Chapter 388

Chapter 388: Peril of Freezing to Death

Regarding these novel cultivation matters concerning the soul and the energy of heaven and earth, Ye Piaoling and the other two were rather confused. Still, they all understood that each person’s comprehension ability and thinking varied. To genuinely grasp these concepts required personal meticulous research and pondering, demanding considerable time. Instant comprehension was impossible. Thus, after asking some of their own questions, they refrained from continuing the discussion on this topic.

However, both men privately remembered Lou Yun’s selflessness and honesty!

Since Lou Yun had been so generous, Ye Piaoling naturally hastened to shift the topic. "Brother Lou, that Night Spirit Flower you’re seeking—are you truly certain it’s within these Ice Ruins?"

"That, I’m not entirely certain about!" Lou Yun glanced at Wen Zhi Lao Ren before saying, "But the Night Spirit Flower is supposed to inhabit places of extreme cold. The Great Snowfield is the coldest place on the Spirit Weapon Star, and the Ice Ruins are the coldest part within the Great Snowfield. So, we guessed it should be here."

"Place of extreme cold!"

A trace of hesitation suddenly appeared on Ye Piaoling’s face. "Brother Lou, I won’t hide it from you. Actually, within the Ice Ruins, there is also a place of extreme cold the ice!"

This statement made both Lou Yun and Wen Zhi Lao Ren freeze simultaneously, especially Wen Zhi Lao Ren, who asked in surprise, "You mean, just like the Ice Ruins relative to the Great Snowfield, there’s an even colder place inside the Ice Ruins?"

"En!" Ye Piaoling nodded. "Only, the cold air there is truly too intense. Even I couldn’t withstand it. Though I discovered that place inadvertently, I have never dared to approach it. Since you say the Night Spirit Flower lives in places of extreme cold, then if it truly is within the Ice Ruins, that’s the only possible location!"

Lou Yun and Wen Zhi Lao Ren couldn’t help but exchange a look. If even Ye Piaoling—a man who specifically absorbed cold air for cultivation—couldn’t endure that cold, who could withstand it?

But now that they knew this place existed, and the Night Spirit Flower very likely resided there, Lou Yun naturally wanted to go see it for himself.

"Brother Ye, could you take me to see this place? I want to experience it myself. If it truly proves impossible to enter, then we’ll think of another way!"

Ye Piaoling nodded, then looked at Wen Zhi Lao Ren and Xia Zhilan. "You might be able to go, but those two certainly cannot."

"En, I understand!"

Lou Yun turned towards the pair, especially Xia Zhilan. "Little Lan, first I’ll send you and the old brother outside to wait for me. I’ll take a look and come right back!"

If he wasn’t beside the two of them, they wouldn’t be able to resist the cold air within the Ice Ruins at all. So, he had to send them out first.

Although Xia Zhilan was somewhat reluctant to part from Lou Yun, she still obediently nodded her agreement. Wen Zhi Lao Ren gave a hearty laugh. "Younger brother, you go ahead. I’ll take younger sister-in-law outside. Rest assured, there won’t be any more dangers here!"

Lou Yun hesitated briefly. He realized that although Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s cultivation level wasn’t particularly high, hardly anyone would dare barge into the vicinity of the Ice Ruins. Moreover, his earlier battle with Ye Piaoling had essentially given him a bit of a reputation on the Great Snowfield. He believed there shouldn’t be any more dangers. So he nodded. "Alright, I’ll trouble you, elder brother."

Thus, Wen Zhi Lao Ren took Xia Zhilan and exited the Ice Ruins first, waiting nearby for Lou Yun, while Lou Yun followed Ye Piaoling deeper into the Ice Ruins.

As they walked, Ye Piaoling explained to Lou Yun. "Brother, the Ice Ruins are actually divided into two parts—one above ground, the other below. The overall shape of the Ice Ruins resembles an inverted cone—wide at the top, narrowing towards the bottom."

In truth, the area they were now in was already underground. But Ye Piaoling, having lived here long-term, considered this part the "above ground" area.

Lou Yun walked while activating his Spirit Vision, listening keenly to the surroundings. There was still absolutely no sound. He finally understood: in this completely ice-encased land, sound simply didn’t exist.

However, he also felt it was strange. The above-ground area of the Ice Ruins was just this big. If the extremely cold place Ye Piaoling mentioned was nearby, they should have felt the temperature dropping lower and lower after walking this long. Yet, so far, there had been no change.

Suddenly, Ye Piaoling stopped before a strangely shaped block of ice. "Brother, we’ve arrived!"

Lou Yun looked at this block of ice in front of him, then looked down at the ground, his expression suspicious. "Brother Ye, you didn’t block that entrance with ice, did you?"

"Haha!" Ye Piaoling raised his thumb towards Lou Yun. "Brother, you’re clever! You guessed right. Below here is the entrance to the Ice Eye I mentioned. That name is my own invention. The cold air is too fierce. If I didn’t plug it, letting it continuously emit cold air, eventually even I wouldn’t be able to stay here. I’ll remove this ice block; you experience it!"

Listening to this, Lou Yun inwardly murmured to himself: Is it really this terrifying? Just the cold air seeping out? Over time, accumulating? Even Ye Piaoling can’t endure it?

Ye Piaoling lightly punched the ice block. It instantly exploded with a muffled boom, revealing an underground hole about one meter wide beneath it.

As this opening appeared, Lou Yun felt it almost instantaneously—an incomparably cold wind, mixed with an immense surge of frigid air, pouring upwards. The surrounding temperature plummeted immediately. A chill penetrated straight to his bones, causing him to shudder uncontrollably!

At this moment, Lou Yun finally believed Ye Piaoling hadn’t exaggerated the cold of this so-called "Ice Eye" at all. If the cold air could make him shiver, just how bitterly cold must it be?

Looking at Ye Piaoling, he was no better off, shuddering visibly himself, then involuntarily taking a step back. "Brother! How about this cold air? Can you resist it?"

Lou Yun started to say "No," but suddenly, inspiration struck again in his mind. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I’ll give it a try!"

"Brother, well, I definitely can’t withstand it. You absolutely must not force it! It’s still unknown if that Night Spirit Flower you’re seeking is down there. If you injure yourself, you’ll lose more than you gain!" Ye Piaoling urgently advised Lou Yun.

In his view, although Lou Yun was powerful, such extreme cold was almost certainly unbearable for any normal person. If Lou Yun tried to brave it out of pride or stubbornness, the consequences could be very severe. Hence, his well-meaning reminder.

Lou Yun naturally grasped his well-intentioned concern and smiled faintly. "Don’t worry, Brother Ye. Keep a level head. If it’s not possible, I’ll leave immediately!"

At this moment, Chang Xiang also couldn’t help but chime in with advice. "Kid, are you sure you can handle this? If it’s dangerous, let’s not look for the Night Spirit Flower just yet. We can come back when your cultivation is higher someday!"

"I don’t really know if I can handle it. But since we’re already here, I’ve got to at least try!"

Ye Piaoling could see Lou Yun was determined to try. Further persuasion was pointless. So he could only advise, "Don’t rush down the hole just yet. Wait until you’ve adapted to this cold air before descending. And down below… it seems very deep. The last time I braved it, I went down once—about ten meters—and it wasn’t the bottom at all. I couldn’t hold on and rushed back. Even so, it took several months of rest for me to recover fully."

Lou Yun had already peered down the hole earlier. It indeed seemed very deep—utterly dark, without a glimmer of light. Even with his eyesight, he could only make out about two meters down at best. As for Spirit Vision… there was wind noise here now, but unfortunately, the image formed in his mind was pitch black—seeing was the same as not seeing. Unless he went down himself, there was simply no way to understand the situation below.

He nodded to Ye Piaoling. Lou Yun took a deep breath, crouched down, and extended one arm towards the opening.

Instantly, cold air surged wildly. A huge, untamed surge of cold air, like a wild runaway horse, flooded through his palm, sweeping instantly along his arm, reaching his chest, his whole body. It felt as if, in the blink of an eye, a thin layer of white frost covered Lou Yun’s body.

Although Lou Yun had braced himself mentally, this sight still filled him with profound shock. He urgently concentrated his spirit and gathered his will, making himself calm down. Simultaneously, he clenched his teeth, letting this tide of cold air rampage wildly inside his body.

The method Lou Yun thought of was precisely the same tactic he’d used to win against Ye Piaoling: absorb this cold air with his own body. As long as he could integrate this cold air into the heaven and earth energy required for his cultivation, it wouldn’t harm him.

However, Lou Yun had clearly underestimated this cold air. First, it advanced with terrifying speed, saturating his body almost instantaneously. Second, its frigid intensity was truly several times higher than Ye Piaoling’s cold air. It didn’t just coat Lou Yun’s exterior in hoarfrost; even within his body, a thin mist of frost was gradually beginning to rise.

When Lou Yun saw ice pricks starting to condense on the Fusang Tree within his body, a bitter laugh welled up inside him. The three Heavenly Fires have had terrible luck following me—frozen into icy fire by this cold air! And if even the heaven and earth energy within me gets frozen solid… then I’m finished.

Though Ye Piaoling didn’t sense the cold air inside Lou Yun like this, seeing Lou Yun’s condition filled him with deep unease. He hesitated constantly— should he quickly step forward and pull Lou Yun away? But he was afraid. What if Lou Yun was still managing to endure it? Pulling him away rashly might disturb him instead. So Ye Piaoling waited for any sign from Lou Yun, ready to act instantly.

However, Ye Piaoling did not know. At this moment, Lou Yun wasn’t just covered in thick frost externally. Even his internal blood had ceased flowing, frozen solidly within his blood vessels. Under the relentless onslaught of this immense, piercing cold, his very thinking ability began to slow… slow… his consciousness was gradually drifting away. Death was frightfully close within sight. He was utterly incapable of giving Ye Piaoling any sign at all.