Inside the room, the expressions of Yin Shuang and the High Priest Sui Xin of the Snow Plain Tribe flickered between gloom and uncertainty, making my own heart bounce erratically!
“Her condition is extremely strange.” After a long pause, Yin Shuang finally spoke. “Her internal energies are chaotic, as if several different forms of extreme cold are flowing ceaselessly, almost as if they are alive.”
“Alive.” My heart immediately tensed up. “Could this be the so-called Ice Gu?”
When I hear of Gu, I can't help but recall the bizarre and repulsive little insects used by the Miao people in the movies I watched in the modern world. Could it be that Yan Luo’s body has also been infested with these tiny creatures?
“Precisely. All signs point to the Ice Gu, the secret inheritance of the Ice Seal Tribe. Outsiders have absolutely no way to dispel it.” High Priest Sui Xin, the chief High Priest of the Snow Plain Tribe, appeared to be around thirty years old, yet her mastery of Daoist arts was something even Yin Shuang found hard to match.
Yet, even she was at a loss now. “This Gu poison is exceptionally insidious. It is currently devouring her life force. If her vitality is exhausted before long, I fear that…”
“……” Although I had long anticipated that Yan Luo’s situation was far from optimistic, when Sui Xin uttered the words, my heart couldn't help but sink. “Is there truly no hope?”
“Can we devise a way to force that energy out?” Long Xin proposed.
“No.” Sui Xin said helplessly. “These Ice Gu have almost merged completely with Yan Luo’s body, permeating every part of her bones, muscles, and blood. Forcibly expelling them will only accelerate the worsening of her condition.” As Sui Xin spoke, she subconsciously glanced toward me, seeming somewhat hesitant.
“She… will… die.” Looking at the High Priest's troubled and hesitant expression, how could I not understand how dire Yan Luo’s situation was at this moment!
“I am truly sorry, I am powerless to help,” Sui Xin sighed deeply. “If we cannot remove the Ice Gu from her body, she probably won’t last another month.”
“What, one month?” I was almost stunned. “Does Yan Luo only have a month left to live?”
“……” Yin Shuang didn’t know what to say, only clutching Yan Luo’s hand tightly and weeping uncontrollably.
“One month of life…” Long Xin couldn't hold back either and burst into loud sobs. “How can this be? We finally waited until today…”
The pale Yan Luo lay silently, yet her faint life breath was like a candle flame flickering precariously in a storm, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
Her face was deathly pale, devoid of any trace of color. The skin all over her body exhibited an unusual translucence, a stark white that looked nothing like a living person, but rather like an ice statue carved from cold jade and snow, one that could melt and vanish at any second!
“……!” I didn't know what to say, or what to do!
My heart felt as if a gaping hole had been pierced through it! The pain sunk into my very marrow!
Yet, I couldn't vent it. I didn't even dare to hold her tightly, afraid that one careless touch might shatter her!
Is this what heartbreak feels like? Why is this happening!
A long time ago, I remember my mother holding me in her arms!
That was the first time I felt what heartbreak meant!
Because that was the first time I learned my mother was mute! I still remember that pain clearly today!
But now, this pain has once again consumed my entire being, even deeper and more intense than that time!
Pain! Deep in the bones! Unshakeable! Yet utterly helpless!
Is this the soul-searing pain of watching a loved one depart?
“No, this isn't real. She waited a full twenty-five years for me! She finally waited until today, I finally saved her, I won't let her die, never…”
The world before my eyes instantly blurred!
Tears streamed down relentlessly. The only thing I could do was gently hold Yan Luo’s hand, feeling that faint, almost nonexistent pulse of life!
If I could, I wouldn't hesitate to trade my life for hers!
But…
Seeming to sense my presence, Yan Luo’s tightly shut eyelids trembled slightly, then she slowly forced them open!
Her eyes were vacant, as if her soul had fled, leaving behind only the beautiful shell. Only when my reflection appeared in her gaze did a spark of unusual light flicker within them.
“Xing…” Her voice was so weak, as if she had exhausted all her strength!
Yin Shuang, Long Xin, and the others beside me were instantly overjoyed!
“It’s me, Xing Chen!” I carefully supported Yan Luo’s shoulders. “I’ve rescued you.”
“I… I knew… you would come.” Two lines of crystal tears slowly traced paths down her clear eyes. “Finally… finally, I waited…”
“En!” A sharp pain twisted my heart. I gently held her nearly weightless body but couldn't utter a single word.
“En!… He… he.” Yan Luo’s voice grew fainter! I couldn't even discern what she was trying to say!
“Don’t speak, rest well,” Yin Shuang quickly interjected.
“Yes, we can talk slowly later. Right now, the most important thing is to heal you!” I quickly added.
“He! Don't! If I don't speak now, there might not be another chance…” A strange flush appeared on Yan Luo’s pale face!
“No! You must speak more. I will definitely save you.” I knew I couldn't let Yan Luo give up hope, or everything would be lost. “Don’t forget, I am Xing Chen, the omnipotent Xing Chen. There is nothing in this world I cannot do, so you must believe me…”
“Xing…” Yan Luo gasped laboriously. “O… mn… i… po… tent.”
“That’s right, omnipotent.” I recalled what Bing Chi had said: only the Chieftain of the Ice Seal Tribe could undo the Gu poison. I quickly said, “As soon as I capture the Chieftain of the Ice Seal Tribe, I can remove the Ice Gu from you. That’s not hard to accomplish.”
“……” Yan Luo offered a look of relief, simply gazing blankly at me.
“See? Xing Chen could even capture the Demon Empress. Capturing a tribal chieftain is no big deal, right?” Long Xin quickly cheered her on. “So you must hold on.”
“And us,” Yin Shuang added. “Don’t forget the Black Flag Army is invincible.”
“You must believe me.”
“I… will… wait… for you.” Yan Luo finally smiled, then slowly closed her eyes.
…………
“She is very tired now,” Sui Xin commented with some emotion. “Let her rest quietly.”
“Why don’t you all go out first?” Long Xin suggested. “I can take care of her.”
“En.” I nodded slightly. “You need to be careful too, don’t overexert yourself.”
“Alright, hurry up and go out,” Long Xin urged.
When I left the room, I noticed that Sui Xin’s refined features were already covered in a fine sheen of sweat, making her look somewhat fatigued.
“Thank you for your hard work,” I said apologetically.
“You’re too kind,” Sui Xin replied quickly.
This rescue operation had gone remarkably smoothly, thanks in no small part to Sui Feng’s accurate intelligence, which allowed us to locate Yan Luo’s secret prison cell precisely!
And Yin Shuang’s timely aerial support enabled us to board the Thunder Eagles immediately upon escaping the dungeon and leave the Ice Palace!
As for Sui Feng and his group, their progress was equally smooth!
Both sides had deployed a large number of masters, meaning neither side could play any tricks; they had to exchange hostages honestly!
Everything went exactly as planned!
After rescuing Yan Luo, we followed our agreement and arrived at Youlan City of the Snow Plain Tribe! There, we met Sui Feng and the others who had successfully returned. However, Yan Luo’s condition could not wait; only after settling down, and without even time for basic introductions, did we rush to treat her!
We were delayed until now before finally finding a moment of leisure.
Led by Sui Xin, I brought Yan Luo into a large hall!
It was a simple reception room!
Seated centrally was a young woman with silver hair and silver eyes, possessing a refined beauty. Her appearance bore a resemblance to Sui Feng, suggesting she was a relative—whether an older or younger sister, I couldn't tell. To her left sat a young man with a calm expression.
To the right was Sui Yun, whose face was etched with anxiety. Only when she saw us enter did Sui Yun show a look of relief!
There were only the three of them in the hall, but it was clear they had been waiting for us for a long time!
“Sorry to keep everyone waiting,” I quickly said.
“No matter,” the silver-haired woman chuckled softly.
“Brother Xing Chen, is your friend feeling any better?” Sui Feng seemed somewhat constrained, nowhere near as carefree and easygoing as he was in the inn back in Throne City.
“……” I felt a pang of sadness, not knowing how to answer.
“Sui Xin, what is the situation?” Seemingly noticing that something was amiss, the silver-haired woman looked toward Sui Xin, who had entered the hall with us.
“Their friend has been afflicted with the Ice Gu,” Sui Xin reported.
“What, Ice Gu?” The silver-haired woman looked shocked!
The young man’s expression also drastically changed. “It’s the Ice Gu? Yue Che has been too ruthless.”
“How could this happen?” Sui Feng grew even more anxious. “The Ice Gu, while not a virulent poison, is the most intensely yin and cold substance in the world. Just that frigid energy is enough to take a life…”
“No one in this world can undo the Ice Gu except Yue Che,” the silver-haired woman said gravely.
“Fate is destiny,” I stated calmly. “Regardless, I will definitely make Yue Che remove the Gu for Yan Luo.”
“Don’t underestimate Yue Che,” the silver-haired woman warned seriously. “Not only is the entire Ice Seal Tribe full of formidable experts, but Yue Che’s own unfathomable cultivation level is beyond what you or I can contend with.”
“I don’t care who he is, no matter how high his cultivation…”
As I spoke, I instinctively glanced toward the silver-haired woman.
“Oh, right,” Sui Feng quickly interjected. “I forgot to introduce her. This is my older sister, Sui Yun, and she is also the Grand Chieftain of our Snow Plain Tribe.”
“I am Xing Chen!”
“And I am Yin Shuang!”
“We greet Grand Chieftain Sui Yun.” I quickly bowed! Yin Shuang bowed in the same manner beside me.
“Xing Chen, Yin Shuang!” Sui Yun seemed curious. “Is she your wife?”
“Yes, Yin Shuang is my wife.” It was a bit awkward, but I forced myself to admit it.
Although Yin Shuang’s cultivation was exquisite and she still appeared as beautiful as ever, looking no different from a woman in her mid-twenties! My own face, which seemed incapable of growing up, looked younger than twenty! Standing next to her, it inevitably looked peculiar, no wonder Sui Yun wore that strange expression!
“It really is you two.” The young man beside Sui Yun looked surprised. “Xing Chen, if I’m not mistaken, you must be Prince Qin of the Demon Dragon Empire, the Nine Luminaries Divine Truth?”
“Ah!!” Yin Shuang and I both flinched slightly.
“Heh heh, strange, isn't it?” The young man chuckled lightly. “Actually, about a year ago, we had a general understanding of the situation on the Mafa Continent.”
“……” Yin Shuang and I stared blankly at the composed young man talking so easily.
“I am Seth,” the young man introduced himself. “The Sage of the Snow Plain Tribe.”
“Sage?” Yin Shuang and I were both a bit confused. What kind of role was that?
“Sage is what we call it on our continent. Perhaps on your continent, it would be called a Strategist Minister, or perhaps Chancellor or something similar,” Seth explained.
“I see.” Yin Shuang and I finally understood, but we couldn't help but ask, “How did you learn my identity? Can you fly across the Dead Sea to reach the Mafa Continent?”
“Not exactly,” Seth replied. “The Snow Domain Continent doesn't have flying beasts capable of long-distance, heavy-load flight like the Giant Thunder Eagles, nor have we been to your Mafa Continent!” Seth continued, “However, over the past two years, several groups of extraordinarily powerful individuals wearing strange battle armor suddenly appeared on the continent, causing unrest everywhere. This drew our attention. Later, one group even attempted to break into our forbidden grounds to steal our tribe’s Seven-Colored Fireworks! We repelled them and captured a few of them. The information we possess was acquired from them.”
Wearing strange battle armor—could it be the Heavy Armor Warriors, or the Thunder Warriors, or perhaps the Phoenix Heaven War Gods? I was considerably alarmed. What worried me more was whether they might be Xing Ye and Xing Zhan’s group.
“Don’t worry,” Seth seemed to read my thoughts and continued. “They are not from the Demon Dragon Empire, but from the Holy Word Church. Through them, we learned a great deal about the Mafa Continent, which naturally included all the information about you, the Nine Luminaries Divine Truth.”
“So that’s it.” Yin Shuang and I finally breathed a sigh of relief. “But why are you so certain that I am the Nine Luminaries Divine Truth?”
“Heh heh, didn’t you tell us yourself?” Seth laughed. “Xing Chen is the Nine Luminaries Divine Truth, and the Nine Luminaries Divine Truth is Xing Chen. Surely everyone on the Mafa Continent knows this, don't they?”
“…” I was instantly dumbfounded, but honestly, I never expected my name to have spread all the way to the Snow Domain Continent.
“Besides,” Seth continued his analysis, “black hair and black eyes—besides Brother Xing Ye and his sister from the Demon Dragon Empire, only their father would look like you, wouldn't he?” “Originally, I wasn't entirely certain you were the Nine Luminaries Divine Truth, but since she calls herself Yin Shuang, as far as I know, Yin Shuang is the Princess Consort of the Demon Dragon Empire. Now that she is by your side, your identity is naturally Prince Qin, the Nine Luminaries Divine Truth.”
“As expected of a Sage.” Yin Shuang and I could only sigh in admiration; we truly had nothing else to say!
“What we didn’t expect, however, was that His Highness Prince Qin would suddenly appear on the Snow Domain Continent twenty-five years later, and looking so young at that. It’s hard to imagine you are the father of those legendary Twin War Gods,” Seth seemed quite curious.
“……” Since waking up, the thing I was most sensitive about was this baby face. I was the father of two children, yet I still looked like an uninitiated, underage youth. And this damned fellow had hit my sore spot!
“……” Seth apparently wasn’t stupid; he clearly sensed my displeasure and started trying to smooth things over with awkward laughter.
“……” As for Sui Yun and Sui Feng, they both looked like they were trying hard not to laugh.
This made me grind my teeth in anger even more! Seth! How dare you make me lose face! You are finished, you hear me!