"Senior Sister!"
Looking up at Ying Huanhuan not far away, Ling Qingzhu finally took the initiative to break the silence. Ying Huanhuan's face quickly showed a smile, and she congratulated her with a soft laugh.
"Congratulations, Senior Sister Ling, for obtaining the Ice Ancestor Symbol and becoming a master of the Ancestor Symbol. I'm afraid this junior sister will find it difficult to catch up with Senior Sister in the future."
"Senior Sister is too kind. Compared to Senior Sister, this junior sister's strength is insignificant and not worth mentioning!"
Although Ling Qingzhu could feel that what her senior sister said seemed to be sincere, she still felt a little awkward. After all, her senior sister was the number one person under the Ancestor Symbol Master. When it came to strength and talent, Ling Qingzhu admitted that she would have difficulty catching up with her.
But in Ying Huanhuan's heart, she had a very high opinion of Ling Qingzhu. Although her Senior Sister Ling's talent for cultivation was not as good as her peak, her temperament was not inferior at all. She also had extraordinary aptitude in the Supreme Force and was extremely perceptive.
In fact, after talent reaches a certain level, it has little impact on cultivation. It's just a matter of spending some time. What's more important is the difference in temperament and perception. These two are what determine the upper limit of a cultivator.
If one's temperament is too poor, a little setback will defeat them. If one's perception is insufficient, they will not be able to overcome even a small bottleneck.
As for talent, it's more like an admission ticket, just a key to embarking on the path of cultivation.
The most typical example is Lin Langtian. Although his talent was extremely poor, he had enough opportunities, and his cultivation was still not very slow. In fact, if Lin Langtian's temperament and perception were even slightly better, he wouldn't have ended up in that situation.
"Senior Sister is joking. Right now, this junior sister is relying on you, Senior Sister Ling!"
Ying Huanhuan came to the altar, smiled at Ling Qingzhu, and after saying softly, she turned to look at the ice-blue ancient runes on the stone pillar, her eyes a little complicated. Ling Qingzhu didn't disturb her.
After staring at the Ice Ancestor Symbol for a long time, Ying Huanhuan turned to look at Ling Qingzhu, smiled faintly, and said softly.
"Senior Sister, I wonder if you could lend the Ancestor Symbol to this junior sister for a moment?"
"If Senior Sister wants it, just take it. This was originally Senior Sister's thing."
Ling Qingzhu said this very frankly. Although the Ancestor Symbol was good, Ling Qingzhu's idea was also very direct: I'm lucky to get it, and it's my fate to lose it. She didn't particularly care about it, and didn't have the attitude that she had to have it.
Ling Qingzhu even felt a little guilty, because if it hadn't been for the previous accident, she had obtained a part of Ying Huanhuan's Ice Master inheritance. Now, the Ice Ancestor Symbol would not have taken the initiative to recognize her as its master. In the end, she had taken her senior sister's opportunity.
"Thank you, Senior Sister!"
Ying Huanhuan didn't explain anything when she heard this. Ling Qingzhu felt that the Ice Ancestor Symbol should belong to her, but she also felt that perhaps this was the fate that Lin Xuan had spoken of.
If this wasn't fate, then why would Ling Qingzhu have entered that strange cultivation state with her at Facing Abyss Peak before? And she just happened to get a part of her inheritance, thus being contaminated with her aura.
Everything seemed to be such a coincidence, so destined.
So, it wasn't that the Ice Ancestor Symbol chose Ling Qingzhu, but that fate chose the two of them. Ling Qingzhu obtained the Ancestor Symbol and part of her inheritance, and she learned the Supreme Induction Sutra, which she had not been able to master for many years.
Ying Huanhuan gently raised her palm and stroked the Ice Ancestor Symbol in front of her, her eyes also carrying a bit of reminiscence. Back then, in the ancient times, she joined hands with the Ice Ancestor Symbol to kill Otherworldly Demons everywhere, achieving each other and creating a great reputation.
To be honest, for Ying Huanhuan now, what the Ice Ancestor Symbol meant to her was not so much the power of the Ice Ancestor Symbol itself, but the emotions poured into the Ancestor Symbol.
For the Ancient Eight Rulers, the Ancestor Symbol was like their closest partner. Although the Ancestor Symbol couldn't speak and couldn't do many things with them, the Ancestor Symbol had a spirit and could also communicate.
As Ying Huanhuan gently stroked the Ice Ancestor Symbol, the Ice Ancestor Symbol seemed to sense the familiar and intimate feeling emanating from Ying Huanhuan, and it flickered slightly, as if responding to Ying Huanhuan.
"Long time no see, little fellow!"
The Ancient Eight Rulers were the first masters of the Ancestor Symbol. They had been in charge of the Ancestor Symbol since its birth. It could be said that the spirit of the Ancestor Symbol had grown up step by step in their hands.
In the eyes of the Ancient Eight Rulers, each Ancestor Symbol was really a little fellow, like a child they had raised.
Perhaps sensing the familiar and warm soul aura in Ying Huanhuan's body, the Ice Ancestor Symbol seemed to be a little excited, and bursts of icy air were constantly surging around.
"Buzz! Buzz!"
As streams of icy aura surged from the Ancestor Symbol, the temperature of the entire world instantly dropped by a significant margin.
Fortunately, Ying Huanhuan, as the Ice Master, and Ling Qingzhu, as the current controller of the quasi-Ice Ancestor Symbol, possessed extremely high immunity to icy aura. Therefore, they were not significantly affected by this cold.
"You little fellow, after so many years, you're still so mischievous!"
Ying Huanhuan smiled helplessly at the Ice Ancestor Symbol's movements. Then, she waved her hand, and a special fluctuation landed on the Ice Ancestor Symbol.
"Buzz!!!"
As her hand gently brushed over the Ancestor Symbol, a crystalline light flickered in Ying Huanhuan's eyes, but it quickly disappeared.
After that special energy fluctuation dissipated, the Ice Ancestor Symbol in front of them was no longer the ancient ice-blue rune it had been before. Instead, it had transformed into a small, ice-blue, crystalline phoenix.
"Chirp!"
The ice crystal phoenix chirped softly and flew around Ying Huanhuan's hand a few times before finally stopping in front of her.
Its wings fluttered gently, and the ice crystal phoenix tilted its head, its small eyes suspiciously examining Ying Huanhuan, with a hint of doubt flashing within them.
Ying Huanhuan barely managed to curve her lips into a smile, reached out, and gently stroked the ice crystal phoenix's head. Ling Qingzhu, watching from the side, had a complicated expression. She wanted to say something several times, but she opened her mouth and didn't know what to say.
After all, Ying Huanhuan was the first controller of the Ice Ancestor Symbol, and the bond between her and the Ice Ancestor Symbol was something she couldn't compare to. She had no position to persuade Ying Huanhuan.
The ice crystal phoenix tilted its head and looked at Ying Huanhuan's outstretched hand. It only glanced at it twice, but it didn't dodge or refuse. In fact, when Ying Huanhuan gently stroked it, its phoenix eyes comfortably narrowed, as if it was enjoying it very much.
"Little one, it's time for you to grow up too!"
After stroking the ice crystal phoenix's head, Ying Huanhuan looked at the well-behaved ice crystal phoenix, and a hint of relief appeared on her face. She turned to look at Ling Qingzhu and said softly.
"Senior Sister, I'll leave it to you from now on. I believe Senior Sister won't let it down!"
"Rest assured, Senior Sister, this junior sister will certainly not tarnish its reputation!"
Ling Qingzhu's expression turned slightly solemn. This was the only promise she could make to Ying Huanhuan.
Ying Huanhuan smiled softly upon hearing this, and the trace of reluctance in her eyes quickly disappeared as she looked at the little fellow who still seemed a bit confused. She said with a faint smile.
"Little one, go, go find your new mother!"
As she spoke, Ying Huanhuan gently patted the ice crystal phoenix. Whether it sensed Ying Huanhuan's thoughts or because it was naturally close to Ling Qingzhu, the ice crystal phoenix looked at Ying Huanhuan twice before directly flapping its ice-blue phoenix wings and flying onto Ling Qingzhu.
Then, under Ying Huanhuan's gaze, the ice crystal phoenix plunged directly into Ling Qingzhu's brow, transforming into a faint ice-blue phoenix纹.
Ling Qingzhu reached out and touched the phoenix纹 on her brow, her eyes filled with a hint of absentmindedness, because she clearly felt that an Ancestor Symbol had entered her Niwan Palace and was quietly waiting for her to completely refine it.
"Senior Sister, you..."
Before Ling Qingzhu could finish speaking, Ying Huanhuan interrupted her with a wave of her hand. Ying Huanhuan looked at Ling Qingzhu, who was as aloof as an immortal, and said with a soft smile.
"Senior Sister Ling, some things are best left to fate. Since it has chosen you, then you are the new controller of the Ancestor Symbol. This junior sister has only done what she should do."
Ying Huanhuan had completely erased the Ice Master's imprint within the Ice Ancestor Symbol.
Generally speaking, after an Ancestor Symbol is refined, there will be a soul imprint of the previous Ancestor Symbol controller within the Ancestor Symbol. Under normal circumstances, these soul imprints will not be erased.
If the current controller is still alive, they will naturally not erase their own soul imprint. If it is the former controller, they have generally already fallen. The Ancestor Symbol's spirit will only silently absorb their soul imprint into its own body, treating it as a precious memory and sealing it away.
The spirit of the Ancestor Symbol is a spirit, and as a spirit, it possesses its own independent thoughts. While it may not be as complex as those of humans, it still experiences emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.
These soul imprints remain within the body, representing the Ancestor Symbol's own ideas. However, for subsequent controllers, they aren't necessarily a good thing.
Why were the Ancient Eight Rulers able to achieve such mastery over the Ancestor Symbols? Was it truly just because they were talented and had high comprehension?
No, the biggest reason is that the Ancient Eight Rulers were the first controllers of the Ancestor Symbols, the closest partners to the Ancestor Symbols. They received the most feedback from the Ancestor Symbols.
But for later individuals, these are actually obstacles. The existence of the Ancient Eight Rulers' soul imprints hinders new controllers from better understanding and controlling the power of the Ancestor Symbols.
Therefore, Ying Huanhuan took action to erase her own soul imprint from the Ice Ancestor Symbol. Since it no longer remembers her, it's better to forget. She might as well treat Ling Qingzhu as its closest partner.
"Senior Sister Ling, I hope you can keep today's events a secret for me!"
Ying Huanhuan said softly. Hearing this, Ling Qingzhu's expression became slightly complicated. After hesitating for a moment, she gently nodded.
"Don't worry, Junior Sister, I will definitely keep it to myself!"
Ling Qingzhu understood that if the spirit of the Ice Ancestor Symbol were to learn of today's events, it would be a form of harm to the latter, and it should be kept secret. Moreover, this matter also made Ling Qingzhu feel a little guilty towards the spirit of the Ancestor Symbol.
If she hadn't been accidentally tricked by the Illusion Demon King back then, the subsequent accident wouldn't have happened, and she wouldn't have been mistaken for Senior Sister by the Ancestor Symbol.
But when it comes down to it, the reason why the Illusion Demon King was able to succeed was because Ying Huanhuan herself personally took action in ancient times but failed to completely eliminate him.
However, how could all of this be considered Ying Huanhuan's fault? She had already tried her best. In fact, this matter couldn't even be considered the fault of Ying Huanhuan and Ling Qingzhu, but rather Lin Xuan's fault.
Because Lin Xuan learned the Supreme Force, Ling Qingzhu, due to her competitive spirit, took the initiative to enter Facing Abyss Peak, which she would never have gone to in the first place, to cultivate in seclusion, which then triggered all of this.
It can only be said that everything is fate, such is destiny.
"Senior Sister Ling, this place is good. You should refine the Ancestor Symbol now. I will protect you."
Ying Huanhuan said softly. This is the place where the Ice Ancestor Symbol is stored. This altar may seem to have nothing, but on top of the altar, there is a great formation that she personally set up back then. Once activated, its power is such that even a Revolving Wheel Realm expert would not be able to break through it in a short period of time.
"Thank you, Senior Sister Qingzhu!"
Ling Qingzhu was not polite. Speaking of which, her and Ying Huanhuan's current complex relationship sometimes makes it difficult to distinguish between them.
Inside the altar, as Ling Qingzhu began to cultivate in seclusion to refine the Ice Ancestor Symbol, on the Snowy Plains, Lin Xuan was braving the biting cold wind, constantly hurrying on his way.
Inside Lin Xuan's clothes, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhu had long quieted down. It was too cold here. Only Lin Xuan, who had the Black Tortoise origin within his body, could withstand it. The two of them, brothers in misfortune, couldn't.
But after walking for a while, Lin Xuan suddenly stopped, his eyes fixed on the distance.
In the wind and snow, there was a black-robed figure on the opposite side, heading towards Lin Xuan's location. Judging from the direction, the direction the two were traveling in was exactly opposite.
People at their level, even in this vast Snowy Plains, would not lose their way and would be able to keep moving forward in one direction.
In other words, if the other party had not changed direction midway, the two of them, from the very beginning, were heading towards each other's location.
"Sword Saint, long time no see!"
The Hongya Cave Master looked at Lin Xuan, who appeared in front of him, and couldn't help but reveal a smile on his face. The adult had personally said that as long as Lin Xuan was killed, then the Yuan Gate would also become his subordinate, and he would unify the entire Eastern Xuan Region!
Lin Xuan looked at the Hongya Cave Master who appeared here, and was stunned for a moment, but he didn't feel too strange. Although the person Lin Xuan had originally envisioned would be one of the Three Great Sect Leaders of Yuan Gate, but they were all enemies, and it made no difference who came.
"Cave Master, it's been many days, you've changed quite a bit!"
Hearing Lin Xuan's words, a complicated expression flashed across the Hongya Cave Master's face, and he sighed with emotion.
"Yes, but the Sword Saint is as otherworldly as ever!"