Chapter 177 - 110: The Dao Mansion Recognizes Its Master
This suction force swirled and contracted, eventually forming a vortex.
Both the endless Jade Cicada Cold Qi from Ling Ye and the cold qi of the Jianxia Water overflowing from Shangguan Luoxue’s Dao Mansion were indiscriminately swept into this black hole...
...
Inside, the candle had gone out.
Only the moonlight filtering through the window outlined the blurred silhouettes of the two, who were locked in an embrace on the bed.
Ling Ye, having just caught her breath from the backlash of the cold qi, felt her consciousness gradually clearing.
The moment she regained consciousness, she immediately sensed that something was wrong.
The Jade Cicada Cold Qi that had been wreaking havoc inside her had begun to flow, continuously, into Jiang Mu’s body.
The flow was minuscule and the pace slow.
’How is this possible!?’
’How could this boy be absorbing the cold qi from my body?’
Ling Ye wanted to open her eyes to see what was happening, but she couldn’t. She could only muster more of her focus to simultaneously look inward at her own condition and try her utmost to perceive Jiang Mu’s state.
However, it was as if Jiang Mu’s body was shrouded in a layer of fog.
In her currently weakened state, she couldn’t make out any details at all.
’Xiaojiang...’
Ling Ye was shaken to her core.
She had a strong premonition that this man could become the greatest benefactor on her cultivation path.
Perhaps even... the one who could rewrite her destiny.
Once the Jade Cicada Cold Qi inside her was completely absorbed, her hidden affliction would be entirely eliminated.
Then, nothing would hold her back any longer.
She could once again pursue her next Star Position and return to her peak!
However, as things stood, it was clear it would take an incredibly long time for Jiang Mu to absorb all of this cold qi.
But this... this was the only ray of light in an otherwise hopeless situation.
Time trickled by in the silent darkness of the night.
On the bed, the two remained locked in a tight embrace.
Like two travelers about to freeze to death on an ice field, they could only rely on each other’s faint warmth to survive.
An unknown amount of time passed.
The last trace of the rampaging Jade Cicada Cold Qi in Ling Ye’s body was finally pacified and brought under control.
She slowly opened her eyes.
The last ice crystal on her long eyelashes melted, turning into a cool drop of water that slid from the corner of her eye.
The first thing she saw was Jiang Mu’s face, mere inches from her own.
Pale, but still handsome.
His eyes were shut tight and his brow was slightly furrowed, as if he were still enduring some great pain and chill in his dreams.
But his breathing was much steadier than before.
A torrent of emotions flooded Ling Ye’s heart.
Gratitude, heartache, confusion, lingering fear... and a subtle, budding womanly affection.
She shifted slightly, wanting to get up and check on Jiang Mu’s condition.
However, she had barely moved.
Jiang Mu, still deep in sleep, seemed to sense it. His arms tightened instinctively, holding her even more firmly in his embrace.
He even lowered his head and nuzzled against her chest.
He was like a small child who had found his safest refuge in a dream.
Ling Ye’s body went stiff.
Then, her tense body slowly relaxed.
She reached out, her fingertips gently brushing an ice bead from Jiang Mu’s brow, her gaze softening.
"It’s okay... I’m here..."
...
...
Snow filled the air, dancing wildly like silver sand.
Within a world of ice and snow, Jiang Mu’s consciousness finally broke free from the shackles of the cold qi.
Sensing that the cold qi of the Dao Mansion could no longer harm him in the slightest, he gritted his teeth and began to squeeze through the great gate of ice and jade, inch by painstaking inch.
’I refuse to believe I can’t get through today!’
The Jianxia Water, carrying a pure cold qi, surged out and washed over his consciousness.
Every inch forward was like advancing with a mountain on his back.
Finally, after exerting every ounce of his strength, Jiang Mu barely managed to squeeze inside the Dao Mansion.
However, before he could even catch his breath, an even more extreme chill and pressure washed over him like a tsunami.
Countless Dao Rhymes and the intent of Laws belonging to Shangguan Luoxue surged in from all directions like a tide.
Carrying the absolute oppressive might of a superior being, they threatened to tear Jiang Mu to shreds.
Jiang Mu sucked in a sharp breath.
Jiang Mu found it difficult to breathe, and his Divine Soul trembled.
He struggled to look around.
Within the hazy, pale-colored cold qi, countless runes flickered in and out of existence, outlining the contours of this world.
’A great opportunity... is never so easy to claim.’
Jiang Mu sighed.
But he didn’t retreat. Instead, the pressure ignited a fierce determination from deep within his bones.
Pushing against the immense pressure, he trudged forward, one difficult step at a time.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, a shimmering, dreamlike barrier materialized before his eyes.
The Barrier was like a solid wall, its surface covered with Dao Patterns as clear and visible as the veins on a leaf.
Upon sensing Jiang Mu, all the Dao Patterns erupted with a dazzling starlight.
As if facing a formidable enemy!
The True Rhyme of the Great Dao was just beyond the Barrier!
Because he cultivated the Cold Moon Ice Heart Skill, Jiang Mu’s senses had formed a subtle resonance with this world.
He could clearly sense that beyond the Barrier lay the most fundamental True Rhyme of the Great Dao in this plane of existence.
It was the culmination of Shangguan Luoxue’s entire life’s worth of cultivation.
It was the supreme Dao Fruit, born from the perfect fusion of her Immaculate Supreme Yin Dao Body and the divine artifact, the Jianxia Water!
If he could just touch that True Rhyme, he would be able to comprehend her Great Dao.
And thus, complete the Dao Discourse.
’I’ll risk it all!’
His heart pounding with excitement and his eyes burning with fervor, Jiang Mu charged forward impatiently.
BANG!
However, the moment he made contact with the Barrier, he was flung backward.
He was almost thrown clean out of the Dao Mansion’s gate.
’What’s going on?’
Jiang Mu’s head was ringing.
He could only watch as the Dao Patterns on the Barrier shone even more brilliantly, their light blinding, as if silently mocking him for his hubris.
’Damn it! So you wanna do this the hard way, huh?’