I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

"Retreat!" he roared hoarsely, and without hesitation, he transformed into a streak of blood-red light and fled towards the entrance of the main hall!

Seeing their leader flee, the six Netherworld Cult members also broke free from their opponents and followed closely behind, escaping in a sorry state.

Inside the main hall, the battle abruptly ended. Disciples from various sects were stunned, their eyes filled with awe and disbelief as they looked at Qin Yuan. A peak Nascent Soul cultivator from the Netherworld Sect had actually been severely injured and forced to flee by Qin Yuan in just a few rounds? This strength… was terrifying!

Qin Yuan casually tossed the blood-stained blade he had seized onto the ground and looked at the ice platform. Although the restriction had been broken, the combined efforts of the five of them had already consumed most of their energy.

"Let's continue breaking the restrictions," he said to Jian Wuhen and the others.

Jian Wuhen, Ling Shuanghua, Yin Wuming, and Mu Qinghe exchanged bewildered glances. Had Qin Yuan not turned the tide, they would likely have perished. Facing Qin Yuan now, their feelings were complex, especially Jian Wuhen and Ling Shuanghua, who had previously harbored some competitive spirit towards him, but now felt only a sense of powerlessness.

The five of them made their move again, and this time without any interference, they quickly broke the remaining restrictions.

Three treasures lay quietly on the ice platform.

All eyes turned to them.

Qin Yuan looked at Yun Qingyao, who understood and stepped forward to take the Nine-Aperture Ice Cloud Mushroom, putting it into a specially made jade box. She nodded gratefully to Qin Yuan.

"How should we distribute the remaining two items?" Liu Suifeng, representing the Taiyi Immortal Sect, asked.

Jian Wuhen stared at the Xuanbing Essence, as this item would be of great use to temper his swordsmanship. Ling Shuanghua, on the other hand, desired the Ice Soul Jade Lotus more. Yin Wuming's eyes flickered, seemingly weighing his options. Mu Qinghe and his sister exchanged a glance, and Mu Qinghe said, "Our Qingmu Sect relinquishes the competition for these two items, only requesting that if any of you see any news of the 'Snow Jade Lingzhi' or the 'Ice Soul Vitality Spring' in the palace, please inform us."

This can be seen as voluntarily withdrawing from the core competition, as a way of doing someone a favor.

Finally, after a brief discussion, the Essence of Profound Ice went to Jian Wuhen of the Myriad Swords Pavilion, and the Jade Lotus of Ice Soul went to Ling Shuanghua of the Profound Heaven Sect. Yin Wuming of the Netherworld Palace, though unwilling, dared not cause trouble upon seeing Qin Yuan present and could only acquiesce. As compensation, Liu Suifeng promised to give him priority access to a treasure suitable for the Netherworld Palace's cultivation techniques that he discovered during future explorations.

With the treasures distributed, the tense atmosphere eased slightly. Disciples from various sects began to disperse, exploring other areas of the main hall or choosing different paths to venture deeper into the Ice Palace.

Qin Yuan said to Liu Suifeng, "Senior Brother Liu, I'll accompany Senior Sister Yun to find the 'Snow Jade Lingzhi,' and then we might head directly to the core area."

Liu Suifeng nodded: "Alright, Junior Brother Qin, be careful. The strange phenomena in the core area, the 'War God Temple,' are becoming increasingly apparent; it'll probably happen in the next few days. We'll meet up there."

Qin Yuan, Yun Qingyao, and the Wood Spirit Twins who volunteered to go together chose the fork in the road leading to the "Mystic Ice Cave".

The Xuanbing Cave is located deep within the Ice Palace, where the cold is even more intense. The cave walls are all made of millennia-old Xuanbing ice, incredibly hard. The cave is winding and secluded, with icicles occasionally falling down, or one might encounter lurking ice-type monsters.

The four proceeded cautiously. Qin Yuan's powerful spiritual sense often allowed him to detect dangers early and resolve them easily. The Wood Spirit Twins were skilled in sensing wood-type life force, which was quite helpful in finding special spiritual objects like the Snow Jade Lingzhi.

Upon reaching a spacious ice cave, Mu Qingyu suddenly exclaimed with delight, "Brother, there's a reaction! It's right ahead!"

Deep within the ice cave, amidst a forest of ice pillars, several snow-white, lingzhi-shaped spiritual herbs, emanating a faint chill, were quietly growing in an inconspicuous ice crevice. These were Snow Jade Lingzhi! And judging by their age, they were over a thousand years old!

"Great!" Mu Qinghe also looked delighted and was about to go forward to pick some.

Suddenly, a chilling laugh echoed from the shadows on one side of the ice cave:

"Tsk tsk, what good luck! A thousand-year-old snow jade lingzhi... I'll take this."

The shadows twisted, and a figure dressed in a dark blue robe, with a pale face and even more sinister and venomous eyes, slowly emerged.

It is indeed Young Master Youquan!

Behind him were two Netherworld Palace disciples with equally strong auras and unfriendly expressions.

Young Master Youquan stared intently at Qin Yuan, a ferocious smile twisting his lips: "Qin Yuan, we meet again. The score at Meteor Lake, and the grudge of you stealing my 'Mysterious Netherworld-Breaking Cone,' let's settle them all today!"

The sudden appearance of Young Master Youquan instantly extinguished the atmosphere within the ice cave. Though his face was pale and his aura slightly weak, clearly indicating he hadn't fully recovered from his injuries sustained in the battle at Meteor Lake, the resentment and killing intent in his eyes were colder than ice. Two Netherworld Palace disciples, one on each side, their eyes coldly fixed on Qin Yuan and the others, both at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

The Wood Spirit Twins' expressions changed slightly, and they subconsciously took half a step back, standing with Yun Qingyao, watching the three of them warily. The Snow Jade Lingzhi was so close, yet an unexpected obstacle had arisen.

Qin Yuan remained calm, as if the three people present were merely flies. His gaze fell on Young Master Youquan's face, and he said indifferently, "A defeated opponent dares to boast of bravery? You escaped from Meteor Lake, but today, you're unlikely to be so lucky."

"Arrogant!" Young Master Youquan's face twisted even more ferociously, his sore spot struck. "If you hadn't cheated, stolen my magic treasure, and disturbed the star beasts, would I have suffered such a defeat? Today, without the star beasts' help, I'll see just how much you, this prospective Dao Child of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, really amount to!"

He suddenly waved his hand: "Ghost Shadow, Ghost Fiend, entangle those three! Qin Yuan, leave him to me!"

"Yes!" The two Netherworld Palace disciples responded and transformed into two wisps of black smoke, rushing towards the Wood Spirit Twins and Yun Qingyao respectively! They knew Qin Yuan was powerful and dared not step forward, but they believed they were more than capable of dealing with the Wood Spirit Twins and Yun Qingyao.

"You're courting death!" Mu Qinghe roared, and he and Mu Qingyu simultaneously activated their Azure Wood spiritual power. Emerald green light intertwined, transforming into layers of vines and light shields to protect their bodies. Yun Qingyao also wielded her Cloud Mist Longsword, and mist billowed, enveloping her.

Qin Yuan took a step forward, heading towards Young Master Youquan. The distance between them instantly closed!

"Nine Netherworlds, Freezing Heaven and Earth!" Knowing Qin Yuan's terrifying close-combat prowess, Young Master Youquan dared not let him get close and struck first! He formed hand seals, and azure Xuanming icy energy erupted from his body, instantly enveloping the entire ice cave! The temperature plummeted to a terrifying level, even the walls of the Xuanbing Cave were covered with a thicker layer of ice, the air seemed frozen, and movement became sluggish. Countless tiny azure ice crystals condensed in the air, shooting towards Qin Yuan like a torrential rain, each crystal containing a chilling power that could freeze spiritual energy and erode the soul!

This was Young Master Youquan's domain-type divine ability, which he forcibly used while still recovering from his injuries. Although its power was not at its peak, it was still terrifying. He intended to use the Frost Domain to restrict Qin Yuan's speed, and then use the Xuanming Ice Crystal to consume and erode him.

As Qin Yuan found himself within the icy domain, his movements indeed faltered slightly, and frost instantly covered his protective aura. The dark blue ice crystals struck the aura, producing a dense hissing sound, constantly eroding his spiritual power, and a chilling aura even attempted to penetrate his body.