What A Coincidence, You Are Here . . .
Cha-Eun Xiao concentrated on manipulating the East-rising Purple Qi, which swirled within his Jing and Mai, absorbing the frigid qi. The faint sound of the elemental energies resonated through his channels.
Within his dantian, the frigid qi gathered with astonishing speed, simultaneously transforming into Yang Power. Fortunately, they balanced each other out. Otherwise, the sheer volume of frigid qi could have either frozen him solid or caused him to explode.
The East-rising Purple Qi demonstrated its remarkable ability to convert Yin and Yang energies. It established an internal cycle within Cha-Eun Xiao's dantian, efficiently digesting the massive frigid qi and mitigating its harm, ultimately turning it into an advantage.
Cha-Eun Xiao remained incredibly focused, cautious not to make any mistakes. His body was coated in frost, a chilling sight in the midst of summer.
While he diligently worked to convert the frigid qi within the Nine Spaces, a portion of it unavoidably escaped, creating a cold current that meandered through the mountains and beyond.
This continued for an entire day.
When Cha-Eun Xiao finally rose to his feet, he couldn't help but shudder. His bones emitted cracking sounds as he stood. In the end, the crisis triggered by the spiritual jade hadn't caused any lasting harm. Through his diligent efforts, he had successfully subdued the frigid qi within the Nine Spaces, and the Cosmic Hades had returned to the Sky Space.
The Nine Spaces had regained their stability.
Amidst the crisis, Cha-Eun Xiao had discovered an opportunity. He noticed a marked improvement in his East-rising Purple Qi after the ordeal.
With the crisis averted, Cha-Eun Xiao cautiously inspected the Nine Spaces. The frost had disappeared, leaving behind some minor damage, such as frostbitten leaves on the plants in the Wood Space. Their full recovery would require considerable time. Nonetheless, Cha-Eun Xiao could only consider himself fortunate that the situation hadn't taken a more catastrophic turn.
Had he acted a moment later, those valuable medicinal plants might have perished. As it stood, their growth had only been temporarily impeded. That was a stroke of luck.
However, the question remained: How had the Cosmic Hades caused such a calamity with just a small piece of spiritual jade? Cha-Eun Xiao stared at the Cosmic Hades, baffled.
"It's as though certain types of energy crystals can't be introduced into the Nine Spaces," he mused, gingerly touching the Cosmic Hades, surprised that he could physically interact with it.
This was a puzzling development.
"Oh..."
Cha-Eun Xiao attempted to move the Cosmic Hades out of the Nine Spaces.
- Puff -
To his astonishment, the Cosmic Hades materialized on the mountain. It had actually been removed from the Nine Spaces.
He stared at the Cosmic Hades, which had just created a depression on the ground, perplexed by the turn of events. He had no clue what was happening.
The spiritual jade had somehow transformed the Cosmic Hades, and now, it could be extracted from the Nine Spaces.
After pondering for a while without reaching any useful conclusions, Cha-Eun Xiao abandoned the idea of restoring the Pen Rack Mountain's appearance. However, before he could take any action, he noticed a figure approaching at lightning speed.
The man's speed was nothing short of lightning; in the blink of an eye, he stood before Cha-Eun Xiao. Cha-Eun Xiao was taken aback.
"Brother Gu?" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
The man turned out to be Gu Jin-Long.
Gu Jin-Long acted surprised as well and replied, "Oh, it's you, Brother Feng. What brings you here?"
Internally, Cha-Eun Xiao cursed Gu Jin-Long for his apparent awareness of his presence. It seemed Gu Jin-Long's speed was far beyond his expectations.
He had only just removed the Cosmic Hades for a brief moment, and Gu Jin-Long had detected it and arrived from hundreds of miles away. Fortunately, Cha-Eun Xiao had deployed the Stars Covering Array, which concealed his presence.
"I was delivering some medicinal materials to my master," Cha-Eun Xiao explained. "I've just left him, and now I run into you. What a coincidence. It must be fate."
Gu Jin-Long gazed toward where Cha-Eun Xiao had pointed but saw nothing but clouds and mist.
Cha-Eun Xiao realized the situation and clarified, "Please don't misunderstand, Brother Gu. I don't know why it has become like this. After the Purple Lotus Decree Master arrived, the mountain became invisible. However, I can still find it. I grew up here; I could locate it blindfolded."
Gu Jin-Long accepted this explanation and commented, "I see."
Simultaneously, he reflected on his own abilities. Despite his experience, he was outclassed by the great figures of the Qing-Yun Realm. The Purple Lotus Decree Master, despite being near the end of his life, had casually set up an array that easily deceived him.
"He has indeed fought against the Xiao Monarch," Gu Jin-Long thought. "He is remarkable. But he won't survive for long. Humph."
As they conversed, Feng Zhi-Ling urged Gu Jin-Long to follow him to meet his master. Gu Jin-Long eagerly agreed, expressing his desire to meet the grandmaster of alchemy.
Feng Zhi-Ling led the way, and Gu Jin-Long followed closely. In just a few steps, they vanished into the mist.
However, after more than twenty steps, as Gu Jin-Long took one more step, everything around him changed. He felt a sudden dizziness. When he regained his composure and opened his eyes, he found himself back where he had conversed with Feng Zhi-Ling.
He could hear Feng Zhi-Ling's voice calling out, "Brother Gu? Brother Gu? Where are you? Why didn't you follow me in? Where are you?"
Gu Jin-Long was left utterly speechless.
"I did want to follow you in, but what was that?" Gu Jin-Long pondered aloud, clearly puzzled by the recent turn of events. He was confident that he had followed the correct steps, yet the array had activated and ejected him from it.
As he mulled over what mistake he might have made, he noticed Feng Zhi-Ling exiting the array. Feng Zhi-Ling turned to Gu Jin-Long and inquired, "Why are you still here?"
Gu Jin-Long furrowed his brow and chuckled wryly, "This array is truly perplexing. I followed your steps precisely, and I'm certain I didn't make any errors. Yet, I was suddenly expelled from it."
Cha-Eun Xiao frowned and pondered the situation. "Why? I've entered and exited this array many times without issue... Well, how about this? Close your eyes and hold my hand. Let me guide you back in."
Gu Jin-Long agreed, saying, "That sounds like a good plan. Thank you, Brother Feng."
He took Cha-Eun Xiao's hand and closed his eyes. Together, they re-entered the fog.
Gu Jin-Long was cautious, but he didn't place full trust in Cha-Eun Xiao. He perceived Cha-Eun Xiao as insignificant, akin to an ant, and was unconcerned about any potential treachery.
Hand in hand, they advanced into the mist. Initially, everything proceeded smoothly. However, after approximately twenty steps, as they continued walking, Cha-Eun Xiao took one more step, and Gu Jin-Long became disoriented. Although he still held Cha-Eun Xiao's hand, he couldn't sense his own body.
Unsure of what was happening, Gu Jin-Long decided to follow Cha-Eun Xiao and took another step forward. Suddenly, the surroundings changed once more. He heard Cha-Eun Xiao's shout, and the next instant, he found himself outside the array again. This time, Cha-Eun Xiao was expelled as well.