In the heart of Xilin, beside an underground ice palace and a frigid pool.
A figure dressed in black robes stood there, his handsome face appearing incredibly pale in the cold light. Judging from his appearance, who else could it be but Xiao Yan?
At this moment, Xiao Yan was staring intently at the cold pool before him, his brows furrowed slightly, and a slight sense of tension welled up inside him.
The cold pool at this moment is quite different from when Leng Bingshuang was there.
The once smooth, mirror-like surface of the water now sank deeply, forming a bottomless, enormous whirlpool. In particular, the center of the whirlpool was a pitch-black void, with no bottom in sight. The water swirled rapidly within it, and gusts of cold air were drawn in from the huge hole above, then poured into the depths of the whirlpool.
" Elder Gu, do you think... we can really go down there?"
Xiao Yan couldn't help but ask awkwardly. Upon seeing the bottomless, enormous vortex before him, even with Xiao Yan's composure, he couldn't help but feel a surge of tension.
"Hehe, what's wrong? Scared? If you're scared, then don't go down. Anyway, this eruption of the Ice Spirit Cold Spring wasn't complete. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. You won't miss this one, right? I just wonder how many more eruptions that girl outside can withstand."
Hearing Xiao Yan's slightly suspicious words, Gu You chuckled and teased him.
"You..."
Upon hearing Gu You's words, Xiao Yan was speechless. He pursed his lips tightly before finally managing a helpless smile:
"Alright, just tell me how you want me to get down. I'll follow your instructions completely!"
"Hehe, getting down is easy. You don't need to follow my instructions, just jump down from here."
Gu You spoke casually, but his words surprised Xiao Yan.
The muscles at the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth twitched slightly, and he cursed the old man inwardly a few times.
He had personally witnessed the terror of the Ice Spirit Cold Spring. Faced with that kind of power just now, Xiao Yan did not believe he had the ability to contend with it. Now, to ask him to jump down like that would be tantamount to courting death.
You see, the only reason he dared to come here alone was because he had Gu You, this big tree, backing him up. Otherwise, why would he dare to come here to die?
"Hehe, little guy, jump without worry. With this old man here, I guarantee you'll be safe and sound."
Seeing Xiao Yan's hesitant expression, Gu You couldn't help but chuckle. She quickly changed her tone and spoke seriously.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan finally felt certain that the old man wasn't lying to him. However, asking him to jump down without any preparation was something that probably no one could do.
Peeking cautiously into the enormous vortex before him, Xiao Yan felt a chill run down his spine. But just then, an invisible foot slammed into his buttocks from behind. Startled, Xiao Yan was instantly pulled into the vortex.
"How slow!"
Beside the icy pool, Gu You, whose figure appeared somewhat ethereal, finally materialized, shook his head and shrugged helplessly, and then abruptly disappeared with a bang.
The next instant, the moment his body fell into the vortex, a blazing, eerie white Heavenly Flames erupted from Xiao Yan Xiao Yan's body, protecting him while the terrifying heat completely shut out the spring water.
Compared to Gu You, this Ice Spirit Cold Spring was indeed nothing.
Even though it has existed for five thousand years, this so-called advantage is completely lost in the face of absolute power.
The entire pool runs straight downwards. With the Bone Spirit Cold Flame protecting him, Xiao Yan was not corroded by the extremely cold spring water around him. While feeling fortunate, he quickly set off and slid deeper into the pool.
Without the pressure from the spring water, Xiao Yan's speed was not hindered at all. In just a short while, he had already descended hundreds of feet, but it seemed that he was still far from reaching the end of the pool.
The end of his vision remained pitch black. No life could be seen in the deep, still pool; it was utterly desolate. The deeper he went, the larger the space seemed to expand. The surrounding world consisted entirely of icy blue spring water. Beyond his sight lay nothing but darkness, devoid of any light. For a moment, Xiao Yan even lost his bearings. Had it not been for Gu You's guidance, he would likely have been lost in the deep pool long ago.
Time passed gradually as Xiao Yan descended. He persisted in this long descent for a full half hour, yet the world around him remained pitch black. Even with the Bone Spirit Cold Flame protecting him, Xiao Yan Xiao Yan could still feel the icy chill of the surrounding spring water.
Of course, he was unaware that this was Gu You's deliberate act. His purpose was to use the extremely cold spring water to keep Xiao Yan in a clear-headed state from beginning to end, so that his emotions would not disrupt his original purpose for coming here.
As he continued his endless descent, Xiao Yan gradually lost track of how long and how deep he had been. He could only assure himself that he was on the right track and that he was still on track with his original purpose.
The world around him grew increasingly dark, and Xiao Yan seemed to have lost all sense of this space, like a helpless bird in the night sky, unable to go anywhere or retreat anywhere.
Time, like the flowing water around him, passed by Xiao Yan in a flash.
The icy temperature enveloped Xiao Yan's entire body. The Bone Spirit Cold Flame seemed unable to withstand it any longer. Xiao Yan had reached the final end of his journey. Even though he had not yet seen any valuable results, he could no longer descend.
Xiao Yan's body remained submerged in the water. Through the pale white flames, he could clearly feel the temperature of the spring water. Without the protection of the Heavenly Flames, he might have frozen to death here instantly.
Even if such an outcome doesn't happen immediately, it's possible if Xiao Yan continues to descend.
Should we continue diving, or give up?
Faced with the choice between perseverance and life, Xiao Yan must make a decision.
In the end, Xiao Yan mobilized all the Dou Qi within his body. With a thought, a dazzling Heavenly Flames rose from his body, blooming like a flower in this deep and dark world, displaying brilliant colors. Moreover, it was the only fiery flower in this pitch-black and indifferent world.
Xiao Yan set off again, continuing his journey deeper into the spring.
In Xiao Yan's heart, Gu You smiled with satisfaction. The coldness surrounding Xiao Yan from Wei Kingdom also faded away rapidly, as if all indifference had been diluted under this beautiful flower.
Little did people know, he wasn't as powerful as they imagined; someone was quietly taking care of everything for him without anyone noticing.
Time passed quickly, and although Xiao Yan's movements were not slow, they were indistinguishable in this pitch-black world.
Finally, at a certain moment, as Xiao Yan continued his descent, at the end of his vision, in the endless darkness, a glimmer of starlight suddenly flashed. Even though it was fleeting, it was like a beautiful rosy glow in Xiao Yan's eyes, lingering in his mind for a long time.