209: Clashes on the icy plains, undercurrents in the Gu Valley

The water mirror in the Core Palace of Beyond Heaven was divided into four quadrants. Jun Xiaoyao tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of his black iron chair, his gaze shifting between the Far North Ice Plain and the miasma forest in the Western Regions.

In the image of the Far North Ice Plain, Moon Invitation's white clothes were like an ice lotus blooming in the wind and snow.

She had just stepped three miles into Netherworld Valley when the ground suddenly cracked open, revealing several ice crevices. Dozens of ice-blue cold ice gu sprang from the fissures, shooting toward her vital points like sharp arrows.

These gu were covered in ice crystals, and as they touched the air, white mist condensed around them; clearly, they had adapted to the bitter cold of the ice plain.

"Trifling tricks." Moon Invitation gave a cold snort. The Cold Moon Sword drew an arc in her hand. Driven by the Mingyu Art, the sword was instantly covered in ice crystals. Wherever the Sword Qi passed, the cold ice gu were frozen into ice beads, shattering into powder upon hitting the ground.

She tapped her foot, her figure drifting like willow catkins toward the lake emitting blue mist—the source of the Netherworld Water was indeed here.

On an ice platform in the center of the lake, a figure clad in ice armor stood with hands behind his back. The Netherworld crystals embedded in the armor shimmered with a ghostly light in the wind and snow. It was the Ice Nether General, one of the three great Nether Generals under the Nether Lord.

"Moon Invitation of Flower Palace?" The Ice Nether General turned around, his voice having the texture of ice shards. "The Nether Lord anticipated that Beyond Heaven would send someone, so he specifically had me wait here." He waved his hand, and dozens of ice spikes suddenly rose from the ice layer around the lake, each tip wrapped in toxic mist condensed from Netherworld Water. "This 'Netherworld Ice Spike Formation' was cast with the essence and blood of a hundred living people. Care to taste it?"

Moon Invitation's fingertips brushed across the sword blade, and the Cold Moon Sword let out a clear Dragon's cry. "You think you're qualified to talk about taste?" Her figure flickered, and she actually charged directly into the ice spike Formation. With the Flower Transfer technique pushed to its limit, the ice spikes shooting toward her weirdly changed direction the moment they touched her sleeves, piercing back toward the Ice Nether General himself.

The Ice Nether General's pupils constricted; he hadn't expected the opponent to be able to use Flower Transfer to such an extent. He hurriedly waved his hand to withdraw the Formation, but it was a step too late. Several ice spikes flew past his ice armor, and green smoke immediately rose from the armor; clearly, even the Netherworld crystals could not block this backlash force.

"You think this is all?" The Ice Nether General grinned and slapped the ice surface. The lake beneath suddenly churned, and countless fist-sized ice gu emerged from the bottom. Each gu sprayed toxic mist of Netherworld Water from its mouth. "Taste my 'Myriad Gu Heart Devouring'!"

The ice crystal armor around Moon Invitation suddenly surged. The ninth level of the Mingyu Art exploded with full force, and the air within a ten-zhang radius instantly froze. The ice gu that had just emerged from the water were frozen in mid-air, like insects in amber. She pointed her Cold Moon Sword directly at the Ice Nether General's heart. "Your gu are too slow."

Jun Xiaoyao, watching this scene before the water mirror, said to Zhao Gao, "The Ice Nether General's strength is only at the Land Immortal Early-Stage Peak; Moon Invitation is enough to handle him. Have the Ice Falcon take people around to the back of the lake and see if there are any storage tanks for the Netherworld Water. Move as much as you can."

"Yes, Young Lord." Just as Zhao Gao was about to relay the order, the image on the right side of the water mirror suddenly fluctuated—outside the miasma forest in the Western Regions, the Snow Wolf Clan Chief rushed to report. There was a sudden disturbance in the direction of Myriad Gu Valley, and the Demonic Qi around the Gu Refining Platform was so thick it couldn't be dissolved; it seemed the mother-child heart devouring gu mother had awakened early.

The scene switched to Myriad Gu Valley. Great Doctor Ping was hiding in the shadows behind the Gu Refining Platform, watching Madam Scorpion standing on the sacrificial altar, holding a bronze tripod high. Black blood rolled in the tripod, and one could vaguely see a fist-sized gu worm wriggling in the blood; it was the mother-child heart devouring gu mother.

Below the altar, a hundred living people shackled with iron chains were trembling. Each of them had a blood-colored Talismanic Incantation stuck to their chest, and the edges of the talismans were already turning black—clearly, the child gu of the gu mother had already burrowed into their bodies, waiting to be recalled by the mother gu during the sacrifice.

"The time is almost here." Madam Scorpion's voice was sharp like a scorpion's tail. "Once the mother gu devours these hundred portions of essence and blood, it can Breakthrough to the Void Shattering Realm. By then, not to mention Beyond Heaven, the entire continent will have to obey the orders of my Myriad Gu Valley!"

The twelve poison envoys beside her bowed in unison: "Congratulations to the Valley Master on your success!"

Great Doctor Ping quietly poured three pills from his medicine gourd. With a flick of his finger, the pills landed precisely in the mouths of three Southern Chu Imperial Family members—these were his specially made "Feigned Death Pills," which could temporarily seal their aura and avoid the perception of the gu mother. He had long since buried "Gu-Breaking Thunder" under the altar, waiting for the best moment to detonate it.

"Young Lord, Great Doctor Ping is ready." Zhao Gao whispered, "Do we need the Snow Wolf Clan to act in advance?"

Jun Xiaoyao shook his head. "Wait a little longer. Let the gu mother absorb more essence and blood. The stronger the prey, the more valuable it is once obtained." He looked at the scene of Southern Chu in the water mirror. Xuanzang was removing the Black-Robed State Preceptor from the purple gold alms bowl. The Buddha light at the bottom of the bowl had completely purified the other party's Nether Gu Formation.

"How is it on Xuanzang's side?"

"The Black-Robed State Preceptor summoned the 'Nether God Palace' where the Nether Lord is hiding in the depths of Netherworld Valley. It is said that the 'Nine Netherworld Rakshasa Formation' is set up there, and it requires three 'Nether Artifacts' to break." Zhao Gao handed over a file. "In addition, the remaining forces of the Southern Chu Imperial Family have contacted The Net, willing to exchange their lives for three pastures and the Ice Plain Iron Mother. There is also news from the Snow Wolf Clan that as long as they can take back the pastures, they are willing to serve Beyond Heaven for ten years."

Jun Xiaoyao took the file, his fingertips pausing for a moment on the words "Nine Netherworld Rakshasa Formation." "Three Nether Artifacts? It seems the Nether Lord has more cards than this." He mused, "Let Xuanzang finish handling the affairs in Southern Chu and go directly to the Far North Ice Plain to support Moon Invitation. The Nine Netherworld Rakshasa Formation might require Buddha light to break."

At this time, in the water mirror of the Far North Ice Plain, Moon Invitation was already in a fierce battle with the Ice Nether General. The ice prisms of the Cold Moon Sword and the Netherworld Ice Spikes of the Ice Nether Sword collided in mid-air, exploding into a sky full of ice shards. Each piece of ice carried the deadly poison of the Netherworld Water, but they were blocked outside by the ice crystal armor around Moon Invitation.

"Flower Transfer is strong, but your Internal Energy will eventually run out." The Ice Nether General panted, his ice armor covered in sword marks. "This Netherworld Water lake is my home field; I will exhaust you to death!"

A cold, sharp smile curled on the corner of Moon Invitation's mouth. "Exhaust me? You are not qualified." She suddenly put away her sword, formed seals with both hands, and the cold air of the Mingyu Art surged crazily into the ice surface. The entire Netherworld Water lake froze at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the ice gu hidden at the bottom of the lake were instantly frozen to death.

"You are crazy!" The Ice Nether General exclaimed. The Netherworld Water lake was the core where the Nether Lord stored the Netherworld Water. Once frozen, the gu worms in the entire Netherworld Valley would lose their activity.

"Crazy?" Moon Invitation's figure suddenly appeared behind the Ice Nether General, the Cold Moon Sword pressed against his back. "This is called cleaning up trash."

The crisp sound of the blade piercing the ice armor was exceptionally clear in the wind and snow. The Ice Nether General looked down in disbelief, looking at the sword tip protruding from his chest. In the end, only horror remained in his eyes—he died without understanding how the opponent, who was clearly in front, could suddenly appear behind him.

Moon Invitation pulled out her long sword, and the toxic mist on the ice crystal armor quickly dissipated. "Ice Falcon, do it."

Ice Falcon immediately led people to rush out. The members of The Net took out specially made jade bottles and began to collect the frozen Netherworld Water. There were indeed many storage tanks under the ice surface; it seemed the Nether Lord had hoarded quite a lot of stock.

The water mirror switched back to the Western Regions. On the altar of Myriad Gu Valley, the mother-child heart devouring gu mother had climbed out of the bronze tripod, its body swelling to half a zhang in size. Eight pairs of wings flapped, and the toxic mist sprayed caused the living people under the altar to fall to the ground and twitch one after another. The child gu under their skin began to wriggle frantically; clearly, the mother gu had begun to recall the child gu.

"Now!" Great Doctor Ping gave a low drink, and sparks flew from his fingertips, landing on the fuse under the altar.

"Boom—" The Gu-Breaking Thunder exploded, and yellow smoke instantly filled the air. The smoke was mixed with Seven-Star Lotus powder. Upon contact with the smoke, the mother-child heart devouring gu mother suddenly let out a shrill hiss, and its huge body actually began to shrink.

"Who?!" Madam Scorpion was both shocked and angry, turning to look at the source of the smoke.

Great Doctor Ping's Dust-Clearing whisk rushed out with Buddha light, the whisk threads rolling toward the shrinking gu mother. "Madam Scorpion, your good days are over!"

The twelve poison envoys attacked in unison, various poison gu and poison mists attacking overwhelmingly, but they were all resolved by the Buddha light on Great Doctor Ping's whisk. Behind him, the shouts of the Snow Wolf Clan warriors came from outside the miasma forest. Although they did not break in, they attracted the attention of half of the poison envoys.

"Kill him!" Madam Scorpion hissed, personally pouncing on Great Doctor Ping. The scorpion tail needles popped out from her ten fingers were stained with the deadly poison refined from Netherworld Water.

Great Doctor Ping was unhurried. He used his Dust-Clearing whisk and Rejuvenation Finger interchangeably, the Buddha light and finger wind weaving into a large net, trapping Madam Scorpion inside. "Madam Scorpion, you feed gu with living people, which has long since angered heaven and man. Today is your death day!"

Jun Xiaoyao, watching the two battlefields before the water mirror, tapped his fingertips lightly on the armrest. The Netherworld Water in the Far North Ice Plain had been collected more than halfway, the Ice Nether General had been beheaded, and Moon Invitation was leading Ice Falcon to investigate in the direction of the Nether God Palace; although the Gu-Breaking Thunder in the Myriad Gu Valley of the Western Regions had not completely killed the mother-child heart devouring gu mother, it had caused it to suffer heavy losses, and Great Doctor Ping's entanglement with the twelve poison envoys had gained the upper hand.

"Young Lord," Zhao Gao suddenly handed over an urgent report. "The Net discovered a secret room in the depths of Netherworld Valley, containing the Nether Lord's notes, which recorded the truth about his betrayal of Myriad Gu Valley—what he stole back then was not only the secret recipe for Netherworld Water, but also the cultivation map of Madam Scorpion's 'mother-child heart devouring gu', and even... he and Madam Scorpion were once Dao Companions."

Jun Xiaoyao took the copy of the notes, a hint of playfulness flashing in his eyes. "Dao Companions turning against each other, that's interesting." He turned to the last page of the notes, his pupils shrinking slightly. "The Nether Lord is actually researching using Netherworld Water to fuse with the mother-child gu mother to refine the 'Shattering Gu', saying it can force people to Breakthrough to the Void Shattering Realm?"

"Such evil arts will likely invite divine retribution." Zhao Gao whispered.

"Divine retribution?" Jun Xiaoyao chuckled. "For us, this is the best opportunity." He looked at the shrinking gu mother in the water mirror. "Have Great Doctor Ping leave the gu mother with a breath and bring it back to Beyond Heaven. Also, notify Moon Invitation not to go deep into the Nether God Palace, and withdraw after collecting the Netherworld Water. It is not advisable to hard-clash with the Nine Netherworld Rakshasa Formation for the time being."

At this time, Moon Invitation in the Far North Ice Plain had received the order. With a wave of her Cold Moon Sword, she put the last storage tank into her storage ring. "Ice Falcon, withdraw."

The corpse of the Ice Nether General fell by the Netherworld Water lake, his ice armor gradually shattering in the cold air of the Mingyu Art, revealing the skin underneath that had long since frozen into a blue-purple color—the backlash of Flower Transfer was far more intense than imagined.

In the Myriad Gu Valley of the Western Regions, Great Doctor Ping's Dust-Clearing whisk finally entangled Madam Scorpion's wrist. The Rejuvenation Finger landed on the Danzhong acupoint on her chest. The moment the Buddha light poured in, the gu worms in Madam Scorpion's body exploded one after another. She screamed and collapsed on the altar, watching the mother-child heart devouring gu mother being collected by Great Doctor Ping with a jade bottle, her eyes full of unwillingness.

"Your gu mother will be managed by Beyond Heaven from now on." Great Doctor Ping put away his whisk and said to the Snow Wolf Clan Chief, "Take your clansmen to the Southern Chu pastures, and The Net will send people to meet you."

The Clan Chief bowed and saluted, his eyes full of the joy of survival after a disaster. "Many thanks, Great Doctor Ping. The Snow Wolf Clan will never forget the kindness of Beyond Heaven!"

Jun Xiaoyao, watching the dust settle on the two places before the water mirror, closed the Nether Lord's notes with his fingertips. Netherworld Water, mother-child heart devouring gu mother, Ice Plain Iron Mother, Southern Chu pastures... This trip to the Far North and the Western Regions had gained far more than expected.

The light of the summoning array lit up at this moment, and the pale golden runes circulated. Clearly, a character compatible with the Buddha light attribute was about to descend. Jun Xiaoyao flicked his finger, and his essence and blood fell on the center of the array. From the light, a figure wearing a kasaya slowly walked out, holding a tin staff. It was the Sweeping Monk from "demi-gods and semi-devils".

Character Panel Expanded: Name: Sweeping Monk (from the world of "demi-gods and semi-devils"). Realm: Land Immortal Late Stage. Martial Skills and Cultivation Techniques: 1. Seventy-Two Ultimate Skills of Shaolin (Proficient): Especially good at Indestructible Vajra Body and Nianhua Finger. The former can hard-resist any attack below the Void Shattering Realm, and the latter can resolve the offensive of gu worms with soft force. 2. Muscle Tendon Changing Classic (Perfection): Internal Energy is endless, and when running, Buddha light radiates from the whole body, which has absolute suppression power against evil spirits and gu worms. Special Abilities: - Wisdom Eye: Can see through the flaws of any Cultivation Technique. Even for the Nether Lord's Nine Netherworld Rakshasa Formation, he can find the life gate. - Deliverance Buddha Light: Can purify the world's most poisonous things, transcend dead souls, and has a waking effect on creatures controlled by gu worms. Additional Items: - Black Iron Tin Staff (Buddha Artifact): The staff body is carved with Sanskrit. Striking the ground can break all evil Formations. The precious bead at the end of the staff can emit warning Buddha light.

"This old monk greets the Young Lord." The Sweeping Monk put his hands together, his voice gentle but with unquestionable majesty.

Jun Xiaoyao looked at this legendary Buddhist expert, a faint smile curling on the corner of his mouth. "With the Great Master here, the Nine Netherworld Rakshasa Formation might not be so difficult to break."

The wind, snow, and miasma outside the palace seemed to be isolated by the Buddha light, and the core palace was clear. Jun Xiaoyao knew that with the arrival of the Sweeping Monk, Beyond Heaven had added another important weight to its power, and the Nether Lord hidden in the depths of Netherworld Valley was probably going to be unable to sit still.