The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

With the seven marks returned to their places, the new markings projected onto the White Tower area remained lit all night, and by the next morning, the outline of a spiritual gate had taken shape.

Led by Xiao Fan, the group left the White Tower and headed north. The terrain of the Gray Domain changed from a gray plain to a continuous ice field.

As the sun rose to its zenith, a massive ice wall split open and appeared before everyone.

The ice wall was tens of meters high and its thickness was unknown. In the middle was a complete arched doorway, and the inner wall of the doorway was covered with a layer of silvery-white radiance, which came from the same source as the light emitted when the White Tower was activated.

A spiritual energy he had never seen before seeped out from the crack in the door. It was thinner and longer than the spiritual energy in the Gray Domain, and had a cool texture like glacial meltwater.

Xiao Fan stood outside the door and used his spiritual core to sense the flow of spiritual energy inside, confirming that this aura was indeed the "higher level" characteristic mentioned in the Taixu Pill Saint's Manual.

He said, "I'll go first."

The instant he passed through the portal, a cool and steady force lifted him up, causing him to move forward involuntarily. This feeling was much smoother and gentler than when he passed through the rift before.

When he stepped onto solid ground again, he found himself on a completely unfamiliar expanse of white permafrost.

The light was different from the pale purple of the gray area; it was a pure and bright pale gold, which dyed the entire white tundra a soft gold.

Beneath our feet was a thick, transparent layer of ice, beneath which golden patterns flowed slowly, resembling the patterns on the Heavenly Fire Plain, but much larger.

Further away, some black outlines can be seen, which are much neater than those in the gray area and are obviously better preserved.

Ning Yao, Cheng Xiushi, and the others followed closely behind, entering the teleportation portal and standing on the vast white ice plain, their faces showing surprise.

He looked up and said, "The spiritual energy here is at least three times that of the Gray Domain, and it's much denser."

Holding a dark silver short axe as a tool for scouting, Xiao Fan led the group toward the dark outline in the distance.

Walking on the white tundra was much easier than she had imagined. Although the ice was slippery, spiritual energy formed a thin suction force under her feet, allowing her to land steadily on the ice.

After walking for about an hour, the dark outline ahead gradually became clear. It was a well-preserved ancient building complex, much larger than the Gray Domain Ruins, with the tallest tower reaching over twenty meters in height.

Outside the building, there is a golden barrier with flowing golden patterns, as if the spiritual energy of the entire underground world is gathering within this barrier.

Xiao Fan walked to the light screen and reached out to touch it.

As soon as the Fire of Creation touched the light barrier, the barrier cracked open on its own, creating a gap large enough for one person to pass through, just like the entrances to the other ruins.

The group filed in and entered the complex. The concentration of spiritual energy here was more than twice as high as before. With each breath, they could feel a warm surge of spiritual energy into their lungs.

On the high platform in the very center of the stone hall, there is a translucent jade box containing a scroll of silk.

Xiao Fan took the scroll, opened it, and saw that it was the second notebook left here by the Grandmaster of the Void. It recorded the origin and function of this white tundra. This place was called "Aurora Plain" and was the place where the Grandmaster of the Void cultivated in seclusion for ten years before his death.

The journal states that he has completed the final deduction here and sealed the results in the "Hall of Myriad Radiance" at the deepest part of the Aurora Plains.

The location of Wanyao Hall was clearly marked on the simple map in the notebook, in the northeast direction at the deepest part of the building complex.

Xiao Fan put away the scroll and led the group northeast along the main street of the complex.

On the way to the Hall of Myriad Radiance, as we passed a vast, empty ice and snow plaza, dozens of densely packed runes flashed across the plaza.

As the runes lit up, three semi-transparent humanoid phantoms appeared in the void. After solidifying, they transformed into three humanoid puppets made entirely of ice-blue spiritual energy, each holding a long spear made of crystal.

"A defensive array puppet." Ning Yao recognized it at a glance: "The old files of the Silver Hammer Society mentioned that there is an automatic defense system on the Aurora Plains, which will be triggered as long as you get close to the center."

Just then, the three ice-blue puppets attacked simultaneously.

The spear flashed through the air, leaving three streaks of cold light, heading straight for the front of the group. Two members of the Silver Hammer Society took the lead, using their hammers to block the spear.

With a crisp sound, the hammer and spear collided, sending ice shards flying.

Xiao Fan dashed to the right side of the third puppet, his short axe gleaming with dark golden light, and slammed it down hard on the puppet's waist.

The axe struck the puppet's spirit as if it were striking a thick layer of glue.

The puppet looked at the wound on its waist, raised its head again, and swung its spear horizontally toward Xiao Fan's head.

He used the spiritual power from the breastplate to thicken the shield by half an inch, while at the same time, an extremely pure flame of creation flowed from the handle of the axe into the blade, causing it to emit a dazzling crimson-gold light.

He swung his sword again, this time the axe blade went deeper than before, and the puppet's lower body began to disintegrate from the waist down and disappeared.

At the same time, Ning Yao, on the left and right, along with two other members of the Silver Hammer Society, smashed the heads of the two puppets to pieces, turning them into specks of blue light that disappeared.

It took only a few dozen breaths in total.

Putting away his axe, Xiao Fan squatted down and examined the remaining blue spiritual energy on the ground.

These ice shards condensed on the ice block into small blue beads, each containing extremely pure ice and fire power. Although few in number, they were remarkably uniform.

He collected the scattered crystal beads and handed them over to the members of the Silver Hammer Society. These crystals could be used to replenish high-quality spiritual energy or as a concoction for crafting spiritual artifacts.

The group continued on their way.

They passed through two more similar areas, each with defensive arrays and puppets of varying strengths.

The first time, he killed three; the second time, he killed six; and the third time, he killed eight.

Xiao Fan led his team, clearing out the monsters time and time again. With each encounter, their teamwork improved.

As they passed through the last plaza, an armored puppet, significantly larger than the others, appeared before them. It was covered in thick spirit armor and held a giant sword similar in size to the short axe in Xiao Fan's hand.

This armored puppet's spiritual power is close to the ninth rank, and its attack speed and range are very large; a single sword strike can seal off half a square.

Xiao Fan told everyone to step back and went to meet them alone.