A ray of heavenly light fell, illuminating the pitch-black world.
A trace of warmth remained amidst the ice and snow. Yao Xiaoxiao looked up and saw a person bathed in divine radiance, descending right before her...
She could not see His face clearly.
She only felt that He was like the immortals mentioned in storybooks, descending from the heavens, bathed in golden light.
Where His feet landed, the darkness retreated, and the cold wind ceased.
Yao Xiaoxiao looked up at His back through the frost and whispered,
"Are you... an immortal?"
Hearing this, He turned His head to look back.
She widened her eyes, but she still could not see His face clearly.
He did not speak, turning back to charge alone into the pervasive black mist ahead.
The black mist seemed provoked, rapidly shrinking and surging with the wind, pouncing like a beast of the desolate sea or a vengeful ghost from hell.
In an instant, Yao Xiaoxiao felt the noise in her ears grow even louder.
Screams, fury, wailing, and hissing—even the sounds of clashing blades and galloping warhorses were mixed within.
What she saw was only a streak of golden light crashing through the sky, while the black mist surrounded and intercepted it from all sides.
Yet.
Her mind was already filled with a scene of clashing spears and armored horses.
It was as if a million-strong beast tide and ten million vengeful ghosts had encountered a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers, locked in a chaotic battle.
Her eardrums buzzed, and her thoughts were a tangled mess.
Her head throbbed with a splitting pain. She clutched it tightly with both hands, curling up in agony and letting out low moans.
"Ah!"
"Stop fighting."
"Stop the noise."
"Stop, stop it..."
The world was deathly silent, yet the world was deafening...
In the valley of Baicao Residence, the body of the cauldron vibrated, causing the cold iron chains locking it to clash against each other with a clattering sound.
Inside the cauldron.
Yao Xiaoxiao’s face was contorted in pain. Xu Xian’s sword fingers had not moved, but his face was already as pale as a sheet of paper.
On his head, the little book spirit was incredibly anxious, pacing back and forth, back and forth...
Outside the cauldron.
Lu Yuan seemed to have a telepathic connection, sensing the continuous weakening of Xu Xian’s soul power. He stared fixedly at the cauldron...
Outside this area, at the entrance, stood a stone pavilion.
Elder Yao had sat here for a full thousand days. Through four long winters and four springs, he would always glance toward the valley, intentionally or otherwise. There, everything remained as it was—the wind was light and the clouds were calm, showing no difference.
Because of this, his heart sank further.
It was too quiet.
Everything was far too quiet.
At a time like this, if there were some commotion, he would actually feel more at ease.
At least, that was what he thought.
Waiting!
A long wait!
A wait with no signs and no known end...
On that day.
Ruan Zhong came uninvited once again, stopping before the pavilion and pacing several times.
He wanted to catch a glimpse of what was happening, only to find nothing but silence.
There were barriers in the mountains, making it difficult for divine sense to perceive anything...
Finally, he could not help but walk into the pavilion. With his hands behind his back, he looked down at the white-haired youth who was sitting with closed eyes, and questioned,
"When exactly is my disciple coming out?"
Yao Luochen opened his eyes, looking gloomily at the robust old man before him, and said flatly, "You're asking me?"
Ruan Zhong’s face was stern, carrying an air of natural authority. "Nonsense, is there anyone else here?"
Yao Luochen glanced toward the valley and sighed, finishing his sentence. "Who am I supposed to ask?"
Ruan Zhong looked at the elegant old man before him. That resentful gaze felt very much like a woman pining in her chambers.
No matter how he looked at it, it felt uncomfortable.
A man should look like a man.
Even if he wasn't as robust and heroic as himself, he should at least have some masculine energy.
Seeing him so effeminate, he might as well just snip it off and be a genderless eunuch.
Ruan Zhong squatted in a corner, took out the tobacco pipe from his waist, and began to smoke.
Amidst the clouds of smoke, he did not forget to complain:
"I don't know what kind of spell you cast on my disciple, or what great benefits you promised him. After returning from Demon-Slaying City, he didn't even come to see me once. The very next day, he dove into your Baicao Residence. Tell me yourself, how long has it been? It’s the fourth year already, and not a soul has been seen. And you say you don't know..."
Yao Luochen gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "It was not by my force. It is simply that Little Friend Xu is kind-hearted. I wanted to give him some benefits, but unfortunately, Little Friend Xu is a man of honor, upright and honest, and unwilling to accept my worldly possessions."
Ruan Hao snorted coldly. "Tch... you talk a good game. Whether you didn't want to give or my disciple didn't want to take, only you know for sure."
Yao Luochen glanced at Ruan Hao in the corner, closed his eyes again, and said indifferently, "If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."
Ruan Hao took several deep puffs of his pipe and spat on the ground. "Pui!"
He stood up.
Stowing his pipe, he turned and left.
"Leaving?"
Ruan Hao didn't say a word, though his footsteps were exceptionally heavy.
Yao Luochen watched his departing back and chuckled. "Heh... this old man, how old is he, yet he still acts like a child."
Ever since Xu Xian entered the valley.
Ruan Hao would occasionally fly over the Baicao Garden.
At first, he just happened to pass by, but later he began to land, getting closer and closer, until he often came uninvited.
Sometimes he would wander around outside this pavilion.
Sometimes he would enter the pavilion to complain to him.
He, of course, remained pleasant from beginning to end.
Strictly speaking, Ruan Hao was his junior, even if he was only two years younger.
Moreover.
He could understand him; it was nothing more than worry that his beloved disciple would be harmed by the cold qi within Xiaoxiao.
Back then, when Xiaoxiao was born, the scene of snow in June was still fresh in his mind.
This endeavor had already lasted four years.
Never mind him; he himself was equally anxious.
When would this finally come to an end?
............
Inside the formation in the valley.
There wasn't a moment of peace.
Yao Xiaoxiao’s soul power grew increasingly frail, and Xu Xian’s aura also became weaker. From dawn till dusk, and from dusk till the starry sky, until the light dawned again and the spring colors were brilliant...
Day after night.
And then another day.
Lu Yuan could no longer sit still, a battle between heaven and man raging in his mind.
His thoughts wavered between breaking the cauldron to save them or continuing to wait.
He feared that if he broke the cauldron, all their efforts would be wasted.
He feared that if he didn't, two lives would be lost at once.
Choosing between the two was difficult. If it were according to his usual temperament, he would have decisively destroyed the cauldron to save the person.
After all, he wasn't very close to Yao Xiaoxiao; four years of bloodletting was insignificant compared to a life.
Failure was a normal part of life.
But Xu Xian’s instructions before entering the cauldron still echoed in his mind, and a voice in his head kept telling him.
Trust Xu Xian. He can create miracles; he can turn the impossible into the possible...
It was incredibly frustrating!
And within Yao Xiaoxiao’s sea of consciousness, her last bit of divine sense had completely lost consciousness.
Her entire sea of consciousness had been conquered by yin qi.
Xu Xian’s external thought was ultimately not as domineering as the yin qi, leaving him isolated and without support.
On one side was Xiaoxiao, who had completely lost consciousness, and on the other was the aggressive yin intent.
Xu Xian was deep in a desperate situation; the outcome seemed predetermined.
The Taiyin Immortal Body was complete, yet it suffered a backlash and was being possessed by yin qi.
It was still a failure.
At the end of his rope, Xu Xian had nowhere to retreat. He gritted his teeth and muttered to the vast black mist:
"I know you can hear me."
"Why not show yourself? Let’s make a deal."
There was no vocal response, only the black mist pervading the world.
Xu Xian gave a low warning, "If you drive me out, I will surely destroy this physical body."
The black mist continued forward, its speed not slowing in the slightest...
Xu Xian’s cold eyes flashed. "You can choose not to believe me, then try it..."
The black mist slowed down, suddenly stagnating, though it continued to roll.
A thought abruptly rang in Xu Xian’s ear.
"Would you really have the heart to?"
Rate on N.U.
