Upon leaving that warm courtyard, where spring lasted all year round, the scenery outside the Secret Realm was entirely different.
An endless Ice Field stretched out before his eyes, as if only pure white and blue remained between heaven and earth. The biting cold wind added a touch of desolation and austerity.
Occasionally, figures of the Dragon Race in their true forms of various colors or in half-dragon forms, stretching their elegant or vigorous bodies, swept across the high sky.
Jiang Huai walked side by side with Chi Hong across this vast Ice Field.
“Is Young Lord Jiang cold?” Chi Hong tilted her head slightly, a smile playing on her lips.
She did not wait for Jiang Huai to answer; her slender fingers lightly traced the air by her side.
Several wisps of Crimson Fire appeared out of thin air, obediently swirling around Jiang Huai within a distance of a foot, forming a warm protective shield.
The flames were not scorchingly aggressive but only emitted a gentle warmth, perfectly dispelling the biting chill.
Even the wind blowing against his face became much softer.
Jiang Huai’s own Cultivation was not weak, and his Physique was special, so he was not unable to resist such severe cold.
However, such meticulous and thoughtful warmth did indeed make one’s mind and body feel comfortable. He accepted it frankly and nodded in acknowledgment:
“Thank you, Clan Leader Chi Hong.”
Compared to the bitter cold of the Ice Field, he preferred the feeling of warmth.
“Is Chihuang doing well these past few days?” Jiang Huai pondered for a moment before finally asking.
Regardless of the original intention behind Chi Lian’s challenge, the result was likely difficult to accept for the proud Chihuang.
Upon hearing this, Chi Hong slowed her pace slightly.
She glanced at Jiang Huai with a smile in her eyes: “Young Lord Jiang seems very concerned about my Huang’er?”
“Chi Lian’s initiative to challenge Huang’er was suggested by Young Lord Jiang, wasn’t it?” With her understanding of Chi Lian’s temperament, that timid and gentle child could never have taken such an action on her own without someone pushing her.
Jiang Huai had no intention of hiding it and nodded calmly: “It was my request.” He looked toward the distant Ice Field with a steady gaze: “However, it shouldn’t be a problem for the Nine Heavens Palace Saintess to challenge the Red Dragon Clan Saintess, right? Did Clan Leader Chi Hong invite me out today to demand an explanation?”
His tone was steady, but he was already prepared in his heart.
No matter what, he would take the responsibility upon his own shoulders and would never let Chi Lian bear the pressure.
Chi Hong burst out laughing instead, her laughter sounding exceptionally clear in the cold wind, her eyes rippling with helplessness: “Why do you and that child Chi Lian both act as if I would forcefully stand up for Huang’er? Could it be that in your eyes, I am such a narrow-minded, protective, and unreasonable Clan Leader?”
She withdrew her smile, her tone turning into a gentle reflection: “Huang’er is a child with extraordinary Innate Talent. I watched her grow up and personally taught her. Her personality is a bit arrogant, and she has been somewhat spoiled. Her path of Cultivation has been too smooth. Occasionally encountering some setbacks to smooth out her rough edges and dampen her arrogance might not be a bad thing for her. To see her take this opportunity to settle down and reflect on herself makes me, as her elder, feel gratified.”
Hearing her speak so earnestly and without pretense, Jiang Huai secretly felt relieved, and his tone became a bit more sincere: “Clan Leader Chi Hong is broad-minded and far-sighted. We juniors were too narrow-minded.”
The two continued to stroll, their feet sometimes stepping on ice as smooth as a mirror and sometimes sinking into soft, deep snow, making a light “crunching” sound. They left two parallel rows of footprints behind them, which were soon gradually covered by the thin snow blown by the wind.
After walking some distance, Chi Hong changed the subject: “Clan Leader White Dew summoned the various clans for discussion a few days ago and has roughly settled the current situation and subsequent strategies.”
“Now that the invasion of the Outworld Heavenly Demon is intensifying, Clan Leader White Dew has begun working on persuading the remaining Major Sects and Shijie of the Human Race to gradually abandon scattered strategic points and consolidate toward the Northern Plains. If they continue to be scattered everywhere, it will be extremely easy for the Outworld Heavenly Demon to divide and surround them, picking them off one by one.”
“Although the environment of the Northern Plains is bitter and cold, we have the foundation built by the White Dragon Clan for generations, as well as the Formations and Secret Realm foundations left by some Great Powers of the Human Race to rely on. At the very least, we can resist the frontal assault of the Heavenly Demon for a considerable period and win some breathing room.”
She stopped walking and turned to face Jiang Huai: “Our strategy is to hold the Northern Plains. During this time, we will gather resources and put all our effort into nurturing the younger generation—especially you, Young Lord Jiang.”
“We will do everything in our power to help you and the most promising young people of each clan grow as quickly as possible until you break through to the Mahayana Realm. Only then will it be time for our counterattack to retake the lost lands of the Five Provinces. “
“The key to this lies first in the smooth coordination between the various Dragon clans and the Human Race forces, and second in Young Lord Jiang’s own progress in Cultivation.”
She laid out White Dew’s plan in its entirety while also quietly observing Jiang Huai’s expression, wanting to see if the responsibility and expectations would crush this young man.
After listening, Jiang Huai only frowned slightly.
There was no panic or sign of being overwhelmed on his face, but rather a sense of solemnity. Seeing this, Chi Hong nodded inwardly.
What Jiang Huai worried about was not the tragic future battles against the Outworld Heavenly Demon.
What gave him a headache at this moment was the bottleneck of his own Physique.
Without Yin and Yang harmony, or if he could not find the secret to generating Yin and Yang from within the original Yin-Yang Body Gongfa, he would remain stuck at the Golden Core Peak, unable to enter the Nascent Soul realm.
If even the Nascent Soul was an issue, how could he speak of the even more distant counterattack plan?
The Human Race and the Demon Race were migrating toward the Northern Plains.
The process would inevitably be complicated and take a lot of time.
“Young Lord Jiang does not need to worry too much about the future state of the war,” Chi Hong said to comfort him, seeing him frown and thinking he was worried about their overall strength.
“Among the Human Race, there are also some Cultivators who, for the sake of stability or other reasons, have long suppressed their Realm and never attempted to break through to the Great Ascension. Now that the Great Tribulation is upon us, for the sake of self-preservation, several at the Merging Stage peak have recently successfully promoted. In addition, a group of Cultivators who were originally at the peak of the Merging Stage have also broken through their Realms one after another under the pressure.”
Speaking to this point, she could not help but shake her head gently, her smile somewhat complex: “White Dew said that from a certain perspective, this Great Tribulation has actually prompted an unprecedented unity among the Human Race Cultivators.”
After all, during the Ancient Era invasion of the Heavenly Demon, many people chose to seek safety through Ascension, leading to weak defending forces that relied almost entirely on the Yin-Yang Body to support the overall situation alone. Of course, everyone has their own ambitions, and choosing to ascend to seek a way of life was not beyond reproach.
Jiang Huai shook his head and said frankly: “What I am worried about is the problem of my own Realm.”
He had gradually shifted his hope from finding a woman with a specific Physique for Dual Cultivation to studying the battles of the previous Yin-Yang Body day and night, attempting to comprehend the true meaning of that Gongfa where “Yin and Yang generate themselves without seeking external aid.”
Chi Hong’s footsteps paused slightly.
She reached out her delicate hand, elegantly tucking a strand of hair disheveled by the wind behind her ear.
Her figure moved inconspicuously closer to Jiang Zhun, almost touching his arm.
She tilted her head slightly, her warm breath seemingly brushing against Jiang Huai’s ear as she lowered her voice: “Young Lord Jiang, perhaps you can change your perspective and think more about the relationship between the Yin-Yang Body and our Five Great Dragon Clans.”
“Hmm?”