Final Battle - 1

When the teleportation array that Jiehai Mountain had set up beforehand transported them to a narrow, sheltered platform that had been cleared, the chill unique to the far north hit them without any buffer.

Before the array's light had completely faded, Gui Tiao couldn't hold back any longer. Like a stone launched from a slingshot, he darted out of the halo with a "whoosh," his feet landing firmly on the ground covered with ice particles and a thin layer of snow, making a crisp "crack" sound.

"Ha! I'm the first one!" He walked into the cave and shouted back to his companions who were gradually emerging from the formation, completely ignoring the brief feeling of weightlessness and pressure he had experienced during the teleportation.

You Hang, who was right behind him, couldn't help but roll his eyes. While wrapping his clothes tighter, he bluntly exposed him: "What do you mean by first or second? You just took advantage of your lightness of movement to step out of the formation's coverage area faster."

Her tone was calm, yet it struck a blow to Gui Tiao's little bit of vanity.

Immediately, she turned her gaze to the group of people who were already waiting in front of her, her expression immediately becoming solemn, and she bowed and said, "Elder Mi Quan."

Mi Quan's face was thinner than when she was in the valley, but her eyes were brighter.

She nodded to You Hang and the people who came out after her. When she saw Bu Jiu, she paused slightly, a mix of emotions surging for a moment, but she forcibly suppressed them.

Ji Wang followed You Hang into the cave. A warm current flowed through his body, accompanied by a faint stirring of something drawn to him in the distance. He composed himself and bowed to Mi Juan, saying, "Elder."

Mi Quan stepped forward and bowed solemnly in the direction of Ji Wang and Bu Jiu: "Sect Leader Ji, Lord Bu Jiu... Fellow Daoists, you have had a long journey. The rendezvous point is ready; you may rest for now. But there is one matter..."

She turned to the side, gazing into the depths of the snowstorm that seemed to devour all life: "Further north from here lies the Ice Abyss, which even our clan dares not venture into easily. Not only is the environment extreme, but the flow of various forces is also exceptionally fragile and chaotic, as if a powerful external force is twisting, stabilizing, and even creating."

As soon as she finished speaking, a man behind her sneered, his gaze filled with mockery and resentment as he glanced sideways at Bu Jiu: "So what? To our 'Lord Bu Jiu,' this kind of dangerous place is probably nothing to worry about, isn't it?"

He pronounced the four words "Don't blame the lord" heavily and slowly, revealing his obvious sarcasm and resentment.

Clearly, not everyone in the clan could rationally separate their hatred for Ling Gu from their complex emotions towards Bu Jiu, especially given Bu Jiu's deep entanglement with Ji Wang and his failure to protect the young members of their clan.

Mi Quan's face darkened, and she turned around abruptly, her gaze sweeping over the clansman as she sternly said, "Don't be rude!"

Her voice trembled with anger, not only because of the man's offense against Bu Jiu, but also because at this critical moment, any internal discord could affect the overall situation and even endanger everyone's lives.

The tribesman was intimidated by her words and lowered his head in a huff, but his defiance was still evident on his face, and his lips trembled as if he wanted to say something.

Just as Ji Wang was about to smooth things over, Bu Jiu stopped him, saying, "It's alright."

He slowly turned his head, casting his gaze for the first time upon the resentful clansman. His eyes held no anger, nor the embarrassment of being offended, only the oppressive aura of someone in a high position.

"The decision to ally with us was not made by Mi Quan alone. Several elders within the clan agreed."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw that the other clansmen behind Mi Quan either nodded silently or had firm eyes, and he understood the attitude of most people: "If you have any doubts about this, after this matter is settled, I will personally go to Jiehai Mountain to explain the situation to the elders and the entire clan, and let them decide what to do with you."

Then, he changed the subject: "Right now, if you can't tell what the big picture is, then do as you please. Whether you stay here to provide support or return to Jiehai Mountain is up to you."

He didn't yell at them, but gave them two choices: either stay and obey orders, or leave and not get in the way.

The tribesman's face flushed red and then paled. Under Bu Jiu's watchful gaze, he ultimately dared not utter another word, lowered his head completely, took a small step back, and returned to stand among the other tribesmen, which was considered an admission of "staying."

Mi Quan's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and her gaze towards Bu Jiu was complex and indescribable.

Gratitude was natural; his words had defused a potential escalation of the internal conflict and upheld her authority and the overall situation of the trip. But beneath that gratitude simmered a bitterness that was even harder to describe.

She knew that although the tribe appeared to have decisions made by the elders, it was actually leaderless, with the younger generation restless and the older generation living in constant fear. How she wished that the figure before her, who had once protected the tribe with absolute power, could regain control of the reins.

But she also knew better than anyone that ever since Ling Gu, who shared the same bloodline as Bu Jiu and had once been entrusted with some hope by the clan, joined the Lieyuan Division, Bu Jiu had taken the initiative to distance himself from the clan.

He wasn't afraid, but rather trying to avoid unnecessary gossip and criticism. After all, in some narrow-minded perspectives, "blood ties" can sometimes become the seeds of suspicion.

He chose to exile himself away, drawing a line between himself and others, burying the suspicions and resentment that might be directed at him, along with his care and responsibility for his people, deep within himself.

Ji Wang clearly hadn't fully noticed Mi Quan's feelings; his attention was mostly still on Bu Jiu's words when she dealt with the conflict.

With undisguised admiration and a proud tone, he whispered in Bu Jiu's ear, "Those few words just now were really... wow, powerful and beautiful. My Bu Jiu is amazing; he commanded the room with just a few words and left no room for criticism."

The more he talked, the better he felt that Bu Jiu was good in every way, and he couldn't help but want to praise him a few more times.

Bu Jiu's face remained expressionless, but he secretly reached out and pinched a small piece of Ji Wang's sleeve, gently pulling it down and shaking it.

The movements were minimal, carrying a hint of restraint, and the look in his eyes clearly said: Shut up, business is more important.

Upon receiving the signal, Ji Wang immediately fell silent.

Seeing Bu Jiu's small gesture of stopping him and Ji Wang's instantly softened expression, Mi Quan became even more certain that Bu Jiu's heart was now more attached to Ji Wang.

It will be difficult for the community to completely pull him back.

Just as everyone was gathered inside the cave and Ji Wang was preparing to set up a barrier, he suddenly remembered something, looked around, and asked with a hint of doubt, "Where is Huai Qing?"

He remembered that Huaiqing had been teleported here together, so why was he nowhere to be seen after entering the stronghold?

“Here it is…” A muffled voice came from a corner of the cave.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Huaiqing had moved to the most sheltered spot in the rock wall, closest to the campfire.

He wrapped himself in an unusually thick cloak, pulling the hood up tightly, revealing only his face, slightly flushed from the firelight and heat. In his hands, he held a cup of steaming, unidentified soup, sipping it slowly.

Seeing everyone looking over, Huaiqing smiled a little embarrassedly and explained, "I just warmed up."

Clearly, the extreme cold he experienced during the short journey from the teleportation array to the base had a significant impact on him, so much so that his first choice was to find a place to warm up rather than participate in the initial observation.

Seeing this, Ji Wang said sympathetically, "You've really suffered..."

He knew that Huaiqing was naturally afraid of the cold, and that being in the far north was indeed a great torment for him. It was already quite an achievement that he had managed to come along.

Huaiqing shook her head, took another sip of her hot drink, and sighed, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "I deserve it... who told me to agree to your request in the first place?"

He looked up at Ji Wang: "However, after I get back, I need to rest for three days. Don't come looking for me at the Bu Nian Temple's pharmacy and herb garden, or those chattering disciples asking me questions."

“Okay, not just three days, thirty days is fine too. Just go back and rest well, I'll take care of things at the temple.” Ji Wang immediately assured him.

Although Bu Jiu didn't speak, he nodded to Huai Qing, agreeing to the "compensation".

Huaiqing then peeked out from his warm nest and looked at Mi Quan. He asked gently, "Elder Mi Quan, what is the current situation inside? Have you detected any clear traces or nodes of the array? If you have any recorded spiritual energy fluctuation diagrams or details of environmental anomalies, please let me take a look."

Upon hearing this, Mi Quan immediately signaled her clansmen to bring the relevant blueprints.

“Our people have only advanced about ten miles inward.” Mi Juan pointed to a relatively clear path on the map. “At the initial entrance, the ice structure is exceptionally solid and filled with what appear to be warning or sensing formations, which we have temporarily dispelled. But after continuing about three miles in…”

Mi Juan flipped the drawing back a little, revealing a drawing of a demon on the other side.

“We have encountered these demonic creatures.” Mi Juan’s tone was heavy. “They are not creations of an array, but rather powerful demonic creatures native to the far north, dormant due to environmental changes or the nourishment of demonic power. Any approaching living creature’s aura or spiritual energy fluctuations will trigger their instinctive hostility or even awaken them.”

She continued, "We tried to go around them, but found that the deeper passages were almost blocked by their nests and signs of activity. Forcing our way through would have been extremely risky and could have triggered a chain reaction, causing the entire nest structure to become unstable or even collapse."

Huaiqing looked at it, nodded, and gestured for Guitiao to bring his medicine box.

"As for Ling Gu," Mi Quan frowned, "the tracking order does indeed point in this direction, but after entering this area, the traces become extremely faint and elusive, as if deliberately concealed. We have not been able to find his exact hiding place, but judging from the traces, he may have used some method to pass through this area of ​​demons and entered a deeper area."

Huaiqing turned to Ji Wang and Bujiu: "In your opinion, how should this be handled?"

Almost as soon as they finished speaking, the two said in unison, "Kill them."

Without the slightest hesitation, his tone was as calm as if he were deciding to clear a roadblock.

Taking a detour carries uncontrollable risks, delays can lead to unforeseen circumstances, and may even alert the enemy.

“Use the Kunyuan Formation.” Ji stepped forward, his fingertip lightly touching the blueprint, outlining a simplified formation diagram: “Activate the formation here to support the ice structure above the entire nest.”

He looked at Bu Jiu and asked directly, "How long do you need?"

Bu Jiu did a rough calculation: "The formation will rise within ten breaths."

“Ten breaths…” Ji Wang pondered for a moment, “That’s enough. I will concentrate the isolation power of the Kunyuan Formation mainly on the top and the outer perimeter, leaving you enough space.”

Huaiqing continued, "I've prepared some pills to restore spiritual energy and stabilize your meridians. There seem to be many demons here, so your energy expenditure will be considerable. Also, just in case, we need to be careful of any special toxins or backlashes."

“In that case…” Ji Wang took a deep breath and immediately ordered, “There’s no time to lose. Let’s take a short break and then proceed as planned in an hour—the rest of you, stay here and provide backup.”