Chapter 179 The Former Site of the Ice Palace, Secrets of the Immortal Pearl

The Eternal Ice Plains remained a silent, pure white expanse.

The extreme cold wind howled, whipping up ice shards that had not melted for ten thousand years, capable of easily freezing a Cultivator's Divine Soul.

However, for Nightmare now, this forbidden land was as easy to traverse as flat ground.

His Annihilation Domain slightly expanded around him, causing all cold and storms to dissipate upon approach. His speed was astonishing, and with a few spatial leaps, he was already deep within the heart of the ice plains.

Soon, the familiar entrance to the Ice Absolute Valley, hidden by massive ice walls, appeared before him.

A scan revealed that the damaged boundary rift at the bottom of the valley seemed to have been reinforced with some powerful Ice Law. Although it was still not entirely stable, it was much better than before.

Clearly, this was the work of Fairy Leng Yue after she regained control of the Ice Soul Immortal Palace.

Nightmare did not force his way in. Instead, he simulated the aura of the Ice Soul Immortal Palace Cultivation Technique, which was homologous to that of the woman from before, and gently triggered a hidden Restriction beside the rift.

A moment later, the space at the rift rippled slightly, and a graceful figure cautiously emerged.

It was the woman in the ice dress whom he had saved previously.

Upon seeing Nightmare, she was startled, then revealed a look of pleasant surprise and reverence, quickly bowing, "Junior Bing Yun pays respects to Senior Nightmare! Please, Senior, enter quickly!"

She could feel that the aura of this black-robed Senior before her was even more unfathomable than before, as if he had merged with the entire world, making one feel both reverent and incomparably at ease.

Nightmare nodded slightly and followed her through the spatial rift, once again entering the Small World of the Ice Soul Immortal Palace.

Inside the Small World, it was still carved from ice and jade, filled with Immortal Qi, but the atmosphere was completely different from last time.

The patrolling Disciples were orderly. Seeing Bing Yun bringing Nightmare in, although they were curious, they all bowed respectfully, clearly showing that order had been restored.

"The Palace Master has long instructed that if Senior were to visit again, you should be brought to see her directly. Please follow me, Senior," Bing Yun said, respectfully leading the way.

There was no conversation along the way, and they soon arrived at the most towering main hall of the Ice Soul Immortal Palace.

Inside the main hall, Fairy Leng Yue had already sensed his arrival and was standing in the hall waiting.

She was still wearing her palace attire, her temperament cold and aloof, but her complexion was much ruddier, and her aura was more harmonious and profound; clearly, her injuries had fully recovered, and her Cultivation had even improved.

Seeing Nightmare, a complex look flashed in her beautiful eyes, which then turned into solemn gratitude as she bowed slightly, "Fellow Daoist Ye, you are well. I have yet to formally thank you for your life-saving grace and for suppressing the palace rebellion last time."

"It was merely a mutual exchange of needs," Nightmare said calmly, his gaze sweeping across the hall. "This Sovereign has come to fulfill the agreement made that day, to view the 'Supreme Art of Forgetting Emotion', and there is also another matter I wish to inquire about."

Fairy Leng Yue seemed to have expected this, taking out an ice-blue Jade Slip that had been prepared in advance and handing it to Nightmare. "This is the complete Cultivation Technique of the 'Profound Ice Path of Forgetting Emotion', including the insights and annotations of past Palace Masters. You have been a great benefactor to the Immortal Palace, so this Cultivation Technique is gifted to you, with no other conditions required."

Nightmare took the Jade Slip, scanned it, confirmed it was correct, and tucked it away.

This Cultivation Technique would indeed be useful for him to improve the "Emotional Annihilation" portion of his Nirvana Law.

"Is there anything else, Fellow Daoist? Please speak freely; I will tell you everything I know," said Fairy Leng Yue.

"The Ice Soul Pearl," Nightmare said, uttering three words directly.

Fairy Leng Yue’s expression changed slightly, a flash of vigilance appearing in her eyes, but it quickly turned into helplessness. "So you have also come for this item, Fellow Daoist. To be honest, more than one faction has recently been secretly inquiring about the news of our palace's supreme treasure, the 'Ice Soul Pearl'. This pearl is the treasure that has been passed down through generations in the Immortal Palace and is of great importance. Please forgive me, but I cannot..."

Before she could finish, Nightmare interrupted her. "The people from the Imperial Dynasty have come as well, haven't they?"

Fairy Leng Yue’s delicate body trembled, and she looked at Nightmare in disbelief. "You... how did you know?"

"This Sovereign not only knows they have come, but also why they have come." Nightmare’s eyes were deep. "Is there a trace of extreme cold Origin sealed within the Ice Soul Pearl, which may even be related to the 'Sin of Nothingness'?"

Boom!

Fairy Leng Yue looked as if she had been struck by lightning. Her face turned pale instantly, and she subconsciously took half a step back, her voice trembling. "Who... who exactly are you?! This matter is the highest secret of the Immortal Palace, known only to Palace Masters through oral tradition. How did you find out?!"

From her reaction and Divine Soul fluctuations, Nightmare had confirmed that the fragmented information he obtained from Zhao Zheng's memory was true.

The Imperial Dynasty was indeed searching for ancient treasures containing special Origin power, seemingly to complete some kind of sacrifice or summoning ritual!

"How This Sovereign knows is not important," Nightmare said calmly. "What is important is that the Imperial Dynasty will never give up. With the current strength of the Immortal Palace, how many assaults from the Hall of Consecrated Elders can you withstand?"

Fairy Leng Yue fell silent, the blood draining from her face. She knew the terror of the Imperial Dynasty well; if not for Nightmare last time, the Immortal Palace would have been destroyed long ago.

If the Imperial Dynasty were to attack with full force, the Immortal Palace would have no chance of survival.

"Fellow Daoist... what is your advice?" she asked with a dry voice, already treating Nightmare as her only lifeline.

"Two choices." Nightmare held up two fingers. "One, This Sovereign leaves now, and you deal with the Imperial Dynasty yourselves. Two, you hand the Ice Soul Pearl to This Sovereign to handle, completely cutting off the Imperial Dynasty's thoughts. In return, I can lay down a defensive Formation for the Immortal Palace that is sufficient to withstand any attack below the Integration stage."

Fairy Leng Yue's expression changed constantly, her heart struggling intensely. The Ice Soul Pearl was a supreme treasure passed down by the Ancestral Master and was the key to suppressing the Luck of the Immortal Palace. How could she give it away easily? But if she didn't, the destruction of the Immortal Palace was imminent...

Nightmare added, "Perhaps there is a third choice. Allow This Sovereign to take a look at the Ice Soul Pearl. If the thing sealed within is indeed related to the 'Sin of Nothingness', I may be able to eradicate its hidden dangers, leaving only the pure Origin to nourish the Immortal Palace. In this way, you can both repel the enemy and preserve the pearl."

Upon hearing this, Fairy Leng Yue’s beautiful eyes brightened suddenly. "Is what you say true, Fellow Daoist? Do you really have a way to purify the hidden dangers within the pearl?"

Although the Ice Soul Pearl was powerful, all past Palace Masters knew that its core contained a trace of extremely dangerous power that could erode the mind, requiring extreme caution when using it. If it could really be purified...

"This Sovereign never speaks empty words," Nightmare said calmly. His control over the Nirvana Origin gave him the confidence to handle most "pollution".

Fairy Leng Yue took a deep breath, as if she had made a great decision, and nodded heavily. "Alright! I trust you, Fellow Daoist! Please come with me!"

She dismissed everyone and, taking only Nightmare, came to an ice wall in the deepest part of the main hall. She cast a complex spell, and the ice wall slowly slid to the sides, revealing a cold, gloomy staircase leading downwards.

At the end of the stairs was a secret chamber constructed entirely of ten-thousand-year mysterious ice. In the center of the chamber was a high platform, and upon it floated a fist-sized, perfectly round blue treasure pearl, emitting a gentle yet extremely cold aura.

The pearl was crystal clear, and inside, it seemed as if a world of ice and snow was circulating, breathtakingly beautiful.

However, Nightmare clearly perceived that at the very core of the pearl, there was a trace of pitch-black energy hidden, completely out of place with the surrounding cold, filled with deathly silence and nothingness!

It was precisely that trace of energy that caused Nightmare and his nirvana dao seed to stir slightly! It was of the same quality as all the sources of Nirvana he had come into contact with before, but even more concentrated, perfectly sealed and wrapped by the power of extreme cold!

"So it is true..." Nightmare’s gaze tightened. The core of this Ice Soul Pearl actually contained a sealed trace of the "Sin of Nothingness" Origin power! Although it was extremely weak, its quality was very high!

The Imperial Dynasty was searching for this item; they must have huge plans!

"Please, Fellow Daoist!" Fairy Leng Yue watched Nightmare nervously and added, "Regardless of success or failure, the Immortal Palace will be eternally grateful!"

Nightmare said nothing more, operating his power to the fullest, and his nirvana dao seed roared!

He slowly raised his hand, the Power of Annihilation highly condensed, turning into countless gray-black threads, thinner than hair, cautiously probing toward the Ice Soul Pearl.

The threads ignored the pure power of extreme cold on the outer layer, precisely penetrating into it, and gently wrapping around the pitch-black energy at the very core.

That pitch-black energy seemed to sense the threat, suddenly becoming restless, emitting cold malice, and attempting to erode the threads of the Power of Annihilation!

But the threads of the Power of Annihilation contained the most original power of Nirvana, far superior in rank, and easily suppressed, wrapped, and began to slowly extract and refine it!

This process required extremely fine control; any carelessness could detonate that trace of energy, or even damage the Origin of the Ice Soul Pearl.

Like the most precise scalpel, he stripped away that pitch-black energy, devoured it, and converted it into the purest Nirvana Origin, feeding it back into himself and his dao seed.

And after the Ice Soul Pearl lost that foreign energy, not only did it not weaken, but it erupted with an even purer and more majestic Origin power of extreme cold! The temperature of the entire secret chamber plummeted, and the light of the pearl became even more dazzling and brilliant!

Fairy Leng Yue felt the changes in the Ice Soul Pearl with pleasant surprise; that hidden, unsettling aura that had always existed had completely disappeared! In its place was an incomparably pure and vast power of extreme cold!

After a long time, Nightmare slowly withdrew his hand, his nirvana dao seed vibrating slightly, seeming to have solidified a bit more. Although that trace of Origin was small, it made his Power of Annihilation even purer.

"The mission is accomplished," Nightmare said calmly.

Fairy Leng Yue was so excited she could hardly contain herself, bowing deeply to Nightmare. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist! The Ice Soul Immortal Palace will never forget this kindness and virtue!"

At this moment, she truly and completely trusted Nightmare.

Nightmare nodded. "Regarding the Formation, I will set it up for you later. Furthermore, if the Imperial Dynasty sends people again, you can tell them directly that the Ice Soul Pearl has been taken by me, and let them come to find me."

Upon hearing this, Fairy Leng Yue was even more grateful, but also somewhat worried. "The Imperial Dynasty is powerful; although you are gifted with divine abilities, but..."

"It is of no consequence." Nightmare interrupted her. "This Sovereign will settle the score with them sooner or later."

Having said that, he said no more, turned, and left the secret chamber, beginning to set up a powerful defensive Formation for the Ice Soul Immortal Palace, with the Law of Nirvana as the core, fused with the extreme cold environment of this place.

A few days later, the Formation was complete. Its power was so strong that Fairy Leng Yue was amazed, and her heart was set at ease.

Nightmare did not stay long. He politely declined Fairy Leng Yue’s repeated requests for him to stay, locked onto the direction of his next target, tore through space again, and disappeared.

Fairy Leng Yue looked in the direction where he had disappeared for a long time, then sighed faintly.

"The cultivation world, I am afraid, is truly going to be turned upside down because of him..."

And at this moment, Nightmare was standing in the Void Realm, digesting the trace of pure Origin he had obtained from the Ice Soul Pearl, his gaze fixed on the distant Central Plains.

The Imperial Dynasty, the Hall of Consecrated Elders, the Zhao family...

It was time to go and pay a personal "visit".

His figure turned into a stream of Nirvana light that tore through the Void Realm, heading straight for the core of the Imperial Dynasty.

The final storm had already been stirred up beneath his feet.