Chapter 200 : Several Months Later
TN: Small changes,
little white tiger → Little White Tiger.
white tiger → White Tiger.
Yun Qingyue's physical body remained unconscious, simultaneously refining the Ice Soul Condensation Pearl while allowing it to influence the Strange Fire.
Perhaps because of the Square Seal's assistance in suppressing it, the Ice Soul Condensation Pearl affected the Strange Fire more quickly than anticipated—inside the transparent ice pearl, the orange-red flame never extinguished, but gradually lost its originally scorching hue. The flame first became transparent, then slowly acquired a cold tone, transitioning toward an icy white color.
Yun Qingyue's divine soul watched this transformation bit by bit. Initially puzzled, she gradually understood the Square Seal's intention. If this Strange Fire could truly transform into Ice Flame, it would naturally bring her endless benefits, yet her heart filled more with concern than joy.
What exactly was this Square Seal's origin, and how could it possess such capabilities?
Moreover, the Square Seal had a spirit—Yun Qingyue had known this since it avoided the Little White Tiger and instead actively chose her as its master. Initially, she thought it was merely a newly-born, naive artifact spirit, but now it seemed otherwise.
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Carrying these numerous doubts, Yun Qingyue remained unconscious for several months. When she finally awoke, she opened her eyes to a world of ice and snow.
She was currently lying on the White Tiger's back, the soft, warm fur beneath her, with the Crimson Flame Lightning Marten Cloak wrapped around her body. In the blink of an eye, she noticed snowflakes falling from the sky and immediately realized—this was the Ice Plain!
The group was trudging through the snow when the White Tiger was the first to sense a change in the breath of the person on her back. She immediately stopped and looked back, noticing her Senior Sister's slight movement, her tiger eyes instantly brightening: "Senior Sister, you're awake?!"
Her tone brimmed with delight.
Yun Qingyue softly responded, her voice somewhat hoarse, as if she hadn't spoken for a long time. Then she placed one hand on the White Tiger's back, attempting to sit up, but unexpectedly her arm gave way, and her half-raised body collapsed back down. This weakness momentarily disoriented her before she recalled her previous injuries. After internal inspection, she indeed discovered her meridians were severely damaged and blocked by excessively concentrated ice spiritual energy.
By now, the few people walking nearby had also noticed she was awake and gathered around to ask with concern: "Junior Sister Yun/Senior Sister Yun, you're awake? How are you feeling? Is there any discomfort? Has your injury improved?"
Though Yun Qingyue's physical body had been unconscious for months, her consciousness had remained clear, totally focused on refining the Ice Soul Condensation Pearl, making her insensitive to the passage of time. Seeing everyone still on the Ice Plain, she thought only half a month or so had passed. Fortunately, the refinement had yielded results—now the Ice Soul Condensation Pearl was under her control, reabsorbing the excess ice spiritual energy in her meridians, finally allowing her to barely sit up.
Opening her mouth but lacking the strength to speak, Yun Qingyue took out a medicinal pill for healing injuries and was about to put it in her mouth when Bai Xu stopped her: "Junior Sister's meridians are severely damaged. Better take my Meridian-Connecting Pill first."
Yun Qingyue didn't refuse, nodding as she took and swallowed it, finally managing to squeeze out her voice: "Thank you, Senior Brother."
Bai Xu waved dismissively, visibly relieved to see her take the medicine—he had refined this Meridian-Connecting Pill several months ago, but at that time, Yun Qingyue's meridians were blocked by spiritual energy, with Strange Fire and ice attributes in conflict, so he hadn't dared administer it rashly even after it was ready. Thus, the Meridian-Connecting Pill had been kept for several months, waiting until Yun Qingyue awoke and could control her condition, finally having the opportunity to be used.
After taking the pill and circulating her energy to refine it, Yun Qingyue's complexion improved somewhat. Looking around, she asked: "Senior Brother Bai, are we still on the Ice Plain? How long have I been unconscious?"
Hearing her question, Bai Xu replied: "You've been unconscious for seven months. This secret realm will close in another month."
This answer was truly beyond Yun Qingyue's expectations. She looked around once more and found that the people who had been at the Ice Plain Volcano were all still here. Seven months' time—they weren't Ice Spiritual Root cultivators, and the Ice Plain didn't have many resources. Why would they stay on the Ice Plain all this time? Could it be they were held back because of her?
Su Hao beside her immediately saw through her thoughts and quickly spoke: "Junior Sister, don't overthink it. This matter has nothing to do with you. However, many things have happened over these past months. If you're feeling well enough, I can explain everything to you slowly."
The story was still inextricably linked to those demonic cultivators from before.
Previously, You Yi and Ruan Le had been repeatedly hunted by demonic cultivators, forcing them to flee to the Ice Plain, bringing their pursuers with them. With righteous and demonic paths at odds, both to eliminate the demonic cultivators and for self-preservation, Yun Qingyue and the others had counterattacked under Jianbing's leadership. They successfully killed 30 demonic cultivators, thinking it was enough, but in truth, far more demonic cultivators had infiltrated the secret realm.
Half a month after Yun Qingyue fell unconscious, the group had finished exploring the Ice Plain Volcano and collected most of the available resources. After discussion, they decided to leave the Ice Plain and head south to continue exploration.
However, they hadn't gone far from the volcano when they encountered a small team of demonic cultivators. Initially thinking these were stragglers from before, despite the unexpected encounter, the righteous disciples still managed to kill them. But this seemed to stir up a hornet's nest, with wave after wave of demonic cultivators tracking them down, seemingly endless. Even with their profound cultivation, the group was left scrambling.
Yet this wasn't the worst of it. After finally making it through the demonic cultivators' numerous encirclements and blockades to reach the Ice Plain entrance, they discovered the entrance had already been seized by demonic cultivators.
Tan Xin had even spotted Wuxiang there. With the infamous Demon Monk's reputation, charging forward would have been like eggs smashing against rocks.
With no alternative, everyone had to retreat back to the Ice Plain, circling and maneuvering around the area for months. Though they had killed many demonic cultivators during this time, the resources they gained were extremely limited, making it a losing proposition overall. Everyone's situation was far from ideal. Fortunately, the secret realm would close in another month, allowing them to leave and discover what had happened at Mingzong Mountain outside.
All these encounters had nothing to do with Yun Qingyue, who had been carried by the White Tiger the whole time, not burdening anyone.
After hearing the account, Yun Qingyue reached out to rub the White Tiger's head. Though neither spoke, that closeness and gratitude were more eloquent than words. The White Tiger was quite pleased with this, her eyes narrowing happily, her mood rarely so bright in months.
Naturally, after explaining the recent situation, everyone was concerned about Yun Qingyue's physical condition: "Junior Sister, how are your injuries? When Jianbing brought you back, Senior Brother Bai tried to treat you, but the spiritual energy in your body was too domineering, leaving him helpless. We only knew your internal injuries were slowly recovering. Now that several months have passed, has there been any improvement?"
Hearing this, Yun Qingyue examined herself internally. The meridians once charred by the Strange Fire had been nearly severed. After months of repair by the ice spiritual energy, they had only slightly recovered, no longer brittle enough to break at a touch. Overall, the situation remained serious. She could move without hindrance, but if she needed to use spiritual energy to fight, that would be impossible—one wrong move and her meridians might rupture completely.
Yet despite the severity of her injuries, the benefits of refining the Ice Soul Condensation Pearl were undeniable. Besides gradually repairing her meridians, her cultivation had broken through from middle and late Nascent Soul stage to reach the Perfect Nascent Soul realm.
Without exaggeration, her cultivation level was now the highest among those present... unfortunately, her injuries prevented her from engaging in combat.
Regarding the Ice Soul Condensation Pearl, Yun Qingyue herself was still unclear about its origins and didn't wish to discuss it further with her Senior Brothers, so she merely replied: "There's slight improvement. Senior Brother needn't worry too much. However, with my meridians severely damaged, I'm afraid I won't be able to fight for some time."
Hearing this, no one seemed surprised. Bei Luo was the first to step forward, patting his chest confidently: "Junior Sister, rest assured. If those demonic cultivators pursue us again, your Senior Brothers will handle them. Your injury could be either minor or serious—for now, just focus on recovery. Don't engage in combat due to a momentary impulse, as ruining your future cultivation path would be disastrous."
Listening to his unhesitating promise, Yun Qingyue felt somewhat moved and replied: "Thank you, Senior Brother..." Before finishing, she suddenly paused, staring at Bei Luo for a while before hesitantly asking: "Senior Brother, what happened to your hair?"
Bei Luo's long hair was curly and wavy, not tied up as usual but draped over his shoulders, giving him a distinctive charm.
Bei Luo's hairstyle had changed months ago. He had grown accustomed to it, and his companions had witnessed the transformation, so no one had commented on it. Now that Yun Qingyue suddenly mentioned it, Bei Luo couldn't help but lift a strand of hair falling across his chest to examine it, his expression somewhat peculiar: "Well, I was fighting someone, and it accidentally ended up like this."
Hearing this, Yun Qingyue assumed it was a side effect from fighting demonic cultivators. Looking at it, she didn't find it unattractive, so she didn't inquire further. The others around them, however, subtly curved their lips upon hearing his explanation.
The White Tiger naturally had no intention of exposing her vindictive little temper. She turned her head, sweeping her gaze across everyone, and changed the subject: "The secret realm will close in a month, and now that Senior Sister is awake, does anyone have other plans?"
The group fell silent under Jianbing's sweeping gaze. Even without her warning look, they wouldn't have said more—with Bei Luo's precedent of both shaved and permed hair, wasn't that warning enough for everyone?
Su Hao cleared his throat and was about to speak when You Yi suddenly called out: "Demonic cultivators are coming!"