Translator: AnubisTL
Having lost control of her body, Shen Ningbing was hurled through the air, propelled deep into the secret realm by the force of the blast.
The shockwave's power was overwhelming, nearly rendering her unconscious. She clung desperately to the last shred of clarity.
Thud!
Finally, she crashed into a ravine at the realm's deepest reaches.
"Cough, cough..." Shen Ningbing coughed softly, her mana reserves once again nearing depletion. The mana she had gained earlier by activating the forbidden secret technique had been entirely spent on her desperate escape.
Before she could even assess her surroundings, Shen Ningbing snapped her head up, her gaze fixed on the secret realm's exit passage.
"Damn it..."
Her crimson lips parted slightly, her eyes flashing with urgency.
The exit passage, maintained by two core formation realm true lords, was slowly shrinking, its light gradually fading.
The Cold Wind Secret Realm only opened naturally once every two centuries. Forcing it open at any other time required the combined power of at least two core formation realm cultivators.
The Lingyun Sect's mission had been accomplished. They had captured an ancient demon alive and rescued some of the besieged elders. The remaining elders who couldn't escape perished within the demon's den grotto-heaven.
With this, there was no further need to maintain the secret realm's entrance.
After all, the sect now faced the imminent emergence of hordes of ancient demons. The Lingyun Sect needed to focus all its efforts on preparing for war, and they couldn't afford to waste any more time here.
Sensing the impending outcome, Shen Ningbing's face grew even paler.
"Damn it! The Frost Jade Ice Butterfly is still acting up at this critical moment!"
Her voice was filled with urgency. The usually ice-cold Shen Ningbing was now completely flustered.
She tried to summon the Frost Jade Ice Butterfly to carry her out of the secret realm, hoping to catch her master's attention before the passage completely closed.
However, ever since her battle with Ling Ying at the ascension conference, the Frost Jade Ice Butterfly, which had never fully submitted to her, had become even more difficult to control.
At this moment, she even considered severing the Master-Servant Spirit Contract, letting the butterfly die rather than continue to defy her.
But she also understood that this was not the time for rash action. The Frost Jade Ice Butterfly possessed an aloof and fiercely independent nature, and could not be completely subdued through threats of death.
What should I do?
At that moment, Shen Ningbing sank into utter despair.
Just now, within the demon's den grotto-heaven, she had activated a forbidden secret technique, permanently transforming a part of her body into ice crystals in exchange for mana. Yet even with such a devastating price, this secret technique could not be used a second time in such a short span.
What comes next? Am I just supposed to sit here and wait for death?
Once the secret realm's entrance completely sealed, she would be trapped here with no way out.
Then, the Extreme Ice Demon-Sealing Formation would fail completely, and the demonic races within the demon's den would break free.
Her fate would be sealed!
Shen Ningbing's mind raced, and she was suddenly overwhelmed by despair. It seemed she was truly going to be trapped here to die.
Is this really the end for me? Shen Ningbing clenched her slender fingers, her voice thick with resentment.
To die like this, so utterly helpless, was truly infuriating.
But in the next instant, a large, warm hand pressed down on her shoulder.
"Junior Sister Shen, I'll get you out of here."
Shen Ningbing's entire body stiffened. She froze in place, barely able to believe someone was still beside her.
Before she could turn to identify the familiar voice, she suddenly felt weightless, and then she was rapidly lifted into the air.
"Senior Brother Li? What happened to you?!" Shen Ningbing's face was filled with disbelief, her voice thick with shock.
Yes, the one half-embracing her was none other than Li Qing!
But Li Qing's current appearance was drastically different from his usual self.
First, his hair—not a single strand remained on his head, completely burned away.
Then there was his body. This was no longer a normal human's fleshly body; it resembled a charred, mummified corpse.
And Li Qing's eyes—his once pitch-black pupils now burned with two searing white flames.
"Ah, that's a long story. Let's not get into it now. We probably won't make it out before the secret realm passage closes. Do you have any way to get the attention of those outside?" Li Qing's voice was hoarse, as if he were enduring extreme pain, but he focused intently on controlling the azure wind spear, accelerating toward the passage.
"Yes, my master is skilled in crafting talismans. This Ice Burst Talisman she gave me will definitely attract attention when activated!" Shen Ningbing said. "I've exhausted too much mental power in the demon's den grotto-heaven and can't activate it myself. Senior Brother Li, please activate it for me."
For some reason, after facing such a desperate situation, the usually taciturn Shen Ningbing had become more talkative. She gripped Li Qing's arm tightly, like a drowning person clinging to a lifeline.
But Li Qing had no time to appreciate his ice-cold junior sister's clinging. He was indeed enduring extreme pain.
That's right—he still hadn't fully refined the source fire seed of the Netherworld Cold Fire!
If Shen Ningbing hadn't suddenly arrived and startled him awake, he likely would have remained unconscious until the secret realm's exit completely closed, still immersed in the process of refining the Netherworld Cold Fire.
As it stood, he had only forcibly absorbed the Netherworld Cold Fire's source fire seed into his body, suppressing it with his sheer willpower.
However, as previously mentioned, heavenly spirit fires were the most untamed forces in the world. How could they be easily subdued, especially by a mere foundation establishment realm cultivator?
Boom!
A chilling aura surged from within Li Qing's body.
Even Shen Ningbing, nestled in his arms, was startled. She couldn't quite grasp Li Qing's condition. The relentless icy energy seeping from his body was almost unbearable, even for a foundation establishment cultivator with an ice attribute variant spirit root like herself.
"Senior Brother Li, you—"
Before Shen Ningbing could finish, Li Qing said gravely, "Give me the talisman!"
Meanwhile, outside the secret realm...
Watching the elders flee from below, even Ancestor Devourer of Heaven couldn't help but frown deeply.
He knew the losses would be devastating, but he never imagined they would be this catastrophic.
Five waves of elders, totaling over seventy foundation establishment realm cultivators, had entered the demon's den grotto-heaven. Now, less than half had emerged alive!
Worse still, Ancestor Bing Yun's personal disciple, Shen Ningbing, had failed to survive.
"Is that all of you? Where's Ningbing?!" Ancestor Bing Yun demanded, her voice cold as ice.
But the surviving elders were still shaken to their core. How could they possibly care about someone unrelated to them?
Whether Shen Ningbing lived or died hadn't even registered with them. The sheer terror inflicted by the ancient demonic ancestor in the demon's den grotto-heaven had overwhelmed all other concerns.
Seeing the elders' blank stares and shaking heads, Ancestor Bing Yun's expression darkened further.
"We must leave now. Time is running out. The flawed Extreme Ice Demon-Sealing Formation won't hold the ancient demonic race below for long."
"We can't waste another moment. We must find reinforcements to confront the ancient demonic ancestor as quickly as possible."
Ancestor Devourer of Heaven offered his counsel, to which he merely sighed before feeling a sense of relief.
Thank heavens I didn't bring my Personal Disciple, Wu Chong, along. With that boy's temperament, he likely wouldn't have survived this ordeal.
While ice spirit roots were exceedingly rare, even after waiting a century, there remained a decent chance of finding a disciple with such aptitude.
But a human who had awakened the Gluttonous Bloodline? That was truly a world-shaking rarity. Even the faintest trace of it was an extraordinary find. One could scour multiple great domains for centuries and still fail to discover a single candidate!
Only a human with such innate talent was worthy of inheriting his cultivated Gluttonous Divine Art!
Ancestor Devourer of Heaven had long feared that the inheritance of this divine art would end with his generation. Yet, in his twilight years, he had unexpectedly discovered such a disciple. How could he not be overjoyed?
Thus, Wu Chong's status within the Lingyun Sect far surpassed that of the Personal Disciples of other core formation ancestors.
This wasn't just because of Ancestor Devourer of Heaven; it was also due to the rarity of his bloodline.
After Ancestor Devourer of Heaven's words, Ancestor Bing Yun nodded with a hint of melancholy.
"Then let's go."
With these words, the two ancestors simultaneously released their control over the secret realm's entrance, ceasing to maintain its opening.
Without the spiritual energy supply from the core formation realm true lords, the light gate within the Cold Wind Pool gradually contracted, slowly closing and about to sever the connection between the two realms.
Just as the two core formation ancestors turned to leave, a massive surge of icy energy erupted from the nearly closed light gate!
Boom!
The two core formation ancestors immediately halted in their tracks.
"It's the Ice Burst Talisman! It's Ningbing! She's not dead—she's still alive!" Ancestor Bing Yun's expression shifted as she whirled around, immediately channeling true essence back into the light gate.
Sensing this, Ancestor Devourer of Heaven naturally didn't hesitate to contribute his spiritual energy, joining Ancestor Bing Yun in reopening the secret realm's light gate.
Whoosh!
Li Qing, riding on his wind spear with one arm wrapped around Shen Ningbing's slender waist, shot out of the gate.
"Many thanks to both Ancestors!"
Upon emerging, Li Qing immediately clasped his hands in a bow of gratitude to the two Ancestors.
"Not bad, just being alive is enough," Ancestor Devourer of Heaven nodded at Li Qing with a hint of surprise.
Ancestor Bing Yun, ever anxious, pulled Shen Ningbing close and asked with concern, "Are you alright, my dear disciple? Are you injured?"
"Thank you for your concern, Master. Ningbing is unharmed, merely somewhat drained," Shen Ningbing replied with a gentle nod.
"Indeed, this journey was largely thanks to Senior Brother Li Qing," Shen Ningbing added. "Without his rescue, I might still be trapped in the secret realm!"
Hearing this, Ancestor Bing Yun turned to Li Qing, her gaze filled with admiration. "Well done!"
Faced with the core formation ancestor's praise, Li Qing forced a modest smile. "It was merely a matter of convenience, unworthy of such commendation from the Ancestor. In truth, Junior Sister Shen's Ice Burst Talisman proved invaluable."
As he spoke, Ancestor Devourer of Heaven narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharpening.
"Hmm? Have you absorbed some extreme yin essence? Your aura is... peculiar."
(End of the Chapter)
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