Nine Desolate Records

At the gates of Frostbone Fortress.

Two towering black metal doors, each several meters high, were covered with a thick layer of ice, as thick as armor. Beneath the ice were intricate and twisted frost patterns, faintly forming the outline of some kind of restriction. The left door had collapsed inward, leaning against the inner wall of the doorway, revealing the bottomless darkness behind it. A biting wind rushed out of the fortress, carrying a chilling aura even more piercing and silent than the outside world, as if it came from the depths of a tomb.

Lu Li and his companions stood before the gate, taking a moment to regulate their breathing and barely suppress the exhaustion and chill from traversing the icy fog. The power of the medicinal pills dissipated some of the frostbite, but the lingering palpitations became increasingly pronounced as they approached the fortress gate.

"This door... doesn't seem to have been damaged by external force." Lin Qingyuan carefully examined the broken part of the collapsed door. The metal under the ice layer there showed a strange "brittleness," as if it had lost all its toughness in a very short time. "It's more like... it was instantly frozen through by some kind of extreme cold force from the inside, and then collapsed on its own."

Shi Yong tightened his grip on the iron rod. The slight grayish-white chill that had previously clung to it had been expelled by his own yang energy, but now, standing before the fortress gate, the rod trembled faintly, drawn by the low temperature. "Whatever how broken it is, there's still a way. Brother Lu, shall we go in?"

Yun Jin's penetrating eyes peered through the doorway into the darkness within the fortress, the swirling vortex in her silver pupils rotating slowly yet heavily. "Inside... it's 'empty,' yet 'full.'" She struggled to organize her thoughts. "Empty is the absence of any living creature. Full is... ice, and 'things' frozen within the ice. The light... is very dim, but in some places, faint 'marks' glow, like... imprints left from long ago."

Lu Li remained silent, focusing all his energy on channeling the Zhige Sword Intent, attempting to penetrate the fortress gates and perceive its interior. However, a powerful interfering force field seemed to exist within the fortress, his perception as if hitting a slippery ice wall. He could only manage to penetrate a dozen or so feet before being distorted and repelled by an invisible force. All he could "see" was vast expanses of lifeless darkness, and the occasional flash of a few icy blue lights within it.

The resonance between the fragments of the *Shan Hai Jin* in his arms and the Gui Xu array diagram in his mind had transformed into a continuous, low vibration, which was both a warning and a kind of response. The lock on his chest was also pulsating slightly, establishing a vague connection with something deep within the fortress.

"Go in." Lu Li uttered a single word, his voice low but carrying an undeniable determination. "Stay close to me, and speak up immediately if there's any unusual movement."

He took the lead, stepping over the collapsed doorway and into the darkness of Frostbone Keep.

The entrance didn't lead to the expected hall or passageway, but rather to a vast, yet equally desolate, space. Beneath their feet lay a smooth, mirror-like surface of black ice, so thick that the frozen, neatly laid floor tiles below were faintly visible. Above them stretched a towering dome, also covered in thick black ice, with icicles hanging down like the fangs of a colossal beast. There was no light source, but the surrounding ice walls and the ice crystals suspended in the air reflected the faint, refracted light of snow seeping in from outside the fortress, creating an eerie, bluish glow, like that of the deep seabed.

The air was frigid, as if frozen solid; with each breath, it felt as if ice blades were scraping against my lungs. Even more terrifying was the omnipresent, deathly pressure, heavy and oppressive, weighing on my heart, as if time itself had frozen there.

The four cautiously ventured deeper inside. The fortress's structure was exceptionally complex, with collapsed pillars, frozen sculptures, and ice-bound artifacts scattered all over the ground... everything remained as it had been a hundred years ago, as if disaster had struck in an instant, freezing the entire sect in mid-air.

"Look there," Lin Qingyuan suddenly pointed to the left.

It was a relatively intact ice wall, the ice layer clear, revealing a scene frozen behind it—a spacious martial arts arena. Dozens of figures dressed in uniform white outfits were frozen in place, frozen in various poses: some were swinging swords, some were meditating cross-legged, some seemed to be turning back in terror… Their expressions were lifelike, the last emotions frozen on their faces mostly being astonishment, fear, and a hint of disbelief.

In the center of the training ground, a middle-aged man who appeared to be an instructor knelt on one knee, his long sword resting on the ice. He looked up at the sky, his face displaying a mixture of anger, sorrow, and determination. A crystal-clear spear, entirely formed of solidified ice, was embedded in his chest.

"One hit, one kill... almost everyone was frozen in the same instant." Lu Li said in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over the ice sculptures. "There was no struggle, no sign of spreading. It's as if... the will of winter itself descended upon this place."

As they continued their journey, similar scenes unfolded repeatedly. The furnace fire in the alchemy room was forever frozen in the instant before it went out; the cauldron overturned, and the pills tumbled to the ground, only to be frozen solid. The bookshelves in the library were neatly arranged, but many classic texts were scattered in the air, as if someone wanted to take something away or protect it at the last moment. In the meditation room, the meditating cultivators looked serene, as if they were merely asleep, but the bluish-black color and ice crystals beneath their skin indicated that their vitality had long been completely frozen and eroded.

This is a fortress that died instantly, a vast and exquisite tomb.

"What... happened here?" Shi Yong murmured. Even though he was thick-skinned, he felt a chill run down his spine when faced with thousands of lifelike frozen corpses.

Yun Jin suddenly stopped, covered her forehead, and let out a suppressed groan of pain.

"Miss Yun?" Lin Qingyuan quickly helped her up.

"Sounds...so many sounds..." Yun Jin's face was deathly pale, the mist in her silver eyes churning violently. "Not the sounds now...they are frozen in ice...residual thoughts...they are shouting, crying, questioning...so cold...so painful...why..."

The evolution of her Eyes of Truth allowed her not only to "see" energy and essence, but also to passively receive remnants of strong emotions or intentions. At this moment, standing in this ice cave where resentment and despair had been solidified for centuries, the final cries of countless dead beings crashed against her senses like a tidal wave.

Seeing this, Lu Li quickly walked to Yun Jin's side, the sword imprint in his palm glowing with a gentle crimson-gold light, and gently pressed it against her shoulder. A sword intent carrying order and warmth surged in, helping her stabilize her mind and filtering out the chaotic and violent mental attacks.

Yun Jin's rapid breathing gradually calmed down, but her face remained pale. "Thank you... I feel better. But... ahead, there's something very strong... not resentment, but more like a 'memory,' deliberately sealed away there..."

She pointed to the depths of the main hall, where the outline of an even taller archway could be vaguely seen, and from within the archway emanated a more solid, ethereal blue light, distinct from the surrounding area.

Lu Li looked in the direction she pointed. In his "Seeing Heaven and Earth" vision, the energy flow in that direction did indeed present a peculiar "orderly" state, completely out of place with the surrounding chaos and deathly silence. The fragment in his arms also emitted a clear, directional pulse.

"Let's go take a look there," Lu Li said. "Everyone, stay alert; that might be the core."

The four approached the archway with increased vigilance. The frozen landscape along the way became increasingly shocking, revealing traces of large-scale battles and attempts to form defensive formations, all of which ended in instantaneous freezing. There was almost no trace of the attackers, as if the enemy was the invisible winter itself.

Finally, they arrived at the archway.

The archway stood five zhang tall, its material neither gold nor stone, but resembling jade and ice, a translucent deep blue with a soft, water-like sheen flowing across its surface. The door was tightly shut, but there was no keyhole or handle. Instead, in the center, there was a recessed handprint pattern, surrounded by intricate and complex frost runes, exuding an ancient and majestic aura.

The eerie blue light emanating from inside the door came from these runes and the material of the door itself.

On either side of the archway stood two enormous ice sculptures. The ice sculptures were humanoid, clad in ancient armor, holding long halberds, standing solemnly in a guard posture. They were lifelike, with details so exquisite that even the scales on the armor were clearly visible, but they were devoid of any life, merely two perfect works of art exuding a chilling aura.

"This door... has restrictions." Lin Qingyuan observed the runes. "It's an extremely ancient and sophisticated technique, not at the level expected of this sect. It's more like... an ancient relic."

Lu Li walked to the door, his gaze falling on the handprint groove. He could feel that the size and outline of the handprint subtly matched his own palm. More importantly, the Returning Void Array Diagram in his sea of ​​consciousness was subtly resonating with the runes on the door.

"This door may require a specific bloodline or power to open," Lu Li said slowly, looking at his right hand.

"Junior Brother Lu, be careful," Lin Qingyuan warned. "Touching an unknown restriction rashly could lead to unforeseen consequences."

Lu Li nodded, but he had a strong intuition that what was behind this door might be the key to their trip and the core of understanding the truth about Frostbone Fortress.

He focused his mind and calmed himself, adjusting his state to its best, before slowly raising his right hand.

However, just as his palm was about to press into that groove—

"boom!!!"

Deep within Frostbone Keep, a deafening roar erupted without warning! The entire fortress trembled violently, ice cracked, and icicles fell! The previously calm and deathly cold aura suddenly became violent, chaotic, and filled with indescribable malice!

At the same time, two ghostly blue, flickering soul flames suddenly ignited deep within the eye sockets of the two ice sculptures that had been standing motionless on either side of the archway!

"Snap! Snap!"

The sound of ice cracking came from their bodies. Their thick ice armor began to move. They stiffly, yet with immense force, turned their massive bodies, raising their ice crystal halberds, the tips of which were aimed at the four people in front of the door!

Within the hollow eye sockets, the soul fire locked on, and the cold, mechanical, and pure killing intent pressed down as if it were a tangible force!

Not life, but awakened, cold-blooded killing creations!

"Be on guard!" Lu Li shouted in a low voice, instantly retracting his right hand. The Shouzhuo Sword was drawn with a clang and held horizontally in front of him.

Shi Yong roared, wielding his iron rod in a fighting stance. A sharp pain shot through his broken ribs, but he gritted his teeth and endured it. Lin Qingyuan's sword was already drawn. Yun Jin suppressed the chaos in her mind, channeling her senses to their fullest extent, trying to find the ice sculpture guard's weakness.

The two ice sculptures guarded the group without making a sound, but with heavy, slow steps, one on the left and one on the right, they approached the four people. With each step they took, the ice surface trembled, and layers of cold air surged forth like waves.

What surprised Lu Li even more was that as the two guards were activated, he sensed that deep within the fortress, the entity that had been faintly resonating with the lock seemed to have also "moved".

A deeper, more ancient, and colder "gaze" slowly descended.

The core forbidden area of ​​Frostbone Keep has not yet been opened, but the guardians and the dangers deeper within have already awakened.

The deathly silent ice tomb came to life at this moment.