C1065 Not Saving!
The landscape was draped in a cloak of white, with snow-capped mountains and glaciers as far as the eye could see. Behind Jun Chen, who was clad in a pristine white robe, stood a white crane.
Holding his bamboo flute, Jun Chen greeted Yu Yuan and Hu Caiyun with a smile upon their arrival, nodding to Yu Yuan in acknowledgment. His demeanor was starkly different from when he faced Lim Zhuyun, where he remained cold and indifferent. To Hu Caiyun, he offered only a slight nod, his face devoid of any hint of a smile. The disparity in his treatment was glaringly apparent...
"This is my master," the white crane said, squinting its eyes as it introduced Jun Chen to Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan, having landed atop the snowy peak, respectfully bowed to Jun Chen in greeting. As the Babel Chamber of Commerce's premier guest and a cultivator at the Late Period of the Unrestrained Stage, Jun Chen, the crane rider, had outlived Yu Yuan's previous existence. It was only in the absence of President Lyi, who had journeyed far from their world, that Jun Chen had vanished from sight.
In his life three hundred years prior, Yu Yuan had only heard tales of a man named Jun Chen. Since Jun Chen had not made an appearance in a century, Yu Yuan had never laid eyes on him. This man was older than Yu Yuan's combined lifetimes and possessed a status and realm of such distinction that Yu Yuan's bow was well deserved.
"It's like this," Jun Chen began, gesturing toward a distant ice mountain shrouded in a swirling cold mist.
Yu Yuan followed his gaze and caught sight of a familiar silhouette within the translucent, sparkling glacier. The woman's face was etched with agony, seemingly enduring the onslaught of some dreadful power, trapped in a semi-conscious state.
"She rushed her progress, neglecting to solidify her foundation, and continued to force her way through her cultivation realms. Moreover, the residual effects and backlash from assimilating the Devaputra within her have caused her Qi and blood to freeze, with frost poison accumulating and disrupting her Qi and blood flow," Jun Chen explained, pinpointing Lim Zhuyun's issues.
Yu Yuan looked on with an impassive face at the figure encased in the glacier, musing over the serendipity of the situation. Upon his descent, the disturbance in his own Qi and blood, coupled with the stirrings of the Ice Concubine, had led him to surmise that his betrothed was likely beneath him. He hadn't anticipated his guess would prove accurate.
Years had passed in the blink of an eye, and he never imagined that when he and Lim Zhuyun would reunite, it would be in the remote and frigid realm of the Oblivion Starfield.
"Senior, did you summon me because of her?" Yu Yuan asked, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Her predicament might just be within your power to resolve. The frozen Qi and blood within her can be thawed using the life-creating altar within you. I believe you're also capable of treating the deep-seated frost poison she's accumulated," Jun Chen explained methodically. "This is particularly true after hearing from White Crane that you've managed to unravel the Heavenly Water Net."
Yu Yuan extended his soul consciousness, Qi, blood, and strands of spiritual power into the glacier.
After a short while, he nodded. "I believe I possess that ability."
Lim Zhuyun's microcosm of Qi and blood resembled the frigid world around them, completely frozen.
Countless minuscule ice crystals, containing foreign powers that she couldn't refine, were trapped due to the freezing of her microcosm, preventing their expulsion from her body.
Moreover, he sensed that her soul was exceptionally fragile.
At the Profound Break Stage, one should concentrate on fortifying their body, meridians, and organs. It seemed Lim Zhuyun had been forcibly rushed through her breakthrough, skipping past the necessary tempering.
Her weakness stemmed from the incompatibility between her feeble microcosm of Qi and blood and her frail body, a stark mismatch with her current Soul Wandering Stage, leading to numerous complications.
Yet...
Yu Yuan scoffed internally, "What does that have to do with me?"
"I'm aware of who you are, and I won't coerce you. The choice to save her or not is entirely yours," Jun Chen said with a smile.
"I choose not to save her," Yu Yuan responded.
Jun Chen nodded in understanding. "Very well, then. You may proceed. We'll catch up later."
"Understood."
Yu Yuan bowed with clasped hands before transforming into a bolt of lightning, shooting back towards Gloomy Paradise.
"Congratulations," Jun Chen offered coolly to Peach Madam.
Hu Caiyun gave a muted smile, following Yu Yuan back to Gloomy Paradise without a word.
"And what about me?" White Crane inquired, pointing to herself.
"You're with them."
"Understood."
Some time passed, and once Gloomy Paradise had vanished into the distance, the glacier imprisoning Lim Zhuyun burst open.
With a face full of fury, Lim Zhuyun glared at Jun Chen, her dissatisfaction evident. "Why did you do that?"
"If you don't encounter any luck, you won't last long. Yu Yuan is your fiancé in name, and since he was passing by, I kindly sent for him," Jun Chen said with a slight frown. "You were suffering from a backlash and had passed out, so I left the decision to him."
"He spared me, probably out of respect for you," Lim Zhuyun said with a cold laugh.
Jun Chen shook his head and remarked, "Such a shame."
Emerging from the ice mountain, Lim Zhuyun gazed at the expansive starry river. After a moment of contemplation, she gritted her teeth and declared, "I refuse to wait for death any longer. I'll take my chances. Either I'll perish in the Oblivion Starfield, or I'll transform into a butterfly in this wondrous place, forging a Yang God's body to seize a new lease on life."
With a whoosh, a cascade of ice crystals was drawn from the nearby ice mountains and seawater by her power, quickly solidifying into a frigid ice boulder.
She entered the boulder, silently marshaling her strength, and then shot up into the sky.
"She's a resilient and stubborn young woman. It's no surprise the Chaos Roc took an interest in her," Jun Chen murmured to himself.
...
"How heartless."
Hu Caiyun arrived in the Gloomy Paradise and cast a glance at Yu Yuan, who was once again sitting in meditation as if nothing had transpired. Shaking her head, she lamented, "Such a beautiful woman with such an extraordinary realm, and yet you did not come to her aid."
Yu Yuan ignored her.
"That young woman, Lim Zhuyun, is also the fiancée of the Medicine God," the white crane said with a sardonic tone.
"A fiancée? There's such a connection?" Hu Caiyun's interest was piqued. "I haven't kept up with the news from the Ember Waters since I left. What's the story between those two?"
The white crane snickered, "I only learned of their situation when I heard that she had come to the Oblivion Starfield."
The white crane eagerly began to recount the love-hate relationship between Yu Yuan and Lim Zhuyun.
Benin, Elena, and Pattinson listened intently, their ears perking up at the tale.
Yu Yuan, however, scowled throughout the entire account.
Several days later.
The Gloomy Paradise slowly came across several other uniquely designed Galaxy Ancient Starships.
Rock Clan members, Dark Elfkind, banshees, and a host of Outland Devaputra soared through the skies in groups, their cries echoing in the air. Everyone was aware that their destination was near.
The battleships and various races encountered each other, adhering to the rules established by the Babel Chamber of Commerce. No party dared to initiate a conflict.
Even those with old grievances could only exchange angry glares upon meeting, nothing more. The rules dictated that conflicts could be resolved through combat outside the Oblivion Starfield, but not within.
As a goose egg-shaped domain materialized before "Gloomy Paradise," Yu Yuan felt a jolt in his spirit and abruptly awoke from his meditation. A chubby figure floated down, landing before him with an eager expression.
"Yu, who would have thought we'd meet again so soon outside of the heavens?" Zhou You from the Babel Chamber of Commerce said, his face breaking into a wide smile.
