Chapter Sixty-Four: The Ice of the Great Cold Breaks the Hearth and Destroys the Belt

Great Cold Furnace, the Ruin of Ice

The forbidden starry sky in the eastern reaches of the Flash Cloud Star Realm.

Hundreds of millions of years ago, a chilling vortex appeared at the heart of the Ruin of Ice, unleashing a surge of icy tides that extinguished the ripples of the void and gave birth to countless lunar stars.

Over time, this place became a deadly wasteland.

Gazing across its expanse, hundreds and thousands of crystalline stars glittered, dotting the heavens and spanning seven hundred trillion miles, faintly forming an immense, boundless cold furnace. The pervasive chill was enough to freeze the spiritual power of any Star King cultivator.

Without some measure of strength, it was easy to perish here from the cold.

Bang!

A golden Dao ship broke through the void. Upon entering, a thin layer of pale blue frost quickly enveloped its surface, but as soon as the ship’s treasure light pulsed, the frost cascaded away.

“So cold! Even my soul feels uncomfortable,” Little Phoenix murmured softly. Her purple hair gleamed, her large eyes were strikingly clear, and she hugged herself, shrinking her small frame.

“The chill here does indeed affect the soul,” Feng Shang said, waving his hand. Instantly, the Dao ship erupted in a golden, misty glow, dispelling the cold and filling the vessel with warmth.

“Many Star Fiends hide in forbidden starry skies. The terrain is complex, making it hard to eradicate them. In times of life and death, they can retreat into these deadly grounds,” the young man, tall and jade-like, gazed at the icy stars scattered across the universe. He pondered for a moment, then drew forth the golden stone tablet once more, his expression growing solemn as he stared at its surface.

The golden tablet revealed new information.

“Nameless Master, concern leads to confusion. Let us focus on the task at hand before dealing with other troubles,” Feng Shang said with a smile.

It was clear that this young master was compassionate, perhaps a bit too much so.

The young man nodded slightly. “You’re right, young lord—”

As he spoke, the golden stone tablet shook violently, and two lines of vivid red script appeared.

Upon seeing those lines, the young man’s expression changed dramatically.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just now, news arrived from the Star Sea Sacred House. There are four shrine disasters in the neighboring Sky Eye Star Realm, far worse than here. I fear I must send a reverse self to intervene,” he said, his face grave.

“Oh? That serious?” Feng Shang was surprised, then asked curiously, “Nameless Master, you possess a reverse self?”

“I have forged one,” the young man replied. “Three years ago, I cleaved my reverse self. It now holds about eighty percent of my strength. The Star Sea Sacred House has summoned me; I must head to the Sky Eye Star Realm. I hope you do not mind, young lord.”

“Of course,” Feng Shang nodded, his curiosity piqued once more.

—

According to his judgment, the young man’s cultivation through Derivation Law should have granted him the power of the Radiant Realm.

He hadn’t expected that the young man was still in the Reverse Realm, and that his Derivation Law made him seem as if he had already stepped into the Radiant Realm.

Buzz...

The young man closed his eyes.

Light and shadow spread beneath his feet. Soon, a figure identical to himself, clad in white, separated from him. The two looked exactly alike, without the slightest difference.

“Nameless Master, your reverse self has almost no reverse aura!” Qing’s beautiful eyes widened in disbelief at the two white-robed young men before her, their temperament and aura perfectly aligned.

A reverse self was the antithesis of the true self. To enter the Radiant Realm, one must cleave the reverse body, shedding impurities and stepping into the realm of light.

Normally, the reverse self opposed the main body.

The reverse selves of Reverse Realm cultivators brimmed with reverse aura. As cultivation progressed, the main body would scheme to refine it away.

Otherwise, upon entering the Radiant Realm, the reverse self would turn entirely dark, engaging in endless struggle with the main body. Rarely did reverse selves act according to the main body’s will.

“Indeed, there is little reverse aura,” the reverse self said with a faint smile.

“What a pure presence,” Feng Shang observed. “I’ve heard that some spirit bodies are favored by the universe’s spiritual energy, such as the Shaking Spirit Body, which can wield twofold power at this stage. If someday the main body steps into the Radiant Realm, perhaps this reverse self will willingly dissolve.”

Feng Shang regarded the reverse self with wonder. He doubted he could ever possess such a pure reverse self upon entering the Reverse Realm.

“I take my leave,” the reverse self said, stepping into the void and entering the dark universe, following the nearest spatial flow toward the Sky Eye Star Realm.

Meanwhile, the golden Dao ship drifted deeper into the Ruin of Ice, entering the Great Cold Furnace.

—

Two hours later, somewhere within the Ruin of Ice.

“Lu Han, Ancient Turbid Star, hiding quite deep, aren’t you?” Feng Shang murmured, holding the Sky-Reaching Mirror, fully activating it to reflect the starry sky. One by one, the cold and lonely crystalline stars were revealed.

Yet after two hours, he still hadn’t found the so-called Ancient Turbid Star.

“The map says the Ancient Turbid Star exists in a secret space within the Great Cold Furnace, accessible only through a hidden void node. The Flash Cloud Star Realm’s core tried to destroy it years ago, but never found the spatial node…” Feng Shang looked up. The vast cold sky was blue and icy, frozen meteorites drifting aimlessly, with occasional debris scattered about.

This was also a relic of the ancient starry sky, transformed into a forbidden ground by the eruption from the central cold eye.

Nine hundred years ago, the great fiend Lu Han rose to prominence here, breaking into a lunar star and obtaining treasure left by a Dao sect, which allowed him to gradually ascend to his current status.

—

Lu Han’s tale was something of an inspiration among Star Fiends.

Feng Shang couldn’t help but smile.

“Feng Shang, why are you smiling? When will you catch the villain? We’ve been drifting here for so long,” Little Phoenix propped her chin with one hand, bored.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find him soon,” Feng Shang replied confidently, clearing his throat and glancing at the back of his hand. “Uncle Calamity, it’s time for you to show your skills.”

Shortly after his words, divine patterns flashed on Feng Shang’s hand, a domineering aura erupted, nearly causing the void to riot. A blazing beam of law shot forth from the Dao ship.

Light so bright it covered the star sea.

A colossal Azure Calamity appeared before them.

“Wow! It’s Uncle Goose!” Little Phoenix’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

The Azure Calamity now was anything but the petite form seen in the flower sea; its vast body enveloped the starry ocean, rivaling even the ancient lunar stars that had endured for billions of years!

Its icy, dangerous blue eyes were deep and silent, radiating a chilling menace.

“Who is this elder?” the young man asked in astonishment. That the young lord Feng Shang had such a mighty guardian was surprising; from its formidable aura, it was surely a great star fiend.

“Rumble! Rumble!” The Azure Calamity was swift and direct.

Its massive claws descended from the heavens, tearing open the void.

In an instant, cosmic winds howled, destructive ripples exploded, and a vast fissure stretching for tens of thousands of miles appeared. A black hole leading to a distant star domain opened before them, at its end a faint spatial node!

“There, found it at last,” Feng Shang said, patting Little Phoenix’s head.

“Feng Shang, you’re making Uncle Calamity do all the work. That’s just lazy,” Qing shook her delicate head. She had been reading quietly, but was startled by the commotion.

To call upon a divine spirit just to locate a void node—only Feng Shang would do such a thing.

“No rush to enter. Uncle Calamity, follow behind us and intimidate the local star fiends. I bet Lu Han’s expression will be priceless,” Feng Shang grinned, revealing his white teeth. He had a bold idea.