192: The secret realm opens, and the Soul Palace launches a surprise attack.

Led by Elder Bing He, Li Ao, Medusa, and Jin Ling passed through the Ice Crystal City and arrived before a massive ice abyss located in the deepest part of the glacial mountain range.

This ice abyss was bottomless, thousands of feet wide, with smooth, mirror-like ice walls rising into the clouds on both sides. Below the abyss, instead of darkness, a majestic energy surged like liquid sapphire, emitting an ancient and extreme chill far greater than anywhere else in the Permafrost Domain. This was the entrance to the Ancestral Ice Secret Realm.

At this moment, on a massive circular platform at the edge of the ice abyss, an extremely complex and profound giant Formation had already been carved. The Formation's patterns were outlined by a faintly glowing silver liquid, complementing the blue energy of the ice abyss below.

Clan Chief Ice Origin, Grand Elder Ice Crack, Elder Bing He, Elder Bing Yun, and another Elder, Bing He, who had previously remained silent—a total of five Ice Spirit Clan Dou Zun powerhouses—stood at the five core nodes of the Formation. Their expressions were exceptionally grave; opening the Secret Realm was no easy task, requiring immense consumption and lowering the clan's defenses to their weakest point.

Jin Ling was positioned at a small auxiliary Formation eye in the center of the Formation. She needed to use her own Bloodline as a guide, combined with the ice spirit talisman, to stably open the passage.

Li Ao and Medusa, as agreed, stood at the edge of the platform, a hundred meters away from the Formation's core. This position ensured they would not interfere with the ritual while also allowing them to react quickly if necessary.

"Begin," Clan Chief Ice Origin commanded in a deep voice.

The five Elders simultaneously formed hand seals, and their vast and majestic icy Dou Qi, like five blue pillars of light, roared into the Formation beneath their feet!

"Buzz—!"

The entire platform vibrated violently, and the silver Formation patterns erupted with brilliant light, strongly resonating with the blue energy of the ice abyss below. A cold pressure, as if from ancient primordial times, slowly awakened.

Jin Ling dared not delay. She quickly activated the faint Bloodline Power of the Ice Spirit Clan within her to its Peak, while holding the "ancient ice spirit talisman" in both hands, raising it high.

Upon contact with the Formation power jointly activated by the five Elders, the ice spirit talisman immediately burst forth with brilliant light. The ancient patterns on its body seemed to come alive, projecting a massive, swirling ice-blue phantom of a light gate, suspended above the ice abyss!

Inside the light gate was a blurry, peculiar world seemingly composed of countless ice crystal fragments, from which an extremely pure ice-attribute energy surged out like a tide!

The Ancestral Ice Secret Realm was being forcibly opened!

However, just as the light gate gradually solidified and the passage was about to stabilize—

An unexpected change occurred!

"Hehehe... Many thanks to the esteemed members of the Ice Spirit Clan for opening this Secret Realm gate for us!"

A sinister, eerie laugh, like the cry of a night owl, suddenly echoed from behind an ice Peak to the side and rear of the platform! Before the sound faded, three figures shrouded in thick black mist shot out like ghosts, moving with astonishing speed!

The leader's aura was the most terrifying; he was, astonishingly, a true One-Star Dou Zun! He was completely covered in a black robe, revealing only a pair of eyes that glowed with eerie green flames. In his hand, he clutched a black scythe entwined with countless wailing Souls! This was precisely the Hall of Souls Dou Zun Li Ao had sensed earlier!

The two behind him were both at the Peak of Nine-Star Dou Zong, wielding chains and exuding a ferocious Evil Qi!

Their objective was extremely clear—not to attack anyone, but to charge directly at the Secret Realm light gate, which had not yet fully stabilized, and at Jin Ling, who held the ice spirit talisman beneath the light gate!

"Hall of Souls rats, how dare you be so presumptuous!" Grand Elder Ice Crack, with his fiery temper, glared furiously and roared, about to withdraw to meet the enemy.

"No!" Clan Chief Ice Origin shouted urgently, "The Formation is at a critical moment. If we withdraw power now, the Secret Realm passage will instantly collapse. The backlash would be enough to severely injure us, and Ling'er would bear the brunt, certainly dying!"

Ice Crack's body stiffened, his face turning extremely grim. The five of them were now constrained by the Formation, completely unable to Clone themselves! And the other Ice Spirit Clan guards on the platform, at most Dou Huang, were simply no match for that Hall of Souls Dou Zun!

Seeing the Hall of Souls Dou Zun's black scythe already tearing through the Void Realm, carrying a Soul-shattering shriek, about to strike Jin Ling and the ice spirit talisman in her hand!

Jin Ling's face turned pale with fright, almost collapsing to the ground.

At this critical juncture—

"I've been waiting for you!"

A calm voice, yet imbued with bone-chilling coldness, rang out.

Li Ao, who had been standing silently at the edge of the platform, moved!

His figure appeared out of thin air between Jin Ling and the Hall of Souls Dou Zun as if teleporting! No one even saw how he moved!

Facing the Soul scythe capable of easily killing low-level Dou Zun, Li Ao's expression remained unchanged. He simply raised his right hand.

There was no brilliant Dou Qi light, only the completely black "silent ruin," entwined with gray Qi, which had appeared in his hand at some unknown moment.

The tip of the Saber pointed diagonally, meeting the descending black scythe.

His movement was unadorned, as if it were just a casual block.

"Clang—!!!!"

A deafening clang of metal exploded! A violent energy shockwave rippled out in a circle, tearing up the ice layer on the platform inch by inch!

The Hall of Souls Dou Zun's determined strike was actually blocked steadily by Li Ao's seemingly casual Saber strike! The vengeful spirits entwined on the black scythe let out mournful wails, disintegrating like melting ice and snow upon contact with the gray Qi emanating from the "silent ruin" Saber body!

"What?!" The Hall of Souls Dou Zun's eerie green pupils suddenly contracted, filled with disbelief. He felt an incredibly condensed, terrifying power, possessing both cutting and annihilating properties, transmit through the scythe, making his arm numb and his Qi and Blood churn!

"Your opponent is me."

Li Ao flicked his wrist, and "silent ruin" let out a joyful hum. The gray Qi on the Saber's edge suddenly surged!

"Stream Severance!"

The Saber light, like a thread, instantly tore through space, aiming directly for the Hall of Souls Dou Zun's throat! Its speed was extreme, its ruthlessness extreme!

The Hall of Souls Dou Zun turned pale with shock, hastily swinging his scythe to block.

"Clang!"

Sparks flew! He was sent staggering backward by the immense force contained in this Saber strike, his black robe torn by the sharp Saber Qi, revealing a pale and furious face underneath.

At the same time, Medusa also moved.

She did not go to help Li Ao, but her figure flashed, appearing like a ghost before the two Hall of Souls Dou Zong who were attempting to flank and attack the Formation or Jin Ling.

Seven-colored light shimmered. She didn't even use a weapon, simply striking out with her delicate hands.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two muffled thuds sounded almost simultaneously. The two Nine-Star Dou Zong didn't even have a chance to react before they were struck hard in the chest by the seven-colored palm prints containing terrifying power!

Their protective black mist instantly disintegrated, and the sound of collapsing chest bones was clearly audible! The two flew backward like broken sacks, the blood spewing from their mouths freezing into ice crystals in mid-air. Their auras instantly plummeted to an extreme, and they crashed heavily onto the distant ice surface, their fates unknown!

Instant kill!

With effortless ease, two Peak Nine-Star Dou Zong were rendered incapacitated!

This scene not only terrified the Hall of Souls Dou Zun but also sent a massive shock through the five Ice Spirit Clan Elders who were maintaining the Formation!

Although they had previously sensed that Li Ao and Medusa were extraordinary, they had never imagined them to be so powerful! That woman's aura seemed to be only around Three-Star Dou Zun, but her true combat strength was probably comparable to Five-Star! And that man was even more unfathomable, actually forcing back a Hall of Souls powerhouse who was also a One-Star Dou Zun with a single Saber strike (they sensed Li Ao was also around One-Star Dou Zun on the surface)!

Grand Elder Ice Crack's face burned with embarrassment. He had previously strongly opposed letting these two approach the Secret Realm. Now, it seemed, if not for their presence, the Ice Spirit Clan might indeed have faced a great catastrophe today!

Clan Chief Ice Origin's eyes flashed with brilliance, his thoughts racing. His estimation of Li Ao and Medusa's importance instantly rose to the highest level.

"Bastard! Who exactly are you?!" The Hall of Souls Dou Zun was both shocked and enraged, staring intently at Li Ao. He felt that the opponent's power was incredibly strange and completely restrained his Hall of Souls Cultivation Technique.

Li Ao stood with his Saber, his robes fluttering in the energy storm, his eyes coldly fixed on him: "The one who will kill you."

Before his words finished, his figure vanished again.

The next moment, he appeared above the Hall of Souls Dou Zun's head, "silent ruin" raised high, the gray Qi on the Saber's body like boiling lava!

"Burying Star!"

This time, the Saber's momentum was even heavier, as if truly invoking the meaning of stellar nirvana, carrying the despair and silence of burying all, and it slashed down with a roar!

The Hall of Souls Dou Zun felt a fatal threat. He roared frantically, and black mist surged out from within him, condensing into a massive skull shield in front of him, composed of countless twisted ghostly faces!

"Myriad Soul Bone Shield!"

"Rumble—!!!!"

The gray-gold Saber light and the pitch-black bone shield collided fiercely!

This time, there was no stalemate.

The seemingly sturdy Myriad Soul Bone Shield, under the "Burying Star" containing the Origin of the nirvana star core, lasted for less than a breath before it exploded with a roar! Countless ghostly faces let out their final wails, annihilating into nothingness!

The residual power of the Saber light fiercely struck the Hall of Souls Dou Zun's crossed, blocking arms.

"Crack!"

A teeth-grinding sound of bone breaking rang out! The Hall of Souls Dou Zun's arms bent at a strange angle. He let out an incomparably shrill scream, and his entire body was smashed down from the air like a meteor, creating a massive deep pit in the ice surface below. Black-red blood gurgled out from the pit, and his aura instantly plummeted, clearly indicating he was severely wounded and near death!

Li Ao landed gracefully, looking at the struggling Hall of Souls Dou Zun in the deep pit, without a trace of pity in his eyes.

"The Hall of Souls is nothing more than this."

He sheathed his Saber and stood, his gaze turning to the Secret Realm entrance, which was now completely stable and emitting an alluring light.

The crisis was temporarily averted. Now, it was time for Jin Ling to enter the Secret Realm.