Chapter 640

Chapter 640

I Can See Through Everything

"Mysterious Ice Cold Flame?!"

"That rare treasure has resurfaced?!"

"Wasn’t the last time it appeared over three thousand years ago?"

"So it really

is

the Mysterious Ice Cold Flame. No wonder those three started fighting!"

Upon hearing the name “Mysterious Ice Cold Flame,” the Golden Core cultivators in Ice Soul Valley finally understood the reason behind the sudden clash between the three Nascent Soul cultivators.

It turned out that this spirit flame had emerged into the world once more.

The Mysterious Ice Cold Flame was widely acknowledged as the number one spiritual item in Ice Soul Valley.

Even for Nascent Soul experts, it was an incredibly rare and precious treasure.

Yet the flame’s emergence was exceedingly rare—sometimes going unspotted for thousands, even tens of thousands of years.

Who would have thought it would suddenly appear this time?

Still, even after learning that the Mysterious Ice Cold Flame had manifested, the vast majority of Golden Core cultivators didn’t dare approach to spectate.

Although Ice Soul Valley had invisible rules that suppressed Nascent Soul cultivators’ power down to the Golden Core level—making it impossible to wield power above that realm—the sheer depth of their comprehension and control over power was far beyond what a Golden Core cultivator could match.

Even a peak Ninth Transformation Golden Core expert would still fall short in front of them.

To recklessly approach might provoke the wrath of those three—if they were mistaken for people trying to snatch a share of the flame, they’d be in for disaster.

Of course, the cautious existed, but so did the bold.

A few Golden Core cultivators, confident in their stealth techniques or armed with powerful artifacts that gave them some measure of protection, quietly crept toward the battlefield, hoping to fish in troubled waters.

"It really is the Mysterious Ice Cold Flame?"

Lu Qing was surprised as well.

He remembered the list of six treasures mentioned by the innkeeper back in town. Ranked first was none other than this Mysterious Ice Cold Flame.

"Interesting. Let’s take a look."

With a curious expression on his face, Lu Qing took a step forward and vanished, heading toward where the three Nascent Soul cultivators were clashing.

Their battle was centered in the heart of Ice Soul Valley. With Lu Qing’s speed, he arrived in no time.

As he drew near, he sensed several other auras concealed nearby.

He raised a brow—there really were people bold enough to hide beneath the noses of three Nascent Soul experts in an attempt to fish for a treasure?

But Lu Qing didn’t dwell on them. He shifted his attention forward.

There in the sky, three figures were locked in a chaotic melee. Techniques and artifacts collided, unleashing terrifying shockwaves that sent chills down any observer’s spine.

Beneath the three, a towering altar stood. Layers upon layers of seals covered it, and at its center, a wisp of ghostly blue flame danced gently.

Upon seeing it, Lu Qing activated his Spiritual Powers to inspect it.

Almost instantly, several lines of floating information appeared before his eyes.

【Mysterious Ice Cold Flame: A supreme spirit flame born from the foundational laws of Ice Soul Valley.】

【This flame contains the Law of Ice, capable of absolute cold that can freeze all things.】

【It can even freeze divine souls.】

【Refining this flame can temper one’s meridians and bones, rebirth the body, and allow constant insight into the Law of Ice to elevate one's cultivation realm.】

…

"This Mysterious Ice Cold Flame is truly marvelous. No wonder it's the number one treasure of Ice Soul Valley."

After reading the details, Lu Qing immediately decided that he had to obtain it.

For no other reason than this flame being

perfect

for Xiao Yan.

If Xiao Yan could refine it as her life-bound spirit flame, the benefits would be immense.

Sensing the strength of the seals on the altar, and glancing up at the three still engaged in combat, Lu Qing quickly realized why none of them had claimed the flame yet.

The altar's seal was extremely powerful—not something easily broken.

With the three cultivators locked in a standoff, none could spare the focus to crack the seal and retrieve the flame.

But Lu Qing also knew that despite the battle above, their attention was undoubtedly still monitoring the altar below. Anyone who dared reach for the Mysterious Ice Cold Flame would instantly provoke their fury.

At that point, the wrath of three Nascent Soul experts would be enough to obliterate even a peak Ninth Transformation Golden Core cultivator in an instant.

Lu Qing, however, wasn’t planning on exposing too much of his strength just yet. If he wanted to seize the Mysterious Ice Cold Flame, he needed a well-crafted plan.

After all, he was still being hunted by the Holy Assembly. If he revealed power sufficient to defeat Nascent Soul experts with ease, his identity would surely be exposed.

After some thought, Lu Qing sent a voice transmission to Xiao Li. “Xiao Li, I’ve got a plan. I’ll need your help in a bit.”

As Lu Qing explained, Xiao Li’s eyes lit up.

By the time he finished, Xiao Li was nodding excitedly. “Okay, let’s do it your way!”

“Just remember—don’t force it. If anything seems off, return immediately.”

“I got it!”

Before the words left its mouth, Xiao Li vanished, melting into space itself.

Even Lu Qing could no longer sense its presence.

Let alone the three Nascent Soul cultivators in the sky—completely unaware.

“Ah Qing, I’m in position.”

A moment later, Xiao Li’s voice echoed in Lu Qing’s mind.

“Good. When I slash open the seal, grab the Mysterious Ice Cold Flame and come back at once,” Lu Qing instructed.

“Okay!”

Lu Qing began silently condensing his sword intent, suppressing his aura as much as possible so as not to alert the three above.

His plan was simple: let Xiao Li use its spatial abilities to sneak in front of the altar, then at the instant Lu Qing broke the seal with a sword strike, Xiao Li would snatch the flame.

That way, they wouldn’t have to directly confront the three Nascent Soul experts.

As for Xiao Li’s safety, Lu Qing wasn’t worried.

Aside from the fact that he was watching over it, Xiao Li had undergone a qualitative transformation after training in the secret realm, mastering the first transformation of the Divine Dragon’s Nine Imprints.

Its strength—and especially its spatial abilities—had soared.

Now, when it melded into space, even an early-stage Nascent Soul expert would struggle to detect it.

Lu Qing continued condensing sword intent. Above him, the three cultivators remained unaware.

Soon, the sword intent reached its peak. His eyes opened slightly.

In the next instant, a gleaming sword light burst forth—blindingly brilliant—as he unleashed a slash aimed directly at the altar.

The moment Lu Qing attacked, the three Nascent Soul cultivators reacted.

All three abruptly felt a wave of terrifying sword intent descend. They ceased fighting and retreated, looking down in alarm.

There, they saw a concentrated beam of sword light slicing toward the altar where the Mysterious Ice Cold Flame was sealed.

In a flash, it shattered the intricate seals—seals strong enough to resist even Nascent Soul-level attacks—exposing the blue flame.

Before they could react, a small furry paw extended from the void, snatched the Mysterious Ice Cold Flame, and vanished once more.

“Who dares! Stealing from under our very noses?!”

The three cultivators finally realized what had happened.

Someone had seized the moment during their battle to steal the Mysterious Ice Cold Flame—snatching it right out from under their noses!

“Ah Qing! I got it!”

Xiao Li reappeared on Lu Qing’s shoulder and slipped into his hood.

Without hesitation, Lu Qing transformed into a streak of sword light and fled at full speed.

“You little thief! You think you can escape?!”

The three Nascent Soul cultivators had already locked onto Lu Qing the moment he unleashed his sword light.

Realizing he was trying to escape, they chased after him without hesitation.

And when they sensed Lu Qing’s aura—still at the Golden Core level—their fury exploded.

They had been fighting with all their might, only for a Golden Core cultivator to snatch the prize?

If word got out, they’d become a laughingstock!

So whether for revenge or for pride, they were determined to capture this “Golden Core thief” and make him pay the price of provoking Nascent Soul experts.

Though the narrative seemed long, from the moment Lu Qing struck to Xiao Li snatching the flame and the three experts giving chase, it all happened in the blink of an eye.

Only after the Nascent Soul cultivators vanished into the distance did the Golden Core cultivators lurking in the snowy forest finally realize what had just happened.

They all stared, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, forgetting even to stay hidden.

“Who was that guy? That was insane! He stole the Mysterious Ice Cold Flame right in front of three Nascent Soul experts!”

“If he gets caught, he’s done for. They’ll skin him alive!”

“That guy looked familiar… Wasn’t he the one sitting on a cloud, pretending to cultivate before Ice Soul Valley fully revealed itself?”

“Well, he’s screwed. There’s no way those three let him go. A mere Golden Core dares play tricks on Nascent Soul cultivators? He’s dead meat!”

All of them were convinced Lu Qing would be caught and tortured to death.

What they didn’t know was—those three Nascent Soul experts were

also

shocked.

“How is his flight speed this fast?!”

One of them couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Despite all three pushing their movement techniques to the limit, they couldn’t close the gap.

In fact, Lu Qing’s sword-light was steadily pulling away.

That meant… his escape speed was actually faster than the three Nascent Soul experts combined!

“He’s a sword cultivator. And quite a powerful one—probably already at the eighth or ninth transformation of the Golden Core Realm. Otherwise, he couldn’t be this fast.”

Another cultivator analyzed Lu Qing’s sword intent and offered his conclusion.

“Damn it. Our cultivation is being suppressed to the Golden Core level inside Ice Soul Valley—and now we’re being humiliated by a Golden Core brat!”

The other two looked equally grim.

Outside this place, catching a Golden Core cultivator would be effortless.

But here, with their power restricted, they couldn’t catch up to a sword cultivator known for extreme speed—it was a disgrace!

“Wait… the direction he’s fleeing—it looks like he’s headed

out

of the valley?”

One of them suddenly noticed.

The others’ eyes lit up.

Sure enough, Lu Qing was heading straight for the exit of Ice Soul Valley.

“What a fool! In his panic, he’s running straight out of the valley!”

“As soon as he leaves, without the suppression of these weird rules, he won’t stand a chance!”

Realizing this, the three Nascent Soul cultivators felt renewed hope.

Once they exited the valley, with their full strength restored, it wouldn’t matter how fast Lu Qing was—he wouldn’t escape their grasp.

Their eyes locked on Lu Qing’s sword-light. There would be no escape.

At this moment, the three who had previously been bitter enemies now shared a single goal: capture that thief and grind his bones to dust.

“Ah Qing, they’re closing in! What now?” asked Xiao Li, sensing the three gaining ground behind them.

Yet its voice held no trace of panic.

It knew—those three were no match for Ah Qing.

“Let them follow. Once we’re out, they won’t be able to keep up,” Lu Qing said calmly.

Within Ice Soul Valley, the rules suppressed not just their power, but his teleportation talismans as well.

Even his speed was capped at peak Golden Core level.

Otherwise, he would’ve shaken them off long ago.

Still, Ice Soul Valley wasn’t endless. With Lu Qing’s speed, he soon reached its edge.

He didn’t hesitate—flying straight out.

“That thief really left the valley!”

The three pursuers, now a bit behind, were overjoyed.

They were already imagining how they’d torment him once he was caught.

But at that moment, Lu Qing—just as he was exiting the valley—suddenly turned.

With a flash of sword intent, he released three sharp sword slashes, one aimed at each of them.

“Arrogant brat!”

All three laughed in rage.

Even while fleeing, the kid dared to attack them?

He didn’t take them seriously at all!

“Wait… these sword slashes—”

Just as the sword qi was about to reach them, all three suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.

An overwhelming sword intent exploded forth—filled with the will to cleave heaven and earth.

A sense of impending death surged through their minds.

Shocked, the three of them reacted instantly. With their auras flaring, they each unleashed their full power to intercept the sword qi.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three massive explosions shook all of Ice Soul Valley.

The three Nascent Soul cultivators were engulfed in a storm of razor-sharp sword qi.

Within several miles, the snowy forest was reduced to rubble.