The Invincible Sect Leader

The Guardian of the Abyss loomed before them, its icy form flickering like a ghost caught between reality and illusion. Its glowing blue eyes locked onto the group, and an unnatural chill spread through the air, freezing the ground beneath their feet.

Yan Ling gripped his sword tightly. "So… how do we kill something that's already dead?"

Lan Xue stepped forward, her expression unwavering. "We don't kill it. We break its curse."

The Guardian let out a guttural roar, its frozen breath swirling in the air like a deadly mist. Without warning, it lunged forward, swinging its enormous claw-like arm. Yan Ling barely dodged in time, rolling to the side as the ground where he stood shattered into shards of ice.

Liu Feng channeled his Qi into his spear, striking at the Guardian's torso, but his attack passed through as if striking an illusion. "Damn it! It's not solid!"

Lan Xue, however, remained calm. She closed her eyes, gathering her Qi. The key wasn't to destroy the Guardian it was to purify it.

Unleashing the Ice Phoenix

She raised her hands, her Qi forming into an ethereal blue phoenix that radiated an ancient power. "Ice Phoenix Purification!" she chanted.

The Guardian let out a terrible screech as the phoenix spiraled toward it, its spectral flames dissolving the dark energy binding it. The cursed ice cracked, revealing the form of an old cultivator trapped within.

His eyes flickered with recognition. "You…" he rasped. "You carry the Phoenix bloodline… The Frozen Abyss… it calls to you…"

Lan Xue's heart pounded. "Who are you? What does that mean?"

But the Guardian's body disintegrated into a flurry of snow, his final words carried away by the wind.

Deeper into the Abyss

The blizzard began to calm, and the path ahead revealed itself a massive gate of ancient ice, pulsing with an eerie light.

Liu Feng exhaled in relief. "One obstacle down, but I doubt that was the last."

Lan Xue stared at the gate, her fingers tightening into a fist. The Frozen Abyss held more than just secrets it held the key to her past.

Yan Ling stretched. "Well, no turning back now. Let's see what's behind that gate."

Chan Li's mission had only just begun, and deeper mysteries lay ahead. What awaited them beyond the Frozen Abyss's gate?