Chapter Twenty-Four: The Valley of Icy Spirits

“What—what is happening here?” Gu Xinyu stammered.

Ji Xuanyu said nothing, falling into deep thought.

Muye bent down, reaching out to touch the white jade stone. A searing pain shot through his hand, so sharp that he couldn’t help but question what kind of place this truly was. Fortunately, he’d withdrawn his hand swiftly; otherwise, it might have been ruined.

Worried that Yin Yao might lose too much blood and unable to shield her from the biting cold, Muye carefully checked her pulse. To his surprise, not only was Yin Yao unharmed, but her strength was growing. Still, her life force remained weak. Muye’s face showed his astonishment.

“This is the Land of Extreme Yin—the Cold Spirit Valley?!” Observing the changes around them and catching Muye’s expression, Ji Xuanyu ventured a guess.

“Yes!”

Muye snapped back to his senses and confirmed, scanning their surroundings. Gu Xinyu understood now as well, but why had everything changed in the blink of an eye? It was too strange!

“But why?” Gu Xinyu voiced the question that lingered in everyone’s heart: Yes, why!

Ji Xuanyu noticed a faint red mark on the white jade stone, not immediately obvious, precisely where Yin Yao’s heart’s blood had fallen. Could it be—? He then saw her strength surging rapidly, confirming his suspicion. Yes! That must be it!

“Yin Yao’s heart’s blood has activated the Cold Spirit Array, restoring the spiritual energy of the white jade stone. If her blood can awaken the Array, then Yin Yao must be the master of the Cold Spirit Valley!”

Ji Xuanyu finished in one breath, eager to know if his reasoning was correct. Muye nodded in agreement, and Gu Xinyu’s face showed he understood as well.

“Then hurry! Time waits for no one!”

Excitement colored Ji Xuanyu’s voice—he knew Muye hadn’t mentioned before that, after the blood exchange, the best place for Yin Yao to recuperate was the Cold Spirit Valley. Yet, the world believed its location lost. But now, everything was different! Wonderful! To think that Yin Yao would be the valley’s master—she was saved!

“Yes!”

Muye soared into the air, unable to remain on the white jade stone for long due to his inner strength, so he hovered behind them, ready to protect them and intervene if necessary. Gu Xinyu sat cross-legged in the air, channeling his energy to recover. For now, Ji Xuanyu needed no assistance.

To aid Yin Yao’s recovery, Ji Xuanyu endured the biting cold, sitting to her left. He took out a small knife and drew a cut across both their wrists, then pressed their wounded hands together so that their blood mingled, maintaining his own body heat with his energy.

Ji Xuanyu’s blood slowly drained away. The blood from Yin Yao’s right hand had long since stopped, but as she received Ji Xuanyu’s blood, color gradually returned to her cheeks, her lips no longer pale and blue but tinged with a faint red.

Meanwhile, Ji Xuanyu’s face grew paler, his lips turning bluish purple, his body trembling slightly, a layer of frost forming upon his brows.

Gu Xinyu quickly followed Ji Xuanyu’s example, cutting his own wrist and letting his blood flow into Ji Xuanyu’s other hand.

For reasons unknown, Ji Xuanyu did not reject Gu Xinyu’s blood. Instead, it flowed into his body as naturally as his own.

Muye, who had worried the blood exchange might not succeed, finally relaxed. He drew from his robe the mysterious jade box, which contained the wholly green herb they had gathered on the same day as the violet one—a green ginseng, famed for reviving the weak and snatching them from the jaws of death.

Gu Xinyu mustered all his strength to protect himself, yet still managed to send some inner energy to assist Ji Xuanyu. Perhaps Ji Xuanyu did not notice, but Muye, ever alert, certainly did.

Muye was amazed, somewhat puzzled—he knew Ji Xuanyu possessed spectral-level power, and while Gu Xinyu was strong, he was not known to wield such extraordinary strength. How could ordinary power protect oneself in the cold valley and still have enough to help another?

Had Xinyu been hiding something? Could he too be an inheritor of special power? Judging by appearances, his strength was at least the equal of Ji Xuanyu’s, if not greater.

Puzzled, Muye carefully tracked the flow of energy. His mind was precise and meticulous; now was not the time for questions, which would only sow confusion and disrupt their plan.

A faint golden light enveloped the three of them—they had reached the final stage.

Muye saw behind Gu Xinyu the spectral image of a tiger at rest; behind Ji Xuanyu, the weary form of a dragon; behind Yin Yao, a white fox, eyes just opened. Muye was stunned—all three possessed powers of the fantasy grade!

When the golden light faded, Muye leaped forward, retrieved the green ginseng from the jade box, and split it between Xuanyu and Xinyu, then knelt to check Yin Yao’s pulse.

Yin Yao’s blood flow had long since cleared, her heartbeat restored to normal. She remained unconscious, but that was inevitable; her awakening was now only a matter of time.

Gu Xinyu left the white jade stone, leaping to the grass to meditate and recover. The white jade would indeed boost one’s strength and speed recovery, but it was not suited to him—for yin and yang oppose each other.

Noticing sweat breaking out on Gu Xinyu’s forehead, Muye immediately sat behind him and helped him absorb the essence of the green ginseng.

A light mist enveloped the two of them.

At this moment, Gu Xinyu understood: having risked so much power, he would need days to recover, especially after losing so much blood. He would have to rest and recuperate well.

Ji Xuanyu did not fear the cold—his only worry was that when Yin Yao woke, the first face she saw would not be his. He shifted to sit cross-legged opposite her, calming his heart, closing his eyes, emptying his thoughts.

“Xinyu, just how much have you kept from us?” Muye’s voice was barely more than a thread, and with the two so close, he was certain Gu Xinyu would hear.

He needed an explanation; he did not wish for secrets among brothers who had faced death together.

Gu Xinyu’s eyes snapped open; he tried to turn and ask what Muye meant, but Muye raised a hand to stop him.

Through the thick mist, Gu Xinyu saw that Ji Xuanyu had not noticed Muye’s question—most likely, he was exhausted. Perhaps it was for the best.

Gu Xinyu pondered and realized Muye must have noticed his strength. “What do you want to know?”

Muye could sense the flow of inner power.

“You’re the tiger, aren’t you? And your power, as I see it, is at least the equal of Xuanyu’s.”

“Yes, that’s right. We’re both at the fantasy level, though I’m close to advancing to the mid-stage.”

“Why did you hide it from us? If not for this accident, how much longer did you plan to keep it secret?”

“When we set out to save Yin Yao, I knew you would discover it. But I didn’t hesitate.”

“So—you’re taking this chance to tell us?”

“Yes.”