Chapter 486 - 484: Faint Light at the Lakebed
At the bottom of the Ice Lake, there was only endless darkness, silence, cold, despair, and the aura of death.
Cold Ice Corpses were everywhere, devoid of emotion. They seemed to have been sealed here for countless ages.
These Ice Corpses had once been legendary experts!
Yet in the end, they all met their doom here!
Never to see the light of day!
After being pushed into the Ice Lake by Pei Shenghai, Jiang Chen began to transform into an Ice Corpse and sink to the bottom. As he sank, it was as if all the other Ice Corpses in the lake were drawn to him.
One by one, the Ice Corpses closed in on Jiang Chen, as if afraid their new "partner" might escape.
Countless Ice Corpses pinned him down firmly.
Jiang Chen’s gradually blurring vision was blocked by the swarming Ice Corpses until he could no longer see any light.
All that remained was darkness and death!
’Looks like... I’m really going to die here...’ Jiang Chen could no longer hear his own heartbeat or feel the flow of True Essence in his body. Even his consciousness was fading, leaving only a sliver of awareness.
He could feel the weight of more and more Ice Corpses piling on top of him.
However...
Just as Jiang Chen lay pinned by countless Ice Corpses at the bottom of the lake, his world losing all hope and light, the God-slaying Sword inside his body suddenly began to tremble. Suspended within him, the God-slaying Sword emitted a faint, weak red glow.
But as the God-slaying Sword continued to vibrate, the weak light grew brighter and more intense.
HUMMM!
A wave of red light, centered on the God-slaying Sword, began to spread throughout Jiang Chen’s body, coating all of his Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
Amidst the pulsing red light, the ice encasing Jiang Chen began to slowly melt!
BOOM—
The red light grew ever more incandescent, transforming in an instant from a tiny speck into a Blazing Sun!
This Blazing Sun-like radiance enveloped Jiang Chen.
It made him appear like a Sun God Son!
At the bottom of the desolate, dark Ice Lake, Jiang Chen, now bathed in fiery red light, was extraordinarily bright.
He was like the world’s only source of Light and hope!
BOOM!
The fiery red energy caused the frigid lake water to boil. Giant bubbles rose with a furious gurgling sound as waves of fire surged.
The entire Ice Lake was submerged in searing heat.
It was boiling!
This Ice Lake, frozen for who knows how many ages, had become a cauldron of boiling water in this very moment.
HISSS...
Under the assault of the fiery energy, the ice encasing each and every Ice Corpse began to melt away. Flames actually ignited in the frigid water. The licking, fiery red inferno, like vipers flicking their tongues, was an utterly terrifying sight.
Enveloped in flames, the Ice Corpses shriveled and dried out.
The surfaces of the once lifelike Ice Corpses began to crack like old tree bark.
These Ice Corpses were ultimately reduced to ash.
From their bodies, streams of crimson energy formed into rivulets of red power, all converging on Jiang Chen.
He absorbed this crimson energy through the 36,000 pores all over his body.
Jiang Chen’s body abruptly turned crimson.
In his Spiritual Sea...
The eight Life Palaces spun continuously, shimmering with golden light. The Profound Yellow Melting Furnace activated on its own.
As the Profound Yellow Melting Furnace operated, the Heaven-Devouring Secret Technique was also pushed to its absolute limit, devouring all of the crimson energy!
This entire process lasted for an unknown amount of time...
At a certain moment!
Jiang Chen, still submerged at the bottom of the lake, snapped his eyes open. A sharp glint flashed through his once-vacant pupils. Focus returned to his eyes, and with a gasp, he spat out a stream of bubbles. His stiff body convulsed violently.
He curled into a ball, then snapped straight like a taut bowstring being released.
SPLASH...
The surrounding lake water surged outward in all directions from the force of his movement.
His clouded consciousness finally cleared!
’I... I’m not dead?’ A look of disbelief flashed in Jiang Chen’s eyes, quickly followed by utter ecstasy!
’Hahaha, I’m not dead! I actually survived!’
’This is great!’
’No, I have to get out of this godforsaken place...’
Jiang Chen’s first thought upon regaining consciousness was to leave this bizarre place immediately.
The image of terrifying Ice Corpses filling his vision from before he passed out was still burned into his mind.
However...
As Jiang Chen prepared to swim to the surface, he suddenly froze. He looked around in astonishment, only to find that all the Ice Corpses in the Ice Lake were gone. Completely vanished.
’Wh-What’s going on?’
’Wait...’
’My... my cultivation... When did I break through to the Union Palace Realm Ninth Stage? Th-th-this is unbelievable!’
Jiang Chen hurriedly looked inward, inspecting his body.
His expression changed drastically. ’The Profound Yellow Melting Furnace is running? It seems the Heaven-Devouring Secret Technique just devoured a massive amount of energy... This... was it the God-slaying Sword that controlled the Heaven-Devouring Secret Technique and refined all those Ice Corpses? So not only did I not die, but this turned into a blessing in disguise, allowing me to break through to the Union Palace Realm Ninth Stage?’
After the shock wore off, a look of pure elation spread across Jiang Chen’s face.
He never imagined this disaster would turn into a blessing in disguise. Not only had he not died in the Ice Lake, but he had even broken through to the Union Palace Realm Ninth Stage.
’This is incredible!’
Jiang Chen was ecstatic, his face beaming with excitement. As the red light around his body slowly receded, a chilling glint flashed in his eyes. ’Pei Shenghai, you dared to try and take my life. When I get back, I will tear you to shreds!’
Pei Shenghai’s cultivation was at the Union Palace Realm Fourth Stage.
Now that he had broken through to the Union Palace Realm Ninth Stage, he was fully capable of killing Pei Shenghai if he unleashed his full power!
He’d barely had any interaction with Pei Shenghai, yet the man had pursued him all the way from the Cloud Domain to the Profound Celestial Ancestor Realm.
And was even determined to kill him!
How could Jiang Chen possibly let him live?
’Why is it getting cold again? No, I need to hurry up and get out of here...’
Once the red light was completely absorbed, the lake water began to turn frigid again.
Jiang Chen had experienced the terrifying power of this icy water firsthand. Not daring to linger, he began kicking his arms and legs, preparing to leave the Ice Lake.
However...
Just as Jiang Chen began to swim, a faint glimmer from the lakebed caught his eye. A look of hesitant curiosity appeared on his face. ’Why is there a light in this Ice Lake? It looks like an entrance to another world... Should I go check it out?’
Jiang Chen’s internal struggle lasted only a moment before curiosity won out!
’Fortune favors the bold. I’ll go investigate!’
Steeling himself, Jiang Chen changed direction and swam toward that faint glimmer at the bottom of the desolate Ice Lake...
[Second update, with six more to come! I’ll definitely get them done tonight, but you’ll probably all be tired, so go ahead and sleep! I guarantee you’ll see the remaining six Chapters when you wake up tomorrow morning!]