Chapter 143: The Horrifying Cold
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: - -
Mo Wuji did not even take time to consider as he immediately inserted the copper key into the stone gate's keyhole. If he was someone else, perhaps he might take some time to slowly examine the gate before acting.
But here, he dared not hesitate as someone else might just come at the very next moment. Moreover, the gate was just forcefully attacked not long ago, reassuring Mo Wuji. If there were any traps in place, they would have already been activated.
The copper key was the perfect match for the keyhole. With a gentle twist, the stone gate creaked open with a "Gazhi" sound.
An intense cold seeped out of the door. Inside, was a vast expanse of white; Mo Wuji was unable to see anything with his vision, and could only scan with his spiritual will. Just as Mo Wuji was scanning, with his spiritual will approximately 100 meters in, two cultivators had already cautiously entered the passage. Mo Wuji immediately removed the key and shoved the gate close. However, no matter how hard he pushed, the gate did not move even a single inch. He could only leave it be and rush in despite the intense cold.
"There's a stone gate here…" A cultivator discovered the ajar stone gate and said gleefully.
Behind him was a female cultivator. She also saw the stone gate and she soon noticed that it was in the process of closing.
When he first opened the stone gate, Mo Wuji tried to forcefully close it shut to no avail. However, now that he had already delved deep in, this stone gate started to close itself automatically.
"Shall we go in?" The male cultivator asked hesitantly.
The girl didn't even answer his question; her figure sped up and she rushed into the stone gate in the shortest time possible. Her actions had already told the male cultivator her answer to this question.
Seeing the female cultivator entering, the male also increased his speed and followed behind her into the stone gate. After the two entered, the stone gate let out a deep sound before closing shut.
"Junior apprentice sister Xia, what place is this?" After entering, the male cultivator discovered that the entire place was pitch white, and immediately muttered slowly.
Junior apprentice sister Xia did not immediately answer and was clearly trying to ascertain their situation. Thereafter, she fetched an illumination stone. At the very next instant, she spoke cautiously, "Didn't think that an illumination stone wouldn't work here. Even though we don't know what place this is, but since there was a stone gate blocking it, it definitely isn't simple. Moreover…"
As she said this, junior apprentice sister Xia lowered her voice, "Senior apprentice brother Xiuran, we need to be careful. The stone gate was opened, yet it also closed by itself, meaning that someone else must have entered before us. Also, I keep having this feeling that someone is watching me."
Mo Wuji was hiding by the side, not making a move. He had already seen this place clearly; this place was a much bigger hall compared to the hall they first landed in.
This hall was very weird, besides the vast expanse of icy fog, there was nothing else. There only possible 'thing’ was the hidden entrance at the center of the hall. It seemed to be the entrance to a basement. With his spiritual will, Mo Wuji could only scan to the first tens of ice steps below.
The male and female cultivators were still slowly exploring the hall; Mo Wuji knew that they would eventually reach his location. Fortunately, the illumination stone did not work here in this white, icy fog.
Mo Wuji decided; his figure flashed and immediately entered the passage leading downwards. He landed on the ice steps below.
An overwhelming cold spread over, intimidating Mo Wuji. He almost wanted to simply retreat out of there.
"Junior apprentice sister Xia, I just saw a shadow flash past." That senior apprentice brother Xiuran stopped and said cautiously.
"I saw it too, let's go over." With that, junior apprentice sister Xia stepped down into the passage. Ostensibly, she had much bigger balls than her senior apprentice brother Xiuran.
Mo Wuji's spiritual will naturally detected the two following him in.
The lower he went, the colder it became. Despite his concentrated efforts to surge circulate his spiritual energy, his body was still slowly frozen to be as rigid as a corpse.
If there weren't these two fellas, he might have chosen to retreat upwards. Now that there were these two fellas following him down, he would definitely encounter them. With his cultivation, he definitely wouldn't be an opponent for the two of them.
Bracing himself, Mo Wuji could only push himself forward. After walking for another ten steps, he really couldn't take it anymore; this chill will freeze him to death.
"Kacha!" At this moment, Mo Wuji's feet seemed to step on something.
His spiritual will was concentrated on the two behind him, and he actually forgot to pay attention to who was below him. At almost the same instant, an illumination stone flew down towards him. The illumination stone did not seem to work in the vast icy fog above, but it was able to clearly illuminate the situation within these ice steps.
Mo Wuji had already tripped on something, and with the illumination stone landing on him, he could not help but roll downwards.
"I recognise him, it's that kid with the lowest cultivation…Ai…" The male cultivator did not finish his sentence as he cried out emotionally, "There's an Immeasurable Soul-forging Crystal below…"
Rolling down a height of more than 30 meters down knocked Mo Wuji senseless. All this wasn't important to him; in the first few seconds in landed on the ground, his entire body went numb. Even though he heard the Immeasurable Soul-forging Crystal which he deeply desired, he had no means of getting it. He knew he was going to freeze to death here.
The cold here was far too horrifying. Each thread of cold air seemed to seep into his very bones, with no means of resistance.
Even his blood froze gradually, and the skin on his hands started to change colour rapidly, turning into an extremely pale white colour. If he were to accidentally knock into something, his hand might just turn into crushed ice.
"We can't go down, it's far too cold, we can't take it…" The male cultivator walked to Mo Wuji's previous position and discovered that it was getting increasingly cold.
"Kacha…" The thing that Mo Wuji stepped on was also stepped on by the female cultivator. She lost her balance and grabbed the still-speaking male cultivator. Due to the extreme cold, the two's bodies were incomparably rigid and were unable to make an agile reaction. Like Mo Wuji, the two rolled down like snowballs.
Mo Wuji had long stopped caring about those two people; his heart was engulfed in sadness. Before entering the Five Elements Desolate Domain, he did consider that he might not be able to come out. However, he did not really think that he would stay in this place forever.
Mo Wuji's vision gradually turned foggy; he felt his soul leaving his body.
The two cultivators landed not far away from him. Even with their superior cultivation, they had to struggle to stand up.
However, they weren't flailing to grab the Immeasurable Soul-forging Crystal, but struggling to return back where they came from. But with a few steps, they sat paralysed on the floor. The terrifying chill left them with completely no chance to resist.
Seeing the female cultivator's face of despair, Mo Wuji's blurring mind was suddenly shocked awake. Perhaps it was the reflection of light, but Mo Wuji saw Yan’Er’s face. He saw the face that Yan'Er would have if he died.
I can't die. I definitely can't die.
However, this devastating cold was not something which could be defended against with willpower. Even though he didn't want to die, death still slowly made its way into him.
Mo Wuji suddenly thought of the earth fire crater he saw in the first passage. If only there was a huge fire cauldron. That would be good.
At the instant he thought of a cauldron, Mo Wuji's misty eyes shone with light. He had thought of the Seven Styles Lightning Sky.
When he first cultivated the Seven Styles Lightning Sky, an intense heat developed within his body, almost burning him to ashes. If he tried using the Seven Styles Lightning Sky's first style...
Since he was already going to freeze to death, Mo Wuji no longer had any fears towards the terrifying Seven Styles Lightning Sky. He did not hesitate to use his last shred of energy to cultivate the Seven Styles Lightning Sky's first style.
In just half a circulation, the terrifying fire started burning within Mo Wuji's dantian before spreading to the meridians in his body.
Mo Wuji began to madly circulate his spiritual energy according to the Seven Styles Lightning Sky skill. Freezing to death, or burning to death, death will still be death. He no longer had any fears and apprehensions.
The searing heat finally spread from his meridians to his bones, and from his bones to his flesh.
The terrifying heat from the inside and the equally horrifying chill from the outside clashed. Mo Wuji's entire body started to steam; his hands gradually regained their softness, and his body could slowly begin to feel again.
The intermittent hot and cold torture made Mo Wuji feel an indescribable pain. However, what filled his heart was incomparable joy.
When he first cultivated the incomplete Seven Styles Lightning Sky's first style, his cultivation almost went into deviation and he almost burnt himself from the inside. Now, in this freezing cold environment, cultivating the Seven Styles Lightning Sky's first style only resulted in some torturous pain, but at least his life was not in danger.
The same thing, but in different environments could actually have such a huge difference. A skill which almost terminated his life ended up saving it.
As for the pain, Mo Wuji had already experienced a fair share of pain and he could still endure it.
"Kacha!" Mo Wuji felt as though something had broke inside him, and an indescribable power filled his dantian and meridians.
Mo Wuji lifted his hands and waved it, countless lightning shredded the surroundings.
The lightning obliterated a huge chunk of ice, and Mo Wuji could not help but stare at his own palm excitedly. He knew that his body contained some essence of lightning which would be occasionally exhibited without warning. But this was his first time actually controlling it.
The inner fire seemed to diminish and the outer chill began to take advantage. Mo Wuji did not dare try the first style again and began to unceasingly cultivate it. Mo Wuji soon discovered that the feeling of the inner fire was disappearing gradually, which would mean that continuing in this style would not result in the terrifying fire.
If this was a typical situation, it would be a call for celebration. But now, it was affecting his survival. The moment this inner fire extinguishes, he would have no means of defending against the cold.
Mo Wuji's gaze landed on the two cultivators; they had long been frozen to death and had become two ice statues. Not far from them, from a round ice altar. There were two ice flower-like things on that ice altar. There were no leaves; below the flower, was a 15 centimeters long stem which was like an ice cream.
Mo Wuji had never seen the Immeasurable Soul-forging Crystal, and he dare not claim that the flowers were Immeasurable Soul-forging Crystals. He only heard it from the words from the male cultivator's mouth, and guessed that it should be so.
This thing was like a living plant. It was unlike the dead and unmoving crystal which he expected.