Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Zhan Tianlei and Jian Wuying had guessed correctly. Neither Yi Chan nor Jiang Yi was dead!
Not only were they alive, but the wound on Jiang Yi’s head was also almost completely healed by now. He was already healed once on the Evil Spirit Ridge. At that time, all his bones had been broken. Yet, he recovered speedily. In the same way, the knife wound to his head was healing as well.
“Where is this place? Yi Chan?”
Jiang Yi saw a bright flash of light. The dagger in his hand had turned into dust, and his wound was alright now. Suddenly, he looked astonished. After he saw a woman with purple hair wearing the mask of a ghost king next to him, he became even more confused.
“Jiang Yi?”
Yi Chan cried out in a surprised tone as well. Before Yi Chan was struck by that lightning bolt, she still had not figured out what the Mystic Thearch truly meant. She just purely hated battling with other humans. She did not want to fight to the death with the other disciples of the Nine Thearch Clans. She did not think that the lightning bolt would transport her here, much less that she would see Jiang Yi.
“So I see…”
Yi Chan was a brilliant woman as well. After a few seconds of deep thought, she finally figured it all out. She figured out the true test that the Mystic Thearch had set for them. The Mystic Thearch did not want a sadistic, crazy, and inhumane talent as is descendant. He did not want to pass his dao down to someone like that.
He wanted someone who would protect the human race. If someone could kill their own comrades for the sake of treasure, how could they be trusted to protect the human race?
Yi Chan celebrated in her heart. She made all her decisions not knowing the truth, and she never expected that she would end up here. However, she did not understand why Jiang Yi was here as well. There were two of them. Did the Mystic Thearch plan to test the two of them again?
“It’s so cold here!”
Yi Chan’s thoughts were quickly interrupted by the cool air surrounding them. This was an icy realm. There were strong winds and snow. Not far away from them was an ice lake as well. She discovered that she could not activate her essence force at all in this place; neither could she release her divine senses. Thus, there was no way she could defend herself against the cold. What’s more, the temperature where they were was extremely low. Just sitting there for two seconds froze her entire body up.
Jiang Yi noticed this as well. This was much colder than the Snow Region. He looked around, not daring to speak. He and Yi Chan just exchanged a meaningful glance and waited in silence. They were waiting for the Mystic Thearch’s next instructions. Jiang Yi thought that the Mystic Thearch was quite strange. He could not guess what the latter was thinking at all. It was just what he felt when he broke through the first stage all those years ago. The Mystic Thearch’s thoughts were too hard to predict.
“Where’s Little Sister Ruobing?”
After a while, Yi Chan could not hold herself back any longer. A look of worry crossed Jiang Yi’s face. He said nothing as his eyebrows scrunched up together. He did not know how Yin Ruobing was either. There was no way he could go back and look for her now either.
“Very good!”
After a few seconds, they heard a voice coming down from the skies. This voice was so authoritative. It carried with it a kind of suppressive force, causing its listeners to want to submit to it. Neither of them would ever dare to rebel against this voice. The Mystic Thearch said, “Congratulations on passing the test and coming to the Cold Valley. What you have to do now is to cross the ice lake. Once you do, enter the thatched house on the other side. I will be waiting for you in that house! Since there are two of you, the one who reaches the thatched house first will become my successor. The person trailing behind will be frozen by the cold air. You will become the thatched house’s companion for the rest of eternity! The cold air here will become even colder by the second. Be careful.”
Jiang Yi and Yi Chan could feel the temperature around them dropping even without the Mystic Thearch’s instructions. They looked like they had been frozen stiff, but Jiang Yi was obviously doing a bit better. It was not that his body was stronger than Yi Chan’s. Since he realized the Icebound Thousand Miles, his resistance toward cold was naturally better than Yi Chan’s.
“Ooh… this again?”
Jiang Yi and Yi Chan both stiffened. The Mystic Thearch said earlier that only one person could remain alive. Was he really saying the same thing now? This time, however, the two of them felt like the Mystic Thearch was not joking. The Mystic Thearch certainly would not pull the same trick twice, would he? What’s more, they could really feel the cold. If they were really frozen, they would be stuck here forever.
“Go!”
Jiang Yi and Yi Chan exchanged a look and started moving at the exact same time. The Mystic Thearch’s thatched house sat on the opposite side of the ice lake. All things aside, the two of them wanted to at least meet this legendary man. They wanted to see the most talked-about Thearch through the ages.
However, Jiang Yi did not move as quickly as he could. He was careful to remain right next to Yi Chan. He was indebted to her. He did not want her to remain behind, frozen forever.
“Jiang Yi, don’t let me hold you back. Run as fast as you can!”
Yi Chan stole a sideways glance at Jiang Yi and called out. Jiang Yi did not reply to her. Instead, he silently trudged on. Since they were unable to activate their essence force, the two of them were not traveling fast. They moved just slightly faster than they did in the Vajra Realm.
Swish!
This speed was quite good. In slightly more than ten seconds, the two of them arrived at the side of the ice lake. The ice was completely hardened. It looked like it would not affect their speed.
However—
The moment they stepped on the ice, they felt different. The surface of the ice was different from the snow. The ice radiated cold air. The two of them immediately felt like even the blood in their veins were freezing up.
“Run!”
Jiang Yi shouted. The only way they could ensure they would not be frozen was to run as fast as they could. They had to make use of the heat generated by their bodies to keep themselves warm and fend against the cold.
Yi Chan wanted to run, but her entire body felt numb. Her limbs were not listening to her brain. She slowed down significantly. Jiang Yi had run a couple of meters before he realized that Yi Chan was no longer next to him. He turned around and ran toward her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along.
There was bound to be a winner and a loser in any race. What would happen if the two of them entered the thatched house at the exact same time?
Jiang Yi did not know, and neither did Yi Chan. However, Yi Chan knew that nothing good would come out of it. She shook her head and tried to pull her hand from Jiang Yi’s. “Jiang Yi, don’t bother about me. Go your own way!”
Yi Chan had her pride. She did not want others to help her out of pity. If the Mystic Thearch meant to kill her, she would have no regrets. She did not want to drag Jiang Yi down with her and cause his death. If Jiang Yi was frozen to death because of her, she would not rest in peace.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
Jiang Yi was getting angry now. Once again, he grabbed Yi Chan’s hand and ran. As they ran, he shouted, “If you keep doing this, I will stop walking as well. Then, we can both freeze to death together.”
Jiang Yi was greatly indebted to Yi Chan. She once saved his life. What’s more, for some reason, he had some feelings toward her in his heart. Thus, to leave her behind and go his own way would be considered an impossible thing for him to do. If he left Yi Chan behind just like that, would he still be called Jiang Yi?
Yi Chan did not say another word. She was so cold that she could not even talk anymore. What’s more, talking would just waste away her energy. In the end, she might still freeze to death. She understood Jiang Yi’s character fully well. There was no point in trying to convince him any further.
Swish! Swish!
The two of them kept running on the lake. It kept snowing heavily all around them, so that both of them became increasingly covered in snow. Even their hair looked white by now. The temperature of the surroundings kept dropping. At some point, they felt like even the water vapor in their exhaled air would freeze. Neither of them could feel their bodies anymore. The blood in their veins had almost solidified.
The ice lake was not big, but the two of them felt like it was a long and painful journey across it. It was almost as if they would never see the end!
Plop!
Yi Chan was the first to break down. Her two legs were so frozen up that she could not feel them at all. There was no way she could take another step. Her tiny body fell down onto the ground. Her eyelashes were covered in ice as well, and her vision was getting blurry. Looking at Jiang Yi in the eyes, her lips moved slightly. In a voice loud enough for only mosquitoes to hear, she said, “Jiang Yi, I hope that in the next life…”
Swish!
Jiang Yi turned around, not wanting to hear Yi Chan’s words. He knew what she was thinking. Without any hesitation, he carried her up on his back and ran for their lives.
