Chapter 9: Ice Purgatory
Within a vast hall, there was an unusual huge stone with archaic writings on it. Atop the stone dozens of names were glowing boastfully, lightening the surroundings with an icy radiance. The names were organized scrupulously in columns, excluding one. Above the two columns was another name, and it was larger, and its glow was more profound. The titanic stone was very notable. It should have been the first thing to catch one's attention, and one's attention would be caught if not for the prominent door at the far most end of the hall. The door was massive yet majestic with sealing formations glowing perilously on in. Moreover, it seems their creator did not intend to hide them.
Not far away, a youth stood. He was glaring at the door, and It seemed he was pondering about something. The youth had long, silver-black hair and ruby-colored beautiful eyes. His face, which could daze even the most emotionless woman, could not be described in mere words. The air around him did not contain the slightest arrogance or overbearingness. Despite the tattoo under his soul-stealing eye, he looked very peaceful and gentle wearing his flawless white attire.
"Ice Purgatory Trial, heh…" He muttered quietly.
The youth without a doubt was Yun Yu, who was standing in front of the entrance to the Ice Purgatory Trial, and the huge stone was the Frozen Cloud Measuring Stone with Yun Yu's name atop of it. He was curious about the so-called 'Ice Purgatory,' thus after comprehending the Frozen End Divine Arts and resting for a while in his housing, he had headed toward the Asgard's Trial Hall.
Even Chu Yuechan claimed that The Ice Purgatory was a place that truly measures one's abilities and willpower. Obviously, he was not brainless to the point of believing that he is able to survive in a place that even the Head Fairy considers dangerous. However, he assumed that the Ice Purgatory does not examine one's raw power, but instead, one's proficiency in the Water Law.
And he was right! The Ice Purgatory is divided into more than thirty floors. Each floor contains wild and unrestrained Frozen Profound Energy, which can instantly freeze someone to death if he or she is not able to withstand it. That is precisely the reason why the Ice Purgatory is being sealed. Although all Cloud's disciples cultivate Water Profound Arts, and they are resistant to Ice Energy to a certain degree, they still have their limitations, and when they reach it, they must use their Profound Energy to protect their bodies.
Moreover, the deeper one goes into the Ice Purgatory, the denser and more unstable the Ice Energy becomes; occasionally, the Cold Energy from the lower floors might seep into the higher ones or even outside the Ice Purgatory. Therefore, it is sealed most of the time, and when it is not, Junior disciples are not allowed to cultivate there without their seniors! Although Yun Yu did not know to what degree he is immune to Frozen Profound Energy, he was quite sure he would be able to bear the initial floors.
"Perhaps…" He felt suspicious, but he would not lose anything.
Yun Yu lifted his palm, and the next moment, it began glowing with an icy color. As expected, when his palm reached the door…
Nothing happened…
…
…
…
"Hmph! Obviously, that did not work!!" He scoffed. "If the door could be unsealed by Frozen Cloud Arts, every disciple would be able to open it…" Even for a moment, Yun Yu did not believe that he would be able to unseal the door using Frozen Cloud Arts.
"However… " He felt something familiar when he inspected the formation. His palm began glowing again, though this time instead of the icy blue color, a pale amethyst radiance was released. The light was gentle, yet mysterious; it illuminated his flawless face, and when it reached the formations… The door began moving. Despite being massive in size, at least a dozen times larger than Yun Yu, no sound could be heard from the door as it moved.
~Woosh~
The already cold Hall became even colder; to his surprise, he did not find anything resembling an 'Ice Purgatory' behind the door, rather it looked like a room made of deep translucent blue-green stone, the same stone he had seen in the Frozen End Divine Hall. The room was much colder than it should be, and although vaguely Yun Yu was able to see something beneath the partially-transparent stones, probably the first floor of the so-called 'Ice Purgatory.'
"And this?" He wondered.
At the midpoint of the room was an apparent circular budge that was two meters wide and several inches tall. As Yun Yu came closer, he noticed some unique patterns engraved upon the prostration. They seemed quite similar to the ringlike budge he had seen within the Frozen End Divine Hall, yet less complex and enigmatic. Besides the platform was a rather big block of ice; Yun Yu saw three big distinct words deeply engraved upon that block:
"Profound transferral Formation!"
He got up on the platform and channeled his Profound Energy into the formation…
"Cultivation is insufficient to enter the Ice Purgatory Trial, you shall leave!" The ice block glowed slightly as an elegantly inscribed warning appeared upon it, and disappeared the next moment.
"Perfect!" He cursed aloud.
Yun Yu channeled his Frozen End Divine Art with some expectations; a pale purple fluorescence engulfed the ancient platform, soon enough it began to glow as well, and Yun Yu disappeared from his place.
"How convenient!" He rolled his eyes and said sarcastically: "My Immortal Palace' Ancestor had some issues with this art…"
He observed the sight around him, and what he saw was mostly a pale blue mist that covered his vision. Naturally, the fog contained densified Frozen Profound Energy. Yun Yu did not feel any discomfort from it. Instead, he felt like his body was being washed and nourished by the cold energy. He wanted to immerse himself in deep cultivation utilizing this incredible environment; however, this was only the first floor, and his greed and curiosity were piqued!
Even though his vision was blurred due to the mist around him, he still was able to vaguely see the icicled top of the first floor, and the blue-green stones at the far left corner, the floor of the room he was transported from… Moreover, he could notice various trees and plants all around, they were all beautifully covered in ice.
"And how should I return? This young master cannot be stuck here, right?!"
As he had no other choice, he could only explore this place. At the very worst, he would simply cultivate here silently until a lovely Senior Sister would accidentally find him… or until he would starve to death… Second Stage Elementary Profound Cultivators were not much different from a regular person in this aspect; they have to eat like a normal human being, lest they want to die. Strangely, Yun Yu's body was somewhat unique; he did not encounter any difficulties cultivating almost for a week, without consuming any food.
Frozen Cloud's disciples were supplied with pills, herbs and other nutritious goods; nevertheless, when Yun Yu asked Chu Yuechan about 'normal' food and delicacies, she looked at him strangely and directly ignored him, leaving the poor Yun Yu speechless. Although Jun Lianqie had given Yun Yu a Spatial Ring, he did not store any of those pills inside it. He forgot about that, not to mention he was not very fond of them. Moreover, he was always inside the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace; thus, there was not a reason to do so.
After wandering in this murky world for ten minutes, he finely noticed something unusual, a high enough azure pillar with some words on it:
"Ice Purgatory Second Floor!"
"Mmm… It seems this place divided into floors or levels…" The Ice Purgatory has a sloped surface. The further one goes, the deeper he enters into the purgatory and the denser and more savage the Frozen Profound Energy becomes. Yun Yu indeed felt that the Ice Energy intensified, yet it had not made any difference to him. Besides the azure pillar was yet another Profound transferral Formation. "So this is how I return," he smiled lightly but did not come close.
At first, he merely planned to take a glance at this so-called 'Ice Purgatory.' However, maybe it was his hot-blood, curiosity, or even arrogance that prevented him from leaving, or it might have been that he had expected more of this place.
Yun Yu proceded further, deeper into the purgatory.
Third Floor…
Fourth Floor…
…
…
…
A day had passed. Yun Yu reached the tenth floor, and the cold energy became noticeably denser and more unstable; the mist was thicker, preventing Yun Yu to see his road almost entirely.
…
…
The thirteenth floor was unbearable, the Ice Energy stormed and danced wildly; the wind howled and whistled, moving the icy mist chaotically. Occasionally Yun Yu could feel the spiked pieces of ice hitting his body mercilessly.
"It seems I've almost reached my limit…I should return as I reach the fifteenth floor…" Yun Yu noticed that there is a Profound transferral Formation every five floors; hence, he wanted to reach the fifteenth floor. Although the Profound Frozen Energy did not cause him any trouble, and he even felt comfortable in its 'embrace.' The cruel environment, the sharp wind, and the thick mist exhausted him physically and mentally.
The fourteenth floor… Yun Yu, who was too stubborn to give up and return to the tenth floor, gritted his white teeth and proceded further…
"Haah… Haah… Haah…" When he finally reached the fifteenth floor, he was too exhausted and did not notice the peacefulness around. He collapsed on the chilling ice and breathed greedily. When he got his breathing, he observed his surroundings and got dumbstruck. There was neither howling wind nor thick mist, which prevented him from seeing; instead, the fifteenth floor seemed absolutely tranquil. Alternatively to the crunchy snow, beneath his feet was flawlessly smooth and translucent ice.
However, the fiftieth floor was by no mean a 'rest point,' but the actual entrance to the Ice Purgatory. The Frozen Profound Energy here condensed to the point of being unable to maintain its gaseous state causing everything to freeze. Yun Yu enjoyed this feeling, he felt the Ice Energy rushing to his body and making it at ease; however, for the Palace Disciples, it was pure hell. The Ice Purgatory is considered dangerous not because of the wild environment of the first fourteen floors. After all, anyone who had slightly higher cultivation than Yun Yu would be able to overcome the wind and the mist easily. The Ice Energy nonetheless could freeze someone instantly, yet if one had enough talent and affinity, one would be able to use this Ice Energy to progress at a breakneck speed.
Originally, Yun Yu planned to use the Profound transferral Formation at the fifteenth floor to return; however, now, when he is able to go further… The curiosity of a fifteen-years-old youth is truly… remarkable…
Sixteenth floor…
Seventeenth floor…
Eighteenth floor…
…
…
…
Three days had passed since Yun Yu entered the Ice Purgatory, by now, he already reached the twenty-fifth floor. Although the scenery at the Ice Purgatory after the fifteenth floor was mostly monotonous, Yun Yu still encountered things that were worthy enough to explore this place for them. For example, on the twenty-third floor, he found a phenomenal tree called 'The Glowing Crystalline Tree'; as its name implies, it was made of glowing artistic Ice Crystals. Moreover, he found a decent variety of herbs and plants, which he recognized would be useful in the future, similar to the 'Crying Azure Lotus,' 'The White Udumbara,' 'The Black Orchid Crown' and a few more. He stored them in the yellow Spatial Ring given him by Jun Lianqie.
As for the Ice Energy here, it was so condensed and pure that nobody under the Sky Profound Realm would be able to survive here. Yun Yu, nevertheless, ambled here leisurely as though it was his courtyard.
XXX
Another day had passed; Yun Yu finally reached the thirtieth floor. Unknown to him neither the current Palace Mistress, Gong Yuxian, nor the Grand Palace Mistress, Feng Qianhui, nor anybody from the previous generations for nine hundred years had succeeded to achieve that. Yun Yu looked all around, and he noticed a rare phenomenon.
The difference between the density in the Frozen Profound Energy of the twenty-ninth floor and the thirtieth floor was too far apart. This disparity caused enormous pressure between the layers, which led to a lack of stability. Thus, multiple ice patterns and cracks appeared in the air precisely amid the layers; it looked like the world was split into two.
The same pressure produced a massive cyclone not far away from the Profound Transferral Formation. If this cyclone were caused by winds rotating around a specific center, Yun Yu would be easily sucked and torn to shreds shortly afterward. Fortunately, it was created of a very condensed Ice Energy; therefore, it did not produce any sucking force. Also, it was surprisingly stable and did not move from its 'place.'
When Yun Yu had not felt any danger from it, he began to get closer. As he was close enough, he extended a hand toward the cyclone. Surprisingly he felt almost nothing, sure it was made of Ice Energy, but the entire Ice Purgatory contained more Ice Energy than air. Therefore, Yun Yu felt nothing unusual.
Yun Yu fully immersed himself within the cyclone and began moving forward; it seems that curiosity might really kill the cat… After moving in the dark for a short amount of time, he eventually reached the 'eye of the storm.' What he saw was startlingly a pond and not a frozen one. For water not to freeze at an extremely low temperature, it must contain high-level ice laws; however, nothing seemed to be the reason for that. Moreover, the rare flora around the pond did not contain any unusual ice laws.
Before his eyes, was a pond so clear that the bottom could be seen at its shallow places. It was not too large. If Yun Yu had been in the Frozen Cloud Wintery Spring, he would have probably said that the pond before his eyes was merely a few times bigger. Not that he had even been or would be soon unless he wanted to be castrated. The pond itself seemed to be absolutely free of any flora, but Yun Yu noticed a flower at the right middle.
It was 100 centimeters tall by 30 centimeters wide with three compound leaves on light purple to amethyst stems. The outer petals were black, while the inner ones were very dark purple in color. The flowers strikingly resemble the conventional heart shape, with a droplet beneath – hence the name:
"——" Yun Yu opened his mouth, but not more than a choking sound came out...
"Abyssal… Bleeding… Heart…" Yun Yu seemed to lose his soul as he finally muttered these words.
He suddenly felt sad and lonely… His heart ached as he tried to remember something… However, the only thing he managed to see was the same colorless black world…
~Clink~ ~Clink~ ~Clink~
He did not know why, but drops began falling from his ruby-colored eyes… Right after they were frozen and shattered of the beautifully translucent ice…
"Why… Why…" He desperately tried to remember. He wanted to remember! However, again and again, only the monotonous black world tortured his mind.
The cyclone was howling chaotically outside, yet the pond was absolutely peaceful, soundless and windless. The flower, nevertheless, was moving hypnotically back and forth… A purple drop began to condense on its petals… finally, it dropped into the water with a splashing sound.
~Plack~
Yun Yu, who saw this was tranced, the scene of the dropping drop was repeatedly playing in his mind, but nothing helped. Every time he tried to remember something, he failed and saw black…
His eyes were repeatedly contracting and expanding in a haze.
"ARRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! ENOUGH!!!!!!!" He roared, breaking off the trance.
"Haah… Haah…"
After some time, he regained his calm and looked at the beautiful flower, sadly.
"No wonder the water doesn't freeze, the Abyssal Bleeding Heart has an elemental resistance, especially toward the water law. When it releases its 'tear,' it spreads its essence causing the water to stay liquified and prevent any flora from growing within the pond…"
He looked around and said: "It looks like a good place to cultivate…" He had enough of exploring the Ice Purgatory.
He removed his white attire, moving it into the Spatial Ring, exposing his lean figure. He was not too muscular but had beautiful and symmetrical proportions, especially for his age. His arms, chest, and abs were quite defined; his white, blemish-free skin, which would put most women in shame looked very beautiful, particularly with his long hair falling over his shoulders.
When Yun Yu looked at his reflection in the pond, he thought that it might be pleasant to have a slightly more muscular figure… Even though this youth was beyond perfection, he still managed to ask for more… If he were to be hit by lightning due to his shamelessness, nobody would be surprised.
Then he entered into the pond and focused on feeling the flow of the cold energy and its laws within the water. While being immersed in the process, he unconsciously entered a state of deep cultivation, during which one would not be able to feel the passing of time, and with one's six basic senses being sealed. The intense cold energy rushed to his body and obeyed to his every will…
XXX
Three months had passed since Yun Yu entered the pond. Chu Yuechan and Gong Yuxian still thought he was busy comprehending The Frozen End Divine Arts; thus, nobody noticed his disappearance.
More than a hundred disciples gathered within a spacious hall, some had a serene expression, but the seriousness in their eyes could not be hidden. Others were retaking the trial of the Measuring Stone in the hope that something might have changed; 'talent' in the end was a very abstract thing.
While a few of them were staring curiously at the name at the far most peak of the stone. Among them was a beautiful girl with a cute and attractive face, shd had long black hair and big watery eyes. Her brows seemed to twitch lightly every time her eyes passed Yun Yu's name, and this frown did not escape the fairy-like beauty's vision besides her.
"Mu Xiang, you shouldn't get disturbed, soon we'll enter the Ice Purgatory Trial." Shui Wushuang said calmly.
Although the Ice Purgatory was dangerous, the Immortal palace' disciples lacked fighting experience, and they needed a way to strengthen the willpower and their surviving abilities. Therefore the Ice Purgatory opened several times a year, and the most talented disciples of the younger generation were allowed to gain that experience. Moreover, they could use the extremely pure Profound Frozen Energy to enhance their cultivation rapidly.
"Hmph! How did he dare to humiliate me?! I will repay him fully next time I see him!" Mu Xiang's eyes glowed with determination.
"Juniors!" An alluring voice interrupted their thoughts.
Besides the entrance to the Ice Purgatory, a breath-taking beauty appeared of nowhere, she had ink-black long hair and dark, alluring eyes. She was eye-catching not only due to her otherworldly beauty but also because of her black attire, with only its collar covered with white fur.
"Disciple greets Senior Lianqie!" All the disciples said harmoniously.
When Jun Lianqie was sure she caught their attention, she proceeded: "I volunteered to observe your trial this time! You may feel ~honored~" The truth, however, was that Gong Yuxian ordered her to do so. Usually, as one of the fairies, she does not have any duties; nevertheless, it seems she somehow managed to piss Gong Yuxian off.
She smiled playfully and hugged her waist with her arm, pressing her already ample chest even higher. The charm of this enchantress was not something restricted by a mere gender… Even though all the disciples in the hall were women, Jun Lianqie succeeded to attract glances of yearning and admiration, so that even the Frozen Heart Arts were ineffective.
Satisfied with herself, she walked toward the massive door. She extended her white and flawless palm and closed her eyes. The next moment the sealing formation was removed. As one of the fairies of The Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace, she obviously knew how to enter the Ice Purgatory. As the door was unlocked, thirty-six exquisite crystals appeared on it, each for every floor…
"Ah?!" The next moment, however, her playful smile froze, and her rosy cheeks paled instantly.
The thirtieth crystal was glowing!
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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