Xiuxian: Start with the medicine boy

"Brother Dao, you think too highly of me."

Xuanming Half-Venerable shook his head and chuckled, then revealed a perfectly timed "worry."
"Although I have never met or interacted with this Fellow Daoist Xuanbing, in any case..."

The other party is also a veteran powerhouse who has been famous for a long time and has been in the semi-saint realm for many years.

In particular, his ice-based supernatural abilities have already reached a level of unparalleled mastery.

Within this icy wilderness that aligns with its great Dao, it is even more powerful, able to unleash its full potential.

He looked down at the large array shimmering with multicolored light, and beyond that array lay a silent yet dangerous cluster of palaces:
"If things go wrong, we may come here with so many troops, only to return empty-handed."

That would truly make us a laughingstock and damage the association's prestige.

"Fellow Daoist, what you say makes sense."

Fu Wanjun, the half-sage, nodded in agreement, but there wasn't much worry in his eyes.
"This advantageous location is indeed Fellow Daoist Xuanbing's greatest asset, and the source of his confidence to be so 'tough'."

Presumably, he now feels he possesses some strength to resist, thanks to the advantage of this vast icy plain.

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone slightly sarcastic:
"However, if... the president himself were to come!"
What do you think Xuan Bing's attitude will be this time?

He didn't say it explicitly, but the implication was clear.

Faced with absolute power and authority, even the so-called geographical advantage is sometimes nothing more than a fragile barrier.

Xuanming Half-Venerable naturally understood. He shook his head and smiled, seemingly feeling that the presence of the council president was somewhat distant:
"Never mind, Brother Fu."

Judging from the current situation, unless we subdue him and shatter some of the pride of the Northern Underworld Palace, this Fellow Daoist Xuanbing will never accept his fate and obediently cooperate with the investigation.

“Then,” Fu Wanjun, the half-venerable one, interjected, his tone calm yet resolute.

"Let's break this 'turtle shell' first!"
"Knock on the mountain to scare the tiger; let's see just how hard the 'tiger' inside really is!"

"it is good!"

The smile on Xuanming Half-Venerable's face vanished, and his eyes sharpened.

"Then I will do as you say, fellow Daoist!"

The two semi-saints reached an agreement almost instantly.

Immediately.

Without any further hesitation, they immediately issued a clear order to attack!

at the same time!

Deep within the grand formation, in the heart of the Northern Underworld Palace...
Inside a palace entirely carved from cold jade, the cold was several times greater than outside, and the air seemed to solidify.

Standing in the center of the palace was a cold and stern middle-aged man.

He is none other than the current Palace Master of the Northern Underworld Palace, the True Lord of the Northern Underworld.

At this moment, Beiming Zhenjun frowned and looked at the ice jade throne at the head of the palace, which was crystal clear and constantly emitted a chilling white aura.

On the throne, a blurry figure seemed to blend into the cold air.

It is none other than the pillar of the Northern Underworld Palace, the Supreme Elder—Xuanbing Half-Venerable!
"Ancestor!" True Monarch Beiming's tone was clearly worried.
"The Cultivator Association... is ultimately a behemoth that rules the four seas and has a Nascent Soul Venerable in charge!"

Will our 'negligence' and even outright dismissal of their envoy... completely tarnish the reputation of the Cultivator Association?
If we displease the Venerable One, the millennia-old foundation of my Northern Underworld Palace may be in danger of collapse!

His concerns are not unfounded.

A Nascent Soul Venerable is a true being standing at the pinnacle of this realm. With a single thought, they can influence the laws of heaven and earth, and are far beyond the reach of a Half-Venerable.

Upon hearing this...

The figure shrouded in icy aura on the throne trembled slightly, and the calm, unwavering voice of the Xuanbing Half-Venerable reborn emanated from it:
"I am well aware of the monks' association's ban and their determination to come here."

Judging from the specifications of their warships and the people leading them... Xuanming and Fu Wanjun, two powerful semi-saints, were both present.

This is no ordinary inspection.

The other party clearly came prepared.

Upon hearing this...

The sorrow in Beiming Zhenjun's eyes deepened, almost becoming tangible.

He then continued:

"Ancestor!"

If that's the case, then why did you... adopt such a tough attitude before?

Wouldn't simply dismissing them make things worse, leaving no room for maneuver?
This is probably not a good thing for our sect..."

"Don't be impatient."

The divine sense of the half-Venerable Xuanbing interrupted his words, his tone still calm, yet carrying an undeniable decisiveness.

"My actions were deliberate!"

"Oh?" Beiming Zhenjun was taken aback.

"Only by adopting the toughest stance, taking advantage of the favorable timing and location, and truly engaging in a battle with them, can we show them that the Northern Underworld Palace is not a pushover."

Only then will they have some reservations!

Xuanbing Half-Venerable spoke slowly, his tone carrying a cold calculation.
"Only in this way can the losses of my Northern Underworld Palace be minimized."

If we appear weak and easily bullied, allowing their law enforcement team to drive in unimpeded, arbitrarily search, interrogate, and arrest people... that would be a real disaster.

At that time, they can do whatever they want.

There is a high possibility that they will use this as an excuse to implicate innocent people.

It even threatens the fundamental interests of our palace!

He paused, his tone turning cold:
"As for my nephew Xuan Shuang... he acted without authorization, giving others a handle to use against him. Although he took a risk to break through to the Half-Saint realm, he ultimately violated the ironclad rules."

They were caught red-handed by the Cult of Monks.

This matter must be explained.

"Pass on my orders," Xuanbing Half-Venerable's voice carried a hint of murderous intent.

"Immediately detain all of Xuan Shuang's nephews, their direct bloodlines, and their direct disciples at the bottom of the Cold Nether Cave and keep them under strict guard!"

No one may touch it without my order.

After I've finished my 'battle' with those two outside, I'll see how things go...

They were handed over to the monks' association as 'explanations' to be taken back for 'interrogation'.

"Yes, Ancestor! I'll go and make the arrangements right away!"

Beiming Zhenjun instantly understood the ancestor's entire plan. His worries and fears lessened, replaced by a sense of solemnity and decisiveness.

He bowed and clasped his hands in greeting, and with a flicker of his figure, he disappeared from the cold jade palace.

At that moment, he understood completely...
All of the patriarch's tough stance was aimed at minimizing the core losses of the sect and maintaining the absolute authority and independent status of the Northern Underworld Palace in the Northern Region.

As for fighting to the bitter end against the behemoth that is the Cultivator Association?
That would be tantamount to courting disaster.

Even if we manage to repel or even injure those two half-Venerables outside this time, thanks to the advantageous terrain and the sect's protective formation...
But if things escalate and enrage the Cultivator Association, the legendary Nascent Soul Venerable will personally descend...

Then, the ten-thousand-year-old legacy of the Northern Underworld Palace may truly vanish into thin air in an instant.

Being tough is a means, but compromise is inevitable.

The key is how to exchange the former for the latter's most favorable conditions.

Shortly after the departure of the True Lord of the Northern Darkness—

boom!!!
A terrifying roar that shook the heavens and the earth, as if a glacier had collapsed and the foundation of the world had been shaken, resounded without warning over this ice field that had been silent for thousands of years!
The sound did not come from a single point, but rather from that hovering, towering warship!
Suddenly, the grotesque beast-head statue at the bow of the ship emitted a blinding blood-red light from its eyes, and its massive maw opened wide...
A dark red beam of light, over a hundred feet in diameter, condensed to its extreme, and containing destructive energy,
Like a spear of divine punishment, it slammed into the seemingly thin, multicolored light screen of the Northern Underworld Palace!
The instant the beam of light made contact with the light curtain...
The blinding light illuminated the entire gray sky, and the violent energy shockwave spread wildly in a ring, instantly vaporizing the ice and snow within a radius of dozens of miles, revealing the black permafrost rock layer below!
Space itself was violently distorted as a result, groaning under the unbearable pressure!
Noticing this earth-shattering commotion...
The icy figure sitting on the throne in the Jade Palace rippled slightly before completely dissipating.

at the same time!

Outside the gates of the Northern Underworld Palace, before the five-colored light curtain...

The void distorted slightly, and a real figure, exuding an aura even colder than ten-thousand-year-old ice, silently solidified.

The Xuanbing Half-Venerable has personally arrived in his true form!
He was still dressed in a plain white robe, his face was cold and stern, and his eyes were calm as he looked at the terrifying warship that was preparing for its second attack. A chill permeated his body, and crystal-clear ice lotuses automatically condensed in the void beneath his feet.

At the same time.

The enormous black warship did not stop firing after its first main cannon shot.

Countless spiritual runes engraved on the entire ship's hull lit up simultaneously...
The immense spiritual energy was being frantically extracted and gathered!
On both sides of the ship, the golden dragon and sword imprints seemed to come alive, emitting a deep and majestic dragon roar and a clanging sword sound!

Boom! Boom boom boom!!!
It is no longer a single main gun, but a full-range firepower coverage!

Dozens of thinner but equally terrifying beams of energy shot out from the attack arrays throughout the ship's hull.

Like a violent storm, it relentlessly bombarded the multicolored, shimmering light screen!

The protective formation of the Northern Underworld Palace was fully activated, and the light screen flickered wildly and uncertainly at an unprecedented speed!
Inside the light barrier, countless ancient runes floated and drifted, under the ferocious attack...
Large swathes of land were shattered and obliterated.

Followed by.

More runes emerged, replenished, and condensed from the foundation of the great array... in an endless cycle, stubbornly resisting.

However, this warship is one of the top war artifacts of the Monks' Association's Conquest Hall.

When its firepower is fully unleashed, its power is enough to threaten a true Nascent Soul cultivator (of course, it is only a threat, and it is difficult to actually injure him).

Faced with such a sustained, high-intensity bombardment, far exceeding the combined attacks of ordinary late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators...

The seemingly resilient array of light that had protected the Northern Underworld Palace for countless years began to tremble violently.
The light dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Fine, spiderweb-like cracks even began to appear on the light screen.
And these cracks...

It is spreading and expanding slowly but steadily!
There are faint signs of impending collapse!
On the other side, on the deck of the warship.

Fu Wanjun, a half-saint, and Xuanming, a half-saint, stood side by side.

They calmly watched the changes in the large formation below, as if they were appreciating fireworks that had nothing to do with them.

Xuanming Half-Venerable had a faint smile on his face as he spoke:

"The protective formation of the Northern Underworld Palace is indeed quite powerful."

Judging from this formation, it seems to be an improved and enhanced version of the ancient 'Ice Extreme Profound Light Formation', combined with the power of the eternally frozen icy earth veins of this place.

It's incredible that it could withstand the full-force bombardment of the 'Broken Army' warship for so long without breaking through.

The "Po Jun Hao" he mentioned is the name of this massive warship.

Upon hearing this...

The Hall Master of the Conquest Hall, Fu Wanjun, a half-Saint, chuckled softly, his tone carrying a hint of approval for the ancient tradition:

"If the Northern Underworld Palace, with its millennia-long heritage, had such a weak protective formation, it would have been destroyed countless times over."
It is not our place to come and question them today.

It's not surprising that they could persist for so long.

His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, swept over the spreading cracks in the great formation.
And several powerful auras were faintly stirring deep within the palace complex behind the great formation; his tone turned confident:
"However, it is estimated that the array base will reach its limit soon."

That Fellow Daoist Xuanbing, who has been secretly observing... can't hold back any longer."

Almost at the same time that Fu Wanjun finished speaking—

The smile on Xuanming Half-Venerable's lips deepened.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze fixed on a certain void in front of the great formation, where, apart from the raging aftershocks of energy and the chilling aura, it seemed to be empty.

“Look,” Xuanming Half-Venerable said leisurely.

"Isn't this...here it is?"

Before he could finish speaking...

"presumptuous!"

A furious roar, not particularly loud, yet like an ice tide erupting from the core of the polar regions, carrying a terrifying pressure that could freeze souls and suppress all things, suddenly resounded throughout this world!

The moment the sound rang out...

The continuous bombardment from the warship "Po Jun" caused energy turbulence, spatial vibrations, and swirling snow and dust.

All the violent dynamics seemed to be forcibly suppressed by an invisible and cold hand!

A moment of stillness!

Even the raging cold wind seemed to stop flowing at this moment.

At the same time.

The Xuanbing Half-Saint, with a face as cold as ancient ice and surrounded by a visible, chilling white aura...
His figure had already appeared silently outside the sect's protective formation.

It stood facing the massive "Broken Army" warship from afar.

Where he stood, the void naturally froze, forming an absolutely cold realm.

Almost the instant the Xuanbing Half-Zen appeared...

Not far in front of him, in the void, space rippled like water, creating a barely perceptible ripple.

At the center of the ripples, two points of light flashed and expanded.

Looking again, the two figures were already standing in mid-air, as if they had always been there.

It was none other than Fu Wanjun, a half-saint, and Xuanming, a half-saint!

Unbeknownst to them, they had already left the deck of the "Broken Army" and appeared directly in front of the battle, confronting Xuanbing Half-Venerable from a distance.

With the three forces in a standoff, the atmosphere instantly became extremely tense!

Without a word, the invisible pressure had already clashed!

The terrifying domain of cold energy around Xuanbing Half-Venerable suddenly expanded.

Wherever it passed, even light and spiritual energy were frozen and swallowed up, turning into an absolute "ice-covered dead zone".

Beside Fu Wanjun, a murderous aura resembling that of golden spears and iron horses surged into the sky, with countless phantom images of divine weapons floating behind him!
The sharp, piercing intent sliced ​​through the void, emitting a soft hissing sound, constantly shattering and repelling the spreading chill.

The Xuanming Half-Lord appeared to be the most "peaceful"!
He simply stood there quietly, but an aura of semi-saintly authority emanated from him.

This oppressive aura wasn't overbearing, yet it was omnipresent.

Three distinct yet equally powerful semi-saintly auras, all reaching the pinnacle of this realm...

They collided, clashed, and eroded each other wildly in the void! (End of Chapter)