247 - The Demon Fox Wife is a Foodie

Su Zijun understood the implication of Dong Fang Cixin's words, "You mean to say, if Nan Gongyin awakens, there's a possibility she'll be able to unseal herself?" Dong Fang Cixin nodded, "There's about a seventy percent chance." Upon hearing this, Yan Zhao was overjoyed, "That's wonderful, Ah Yin is truly remarkable." Lei Shuang also heaved a sigh of relief. Seventy percent is a significant probability and it would aid in the Demon Lord's recovery, so matters were not as dire as they seemed. However, Ren Qingyue did not share Yan Zhao and Lei Shuang's optimism. She felt guilty; despite Dong Fang Cixin's assurance of a seventy percent chance, there still remained a thirty percent risk that Nan Gongyin couldn't unseal herself. She couldn't just let the matter rest. She had to consider other ways to actively make amends. "This place is not suitable to linger. We need to leave promptly," Su Zijun observed the devastated land beneath her feet and warned, "It's been less than half a day since the Fu Yun Sect's grand ceremony ended, and already the celestial realm has come looking. This place is no longer safe." Clearly, the Immortal Alliance had a hand in this. Ying Xiao's treacherous nature was exposed in this incident without reservation. Su Zijun turned to Dong Fang Cixin, "Ah Yin is trapped by the seal. Even if she wakes up, who knows when she'll break free. Elder Dong Fang, can you now speak of what was mentioned in the letter earlier?" Among those present, only Lei Shuang was unaware of the context, while the other three turned their attention to Dong Fang Cixin in unison. Dong Fang Cixin fell silent. Her usual calm demeanor was replaced by a trace of conflict. Trouble seemed to follow one after another. The great tree of Fu Yun Sect had fallen; today, Nan Gongyin barely escaped with her life. Waiting any longer could lead to unforeseen troubles. After a moment, she sighed helplessly, "Come with me." Lei Shuang heard this but was puzzled. Glancing around, she noticed only Yan Zhao was familiar to her, so she sidled up to her, nudging Yan Zhao's arm, "What are they talking about? Where are you going?" Yan Zhao covered her mouth with one hand and whispered to Lei Shuang, "I don't know either." Lei Shuang: "..." Why do you pretend like you understand? Dong Fang Cixin quickly stepped forward, reaching a hundred feet away in the blink of an eye, with Su Zijun and Yao Shenzi following closely. Ren Qingyue snapped out of her gloomy mood, only to find Yan Zhao, who had been by her side, suddenly vanished. Their held hands were forcibly parted. Ren Qingyue: "?" Looking up, she saw Lei Shuang holding Yan Zhao by the scruff like a chick, speaking to Yan Zhao with a sense of responsibility befitting a leader, "You can't keep up because you're slow, so I'll carry you." Yan Zhao looked back, eyes appealing towards her senior sister. Lei Shuang was oblivious to the change in the atmosphere around her and failed to notice the subtle shift in Ren Qingyue's expression. She nodded politely to Ren Qingyue, "Let's go, Miss Ren." Ren Qingyue: "..." Chapter 268 Ren Qingyue said nothing, giving Yan Zhao a helpless look. Lei Shuang swiftly moved while carrying Yan Zhao, and Ren Qingyue followed closely behind. The three powerful beings in front moved rapidly. Yan Zhao, in Lei Shuang's grip, heard the cold wind whistling much louder than when she flew on her sword. However, due to Lei Shuang's external magic enveloping her, the fierce wind did not harm Yan Zhao. Not affected, Yan Zhao had the leisure to observe Lei Shuang’s movement technique. She remembered: this technique was named "Thunder Run Mantra." Lei Shuang had once taught her the mantra of this self-created movement technique. But Yan Zhao absorbed knowledge erratically, like a monkey picking ears of corn—grabbing one and tossing another—so she had yet to truly master the key to performing the Thunder Run Mantra. Currently, the only movement technique Yan Zhao could claim to have mastered was the Godspeed Spell taught by Yan Yuanqing. However, casting the Godspeed Spell required a mantra paired with hand gestures simultaneously, which was not very flexible. Furthermore, its explosive application drained a significant amount of magical power. If not for Yan Zhao's progress in cultivation, her power reserves would not suffice for such waste. In contrast, although the Thunder Run Mantra was complex, its mastery promised higher potential, allowing fluid transitions between techniques, thus better suited for a variety of complex situations. Yan Zhao noted this and planned to focus more on practicing the Thunder Run Mantra when she found the time. Dong Fang Cixin led the group to Huang Yin Peak, but instead of reaching the summit, they paused at a small marsh halfway up. Dong Fang Cixin signaled everyone to stop, then lightly leapt onto a tree by the marsh. She flung out several strands of energy, marking the trunks of different trees, then began incantations. A rustling noise surrounded them. Yan Zhao’s ears perked up, and she remarked, "It sounds like snakes." Soon, a thick snake as wide around as a bowl slithered out from the dense bushes. Seeing the group of Ascendant Stage practitioners behind Dong Fang Cixin, its eyes, shaped like inverted triangles, expressed cold vigilance. "They're not enemies," Dong Fang Cixin told the snake, "Open the passage, and guard the entrance." The snake hissed, retreating slightly to lessen its guard. Then it flicked its long tail and dived into the marsh. As the snake’s tail churned the mire, a faint sound of metal clinking was heard, followed by the snake’s tail emerging, hooked to a chain. Simultaneously, the trees marked by Dong Fang Cixin shifted positions. There was a slight rumble in the earth, and a large, half-man-sized boulder rose from the swamp, as if lifted by some force from beneath the mire, coming to rest before the group. "Follow me." Dong Fang Cixin leapt onto the stone, and a teleportation formation hidden within it lit up. The group exchanged glances before following Dong Fang Cixin onto the stone without hesitation; Lei Shuang and Ren Qingyue followed closely behind. The teleportation array activated, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished from atop the stone. Outside the swamp, the snake flicked its tail again, the chain unhooking, and the stone sank slowly back into the mire. In no time, the swamp returned to its original state, the snake vanishing into the depths of the bushes. In the shadows, only a pair of dull yellow eyes could be faintly seen. With a flash, the teleportation array altered the scenery around them. Amidst a sudden blast of cold air, Yan Zhao shivered instinctively. The drop in temperature was also noted by Su Zijun and the others, but due to their high level of cultivation, their robust power shielded them from the pronounced discomfort that affected Yan Zhao. Looking around, the group realized they were now inside a cavern. The cavern was embedded within a mountain, with no visible exits on the stone walls, and over seventy percent of the ground was covered by water. At the center of this small lake stood an island shrouded in snow and ice, the chilly winds seeping from that direction causing Yan Zhao's chill. Dong Fang Cixin walked across the water, flying onto the island. Su Zijun and the others followed immediately. Upon reaching the island, Dong Fang Cixin performed incantations, pressing a hand gesture against the frozen ground. Suddenly, the sound of ice cracking rang out, and the frozen layer shattered and sank, as though a doorway had opened. A rectangular pillar of profound ice slowly ascended from beneath the ground. The ice was clear, with a surface shrouded in a cold mist which obscured its interior, yet one could still discern a human form sealed within. Dong Fang Cixin waved a sleeve across the ice, dispelling the surrounding chill. The woman encased inside became plainly visible. She was attired in white, her hair meticulously styled in a crown, her eyes shut tight, complexion pale, expression calm and serene, so much so that one could almost mistake her for merely sleeping—if not for knowing that she had long passed away. Seeing someone within the ice surprised Lei Shuang greatly. But upon discerning the identity, she was even more astounded, unable to stifle an exclamation, "Yan Yuanqing?!" Having anticipated this, Su Zijun and Yao Shenzi were less startled than Lei Shuang; nonetheless, surprise flickered across their faces. Three hundred years on, they were now once again face to face with Yan Yuanqing. Yan Yuanqing's body was perfectly preserved, and Dong Fang Cixin had gone to great lengths to conceal her. Who would have thought that Yan Yuanqing's body lay hidden within Huang Yin Peak all these years unnoticed? After Lei Shuang's startled cry, silence fell around them as Su Zijun, Yao Shenzi, and even Ren Qingyue exhibited a variety of expressions, none as shocked or lost in composure as Lei Shuang and Yan Zhao. Ren Qingyue stood stunned for a time before unconsciously stepping forward, moving closer to the ice in a daze. "Master..." Back then, during the Fu Yun Sect upheaval, she was unexpectedly training outside the sect. Nan Gongyin led a raid on Fu Yun Sect, and shortly after, the battle concluded, Yan Yuanqing died. By the time Ren Qingyue learned of the news and returned, Yan Yuanyi informed her that her master's body was already buried. She didn’t understand back then why the sect’s elders hurried the treatment of Yan Yuanqing’s remains so much, how the greatest sword cultivator, who had expanded a vast realm for Fu Yun Sect, did not even receive a fitting funeral. Ren Qingyue harbored countless doubts in her heart, but found herself without answers. Everyone assured her that the sect leader had his reasons. Yet, she never had the chance to see her master one last time. She bore grievances, but with no one to seek answers from, she chose to believe. Now, finally, she understood. Bu Donghou and all the Fu Yun Sect masters who participated in that epic battle conspired together to weave a colossal lie, deceiving countless disciples of the Fu Yun Sect, herself included, as well as many other sects and immortals across the world. Ren Qingyue picked up her pace, and as she neared the ice pillar, her limbs grew weak. She stumbled over an ice shard protruding from the ground and almost sprawled over the icy surface. With keen eyes and swift reflexes, Dong Fang Cixin raised her sleeve with a gentle sweep, and a soft breeze cushioned Ren Qingyue, preventing her from falling. Seeing this, Yan Zhao immediately squirmed free from Lei Shuang's grasp and rushed over to Ren Qingyue’s side. Ren Qingyue's eyes turned red and misty, fixed unblinkingly on the woman sealed within the ice pillar. Reflecting on today's mistakes that left Nan Gongyin trapped in a seal, Ren Qingyue's guilt and remorse deepened. Following Ren Qingyue's gaze, Yan Zhao too looked at the ice pillar. Chilly air hit her face, and through the clear ice, she saw the woman whose looks matched the memories she held. Yan Zhao recalled a dream she had when she was gravely wounded not long ago. In the dream, a woman ferried her across the river to the shore. It turned out to be her mother. Behind Yan Zhao and Ren Qingyue, Su Zijun wore a look of melancholy. Yao Shenzi stroked the sparse few white hairs on his chin, “With the body preserved so well, if one could successfully gather the primordial spirit, there might be a chance for Yan Yuanqing to truly return to life.” Upon reaching the Ascendant Stage, physical destruction doesn’t equate to true death as long as the primordial spirit remains, separated from blood and energy. In ancient times, there existed an old secret method to reconstruct the physical body, but that technique has been lost. The ancient texts that survive today only provide vague references, offering no clear procedure. Thus, even if the primordial spirit survives, it’s as good as death. However, if the physical body remains while the primordial spirit dissipates, the spiritual energy contained within the celestial body will gradually disperse over time, eventually decaying into worthless muck, albeit at a slower rate than mortals decay. Yet, none expected Dong Fang Cixin to have preserved Yan Yuanqing’s body in such impeccable condition. Three centuries later, her remains appeared as vibrant and lively as if still alive. “Indeed.” Dong Fang Cixin said calmly, “But without recovering Yan Yuanqing's primordial spirit, this body shouldn't be moved. The spirit has been unbound for three hundred years, and entangling it in causality prematurely would accelerate decay compared to ordinary remains.” Catching up slowly to the realization, a glimmer of hope lit up Ren Qingyue’s somber eyes, “Her primordial spirit is on Ah Zhao!” With that, she turned to grab Yan Zhao’s arm, her expression urgent, “Ah Zhao, quick, take off the Soul Condensing Pearl.” Though puzzled, Yan Zhao always listened to her senior sister. Without hesitation, she took the small golden bead from around her neck and handed it to Ren Qingyue. Ren Qingyue transferred the Soul Condensing Pearl to Dong Fang Cixin.