Chapter 120: The Heart of the Ice Soul

Though the treasures of the Primordial Era are categorized into many ranks today, in truth, they are fundamentally divided into just two types: Innate Spiritual Treasures and Acquired Spiritual Treasures.

Artifacts such as magical instruments and spiritual devices fall under the category of Acquired Spiritual Treasures, while the Innate Supreme Treasures are strictly classified as Innate Spiritual Treasures.

Innate means, as the name suggests, treasures that existed before Heaven and Earth, predating the vast Primordial Era, the myriad heavens and realms, nurtured within the chaos of the original universe. They are born from the profound aura of the Great Dao and cosmic transformation, nurtured to emergence by postnatal cultivation. Moreover, under the laws of Heaven, the Primordial Era can possess no more than three hundred and sixty-five Innate Spiritual Treasures.

Famed throughout the Primordial Era are the three Innate Supreme Treasures that shaped the heavens and earth: the Taiji Diagram, the Pangu Banner, and the Chaos Bell. Though classified as Innate Supreme Treasures, the Heavenly Dao regards them equally alongside other Innate Spiritual Treasures, truly embodying the impartiality of the Heavenly Dao.

For any cultivator, even the lowest grade Innate Spiritual Treasure is an unparalleled gem. Its power is secondary; many Innate Spiritual Treasures have rather mediocre effects—neither particularly useful nor utterly worthless. What truly matters is the Dao resonance embedded within these treasures. This resonance is a product of the fusion of the Great Dao’s spiritual essence from the primordial chaos and the spiritual resonance of the Primordial Era’s Heavenly Dao. By comprehending this resonance, one can significantly advance their cultivation and realm. However, grasping the Dao resonance within an Innate Spiritual Treasure requires certain conditions.

Without reaching the Profound Immortal realm, one cannot comprehend the Dao resonance of Innate Spiritual Treasures!

To begin understanding the Dao resonance, one must first attain the cultivation of a Profound Immortal. Thereafter, it benefits those from Taiyi True Immortal to Daluo Golden Immortal, and even the quasi-Saint level of the HunYuan Scatter Immortal. Only upon reaching the level of a HunYuan Saint does the resonance cease to provide any benefit.

A HunYuan Saint represents the origin of Innate Unity, boundless and immeasurable, neither born nor destroyed, viewing kalpas as mere fleeting moments, existing between reality and illusion. To such beings, the Dao resonance of Innate Spiritual Treasures is insignificant and cannot advance their cultivation.

Minghe’s path is one of slaughter; the Innate Spiritual Treasure known as the God-Slaying Spear complements him perfectly. Hence, he has long schemed to seize it. Yet, the treasure remains elusive, and surrounded by formidable experts, he can only wait for an opportunity. By chance, he encountered Qingxu, whose mysterious nature piqued his curiosity, compelling him to capture and uncover the truth. But prudence prevails; curiosity aside, the God-Slaying Spear remains paramount. With many quasi-Saints present, and possibly even a HunYuan Saint about to intervene, any reckless move would be disastrous. Thus, he watches Qingxu depart heedlessly, choosing instead to recuperate.

Within two or three breaths, Minghe’s wounds healed. He immediately summoned back the fallen twin swords, Yuantu and Abi. At this moment, the two ferocious weapons dimmed, their spiritual efficacy greatly diminished.

“Even with the aid of the Netherworld Blood Sea’s power, it will take at least a hundred years to fully recover. This loss is catastrophic. That despicable, sneaky Daoist—my ancestor will not forgive you,” Minghe muttered bitterly, gazing at his two companion spirit swords, his heart bleeding with the gravity of his injuries.

Feeling a pang of sorrow, his thoughts turned to Qingxu. Minghe transformed into a streak of blood light and gave chase, swiftly exiting the entrance of the Earth Vein Passage and entering the Earth Vein Space.

At the center of this vast Earth Vein Space sat a colossal block of ice, towering over ten zhang. It radiated a hazy purple glow, swirling with mist and dazzling light, manifesting countless strange phenomena amid the spiritual energy’s transformation. The most peculiar aspect was the ice’s color—at a glance, it appeared purple; upon closer inspection, its color shifted to whatever the viewer’s mind imagined. Most terrifying was its ability to stir inner demons; those with unstable Dao hearts who gazed upon it were beset by illusions and internal backlash.

Visions of betrayed friends and loved ones, the proximity of quasi-Saint cultivation, and myriad Innate Spiritual Treasures flickered before their eyes...

The Earth Vein Space was filled with many beings, many of whom were lost in confusion. Their manifestations were diverse: some screamed in grief and anger, others rejoiced wildly, and yet others were utterly despondent. All were victims of their wavering Dao hearts, unable to resist their inner demons.

Upon seeing that block of ice, Minghe recognized it as the Heart of the Northern Abyss Ice Soul.

Among the crowd were Emperor Jun, Taiyi, Fuxi, Zhenyuanzi, Hongyun... more than twenty quasi-Saints, hundreds of Daluo Golden Immortals, thousands of Taiyi True Immortals, and countless Profound Immortals, forming three inner and three outer layers of encirclement around the Ice Soul Heart. Yet, strangely, not a single one dared to strike. Apart from those lost to their inner demons, everyone held their breath, frowning as they stared at the Ice Soul Heart.

Witnessing this, Minghe abandoned his pursuit of Qingxu. He swiftly activated his Netherworld Blood Eye, a shock running through his body. His eyes widened in terror, as if a mortal seeing a ghost.

“A quasi-Saint peak primordial spirit?” he murmured, dumbfounded. Through his Netherworld Blood Eye, the entire Earth Vein Space was revealed in intricate detail. The primordial spirit trapped within the Ice Soul Heart left him stunned.

A primordial spirit itself was nothing unusual—one could cultivate a primordial spirit at the Transforming God realm. But a primordial spirit at the peak quasi-Saint level was extraordinary.

Before Minghe could recover from this revelation, another discovery left him utterly dumbfounded.

The quasi-Saint peak primordial spirit inside the Ice Soul Heart emitted an aura from the dawn of antiquity, mingled with chaotic primordial essence, evoking supreme nobility and the aura of a sovereign ruler.

“An ancient Demon God? An Innate Demon Deity? How is this possible?” Minghe recalled his encounters with ancient Demon Gods in the prehistoric era and recognized this aura immediately. This was serious.

The situation was now clear: the quasi-Saint peak primordial spirit within the Ice Soul Heart was a surviving Innate Demon Deity from ancient times.

“Is this the Ice Ancestor? Such a pitiful visage!” Since it was a deity, the Ice Soul Heart’s power to stir inner demons was utterly ineffective against Qingxu. Minghe, mingled among the crowd, observed the Ice Ancestor’s form.

Perhaps due to the devastation wrought by the earlier cataclysmic battle, the Ice Soul Heart was riddled with cracks, fragile to the point of shattering at the slightest touch. Within the nearly collapsing Ice Soul Heart was a purple-black silhouette measuring exactly three feet six inches and nine fen. It bore wings on its back, three eyes, six ears, a fused nose and mouth, twelve arms, and four legs.

On Kunlun Mountain, Qingxu had once overheard the Primordial Celestial occasionally discussing ancient Demon Gods. It was said that the difference between ancient Demon Gods and primordial Innate Demon Gods lay only in their corporeal shackles; their primordial spirits were the same. The disparity in body form affected only the display of their power.

Primordial Demon God primordial spirits are divided into two types: the divine soul and the demonic soul. The divine soul, purple-gold in color, governs good, with the three souls united as the chief and seven spirits as auxiliaries. The demonic soul, purple-black, governs evil, with the seven spirits united as chief and three souls as auxiliaries. These two are diametrically opposed, yet equally matched.

Seeing the purple-black primordial spirit of the Ice Ancestor, Qingxu immediately understood it to be a chaotic demonic soul.

Unlike the others’ thoughts, the Ice Ancestor was profoundly distressed. Fate had dealt a cruel hand. After countless years of toil, he was on the verge of materializing, ready to roam freely and unbound. Yet now, a careless whisper of false news had entangled him in this mess.

Many of his laborers had perished or fled, effectively cutting off the Ice Ancestor’s support. This realization filled him with both pain and dread. Previously, he had relied on over four hundred frost giants, consuming vast reserves of energy. Now, in his weakened state, facing so many powerful adversaries, his predicament was truly grim.

In terms of cultivation, though the Ice Ancestor possessed only a demonic soul primordial spirit without a corporeal Dao body, as a peak quasi-Saint, he was the strongest beneath a HunYuan Saint. Ordinarily, he feared no one. But now, weakened and vastly outnumbered—over twenty quasi-Saints alone, not to mention Daluo Golden Immortals and Taiyi True Immortals—his situation was perilous.

“Got it! This is it!” Nearly all the quasi-Saints present were thrilled beyond measure. A peak quasi-Saint ancient Demon God primordial spirit was far more precious than any Innate Spiritual Treasure. Its vast reserves of magic power alone could elevate a cultivator without foundation directly to quasi-Saint level. Though lacking realm laws, such overwhelming power could instantly annihilate a Daluo Golden Immortal.

Greedy red lights flashed in their eyes. They all sensed the unprecedented weakness of the Ice Ancestor and recognized this as the perfect opportunity to capture him. The anticipated benefits were immense—not only power but perhaps secrets of ancient Demon Gods that could greatly enhance their own cultivation.

In stark contrast, Qingxu was clear-headed. He harbored no greed to seize the Ice Ancestor’s primordial spirit. First, with so many formidable opponents, it was unlikely to be his chance. Second, proverbially, “a dying camel is still bigger than a horse.” Despite his decline, the Ice Ancestor still had strength to fight back. No ancient Demon God was simple to defeat.

“Enough. I must find a way to escape!” Qingxu hid among the crowd, watching the entrance of the Earth Vein Passage. He saw Minghe standing there, stunned, and cursed silently. The passage was the only way in or out, now blocked by Minghe. Even with ten lifetimes’ courage, he dared not act rashly.

Having barely escaped from Minghe once, Qingxu would not foolishly walk into his trap again.

Snapping back to his senses, Minghe’s mind returned to Qingxu. Capturing the Ice Ancestor’s primordial spirit was no trivial matter; a misstep might cause it to self-destruct, so no one dared reckless action. With so many powerful eyes watching, plucking the treasure would be no easy feat.

Through his Netherworld Blood Eye, Qingxu’s figure suddenly appeared clear before him.

“Hmph! Escape? You think you can escape? Your dying struggles will only trouble your old ancestor a bit,” Minghe sneered, plunging into the crowd to close in on Qingxu, intent on capture.

Having observed Minghe closely, Qingxu was terrified. He wanted to flee, but trapped in the dense crowd, escape was hindered. In desperation, a sudden idea struck him. He shouted loudly.

What did Qingxu shout? That shall be revealed in the next chapter!