Hearing a noise, the ancestor of the Qin family, Qin Wenxuan, slowly opened her eyes.

She saw Qin Dexin walking into the cave, backlit, and then turning to cast a series of hidden protective spells at the entrance.

“Ancestor, I’ve checked a radius of ten miles. Besides driving away some large beasts, I haven’t found anything unusual,” Qin Dexin reported as she approached.

The ancestor nodded slowly. “I’m almost ready too. If everything is fine, let’s begin.”

The beginning referred to preparing for the creation of a nascent soul, which involved summoning the lightning for nascent soul formation.

Qin Dexin couldn’t help but show a hint of worry.

This process was extremely significant, and she was concerned about both the possibility of an accident during the formation and the fact that they weren’t in the Qin family’s territory, but in an unfamiliar place, which made her uneasy.

The ancestor seemed not to notice Qin Dexin’s worried expression.

She raised her hand and shot two beams of light, which hit the cave walls on either side.

When the light settled, two plants were revealed.

They resembled orchids with long, curved leaves.

The flowers in the center were red and blue, evenly split, standing upright on the cave walls.

Looking at the cave itself, it was quite mysterious.

The cave’s tunnel had a “人” shape.

The right wall was covered with deep blue ice, which gave off a chilling aura.

The left wall was dark red, and the air inside seemed to twist with occasional blasts of scorching heat.

The ancestor sat cross-legged at the intersection of ice and fire, looking calm and unaffected.

Years ago, she had been poisoned by both ice and fire, which halted her cultivation and caused great suffering.

Fortunately, Qin Ruqing devised a clever plan to obtain the Ice-Fire Duality Grass from the southern primitive forest, which cured her poison.

As a result, the energy within her body gained ice and fire powers, significantly increasing her combat strength.

However, this increase in power came with a downside.

The presence of ice and fire energy made the nascent soul formation more difficult.

Qin Wenxuan could forcefully expel the ice and fire energy by taking pills, but that would not only weaken her combat strength but also lower her cultivation level.

Moreover, removing this power would mean giving up her chance at enlightenment, leaving her as an ordinary cultivator.

If she abandoned the ice and fire power she had already cultivated, she would forfeit her chance at a higher path and remain at her current level.

She was well aware that the opportunity for great enlightenment came only once, and she could not afford to give it up.

Qin Wenxuan was determined not to let go of this chance.

She was resolute and had a fighting spirit that always pushed forward.

She wanted to use the ice and fire power she had gained to maximize her cultivation potential.

Thus, she needed to find a special space abundant in both ice and fire energy to carry out the nascent soul formation.

The space had to be extremely potent with these energies so that she could absorb and refine them through the lightning tribulation, making ice and fire her foundational power.

Finding such a location was very difficult.

When the Qin family discussed this, their first thought was the southern primitive forest where they had previously obtained the Ice-Fire Duality Grass.

There, two springs of ice and fire created a unique environment, which was suitable for nurturing the grass.

However, when Qin Wenxuan revisited the place, she found that the ice and fire energy had been diluted by the spring water and was scattered throughout the forest, making it insufficient for her needs.

Since that location wouldn’t work, she had to look elsewhere.

Qin Wenxuan eventually found a solution in the Qin family’s ancient texts.

They had discovered a special cave with both ice and fire energy during their exploration of secret realms.

Coincidentally, this was the very ancient secret realm where the Qin family’s founding ancestor had met their demise.

When Qin Wenxuan received this news, she felt a sense of fate and reincarnation in the air.

The calamity for the Qin Clan began in that ancient secret realm.

Now, was she going to return there again?

Qin Wenxuan was certainly hesitant. However, that small amount of hesitation and concern paled in comparison to the opportunity to breakthrough.

The Ice and Fire Cave that met her breakthrough requirements was hard to find.

The primordial forests in the south were unsuitable, and if she missed this chance, it might be impossible to find a suitable place in the future.

Therefore, Qin Wenxuan resolutely left the clan and secretly came here.

Before arriving, she had gathered two Ice and Fire Two-Yi Herbs to mediate and harmonize the immense power of ice and fire within the cave.

Watching as the Ice and Fire Two-Yi Herbs took root on the cave walls, Qin Wenxuan took out a bundle of purple mist-like substance.

This was Divine Silk, a crucial item used by cultivators to assist in the Nascent Soul formation.

Qin Ruqing had once obtained two bundles of Divine Silk and left one for her before going to the Ruins.

Now, Qin Wenxuan was about to use this Divine Silk, along with the Ice and Fire Two-Yi Herbs, to completely refine the ice and fire power and open the gate to the Nascent Soul!

Her gaze turned determined as she said to Qin Dexin, who stood by, “The Nascent Soul Thunder Tribulation will involve you. Please stay away later.”

Qin Dexin, however, did not leave immediately but hesitated, saying, “Ancestor, are you really going to attempt the Nascent Soul formation now? According to Qingqing’s letter, she is currently dealing with the Lu Clan in Penglai and cannot attend to us. Perhaps we should wait for her return…”

The Ancestor shook her head, “She is already walking a tightrope between the Feng Clan and the Lu Clan. We shouldn’t let clan matters distract her.”

“But Ancestor, forming the Nascent Soul is no small matter.”

“Qingqing is currently in a special space isolated from external information. We can’t contact her. The opportunity for forming the Nascent Soul has arrived. Do you want to miss it?”

Qin Dexin was speechless, her mouth moving without finding the words to refute.

For cultivators, the opportunity to breakthrough is crucial.

Missing it could mean losing the chance for a lifetime. If she were in the same situation, she would make the same choice as the Ancestor.

Sighing, Qin Dexin turned and leaped out of the cave, “I will stay outside to protect the Ancestor.”

---

The space barrier rippled lightly as the ancient secret realm welcomed a group of visitors from outside.

The leader of the group was short in stature, slightly hunched from the side, dressed in a gray-yellow robe, and floating with his hands behind his back.

The people around him asked, “Ancestor, this secret realm is very large. Where should we search for the Qin Clan members?”

The elder in the yellow robe looked ahead, his expression complex, and was silent for a long time.

When the others thought they might not receive a response, the elder spoke indifferently, “The eastern part of the secret realm used to have many treasures, but now it has been thoroughly scavenged. There’s no need to explore there. The southern and western parts have several special cultivation sites. Let’s search there.”

His tone indicated he was very familiar with this secret realm.

The Fang Clan, in their attempt to capture Qin Wenxuan, had not only enlisted the help of their ancestor but also sent three elders.

These three elders, all respectfully responded, and were split into two teams, heading south and west without hesitation.

Qin Dexin, stationed at the Ice and Fire Cave in the southwestern corner of the secret realm, sat cross-legged on a moderately high hill.

From this vantage point, she could see the surroundings of the Ice and Fire Cave clearly.

The area was open, and she could sense any movement within several miles.

Though Qin Dexin was meditating, her mind was not fully immersed.

She occasionally glanced at the cave’s activity.

Suddenly, she sensed the clouds above the cave swirling, forming a vortex. The atmospheric pressure dropped, and the sky darkened, indicating that the Ancestor was summoning the Thunder Tribulation.

Unable to remain seated, she stood up and stared intently ahead.

The commotion of the Thunder Tribulation was substantial. It was not only sensed by Qin Dexin but also noticed by the yellow-robed elder from the Fang Clan.

The elder, who was not far from here, observed the swirling clouds and the rising wind and directed his attention toward the cave.

Raising his eyebrows subtly, the elder noted that the three scouts had not yet returned but felt that he might not need them anymore.

Without hesitation, the yellow-robed elder stepped out, his movements seeming slow but covering ten zhang per step.

Qin Dexin was intently watching the elder when suddenly she felt a heavy pressure from behind.

Her hair stood on end, and a huge sense of danger spread throughout her body.

Here’s a simplified English translation of the passage:

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Qin Dexin barely had time to think.

Instinctively, she threw a handful of medicinal powder backward and swiftly drew her sword from her waist.

Her reaction was incredibly fast, but the person behind her was even quicker.

A thin, claw-like hand tightly gripped her wrist.

Qin Dexin tried to struggle, but it was like an ant trying to move a mountain—the hand didn’t budge.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an old man with a face as wrinkled as tree bark, leisurely brushing off the poison powder on his clothes.

He looked at her with interest and asked, “Are you of the Qin family?”

A warning bell rang loudly in Qin Dexin’s mind! Before she could respond, the old man in yellow robes twisted her arm painfully, as if he intended to wrench it off.

Without hesitation, Qin Dexin considered severing her arm to escape.

However, the old man simply smiled faintly, as if mocking her for her efforts.

Then, using just two fingers, he severed the tendons in her hand and struck the back of her neck lightly.

Qin Dexin’s vision went dark, and she lost consciousness instantly.

The old man in yellow maintained a calm expression throughout.

He picked up the unconscious Qin Dexin and cast his murky gaze towards the cave in front of him.

The thunderstorm of the tribulation was growing louder, indicating that it would soon strike.

“It seems they are indeed undergoing nascent soul formation,” the old man murmured. Instead of retreating, he flew toward the center of the tribulation, holding the unconscious Qin Dexin.