The Heavenly Master and the rest shook their heads. None of them could figure out why Huang Xiaolong was so adamant to cultivate at the Fire and Ice Lake. Undeniably, there were many benefits cultivating at the Fire and Ice Lake, but the effects were similar to consuming level-nine origin spiritual pills. And in their opinion, Huang Xiaolong did not lack level-nine origin spiritual pills.
"It looks like there are many more secrets on that kid's body." Lord Long commented in jest.
The Heavenly Master, Elder Crow, and Tyrant Chu chuckled hearing his comment.
...
After coming out from the Primal Ancestors' space, Huang Xiaolong headed straight to the Holy Heavens' Grand Hall Master Wu Ge's cultivation palace.
Wu Ge was already waiting for Huang Xiaolong when he arrived.
Upon seeing Huang Xiaolong, Wu Ge took a few quick steps forward and smiled as he greeted respectfully, "Your Highness Huang Xiaolong!"
Huang Xiaolong smiled and nodded as he returned the greeting, "Grand Hall Master Wu Ge."
"Your Highness Huang Xiaolong, do you want to come in and sit awhile?" Wu Ge asked.
"My pleasure." Huang Xiaolong responded with a ready smile. One or two hours was not going to make much of a difference to his schedule.
Upon entering the hall, Huang Xiaolong discovered that Wu Ge's cultivation palace was much more lavish than he had imagined. The interior's intricate and complex designs gave the viewer many surprising sights.
The intricate details in the halls felt more mysterious the more Huang Xiaolong looked at them, and seemingly these designs contain profound daos.
"Grand Hall Master Wu Ge's place is very exquisite." Huang Xiaolong praised, "It makes one envious."
Wu Ge humbly responded, "These are just small tricks. My place cannot be compared to the four Lord Primal Ancestors' palaces. Moreover, with Your Highness' talent, it won't be long till you get a place that exceeds mine."
Huang Xiaolong merely smiled, and the two sat down in the hall.
Wu Ge took out a rustic-looking ring and handed it to Huang Xiaolong as he explained, "Your Highness Huang Xiaolong, this Darkness Holy Ring is forged by the Heavenly Master himself. It is a high-grade saint artifact with multiple uses, not only it can activate a Darkness Holy Ring's protective boundary, but it can also conceal your presence completely. All the congratulatory gifts the various forces presented yesterday are placed inside the ring, and the Lord Heavenly Master ordered me to pass them to you."
Huang Xiaolong accepted the Darkness Holy Ring and opened the space within. With one look, he saw holy spiritual jade stones piled high as mountains, and rich holy spiritual qi formed a sea above, roiling with vigor.
"Thank you, Grand Hall Master Wu Ge." Huang Xiaolong's smile widened as he was happy hearing that.
"Your Highness is too polite." Wu Ge grinned, waving his hand.
In the next hour, Wu Ge chatted with Huang Xiaolong about the things around the Holy Heavens and Heavenly Master Holy Ground, including the Fire and Ice Lake.
After hearing Wu Ge's explanation that the Fire and Ice Lake was obtained by Lord Long from the deeper region of the Profound River, Huang Xiaolong became curious. "Profound River?"
Wu Ge nodded, "Yes, the Profound River. The Profound River is our Holy World's most dangerous place, and it is also the most mysterious place. Even the four Primal Ancestors say that the Profound River hides a big secret, but until now, no one has been able to unfold the Profound River's great mystery."
"In the depths of the Profound River are a lot of treasures. Many experts who were willing to take risks into the Profound River mostly returned with great harvest."
Huang Xiaolong nodded, if there was a chance in the future, he too wanted to see the Profound River.
Wu Ge and Huang Xiaolong conversed happily, enjoying each other's company, and Huang Xiaolong seized the chance to ask Wu Ge about many things.
Although Wu Ge had given Huang Xiaolong a jade slip with descriptions of the Holy Heavens and Holy World's various situations, there were details that weren't clear enough. Thus Huang Xiaolong took this chance to ask Wu Ge.
Over an hour later, Wu Ge led Huang Xiaolong out of his place and they headed straight to the Fire and Ice Lake.
The Fire and Ice Lake was merely a little further than a stone's throw away from Wu Ge's place. A short flight time later, they arrived at the lake.
The Fire and Ice Lake, though it was called a 'lake,' it was literally a small-sized sea. Still, it was many times bigger than Emperor Yu Holy Gate's Holy River gathering point. The Fire and Ice Lake was located between two peaks, surrounded by mountainous terrains, like a crater. Between the two peaks and all around were restrictions laid out by the four Primal Ancestors.
Wu Ge's hands agilely formed seals to open a 'door' through the restrictions, and he said to Huang Xiaolong, "Your Highness, please enter to cultivate, I will stand guard for you."
"Good!" Huang Xiaolong didn't stand on ceremony and flew inside, stopping in the air above the Fire and Ice Lake.
The Fire and Ice Lake, like its name suggested, consisted of fire and ice elements. The lakebed was a thick layer of solid ice and the upper half of the lake was a vigorous sea of burning fire.
Strangely though, though fire and ice were contrary elements, these two elements in the lake also depended on each other.
Huang Xiaolong sat cross-legged in the air, and his face was illuminated by the bright burning fire.
When Huang Xiaolong circulated the Grandmist Parasitic Medium, shocking holy spiritual qi rose from the Fire and Ice Lake instantly.
Waves of ice holy spiritual qi and fire holy spiritual qi rushed endlessly into Huang Xiaolong's body.
At the same time, a mysterious energy floated to the surface from the lakebed, and enveloped Huang Xiaolong.
Gradually, Huang Xiaolong's soul began to glow in resplendent rays, and expanded to his outer physical body.
Soon, Huang Xiaolong was submerged in a wonderful feeling like never before, as if he was flying freely between ice and fire, abandoning all worldly shackles. He felt like he had broken off the natural path of life and reincarnation cycle, and broken free from the controls of heaven and earth's laws.
Similar to the experience he had felt when cultivating at the Emperor Yu Holy Gate's Holy River, Huang Xiaolong's soul began to change. Slowly but surely, it became more crystal clear, shining brilliantly.
One day, two days, ten days, one month...
The ice holy spiritual qi and fire holy spiritual qi in the lake became increasingly vigorous until at one point they turned into a storm of fire and ice. The Fire and Ice Lake's surface was bubbling like boiling water.
Initially, Wu Ge, who was guarding outside, didn't pay much attention to the movements inside, but when he noticed the bubbling surface of the Fire and Ice Lake that grew more violent as time passed, he was honestly alarmed.
"... This, what's going on?" Wu Ge was bewildered.
The whole Fire and Ice Lake's space had turned into a raging storm of fire and ice. Startling ice holy spiritual qi and fire holy spiritual qi collided constantly, hitting the erected restrictive barriers.
By this point, Huang Xiaolong's figure had completely drowned in the storm.
Wu Ge distinctively felt the mysterious energy in the Fire and Ice Lake diminishing rapidly. On top of that, he could not sense Huang Xiaolong's presence?
It was as if Huang Xiaolong did not exist in the world.
After hesitating for a brief moment, Wu Ge reported the matter to the four Primal Ancestors in a hurry.
Just as Wu Ge sent his report through the transmission symbol, a tear appeared in the sky and four figures stepped out from the void. The four Primal Ancestors had arrived.
"Ei!" The moment they appeared, they exclaimed in surprise looking at the situation inside the Fire and Ice Lake.
"Can you guys see what's going on inside?" The Heavenly Master asked the others.
"This kid won't really…?! His soul is actually transforming!" Tyrant Chu blurted out with obvious shock on his face.
Soul transformation!
Wu Ge was genuinely shocked. How was that possible?!
Wasn't this supposed to happen in the sequence of first reaching the peak Ninth Tribulation half-True Saint, then obtaining the Saint Fate, and then in the process of integrating with the Saint Fate, one's soul would begin to transform?
Yet Huang Xiaolong was just a Fourth Order Venerable!
In truth, the Heavenly Master and the others were just as shocked.
"This kid! Here I am wondering why he insists on entering the Fire and Ice Lake to cultivate. So this is the answer!" Lord Long laughed.
The Heavenly Master's mouth opened and closed several times, finally bending into a wry smile as he spoke, "If this continues, the energy inside the Fire and Ice Lake would be swallowed clean by this kid. The next top three core disciples probably can no longer cultivate here."
The four of them could feel the energy within the Fire and Ice Lake was disappearing rapidly.