Chapter 179: Breaking Through the Seal! Senior Sister, how is your cultivation base suddenly surging like this?

Inside the underground ice palace, the bone-chilling white mist and pitch-black Devilish Qi collided frantically.

Jiang Wanqing sat cross-legged on the cold ground, her eyes tightly closed and her delicate brows furrowed in pain.

The medicinal power of the ice marrow sacred lotus was simply too fierce.

It was an extremely pure and icy spiritual liquid that, the moment it entered the body, felt like an indestructible sharp sword pressing straight towards her Dantian.

And entrenched at her Dantian was the "Heavenly Demon Seal" personally set by Ye Hongzhuang.

That was the method of a Soul Transformation Stage devil lord!

The black devilish patterns turned into a large net, firmly trapping that stream of white cold Qi.

Taking Jiang Wanqing's fragile Dantian and Meridians as the battlefield, the two forces engaged in an unyielding battle.

"Pfft!"

Jiang Wanqing's body trembled violently as she opened her mouth and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

The moment the blood hit the ground, it instantly froze into red ice shards.

Eerie black devilish patterns flickered across the surface of her skin, alternating with layers of thick white frost.

With the alternating cold and heat, her Meridians ruptured inch by inch; that kind of pain was simply harder to bear than being hacked into a thousand pieces.

"This won't do, the Seal is too stubborn!"

Standing to the side, Gu Lan grew extremely anxious as he watched Jiang Wanqing's complexion turn increasingly pale.

Ye Hongzhuang's cultivation base was far higher than his; the Seal she left behind was difficult to completely break through in a short time, even with an ancient sacred medicine.

If they continued to waste time like this, Jiang Wanqing's Dantian would burst open before the Seal was even broken.

"I must help her!"

Without any hesitation, Gu Lan took a step directly behind Jiang Wanqing and sat down cross-legged.

"Senior Sister, guard your mind and heart, I will assist you!"

He thrust his hands out suddenly, pressing them directly against Jiang Wanqing's back.

Where his hands touched, it was bone-chillingly cold, just like touching a piece of ten-thousand-year mysterious ice; a layer of white frost instantly formed even on Gu Lan's palms.

"Pure Yang True Essence! Rotate for me!"

Gu Lan let out a low roar as the Purple Extreme Golden Core within his body spun frantically.

He did not use Devilish Qi, but instead mobilized the most core and purest Pure Yang Qi within his Dantian without reservation, continuously pouring it into Jiang Wanqing's body through his palms.

Boom!

As soon as this scalding Pure Yang Qi entered, Jiang Wanqing's body trembled violently.

When extreme yin and extreme yang collide, it should logically trigger an even more violent explosion.

But Gu Lan controlled it with extreme precision.

He did not let the Pure Yang Qi attack the ice marrow cold Qi, but instead turned it into a resilient protective membrane to firmly protect Jiang Wanqing's soon-to-rupture Meridians and fragile heart Meridians.

Protected by Gu Lan's Pure Yang True Essence, Jiang Wanqing instantly felt her pressure greatly reduced.

The excruciating pain that felt like it was tearing her body apart eased a lot.

She suddenly clenched her teeth, concentrating all her mental focus on her Dantian.

"Break!"

Jiang Wanqing shouted sharply in her heart.

Under her deliberate guidance, the medicinal power of the ice marrow sacred lotus transformed into an unstoppable giant frost sword, fiercely stabbing towards that black Heavenly Demon Seal net.

"Crack!"

A very faint crisp sound rang out.

That indestructible black large net was finally torn open with a gap.

"There's a chance!" Gu Lan's eyes lit up.

However, the Heavenly Demon Seal was, after all, the method of a devil lord.

Once a breach was torn open, it immediately triggered a strong backlash.

A tyrannical black Devilish Qi surged crazily through the breach, attempting to drag Jiang Wanqing down with it before dissipating.

This Devilish Qi was cold and evil, carrying a destructive power that corroded everything.

"Red Lotus Karmic Fire!"

Gu Lan had been prepared long ago.

A cluster of deep red flames instantly surged in his palm, burning directly into Jiang Wanqing's body along with his True Essence.

Red Lotus Karmic Fire specifically counters evil entities.

The moment those rampaging black Devilish Qi came into contact with the karmic fire, like mice seeing a cat, they emitted a sizzling sound and were instantly burned into nothingness.

Even a portion of the pure Devilish Qi was directly sucked over through his palm by Gu Lan's Purple Extreme Golden Core, becoming great nourishing material for him.

"Shatter for me!"

Seizing the opportunity of Gu Lan helping her block the backlash, Jiang Wanqing burst forth with all the remaining medicinal power of the ice marrow sacred lotus.

"Rumble!"

A muffled roar came from within Jiang Wanqing's body.

That Heavenly Demon Seal entrenched in her Dantian for many days finally collapsed and disintegrated completely, just like shattered glass!

Once the Seal was broken.

Jiang Wanqing's originally dead Dantian was instantly activated.

Spiritual power that had been suppressed for a long time surged and roared frantically through her Meridians like a breached river.

Not only that.

The massive remaining medicinal power of the ice marrow sacred lotus began to thoroughly cleanse her Meridians and marrow.

Gu Lan could clearly feel that the bones inside Jiang Wanqing's body were emitting crisp cracking sounds.

Her Meridians were widened by a full fold, and the spiritual power flowing within them was no longer ordinary true essence, but carried an intensely freezing Sword Qi!

"This medicinal power is simply too abnormal."

Gu Lan withdrew his hands and took two steps back.

Looking at Jiang Wanqing before him, his eyes were filled with shock.

He saw Jiang Wanqing suspended in mid-air, enveloped by a dazzling blue-and-white light.

The moisture in the surrounding air instantly condensed, transforming into blooming frost lotus flowers that swirled and flew around her.

The aura on her body was climbing steadily at a terrifying speed!

Early Golden Core Stage!

Mid Golden Core Stage!

Late Golden Core Stage!

Until it broke through the barrier of Golden Core Great Perfection and reached the Realm of Half-Step Nascent Soul, did that violent climbing momentum barely stop!

"Hoo—"

A biting cold wind swept across the entire ice palace.

The light enveloping Jiang Wanqing slowly dissipated.

She slowly opened her eyes.

At that instant, Gu Lan felt as though he saw two ice-blue sword lights shoot out from her eyes, making his eyes sting with pain.

At this moment, Jiang Wanqing's temperament had undergone a heaven-and-earth turning change.

If she was previously an iceberg, cold to the point that people dared not approach her,

then she was now an unparalleled divine sword forged from ten-thousand-year mysterious ice, with its sharpness fully revealed and radiating a fierce intent to cut through everything!

"Ice Marrow Sword Physique?"

Feeling the extremely pure Sword Intent on her body, Gu Lan could not help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.

This ice marrow sacred lotus not only helped her break the Seal, but also reshaped her bone structure, directly Awakening the legendary top-tier sword cultivation Physique for her!

"Senior Sister, your blessing in disguise is a bit exaggerated."

Gu Lan patted the ice shards off his clothes and joked with a smile.

"If you run into that Ye Hongzhuang again now, you can probably exchange a couple of moves with her."

Jiang Wanqing did not speak.

She slowly floated down from mid-air, her toes touching the ground.

She lowered her head to glance at her own hands, feeling the surging and endless powerful strength within her body.

Afterward, she raised her head, her gaze locked firmly onto Gu Lan.

Gone was her usual aloofness and reservedness.

Jiang Wanqing suddenly rushed forward quickly and grabbed Gu Lan in a tight hug!

"Bang!"

The two collided into each other's arms.

Gu Lan was stunned by her sudden action, his hands raised in mid-air, not knowing whether to hug her back or put them down.

"Senior Sister… lighter, my ribs are about to break."

Gu Lan smiled bitterly.

Jiang Wanqing's strength right now was shockingly great; holding on so tightly this time, Gu Lan felt as if he was being clamped by a pair of iron pliers.

What was even more fatal was that having just broken through, the cold Qi on her body had not yet completely converged.

Gu Lan felt as if he were hugging a large block of ice emitting cold air, shivering him straight with the cold.

"I'm sorry…"

Hearing Gu Lan's cry of pain, Jiang Wanqing quickly loosened her strength a little.

She immediately circulated her Mind-Cultivation Technique, pulling all the overflowing cold Qi back into her body.

But she did not let go of her hands, still burying her face in Gu Lan's chest with her arms wrapped around his waist.

"Junior Brother…"

Jiang Wanqing's voice was somewhat trembling, carrying a thick nasal tone.

"Thank you."

These three words were spoken with incomparable weight.

She knew all too well how perilous it had been just now.

If not for Gu Lan disregarding his own safety to protect her heart Meridians with Pure Yang True Essence, and using Red Lotus Karmic Fire to help her block the backlash of the Heavenly Demon Seal,

she would have long since died from her body bursting open or suffered from Qi Deviation.

This ice marrow sacred lotus was an even more priceless treasure.

Gu Lan would rather not consume it himself, and would rather offend the remnant soul of the Tianji Sword Saint, just to snatch it and unseal her.

This deep affection was as heavy as Mount Tai.

"What are you thanking me for? Look at who we are to each other."

Gu Lan felt the clothes on his chest soaked by warm liquid.

He sighed, lowered his hands that were hanging in mid-air, and gently patted Jiang Wanqing's back.

"You are my Senior Sister, I couldn't just watch you always be a Mortal and get bullied."

"As long as you recover your cultivation base, whenever I encounter danger in the future, I can righteously hide behind you and live off you."

Hearing Gu Lan's intentionally wisecracking words,

Jiang Wanqing smiled through her tears.

She raised her head, her eye sockets red, but that pair of aloof eyes was filled with a resolute light.

"Alright."

She looked into Gu Lan's eyes and said word by word,

"From today on, let me protect you."

"No matter if you are a Righteous Path Disciple or a Sword-Wielding Envoy of the demon sect."

"Whoever dares to touch a single hair of yours, I will make them taste my sword!"

Jiang Wanqing spoke very seriously, full of Killing Intent, without the slightest intention of joking.

Gu Lan's heart skipped a beat.

Why was Senior Sister's posture of protecting her husband becoming more and more like that unreasonable Female Demon Lord?

"Ahem, well… Senior Sister, let's not rush to set flags just yet."

Gu Lan gave two dry coughs and quietly broke free from Jiang Wanqing's embrace.

Although having soft jade and warm fragrance in his arms felt great,

he hadn't forgotten that this was someone else's territory.

"The commotion in this ice palace was too loud, that mysterious ice door was burned by me, and the aura of your Breakthrough just now must have also leaked out."

Gu Lan turned around and walked to the white jade dharma altar, glancing at the lusterless mysterious ice coffin.

"The Sword Tomb is currently filled with Cultivators from both the Righteous and Demonic paths."

"If this attracts a large crowd blocking this dead end, even if we grew wings we wouldn't be able to fly out."

Hearing this, Jiang Wanqing also quickly regained her rationality.

She straightened her robes, and the hanshuang sword instantly unsheathed, emitting a clear and melodious sword chime.

Having recovered her Half-Step Nascent Soul cultivation base, she was full of confidence at this moment.

"What is there to fear."

Jiang Wanqing said coldly, her body emanating an arrogance that looked down upon the entire world.

"If one comes, I kill one. If two come, I kill a pair."

"Junior Brother, follow me closely, I will lead you to slaughter our way out!"

Looking at the Senior Sister whose aura was fully open,

Gu Lan's mouth twitched.

Senior Sister, why has your art style suddenly turned into Long Aotian?

You are a Righteous Path Fairy, why is every other word out of your mouth about killing, killing, killing?

"There's no need to be so violent."

Gu Lan hurriedly persuaded this sharp sword that was ready to hack people at any moment.

"After all, this is the ruin of the Tianji Sect, there might be some other exit."

He looked around.

Aside from the direction they came in from, this ice palace was surrounded by mirror-smooth ice walls everywhere, and it was completely impossible to tell where there was a path.

"Right, the sword pill!"

Gu Lan suddenly remembered something and pulled out the white-emitting sword pill left behind by the remnant soul of the Tianji Sword Saint from his storage ring.

"Since the Tianji Sword Saint gave me this thing, maybe this gadget can be used as a key."

He injected True Essence into the sword pill.

"Hum—"

The sword pill lit up with a dazzling light, then automatically detached from Gu Lan's palm and slowly floated toward the back of the white jade dharma altar.

Gu Lan and Jiang Wanqing immediately followed.

The sword pill floated in front of a smooth ice wall behind the dharma altar and suddenly stopped.

The light shone on the ice wall, and the originally flat ice surface actually began to ripple like water waves.

Following closely, the ice wall slowly split open to both sides, revealing a pitch-black and profound passage.

An ancient and desolate wind blew from within the passage, mixed with a dense Geng Metal Qi.

"There really is a secret passage!"

Gu Lan's heart jumped with joy.

"Let's go, let's go in and take a look."

Just as he took a step forward, he heard a burst of dense footsteps and noisy shouts coming from behind.

"Look quickly! The ice door has been destroyed! It's right inside!"

"Such strong Spiritual Qi fluctuations! There must be a rare treasure born!"

"Charge! Whoever grabs it gets it!"

Judging by the sound, at least dozens to a hundred Cultivators had rushed in following the ice door passage they had previously burned open.

"They really are fast."

Gu Lan sneered.

"Senior Sister, let's go!"

Without the slightest hesitation, the two flashed into that pitch-black secret passage.

The moment they entered,

"Boom!"

Gu Lan struck the side ice wall with a backhand palm, and the Red Lotus Karmic Fire gushed out, directly melting and collapsing the ice layer at the entrance, completely sealing off this retreat path.

After finishing all this, the passage fell into absolute darkness.

Only the footsteps of the two people in the empty passage could be heard.

"This passage keeps going down, I don't know where it leads."

Jiang Wanqing flicked her finger, and an ice-blue flame ignited at her fingertips, illuminating the distance of a dozen meters ahead.

"No matter where it leads, it's better than being treated like a monkey outside."

Gu Lan naturally grabbed Jiang Wanqing's hand.

Jiang Wanqing's hand trembled slightly, but she didn't pull away.

"It's pitch-black in here, let's not get separated." Gu Lan explained with a straight face.

"Mhm." Jiang Wanqing responded in a low voice, a pretty arc quietly curving up the corner of her lips.

The two walked all the way down the steps.

The further down they went, the temperature in the air was actually not as cold, instead gaining a hint of a sweltering metallic aura.

[Big shot! Big shot!]

Inside the soul-devouring sword at his waist, the sword spirit suddenly began to crazily farm its presence again.

[I feel it! I smell an old acquaintance!]

"An old acquaintance?"

Gu Lan asked in his heart, "Who?"

[It's the natal divine weapon of that old bastard who beat my old master black and blue back then!]

The sword spirit's voice carried an uncontrollable excitement and irritability.

[The taie sword!]

[The taie sword, ranked first among the ten great divine swords of the Righteous Path! It's right down here!]