39: The core of the sacred realm, the shadow of the snow-covered emperor.

On the bluestone platform, everyone had finished meditating, their condition restored to their Peak, and their gazes were focused on the ancient metal giant door and the "void demon spirit core" in Yun Feng's hand.

Yun Feng did not immediately embed the core into the groove. With the help of the System, his Divine Sense, like the finest carving knife, repeatedly scanned and analyzed every pattern on the door, especially the energy circuits surrounding the groove.

"The Restriction on the door shares the same origin as the core's energy, but a self-destruct mechanism exists," Yun Feng stated the analysis results calmly. "If we force it open, or embed the wrong 'key,' the space behind the door will collapse, destroying everything."

Everyone felt a chill in their hearts, secretly calling it luck. If Yun Feng had not been here, even if they had managed to obtain the core, a rash attempt would likely have resulted in complete failure.

"System, deduce the safe opening procedure and simulate the potential scene behind the door," Yun Feng commanded internally.

[Deducing... Consuming 300 points of Rule Energy.]

[Deduction complete. Safe opening requires injecting the core energy into the groove at a specific frequency, while using the power of Rule to temporarily shield the self-destruct node. Detection behind the door is heavily interfered with, but the simulation results indicate a stable, independent space with extremely high energy reactions. Strong remnants of Ice-type and Soul Law are present, with an 87% probability of being a place of Legacy.]

Upon receiving confirmation, Yun Feng no longer hesitated. He stepped forward and precisely pressed the "void demon spirit core" in his hand into the groove.

At the same time, he pointed his fingers like a sword with his other hand, tapping several inconspicuous nodes on the door from a distance. The power of Rule silently infiltrated, temporarily paralyzing the self-destruct Restriction.

*Buzz—!*

The moment the core was embedded, the entire metal giant door shook violently. The patterns of the sun, moon, stars, flowers, birds, insects, and fish on the door seemed to come alive, emitting brilliant light! The ancient demon spirit patterns, in particular, let out bursts of low, roaring phantoms.

Immediately afterward, a surge of cold air, far purer, more ancient, and vaster than the outside, mixed with dense Soul energy, spread out from the crack in the door, like an ancient Dragon awakening from millennia of slumber! The temperature on the platform plummeted; even the air seemed about to freeze, and everyone's Soul felt a bone-chilling coldness and pressure!

*Click...* A heavy mechanical sound rang out, and the metal giant door slowly opened inward, revealing a hazy space behind it that emitted a faint blue glow.

"Follow me closely." Yun Feng was the first to step inside. Nie Li and the others endured the discomfort in their Soul and followed closely behind him.

Behind the door was not the treasure room filled with riches they had imagined, but an endless world of ice and snow! The sky was an eternal dark blue, lacking the sun or moon, only countless stars twinkling like ice crystals. Beneath their feet was profound ice that had not melted for ten thousand years, and in the distance were continuous glaciers and snow Peaks. The air was filled with extremely pure Ice-type spiritual energy and an ancient, immutable sense of solitude and majesty.

In the center of this world of ice and snow, stood a majestic palace completely condensed from transparent cold ice! The palace was crystal clear, emitting a heart-palpitating chill and powerful Soul pressure!

"This... this is..." Nie Li felt the familiar aura of Law, which originated from the same source as the Wind and Snow Spirit Record, and the faint summons coming from the palace. His voice was trembling, "The Great Emperor Fengxue's Palace?!"

In his previous life, he had heard legends of the Great Emperor Fengxue, but he never imagined that his true Legacy Palace would be hidden in the deepest part of the Heavenly Illusion Sacred Realm!

Yun Feng's gaze swept over this world of ice and snow and the Emperor's Palace. The System quickly provided an assessment: [Independent demiplane, complete Rules, core consists of Ice-type and Soul Law, and a powerful remnant Soul imprint is present.]

"It seems the master of this place favors you greatly," Yun Feng said lightly, looking at the uncontrollably excited Nie Li. He could feel that the attention of that powerful remnant Soul imprint was primarily focused on Nie Li.

Just then, the palace gate opened silently, and a blurry phantom, condensed from ice, snow, and Soul power, slowly floated out from within. The phantom's face was indistinct, but the outline of a majestic man could be vaguely discerned, radiating the dignity of an Emperor and endless antiquity.

"My Junior... finally... I have waited for you..." A desolate yet vast Soul voice resonated directly in everyone's Sea of Consciousness, carrying a hint of relief and exhaustion.

This phantom was precisely a wisp of the Great Emperor Fengxue's remaining emperor soul!

When the emperor soul's gaze swept over Yun Feng, it paused slightly, as if sensing something. A flicker of extreme surprise and solemnity appeared on the blurry face, but it quickly returned to normal and refocused on Nie Li.

"Since you have gained entry to the Wind and Snow Spirit Record, you are destined to me... Step forward and accept my final trial. You may obtain my complete Legacy and take charge of this 'Wind and Snow Realm'!"

Nie Li took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, stepped forward, and bowed deeply to the emperor soul phantom: "Junior Nie Li is willing to accept Senior's trial!"

He knew this was a heaven-sent Opportunity! If he could obtain the Great Emperor Fengxue's complete Legacy, his future would be limitless!

The emperor soul phantom nodded slightly, and an ice-blue ray of light enveloped Nie Li. The next moment, Nie Li's figure vanished from the spot, clearly having been led into the depths of the palace for the trial.

Lu Piao, Yun Qiao, and the others watched this scene with a mix of envy and nervousness.

Yun Feng stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze calmly assessing this "Wind and Snow Realm" and the emperor soul phantom. He had little interest in the so-called Great Emperor Fengxue's Legacy, but he was very interested in the Rules that constituted this demiplane and the ancient information contained within the emperor soul.

"System, attempt to analyze the Rules that form this demiplane and its connection points to the main world. Simultaneously, record the information fragments emitted by the emperor soul."

[Analyzing... Hindered by a powerful Soul barrier, analysis progress is slow. Weak spatial nodes have been detected in this demiplane, potentially leading to other areas. Information fragments are being collected... Keywords involved: "Great Calamity," "Watch," "Beyond the Star Domain"...]

A sharp glint flashed in Yun Feng's eyes. "Beyond the Star Domain?" This was an unexpected gain. It seemed this Great Emperor Fengxue knew far more than anticipated.

He did not disturb Nie Li as he accepted the Legacy. Instead, he spread out his Divine Sense and began meticulously exploring this world of ice and snow, especially the weak spatial nodes detected by the System. He felt that the gains from this trip into the depths of the Sacred Realm might be richer than expected. And after Nie Li obtained the Legacy, he would undoubtedly become a more capable piece in his future plans.