportunity, Lin Ye whispered to Chu Yun and the others. His figure turned into a stream of light and shot toward the entrance of the "Reincarnation Ice Cave"!

Chu Yun and the other four did not hesitate and followed closely behind.

"Stop them!" Seeing this, Master Chihuang's eyes split with anger. He sent out a red-gold fire sword, slashing at Lin Ye's back. However, the fire sword had just flown out when it was shattered in mid-air by an ice crystal spear from one of the ice sculpture guards.

Lin Ye and his group of five narrowly avoided several shockwaves and plunged into the entrance of the "Reincarnation Ice Cave," which was emitting ice-blue light!

The entrance was like a curtain of water. As they passed through, a thicker, purer, yet chaotic "Death Qi of Xuanming" and "spatial turbulence" rushed toward them. At the same time, a clear, Soul-soothing fluctuation of the "soul-stabilizing bead" also came from deep within the ice cave, like a lighthouse in the dark.

"Quick! Follow me closely, watch your feet and overhead!" Lin Ye held the "spirit-nourishing bead" in his hand. The bead emitted a soft cyan-white light, enveloping everyone and greatly offsetting the erosion of the Death Qi and turbulence. Su Waner also fully activated the "soul-calming ancient lamp." Under the dual protection, everyone's Divine Souls were slightly relieved.

Inside the ice cave, it was larger and more complex than imagined. The passages extended in all directions, and the ice walls were as smooth as mirrors, reflecting everyone's figures, appearing somewhat eerie. The ground was covered with sharp ice ridges and bottomless ice crevices. Floating in the air were some pale blue "ice Souls" that resembled ghost fires, emitting cold mental fluctuations. Once approached, they would launch Divine Soul attacks.

More troublesome was that the space and time here were extremely unstable. Sometimes, short-term spatial distortions or faults would appear. If one was not careful, they might be teleported to an unknown place, or their body might be torn apart by spatial power.

Relying on the "inheritance star mirror"'s faint sensing of space and the insight of his "Fiery Golden Eyes," Lin Ye barely identified the direction of the "soul-stabilizing bead"'s fluctuations, leading everyone to struggle forward in the maze-like ice cave. On the way, they encountered several waves of "ice Souls" and ice-type Yao Beasts, all of which were quickly dealt with by the group.

The deeper they went, the thicker the Death Qi became, and the fluctuations of the "soul-stabilizing bead" became clearer. But at the same time, a heart-palpitating cold and dead will, as if originating from ancient times, began to vaguely envelop everyone, attempting to erode their minds. If not for the "spirit-nourishing bead" and the "soul-calming ancient lamp," someone would likely have lost their composure long ago.

"It's right in front!" Lin Ye pointed to a corner ahead, where the strongest fluctuations of the "soul-stabilizing bead" came from, along with... an even more dangerous aura.

The five of them carefully turned the corner.

The scene before them suddenly opened up, revealing a huge ice cave hall that looked like a crystal palace!

In the center of the hall was a rotating ice crystal lotus platform made entirely of mysterious ice. Above the lotus platform floated a bead the size of a fist, ice-blue all over, with starlight flowing inside, emitting gentle Divine Soul fluctuations—the "soul-stabilizing bead"!

However, around the lotus platform, three giant pythons were coiled, each over ten zhang long, crystal clear as if made of the purest cold ice, with a single horn on their heads—[Black Ice Horned Python]! The aura emitted by each one had reached the Peak of the Third Order, equivalent to the Golden Core Great Perfection! Their cold vertical pupils were staring fixedly at the uninvited guests who had broken in.

And behind the lotus platform, on the ice wall, there was also a stone door sealed by thick ice, emitting even more ancient and mysterious fluctuations? The surface of the stone door was engraved with ancient runes related to "Reincarnation," with faint light flowing.

Could that be the entrance to where the "reincarnation seal" was located?!

To obtain the "soul-stabilizing bead," one must first pass the trial of these three "Black Ice Horned Pythons"! Moreover, they could not make too much noise, so as not to alert Master Chihuang, who might have shaken off the guards outside, or attract other unknown dangers within the ice cave.

"Three Peak Third Order..." Chu Yun gasped. This was an almost impossible task!

"No, there is a chance." Lin Ye's gaze was sharp. He noticed that although the three "Black Ice Horned Pythons" were powerful, they seemed to have low intelligence, and their attention was more focused on guarding the "soul-stabilizing bead" and the stone door, while their vigilance toward the outside world was slightly weaker. Perhaps, they could find a way to lure them away, or... defeat them one by one?

"Senior Sister Su, can your 'soul-calming ancient lamp' and 'spirit-nourishing bead' cause a certain amount of interference to the Divine Souls of these three horned pythons? Even if only for an instant." Lin Ye asked.

"I will try, but I cannot guarantee it. Their rank is too high." Su Waner gritted her teeth and said.

"Senior Brother Chu, Gui Li, Ye Xiao, you three, at the moment I make my move, attack the reverse scale at the seven-inch mark of the horned python on the far left with the fastest speed. That is their relatively weak point in defense. I do not ask for a kill, only to attract its attention and create chaos."

"Understood!"

"Wait for my signal." Lin Ye took a deep breath and adjusted his state to the best. He slowly took out the "command token of ten thousand ghosts" and the "yan jun token," preparing to use the power of Yin and Yang to create the most intense conflict fluctuation, attempting to disturb all three horned pythons at the same time, creating an opportunity for Su Waner's Divine Soul interference and the surprise attack by Chu Yun and the others.

However, just as he was about to make his move.

A sudden change occurred!

From the passage behind them, a burst of rapid sound of breaking through the air and arrogant laughter suddenly came!

"Little thief Lin Han! Let's see where you can run this time!!"

Master Chihuang had actually shaken off the entanglement of the ice sculpture guards (or had paid a heavy price) and brought seven or eight remaining Golden Core and Foundation Establishment Cultivators to chase them in! They were all injured and their auras were unstable, but their eyes were fierce, clearly hating Lin Ye to the bone.

And what made Lin Ye's heart sink even more was that beside Master Chihuang, there was also an old man in a black robe with an even more gloomy aura, as if he had merged with the surrounding Death Qi. In his hand, he held a black banner painted with countless ferocious ghost faces—the "ten thousand ghost banner"! This old man's aura had actually reached the Late Stage of Golden Core, and it was a pure Yinkui Sect Cultivation Technique!

The Yinkui Sect actually had another hidden Golden Core Late Stage Elder here?!

In front were the Black Ice Horned Pythons, and behind were Master Chihuang and the Yinkui Sect Golden Core!

A true ambush on all sides, a desperate situation!

Master Chihuang saw the "soul-stabilizing bead" and the three Black Ice Horned Pythons in the ice cave hall, and greedy light burst out in his eyes, but it was immediately replaced by even stronger killing intent: "Little thief, hand over the 'soul-stabilizing bead' and the 'command token of ten thousand ghosts,' and this seat can give you a quick death!"

The Yinkui Sect black-robed old man also spoke coldly: "And the 'yan jun token' and the ancient lamp and bead in that girl's hand, hand them all over. Otherwise, let you taste the pain of ten thousand ghosts devouring your Soul and never being able to transcend!"

The three Black Ice Horned Pythons were also startled by these sudden intruders. Their cold vertical pupils turned toward Master Chihuang's side, emitting threatening hissing sounds, and icy killing intent permeated the air.

The three parties confronted each other, and the atmosphere was tense to the extreme.

Lin Ye's brain was spinning rapidly. Master Chihuang and the Yinkui Sect were mortal enemies, and the Black Ice Horned Pythons were the Guardian beasts here, unable to distinguish between friend and foe. Perhaps... he could use this point again?

But this time, the situation was more complex, and the danger was greater.

"Chihuang, you ghost things of the Yinkui Sect, don't you want the 'soul-stabilizing bead' and the tokens?" Lin Ye suddenly sneered, pointing to the "soul-stabilizing bead" on the lotus platform, "The bead is right there. If you have the ability, go get it yourself. Let's see if you get the bead first, or become snacks for these three horned pythons first?"

"Junior, stop trying to sow discord!" The Yinkui Sect black-robed old man snorted coldly, "Wait for this old man to deal with you little bug first, then take the treasure!"

Before the words fell, the "ten thousand ghost banner" in his hand shook violently, and countless ferocious ghost shadows whistled out, pouncing toward Lin Ye and his group! At the same time, Master Chihuang also grinned and slapped out a palm. The red-gold flames turned into a giant palm, covering them from above!

They actually intended to join forces to get rid of Lin Ye, the most uncontrollable variable, first!

"Do it!" Lin Ye shouted sharply, and the attack he had long prepared erupted instantly! The black light of the "command token of ten thousand ghosts" in his left hand turned into a ghost aura shield, blocking the attack of the "ten thousand ghost banner"; the golden flame sword energy of the "yan jun token" in his right hand slashed toward the red-gold flame giant palm!

Chu Yun, Su Waner, Gui Li, and Ye Xiao also attacked at the same time to resist the aftermath.

However, the opponent had the advantage in numbers, and they attacked with anger, and the power was astonishing. Lin Ye and his group of five were shaken back repeatedly, their blood churning.

At the same time, the three Black Ice Horned Pythons were also completely enraged by this intense energy fluctuation and the arrogance of the "intruders"! They no longer cared about fine distinctions, and all let out a deafening hiss. The cold icy breath, like three ice-blue torrents, covered everyone in the field—Lin Ye's group of five, Master Chihuang, and the Yinkui Sect Cultivators—without discrimination!

The real three-way chaotic battle broke out instantly!

The ice cave hall was completely filled with violent energy, icy breath, and ghost shadows and flames!

Sight was blurred, spiritual sense was chaotic, and everyone was attacking and being attacked!

In the chaos, Lin Ye's eyes were locked on the "soul-stabilizing bead" on the lotus platform.

Opportunities, perhaps, only appear in the most extreme chaos!

He had to take a gamble!