97: Secret Codex Mystery 2

Ling Xiao looked at Xiao Bing worriedly: "But second brother..."

"Stop arguing." Xiao Bing's attitude was firm. "This is the most reasonable arrangement."

Xiao Yan and his younger brother looked at each other for a long time, then he slowly nodded: "...Alright. But once the situation worsens, immediately contact us with the communication jade token."

As night deepened, Xiao Bing went to attend to the wounded, and Ling Xiao also returned to his tent to rest. Xiao Yan sat alone under the lamp, re-reading the "dual venerables true records". The black threads in his right eye pulsed incessantly, seemingly resisting the contents of the book.

Just as the lamp was about to burn out, Xiao Yan suddenly discovered a faint energy fluctuation on the last page of the ancient text—it was a hidden page! He immediately infused a trace of Flame Lord's Fire, and the hidden text gradually appeared:

"Warning to latecomers: The Chaos Furnace is a double-edged sword; it can both devour and be devoured. The day the Three Spirits unite is also the time of choice—purify, or replace? Be cautious! Be cautious!"

This warning sent a chill down Xiao Yan's spine. What did "replace" mean? Could it be that Flame Lord and Ice Lord had considered... replacing the Chaos Devourer back then?

Carrying this terrifying question, Xiao Yan finally couldn't resist his sleepiness and fell asleep at his desk.

The dream arrived as expected.

He stood in a Void Realm, and before him was a completely black "himself"—with black hair and black eyes, his skin covered in twisted patterns, and a sinister smile on his lips.

"We meet again." "Black Xiao Yan" chuckled, "How have you considered it? Accept my power, and you will be able to protect everyone..."

"Get lost!" Xiao Yan in the dream roared, "I will not be swayed by your Gu!"

"Black Xiao Yan" was unconcerned and raised his hand to show a scene: Xiao Bing completely crystallized, turning into an ice sculpture; Ling Xiao was completely controlled by black threads, becoming a Puppet of the Chaos Devourer; the Source World disintegrated under the ravages of the Void Claws...

"This is the future, an unavoidable future." "Black Xiao Yan's" voice was like a poisonous snake drilling into his ear, "Unless you accept the truth—the only way to fight Chaos is to become Chaos!"

The scene shifted, revealing the true purpose of the Chaos Furnace—it could not only eliminate the Chaos Devourer but also transfer its power to the user!

"Flame Lord and Ice Lord understood this long ago, but they lacked the courage to execute it." "Black Xiao Yan" took a step closer, "But you do, Xiao Yan. Think about it, with that power, you can resurrect Elder Yao, resurrect Ice Soul, resurrect father... Everyone can come back..."

Xiao Yan in the dream was greatly shaken; this temptation was too great...

"No!" He suddenly woke up, finding himself drenched in cold sweat, his right eye burning with pain. Outside the tent, it was already dawn, and faint morning light shone through the canvas.

Xiao Yan took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart. This dream was too real; no, it was not just a dream—the black threads were influencing him through the dream! What was more terrifying was that for a fleeting moment, the proposal in the dream actually made him... feel tempted.

"Brother?" Ling Xiao's voice came from outside the tent, "Are you awake? We should set off."

Xiao Yan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and put away the "dual venerables true records": "Coming."

In the center of the camp, over two hundred surviving members of the ancient clan had already lined up to see them off. The Grand Elder was too severely injured, so Elder Xuanyu, who had protected some of the ancient texts when Mystic Light (no, now Xuan Ming) betrayed them, gave the farewell speech on his behalf.

"Lord Flame Emperor," Xuanyu bowed respectfully, "The ancient clan suffered this great disaster, and it is fortunate to have the three of you save us. This journey to the Frost Star Abyss is fraught with danger, please take this." She handed over an ancient jade pendant. "This is the token of Xingyun Pavilion, perhaps it will be useful to you."

Xiao Yan took the jade pendant; it felt warm in his hand, and starlight seemed to flow within it: "Xingyun Pavilion? Is that where the Chaos Furnace is located?"

Xuanyu was slightly surprised: "Lord Flame Emperor knows about the Chaos Furnace? That's right, Xingyun Pavilion was once a Holy Land jointly founded by the Dual Venerables, and later sank into the Void Realm during the war. This jade pendant can guide the direction, but only when the Three Spirits are gathered can the passage be opened."

Xiao Yan carefully put away the jade pendant: "Thank you. I'll entrust Xiao Bing to your care."

Xiao Bing stood to the side, his left arm already wrapped in layers of special bandages, but the crystallization had spread to his neck. He handed Xiao Yan a storage ring: "It contains some Medicinal Pills and necessities. The Frost Star Abyss has blizzards all year round, and the temperature is so low it can freeze Qi. Be careful."

The two brothers looked at each other for a moment, no words needed. Xiao Yan patted his younger brother's shoulder and turned to Ling Xiao: "Are you ready?"

Ling Xiao nodded, the nexus seed had been temporarily sealed by him using the Spirit of the Plane's power, slowing down its absorption rate, but there were also more black threads in his silver hair.

After a brief farewell, Xiao Yan and Ling Xiao embarked on their journey eastward. Xiao Bing stood in place, watching the two figures gradually disappear at the end of the mountain road, his crystallized left hand unconsciously clenching...

Seven days later, on the outskirts of the Frost Star Abyss.

Even with Xiao Yan and Ling Xiao's cultivation, they felt strained facing this legendary land of extreme cold. Before them was an endless glacier, and the bone-chilling wind carried ice-blade-like snowflakes, reducing visibility to less than ten zhang. What was more terrifying was that the spatial structure here was unstable, and casual flight could lead to being torn apart by suddenly appearing spatial rifts.

"It should be beneath this glacier." Xiao Yan's right eye saw two masses of energy deep underground through the blizzard—one extremely cold, one extremely hot. "It's strange that there are two opposing energies..."

Ling Xiao suddenly clutched his forehead and painfully squatted down: "It's calling me... The black threads... and the seed of the plane are both..."

Xiao Yan quickly supported him: "Hold on! We..."

Before he could finish speaking, the glacier beneath their feet suddenly vibrated violently! Countless cracks spread like a spiderweb, and before the two could react, they fell into the abyss with the collapsing ice surface!

During the fall, Xiao Yan desperately tried to grab Ling Xiao, but they were separated by a strange force. When he heavily fell onto the ice, he found himself in a huge ice cave, with countless glowing crystals embedded in the surrounding walls, illuminating the entire space.

"Ling Xiao!" Xiao Yan called out, but there was no response.

The black threads in his right eye suddenly became active, and a dangerous premonition made him turn sharply—an ice-formed giant was emerging from the ice wall, each step causing new ice crystals to form on the ground!

"Intruder..." The ice giant's voice was like ten thousand years of cold ice grinding, "Sinner coveting the Eternal Ice Heart..."

Xiao Yan immediately entered a combat state, the Flame Lord's Fire condensing in his palm: "I have no ill intentions, I am only looking for the seed of the plane!"

The ice giant ignored his explanation and slammed down with a massive ice fist! Xiao Yan dodged and counterattacked, his cyan-silver flames hitting the ice giant's chest, but only leaving a shallow pit that was instantly covered by new ice.

"It's useless... Flame Lord's Fire... is too weak... here..." The ice giant mocked, its attacks becoming even more relentless.

Xiao Yan continuously dodged while thinking of a countermeasure. A sudden fluctuation came from the black threads in his right eye—it was craving contact with something here! A bold idea surfaced in his mind...

"Since you want it, then I'll give it to you!" Xiao Yan suddenly stopped dodging, allowing the ice giant's fist to strike his chest!

Crack! The sound of his ribs breaking was clearly audible, but Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and endured the pain, seizing the opportunity to guide the black threads from his right eye into the ice giant's body through contact!

A miracle happened—the black threads, upon encountering the ice giant's core cold energy, began to devour it frantically! The ice giant let out a painful roar, its body uncontrollably disintegrating, finally turning into a puddle of ice water, revealing what was wrapped inside—a crystal heart of ice-blue color!

"Eternal Ice Heart!" Xiao Yan ignored the pain in his chest and reached out to grab it. Just as his fingertips were about to touch it, a black shadow flashed, snatching the ice heart first!

"Thanks for the help, brother." A familiar voice sounded.

Xiao Yan looked up in shock—a blackened Ling Xiao stood not far away, holding the Eternal Ice Heart in one hand and the ink-black seed of the plane in the other, a strange smile on his lips...