Chapter 288: Frozen Heart Blood Jade Lotus
Chapter 288: Frozen Heart Blood Jade Lotus
Feixue agreed with Wan Fang’s suggestion, and the three began searching for Tian Yi and Fang Mu. As fellow disciples of Lou Ri City, they were familiar with each other’s auras. Unless separated by great distance or blocked by some barrier, they could usually sense one another.
Deep within the Blood Moon Wasteland, three blood rivers split the land into three vast regions.
Lou Ri City and the Divine Martial Sect shared the same region, so Wan Fang’s group focused their search there.
“I recall they went that way. Let’s check.”
The trio moved east, leaving the withered trees behind as they approached a stretch of bare, rolling hills.
These peaks had one peculiar trait: their summits were entirely rocky, faintly glinting under the light.
Qiu Yu slowed her steps, murmuring, “Danger lies ahead. Experts are nearby.”
Feixue asked, “From other sects?”
Ordinary sects posed little threat to Lou Ri City—unless they belonged to the Three Saints and Four Peerless.
Qiu Yu stayed silent, her delicate brows lifting slightly.
Wan Fang studied the gleaming rocks atop the peaks, sensing faint energy ripples.
“This terrain could easily hide an unparalleled formation. Charging in blindly would be reckless.”
Feixue shrugged. “Who’d bother setting up such a formation here unless something valuable’s hidden?”
Her logic held—no one acted without motive. If an unparalleled formation existed, there must be a reason.
As Spirit Master experts skilled in formations, the three observed carefully before pressing onward.
Past several peaks, they found a lake. The clear blue water looked like a jade embedded in the earth, its surface rippling under a gentle breeze.
Green willows lined the shore, where a slender figure stood gazing at the lake’s center.
On the opposite bank stood a tall man with flowing silver hair, looking handsome and graceful.
The oval-shaped lake held a third figure: a gaunt, black-clad middle-aged man with a black snake coiled on his shoulder.
Qiu Yu’s gaze first landed on the man in black, her hazy eyes flashing a hint of caution.
Wan Fang paused, staring at the slender figure. “That’s Chang Yun, the Carefree Fairy of the Shanhua Alliance. Why is she alone here?”
Feixue eyed the silver-haired man. “His hair’s just like Mu Bai’s! That’s rare.”
Wan Fang nodded. “True. Both are strikingly handsome—some might mistake them for brothers. All three here are focused on the lake’s center. Let’s see why.”
Wan Fang scanned the lakeside, moving toward the area opposite the black-clad man, but Qiu Yu blocked him.
“That spot’s already taken.”
Both Wan Fang and Feixue frowned, turning to look.
“Is that… a vine?”
Wan Fang whispered, his eyes swirling like whirlpools.
Feixue squinted. “A magic vine. Those leaves look like ghostly faces—the legendary Ghost-faced Magic Vine?”
The Lou Ri City trio had never visited Yunyang City’s Holy Emperor’s underground palace. But Wan Fang had heard stories while investigating Cheng Lingyu’s past.
A Ghost-faced Magic Vine there once stole a Holy Artifact Long Sword. Could this be the same one?
Was the silver-haired man facing Chang Yun the same person who had entered the Holy Emperor’s underground palace?
“Let’s approach Chang Yun.”
Qiu Yu suddenly sprang forward, making an unexpected decision.
Feixue wavered briefly before Wan Fang promptly followed.
Chang Yun stood beneath a willow tree by the lake, her gaze fixed on the lake’s center while occasionally glancing curiously at the silver-haired man on the opposite shore and the man in black.
As the three Lou Ri City experts drew near, Chang Yun noticed them.
“Why have you come?”
Though relations between Shanhua Alliance and Lou Ri City remained strained, Chang Yun’s reputation as the Carefree Fairy preceded her – known for her peaceful nature and gentle demeanor.
Wan Fang chuckled, “We happened to pass by and noticed something odd here.”
Feixue snorted and looked away.
Qiu Yu stared intently at the lake’s center, her brows gradually furrowing.
Chang Yun stated calmly, “You’re searching for your companions, aren’t you?”
Wan Fang stiffened. “How could you know that?”
Chang Yun smiled faintly. “I encountered Tian Yi and Fang Mu. They’re dead.”
“What? Explain yourself!” Feixue demanded, eyes blazing.
Wan Fang and Qiu Yu exchanged shocked glances, their expressions mixing grief and suspicion.
“At dusk yesterday, I found their corpses in a mountain tunnel. A Spirit Martial expert from Divine Martial Sect lay nearby.”
Wan Fang frowned. “They killed each other? Impossible.”
“The Divine Martial expert was already wounded when Tian Yi and Fang Mu killed him. Later, someone else murdered your companions.”
Feixue clenched her fists. “Who?”
Chang Yun shook her head without answering.
“Where exactly?” Wan Fang pressed.
“Seven hundred li northwest. Three peaks stand in a row – their Stone Valley lies within the leftmost mountain’s tunnel.”
Wan Fang sighed heavily. “I’ll investigate later. For now…”
Qiu Yu interrupted, “That light in the lake’s heart – it’s emanating profound mysteries.”
Chang Yun nodded. “A peerless spiritual herb grows there, naturally containing a great ultimate skill. Given proper opportunity, it might evolve into a holy herb.”
Feixue squinted at the glowing water. “What herb could be this powerful?”
Wan Fang murmured uncertainly, “It resembles the legendary Frozen Heart Blood Jade Lotus.”
“That myth?” Feixue gasped. “Said to emerge pure from filth once every hundred millennia.”
“Correct,” Chang Yun confirmed. “Its heaven-nurtured skill is Ice Blood Dustless Wings – defensive Ice Dustless combined with offensive Blood Dustless, balancing protection and attack.”
Wan Fang spread his hands in confusion. “With such marvels before you, why does everyone hesitate?”
Chang Yun smiled bitterly. “This lake appears clear, but anyone who approaches will instantly freeze into a popsicle.”
Qiu Yu remarked, “The Frozen Heart Blood Jade Lotus doesn’t grow in ordinary places.”
Feixue frowned. “But we’re standing right here and feel no cold.”
Wan Fang snapped a willow branch and tossed it into the water. White mist erupted as the branch froze stiff, then shattered into nothingness. “This lake doesn’t just freeze people – it dissolves flesh and erases bones completely.”
Feixue paled. Despite her Spirit Master Level cultivation, she’d sensed no danger from this eerie place.
Qiu Yu gazed at the surrounding peaks. “To claim the lotus, we must withstand both the lake’s corrosive chill and break the unparalleled formation in these mountains.”
“That’s why the silver-haired man and Man in Black haven’t moved yet,” Chang Yun nodded.
Wan Fang’s gut twisted with unease as he studied the gaunt Man in Black. Across the lake, the silver-haired man’s mysterious aura felt deceptively calm.
“Let’s try grabbing it from afar,” Feixue suggested.
Chang Yun shook her head. “I tried. Spatial Techniques fail near the center where time and space warp.”
“We must dismantle the mountain formation first,” Qiu Yu insisted.
Wan Fang suddenly asked, “Where are the other Shanhua Alliance experts? They’re formation specialists.”
“Charming Pen Spirit Master took them to break the formation days ago,” Chang Yun began, when the ground quaked violently.
The Man in Black and silver-haired man exploded into motion, streaking toward the lake center like twin bolts of darkness and light.
“The formation’s damaged!” Chang Yun cried.
Feixue lunged forward. “Let’s go!”
Qiu Yu blocked her. “Stay. Those two are dangerous.” Before the words faded, Qiu Yu vanished and reappeared at the lake’s heart.
A glowing vine lashed through the air, repelling both attackers from the lotus.
From shore, the trio watched breathlessly. The silver-haired man’s hair billowed as an entire world materialized behind him – familiar cities and rivers glowing faintly. The Man in Black stood shrouded in weeping spirits and black mist, like a hellish monarch.
Qiu Yu glowed with black-and-white luminous rings, her merged Holy Demon aura crushing the distorted space around her. The attacking vine trembled under the Three Experts’ combined pressure.
“Who is she?” Chang Yun gasped.
Wan Fang and Feixue answered together: “Mingmo Ridge.”
“That place from Lou Ri City?” Chang Yun’s eyes widened. “Where a greatest talent emerged a thousand years ago, overpowering the Three Saints and Four Peerless until they couldn’t lift their heads?”