Across thousands of mountains and ten thousand miles of snow, only the whistling cold wind and the boundless pristine white remained between heaven and earth.
The Xianzhou was like a lonely sail, traveling steadily and swiftly above the ice plains of the North Ice Plains.
Suddenly, several sharp black and white sword lights emerged from the side of the vessel, cutting through the lead-gray sky, accompanied by several short, muffled, and tooth-aching sounds of tearing.
White Dew stood quietly at the very front of the deck, her black hair and white robes remaining motionless in the biting cold wind.
Her ice-blue eyes followed the fleeting trajectories of those sword lights in the air without blinking until the last strange sound dissipated into the wind and snow, and a figure landed steadily back on the deck from mid-air.
It was Jiang Huai.
His body was stained with several black marks that were as thick as ink but lacked any scent of blood.
His face was slightly pale due to the intense consumption of Lingli, but his eyes were startlingly bright, flickering with the pure excitement and battle intent of a successful hunt.
He spread his palm, where two black crystals the size of pigeon eggs lay, their surfaces flowing with an eerie light.
These were the spoils from the several Outworld Heavenly Demons he had just killed in passing.
“The swordsmanship is acceptable, advancing and retreating with measure, though the conversion between the Two Energies of Yin and Yang is slightly lacking in harmony.” White Dew’s cold voice rang out, like ice beads falling onto a Jade Plate, providing a concise evaluation.
Jiang Zhun heard her voice, and a smile naturally appeared on his face.
He was just about to say something when he saw that White Dew had already turned away gracefully, leaving him only with a cold and solitary silhouette.
It was as if once she confirmed he was safe and sound, there was no longer any need to stay.
The smile on Jiang Zhun’s face stiffened, and the hand he had raised halfway was silently lowered as that strange feeling surfaced in his heart again.
This woman’s temperament was truly like a child’s face in June, changing whenever she pleased.
Clearly, they had shared skin-to-skin intimacy not long ago, and he could feel her raw dependence and warmth during their intimate moments.
How could she return to this ice-sculpture-like appearance of keeping people thousands of miles away in the blink of an eye?
He shook his head, casting aside his slight depression, and returned his attention to the demon cores in his hand.
Exerting force with his fingers, the two black crystals shattered. Instead of powder splashing everywhere, they turned into two currents of pure energy.
Jiang Huai immediately closed his eyes and concentrated, circulating the Yin-Yang Art.
his pale face returned to a healthy ruddy color at a speed visible to the naked eye.
His consumed Lingli was rapidly replenished, and even his cultivation bottleneck felt faintly loosened.
Throughout this journey, any lone Outworld Heavenly Demon below the Nascent Soul Stage they encountered had almost all become Jiang Huai’s whetstone and nourishment.
However, the invisible barrier standing between the peak of the Golden Core and the Nascent Soul remained as solid as a rock.
The overbearing nature and the limitations of the Yin Yang Constitution lay right here; without the harmonization of a corresponding constitution, it was difficult to break the balance relying solely on oneself.
“Alas, how did the original Yin-Yang Body predecessor back then manage to refine the Gongfa to achieve self-generation of Yin and Yang without needing external assistance?” Jiang Huai returned his Sword to its sheath and whispered to himself, his brow furrowed in thought.
Relying solely on hunting low-level Heavenly Demons to accumulate Lingli was, in the end, slightly lacking.
He needed to find women with extreme Yin and extreme Yang constitutions to harmonize his Yin and Yang.
But such constitutions were one in ten thousand, and now that the Five Provinces were in chaos, they were even harder to find.
Jiang Huai thought further; the Virtue of Yellow Dragon Thick Earth and the Spirit of Green Dragon Azure Wood, though rare attributes, did not seem to be of the same path as extreme Yin and extreme Yang.
He recalled the scene in the Essence Blood illusion where that Yin-Yang Body woman wielded her sword, and the Two Energies of Yin and Yang within her body circulated endlessly.
Although he had some realizations, the key point was still separated by a layer of mist.
Right then, the Xianzhou beneath his feet emitted a low hum, its speed gradually slowing.
Massive glaciers lay prostrated like silent giant Dragons as the biting cold wind kicked up ice that had not melted for ten thousand years.
Immediately after, the scene ahead rippled like water, and a transparent barrier nearly invisible to the naked eye quietly opened.
The Xianzhou turned into a stream of light and plunged inside.
The view suddenly opened up.
Enormous mystical ice palaces, towers, and covered bridges stretched out and wound along the natural terrain of the ice peaks.
The entire Secret Realm was like the Guanghan Immortal Palace of myth.
Unlike the last time Jiang Huai had come in a hurry with White Dew when it was desolate, the Secret Realm was clearly much more lively now.
Although it was still quiet, different colors of the Dragon Race could be seen flying in the sky from time to time.
Just as the Xianzhou came to a steady halt on a wide platform, two brightly colored Dragon Shadows leisurely swam out from behind a nearby ice peak.
One had black-patterned armor scales red as flame, flowing with a warm luster, while the other was azure as jade throughout, carrying vibrant vitality.
With the flickering of spiritual light, the Dragon Shadows dissipated, transforming into two women standing side by side on the platform.
On the left was a mature woman with a plump and graceful figure, wearing a fiery red dress that outlined heart-stopping curves.
Her face was charming and gorgeous, and her eyes were full of a thousand charms, she was exactly the contemporary Clan Leader of the Red Dragon Clan, Chi Hong.
On the right was a petite and exquisite girl wearing a green silk dress.
Her small face was as if carved from pink jade, and her eyes were emerald green; she was Ao Shuang, the Clan Leader of the Azure Dragon Clan.
The two performed a polite Etiquette toward the Chi Yun Ancestor:
“Greetings, Old Ancestor.”
Chiyun waved her hand casually and smiled:
“I’ve said it how many times now? I’m not that old.”
Chi Hong gave a sweet smile, her eyes shifting to land on Jiang Huai in the center of the deck, her smile becoming more genuine and bright:
“It has been a long time, Young Lord Jiang.”
“Seeing that you are safe and sound, I can rest easy.” Her tone carried familiar concern.
Ao Shuang also tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on Jiang Huai.
Her stature was petite, so she had to look up when seeing people, her green eyes filled with surprise.
Thoughts flashed through her mind; so the Human Race man Qin Qingyue had brought into the Secret Realm back then was actually the legendary Yin-Yang Body.
No wonder, no wonder Qin Qingyue could use his power to pass the Trial and finally condense a Celestial Immortal Form.
Jiang Huai hurried to return the gesture, but he was truly surprised in his heart and could not help but ask:
“Senior, why did you not follow the great change of heaven and earth to perform the Ascension to the Immortal Realm?”
White Dew and Chiyun were special cases, which he could understand, but Chi Hong and Ao Shuang were Great Ascension Stage cultivators who had truly attained the Dao in this realm.
Reasonably, they should have been drawn away.
Hearing this, Chi Hong gave a charming smile and explained:
“Speaking of which, it was also a coincidence.”
“When the abnormal movements of heaven and earth first appeared, my family’s Old Ancestor.” She glanced at Chiyun.
“Happened to notice something was wrong, so she brought Sister Ao Shuang, who was visiting the clan, and me into the Secret Realm together.”
“Young Lord Jiang knows of that Secret Realm; it is similar to this White Dragon Secret Realm, both were opened in the Ancient Era and the laws are relatively ancient, thus barely isolating us.”
“The two of us can be considered to have escaped disaster by luck.”
Her tone paused slightly, and a hint of regret appeared on her face:
“Unfortunately, among the Great Ascension Stage of the Azure Dragon Clan, only Ao Shuang did not leave; all the others have ascended.”
“As for the Black Dragon and Yellow Dragon tribes, naturally, not a single Great Ascension Stage remains.”
“Later, White Dew gathered the remaining forces from all sides here to discuss countermeasures, so we all came.”
After listening, Jiang Huai’s heart was filled with mixed emotions, and a sense of regret rose even further:
“If I had known earlier, I would have stayed with the Red Dragon Clan back then, perhaps…”
Perhaps Qin Qingyue would not have had to ascend and face the unknown dangers of the Immortal Realm.
But on second thought, perhaps this was a good thing for Qin Qingyue, as she was at least free from the threat of the Outworld Heavenly Demons.
It was just that he did not know when the two of them would meet again.
Chi Hong, however, shook her head, her smile gentle and transparent:
“In the affairs of the world, how can there be so many ‘if only I had knowns’?”
“Fate moves forward, and every moment is cause and effect.”
“What we can do is simply our best.”
“As far as I know, the number of Great Ascension Stage cultivators of the Human Race remaining on the Five Provinces Continent is likely even fewer than our tribes gathered here.”
“The invasion of the Outworld Heavenly Demons this time has been planned so deeply, and their methods are so treacherous, that it has truly exceeded everyone’s expectations.”
Having said that, her gaze fell on the woman in red behind Jiang Huai, who seemed somewhat ill-at-ease, and her smile deepened with a hint of playfulness:
“Chi Lian.”
Chi Lian lowered her head slightly, her voice respectful but carrying a trace of undetectable tension:
“Clan Leader.”
Chi Hong’s gaze was like electricity. Although she remained calm on the surface, waves of shock had already risen in her heart.
She, as the Clan Leader, knew Chi Lian’s Innate Talent and cultivation details better than anyone.
But the Chi Lian before her eyes now had a solid and heavy Qi, with pure and majestic Lingli.
Her overall spirit and the quality of her Lingli far exceeded those of her peers.
How long had it been? Was this the heaven-defying change of fate brought about by Dual Cultivation with a Yin-Yang Body?
Her gaze involuntarily drifted toward Jiang Huai again, a very complex expression flashing deep in her eyes—there was amazement, scrutiny, calculation, and also a trace of indefinable envy?
With such a Physique, why did she not encounter such a wonderful person when she was young and roaming the Five Provinces?
This thought only flashed by, and the charming smile at the corners of her mouth grew deeper.
At this moment, White Dew, who had been silently watching from the side, finally spoke, her voice clear and resonant:
“Since the Clan Leaders of the various tribes are already gathered here, we should not delay any further.”
“Chi Hong, Ao Shuang, please notify the Clan Leaders of the Black Dragon and Yellow Dragon tribes to come to the Palace to discuss the strategy for dealing with the Outworld Heavenly Demons.” She was concise and went straight to the point.
Chi Hong reined in her wandering thoughts and nodded seriously:
“What Clan Leader White Dew said is absolutely correct; I will go and make the arrangements immediately.”
She then turned back to Jiang Huai, the charming and friendly smile hanging on her face again as she said:
“Young Lord Jiang has had an arduous journey; why not take a short rest first?”
“Currently, most of the disciples of the younger generation from the Five Clans are at the martial arts arena exchanging pointers as a form of coordination. You can go and take a look; perhaps you will see some familiar faces.”
Then, her eyes turned toward Chi Lian, her tone gentle:
“Chi Lian, you should go as well. Chihuang has been thinking about you.”