At the bottom of the valley, Gu Yanqing found a flat stone and sat down. He rummaged through his storage bag for the wound medicines and spiritual recovery pills he had brought along, lining them up at his feet.
Blood-Stanching Powder, Bone-Setting Ointment, Spirit Replenishing Pills.
All of them had been collected from the sect's Medicine Hall before departing. Their quality was not top-tier, but they were more than sufficient to handle the bumps and scrapes of the Qi Refining stage.
She was currently at the seventh level of Qi Refining. Entering and exploring a cave abode inevitably meant a few knocks; if she sustained any external injuries, they could be treated in time.
After checking through everything, he returned them one by one to his storage bag, placed it beside him, and leaned back against the stone wall to rest with his eyes closed.
The babble of the stream in the Secluded Valley flowed steadily, punctuated now and then by birdsong.
Overhead, the sunlight shifted from midday to late afternoon, slowly taking on a pale golden glow.
He opened his eyes and looked toward the waterfall for the third time.
The curtain of water continued to crash down onto the pool below with a steady roar, while the evening sun cast a faint iridescent rainbow through the rising mist.
Still no sign of movement. Picking up his storage bag, he weighed it in his hand, then closed his eyes once more.
...
Deep within the cave abode, mist formed from extreme chill had coated the stone walls in a thick layer of frost.
Lin Zhixue stepped over the crushed ice as she walked deeper inside, every footfall producing a crisp, crunching sound.
The stone passage was not long. After a few dozen steps, it opened up into a modest stone chamber.
Frost patterns crawled across all four walls. Chill seeped in from every direction, and her breath condensed into plumes of white vapor.
In the very center of the chamber stood a bluestone pedestal, atop which lay a sword.
The blade was slender and deep blue from tip to pommel. Layers of flowing water-patterned spiritual light rippled across its surface, as if an entire silent, subterranean river were sealed within.
Carved into the hilt in ancient seal script were two characters: Guilan.
Xiaoyu drifted up from her shoulder, keeping its voice hushed as if afraid of disturbing something. “This sword... its grade isn't low. At least Earth Grade or higher.”
Lin Zhixue reached out and grasped the hilt.
It was icy to the touch, yet not biting. The cool sensation flowed from her palm into her meridians, making a full circuit through her body.
Then, the water-patterned spiritual light along the blade flared brilliantly, bathing the entire stone chamber in flowing blue light. The frost patterns on the walls shimmered in the azure glow, as if the entire cave abode were awakening in response to the sword.
She lifted the Guilan Sword from the pedestal. As its edge sliced through the air, it let out a faint hum, like someone stretching their limbs for the first time after a long slumber.
Then, the stone chamber began to tremble.
It was as if the sword's awakening had disturbed something else.
A fissure split open beneath the stone pedestal—a layer of ice that had remained frozen for who knew how many years was now disintegrating.
A burst of frigid chill surged from the depths of the crack, rolling across the floor like white fog. Thick rimes of ice instantly formed over the stone tiles in its wake.
Humanoid shapes began coalescing within the white mist.
One, two, three.
They had no facial features and no limbs—only formless clusters of translucent spiritual energy radiating intense cold, drifting up from the fissure and silently closing in on her.
Ice fiends. And they were at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Xiaoyu's tone changed.
“Why are there so many?!”
“Zhixue, run!”
Lin Zhixue swung her sword at the nearest ice fiend.
The moment the Guilan Sword's edge cut through the entity, the water-patterned light erupted into a halo of blue, knocking the ice fiend back several paces.
Yet more ice fiends poured from the fissure. The chill grew denser by the second, and icicles clinging to the ceiling began snapping and plummeting, shattering against the stone floor with shrill clatters.
A falling rock plunged toward her. She dodged to the side, her foot slipping on the slick ground, nearly sending her tumbling.
The ice beneath her feet had grown too thick to hold a steady footing.
Xiaoyu watched as an increasing number of ice fiends swarmed from the chasm, watching Lin Zhixue being forced backward step by step by the biting cold, the hand gripping her sword already trembling.
Crying out, “I'll go get help!”, it turned and phased straight through the stone wall without waiting for her reply, darting away.
...
Gu Yanqing was jolted from his rest by Xiaoyu's frantic voice.
“Gu Yanqing!”
It barrelled toward him from the waterfall, the faint green glow around it flickering violently as though on the verge of dispersing.
Its voice shook—a tremor ground out from the depths of its soul by sheer terror.
“Hurry and save her! Something's wrong inside the cave!”
“There are so many ice fiends! Foundation Establishment ice fiends! So many! Zhixue is trapped inside! Go! Hurry!”
Even though it knew no one could see it except Zhixue, it had no other choice.
Gu Yanqing did not look at it. His expression remained utterly unchanged, his gaze looking right through Xiaoyu's translucent form toward the rock wall ahead, just as tranquil as when he had been resting with his eyes closed.
Staring at his blank face, Xiaoyu's entire spiritual body trembled.
It cried out again, its tone shifting from anger to pleading, each word sounding as if it were being violently wrenched from its throat.
“Did you hear me?! She can't hold out for long! Even Foundation Establishment cultivators can't endure that cold! She's only in Qi Refining!”
It flew right up to his face, practically pressing against his eyes, flailing its clenched fists with all its might—flailing even while knowing it could never touch him.
“Say something! Do you even—”
Gu Yanqing pushed himself up from the rock.
Turning, he bolted toward the waterfall.
His movement came without warning, yet he moved with terrifying speed. Spiritual energy erupted beneath his feet as his figure blurred into an afterimage across the valley's rocky floor, loose gravel scattering in all directions under his stride.
Xiaoyu's voice choked off mid-shout.
It hung frozen in midair, watching his rapidly receding figure, his robes rippling in the wind.
It watched in stunned silence as he plunged straight into the churning mist of the waterfall without a hint of hesitation.
In the next instant, its spiritual form shuddered before transforming into a streak of green light, shooting off in pursuit.
He could see it.
He definitely could see it.
But right now was no time to dwell on that.
“Aren't there supposed to be only Qi Refining-grade demon beasts? How can there be Foundation Establishment-grade ice fiends!”
Gu Yanqing breached the water curtain and charged into the cave entrance. The moment his feet hit the ground, an invisible wave of spiritual pressure clamped down on him from both sides of the passage.
He did not possess a water spirit root.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the formation guarding the entrance activated its repelling force.
The water-patterned diagrams carved along the stone walls flared with a blinding blue brilliance. Countless delicate golden runes peeled away from the formation diagrams, coalescing into a dense barrage of luminous needles that rained down upon him.
Every single needle of light carried pure water-attributed spiritual power, naturally repelling an intruder possessing metal and earth dual spirit roots.
Metal generated water, while earth countered it; his innate spirit root attributes were an inherent provocation here.
The needles of light pierced through his robes and bit into his skin, hundreds and thousands striking simultaneously, making it feel as though he had thrown himself into a briar patch forged of raw spiritual power.
Letting out a low grunt, he shielded his face with his left arm while slashing away incoming runes with the sword in his right hand, forcing himself forward one stubborn step at a time.
The needles left a dense scattering of bloody dots across his flesh. His arms, shoulders, and back were streaked with crimson in an instant.
Deep inside the stone chamber, Lin Zhixue stood with her back against the wall, holding the Guilan Sword across her chest.
A thin layer of frost coated her body. Her sword hand trembled, and each strike demanded far more effort than the last.
Hearing the commotion, Lin Zhixue looked back to see Gu Yanqing standing at the entrance to the stone passage. He was enveloped in a downpour of light from golden runes, his arms covered in fine, bloody gashes, his robes slashed with countless tears.
His sword hacked away at the runes, but for every one he destroyed, more surged forward to take its place.
“Why did you come in?”
Gu Yanqing gritted his teeth and forced another step forward, shattering an incoming rune with his blade.
“Nonsense. You didn't come out for ages—what else was I supposed to do?”
The formation diagrams on the walls continued to unleash fresh swarms of needles, leaving barely an inch of untouched skin on his arms.
Without wasting a second, he spun his longsword into a reverse grip and threw himself straight between the two nearest ice fiends.
His blade cleaved through the shoulder of one ice fiend, while his left fist, primed with spiritual power, pulverized the core of the other.
The bones, sinews, and flesh he had tempered through seven rounds of body tempering demonstrated their full worth at that crucial second. When the ice fiends' frigid aura collided with his skin, it left behind nothing more than faint white streaks.
Standing resolutely before Lin Zhixue, he cut down the remaining ice fiends one by one until they dispersed into mist.
“Run!”
Seizing Lin Zhixue by the wrist, he pulled her toward the entrance.
Falling rubble crashed down with mounting fury, some chunks as massive as millstones, their impact sending showers of ice shards stinging against their faces.
Just as the two were about to clear the final stretch of the passage, an overwhelming wave of cold—dense enough to feel almost physical—surged from the depths of the chasm.
An ice fiend a full size larger than the previous ones was coalescing from within the crack.
The crushing spiritual pressure of the late Foundation Establishment stage bore down on them without restraint.
Gu Yanqing spun around, stomping his left foot hard against the stone floor. The footwork of the 《Roaming Cloud Technique》 forcefully arrested his forward momentum, planting him directly between Lin Zhixue and the creature.
Funneling all his spiritual power into his arms, he crossed them defensively before his chest.
The frigid tide slammed into him.
In that instant, Lin Zhixue heard the sharp crack of shattering ice and the sickening sizzle of flesh being scorched by extreme cold.
She couldn't tell which sound was more horrifying to hear.
With a choked groan, Gu Yanqing was knocked back several paces, crashing heavily into the stone wall as falling debris and ice pelted down around him.
Yet he forced himself to remain on his feet against the wall. Blood dripped copiously from his arms, where seven or eight lacerations carved by razor-sharp ice blades stretched all the way from his wrists to his shoulders.
“Run!”
He shoved her forward. The two stumbled out through the cascade of the waterfall, where the frigid torrent poured down over them, biting harshly into his open wounds and causing him to violently shudder.
Gritting his teeth, he dragged her across the shallows, only letting go of her hand once they were safely clear of the falls. He slid down against a massive boulder, gasping raggedly for breath.
Lin Zhixue collapsed beside him, soaked through, her hair clinging to her cheeks, a lingering tinge of pale purple upon her lips.
Yet she held the Guilan Sword clutched tightly in her arms, the water-patterned spiritual glow on its surface swirling gently in the dusk.
Gu Yanqing leaned against the rock wall, blood still seeping from his arms, staining half his sleeves and robe hem a deep crimson.
He turned his head to glance at the Guilan Sword held in Lin Zhixue's embrace. The corner of his mouth twitched, his voice somewhat hoarse from exhaustion.
He sat against the rock wall, breathing heavily.
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