Perseverance

The further he walked, the more startling the sight became. Cracks began to appear in the layer of ice beneath his feet. At first, the fissure was not large—merely a slender seam winding deep inside the ice, hardly noticeable unless one looked closely. Gradually, more and more cracks appeared, growing as dense as a spiderweb and spreading deep into the ice cavern. Clearly newly formed, they made one worry whether the cavern itself might collapse because of them. The profound ice within the cavern had existed for who knew how many years, possessing immense hardness. Qin Sang asked himself honestly: without resorting to a magic treasure, he would be hard-pressed to unleash such destructive force. The center of the battlefield was still ahead—just what had happened? What kind of enemy had Yunyouzi encountered? *Boom!* Another shockwave. The tremors were irregular. Sometimes several struck in quick succession; other times, a long interval passed before another appeared. Suddenly, Qin Sang stopped in his tracks, staring ahead in surprise. In front of him, deep in the wind and snow, stood an ice sculpture. Sealed within was a human figure, their back turned to him. Yunyouzi! Though it was merely a silhouette from behind, Qin Sang recognized him at a glance. Yunyouzi was actually right here, frozen into an ice sculpture. Covered entirely in ice, he still stood erect in the cavern like an old pine rooted in the frost, his spine straight as he confronted the raging blizzard. Layer upon layer of snow and wind gathered upon him, and the ice grew ever thicker. Yunyouzi stood motionless. There was no sign of an encounter with an ancient beast as imagined, and the tremors shaking the ice cavern came from even further ahead. However, Yunyouzi's current state was also extremely dire. A dead stillness hung about him; his aura could not be felt at all! Qin Sang's gaze sharpened, and he was just about to dart forward. Right then, a faint *crack* sounded. The noise was very quiet, especially amidst the storm; had Qin Sang's hearing not been extraordinarily sharp, he would never have caught it. This sound came from the ice encasing Yunyouzi. Hearing it, Qin Sang paused, looking down at Yunyouzi's left leg. Yunyouzi's feet were not planted side by side; his left foot was half a step ahead of his right. The instant the sound rang out, fluctuations of spiritual power surged through his legs, glowing with a faint, luminous green, and the ice was cracked open from within. Unfortunately, the ice did not shatter completely. The moment the cracks appeared, the endless blizzard reinforced them, leaving behind only etched patterns. No wonder so many crisscrossing cracks covered the ice around him. Yunyouzi still did not give up. The spiritual power within him began to pulse weakly again and again, finally jarring the ice loose from his legs. Seizing the opportunity, Yunyouzi moved. He first pushed forward with his left foot, taking a large stride and leaning his body slightly forward. Yet before he could bring his right foot forward, he was bound by ice once more. His body was now locked in an awkward posture, left leg stretched in a wide stride while his torso remained ramrod straight, defying the crushing weight of the wind and snow. This single step seemed to have drained too much of his strength, and Yunyouzi did not continue. Maintaining this stance, he paused for the time being, seemingly gathering his strength to wait for the next step. Watching this unfold, Qin Sang quietly approached from behind until he could see Yunyouzi's face. Yunyouzi's expression was utterly blank and his eyes were tightly shut. His snow-white hair and beard had been frozen by the storm into rigid, needle-sharp icicles, making him look like a lifelike ice carving. Only the faintest wisp of breath proved that Yunyouzi was still alive—that he was still persevering. The Flawless Pearl floated before his forehead. At his chest rested a green lamp. Qin Sang immediately realized that Yunyouzi relied on the Flawless Pearl to protect his origin soul and fend off the terrifying invasion of cold. As for that green lamp, its effect was likely similar to the crimson pellet. However, Yunyouzi had to exhaust all his focus just to draw upon the Flawless Pearl's power and hold off the cold; he could hardly spare any attention to sustain the green lamp. The flame of that green lamp was so faint that it could barely be seen with the naked eye, on the verge of dying out. Just keeping the green lamp lit was already an immense struggle. It barely protected Yunyouzi's physical body from freezing stiff, yet it was helpless against the thickening layers of ice on his exterior. Yunyouzi had never given up; in fact, he had been constantly gathering his strength. That burst of green fire which had cracked the ice moments ago was the result of him building up enough power to seize the chance for a single step. He had shuffled forward step by step in this manner until reaching this place. By now, Yunyouzi could not afford the slightest distraction. With his eyes shut tight, his entire mind was consumed by the Flawless Pearl and the green lamp, guided only by the unyielding obsession in his heart pushing him forward. Qin Sang walked up beside Yunyouzi. Ahead to Yunyouzi's left, at the edge of his vision deep in the snow, a crystalline flower could be seen swaying faintly on the ice wall. It was a lily. A heavenly treasure—the Nightbloom Lily! It grew directly upon the frost, its leaves and stem creeping across the surface, blending seamlessly with the ice. Its petals were as translucent as ice, yet appeared so delicate that one could not help but worry whether a single touch would shatter them. In such a harsh environment, the Nightbloom Lily remained in full bloom, solitary, proud, and aloof. Like a fairy amidst the ice and snow, standing detached from the mortal world. The raging blizzard howled forward with momentum that could obliterate everything, yet it parted automatically upon reaching the Nightbloom Lily, as though unwilling to disturb her. Qin Sang focused his gaze and discovered that a spirit array surrounded the Nightbloom Lily. Presumably, this spirit array had been left behind by the predecessor who first discovered the Nightbloom Lily, protecting it as it grew until maturity. Not only could this spirit array fend off the snow and wind, but it could also lock the Nightbloom Lily's aura securely within, preventing the blossoming divine flower from drawing the prying eyes of demon beasts. For some unknown reason, that senior had never returned to pluck the mature Nightbloom Lily. *Crack!* Yunyouzi gathered a bit more strength and made another attempt. Unfortunately, the window was too brief this time; he only dragged his right foot forward a short distance, less than half a step. Yunyouzi halted once more, resuming his preparation. From his face, one could see neither dejection nor haste, neither anxiety nor despair—only calm. Beneath this calm lay a force that shook the heart. Guarding himself vigilantly, driven by an unyielding resolve and unswayed by outside distractions, Yunyouzi fixed his sight upon the Nightbloom Lily and exerted all his might to advance step by step, never noticing that Qin Sang was right beside him. Qin Sang glanced silently at Yunyouzi, then stepped past him to the side of the Nightbloom Lily and began observing it closely. His gaze swept casually over the Nightbloom Lily, directing most of his attention toward the spirit array. Good. The protective spirit array around the Nightbloom Lily was not a terrifying killing formation; its primary function was concealment. As long as a cultivator managed to reach this place, breaking the array would not be difficult. Qin Sang turned around and looked back at Yunyouzi, who had taken another step forward. The ice encasing him had grown thicker. This distance appeared short, yet to the current Yunyouzi, it was like an insurmountable chasm. The further forward one went, the more dreadful the chilling wind became. Yunyouzi was already running on the last of his fumes; Qin Sang could not say for sure whether Yunyouzi would be able to hold out until he reached this spot. He could only say the chances were slim. More often than not, a determined will alone was not enough to fulfill one's wishes.