C1065 Not to Save!
The ethereal landscape was draped in a cloak of white, with snow-capped mountains and glaciers visible in every direction. Behind the white crane stood Jun Chen, clad in white garments.
Holding a bamboo flute, Jun Chen greeted Yu Yuan with a smile as he and Hu Caiyun approached. Against Lin Zhuyun, his demeanor had remained cold and aloof, barely acknowledging her presence.
To Hu Caiyun, he offered only a slight nod, his face devoid of any hint of a smile. The disparity in his treatment was starkly evident...
"This is my master," the white crane said, squinting its eyes as it introduced Jun Chen to Yu Yuan.
Upon landing atop the snowy peak, Yu Yuan offered Jun Chen a respectful bow in greeting. As the premier counselor of the Skyreach Consortium and a cultivator in the late period of the Unbound Stage, this Crane Rider named Jun Chen had outlived Yu Yuan's previous incarnation. With President Lyi's absence from the extraterrestrial realms, Jun Chen had faded into obscurity.
Three hundred years prior, Yu Yuan, in his brief lifetime, had only heard tales of someone named Jun Chen. Since Jun Chen had not made an appearance in a century, Yu Yuan had never laid eyes on him. This man's age surpassed even that of Yu Yuan's two lifetimes combined, and his status and realm were equally distinguished, justifying Yu Yuan's bow.
"It's like this..." Jun Chen began, gesturing toward a distant ice mountain shrouded in cold fog.
Yu Yuan followed his gaze and caught sight of a familiar silhouette within the crystalline glacier. The woman's face was etched with agony, as if enduring the erosion of some dreadful power, her consciousness teetering on the brink.
"She rushed her progress, breaking through her cultivation realms without laying a solid foundation. Moreover, the residual effects and backlash from assimilating the Sky Fiend within her have caused her little world to freeze over, with Ice Venom accumulating and disrupting the flow of her vitality," Jun Chen explained, pinpointing Lin Zhuyun's predicament.
Yu Yuan's face remained impassive as he observed the figure encased in ice, musing over the serendipity of the situation. As he descended, the unusual surge of vitality within him, coupled with the Frost Queen's stirrings, led him to surmise that his betrothed was likely below. It was indeed a stroke of luck that his guess proved accurate.
Years had passed in the blink of an eye, and he never anticipated that their next encounter would be here, in the frigid solitude of the Extraterrestrial Annihilation Nebula's little world.
"Senior, did you call me down here because of her?" Yu Yuan asked, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"It's possible you could resolve her issue. The frozen state of her little world might be thawed by the altar within you, infused with the power of life. And I believe you're capable of treating the Ice Venom that's accumulated in her," Jun Chen explained methodically. "Especially after I learned from Crane Rider that you managed to break through the Skyfall Net."
Yu Yuan sent forth his remnant soul, vitality, and spiritual energy, permeating the glacier.
After a brief pause, he nodded affirmatively, "I should possess such an ability."
Lin Zhuyun's little world, much like the Frozen World around them, was completely frozen over.
Countless minuscule Ice Shards, laden with strange powers that Lin Zhuyun couldn't refine, were trapped due to the freezing of her little world, unable to be expelled from her body.
Additionally, he sensed that Lin Zhuyun's soul was exceptionally fragile.
At the Veil Breaking Stage, the focus should have been on fortifying the body, honing the meridians and organs. Lin Zhuyun must have been forcibly rushed through the barrier, skipping past it in an instant.
Lin Zhuyun's weakness stemmed from her frail body and the mismatched state of her little world of vitality with her current Spirit Walk Realm, leading to numerous complications.
Still...
Yu Yuan scoffed internally, "What does this have to do with me?"
"I'm aware of your identity and won't press 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, I see. You may proceed. We'll catch up later."
"Understood."
Yu Yuan bowed respectfully with a clasped fist salute, then transformed into a bolt of lightning, zipping back toward the Ashen Hollow.
"Congratulations," Jun Chen offered coolly to Peach Madam.
Hu Caiyun smiled subtly, remaining silent as she followed Yu Yuan back to the Ashen Hollow.
"And what about me?" inquired Crane Rider, gesturing to herself.
"You'll accompany them."
"Understood."
Some time passed, and once the Ashen Hollow had vanished into the distance, the glacier imprisoning Lin Zhuyun burst open with a thunderous crack.
Lin Zhuyun's face was a mask of fury as she glared at Jun Chen. "Why would 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 thought I'd do you a favor and ask him to stop by," Jun Chen explained with a slight frown. "You were suffering from a backlash and had fainted. I left the decision up to him."
"He spared me, probably out of respect for you," Lin Zhuyun said with a cold laugh.
Jun Chen shook his head, murmuring, "Such a shame."
Stepping out from the ice mountain, Lin Zhuyun gazed at the expansive Star River. After a moment of contemplation, she resolved, "I'm done waiting for death. I'll go out and take my chances. Either I'll perish in the Annihilation Nebula or I'll transform into a butterfly in this miraculous place, forging a Solar Spirit Body to reclaim my life."
With a whoosh, a cascade of ice shards was drawn from the nearby ice mountains and seawater by her power, rapidly forming into a frigid ice rock.
She slipped into the ice rock, silently gathering her strength, and then shot up into the sky.
"She's a tough and stubborn one. It's no wonder the Abyssal Leviathan took a liking to her," Jun Chen said softly to himself.
...
"What a heartless move."
Hu Caiyun touched down in the Ashen Hollow and cast a glance at Yu Yuan, who was once again sitting in meditation as if nothing had happened. Shaking her head, she sighed, "Such a beautiful woman with such an extraordinary realm, and you didn't lift a finger to help her."
Yu Yuan ignored her.
"That girl, Lin Zhuyun, is also the God of Medicine's fiancée," the Crane Rider remarked with a sardonic tone.
"A fiancée? There's that connection?" Hu Caiyun's interest was piqued. "I haven't kept up with the news from the Embers Sea since I left. What's their story?"
The Crane Rider smirked. "I only learned about it when I heard she had come to the Annihilation Nebula."
Eagerly, the Crane Rider began to recount the complicated history of love and resentment between Yu Yuan and Lin Zhuyun.
Benin, Elena, and Pattinson listened intently, their ears perking up at the juicy details.
Meanwhile, Yu Yuan's expression remained stony throughout the tale.
Several days passed.
The Ashen Hollow gradually came across a variety of distinctive Voidfarers.
There were vessels from the Stoneborn, the Shadowkin, enchantresses, and numerous Star-Spawned Terrors, all soaring past in groups.
By now, everyone was aware that they were nearing their destination.
The warships and Otherkin adhered to the regulations established by the Skyreach Consortium, and no one dared to initiate a conflict.
Even those with old grievances merely exchanged furious glances upon encountering each other, nothing more.
The rule was clear: combat was permitted outside the Annihilation Nebula, but strictly forbidden within.
As a goose egg-shaped Domain emerged ahead of the Ashen Hollow, Yu Yuan felt a stir in his heart and abruptly awoke from his meditation.
A plump figure gently descended and stood before him, his face alight with eagerness.
"Yu, did you ever imagine we'd meet again so soon in the extraterrestrial realm?" Zhou You from the Skyreach Consortium said, his face breaking into a wide grin.
