Chapter 823: Harmony Divine Sword Realm!
Everything made sense now.
"Sharing this secret with me signifies the greatest trust," the Ice Lineage Diva said.
"Indeed, I am a carefree soul, not one to hide or hoard. Honesty benefits us both," Yun Xiao remarked.
"Such profound wisdom," the Ice Lineage Diva said with admiration.
The more open and transparent Yun Xiao was, the more profound he seemed in her eyes.
With even his body double possessing such miraculous abilities, one could only wonder how powerful his true self was.
"Yu Ji, since we are fated to meet, why not sit and chat awhile?" Yun Xiao suggested with a smile.
"Senior..." she began."Don\'t worry. Think of it as a meeting between fellow travelers on the same path, delighting in discourse, not dwelling on the affairs of immortality," Yun Xiao assured her.
Upon hearing this, the Ice Lineage Diva shyly smiled, "Your reverence is profound and vast, it is I who am too rigid."
With that, she returned to Yun Xiao\'s side, bent her knees slightly, and sat down, her smile once again gracing her face.
"Do we have any fine wine?" Yun Xiao inquired.
"Do you also enjoy wine?" the Ice Lineage Diva asked.
"It is one of the great pleasures of life," Yun Xiao paused, "but nothing too strong. This body of mine is too fragile to withstand it."
"Understood." The Ice Lineage Diva nodded with a smile, reaching into her Bag of Holding to produce a white jade gourd, saying, "This is brewed from the celestial fruits of the Harmony Divine Palace, mild yet refreshing, and does not overwhelm. Please, have a taste."
As she poured him a cup, Yun Xiao took it and drank in one gulp, his eyes lighting up, "Pure and natural, like a clear spring cleansing the soul. Truly a treasure of the immortal path, as pure and fervent as the hearts of the women from your realm—honorable and worthy of the highest respect."
His words were like the warm sunshine in winter to the inhabitants of the isolated Extreme Yin Celestial Realm.
In the eyes of the Ice Lineage Diva, Yun Xiao, whose strength was unknowable, seemed even more otherworldly. His drinking was all too dashing!
To say her heart remained unmoved would be false, yet her emotional defenses were too formidable to breach.
Yun Xiao, his smile mingling with the warmth of the wine, began to chat with her, "Given the state of my body double right now, even if you\'re not inclined towards joint cultivation, I still wish to collaborate with you."
"Collaborate?" The Ice Lineage Diva blinked in surprise, her lips parting slightly, "Is there still a way I might be of service?"
"Indeed, there is," Yun Xiao assured her.
The Ice Lineage Diva shook her head, her expression curious, "Since Si Ji has already given her heart to you, whatever I can do, she can do as well."
"That might not necessarily be the case," Yun Xiao said, sipping another cup of wine, his gaze slightly tipsy as he looked at her, "For instance, I would like to visit the Harmony Divine Sword Realm of your Ice Lineage." Ȑ
"The Harmony Divine Sword Realm?" The Ice Lineage Diva frowned slightly, troubled, "That is the ancient core of swordsmanship of the Harmony Divine Palace, inaccessible to anyone but Valkyrie Queen Sword Immortals. As an outsider, it is even more forbidden."
"Is that so?" Yun Xiao chuckled. "I recall that your Harmony Divine Palace was founded by two ancestors—the Harmony Founder and Divine Founder. I heard the Divine Founder was a Boundless Immortal highly skilled in both the Sword and Martial Dao.
"My true self is a Sword Cultivator as well, currently crafting a new sword art but hitting a bottleneck. If I could witness the mysteries behind your Divine Founder\'s sword techniques, perhaps a breakthrough might be within reach..."
The Ice Lineage Diva looked apologetic, "I understand your intentions, but the rules of the Harmony Divine Sword Realm were personally set by the Divine Founder herself. I\'d love to ease your worries, but I dare not contravene her teachings. I am truly sorry."
"But what if my offer could make you a Boundless Immortal as well?" Yun Xiao suddenly proposed.
"What?" The Ice Lineage Diva gasped, her nervousness returning.
"Rest assured, it wouldn\'t require joint cultivation. I have other means to help you achieve boundlessness," Yun Xiao added.
"Senior..." The Ice Lineage Diva was again stirred deeply, pressing down on her racing heart, her voice trembling, "Please enlighten me."
Yun Xiao\'s gaze drifted downward from her face, saying, "The celestial techniques left by your Harmony and Divine Founders are both the foundation of your rise and the barrier to becoming a Boundless Immortal. Generations of your people must have realized this. As for your Ice Lineage, up to now, your meridians have been completely blocked by Ice Specter Poison. Your entire network of meridians has turned into toxic ice channels, hasn\'t it?"
Her situation differed from Si Ji\'s, who suffered from an accumulation of spiritual yin energy congesting her organs, while her own meridians were utterly frozen!
Hearing Yun Xiao\'s words, the Ice Lineage Diva bit her lip and nodded. "You\'re right, the methods of the two founders indeed bind us away from becoming Boundless Immortals."
As she spoke, a surge of icy light flowed within her, her delicate body\'s meridians glowing, resembling a vast net filled with a deadly chill, perpetually frozen.
"You suffer more than Si Ji, who only experiences occasional outbreaks. Your entire body, with its Ice Lineage, constantly torments your flesh and blood. Over so many years, how could you, a woman, endure such heart-wrenching pain?" Yun Xiao\'s gaze softened, almost reaching out to gently pat her head...
That single moment of concern almost brought the Ice Lineage Diva, so accustomed to solitude, to tears.
Indeed, the pain she endured—only she knew it fully! Without reaching the Eighth Baptism Realm, one could not comprehend this agony. Strength came at a cost!
"I really have to wonder if your Harmony and Divine Founders meant to protect you or to harm you. They themselves became Boundless Immortals, surely..." Yun Xiao said.
However, the Ice Lineage Diva briefly shook her head. She whispered softly, "Senior Yun, let’s not speak of them. I just want to ask you one thing. Is what you said about helping me become a Boundless Immortal true?"
"Of course, it\'s true," Yun Xiao nodded.
"How can it be done?" she asked, looking intently into his eyes.
Yun Xiao smiled faintly, meeting her gaze. "It\'s quite simple, really. Remove the Ice Specter Poison, and with your talents, one day you will naturally become a Boundless Immortal!"
"But how can we remove it?" the Ice Lineage Diva’s eyes trembled as she asked.
"Give me your hand," Yun Xiao said, setting down his wine cup.
This time, the Ice Lineage Diva hesitated only briefly before extending her hand and placing it in Yun Xiao\'s. She bit her lip, no longer tense.
"Your fingers are quite beautiful, fitting for a swordswoman." Yun Xiao gently squeezed her hand.
Without making her wait any longer, a Life Sigil appeared in his hand, the Prison Warden Sigil, which he placed onto her palm.
SIZZLE! Suddenly, her hand reacted as if ice had met fierce flame, emitting a hissing smoke.
The escaping bluish smoke, even lightly touching Yun Xiao\'s hand, frosted over his skin, illustrating its destructive power!
The smoking was the purging of the Ice Specter Poison!
This scene proved that the Prison Warden Sigil could indeed cleanse the Ice Specter Poison.
Clearly, the Ice Lineage Diva had spent her lifetime searching for countless ways to rid herself of this bone-clinging poison, but all had undoubtedly failed.
So, when she witnessed the icy blue smoke rising from her palm, she covered her red lips with her other hand, yet tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed audibly.
"Hah…" Yun Xiao slowly retracted the Prison Warden Sigil, his voice laden with significance, "The Ice Specter Poison in your body has been entrenched for too long and too deeply. It might take several days to fully purge."
"Senior Yun!" The Ice Lineage Diva raised her cleansed palm—it was now whiter, purer, the dark blue veins previously visible had vanished!
The ice in her eyes melted, and suddenly, she grasped Yun Xiao’s arm eagerly, exclaiming, "I—I will take you to the Harmony Divine Sword Realm now!"
Yun Xiao chuckled, "That’s more like it. You know your Divine Founder set you up, so why obey blindly? Today, you get even with her."
Hearing his playful remark, the Ice Lineage Diva\'s tears turned into laughter. It was as if she were back to being a little girl, and Yun Xiao was an elder she could coquettishly depend on.
"Right, I’ll get even with her!" she declared playfully.
Seeing this, Blue Star couldn\'t help but marvel. Turning an ice-cold matriarch of a realm into a doted-on little girl was indeed a rare talent!
"Listen, you’ve come out ahead in this cooperation. So, don’t be stingy if I ask for a little help over the next few days," Yun Xiao stood, his face stern.
"Don’t worry, as long as it\'s not dual cultivation..." the Ice Lineage Diva muttered, feeling too embarrassed to continue.
Though her barriers were formidable, they could not hide her deep respect for Yun Xiao. It was a genuine reverence.
After all, who else could solve the dilemma of her Ice Specter Poison?
"Let\'s go."
With the departure for the Grand Assembly of Myriad Sects set for tomorrow, time was short. It was crucial for Yun Xiao to sneak into the Harmony Divine Sword Realm and learn what he could before then!
"Of course, I\'ll lead the way," the Ice Lineage Diva said, her demeanor unexpectedly lively and cheerful, a stark departure from her usual frosty goddess persona.
"Just a moment," Yun Xiao cautioned as they prepared to leave. "About everything we\'ve discussed today, do not mention a word to Si Ji. Pretend as if you know nothing."
"Why is that?" the Ice Lineage Diva asked.
"Well," Yun Xiao hesitated, "I\'m afraid she might get jealous. Frankly, I\'m not well-versed in romantic affairs given my focus on cultivation. It would really trouble me if she were upset."
Hearing this, the Ice Lineage Diva didn\'t know whether to feel envious or contemptuous.
She nodded, assuring him, "Don\'t worry, I will keep everything confidential."
"Right, cough cough." Yun Xiao took a deep breath, satisfied that he had successfully bluffed his way through.
Logically, the Ice Lineage Diva was not foolish, but Yun Xiao had skillfully exploited her vulnerability with a well-acted display that completely deceived her.
"Next, securing resources from the Ice Lineage Diva will be even easier than from the Snow Lineage Diva."
After all, the Snow Lineage Diva didn’t consider him a Boundless Immortal!
Yun Xiao’s claim of being merely a body double was also a tactic to lay the groundwork for acquiring resources.
With the Prison Warden Sigil and the awe inspired by his true self, Yu Ji dared not oppose him!
"Harmony Divine Sword Realm, here I come." The young man in white and the beautiful blue-gowned Diva, side by side, rode the wind away.
... ▬ι══✧⚰
Within the territory of the Sea Lineage, the Sea Diva Ruins…
"Mom, drink, drink!"
"Me too! Me too!!"
The Sea Lineage Diva, her long curly hair cascading dramatically, was surrounded by a bevy of toddling girls, her expression one of utter despair.
"No, something\'s not right…"
After mulling over it, she still felt something was amiss. She suddenly stood up, causing several girls to scatter away as they played outside.
"That slave must be up to something!"
Unable to contain her suspicion any longer, the Sea Lineage Diva hastily adjusted her clothes, wrapping herself carelessly, then burst forth like a mighty river from the Sea Diva Ruins.
"Mom!" several toddlers with milk stains on their mouths cried, tumbling into a heap.