Half a day later.
Mu Jinyu followed the Barbarian King to the summit of the Great Snow Mountain. There was a bottomless pit there, with cold air swirling upward, resembling a gateway to Hell on Earth.
This was the entrance to the Extremely Cold Hell.
A place as dangerous as the Cursed Soul Forest, a death zone feared by all.
"Let's go!"
The Barbarian King's expression turned more serious. He called out to Mu Jinyu, then leaped into the pit.
Seeing this, Mu Jinyu also jumped into the pit.
Ten minutes later.
The two finally landed.
Mu Jinyu estimated that they had fallen at least a thousand meters.
"Phew..."
Mu Jinyu felt a bit chilled, instinctively rubbed his hands, and looked down to find that his hands had turned slightly blue from the cold.
This was incredible.
Up until today, his body had been tempered to rival the Flood Dragon. His Qi-Blood was so vigorous that even in the Northern Cold Lands, he never felt the slightest cold. Even the Mysterious Ice Marrow couldn't harm him.
But now, just at the outskirts of the Extremely Cold Hell, he'd gotten frostbite.
"This damned place is just too cold..."
The Barbarian King couldn't help but shrink slightly, complaining.
Then, he behaved uncharacteristically, taking out several large coats made of rough animal skin from his Storage Bag, put them on, covered up his bare chest, and wore a fur hat, ear covers, gloves, and other cold resistant clothing.
Instantly, the Barbarian King's image transformed from a summer heat dissipating brute to a frail young man swathed in several layers of fur coats.
"Want one? I brought extras."
After putting on his clothes and feeling much better, the Barbarian King took out a few more fur coats, offering them to Mu Jinyu.
Mu Jinyu shook his head and said, "Not yet. If I need it, I won't be polite."
After speaking, he took out the Bi Fang Cauldron, shrank it to the size of a fist, and held it in his palm. With a slight activation, the temperature around them rose immediately.
"Hmm, now it feels quite comfortable."
The Barbarian King, observing Mu Jinyu's actions, was slightly surprised by his Magic Treasure. He thought about taking his coat off but realized it would be cumbersome to put it on and off again, especially since it might get even colder inside the Extremely Cold Hell.
The two then began to walk into the Extremely Cold Hell.
"Do you know the exact location?"
The Barbarian King asked Mu Jinyu as he walked, "I heard from the elders in the tribe that the Extremely Cold Hell is vast and may take over a month to explore thoroughly."
His expression showed a touch of sentiment, "It's said that our Hanchi Tribe's Guardian God, a true Divine Beast Han Chi, lived for several thousand years and finally came here to find a treasure to extend its life. Unfortunately, even though it returned from the Extremely Cold Hell alive, it froze to death a day later, turning to ice splinters without leaving a body."
Mu Jinyu, hearing the Barbarian King's words, his expression shifted, his face growing more solemn.
Chi, one of the Nine Offspring of the Dragon, also known as the Ice Dragon, yet such a Divine Beast froze to death in the Extremely Cold Hell. It was as inconceivable as a Fire Phoenix burning to death.
But the Barbarian King wouldn't lie. His tribe was indeed called the Hanchi Tribe, proving that their totem Guardian Beast was once a Hanchi. Therefore, the dangers of the Extremely Cold Hell should far exceed what had been conveyed from the Heavenly Palace.
Shaking his head, Mu Jinyu said, "I don't have the exact location of the Cold Soul Six Spirit Ganoderma, only that it has appeared here before."
"Which way should we go next?"
As they spoke, they encountered three branching paths. The Barbarian King couldn't help but ask.
"Let's have a look first..."
Mu Jinyu frowned and walked towards the forks in the road.
After careful observation, Mu Jinyu noticed that the icicles at the entrances of the left and right caves weren't as dense as the middle one. The cold air from the middle cave was also much stronger than from the left and right ones.
Then, his Divine Sense slowly extended into the three caves.
The left and right caves felt tolerable, no different from the path they just traveled. But the middle cave had an overwhelmingly cold frigid air that seemed capable of harming even the Soul.
Withstanding the intense pain of his freezing Divine Sense, Mu Jinyu observed the middle path further and discovered many small bone fragments.
Realizing this, Mu Jinyu knew the middle path was significantly more dangerous than the others. Otherwise, it wouldn't have more bones than the other paths with none at all.
Perhaps these bone fragments were from the most powerful people who had explored the Extremely Cold Hell over the years, or even they couldn't leave more than fragments behind.
"Hmm..." Mu Jinyu mused aloud, "The Cold Soul Six Spirit Ganoderma is said to grow only in the Pit of Ten Thousand Bones in the extremely cold lands. Without sufficient cold and Soul Thought, this Spiritual Medicine seemingly wouldn't exist..."
"If that's the case, it should be the middle path, right?"
Mu Jinyu wasn't entirely sure.
He then turned to the Barbarian King and said, "I feel it's too dangerous here. You should retreat."
Feeling slightly awkward, Mu Jinyu took out a Hedao Fruit and said, "This is to thank you for your hospitality and care along the way. It's too dangerous in here; I'll go by myself."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" The Barbarian King refused to take the Hedao Fruit, his brows furrowing in reprimand, "We've come all this way together, how could I abandon you?"
"If I don't help you find the Cold Soul Six Spirit Ganoderma, I have no face to accept your Hedao Fruit?"
"Let's go. I've reached the Mid Hedao Realm. Do you think you're stronger than me?"
The Barbarian King said, taking the lead towards the middle cave.
Mu Jinyu was a bit helpless but felt warmth in his heart. He quickly followed, intensifying the Bi Fang Cauldron's power to enshroud them in a glow, greatly reducing the surrounding cold invasion.
The two gradually moved deeper in, and after walking for over ten minutes, the Barbarian King shivered suddenly, couldn't help rubbing his hands, and mumbled, "It's getting colder and colder."
"Take this Elixir; it might help."
Mu Jinyu, now dressed in a cold-resistant Vestment robe, handed over a crimson Elixir after hearing the Barbarian King's words.
"What's this?" The Barbarian King curiously asked, took it, and gulped it down.
Mu Jinyu explained, "An Elixir made from the thousand-year-old Phoenix Tree Spirit Wood. I removed the inner fire poison; it can greatly resist the cold."
Even without further explanation, the Barbarian King felt a warm stream flow from his belly, reaching his limbs and bones, providing relief to his previously freezing body.
"Hey, what's that...?!"
The Barbarian King, feeling much better, twisted his neck a bit, producing crackling sounds. Then his eyes focused intently on an ice block not far ahead on the path.