70: The mystery lies hidden within the Ice Palace; the primordial spiritual vein nurtures a divine embryo.

Deep within the Cold Crystal Palace.

Jiang Linfeng stepped into this place. Beneath his feet was a floor paved with pure, deep blue profound ice, as smooth as a mirror, reflecting his tall figure and the starlight flowing from the dome. The air was filled with an extreme chill, yet it was so pure it lacked any Impurities, instead offering a crisp sensation that seemed to wash the Soul. This was the core of the palace that Jiang Xuanchen had unintentionally built by drawing upon the world's cold power; every inch of ice crystal contained the aura of the newly born Chaos Ice Soul Sacred Body, surrounding the source of this place like pilgrims.

Jiang Linfeng walked slowly, his footsteps echoing clearly in the empty, cold hall. His gaze pierced through layers of crystal-clear ice walls, locking onto the front—it was not a deliberately carved end to the palace, but a chaotic space naturally formed by the convergence of some mysterious power.

An area that looked as if it were suspended in the center of a transparent crystal ball.

This space was not large, only about ten feet in radius. But what formed its core was no longer ordinary profound ice, but a kind of docile, flowing ice-blue star river marrow that was close to the Chaos Origin! It was viscous, heavy, and contained terrifying energy sufficient to freeze the stars, yet it crouched here submissively. Slender chains, naturally condensed from Chaos starlight, extended from the Starry River Essence, gently "entwining" and connecting the two things suspended in the center.

One of them was precisely that faint but resilient wood-element vitality he had sensed before!

It was not a plant, but rather a pulsating, thick mass of emerald-green Life Essence that was too dense to disperse! About the size of a baby's fist, its shape shifted constantly, sometimes sprouting into tender leaves and branches, sometimes becoming a flower bud ready to bloom. Deep within its core, a faint but unyielding emerald light flickered, which was the true essence and Origin of that tenacious peach tree outside! It was continuously absorbing the Chaos cold Qi unconsciously emitted by Jiang Xuanchen beneath it. Vitality was nurtured within the cold, and ice-blue peeked through the wood grain. The two formed a subtle symbiotic cycle, maintaining its immortality.

And the other thing, guarded even more "closely" by the Chaos starlight chains, was hidden deep beneath that mass of emerald-green life Origin, faintly illuminated by the radiance of the ice-blue star river marrow.

That was a—

crystal coffin!

The sarcophagus was transparent and clear, a hundred times purer than any natural crystal in the world! Its material seemed to be forged from the core of solidified star fragments and Chaos cold currents! The lid was slightly ajar, and wisps of indescribably pure ice Origin, mixed with strands of strange Purple Light Mist, drifted out from within, lingering without dispersing like the breath of a sleeping deity. This escaping aura was the core energy source of the entire Cold Ice Palace and the true source of that sense of calling!

Jiang Linfeng's gaze was as sharp as a blade, piercing through the crystal coffin and the mist of escaping energy to see the existence lying quietly within!

Even with his nearly waveless state of mind after experiencing ten thousand tribulations, his deep pupils suddenly contracted the moment he saw the figure in the sarcophagus!

Frozen within the crystal coffin was not the expected exotic plant or heavenly treasure. It was, shockingly, a female body!

She was completely unclothed, her perfect curves fully revealed in the solidified cold current. Her skin presented a flawless cold jade luster that surpassed even Su Ningxue's, as if she were an ultimate piece of art meticulously carved from ten-thousand-year profound ice. Her features were actually seventy percent similar to Su Ningxue's! The same delicate nose and cherry lips, the same exquisitely beautiful facial contours. However, her temperament was entirely different! She lacked Su Ningxue's gentle elegance, possessing instead a divine, ethereal holiness that had slept for eons! She was like an Ice Snow Goddess existing from the beginning of time!

The curves of her body reached a state of ultimate perfection in proportion. She was slender and well-balanced; adding a bit would make her plump, while subtracting a bit would make her thin. Her full snow-peaks stood proudly, their shapes as perfect as a masterpiece measured a thousand times by a divine craftsman, the two points of crimson at the tips resembling frozen red beans against the ice. Her slender waist was barely a handful, connecting downward to breathtakingly full and rounded hips, with tight and smooth lines full of startling visual impact, as if containing power enough to overturn heaven and earth. Her long legs were pressed together and extended, the arch of her feet perfect, her toes like lotus petals carved from ice jade. Most striking were the faint, fine Dark Purple Bloodlines emitting an ancient and noble aura visible on her slightly open chest, deep in her lower abdomen, and across several important joints and meridians of her limbs! These Bloodlines flowed indistinctly beneath her frozen skin like some kind of runic brand from before Chaos, exuding an indescribable sense of mystery and power!

This body, which could be called a masterpiece of creation, lay quietly in the crystal coffin surrounded by the Starry River Essence. There was no heartbeat, no breathing, only the pure, eternal ice Origin coexisting with her.

However, that call... "Wuu... Father..."

In Jiang Linfeng's arms, Jiang Xuanchen suddenly let out an extremely faint murmur filled with deep dependence. Though he was still asleep, his small body instinctively nudged toward the crystal coffin, and the slowly rotating Chaos Ice Lotus mark on his chest suddenly lit up, its core emerald medicinal pattern emitting a warm green glow.

At the same time!

Buzz!!!

The mass of emerald-green life Origin entwined by the Chaos starlight chains throbbed violently! As if sensing the urgent call of a blood relative! It instantly transformed into a highly condensed beam of emerald divine light, ignoring the layers of Chaos ice crystal barriers, and with a "whoosh," it shot out from the depths of the Cold Crystal Palace toward the Warm Pavilion where Su Ningxue was!

The core of the emerald light guarding it also dimmed for a moment, but was soon stabilized by the cold Qi replenished from the ice-blue star river marrow below, slowly recovering.

Inside the Warm Pavilion.

Luo Yan and Xi Youqin, who were carefully guarding Su Ningxue, were caught off guard! A warm, pure beam of emerald light containing vast vitality broke through the Warm Pavilion's Restriction. It was so fast they couldn't react, instantly sinking into the cracked Jade Peach Blossom Mark on Su Ningxue's brow, which was flickering like a candle in the wind!

Hum—!

The Peach Blossom Mark on the verge of collapse suddenly erupted with unprecedented emerald-green divine radiance! Resilient yet powerful vitality, like a gentle flood, crashed through the dikes that were about to crumble! Countless tiny cracks were repaired and closed at a speed visible to the naked eye! The point of emerald light representing the Origin in the center of the Peach Blossom Mark was injected with a surge of energy, quickly becoming bright and stable, as if rooted in solid rock!

Su Ningxue's originally weak breath, which had almost vanished, surged back like a calm lake hit by a giant boulder! Though she was still weak, that sense of life reaching its end was forcibly reversed and pulled back! The look of pain on her brow eased, becoming much more peaceful and serene. Even the smooth ice-sealed wound on her abdomen faintly gained a layer of warm jade-colored halo.

"This...!" Xi Youqin cried out, her almond eyes rounding.

"Such a majestic life Origin!" Luo Yan was both shocked and delighted. Looking at the revived Peach Blossom Mark, her eyes were full of shock and relief, and she then looked toward the depths of the Cold Crystal Palace. "Did Husband... find it?"

Within the core space of the Cold Crystal Palace.

The moment the emerald divine light left, Jiang Linfeng sensed the changes in Su Ningxue outside. There was no surprise on his face, and his gaze fell back onto the woman in the crystal coffin, deep as an abyss.

"Using your own Origin as a guide, you guarded the peach tree's destiny for thousands of years, nourishing its spirit, only to sacrifice the Life Essence you had condensed to protect the Dao when the successor of that peach tree encountered danger..." Jiang Linfeng's voice rang low in the empty, cold hall, filled with the clarity of someone who understood Karma. "This essence condensed your protective intent and the creation merit accumulated by the peach tree itself over ten thousand years... yet when you sensed the peach tree's successor suffering a life-and-death calamity, you did not hesitate to give up the possibility of your own condensation to save her successor..."

He slowly reached out, his slender fingers gently brushing the edge of the slightly open, smooth, and cold crystal lid. His gaze fell upon the woman's sleeping, peerless face—seventy percent similar to Su Ningxue's—and her perfect body, which appeared even more mysterious and exotic against those Dark Purple Bloodlines.

"No wonder Ningxue could nurture the Chaos Ice Soul Sacred Body... No wonder you could draw out the call of Xuanchen's Bloodline..."

"Sleeping in this place is the only true divine fetus nurtured by this 'Ice Soul Cold Nether Original Spiritual Vein.' And that peach tree—was it a guardian spirit you enlightened with your wood-spirit vital blood when the Spiritual Vein had not yet formed? Or was it... symbiosis?"

At Jiang Linfeng's fingertip, a wisp of extremely pure Source Fire, containing his own Chaos Life-Death Concept, quietly ignited. It was extremely faint, yet it carried a terrifyingly high temperature capable of incinerating all things as it carefully approached the mixture of ice Origin and purple blood mist escaping from the core of the sarcophagus.

"Drawing my son's Bloodline into resonance and entrusting yourself to the guardian spirit... it seems the Karma between you and Ningxue is profound indeed." Jiang Linfeng's eyes became sharper, carrying an absolute dominance in pursuit of the truth. "In that case, let me see what secrets are still hidden within this divine fetus of the original Spiritual Vein that has been frozen for ten thousand years!"

"Awaken!"

The moment the words fell, that wisp of Primordial Chaos Fire at his fingertip suddenly leapt into the slightly open gap of the sarcophagus! There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a supreme will forcibly injected! It instantly stirred the ice Origin and purple blood mist that had been calm for ten thousand years!

Boom!!!

The crystal coffin shook violently! The ice-blue star river marrow surged turbulently! The entwined starlight chains clattered loudly! Within the sarcophagus, the Dark Purple Bloodlines flowing on that perfect body suddenly emitted a blinding purple-gold light!