Ice Plains

"It's too late."

Bai Ye's voice rang out softly. Bing Yu froze slightly, but in the next moment, she understood what he meant.

Hidden somewhere within Bai Ye's body, a chill slowly crept toward where she was. It was a sensation impossible to distinguish with the naked eye. The temperature in the space she occupied plummeted. Strangely enough, as an Emperor Crystal Ice Phoenix, she actually felt a bone-piercing cold in that instant.

"Bai Ye!"

The temperature kept dropping, lower and lower. Bing Yu circulated the spiritual energy within her body to resist the cold energy.

But the instant her spiritual energy touched the cold energy, Bing Yu discovered in horror that she had lost control of it.

The Emperor Crystal Ice Phoenix's unique spiritual energy was corroded by that bizarre cold energy in an instant, vanishing within Bai Ye's body.

She had still underestimated the backlash brought by the Ancestral Vein.

"Bai Ye!"

She tried calling out to Bai Ye outside, but Bai Ye never responded.

Bing Yu's heart sank. Even she could not withstand this cold energy—what chance did Bai Ye, who had yet to begin cultivating spiritual energy, have?

She gritted her silver teeth, closed her eyes, and shifted her vision beyond Bai Ye's body.

The scene outside immediately came into view.

The little boy clenched his teeth hard, his body trembling without stop. His previously rosy complexion gradually turned deathly pale. He stared fixedly ahead, but his eyes had already lost focus.

Only a few minutes had passed since the cold energy appeared, yet Bai Ye's condition had already deteriorated to this extent.

Was this so-called Ancestral Vein truly some great blessing? Wasn't such torment far too cruel for a child of only six?

Even hiding in a corner within Bai Ye's body, she had already been somewhat affected. Just how cold must Bai Ye, who was bearing all of the cold energy, be?

"Bai Ye!"

For the third time, Bing Yu called Bai Ye's name. This time, her voice sounded directly within Bai Ye's heart, bolstered by spiritual force as it shot toward his brain.

Bing Yu stared intently at Bai Ye, hoping for him to react.

Yet strangely, the spiritual force she released also became nourishment for the cold energy the instant it entered his brain, vanishing within Bai Ye's body.

This cold energy was far too bizarre.

Bing Yu narrowed her eyes. She could not panic. Right now, she was the only one who could help Bai Ye. If even she began to lose her head, then Little Bai Ye would truly be left helpless and alone.

Calm down. Think carefully. What could she do now?

If Bai Ye had already begun cultivating, there were many things she could do. But Bai Ye's body was currently nothing more than that of an ordinary six-year-old child. Whether it was cultivation arts or Mental Secret Methods, she could not freely use them within this body.

What should she do?

What could she do?

Watching the boy suffer, Bing Yu racked her mind.

"Wake his consciousness first."

Even if that meant he would have to endure even greater pain, if his consciousness remained unclear, his soul might suffer irreversible damage.

Bing Yu made her decision at once and closed her eyes. One rune after another began to form within Bai Ye's body. Bing Yu focused her mind and pressed her hands together, a blue seal of light appearing between her palms.

This was the Mental Secret Method she could think of that would cause the least harm to Bai Ye's body. If even this failed, then she could only try to forcefully awaken him.

No matter how exceptional one's talent was, it could never be more important than life.

"Bai Ye!"

Bing Yu opened her eyes, her voice crisp. The runes responded at once, gathering together in an instant before shooting out fiercely toward his brain.

Whether it worked or not depended on this.

Bai Ye walked across the Ice Plains, moving forward alone.

He wore only a thin outer robe, utterly incapable of warding off the piercing cold.

His fists were clenched tight, his teeth gritted.

This Ice Plains seemed endless. He had walked for so long, yet all he could see was an expanse of white.

There was no wind or snow, no icebergs. The only thing that felt familiar was the snow beneath his feet.

Cold. So cold.

That was the only thought left in his mind.

He had never experienced such cold before. Not even in the so-called Sin Domain had he ever gone through anything like this.

He trudged forward step by step, while the footprints behind him vanished one by one in the snow.

It seemed as though he had walked a great distance, yet it also felt as though he had been stepping in place.

His consciousness began to blur. The cold in his body directly affected the workings of his mind.

This wouldn't do. Though he no longer knew why it wouldn't do, his subconscious kept reminding him that he had to wake up. He absolutely had to wake up.

Otherwise, huh?

Otherwise, what would happen?

Come to think of it, why wouldn't this do? Why wouldn't it?

If he simply fell asleep like this, if he didn't have to think about anything anymore, wouldn't there be nothing left to worry about?

No!!!

A flash of stubborn clarity appeared in Bai Ye's eyes.

He had to keep walking. He had to go on.

He had promised Mother that he would live well, live happily, live freely.

He could not fall here.

"Ha, haha..."

An ill-timed smile spread across Bai Ye's pale face. His smile was forced, and his body swayed, as if he would collapse into the snow the very next moment.

But he had to smile. He had to keep smiling.

"Mother, Ye'er is smiling. Ye'er has always been smiling."

His consciousness was becoming increasingly hazy. Bai Ye sat down on the ground. He could not walk any farther; his body could no longer move even the slightest bit.

Everything around him was the same white. He could see neither an end nor a beginning.

Maybe he should just...

"Bai Ye!!!"

At that moment, a familiar voice exploded within Bai Ye's mind, as though it had blasted apart the layers of frost encasing his brain.

Bai Ye instantly came to his senses. He raised his head and looked into the white distance.

"Bai Ye!!"

Bing Yu stared fixedly at Bai Ye's eyes, hoping those ice blue eyes would light up once more.

But it seemed to have had no effect at all.

"It seems I can only..."

"Bing Yu."

"Hm?"

Bing Yu immediately turned toward the source of the voice. Focus had returned to Bai Ye's eyes. He gritted his teeth and said through shivers.

His voice trembled, but that was unimportant. What mattered was that Bai Ye had regained consciousness.

"How are you? Are you all right?"

Even though Bai Ye had awakened, the cold energy throughout his body was still spreading without pause. The problem had not been resolved at all.

Bing Yu asked Bai Ye, but he still seemed somewhat unclear-headed and did not answer.

Bing Yu watched him. She knew the little fellow was using every bit of his strength to fight the cold energy.

Yet there was nothing she could do.

Spiritual energy would be corroded, and spiritual force would be devoured. Without harming Bai Ye's body, none of the methods available to her could help this child.

If this had been before Nirvana, if Qing Yanjing were here...

"I'm fine."

Bai Ye's voice rang out once more.

"I can still manage."

A smile appeared on Bai Ye's face. His complexion was pale, but his smile was brilliant.

Bing Yu did not understand how he could still smile like that at a time like this.

Bai Ye sat on the windowsill, his gaze turned toward the ocean ahead. His physical condition had already reached an extremely dangerous point.

Yet after that walk through the snow, his thoughts had suddenly become clear.

It hurt. It was cold.

But as long as he could still smile, it wasn't too bad.

Bing Yu watched him silently, not daring to disturb him at this moment.

Bai Ye's current state was like walking step by step toward shore on a thread stretched across the Ten Thousand Zhang Abyss.

Below him lay a bottomless cliff. The slightest lapse would send him plummeting down in an instant.

And the thread was long, so long that he could not see where its end lay.

He could only keep walking, step by step, every step fraught with danger.

Then, as though dissatisfied with this fragile balance, the cold energy within his body began to intensify. Bing Yu felt the temperature dropping lower and lower. It had already reached another low point, yet it continued to fall without stop.

Bing Yu's expression grew increasingly grave.

Before her eyes, Bai Ye's trembling became more violent and more frequent. Bai Ye curled up, hugged his knees, and closed his eyes.

Doing his utmost to resist the cold energy's invasion.

Perhaps he had not noticed yet, but the cold energy was not only spreading within his body. As it continued to increase, it had already begun spreading outside his body.

At some point, a thin layer of frost had formed over the windowsill where he sat.

And at that moment, a graceful figure appeared behind him.

"What are you doing? Why aren't you asleep yet?"