Chapter 26#
The One Trapped Inside Was Actually Chu Fengmian!#
The Polar River Lands were surrounded by ice and snow on all sides, a vast expanse of white stretching as far as the eye could see. He wore a padded winter coat, its oversized, fluffy collar wrapping around his neck in a furry ring, revealing only half of his small face.
Yu Lin flew to the Polar River Lands on his sword, but the wind and snow were too heavy. The resistance of the freezing wind blew so hard that he could not open his eyes, forcing him to dismount his sword and proceed on foot.
The snow was so loose, so soft, soaking through his socks and shoes despite the spiritual energy he had wrapped around them, while his clothes became draped in accumulated snow.
Frowning, Yu Lin walked slowly, leaving deep footprints with every step, when a cave came into view ahead.
“Phew…” He exhaled a trembling breath, his eyelashes coated in snowy white frost. He hesitated for a moment, then lifted his foot and walked inside.
Inside the cave was an uneven ice table, with a slightly flat indentation distinctly carved into the middle. The walls on all four sides were crystal clear, layered upon layer, allowing him to see to the very end at a single glance; there were no other paths.
Yu Lin sat cross-legged on the ice table. A frigid breath rose slowly from below, gradually seeping into his core and wrapping around his fingertips. Already weak and prone to illness, his breathing could not help but grow a bit hurried.
Outside the cave, a wild wind howled, carrying with it the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Yu Lin closed his eyes to feel the spiritual energy coming from the Polar River Lands, forming a sword hand seal to draw the howling wind into the cave.
Woooo—
The wild wind roared urgently, swirling into the cave and stirring up a tumultuous clamor.
Yu Lin struck the ice table. The spiritual energy gathering around his body formed thread by thread, like a cage made of water, wrapping around the wild wind from all directions.
Once tightly confined, the wild wind clashed and struggled relentlessly.
Yu Lin’s brows furrowed deeply. Exerting force with both hands, he continuously gathered and tightened his spiritual energy, attempting to tame the wind of the Polar River Lands.
The wind was laden with water elements. The spiritual energy of the Polar River Lands had not been polluted, making it exceptionally abundant and pure. By the same token, it was also the most difficult to refine.
The environment they inhabited was not as gentle as the cultivation grounds within the sect; they possessed their own sharp edges, making them difficult to tame.
Yu Lin clenched his teeth, looking up to see his own spiritual energy clashing with that of the Polar River Lands, yet he was still slightly at a disadvantage.
…He had still overestimated himself.
Yu Lin took a deep breath and summoned the Floating Water Sword to rotate around the spiritual energy cage. He pierced a few small openings in the cage’s barrier, allowing wisps of gentle wind to escape through those gaps, which reduced the spiritual energy inside the cage.
Immediately after, the roaring of the wind lessened slightly, making faint, whimpering noises.
Seeing this, Yu Lin tightened the spiritual energy cage a bit more.
Amid the tight constriction, the water elements within the wild wind seemed to sense danger. Accompanied by chaotic howls, they began to crash and thrash even more violently within Yu Lin’s spiritual energy cage!
Yu Lin’s spiritual energy was connected to his dantian. The spiritual energy of the Polar River Lands already possessed its own sharp edges, and now, during the collisions, it felt like countless needles pricking into his body.
The density of the water elements became greater and tighter, pressing down on him like a massive weight. Yu Lin gritted his teeth, straightening his spine with a shudder as a metallic sweetness welled up in his throat.
With a sudden burst of effort, the spiritual energy in his hands surged by another thirty percent.
Yu Lin focused all his attention on mobilizing his spiritual energy. Refusing to back down, he vowed to fight this energy to the very end, continuously merging the spiritual energy within his body into the cage and maintaining a back-and-forth struggle with the wild wind.
The stars shifted, and time flew by like a fleeting shadow.
Who knew how much time had passed, but suddenly, the resistance within the wind vanished completely.
The elements seemed to turn into water droplets scattered in the air, gently caressing Yu Lin, before merging speck by speck into the spiritual energy cage.
Yu Lin’s spiritual energy cage suddenly met no resistance, melting together like flowing water to form a floating, water-colored orb of light.
A wave of refreshing spiritual energy surged into his body, subsequently dispersing to every corner of his form. His heart shook; he immediately sat cross-legged, holding out his hands to cradle the water-colored orb of light, slowly absorbing it into his body.
During his breathing exercises, the water elements within the orb of light, possessing tiny and coarse boundaries, clumsily traversed his body, washing away the stubborn impurities in his spiritual veins.
Entering a meditative flow, he became immersed in his own world, merely breathing with closed eyes, entirely oblivious to the passage of time.
When he opened his eyes, they seemed to harbor a pool of still water, completely unruffled. The aura around him had also quietly changed, appearing steady and composed.
He lowered his eyes, stood up, and walked toward the exit of the cave.
By now, more than two months had passed.
The moment Yu Lin stepped out of the cave, a violent, swirling wind swept toward him, wrapping him in a spiral.
Yu Lin showed no fear. With a cold snort, he drew the Floating Water Sword from behind his back and slashed from the upper right to the lower left!
After this period of elemental cleansing, he had long grown accustomed to the spiritual energy of the Polar River Lands and would not be harmed by them.
The freezing cold light pierced through the translucent, snowy wind, forcefully tearing open a seam. With a calm gaze, he slashed through the wind and stepped out, only to see an ice pillar standing tall amidst the wind and snow.
Water droplets were still dripping down from the translucent ice pillar, only to freeze again rapidly. There was a person trapped inside.
Yu Lin had cast a casual glance, but when he clearly saw the person inside the ice pillar, his eyes widened slightly—
The one trapped inside was actually Chu Fengmian!
Chu Fengmian’s eyes were tightly shut and his brows were deeply furrowed as he struggled continuously within the ice pillar. The substance inside the pillar seemed to be fluid, allowing his limbs to still move.
He exhaled white mist continuously, and upon sensing someone’s arrival, he opened his eyes. Seeing that the person in front of him was Yu Lin, Chu Fengmian’s face lit up with joy, and he lightly tapped on the ice wall.
“Brother!”
The exhaled white mist blurred on the ice surface, making his face appear hazy and indistinct.
Yu Lin nodded to him, focusing his gaze to examine the ice pillar. He took two slight steps back, raised the Floating Water Sword, and slashed out a brilliant sword light!
The sword light flashed past in the blink of an eye. With a sharp crack, the wall of the ice pillar split open.
Chu Fengmian lightly leaped down.
Just as the water inside the ice pillar was about to pour out along the crack, it froze again upon contact with the outside air, forming an arc in mid-air.
Chu Fengmian cast a cleansing spell on himself, and his hair and clothes, soaked by the water, instantly dried. He jogged up to Yu Lin, flashed a smile, and asked, “Why is Brother here?”
He looked at Yu Lin with crescent-shaped eyes, as though the person who had been trapped in the ice pillar in such a sorry state just a moment ago wasn’t him.
Yu Lin sized him up and replied, “I came here for training. Why are you here?”
Chu Fengmian bound his hair into a high ponytail. His attire consisted entirely of silk and brocade, making him look exceptionally gorgeous and conspicuous.
Looking at him, Yu Lin felt a bit helpless. It was one thing to dress like this in Fuyang City, but what was the point of coming to the Polar River Lands dressed so extravagantly?
Chu Fengmian smiled. “My swordsmanship isn’t great and I’m playful, so Master sent me here to train.”
Yu Lin sighed softly, and looking at his flashy appearance, he did not doubt his words. How did his bearing look anything like a disciple under Sword Venerable Yuanzhi? Being so playful and fond of vanity, it was only natural for him to be sent here for training.
“…What happened to your hand?”
Yu Lin slowly shifted his gaze, only to find that the glove Chu Fengmian had previously worn on his right hand was gone, revealing a very long, hideous scar extending from the web of his thumb upward.
Seeing his gaze shift to his right hand, Chu Fengmian shrank his hand back. His expression grew a bit more serious as he said in a low voice, “I was bitten by a dog when I was a child. It’s nothing.”
The two fell silent for a moment. Chu Fengmian looked up into his eyes, and as if sensing the gloomy atmosphere, he pulled a smile. “Is this Brother’s first time in the Polar River Lands? I’m familiar with this place! Let me show you around!”
Seeing him try so hard to please, Yu Lin found it a bit amusing and teased, “You’re familiar with this place, yet you still got yourself trapped in an ice pillar?”
Yet, he did not object either, letting him speak.
“Legend has it that the Polar River Lands are where the gods fell. The elements here are protected by a barrier. If one wishes to absorb them for cultivation, it takes quite some effort. If one is unable to withstand it, there is a risk of death.”
“But by the same token, absorbing these elements can bring great improvements, and one can receive the protection of the Polar River power.”
Listening to his words, Yu Lin nodded subconsciously.
“There is also a type of spiritual bird in the Polar River Lands called the Ice Crystal Bird. Their feathers are snowy white, and they travel in flocks. Their nests are hidden amidst the wind and snow, making them hard to find.”
Chu Fengmian gestured with his chin toward the ice pillar from earlier and said, “That ice pillar just now was their ‘masterpiece.’ They spit out ice crystal blocks to attack people who come to the Polar River Lands. Sometimes, if one is caught off guard, they might end up trapped in an ice pillar.”
Yu Lin asked in confusion, “It’s just spitting out ice crystal blocks, how does it turn into an ice pillar like the one just now?”
Chu Fengmian smiled, frost from the falling snow still clinging to his eyelashes. “When hundreds of Ice Crystal Birds travel together… they are not to be underestimated.”
“Being caught by them is extremely troublesome. If the ice crystal blocks they spit land on a person, the ice will rapidly extend upward, restricting their movements. Right after, hundreds of ice crystal blocks will rain down, completely unstoppable.”
Yu Lin murmured, “So that’s how it is…”
If these Ice Crystal Birds were indeed hard to track and traveled in flocks, they would indeed be very difficult to deal with.
As they spoke, a mirage suddenly flickered into view in the sky, hanging on the horizon. A translucent, crystal-colored palace shimmered faintly under the sunlight.
Chu Fengmian narrowed his eyes. “What place is that? I’ve never seen it before.”
Yu Lin watched it for a long time. “We’ll know once we go and see.”
He had come to the Polar River Lands to seek opportunities in the first place, so he could not just wander aimlessly in the freezing snow.
Chu Fengmian agreed, stepping forward to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with him for a long time, yet the mirage remained hanging on the horizon, getting no closer.
Yu Lin hesitated and shook his head. “Perhaps this palace is merely an illusion left behind by the fallen gods, and cannot be found.”
Chu Fengmian said, “It is likely because we are in the midst of the wind and snow, making our perception of distance distorted. Let’s walk a bit further.”
It was truly as Chu Fengmian had said. After walking for just a bit longer, the mirage drew closer and closer to them, no longer hanging distantly on the horizon.
In front of them was a translucent structure forged of crystal. Following his line of sight, it actually towered into the clouds; Yu Lin had to tilt his head back to see where its peak lay.
The pillars were rigid and square, carrying an unattainable majesty. The entire palace exuded a cold and orderly aura, looking very much like the grand halls of immortals described in storybooks.
Chu Fengmian took two steps forward. “This is the place.”
Yu Lin lowered his eyes slightly, cautiously reaching out to test-touch the pillar. To his surprise, his hand passed straight through it, dipping into the interior of the hall.
Before he even had time to be astonished, he heard a sudden exclamation from beside him.
“Watch out!”
A gust of wind howled past his ear, and Chu Fengmian rushed over, tackling him to the ground.
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