86: Ice wall, perilous situation
Qixia Mountain.
Jiang Nian pushed open the tightly shut door of the ancestral hall, walked through the courtyard, and past the rabbit Source Beasts that would be quite valuable in the outside world.
Beyond the wide-open doors of the main hall, she saw Chu Qinhui sitting cross-legged before the offering table, his back revealing a hint of loneliness, and her eyes couldn't help but flash with heartache.
Hearing the sound behind him, Chu Qinhui turned and stood up to look at Jiang Nian, “Still no news?”
Jiang Nian slowly shook her head, stopped under the porch, then took out a small dining table and set out some light snacks she had prepared.
Chu Qinhui walked out of the main hall and sat down at the small square table on the porch, eating somewhat without taste.
This was the third day since Father left the Family.
Three days of quiet Cultivation in the ancestral hall had taught him to suppress and restrain all emotions deep within his heart.
“Xiao Fan sent a letter; he already knows about Father leaving the Family. He asked if he should return to guard the Family.”
Chu Qinhui put down his chopsticks. “He’s at the Town Chiefs Mansion, so this news can't be kept secret. Don't let him come back yet; with Father gone, Uncle Sun's place is safer than ours.”
Jiang Nian nodded, sharing the same thought. As she tidied the dishes, she softly asked, “Do you think there will be any danger recently?”
“I don’t know, but what Father told me before he left always makes me feel like something is about to erupt.”
“Then should we go to town again and recruit a few more guards?”
Hearing this, Chu Qinhui shook his head. “With Father gone, recruiting guards now would be like inviting wolves into the house. I’m afraid they would be the source of danger.”
Jiang Nian fell silent. After tidying the dishes, she left the ancestral hall.
Returning to the central hall, she saw Chu Shenghan and Chu Shengyuan, the siblings, who were looking for her.
“Mother, look how beautiful this flower is.”
Jiang Nian saw the flowers they held in their hands, and her breathing hitched for a moment.
The flowers did not look like purple iris flowers. She squatted down, staring at the two children, and asked seriously, “Where did this flower come from?”
Seeing their mother's serious expression, Chu Shengyuan quietly shrank his neck, while Chu Shenghan answered earnestly:
“We found them outside the door. It’s been several days; every morning, a pile of purple iris flowers appears at the entrance.”
Chu Shenghan looked at the purple iris flower in her hand speculatively and asked, puzzled, “Mother, is there something wrong with this flower?”
Jiang Nian composed herself, straightened the collars of her children's clothes, and said with a smile, “There’s nothing wrong. If you like these flowers, go find a vase and put them in it.”
Chu Shenghan and Chu Shengyuan nodded, then ran into the main hall together. Several servants and maids hurriedly followed behind them, making the courtyard feel a bit more lively and vibrant.
Jiang Nian stared out the door in a daze, wondering who could be sending the flowers. Ziyuan Village was not particularly close to here.
She beckoned Nanny Liu, who was nearby, whispered a few instructions, then turned and went back inside to write a letter to Xiao Fan... Hanxiao Ice Valley.
Chu Jingyu glanced at the team, which was now three-quarters smaller than when they started, and his eyes grew even more silent and dim.
Just this morning, Xu Yinghui finally fell, under the lingering effects of the skills of a group of Spirit Rank Source Beast, Ice Calamity Spirit Butterflies.
At this point, only Chu Jingyu remained in the Chu Family's team, and his condition was not good. His White-Browed Mountain Eagle had suffered severe mental trauma and was currently recuperating in the Source Beast Space. It would likely be unable to fight for a long time.
A piece of the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast’s golden armor had been shattered, and the path ahead seemed to have no end, filling them with despair.
Within this day, they encountered three more waves of Source Beast attacks. A Source Beast above the Domain Rank appeared once, but before it could act, it was blocked back by Old Ancestor Huo from the ink painting scroll.
The team advanced a few more kilometers, and an ice wall spanning the entire canyon appeared before them.
Huge ice crystals, as if falling from the sky, had faint white mist at their base, slowly flowing out of the canyon along its two walls.
It was as if the ice crystals and the cold Qi that spread throughout the entire canyon originated from this peculiar ice wall.
With the path ahead cut off, the remaining Human Race team slowly stopped not far from the ice wall.
Many people numbly looked up at the ink painting scroll in the sky, instinctively waiting for the next command.
Old Ancestor Huo, accompanied by more than seventy Spirit Rank Contract Masters, slowly hovered in mid-air from the scroll. Along the way, many Spirit Rank Contract Masters had also been buried.
Old Ancestor Huo slightly lowered his head, looking at the remaining Contract Masters on the ground, and said to a very young-looking Contract Master close beside him:
“Fucheng, those who can reach here all possess a certain amount of Luck. Over a thousand people should be enough.”
Huo Fucheng bowed slightly, his eyes indifferently sweeping over the Contract Masters below. “Old Ancestor, I am ready; we can begin at any time.”
Old Ancestor Huo’s thin, dry hand patted Huo Fucheng’s back. “Good child, good child, go.”
Under the gaze of many, Huo Fucheng slowly floated towards the ice wall. Those with good eyesight could see many special symbols on the wall of the ice wall,
like some kind of formation patterns, or perhaps strange natural engravings.
Two Source Beasts of different appearances emerged beside Huo Fucheng: one was a scroll identical to Old Ancestor Huo’s, but its colors were not as vibrant and eerie as the Old Ancestor’s.
The other had the appearance of a human female, wearing a deep purple robe, her figure somewhat ethereal, like some kind of shadow wraith. It floated beside Huo Fucheng, its eyes tightly closed, as if in deep slumber.
Huo Fucheng raised his hand and slowly pressed it against the ice wall, infusing the energy from his body into the ice wall.
As if awakening a sleeping entity, a faint halo of light bloomed from the ice wall.
Chu Jingyu, along with all the Noble Family patriarchs who had survived to this point, showed expressions of surprise. This aura, how could it be similar to a Origin Artifact?
It wasn't just similar; that ice wall was a Origin Artifact.
They had never seen such a large Origin Artifact. Before they could think further, a terrifying suction force suddenly burst from the ice wall, pulling at the Contract Masters present, both in the air and on the ground.
The terrifying attractive force instantly caused most Contract Masters to involuntarily rush towards the ice wall.
Chu Jingyu was naturally among them. He looked up at Huo Fucheng, who stood before the ice wall, his hand pressed against the wall, and the faint, indistinct wound on his palm.
A flash of inspiration struck him. He immediately pulled out a dagger from his jade pendant and fiercely cut his left hand. Instantly, crimson blood beads burst from the wound.
The blood condensed into a bloodline in the air and flew towards the ice wall, and the pressure on Chu Jingyu's body instantly diminished. However, he could feel his blood rapidly draining from his body.
Even if he wasn't sucked onto the ice wall, he would die here from blood depletion.
Chu Jingyu quickly pulled out a fresh green leaf from his jade pendant and put it in his mouth. His pale complexion instantly became rosy, and even the wound he had cut on his palm quickly began to heal.
The bloodline in the air gradually disconnected, and the suction force on his body, which had disappeared, returned. Chu Jingyu gritted his teeth and made another cut on his arm.
The bloodline reappeared in the air. While everyone else was moving towards the ice wall, Chu Jingyu stood safely in place, even having a slight bit of leisure to observe the condition of others.