Chapter 1856: When Spring Freezes Blood (IV)

Li Suining's eyes widened as he stared at the Daoist in disbelief. Slowly, he lowered his head. The spear had pierced his chest and driven into the bloody water behind him. An overwhelming emptiness washed through him.

"Pfft."

His nature and life were anchored in a grotto heaven, granting him countless means of escape. Yet before this Grand Daoist Master whose divine abilities had reached perfection, they amounted to nothing. As the spirit treasure was withdrawn from his chest, the [Heaven-Governing] divine abilities and mana ebbed away, and the silver-robed man coughed up mouthfuls of iridescent light.

The colors spilled out as a chaotic mass of starlight. Stars wheeled and shifted, darting through the great void, flickering and drifting, rising and falling amid the bloody water and torrential rain before quickly dispersing like smoke. His figure drifted away like the wind, while Yao Guanyi stood silently in the downpour, staring absently at the ground.

In the final moments of his life, Li Suining's head slowly drooped. The storm grew ever more ferocious, mingled with snow and ice. The bones and blood beneath his knees gradually vanished beneath the rushing flood.

The great void trembled. Something luminous flickered, and an enormous curtain of light, shaped like an eggshell, appeared above the ruined island, as though a hidden paradise were falling from beyond the world.

Boom!

After an unknown length of time, heaven and earth alternated between heat and cold. Flecks of colored light finally began seeping through the surging waves of qi. A middle-aged man stood silently in the rushing bloody water, six short swords swaying at his waist with clear, delicate clinks.

His long, narrow eyes gazed softly at the bloodied water below. The current carried fragments of ice into the darkness, winding away into the distance. Near the shore, the water was dark red, with shards of ice glinting as they knocked together. Farther out, it remained greenish, like a river at sunset, half emerald and half crimson.

The Grand Daoist Master of Luoxia lowered his eyes and said sorrowfully, "Today is the Beginning of Spring. You... certainly know how to choose your day."

Yao Guanyi seemed to understand his meaning. He smiled and said, "Since you were the one who spoke, Senior Martial Brother, how could I disappoint you?"

Yet Xue Yang did not smile. He stood quietly with his back to Yao Guanyi, feeling no joy, only deep dismay and bewilderment. That bewilderment held him silent for a long time, leaving him unable to speak.

Yao Guanyi dropped the profound spear in his hand, loosened his robes, and removed his immortal crown. His hair fell loose, and a measure of carefree ease appeared on his face.

He smiled. "So you have come... to purge our ranks, Senior Martial Brother!"

————

The cave residence was utterly quiet. Faint light lingered on the white jade-like desk, where a layer of dust covered the thick sheepskin map. The great river was drawn in bold , vivid strokes, winding across the page like a soaring dragon.

The youth sleeping against the main seat trembled as though caught in a nightmare. Silver light flickered in overlapping layers between his brows, pulsing rapidly like hurried breaths. After an unknown length of time, his eyes suddenly flew open.

"Pfft!"

Li Suining spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground beside him. Yet it held no trace of crimson, bouncing like solid matter and scattering delicate silver sparks. He stared at the floor, his gaze cold and his face rapidly turning ashen.

"Cough, cough..."

The suffocating sensation of death, of his chest being pierced through, still lingered. His eyes rapidly grew bloodshot. Bracing one hand against the floor and pressing the other to his forehead, he saw the world spin in a blur of bewildering colors.

Only after a long while did the youth release a deep breath and look around in confusion. Intense pain still lingered in his mind, yet alarm rose in his eyes despite it. He sat dazedly for a while, then abruptly turned in disbelief to look at the main seat behind him.

At the sight, the youth began to laugh. "Hahahahaha..."

At first, his laughter was as faint as an insect's hum, but it steadily grew louder. He rocked back and forth, laughing until his eyes reddened and tears streamed down his face. Abandoning all dignity, he collapsed onto the floor, ashen-faced, yet still unable to stop.

Yao Guanyi... So that is it... Yao Guanyi... So that is why!

So you have been watching all along!

After an unknown length of time, Li Suining rose as though a lifetime had passed. He took one last lingering look around, assuring himself that his nature and life remained anchored within his own body and that the [Heavenly Directorate Thunder Residence] still rested in his qihai.

Wave after wave of dizziness assailed his Shengyang. Unable to speak for a long while, he soon sank back onto his heels and closed his eyes.

At last, Li Suining wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes. Resolve returned to his face. He reached out with two fingers and picked up a little of the silver powder his blood had become.

This came from my [Heaven-Governing] mystics.

In his previous life, Li Suining had surpassed the Foundation Establishment Realm, attaining an entirely different level of Dao conduct and experience. A single glance at the powder, together with the piercing pain in his mind and the intense dizziness in his Shengyang, brought a glimmer of understanding.

This is the price of [Heavenly Plain]... My nature and life have most likely already suffered damage.

Yet he paid it no heed, brushing the silver radiance from his fingertips as though it were merely incense ash. Li Suining rose again and pushed open his cave dwelling's door. Clear moonlight bathed the scene, and a rush of cold air met his face.

He hurried across the steps, pulled up the old man leaning against them, and asked quietly, "How much time has passed?"

The old man exclaimed, "Young Master Ning, you have finally emerged! So many people have come to ask after you... They all said... They..."

As Li Suining suddenly met his gaze, that bloody scene rose before his eyes, lunging at him like a ravenous wolf. He turned his head away in distress, his face paling.

Old Du was adept at reading people's expressions. He noticed the strange look in Li Suining's eyes and hastily changed what he was about to say. "Young Master Ning... Today is the third day of the first month, in the eleventh year of Cultivation and Martiality... You... have been in seclusion for a year!"

Li Suining closed his eyes, forcing back his tears, and asked hoarsely, "The Beginning of Spring?"

"Yes, the Beginning of Spring."

Suppressing the hatred and fear in his heart, he murmured as though still caught in a nightmare, "Has the lake frozen over?"

"Yes, young master... The cold has lingered these past two years. It has all frozen over."

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