40: Chapter 40 Breaking Through the Icefield

The surviving Lin family guards were each tending to their wounds, consuming Medicinal Pills, and seizing every moment to recover.

Scarface sat cross-legged on an ice rock; his face remained pale, but his breath had steadied significantly, and he was currently closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Lin Dong stood guard at the entrance of the hollow, vigilantly watching the vast, white ice field outside, his hand tightly gripping his longsword.

Ye Chen sat alone in the deepest part of the ice hollow, his back against the cold rock wall.

He held the petal of the ice heart lotus in his palm. The petal was as thin as a cicada's wing and crystal clear.

It emitted a dreamlike blue halo and cold qi that was pure to the extreme, as if the surrounding air had solidified.

He did not consume it immediately, but first closed his eyes to look inward.

The battle with the Ice Scale Python, while dangerous, had given him greater control over his own strength.

In particular, he had gained a deeper understanding of the utilization of the trace of the "Nirvana" Concept from the Profound Ice Origin.

The Profound Ice True Essence within his Dantian was more condensed, like a trickling stream, yet it contained surging power.

His Realm of the Meridian Opening Stage Five Middle Phase was now completely solidified, and he could even feel that invisible barrier leading to the Late Stage.

It was time.

Ye Chen took a deep breath, inhaling the biting cold qi of the ice field into his lungs, which invigorated him.

Without further hesitation, he placed the ice heart lotus petal into his mouth.

The petal melted upon contact, without the bone-chilling cold he had imagined.

Instead, it transformed into a gentle yet incredibly pure stream of cold, sliding down his throat like sweet spring water, instantly surging toward his limbs and bones!

This cold stream was pure and majestic, far exceeding any cold qi he had absorbed before!

It did not strike violently, but rather, in a gentle yet irresistible manner, it permeated every meridian, every acupuncture point, and even every inch of his flesh and bones!

"Hum — —"

Ye Chen's body trembled slightly, and a thin layer of ice crystals instantly covered his skin; his hair and eyebrows were frosted with white.

Yet, he did not feel any discomfort; instead, he felt physically refreshed, as if experiencing sweet rain after a long drought.

The Meridians in his body, which had been somewhat sluggish, became wider and tougher under the nourishment of this pure cold stream.

The Profound Ice True Essence autonomously accelerated its rotation, greedily absorbing this homologous yet higher-level energy, growing and purifying at a speed visible to the naked eye!

However, this was merely the beginning. The medicinal power of the ice heart lotus was far more than this.

When the cold stream filled his entire body, deeper changes began. That pure energy started to impact the invisible barrier of his Realm!

"Crack..." A faint sound, like ice cracking, resonated within his body. The barrier vibrated violently, and cracks appeared!

Even more majestic energy surged out from the petal, like a breached flood, fiercely impacting the barrier!

Ye Chen held onto his focus, guiding this torrent, impacting it over and over again!

Each impact brought tearing pain, but accompanying the pain was the further widening of his Meridians and the ultimate condensation of his True Essence!

He could feel that his strength was undergoing a qualitative leap!

The temperature inside the ice hollow dropped suddenly, and even the rock walls became covered in a thick layer of ice.

Scarface, Lin Dong, and the others were startled and looked over. They saw Ye Chen shrouded in a dense blue cold mist, with only a silhouette vaguely visible, emitting heart-palpitating cold qi fluctuations.

"Brother Ye is... breaking through?" Lin Dong widened his eyes, his face full of shock.

They had just gone through a fierce battle! And the commotion of this Breakthrough was too great, wasn't it?

A sharp light flashed in Scarface's eyes, and he said in a low voice, "It is the medicinal power of the ice heart lotus! What an overbearing spiritual object! Everyone, move further back; do not disturb Young Master Ye!"

He led everyone to retreat another ten-plus zhang, fearing they would be affected by the dispersing cold qi.

In the cold mist, Ye Chen's Breakthrough reached its most critical moment. The Realm barrier was already tottering, but the medicinal power of the ice heart lotus was beginning to wane.

He hardened his heart and channeled the remaining energy of the petal, along with all his mental will, into a final strike, slamming fiercely against that thin membrane!

"Boom — —!" It was as if a thunderclap rang out in his mind! The Realm barrier shattered with a roar!

A sense of power, many times stronger than before, instantly filled his entire body!

His Dantian Qi Sea expanded by nearly double, and the Profound Ice True Essence within it was like a blue ocean, surging and majestic!

The connection between the twenty acupuncture points in his limbs and bones and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi became even tighter, and wisps of cold qi automatically flowed into his body!

Fifth Level of Meridian Opening Late Stage! Success!

However, just as Ye Chen thought the Breakthrough was over and was preparing to consolidate his Realm, a strange change occurred again!

The jade pendant on his chest suddenly became scalding hot without warning! The jade booklet in his Sea of Consciousness erupted with brilliant blue light!

The indigo-blue bond light chain connected to Lin Qingxue flickered wildly, transmitting a pure yet urgent profound yin cold qi!

At the same time, his Dantian, which had just broken through and had not yet completely calmed down, seemed to be pulled by some force, unexpectedly operating to its limit on its own, crazily absorbing the cold qi from the surrounding Heaven and Earth.

It even began to extract the energy from the remaining petals of the ice heart lotus that he hadn't finished consuming!

"What is happening?!" Ye Chen was shocked in his heart and tried to control it, but found that his True Essence was like a wild horse that had broken its reins, completely uncontrollable!

His body seemed to have become a bottomless pit, greedily devouring all cold qi!

His Meridians felt a sense of distension and pain, the ice crystals condensing on the surface of his skin grew thicker, and his whole person looked like an ice sculpture!

"Brother Ye!" "Young Master Ye!" Outside, Lin Dong and Scarface also discovered that something was wrong; the cold mist had not dissipated but had instead become even denser.

Ye Chen's aura became extremely unstable, sometimes surging, sometimes withering, filled with a dangerous feeling!

"Not good! Could it be energy loss of control? Qi Deviation?" Scarface's expression changed drastically. He wanted to step forward but was forced back by the terrifying cold qi, unable to get close at all!

Inside the ice hollow, Ye Chen was struggling to hold on. He felt that his body and Meridians were about to be burst open!

Just at this critical moment, he had a flash of inspiration; he no longer forcibly suppressed it, but instead complied with that devouring force, sinking all his mental focus into the comprehension of the Nirvana Concept of the Profound Ice Origin!

"Nirvana... is not just the end, but also a new beginning. Only when all things return to the ruins can Chaos be reenacted."

He recalled the trace of the Concept he felt when absorbing the ten thousand year profound ice, and recalled the insights gained when fighting life-and-death battles with strong enemies.

The crazy devouring might not be a bad thing, but rather an opportunity to break and then establish!

Ye Chen wanted to use this immense energy to forcibly impact the Peak of the Fifth Level of Meridian Opening, and even touch the threshold of the Sixth Level!

"Devour for me!" He let out a low roar in his heart, completely releasing the suppression on his True Essence!

Immediately, a small vortex of cold qi formed with him as the center! The remaining cold qi in the ice hollow, and even the cold qi from the further ice field, all surged over as if summoned!

The remaining petals of that ice heart lotus melted at a speed visible to the naked eye, transforming into the purest Origin energy and merging into his body!

"Crack! Crack!" The ice layer on his body surface began to crack, revealing the even more crystal-clear skin underneath, emitting a luster like jade.

Amidst the crazy devouring, his aura did not collapse; instead, it stabilized at an astonishing speed and continued to climb!

Fifth Level Late Stage solidified... Fifth Level Late Stage Peak.

"Hum!" When the last wisp of ice heart lotus energy was absorbed completely, and the cold qi surging from the outside also tended to calm down, Ye Chen's body trembled, and the cold mist around him suddenly converged, all sinking into his body!

He suddenly opened his eyes, and a deep blue light flashed and vanished in his pupils, like ten thousand year profound ice.

It was cold, desolate, yet contained majestic vitality!

Peak of the Fifth Level of Meridian Opening! Only a thin line away from the Sixth Level!

Ye Chen slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air; that breath condensed into an ice arrow in the air, shooting out a zhang away before dissipating.

Feeling the surging, powerful strength in his body that far exceeded the past, a flash of joy crossed Ye Chen's eyes. A blessing in disguise!

Not only did he successfully break through to the Fifth Level Late Stage, but he also reached the Peak in one go! His strength had surged more than several times!

Now facing Wang Teng again, he was confident that even without borrowing Lin Qingxue's Profound Ice Origin cold qi, he could defeat him head-on!

Moreover, after this crazy devouring and compression, his Profound Ice True Essence was more pure and condensed, and his comprehension of the Nirvana Concept was one step deeper.

His Physical Body and Meridians had also become tougher under the scouring of the immense energy. His foundation was incomparably solid!

"Brother Ye, are you alright?" Seeing the cold mist disperse and Ye Chen's aura steady and vast, Lin Dong and Scarface hurriedly stepped forward, their concern mixed with disbelief.

"I'm fine, I luckily broke through." Ye Chen stood up and stretched his muscles and bones, his whole body emitting crisp cracking sounds.

A powerful aura naturally flowed out, making both Lin Dong and Scarface feel a palpitation.

"Fifth Level... Peak?!" Scarface sensed Ye Chen's aura and gasped, his voice even trembling slightly.

It had only been a few days? Jumping directly from the Fifth Level Middle Stage to the Peak? This cultivation speed was simply monstrous!

Lin Dong's mouth was even wider open, unable to speak for a long time. Ye Chen smiled without much explanation.

He looked toward the depths of the ice field, his gaze sharp. With greatly increased strength, it was time to take the initiative.

Tiger Wang, the Ye family, and the potential trouble of the Black Wind Stockade... In this crisis-ridden mining area, blindly avoiding them would only make them more passive.

"Brother Scarface, Brother Lin Dong, my injuries have recovered, and my strength has slightly improved. Next, perhaps we can change our strategy." Ye Chen's voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable confidence.

Scarface and Lin Dong looked at each other, both seeing shock and excitement in the other's eyes. They knew that this Young Master Ye was about to start a counterattack!