Inside the ice cavern, frost qi lingered; that ink-black pool seemed an unchanging mirror, reflecting the dome's blue-ice "stars." Aunt Su turned, her gaze sweeping over the somewhat Xiaoqi trio, finally landing on his face. Her cool voice broke the cavern's: "Outside... has already begun?"
Xiaoqi stabilized himself, nodded, his expression grave: "Netherwinter True Malice erupted; many died. There's also a gray-robed elder who seems to be using cultivators as sacrificial offerings to awaken some 'guardian sacred beast,' to seize the 'Ice-Phantom Sacred Lotus.'" He quickly explained the outside's and his deductions.
Aunt Su's eyes flashed with understanding, showing no surprise—clearly she had anticipated this. "That gray-robed elder is 'Ice Evil Ancestral Lord,' a traitor expelled from the Glacial Ice Pavilion. Obsessed with controlling Netherwinter True Malice's power, he using it to form a Malice Core and promote to Nascent Soul. He obtained part of this God-Entombing Ice Valley's secrets and set this."
She paused, her gaze turning to that ink-black pool, her tone carrying a thread of trepidation: "As for that guardian sacred beast... it is a fragmentary soul of an ancient Ice Flood Dragon, sealed here by Ice-Phantom Clan ancestors, nourished by Netherwinter True Malice while also guarding the true Ice-Phantom Sacred Lotus. Ice Evil Ancestral Lord wants to use external force to break the seal, taking advantage of the Ice Flood Dragon fragmentary soul's awakened weakness, to accomplish this 'fire.'"
"Ice-Phantom Sacred Lotus..." Xiaoqi caught this key phrase. "How is it different from the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus?"
"The Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus is merely part of the source aura escaping when the Ice-Phantom Sacred Lotus matures, combined with this place's extreme-cold environment, forming a secondary spirit item. Though precious, compared to it, it's like fireflies to the moon." Aunt Su explained. "The Ice-Phantom Sacred Lotus is the sacred treasure guarded for generations by the Ice-Phantom Clan. It contains the purest Ice-Phantom origin and a thread of ice-attribute laws. Not only does it have heaven-defying effects for those cultivating ice-attribute techniques; its extreme living vitality can even rebuild flesh and bone, resurrect the dead, and... have a certain probability of reshaping spiritual roots."
Xiaoqi's heart. Reshaping spiritual roots! This was literally a heaven-defying divine object! No wonder even Aunt Su would appear here. He looked at Aunt Su: "Did Aunt come here for the Ice-Phantom Sacred Lotus?"
Aunt Su slightly shook her head, her gaze somewhat drifting: "To fulfill a promise, and also... to atone for sins." She did not elaborate, continuing: "Ice Evil Ancestral Lord's plan will not succeed easily. Even weakened, the awakened Ice Flood Dragon fragmentary soul is not something a False Core cultivator can easily handle. Moreover, the Ice-Phantom Clan's guardians will not sit by watching the sacred lotus be stolen."
"Do the Ice-Phantom Clan really exist?" Zhao Tiezhu couldn't help interrupting, curious about this peculiar ice cavern.
"They exist, and they are the true masters of these ice plains." Aunt Su affirmed. "This ice cave we are in is one of the secret paths to their settlement. The outside is already blocked by Netherwinter True Malice and the awakened Ice Flood Dragon. To safely leave, or... if you still wish to compete for that thread of opportunity, finding the Ice-Phantom Clan and gaining their recognition is the only chance."
She looked at Xiaoqi: "You bear special Purification power—perhaps you can help them. This is also why I brought you here."
Just then, the rabbit spirit quietly squatting on Xiaoqi's shoulder suddenly pricked its ears, its nose sniffing vigorously. Its little paw anxiously pointed toward a more narrow side passage deeper in the ice cavern, emitting urgent squeaking sounds.
Almost simultaneously, a low, threatening wolf howl, accompanied by chaotic running sounds, came from that side passage's depths! The sounds rapidly approached, carrying the ice plains'.
"Defend!" Xiaoqi low-hissed. The Nirvana Phoenix Sword instantly crossed his body; Zhao Tiezhu also gripped his mace tightly, warily gazing toward the sound's source.
Within faint blue light, more than a dozen pairs of ice-blue glowing eyes appeared first. Then, massive, agile figures leaped out from the side passage, subtly surrounding them. These were giant wolves, their size far larger than ordinary wild wolves, shoulder height nearly reaching waist level. They were covered with thick, silver-armor-like fur, fangs sharp, claws glittering with cold light. Their bodies emitted ice-cold aura comparable to Foundation Establishment cultivators. The leading wolf was especially magnificent, larger than companions by a circle, with a tuft of diamond-shaped silver fur between its brows. Its aura reached False Core stage!
They crouched low, throats. Icy wolf eyesfirmly Xiaoqi's group, especially those clearly fire-attribute weapons in their hands—filled with hostility. Obviously, they regarded Xiaoqi's group as invaders.
"They are Snow Plain Giant Wolves! Allies and sentinels of the Ice-Phantom Clan!" Aunt Su said quietly. She stepped forward, hands forming a strange, uttering several ancient, esoteric syllables, attempting to communicate with the wolf pack.
However, the wolves, especially the wolf king, showed no reduction in wariness. Instead, they became more agitated due to Aunt Su's aura not belonging to the ice plains. The wolf king stamped its front paws, ice shards flying, assuming a posture of hours possible pounce—tension escalated to the extreme.
Just at this sword-drawn bow moment, Xiaoqi's rabbit spirit suddenly broke free from his palm, jumping to the ground. It showed no fear, instead curiously approaching the wolf pack. Its little nose kept twitching, finally fixing its gaze on, behind the wolf pack, a, curled-up wolf cub lying on the ground, its aura weak, continuously.
That wolf cub's fur was dim, black ice residue at the corner of its mouth, body trembling slightly, as if suffering extreme pain. The several adult wolves around it had eyes full of anxiety and sadness.
The rabbit spirit turned back, anxiously gesturing to Xiaoqi, then pointing at that wolf cub.
Xiaoqi's heart moved. Following the rabbit spirit's guidance, he examined that wolf cub with spiritual sense. Indeed, within the cub's body, he felt a current of black airflow of the same origin as outside's Netherwinter True Malice, but more concentrated and yin-cold, continuously eroding its vitality! This wolf cub had been poisoned by extremely deep cold poison!
"It has very deep cold poison." Xiaoqi said to Aunt Su, also addressing the wolf pack to: "Perhaps... I can try to save it."
Aunt Su immediately used that ancient language to speak several sentences to the wolf king. The wolf king's ice-blue eyes flashed with humanlike doubt and struggle. He looked at his suffering cub, then warilyed Xiaoqi, especially that crimson sword that made it feel uncomfortable.
Xiaoqi sheathed the Nirvana Phoenix Sword, spread both hands, indicating no malicious intent. He slowly circulated the Spring Life Art. A gentle yet full-of-vitality wood-attribute spiritual power radiated forth. Simultaneously, a thread of extremely pure, his own Purification Origin aura, like spring sunshine, quietly merged into this vitality—warm yet not blinding.
Feeling this aura full of vitality and pure comfort, the wolf pack's growling gradually subsided somewhat. The wolf king hesitated for a moment. Finally, concern for its cub overcame wariness. It low-roared; the several adult wolves blocking the path slowly made way.
Xiaoqi walked forward slowly. Under the wolf pack's still-wary gazes, he arrived beside that wolf cub. He squatted down, examined carefully. This cold poison was extremely tyrannical, already deeply penetrating the cub's meridians and organs. If not for Snow Plain Giant Wolves' innate robust constitution, it would surely have died long ago. Ordinary cold-dispelling pills or spiritual power would be difficult to thoroughly cure, possibly even triggering poison counter-attack.
He did not recklessly use the dao Southern Ming Departing Fire or Phoenix Sword intent. Instead, he gently placed his palm on the cub's cold forehead. Within his body, the Purification Origin, wrapped by the Spring Life Art, became a trickle, carrying incomparable gentleness and penetration, slowly injecting into the cub's body.
Where the Purification power passed, that stubborn black cold poison, as if encountering a natural enemy, emitted subtle "sizzling" sounds, beginning to be decomposed and dissolved bit by bit, transforming into pure ice-attribute energy that the cub's body slowly absorbed. Meanwhile, the Spring Life Art's vitality continuously nourished the meridians damaged by the cold poison.
This process was not quick. Xiaoqi was fully focused, controlling the Purification power's intensity, fearful of harming the cub's fragile foundation. Time passed slowly. The cub's trembling gradually eased; painful whimpering transformed into comfortable humming. Its dim fur also began restoring a thread of bright silver luster.
The surrounding adult wolves' eyes transformed from initial wariness to surprise, then to hope, finally to deep gratitude. Even that powerful wolf king's body relaxed. Its gaze toward Xiaoqi became much gentler.
About the time to burn a stick of incense later, Xiaoqi slowly withdrew his hand. His forehead already showed fine sweat beads. The cold poison within the cub was already cleared by more than half; the remaining portion was harmless, capable of being slowly resolved by its own recovery ability. The cub struggled to stand, affectionately nuzzled Xiaoqi's palm,.
"Awoo——!" The wolf king tilted its head back, letting out a long howl. This howl no longer carried hostility but rather an announcement and acknowledgment. It walked to Xiaoqi, lowered its head, and gently bumped its huge skull against Xiaoqi's chest—this was Snow Plain Giant Wolves' supreme etiquette expressing friendship and gratitude.
The other giant wolves also bowed their heads. Their ice-blue eyes were full of goodwill.
Aunt Su watched this scene, a trace of relief flickering in her eyes. She stepped forward and exchanged a few words with the wolf king in that ancient language. Then, turning to Xiaoqi: "They are willing to lead us to their tribe. The wolf king said the tribe's Great Priest may have methods to deal with the outside crisis and knows the true secrets about the Ice-Phantom Sacred Lotus."
Within the absolute situation, a thread of dawn was finally visible. Xiaoqi nodded, following behind the wolf king. Surrounded by the Snow Plain Giant Wolf pack, they headed deeper into the ice cavern, toward that unknown Snow Plain Giant Wolf tribe settlement. Within the cold air, a thread of warmth also seemed to appear.