"Try again."

Lin Mo's eyes glimmered like lightning as he once again condensed a more powerful Divine Thought, tirelessly solidifying it. It transformed into something akin to a silver needle, gradually approaching the black stele, and just as before, a wave of suppression was encountered.

"Break it!"

The condensed, substantial Divine Thought resisted the powerful suppression naturally emanated by the inscriptions.

Moments later, Lin Mo withdrew his Divine Thought, feeling a weariness all over his body. Simply probing the information of these inscriptions had left his soul utterly exhausted.

"The Great Power who left these inscriptions might be no less formidable than the one who used the Eastern Emperor Bell to suppress the Han Country. Could they possibly be the same person?"

Lin Mo was inwardly shocked.

This was a Secret Realm left by a Great Power, who used divine means to arrange such an environment, all for the purpose of nurturing some kind of Treasure.

"The Fourth Region was actually created by this Great Power to cultivate a Treasure?"

Lin Mo widened his eyes, even more astonished.

In the Sect, when some special Divine Grass or Divine Medicine is cultivated, suitable environments are arranged accordingly, but such a grand setup—independently creating an Ice Plateau Fourth District—all just to nurture one Treasure.

"Treasure, what kind of Treasure requires a separate Secret Realm just to grow?"

Lin Mo felt an indistinct excitement and thrill within.

According to the records on the black stele, this Secret Realm was established ten thousand years ago, almost during the ice age, and the Treasure being nurtured requires ten thousand years.

Calculating the time, in this era, the Treasure should already be complete!

"But I wonder if that Great Power has already taken the matured Treasure?"

Lin Mo furrowed his brows, his excitement slightly diminished.

But with a beast horde behind, retreat was not an option, and he could only move forward.

"Let's go see, if the Treasure has truly been taken, then I must find an exit to leave here."

Calming himself, Lin Mo pondered for a moment, his gaze falling toward the white expanse ahead, deciding to continue forward.

With gales howling and snow underfoot, the deeper he advanced, the colder it became.

A Spiritual Energy Shield formed around Lin Mo, enveloping him to ward off the snowstorm, though advancing further meant more Spiritual Energy was consumed each moment.

"Why is it getting more endless?"

Lin Mo furrowed his brows, though suspicious, he kept moving.

In the white vastness, amidst the raging wind and swirling snowflakes, a young man with black hair and black eyes, carrying a Heavy Sword on his back, advanced alone in this deserted world.

Who knows how long he had been walking, initially needing only insignificant Spiritual Energy to form a Spiritual Energy Shield to resist the frost, and now nearly consuming one-third of his Spiritual Energy to resist the cold, the further he went, the colder it got.

"No, if I continue like this, all my Spiritual Energy will be needed to fend off the cold. If I encounter a Fierce Beast, I won't be able to muster the strength to fight."

Lin Mo's mind was anxious.

The Fierce Beasts appearing in such harsh conditions must be powerful and of a certain level.

Whether to advance or retreat was a dilemma.

"No, I can only move forward. Only then can I see the dawn and hope!"

Gritting his teeth, Lin Mo clenched his hands into fists, an indescribable determination in his eyes.

"Oh, after ten thousand years, finally someone has come?"

Suddenly, an old voice echoed through the world.

"Who's talking?"

Lin Mo's face showed a wary expression, trying to extend his Divine Thought as much as possible. Yet in such harsh conditions, there seemed to be a unique constraint in the world, and his Divine Thought couldn't reach beyond thirty meters.

"Boy, come this way!"

The old voice sounded again.

Lin Mo hesitated for a moment, furrowed his Sword Eyebrow, and continued forward.

After walking about five hundred meters, the cold and fog suddenly vanished.

Before him, a bright Ice Plateau appeared, the ice like a clean mirror, without wind, frost, or ice grains, and his vision became extraordinarily wide.

"Senior, where are you? Could you come out for a meeting?"

Lin Mo cupped his hands, showing the respect as expected.

Every strong person deserves respect.

"Haha, boy, after ten thousand years, someone finally came."

A white cold vapor condensed in the air, and then a figure appeared—a White-haired Elder in a white Daoist robe, with a snowy crown and white beard. Appearing partially transparent, he was evidently not a physical entity but a leftover Divine Thought.

Seeing that the elder did not attack him, Lin Mo's vigilance relaxed a little.

"Senior, what exactly is this place? And who are you?"

Full of doubts, Lin Mo asked.

"This place? I don't know either. Who am I? I don't know either."

The elder shook his head, speaking softly.

"This—"

Lin Mo was thoroughly baffled, wasn't this clearly unwillingness to tell him? "I'll be honest with you. I am but a wisp of Divine Thought left by the original body, living here. About the original body, I know nothing, my sole duty is to wait, to wait for a fated person."

"Next, it depends on whether you can endure. The Demon Cold Flame has three levels of trials. Among the previous four people who came, two completed the First Level, and two completed half of the Second Level's trial."

The White-haired Elder, sitting on an Ice Frost Flower petal, murmured softly. Then, ignoring Lin Mo, who sat in the Lotus Ice Pool, he closed his eyes to rest.

At this point, Lin Mo's entire body had turned into ice. Even with the support of Spiritual Energy and Star Power to resist the intense cold from his body, it felt like trying to extinguish a great fire with tiny drops.

On the first day, Lin Mo's blood flow was only half the speed of normal.

On the second day, his blood flow was down to one-third, and his heartbeat began to slow dramatically.

By the seventh day, Lin Mo's blood flow had stopped entirely, with his blood vessels frozen.

On the tenth day, his powerful heart suddenly ceased beating.

He seemed to have become a crystal-clear ice sculpture, transformed from the inside out into a statue of ice.

His soul still endured the erosion of the Demon Cold Flame, the cold in his body he could disregard, but his soul being invaded by the cold, that excruciating chill was a thousand times more severe than the physical cold.

If the soul were to freeze, it truly would mean total annihilation.

"My heart is pure, I have a sincere heart, I have an undefeated spirit"

Lin Mo's soul roared, relying solely on his willpower to shield his soul from the cold invasion in the Divine Sea.

If the soul is likened to a weapon, then willpower is the warrior wielding it. If willpower retreats, no matter how powerful the soul is, it becomes merely ornamental, defenseless.

Cold!

Past memories started flooding back, his father's stern face, the mockery and indifference of others.

Time and again in crisis, growing through adversity, finding hope in hopelessness.

As if in response to Lin Mo's summoning of willpower, the Soul Fire burned brighter, causing the surrounding cold to retreat.

Outside the Ice Lotus Cold Pool, the White-haired Elder suddenly opened his eyes, revealing a look of astonishment, "Such formidable willpower?"

He gazed below, faintly smiling, "Boy, you're indeed someone who could make it here, with uncommon willpower and conviction. I hope you succeed. You've now already broken through the First Level challenge!"

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