285: Chapter 285 The Request to Find Medicine

After arranging the family's affairs.

Less than half a month later, word suddenly came from the Qingyun Sect's side, asking Ye Jing to pay a secret visit to the Qingyun Sect.

Ye Jing knew in his heart that Yun Ling's Golden Core was damaged and he had matters to entrust to him. Thus, he instructed his daughter-in-law to watch the house well and followed the Immortal Attendant to the Qingyun Sect.

Yun Ling's residence was a palace hidden within a sea of clouds in the mountains, named Jingxuan. Century-old spiritual bamboo was planted all around, and from a distance, the roof ridges seemed to be shrouded in a faint golden glow.

The Immortal Attendant led Ye Jing inside and then withdrew.

Before long, a relatively weak voice came from within the palace, calling him inside.

Ye Jing pushed the door open and entered, seeing that the hall was elegantly furnished without any unnecessary luxury.

Yun Ling was dressed in a plain Daoist robe, his face so pale that not a trace of blood could be seen. An indelible weariness was etched between his brows, and the Spiritual Qi around him fluctuated unsteadily. His originally profound cultivation had mostly dissipated, and even the Immortal Qi around his body was so faint it was nearly non-existent.

"Sect Master.‐ Ye Jing bowed in greeting.

Yun Ling looked at Ye Jing; the middle-aged man's face also appeared much more fatigued.

"You've come. Sit."

After Ye Jing sat down, he got straight to the point and asked, "Sect Master, for what important matter have you called this old man?"

Yun Ling sighed, "Ever since my Golden Core was struck by that Xuan Yin's awl, my cultivation has plummeted. I have tried all the herbs in the Sect to no avail. Now that I have lost the power of my Golden Core, I have long since become a soft persimmon in the eyes of others. I fear things will not end well."

Hearing this, Ye Jing understood clearly and hurriedly said, "Why would the Sect Master say such things? You protected my Ye family; for such great kindness, if there is a sliver of hope, you should not give in to self-pity."

Yun Ling nodded slightly, a flicker of gratification flashing in his eyes.

He took out a shimmering Jade Slip from his robe and gently pushed it across the table, his expression carrying a hint of helplessness.

"In my younger years, I traveled far and wide and know that there is no end to the wonders of this world. There is a herb called the dan-nurturing spirit lingzhi that can repair a damaged Golden Core and reconnect dissipated cultivation. It is a rare Heaven And Earth Treasure.

This herb grows in an Ice Abyss on the border of the Shuangyue Sect. That place is frozen for ten thousand miles year-round, the cold winds are like knives, and Yao Beasts are rampant. It is extremely dangerous."

At this point, he coughed with great apology, "If the situation weren't so dire, I wouldn't want you to take such a risk."

Ye Jing's gaze fell upon the Jade Slip; he did not voice any refusal.

Yun Ling had suffered this great calamity to save the Ye family; he intended to repay this kindness no matter what.

The reason Yun Ling sought him out privately was also to prevent others from knowing about his severe injuries. If this matter were to spread...

Not only would hearts waver within the Qingyun Sect, but those rival Sects that were always watching like hawks would surely take the opportunity to strike.

When the time came and the Qingyun Sect was on the verge of destruction, even the Ye family, which had received the Sect Master's protection, would not escape being implicated.

Ye Jing raised his hand and picked up the Jade Slip. His fingertips touched its cold surface, and a faint spiritual light drilled into his Sea of Consciousness.

Inside, the location of the Ice Abyss, the dangers along the way, and the appearance and habits of the dan-nurturing spirit lingzhi were all clearly engraved. Every word and sentence radiated peril.

He gripped the Jade Slip tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white. He looked up at Yun Ling with a steady and determined gaze, without a hint of fear.

"The Sect Master sacrificed himself to block a disaster for my Ye family, resulting in a damaged Golden Core and lost cultivation. Such great kindness is something the entire Ye family will never forget.

Now that the Sect Master is in trouble, let alone the Ice Abyss on the border of the Shuangyue Sect, even if it were a mountain of knives or a sea of fire, or the Purgatory of Immortal Execution, this old man would not hesitate."

Ye Jing stood up and bowed once more, his back ramrod straight and his tone powerful.

"This old man will set out for the Ice Abyss immediately and will surely bring back the dan-nurturing spirit lingzhi intact to help the Sect Master repair his Golden Core and restore his cultivation."

Seeing this, Yun Ling broke into another fit of violent coughing. After composing himself for a while, he took several items from his sleeve.

A pure white cold-avoidance bead, a communication jade talisman, and a suyu boat for travel.

"This cold-avoidance bead can resist the bone-chilling cold of the Ice Abyss, and this jade talisman is connected to my mind. If you encounter an unresolvable crisis in the Ice Abyss, crush the talisman. Even if my cultivation has plummeted, I will exert all my strength to protect you for a moment!"

Ye Jing saw that Yun Ling was being quite generous, so he naturally accepted respectfully and then departed on his sword.

When Ye Jing bid farewell to Yun Ling and stepped out of Jingxuan, the sea of clouds was churning and the mountain wind was slightly cool.

He sent a message back to the Ye family, mentioning that he was going to seek medicine for the Qingyun Sect's Sect Master.

After doing all this, he suppressed the Spiritual Qi around him and turned into an ordinary streak of light, silently leaving the Qingyun Sect's mountain gate.

Along the way, he rested by day and traveled by night, specifically choosing to traverse deserted mountains, wild ridges, deep valleys, and great rivers, avoiding cities and markets.

Occasionally encountering wandering Loose Cultivators and low-level Yao Beasts, he did not wish to cause trouble and simply flashed past using the Azure Feather Wind-Riding Art, leaving no trace behind.

Several days later, the temperature gradually turned cold, and the Spiritual Qi in the air became piercingly frigid.

The horizon in the distance was a sheet of white. The earth was covered by thick, hard ice where no plants grew, and the howling wind sounded like the wailing of ghosts and wolves.

Ye Jing immediately took out the cold-avoidance bead and held it in his hand. Instantly, the cold air was forcibly blocked outside his body, unable to penetrate even a fraction further.

Holding the map, he landed on a high icy cliff to gaze into the distance.

Ahead were layers of icy peaks piercing the clouds, with crisscrossing abyss cracks. From time to time, a faint blue cold mist rose from the ground.

This was the Ice Abyss.

Ye Jing used his Divine Sense to sink into it once more.

The terrain of this Ice Abyss was complex, with many ice caves and cold mists. The Yao Beasts within also Cultivated ice-attribute Divine Abilities and were exceptionally fierce.

The dan-nurturing spirit lingzhi only grew beside the Cold Marrow Spring at the deepest part of the Ice Abyss. It needed to absorb thousand-year ice marrow to take form and was extremely rare.

Ye Jing couldn't help but think that this thousand-year cold marrow was somewhat similar to the cold spring dew, an ingredient for the foundation establishment pill.

He circulated the Azure Feather Wind-Riding Art, his figure turning into a pale green phantom as he sped along the ice surface, moving so fast he only left a residual trail.

After traveling for less than half a pillar of incense's time, he spotted three pure white apes in an ice crack.

Each one was about an inch large with snow-white fur; they were First-Order Mid-Stage Yao Beasts.

Seeing this, Ye Jing rode the wind, not wishing to disturb them.

He continued deeper, seeing that the closer he got to the interior, the stronger the Yao Beasts became and the greater the cold. Eventually, his movement techniques could no longer be fully utilized.

Ye Jing had no choice but to give up on his movement techniques and directly summoned Hei Feng, the Second-Order Mid-Stage Yao Beast, to assist him.

Hei Feng's cultivation in the Immortal Willow Grotto-Heaven had already reached the Second-Order Mid-Stage, making its individual strength the highest. As soon as it appeared, the Yao Beasts that had detected Ye Jing's presence were filled with fear and dared not raise their heads.

This allowed Ye Jing to continue deeper into the abyss.

With Hei Feng's help, Ye Jing was saved a lot of trouble, and the thousand-year cold marrow was now right before his eyes.

Beneath an ice wall ahead, a deep blue spring was embedded. Wisps of cold air rose like tangible substance, condensing into tiny ice crystals that rustled as they fell.

In the center of the spring, a lingzhi with a pure white body and a cap shimmering with faint golden patterns was quietly rooted. It was indeed the dan-nurturing spirit lingzhi!

A thin layer of ice film surrounded the lingzhi as if guarded by spirituality, and the air was filled with a medicinal fragrance so rich it was almost solid.

Ye Jing was overjoyed. Just as he was about to step forward, Hei Feng suddenly let out a low bark, its black fur standing on end as it stared fixedly at a massive icicle beside the spring.

"Crack!"

The icicle violently shattered, and a white ape as tall as a man suddenly leaped out, its crimson eyes filled with a violent rage.