Chapter 73: Enhancing the Bone Spirit Cold Flame

The cave was filled with a chilling, bone-deep cold. The air itself felt frozen, creating a faint, icy mist with each breath that hung in the air.

On the cave walls, crystals gleamed like polished jade, their bluish hues shimmering in the faint light. A thin layer of frost covered the ground, as if the spiritual energy itself had solidified, blanketing every inch in a gentle, crystalline frost.

Deep in the cave, a massive piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Ice stood at the center, its surface smooth like a mirror, reflecting everything within the cave. Smaller chunks of black ice lay scattered around it, and atop this central piece was the precious Ten-Thousand-Year Frozen Marrow.

Seeing the treasure before them, the Heavenly Dream Iceworm drooled and exclaimed, "Wow! I didn't think there'd be so much Ten-Thousand-Year Frozen Marrow here. A hundred thousand years ago, when I was hunted by my natural enemies, I was lucky enough to fall into an ice cavern filled with this Frozen Marrow."

"I ate and slept, then ate some more, and eventually, I reached my million-year cultivation. Xiao Yan, kid, you're really in luck this time."

"Heh, I've always had pretty good luck. Seems like this stuff is quite valuable," Xiao Yan replied nonchalantly. With his jade scoop wrapped in battle energy, he carefully dug out a chunk of the Ten-Thousand-Year Frozen Marrow with ease.

But just then, a pair of crimson eyes appeared in the darkness behind Xiao Yan. Moments later, those eyes grew larger, and with a low, rumbling sound, the Titan Snow Demon King emerged.

"Roar!" With a furious roar, the Titan Snow Demon King unleashed a sound so powerful that cracks appeared in the surrounding black ice.

The sudden roar startled Xiao Yan, causing him to tremble, and a portion of the Ten-Thousand-Year Frozen Marrow in his jade scoop spilled onto the ground.

"Discovered? Kid, forget about gathering any more! Run!" Yao Lao urgently shouted as he saw the Titan Snow Demon King approaching.

Xiao Yan's face tightened. Quickly, he stuffed the remaining Frozen Marrow into a jade vial. He glanced at the precious morsels on the ground, and despite Yao Lao's and the Snow Demon King's incredulous stares, he threw himself to the ground and used his tongue to lap up every last bit of the spilled Frozen Marrow.

"Are you serious? Now of all times?" Yao Lao's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but curse in astonishment, mimicking Xiao Yan's usual style.

"Teacher, you're here, right? No need to worry! Waste not, want not." Xiao Yan's voice was tinged with bitterness as he stood up, his gaze shifting nervously to the Titan Snow Demon King, who now blocked the exit entirely.

The Titan Snow Demon King let out a furious stomp, causing the entire cave to tremble. With that force, its massive body launched forward like a white missile, aiming directly for Xiao Yan.

"Ah, teacher, save me!" Watching the massive creature charge at him, Xiao Yan's mouth twitched. He quickly swallowed hard and stuffed his Heavy Xuan Ruler into his storage soul tool.

With the ruler off his back, Xiao Yan felt much lighter, and the battle energy within him flowed more freely.

In an instant, the Titan Snow Demon King was upon him. Ice gathered at its fingertips, forming a half-meter-long claw of chilling ice, which it aimed straight for Xiao Yan's heart.

"Spirit Interference! Spirit Detection!"

Xiao Yan's first soul ring lit up, and a dazzling golden light burst from his eyes. The Titan Snow Demon King was momentarily stunned, allowing Xiao Yan to barely dodge the icy claw.

"Roar!"

The Titan Snow Demon King's blood-red eyes burned with even more killing intent. It pounded its massive chest, opened its maw, and released a deafening roar powerful enough to split stone.

Simultaneously, a tremendous aura surged from its body, pressing down on Xiao Yan, who immediately felt cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"Teacher, if you don't act now, I'm done for," Xiao Yan muttered, unable to move under the immense pressure as he looked up at the towering Titan Snow Demon King.

"Haha, relax. I just wanted to see how far you could go on your own. Now, leave the rest to me," Yao Lao's calm voice echoed as a terrifying aura erupted from within Xiao Yan.

Sensing this overwhelming power, the Titan Snow Demon King's face showed a hint of shock. It opened its massive jaws, and a crescent-shaped ice blade began to form in its palm.

"Roar!" Another low growl escaped as it swung its arm, launching the crescent ice blade at Xiao Yan. The ground tore apart in its wake, leaving deep furrows.

Xiao Yan remained calm, eyes narrowing as he extended his hand. A bone-chilling white flame suddenly burst from his palm.

"Shatter!"

With a light flick of his hand, the icy blade froze in mid-air, and a massive white vortex formed in the cave.

In a flash, the vortex swallowed the Titan Snow Demon King, trapping it within a layer of frost that turned it into a frozen statue.

The Bone Spirit Cold Flame, a unique fusion of extreme heat and cold, possessed both fiery and icy attributes. When burning hot, it could incinerate all; when freezing cold, it could encase everything in ice…

"Cough…" Xiao Yan coughed weakly, the toll on Yao Lao's soul energy evident. The white light faded from his eyes, and his aura returned to normal.

"Let's go. I can only hold this creature for a short while."

"Understood." Xiao Yan nodded, his body surging with cold energy as he sprinted past the frozen Snow Demon King and toward the cave exit.

Just a few steps later, however, he felt an eerie coldness seeping into his body, spreading through his bones and muscles with each breath.

"What's going on?" he muttered, puzzled by the sudden change. The potent energy from the ice marrow surged within him, boosting his speed as he raced out of the cave.

"Could this be from the Frozen Marrow I just consumed?" Xiao Yan mused after exiting the cave.

"The ice energy is intense," he marveled. Yet soon, the energy became overwhelming, as frost appeared on his skin, and his face turned pale.

In his mind, the Heavenly Dream Iceworm gasped, "Xiao Yan, what did you do? Did you… actually drink the Frozen Marrow? You can't consume so much at once!"

"Back in the day, a single ice cavern's worth pushed me to a million years. That stuff is beyond potent!"

"Teacher, what should I do? My body feels like it's about to burst!" Xiao Yan gritted his teeth, enduring the freezing energy surging wildly through his body as he distanced himself from the Snow Demon King's lair.

Yao Lao's tone grew serious. "Find a place to hide, then calm your mind and try channeling this ice energy into your Bone Spirit Cold Flame. Let it help you absorb and refine it."

Without a second thought, Xiao Yan sprinted toward a secluded area, burying himself in the snow.

---

The night in the Extreme North was filled with swirling snowflakes that blanketed everything.

Half-buried in the snow, Xiao Yan's face looked pale and tired, his body trembling as the powerful ice energy assaulted his body, cutting through his muscles, bones, and veins like countless sharp blades.

Gritting his teeth, he released a thread of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame from his palm, attempting to draw in the overwhelming ice energy.

Following his direction, the freezing energy reluctantly gathered into a single glowing white orb, pulsing as it resisted the surrounding energy flow.

"Calm yourself, Xiao Yan. Use your energy to envelop this force, then channel it into your second martial spirit," Yao Lao advised.

Xiao Yan surrounded the ice energy with his battle energy, guiding it into his Bone Spirit Cold Flame, where the flame greedily absorbed the pure ice power.

Surprisingly, the Bone Spirit Cold Flame began to strengthen. Although it was still only a fragment, the energy absorbed from the Ten-Thousand-Year Frozen Marrow would eventually allow it to grow as potent as its original form.

With each pulse, powerful waves of ice energy emanated from Xiao Yan, catching the attention of a green-scaled scorpion beast in the distance. Its eyes flashed with greed as it sensed the potent energy.

Realizing the potential, Xiao Yan felt both astonished and thrilled. The Frozen Marrow was indeed nurturing his second spirit.

The Bone Spirit Cold Flame, a fusion of extreme heat and cold, could freeze the land or burn all. The Frozen Marrow strengthened its ice aspect; if he found a fire-aligned treasure in the future, he could elevate its flame.

Given time, Xiao Yan's second martial spirit could attain the same level of power as Yao Lao's flame.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Yan's eyes suddenly snapped open. A dazzling white light flashed from his eyes, which soon faded as he exhaled a cloud of warm air.

"It worked? The Bone Spirit Cold Flame didn't evolve, but its strength has increased significantly," Yao Lao observed, smiling as he sensed the enhanced flame in Xiao Yan's hand.

"Yes, teacher. Lucky as always." Xiao Yan chuckled, rubbing his nose.

Just as he was about to emerge from

the snow, a strange disturbance rippled through the northern sky. A layer of green light spread across the horizon.

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