Chapter Twenty-Seven: Suppressing the Cold Toxin

Ji Dingming sighed and spoke slowly. “Perhaps I became entangled in karma. At the time, a bolt of heavenly thunder that should have struck you somehow seemed to gain consciousness. It turned around and came straight toward me instead.”

“As for me, I am a strategist, not one of those hardened soldiers who charge into battle and slay their enemies. My body could never withstand such a blow. If your cultivation had not been sealed back then, it would have been no surprise if you had endured seven bolts.”

Ji Dingming sighed again and continued, “As a result, I was gravely wounded and had no choice but to use spirit jade as a medium to recreate a physical body. Now, after ten thousand years, this body has reached its limit as well.”

Bai Jingyan was stunned. Even after a long while, he could not utter a word.

Ji Dingming sat upright and said solemnly, “Bai Jingyan, I summoned you here today not only to save Yue’er, but also to help you return to your peak.”

Bai Jingyan finally recovered and asked curiously, “Senior, how do you intend to help me?”

Ji Dingming smiled faintly, a trace of confidence in his voice. “With my help, I believe you can enter the Martial Sect realm within ten years and reach the Emperor Realm within a century. Once you become a Martial Saint, recreate a physical body for me, and I will be able to be reborn.”

At those words, Bai Jingyan’s heart leaped with joy. His gaze firm, he said, “Senior, rest assured. I will do everything in my power to help you regain a physical body.”

Ji Dingming nodded, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. “Good. Good boy. From today onward, I shall attach my soul to your Startling Rainbow Sword and become its sword spirit. I will guide your cultivation and help you increase your strength as quickly as possible.”

After Ji Dingming finished speaking, his figure gradually grew indistinct. In the end, he transformed into a streak of light and entered the Startling Rainbow Sword at Bai Jingyan’s waist.

The instant Ji Dingming’s soul had completely merged with the sword, Bai Jingyan suddenly heard Yue’er’s feeble voice.

“Grandfather… Yue’er is so cold…”

He spun around and saw Yue’er curled up on the ground, her whole body trembling and her face pale as paper. A layer of white frost covered her brow. Even the surrounding air had begun to freeze, and a thin sheet of ice rapidly spread across the ground. The temperature in the entire courtyard plunged abruptly, as though winter had descended in an instant.

“Yue’er!”

Bai Jingyan’s heart clenched. He rushed forward and gathered her into his arms. Her body was cold enough to pierce his bones, and her breathing was so faint that it seemed it might stop at any moment.

“This cold poison… It is actually this fierce!”

Bai Jingyan’s brows drew tightly together, his heart filled with shock.

He quickly took the Cold-Repelling Pill he had just refined from the furnace cauldron and carefully placed it in Yue’er’s mouth. The pill dissolved the moment it entered her mouth, transforming into a warm current that slowly spread through her body.

After a short while, Yue’er’s breathing gradually steadied, and the frost on her brow began to melt. Her body was no longer quite so cold, and a faint flush returned to her face.

“Brother Bai…”

Yue’er slowly opened her eyes. Her voice was weak, yet carried a trace of reassurance. “Thank you…”

Bai Jingyan let out a sigh of relief and gently patted her back. “It’s all right now, Yue’er. You will get better.”

Just then, Bai Jingyan seemed to remember something. He asked Ji Dingming, who resided within the sword, “Senior, do you recall whether Yue’er displayed anything unusual during these past few years?”

Ji Dingming pondered for a long time before saying, “I found Yue’er when I was traveling through the Eastern Region. That little girl was born with divine strength. At the age of three, she could already fight bears, and by six, she had subdued every animal on this island…”

“You do not see any animals on this floating island now because I had Yue’er send them all down to the ground.”

Hearing this, Bai Jingyan could only smile wryly. Perhaps sending those animals away had also been a way of protecting them.

After a moment, Bai Jingyan suddenly said, “Senior, if I am not mistaken, the cold poison within Yue’er is the Netherworld Ninefold Frost. This kind of cold poison is exceedingly rare. The poison within her is so violent that I fear it may be connected to her origins.”

“Senior, do you remember that the Eastern Region is not inhabited primarily by humans? Many different races live there, and beings who are half human and half demon are the most numerous.”

“You mean…”

Ji Dingming murmured softly.

“Yue’er may have come from one of the races of the Eastern Region.”

Bai Jingyan’s tone was utterly certain.

Bai Jingyan suspected that Yue’er was descended from one of the races inhabiting the Endless Archipelago. However, there were countless races scattered throughout the archipelago, and even Yang Chen could not determine which one she belonged to.

Moreover, all those races possessed an instinctive hostility toward outsiders. If Yue’er were brought there rashly, it might very well enrage the other races and bring disaster upon them.

“Regardless, your most urgent task now is to cultivate properly and increase your strength,” Ji Dingming said. “There is a secret realm on this island that can aid your cultivation.”

“Oh?”

Hearing this, Bai Jingyan immediately rose to his feet, delight spreading across his face.

He had been troubled by the lack of a suitable place to cultivate and stabilize his foundation. Ji Dingming’s words had arrived like timely rain.

Without saying anything more, Bai Jingyan followed Ji Dingming’s directions. Before a stone statue, he activated its mechanism and channeled his spiritual energy into it. The statue seemed to come alive and bowed deeply to Bai Jingyan.

At that moment, Ji Dingming’s voice came from the Startling Rainbow Sword.

“This stone statue is the steward of this floating island. Whenever I was occupied and unable to care for Yue’er, I would activate it and have it look after her.”

Bai Jingyan nodded upon hearing this.

He said no more. After entrusting Yue’er to the “stone steward,” he followed Ji Dingming’s instructions and walked outside.

The two of them left the courtyard, but Ji Dingming told Bai Jingyan to stop before a waterfall.

“This waterfall… It is actually formed from spiritual energy?”

Bai Jingyan was deeply shaken. He reached out and touched the edge of the waterfall, sensing a gentle current of spiritual energy flow through his fingertip and into his body. In an instant, his spirit was invigorated.

Ji Dingming’s voice came from within the Startling Rainbow Sword. “Everything on this floating island is formed from spiritual energy. Every flower and blade of grass, every mountain and stone, is the same. This is the perfect place for you to stabilize your foundation.”

Bai Jingyan removed his upper garment, revealing his powerful torso. He drew a deep breath and stepped beneath the waterfall.

The force of the spiritual-energy waterfall was immense, as though countless fine needles were stabbing into his skin and sending waves of pain through him. Yet Bai Jingyan clenched his teeth and stood firmly at the center of the waterfall, allowing the spiritual energy to scour his body.

“Circulate the Chaos Divine Demon Art and draw the spiritual energy into your body. Stabilize your foundation.”

Ji Dingming’s voice rang in his ear.

Bai Jingyan closed his eyes and circulated the Chaos Divine Demon Art with all his strength. The pure spiritual energy within the waterfall surged into his body like a tide, washing through every meridian and spiritual aperture. He felt the spiritual energy, which had once flowed with some difficulty, gradually becoming smoother. The chaos energy within him also grew increasingly condensed.