Chapter 382

Chapter 382: The Man in the Ice Block

Lou Yun and Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s reactions alerted Xia Zhilan that something was amiss. Yet when her eyes fell upon the man frozen within the glacial block, she couldn’t suppress a startled gasp!

Indeed! In such a stunningly beautiful place, the sudden appearance of a person encased in ice was not only jarring to the scenery, but utterly bizarre as well!

The man was bare-chested. His frame wasn’t massively muscled, but lean and streamlined in build. By his features, he appeared to be in his fifties, with a ruggedly handsome face. Though seated with eyes closed, an imposing aura of unspoken authority radiated from his entire being with perfect naturalness.

Lou Yun had seen someone frozen in ice before. Leng Qianrou had been sealed that way by Leng Cangqiong, though that was solely because she harbored the Five-pointed Golden Fire within her, and Leng Cangqiong possessed no other means to deal with it. Freezing her was the only way to preserve her life.

Therefore, upon seeing this similarly ice-entombed man, Lou Yun’s first fleeting thought was: Had someone deliberately frozen this person here?

Lou Yun was the first to snap out of his daze. He asked, "Old Brother, could this person be Ye Piaoling?"

Wen Zhi Lao Ren gave a start, seeming to awaken. He swallowed hard before replying. "I don’t know. But I suspect it is him. Yet… why would he be frozen in ice?"

All three of them yearned to ask that very question. Yet, aside from the man within the ice himself, it was likely no amount of head-scratching pondering would ever yield the answer.

Lou Yun hesitated for a moment. "Let’s move closer and take a look!"

Though his vision was exceptionally sharp, and the open vista here presented no hindrance – he could see the man clearly even from twenty meters away – Lou Yun still felt compelled to get nearer. Perhaps he might discern something crucial.

However, he needed to maintain the protective heat radiating from his own Heavenly Flame to shield Wen Zhi Lao Ren and Xia Zhilan from the piercing cold. So, should he move, the three of them had to move together.

Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s mouth opened slightly, clearly reluctant. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to refute Lou Yun. He could only nod in agreement.

Xia Zhilan naturally followed Lou Yun’s lead without question; she certainly held no objections.

But just as the three prepared to step forward, abruptly, the eyelashes of the man frozen within the ice block flickered—then, his eyes opened wide!

A man frozen solid in ice miraculously moved… and opened his eyes!

This sight was even more chillingly bizarre than initially finding him entombed there!

Even Lou Yun felt a profound cold dread seep into his heart. Xia Zhilan firmly clapped a hand over her own mouth, struggling desperately not to scream.

The man’s eyes were strikingly incongruous with his rugged appearance. They were like pools of clear spring water—utterly lucid, yet unfathomably deep. He calmly regarded Lou Yun and his two companions.

Within the Ice Ruins, the four figures all seemed to transform into ice sculptures themselves, freezing rigidly in their respective postures.

Lou Yun and his companions were utterly transfixed, wholly stunned. Even Lou Yun, who had already witnessed countless incredible things, found himself completely unable to comprehend the scene before him.

Before entering the Ice Ruins, he had meticulously scanned its interior using his Spirit Vision. The result had baffled him: his recently acquired, much-relied-upon new ability had completely failed here. Not the faintest sound emanated from within the Ruins, preventing him from forming any mental images whatsoever. Hence, he’d concluded there could be no living entities inside.

Upon initially seeing the encased man, Lou Yun felt only shock. He assumed the man, trapped deep within the ice, must be dead or equivalent to it, all bodily functions ceased. Such a state would naturally produce no sound, explaining why his Spirit Vision hadn’t detected him.

But then… the eyes had opened. This man wasn’t dead, nor was he truly ‘frozen’! So why had Lou Yun still heard nothing? Why, even now, his ears registered nothing but the clearly accelerated heartbeat and breathing of himself and his two companions? There was utterly no other sound!

Just as Lou Yun grappled with this profound confusion, unexpectedly, a flicker of impatience flashed across the face of the man within the ice. Then—He stood up!

A man encased in ice had just opened his eyes… now he rose to his feet! Seamlessly, unhurried, he began to lift both hands slowly upwards, as if preparing to stretch!

Xia Zhilan finally lost her battle with the terror welling inside her. A scream tore from her throat, shattering the frozen silence that likely reigned unbroken for eons within these Ice Ruins!

Such an unrelenting cascade of the impossible had actually accustomed Lou Yun to such strangeness. Furthermore, the man’s effortless eye-opening had already signaled to him that this was no ordinary victim. Therefore, instead of panic, Lou Yun’s eyes narrowed intently, twin flashes of sharp light vanishing instantly. Simultaneously, in one swift motion, he grabbed both Wen Zhi Lao Ren and Xia Zhilan with his arms. Power surged up from beneath their feet, propelling the three backwards at tremendous speed!

In the blink of an eye, Lou Yun had retreated with his companions behind a colossal ice pillar before halting.

It must be said that Lou Yun’s reactions bordered on superhuman. At the very moment they landed safely behind cover, the hands of the man within the ice reached the apex of his upward stretch.

His next gesture: his chest protruded slightly forward. Anyone familiar with posture stretching would recognize this sign—he had commenced his yawn.

Yet, at the precise instant this movement rippled through the man, a sharp, distinct sound suddenly echoed within the Ice Ruins.

Crack!

Lou Yun, with his keen eyesight, was the first to see. The sound emanated directly from the monolith anchoring the man. Right at its heart, coinciding with the man’s motion, a tiny fissure had appeared.

Immediately, Crack! Crack! sounds erupted continuously, unending. Fissures multiplied on the ice block like sprouting weeds. In moments, the surface was overrun with a dense, intricate network of cracks, webbing across it like spider silk. Then, with a thunderous BOOM!, the entire block of ice violently exploded outwards!

The man gently descended onto the ground. Yet, his stretching motion remained unbroken, continuing seamlessly until the luxurious expansion culminated in completeness—a picture of supreme, languid leisure.

Observing him evoked the distinct impression of someone rudely woken from slumber deep within the ice.

Compared to the man’s utter nonchalance, Lou Yun and his companions radiated palpable tension. Yet, with the ice monolith gone, Lou Yun suddenly found he could perceive the sounds emanating from the man! The steady, powerful pulse of his heartbeat; the smooth, distinct coursing of his blood; the deep, prolonged rhythm of his respiration; the faint, crisp sound of bones moving as he stretched.

All these sounds confirmed: this man before them was a living being, just like them. Merely within his dantian, a swirling mass of milky white mist billowed.

Lou Yun also sharply perceived that the temperature within the ice cavern, already frigid, plunged several more degrees as the man exited the ice. This cemented his certainty: this man was Ye Piaoling. That white mist coalescing within his dantian? Undoubtedly, it was the chilling Yin energy.

Though Spirit Vision allowed him to observe the internal state, he couldn’t discern the nature of the energy. This was only a hypothesis.

Having completed his bodily adjustments, the man’s gaze returned to Lou Yun and the others. His face was utterly devoid of expression. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Prior to entering the Ice Ruins, Wen Zhi Lao Ren had requested that he be the one to speak first. However, overwhelmed by shock, he was rendered speechless. It was Lou Yun who preserved calmness. Stepping forward decisively, he clasped his fists respectfully. "I am Lou Yun," he introduced. "This gentleman beside me is Wen Zhi Lao Ren, my sworn brother. This is my wife, Xia Zhilan. We sought refuge here seeking information, never imagining we would disturb Senior Ye’s rest. Our profound apologies. We beg your forgiveness."

Lou Yun’s composure, his neither fawning nor defiant tone, and even the content of his explanation clearly surprised the man. A flicker of appreciation crossed his eyes. "Awaking me is a minor indiscretion," Ye Piaoling said, his voice measured. "Yet since you know who I am, and still dared venture here, perhaps you can enlighten me as to your true purpose?"

The man was indeed Ye Piaoling! His words also confirmed he really had simply been asleep!

A slight smile touched Lou Yun’s lips. "We came seeking answers on two counts. First—we are searching for a specific plant known as Night Spirit Flower."

"Night Spirit Flower?" Ye Piaoling’s brow furrowed, then twisted into a disdainful scowl that hardened into a cold laugh. "You venture into the Ice Ruins searching for a plant? Do you imagine anything could survive here? Furthermore," he added scathingly, "in over fifty years of dwelling within this place, I have never encountered anything remotely resembling vegetation!"

Lou Yun knew Ye Piaoling likely wasn’t lying. Yet the man’s failure to discover it didn’t preclude its existence. Lou Yun’s own discovery of the Day Spirit Flower had been deeply improbable, too. That blossom grew in a place universally acknowledged as barren of life. Fate, he knew well, often defied expectation!

Therefore, Lou Yun refrained from immediate refutation. Instead, he smoothly transitioned his explanation. "Secondly," he continued, "Learning of Senior Ye’s unique cultivation path—absorbing Yin cold energy directly—kindled profound interest within me. So we sought to pay our respects, hopeful perhaps to discuss the principles and methodology of such a cultivation path."

As these words landed, Ye Piaoling’s expression shifted dramatically. "Hah!" he burst out with a cold snort. "So the truth finally unveils itself! You came for my cultivation technique! Hmph! And concocting such a flimsy pretext beforehand!"

Along with his icy words, Lou Yun physically felt it—an intensified wave of bone-chilling force, piercing straight towards him like an unseen spear!

Lou Yun’s face shifted. He instantly grasped that Ye Piaoling had misinterpreted his intent, believing he coveted the man’s unique cultivation method. The immediate turn to hostility came as no surprise—this was an attack!

Though Lou Yun harbored no desire for enmity with Ye Piaoling, he didn’t shy from the prospect of measured exchange. Coolly, imperceptibly, he ramped the temperature output of his innate Heavenly Flame. Seamlessly, before him formed an invisible shield of scalding essence, ready to meet the onrushing tide of Yin cold.