Chapter 145: The Edge of the Snowy Realm

Three hours passed, the dust settled, and the situation temporarily stabilized.

Once matters concerning the Zhengjun Hall were finalized, Xueze quietly slipped away. She had no wish to dwell on those people and events, nor did she care to experience the poignant sentiment of times changing and people turning into strangers.

Crossing the Soul-Breaking Bridge, Xueze could not resist casting a glance downward, only to find a pitch-black, tranquil void. The atmosphere of the abyss seemed much milder than usual today. Devoid of its usual swagger and terror, it felt as though it had lost its backbone.

"The Soul-Breaking Bridge is so peaceful. Could something have happened in the Soul-Breaking Cave?" Lost in thought, Xueze suddenly felt a slight tremor as someone stepped onto the bridge.

Turning around, she saw Lanshui drawing closer and closer, and a sense of helplessness welled up inside her.

"Senior Brother!"

Lanshui’s expression was devoid of emotion, yet his entire demeanor was far from gentle, his coldness laced with gloom and anger.

Seeing Lanshui approach without paying her any mind, Xueze sidestepped a little toward the edge of the bridge, assuming he was merely passing by and had no intention of acknowledging her.

"Don't move!" Lanshui flicked across space, instantly appearing beside her and seizing her shoulder. "Do you want to fall off?"

Xueze looked down at the abyss beneath the bridge, recalling the terrifying nature of the Soul-Breaking Cave, and nervously shook her head. "N-no, I just wanted to make way for Senior Brother!"

"Make what way?" Lanshui let out a cold snort, his expression filled with displeasure. He pulled Xueze’s shoulder and walked toward the center of the bridge, heading in silence toward the Snow Bamboo Land.

Xueze dared not look at Lanshui, nor did she dare to break free. She carefully matched his pace, feeling the firm grip of his hand at every step—a pressure that carried no intention of letting her leave.

"Senior Brother, you—"

"What about me?"

Xueze hesitated, suppressed the thoughts in her heart, and changed the subject instead. "The Soul-Breaking Cave seems to have undergone some change. Was that your doing?"

"That monster dared to harm you; naturally, it deserves no good end!"

Xueze was stunned. "Th-that was the mount of the Heavenly Lord of Jiucang! How could you—?"

"Rest assured, Master did it, so even the Heavenly Lord cannot lay blame!" Lanshui paused, still unable to suppress the raging fire in his heart. "It is you I blame! Why take such a risk? Who gave you permission to leave? How dare you accept such a task!"

Xueze lowered her head, staring fixedly at her feet without moving. She could sense the worry and discontent hidden within Lanshui's words, yet she felt no regret.

"Listen to me, won't you?"

Xueze shook her head. "Senior Brother, I can handle it!"

Lanshui sighed, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists. The emotions churning inside him spread rapidly like a volcanic eruption, yet he was utterly helpless against the stubborn girl standing before him.

"Xueze!"

Hearing his voice, Xueze's heart skipped a beat; she had never seen Lanshui so angry.

"Xueze, you—"

Lanshui stopped short, swallowing the thousands of words gathered on his lips into a single heavy sigh.

"I can't control you anymore, can I?"

Xueze shook her head. "Xueze will always listen to Senior Brother. But please forgive me for not being able to shirk a duty that rightfully falls to me!"

Lanshui was left speechless. He pulled Xueze into a sudden, tight embrace, his eyes instantly turning red. "You foolish girl, what do you mean by a duty that *must* fall to you? What kind of duty is *rightfully* yours?"

"Senior Brother, I know!" Xueze said calmly and slowly. "I know they intentionally targeted me, but I will act with caution and care! Mount Tian is no longer what it used to be. We must all learn to adapt if we are to find a way to break this deadlock."

"It wasn't just the Spirit Maiden who targeted you; there is likely someone else pulling the strings behind the scenes. Master and I could easily have helped you decline this. Why did you insist on coming?" Lanshui sighed as he spoke, constantly feeling that Xueze was too naive and innocent of the world's deep perils.

Xueze smiled faintly. "You went behind my back to the Zhengjun Hall, and I am not a fool! Besides, I am completely unharmed; how could I not go?"

Lanshui was about to speak further when he suddenly sensed an incoming aura. He immediately released his grip and composed himself. "Jilin is back!"

"Mm, Senior Brother, stop being angry!"

Lanshui glanced at Xueze and nodded. "Next time, you must obey!"

Before long, Jilin appeared on the Soul-Breaking Bridge, slowly coming into view for both of them.

From afar, Jilin tossed a bead toward Lanshui and laughed, "Senior Brother, I found it!"

Lanshui nodded expressionlessly, then turned to the puzzled Xueze and said, "Go back and rest. Jilin and I have business to attend to!"

Hearing this, Jilin shook his head repeatedly. "Senior Brother, why are you roping me in again? I expended a great deal of effort just to retrieve this bead, and I have no energy left for your major undertakings now! Why don't you take Xueze instead?"

Lanshui's expression darkened, gesturing for Jilin to say no more. "Junior Sister has only just recovered; how can you have the face to suggest that? If you won't go, forget it—I can go alone!"

"Senior Brother, what is this about? I actually want to help!"

Jilin smiled. "It's nothing difficult, and you're quite suited for it!"

Lanshui glared at Jilin and said coldly, "Silence. I'm leaving!"

"Hey, Senior Brother, you—" Jilin trailed off, not daring to overstep.

Seeing this, Xueze grew suspicious and quickly pressed, "Senior Brother, what on earth are you going to do? Can I do it or not?"

Watching Lanshui walk away, Jilin finally straightened his posture and replied, "Of course you can! Why wouldn't you? If it were something you couldn't handle, would I have proposed it?"

"Then tell me quickly!"

"This matter concerns the Snow Domain, so you are the most suitable person to go. But the Eldest Senior Brother is worried about you, which is why he won't let you go. After all, that place is bitterly cold, and you were just injured by the red-eyed phantom—"

Xueze shook her head. "I am fine. Tell me quickly what needs to be done! I need to catch up with Senior Brother; he isn't nearly as familiar with the Snow Domain as I am!"

"Master subdued the red-eyed phantom and condensed it into a Red Blood Stone, which must be preserved in a place of extreme cold. Only after a thousand years will its memories and impurities be stripped away so it can be reborn! As for me, I just went to retrieve the Sun and Moon Holy Bead; with it, Senior Brother won't have to fear the freezing frost of the Snow Domain!"

Xueze was puzzled upon hearing this. "Why wasn't this task given to me? And why go to the trouble of retrieving the Sun and Moon Holy Bead? What is the reason for all this?"

"There is only one Sun and Moon Holy Bead, and it can resist the frost of the Snow Domain. Master feared that a traitor might steal it for nefarious purposes, so he sent me to retrieve it. And as it happens, Senior Brother needs to go to the Snow Domain to place the Red Blood Stone, so it came in handy!"

Xueze sighed. "No, I still have to go and see for myself! The Snow Domain is so sacred, how could a single bead be enough to resist it? Do you even know where Senior Brother intends to place the Red Blood Stone?"

Jilin paused, then nodded. "It seems to be beneath a tree. It is said that the red-eyed phantom can be controlled by snow eagles, so the Red Blood Stone should be placed beneath the tree where the snow eagles gather. Have you seen it? Is this just a legend?"

"It is no legend. But Senior Brother is in grave danger!"

"Ah?" Jilin was startled. A flash of white swept past his eyes, and Xueze had already vanished. "Junior Sister, can you really handle this? I'd better go find Master!"

The frost of the Snow Domain raged, the biting wind pierced to the bone, and heaven and earth melted into a single vast expanse of whiteness.

Lanshui relied entirely on the bead to fend off the bone-chilling cold, yet he could not block the invisible, howling winds. He struggled to find the red flowers scattered across the snow to guide his way, but this method was far too slow.

"The Snow Domain is indeed difficult to enter, but Junior Sister shouldn't worry too much! Ordinary people cannot break in, and anyone capable of reaching the center of the Snow Domain isn't someone she needs to worry about!"

Lanshui's entire body grew stiff with cold. He knew he was nearing the center of the Snow Domain, where wave after wave of howling storms battered him, leaving him with no strength left to resist.

The mission was uncompleted, but Lanshui refused to retreat; he could have withdrawn safely if he wanted to.

"I will test the power of this bead once more. If even it cannot resist, then nothing in this world can threaten the Snow Domain. And then Junior Sister can rest easy!"

A sudden blast of wind struck. Lanshui lost all sensation in his body, and even his heart felt as though it were freezing solid.

In a daze, Lanshui suddenly caught sight of Xueze's figure, looking as though she were formed from accumulated snow or gathered from blowing dust. A faint smile touched his lips.

"To be able to see you one last time... truly, how wonderful."

"Senior Brother!"

A crisp voice pierced into Lanshui's ears. He suddenly felt a wave of warmth, and his heart seemed to leap into a fierce, passionate beat once more.

"Xueze?"

In his field of vision, a girl in white was dancing amidst the ice and snow, nimbly dodging thousands of frost-blades and cleverly deflecting towering icicles.

The wind did not approach her, the snow did not cling to her skin, and the ice did not target her. The only froststorms Xueze was resisting were those that threatened him. Realizing this upon closer inspection, Lanshui could not help but be startled.

"The Snow Domain has never shown mercy. Why does the frost refuse to target Xueze? Could it be... could it be that she truly possesses extraordinary immortal affinity? No, that's not it—she is merely a fairy of the Snow Domain, simply its guardian!"

Lanshui sighed and lapsed into unconsciousness.

Dimly, he heard Xueze's voice and felt the sensation of movement.

When he awoke once more, the bitter cold had vanished, and the surroundings were preternaturally quiet. This was a patch of turf—neither lush nor withered, where all plants grew freely and peacefully. Ahead was a precipice, with white mists rising and billowing, obscuring the scenery on the opposite side.

After looking around for a long time, Lanshui finally recognized it as the edge of the Snow Domain.

"Why am I here?"

Lanshui stirred, slowly rose to his feet, and walked about, searching for Xueze's figure.

"Xueze!"

"Xueze, where are you?"

Climbing up a grassy slope and looking down, he saw a sea of flowers filling the valley. The green grass could not rival their vibrancy, and a thousand blossoms could not overshadow her beauty. Lanshui stood dazed, mesmerized by the young girl smiling up at him from the sea of flowers.

Such stunning scenery, and a maiden of such grace—she belonged only in the heavens.

"Senior Brother!" Xueze walked over holding a blossom, took the dazed Lanshui by the hand, and led him in another direction. "While there's still time, I'll take you to see a fresh place!"

"While there's still time?" Lanshui muttered softly under his breath, instantly turning to look at Xueze. "I—"

A gentle breeze blew, stirring Xueze's hair across her brows. In the blink of an eye, her eyelashes and her smile seemed to melt straight into his heart. Right then, at the moment she blinked, Lanshui cast a spell to freeze time.

Lanshui parted her hair, leaned in slightly, and gently pressed a kiss to her forehead before pulling her into a soft embrace. "Xueze, never leave me!"

A second later, Xueze opened her eyes and continued leading him forward. "Senior Brother, the frost of the Snow Domain wasn't pleasant, was it? In the future, you must tell me if something happens!"

Lanshui smiled faintly. "Since when did you start lecturing me?"

"How would I dare? We're about to go down the mountain; I'll take you to see the sea of clouds and the snow peaks!"

"You guard the Snow Domain, and all you've explored are these scenic views? You really can't shake your playful nature!"

Xueze shook her head. "There are other things too! I've even found a wonderful way to get along with the frost and wind of the Snow Domain! Didn't you see it just now?"

Lanshui was stunned, a secret joy blooming in his heart: So she had found a method, rather than...

"Senior Brother, let's go!" Xueze tugged at Lanshui's sleeve, smiling brightly. "Don't say I'm just being playful—the moment I found this breathtaking view, you were the very first person I thought of!"