Nine Desolate Records

Lu Li's figure disappeared into the deep, dark doorway of the ice fortress, the faint light of the Shouzhuo Sword casting distorted shadows on the ice wall. The cutting sounds and chanting abruptly ceased, and a chilling divine sense swept across the entrance in an instant.

"You've come uninvited... disturbing my peaceful cultivation. There will be a price to pay."

A hoarse, dry voice came from the depths of the fortress, echoing like metal scraping against stone, reverberating in layers within the empty ice chamber.

Lu Li continued walking, a faint golden light flickering in his left eye, his "Seeing the World" vision fully activated. The interior of the ice fortress was rudimentary. The central hall was piled high with the remains of unfinished ice golems and various materials reeking of foul odors. In two iron cages in the corner, ragged, dying prisoners huddled together. At the far end of the hall, on a crude altar constructed of animal bones and ice, sat an old man in black robes.

The old man was emaciated, his cheeks sunken, and his skin an unnatural bluish-gray, as if he had merged with the surrounding ice. He gripped a curved bone knife in each hand, the blades engraved with eerie dark red runes. A swirling, agonizing blue soul fire hovered before him. Scattered around the altar were dozens of deep blue crystals of varying sizes, of the same origin as the crystal found in the chest of the command-type ice puppet he had previously slain.

The old man slightly raised his eyelids, his cloudy eyes reflecting Lu Li's figure. A sinister smile spread across his lips: "Such pure blood and qi, such a blazing soul... far superior to these trash. Perfect, my 'Ice King' is still missing a main soul, I'll use you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shi Yong had already broken through the ice from the left, his iron rod carrying a fierce wind pressure, aiming straight for the old man's side ribs! Lin Qingyuan, meanwhile, silently emerged from the shadows on the right, dozens of silver needles coated with exorcising medicine raining down on the old man's major acupoints and the soul fire on the altar.

The old man let out a strange laugh, and without any apparent movement, a thick ring of black icy mist suddenly appeared around him. Shi Yong's iron rod struck the icy mist, seemingly sinking into a viscous swamp, its speed drastically reduced, and a thick layer of black ice instantly formed on the rod, the chill spreading rapidly along its length. Lin Qingyuan's silver needles pierced the icy mist, emitting a hissing sound; the medicinal liquid on the needles reacted violently with the black ice, emitting wisps of blue smoke, but failed to penetrate.

"A mere trick." The old man swung his bone knife, and the black ice mist suddenly expanded and exploded outwards!

Shi Yong grunted, thrown back several steps by the immense force. The tiger's mouth of his hands, which were holding the stick, split open, and the blood froze before it could flow. Lin Qingyuan was also thrown away by the shockwave, nimbly flipping in the air before landing with a slightly pale face.

The moment the black ice mist exploded, Lu Li moved.

He held the Shouzhuo sword horizontally, the crimson gold and silver light flowing from the cracks in the blade blending together, and pushed it forward smoothly.

The sword intent to stop the fighting—to soothe!

An invisible field of sword intent spread out, and wherever it passed, the raging black ice mist was instantly calmed and subsided as if stroked by an invisible hand. The sinister curse power and bone-chilling cold contained in the mist were greatly weakened.

The old man let out a soft "Eh," and for the first time, a hint of seriousness appeared on his face: "Interesting... It can actually neutralize my 'Mysterious Netherworld Evil Qi'?"

Lu Li remained silent, his figure moving like lightning, piercing through the thinning mist, and thrusting his sword straight at the old man's face! The sword's momentum seemed ordinary, but it locked down all of the old man's dodge positions, and contained a hidden force of "guidance," forcing the old man to take the hit head-on.

A flash of eerie blue light appeared in the old man's eyes. He parried with a bone knife in his left hand, but his right bone knife emerged strangely from under his ribs, slashing towards Lu Li's abdomen at a cunning and ruthless angle. Runes on the blades lit up, bringing with them a chilling wind that seemed to freeze the soul.

Lu Li neither dodged nor evaded; at the moment the Shouzhuo Sword clashed with the Bone Blade, the sword trembled slightly.

Transform!

The surging Xuanming evil energy from the bone knife was instantly absorbed, analyzed, and reconstructed by the star map of the Shouzhuo Sword, turning into a pure ice spiritual energy that surged back! Although the conversion rate was not high, caught off guard, the old man felt a cold energy of the same origin as himself but even "cleaner" rushing against his meridians, causing his blood and qi to stagnate.

"What?!" The old man was shocked, and his right-hand bone knife attack slowed down.

Taking advantage of this moment, Lu Li joined his left hand like a sword, and a point of crimson-gold firelight condensed at his fingertip, striking the old man's chest with lightning speed! It was a wisp of pure flame power obtained by transforming his own violent origin.

The old man hastily parried with his sword.

"laugh--!"

The crimson flames struck the bone knife, producing a sound like a branding iron hitting water. The dark red runes on the bone knife flickered violently, dimming from the heat, and tiny cracks appeared on the blade. The old man cried out in pain, and blue smoke rose from his right hand holding the knife, as a scorching and violent aura crept upwards along the meridians of his arm.

Without hesitation, he snapped his right little finger, a section of the finger bone exploded, spurting out black, foul-smelling blood, which temporarily stopped the spread of the flames, but his entire right arm was temporarily crippled.

"The power of the Flame Emperor?! You are actually a descendant of the Flame Emperor!" The old man was shocked and furious, but even more so, he was greedy. "Hahaha! Heaven is helping me! If I refine you, my Ice Demon King will surely advance, and may even reach beyond the Dharma Aspect!"

He bit his tongue hard, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the ghostly blue soul fire on the altar. The soul fire surged, emitting a piercing shriek, and the temperature of the entire ice fortress plummeted again, thick layers of black ice forming on the walls and floor. The deep blue crystals around the altar flew up, shooting towards the soul fire and merging into it.

The soul fire rapidly expanded and deformed, outlining the silhouette of a blurry giant, two zhang tall, clad in ice armor, and with two horns on its head. A terrifying pressure emanated from it, far surpassing the previous ice puppet, and even approaching the level of the mid-stage of the Dharma Aspect Realm!

"I will feed this ice monster with my lifeblood! Kill it!" the old man roared, his face ashen, clearly having paid a heavy price.

Two enormous, ghostly blue soul flames ignited in the empty eye sockets of the Ice Demon King, locking onto Lu Li. With a single step, the ice surface shattered, unleashing a barrage of black ice spikes as he punched down! Even before the fist arrived, the chilling aura that froze souls made Shi Yong and Lin Qingyuan, who were in the distance, feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

Lu Li's expression was solemn. This Ice Demon King combined most of the old man's cultivation with the resentment of many living souls, making it incredibly powerful and capable of both physical and spiritual attacks.

We can't fight it head-on.

He retreated swiftly, while his sword, Shouzhuo, drew a complete circle in front of him.

The sword intent of stopping war is combined into one and transformed into a unified whole!

The sword-shaped circle took shape, with a miniature vortex forming at its center. The Ice Demon King's ferocious fist force and black ice spikes slammed into the sword-shaped circle, only to be torn apart, decomposed, and transformed by the vortex as if they were water entering the sea. At the edge of the vortex, wisps of purified and refined ice spiritual energy dissipated.

However, the Ice King's power was too great, and the conversion speed could not keep up with the influx of energy. The sword circle trembled violently, the vortex began to become unstable, and Lu Li's forehead veins bulged as he endured immense pressure.

"Brother Lu!" Shi Yong roared, ignoring his injuries, and swung his club again at the Ice King's leg, trying to interfere. Lin Qingyuan also desperately channeled his true energy, shooting all the remaining evil-dispelling silver needles at the Ice King's joints and the soul fire in his eye sockets.

Their attacks landed on the Ice King, only scattering a few ice shards, having little effect and instead enraging the monster. The Ice King freed one hand and casually slapped it, sending Shi Yong flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing into a section of ice wall. Lin Qingyuan was also forced to retreat repeatedly by the ice spikes.

The old man on the altar cackled, about to urge the Ice Demon King to increase his power and completely crush Lu Li's defense.

Just then, Yun Jin, who had been standing quietly at the door, suddenly took a few steps forward.

Her eyes were closed, her silver eyelashes frosted over in the cold air, but deep within her misty eyes, the swirling nebula vortex began to spin at an unprecedented speed.

The Eye of Truth: Insight into the Origin!

In her "vision," the Ice Demon King was no longer a combination of ice and soul fire, but rather a being forcibly mixed and driven by countless twisted, screaming threads of vengeful spirits, bound together by a dark, viscous, asphalt-like foul energy. At the core of these threads and foul energy, an extremely thin, almost broken "golden thread" faintly appeared, connecting... somewhere in the north, and also linking to a murky halo around the heart of the black-robed old man.

"Lu Li..." Yun Jin's voice trembled slightly, yet remained exceptionally clear, "Its 'driving core' isn't in the soul fire in its head... it's in the 'core crystal' three inches to the right of its chest, shrouded in black foul energy! And... that old monster's heart is its vital point and control node!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Li's eyes flashed with a sharp light!

The old man's expression changed drastically: "Phantom Eye?! How could you..." He immediately tried to activate the Ice King to protect himself and strengthen his chest defense.

But Lu Li was faster than him!

The instant Yun Jin finished speaking, Lu Li made his decision. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, disregarding the cost, and forcibly detonated the pent-up, not-yet-fully-transformed, violent energy accumulated in the sword vortex, along with most of his sword intent and fiery power!

"boom--!"

A deafening explosion occurred in the center of the ice fortress! A violent gust of air, mixed with ice shards, spiritual energy, and foul air, swept outwards, causing the entire ice fortress to shake violently and countless ice pillars to break and collapse.

The Ice King was the first to be hit. Its massive body was blasted and staggered. Cracks appeared in the thick ice armor covering its chest, revealing a dark blue core crystal that was flashing intensely beneath.

Lu Li, using the recoil from the explosion, merged with his sword, transforming into a meteor burning with crimson flames. With incredible speed and angle, he bypassed the Ice King and stabbed straight at the heart of the black-robed old man on the altar!

Fast! Faster than the old man could react!

He had just raised his intact left-hand bone knife when Lu Li's sword tip arrived.

On the Shouzhuo Sword, the crimson gold flames and the purifying sword intent were condensed to the extreme.

"No—!" the old man roared in despair, black energy surging from his chest as he made a final stand.

"break."

Lu Li uttered a single word.

The moment the sword tip touched the black mist, fiery power and sword intent erupted, like a hot knife cutting through butter, instantly tearing through the filthy defense and piercing the "vital point" that Yun Jin had pointed out with perfect precision!

The old man's body stiffened abruptly, and the light in his eyes quickly dimmed. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but only large mouthfuls of black ice shards poured out. No blood flowed from the spot where his chest had been pierced; only dense black mist and shattered ice crystals dissipated.

At the same time, the Ice King let out a mournful and long howl. Its massive body froze instantly, and the core crystal in its chest cracked with a "crack." The ghostly blue soul fire flickered violently a few times before suddenly going out.

"Splash—"

The Ice King transformed into countless dull ice blocks, which collapsed with a crash, piling up into a small mountain.

The spirit fire on the altar also dissipated.

The ice fortress was deathly silent, with only the cracking sound of ice breaking and Shi Yong's groans in the distance.

Lu Li withdrew his Shouzhuo sword, its light slightly dimmed. His face was pale, and his breathing was unstable; the explosive power and precise strike he had just unleashed had taken a huge toll. He quickly took out a pill and swallowed it, then looked at Yun Jin.

Yun Jin swayed and was supported by Lin Qingyuan who had rushed over. Her face was even more pale than Lu Li's, and a trace of blood even seeped from the corner of her eye. Forcibly activating the Eye of Truth to see the essence was an extremely heavy burden on her.

"I'm fine..." Yun Jin shook her head weakly, pointing to the iron cage in the corner, "First... save them."

Lin Qingyuan rushed over, used a silver needle to break the lock on the iron cage, and helped the two nearly frozen prisoners out. He then fed them medicine to nourish their meridians. The two were a young hunter who looked like brother and sister. Although weak, they were alive and well, and they thanked Lin Qingyuan profusely.

Shi Yong also grimaced as he got up. He was tough and had managed to block the blow with the iron rod at the crucial moment, so he only suffered a few broken ribs and internal organ concussions, but it wasn't a fatal injury. Lin Qingyuan gave him some simple treatment.

Lu Li walked to the body of the old man in black robes. After the old man died, his body quickly withered and decomposed, leaving only a black robe and a few broken pieces of black bone. Inside the black robe, he found a cold storage bag. Inside, besides some evil materials for making ice puppets and several filthy cultivation manuals, there was also a palm-sized black token that was neither gold nor wood. One side of the token was engraved with a distorted mountain pattern, and the other side had the number "seven".

"This is..." Lu Li frowned. The material and aura of this token reminded him of the Turbid Abyss Sect, but it was also different, being more ancient and sinister.

"It's the 'Black Mountain Token'." Yun Jin, having caught her breath slightly, walked over with Shi Yong's help. Although she couldn't see, she seemed to "sense" the token's presence. "My father's notes mentioned... a token of a more secretive and ancient evil organization called 'Black Mountain Mansion' than the Turbid Abyss Sect. It's said they've been secretly collecting everything related to ancient seals and forbidden powers... The number 'seven' might represent that he's the seventh member, or the seventh messenger?"

Black Mountain Prefecture? Yet another hidden force behind the scenes?

Lu Li felt heavy-hearted and put the token away. It seemed the waters of the North were deeper than he had imagined.

The group searched the entire ice fortress, packed up the useful supplies (mainly the old man's pills, spirit stones, and some uncontaminated refining materials), and then burned the filthy remains and books.

As they left the Ice Fortress, dusk was approaching. The wind and snow picked up again, quickly burying all traces of the evil cave.

"What do we do next? Go to Icewind Valley as planned?" Shi Yong asked, his voice muffled, after all, he had broken a rib.

Lu Li looked north, where the wind and snow were swirling and the road ahead was uncertain. He recalled the strange cold wave in the direction of "Frostbone Fortress" that Yun Jin had mentioned earlier, as well as the slight disharmony he had vaguely felt during the battle just now—the old man's Xuanming evil aura seemed to have some subtle connection with the cold air of this snowfield itself.

"No," Lu Li slowly shook his head, his gaze sharpening, "we're going to Frostbone Fortress."

"Huh?" Shi Yong was taken aback.

Lin Qingyuan also showed a worried expression: "Junior Brother Lu, both the Lord of the Pavilion and Elder Gusong have warned that Frostbone Fortress is extremely dangerous..."

"It's precisely because it's dangerous that it's more likely to hold the clues we need," Lu Li explained. "The core cold energy used by this evil cultivator to create ice puppets is compatible with the snowfield environment, but it's even more sinister. The eerie cold waves of Frostbone Fortress may share the same origin, or even be one of the sources. If it really is a secondary manifestation or contaminated point of the 'anchor point,' it might allow us to witness the horror of the 'prisoner concept' in advance, or even... find a glimmer of opportunity to leverage or cope with it."

He paused, then looked at Yun Jin: "Moreover, the 'golden thread' that Miss Yun sensed earlier connects to the north. The direction of Frostbone Fortress also seems to be along its extended path."

Yun Jin silently sensed for a moment, then nodded gently: "That line... does indeed point further north. The direction of Frostbone Fortress is not far off."

Seeing that everyone still had doubts, Lu Li said in a deep voice, "Our journey to the Northern Territory is like dancing on a knife's edge. If we take a detour out of fear, we might gain temporary safety, but we might miss the crucial point. Icewind Valley and Snow Wolf Lake might be safer, but there might be even fewer clues. And time... we may not have enough."

Thinking of the ten-year limit of the Sword Tomb, and the undercurrents in Kyushu, everyone fell silent.

Finally, Lin Qingyuan took a deep breath: "Junior Brother Lu is right. Now that we have entered the Northern Territory, we should face the deepest cold. What should we cultivators fear from hardship?"

Shi Yong grimaced, the movement aggravating his wound and causing him to gasp in pain, but he still declared with bravado, "Wherever Brother Lu goes, I, Shi Yong, will follow! Even if the bone is broken, it can be set!"

Yun Jin gripped the green bamboo staff, her voice soft yet firm: "Perhaps my eyes can 'see' more there."

The opinions were unanimous.

The four changed direction and headed towards "Frostbone Fortress," marked with a red circle on the map, a place representing taboo and death. They braved the increasingly fierce wind and snow and resolutely continued onward.

Dozens of miles behind them, in the direction of Baishui Town, several figures dressed in the uniforms of the Demon Slayer Guard, yet exuding a chilling aura, were carefully examining footprints and residual energy fluctuations on the snow.

"Direction...Frostbone Fortress?" The leader looked up, revealing a pair of eyes gleaming with a dark red light beneath his hood. "That saves us the trouble of leading the way. Inform 'that person' that the fish...swam into the net on its own."

The wind and snow howled, carrying whispers and conspiracies into the dark night sky.

The nights in the North are long and cold. The real test may have only just begun.