Colorful glaze flower

When Zhong Qing woke up, rubbing his sleepy eyes, the world outside, covered in silver, finally quieted down.

The world once again fell into silence and stillness, as if the overwhelming storm's roar from before was just an illusion.

"The storm has finally stopped; we can set off."

Putting away his table, chairs, and teapot, Zhong Qing walked out of the stone house.

Not long after he stepped out, as he left, a flash of light suddenly appeared behind him, and the stone house silently turned into dust amidst the light.

The light came from beneath the stone house, where faint, profound patterns could be seen flowing in the snow.

A terrifying aura of power emanated from these patterns.

However, Zhong Qing didn't look back, so he didn't see this scene at all.

Not long after leaving the stone house, Zhong Qing discovered unusual movements.

It seemed the recent Ghost White Wind had stirred something up; after traveling only a few dozen li north, he saw a seven-colored glow encircling the horizon ahead.

"Hmm, someone? Or something good?"

Zhong Qing, already tired of the icy, snowy landscape, his eyes lit up, and he rushed over without a second thought.

Beyond a stretch of low hills ahead, an ice-bound lake appeared before Zhong Qing's eyes.

Although it was a plains, the terrain wasn't entirely flat; he was currently amidst these continuous, not-so-tall hills, and the ice lake was surrounded by them.

The seven-colored glow he saw came from the center of this lake, emanating from beneath the ice layer.

Just as Zhong Qing was about to descend the mountain, he saw a group of figures emerge from behind the hill on the side of the lake.

Upon closer inspection, he saw that these people were dressed in white long robes and palace attire, each with an extraordinary appearance and a cold, aloof demeanor.

They were none other than the Mirror Heart Lake disciples, one of the Four Sects, whom he had seen at the Mountain Pass earlier.

In this icy and snowy expanse, everything was conspicuous, and Zhong Qing on the hill naturally fell into the eyes of the Mirror Heart Lake group.

For a moment, both sides stopped at the edge of the ice lake, their gazes meeting.

Sect Leader Ming Yuexian of Mirror Heart Lake gazed at Zhong Qing and said, "It's you."

Zhong Qing nodded faintly, "It's me, quite a coincidence."

In reality, it was no coincidence at all; the Mirror Heart Lake group had also rushed over after seeing the seven-colored glow here, otherwise, given their original directions and positions, they probably wouldn't have met.

Zhong Qing noticed that the Mirror Heart Lake group's expressions were not very good, and Ming Yuexian's face was also somewhat pale.

Moreover, their numbers seemed to be fewer than what he had seen at the Mountain Pass earlier.

Evidently, they too had suffered during the previous Ghost White Wind.

Even the Mirror Heart Lake Saintess Ming Suxin, whom Sect Leader Lan Tianhe had introduced, was nowhere to be seen.

While Zhong Qing was observing the group, Ming Yuexian and the others were also observing Zhong Qing.

Ming Yuexian's gaze shifted slightly; this young man had previously been with the Zhan Yue Sect group, but now he was alone, and he didn't know if they had separated at the entrance or if he had also been scattered by the Ghost White Wind.

But he was traveling alone, yet his complexion was normal and his aura calm, showing no signs of having just experienced that terrifying Ghost White Wind.

It seemed that although this person was young, he was not as simple as he appeared.

Of course, if he had seen what Zhong Qing was doing earlier, he probably wouldn't have thought just that.

However, he had no mind to pay attention to other people's secrets; during the recent Ghost White Wind, the Mirror Heart Lake group also suffered heavy losses, with Saintess Ming Suxin directly separated, and although he protected the other disciples, he also expended a great deal of energy.

"It seems this White Wind Plains is more dangerous than imagined."

Ming Yuexian withdrew his gaze and looked at the ice lake.

He suddenly made a move, and a colorful light appeared from his hand, landing on the ice lake.

The calm surface of the ice lake shattered instantly.

And the object emitting the seven-colored glow beneath the lake revealed its true form.

Through the cold and clear lake water, one could clearly see a small flower growing on a rock at the bottom of the lake.

This flower had seven leaves, each emitting light of a different color, while the half-open flower in the center was strangely translucent, reflecting shifting light under the illumination of the leaves' seven colors, astonishingly beautiful.

The glow seen just now came from this.

"seven-colored glazed spirit flower!"

A hint of color lit up in Ming Yuexian's originally calm and indifferent eyes.

A Mirror Heart Lake Elder beside him also exclaimed excitedly.

"It's actually a seven-colored glazed spirit flower, which has been extinct in the Southern Realm for hundreds of years!"

Judging by his reaction, it was clear that this spirit flower was incredibly precious.

Coincidentally, Zhong Qing also knew about this flower; he had seen it before when looking at pill recipes in secret manuals. It was the main ingredient for a spirit pill called the Seven Spirit Heaven-Creating Pill.

This Seven Spirit Heaven-Creating Pill was said to be incredibly miraculous, capable of washing the marrow and cleansing the soul. It could simultaneously temper the body and soul, directly improving a cultivator's talent.

And even setting aside this effect, the seven-colored glazed spirit flower itself had extremely strong effects; under the illumination of its seven-colored glow, it could increase cultivation speed, restore injuries and vitality, which could be said to be very powerful.

For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat tense.

The heavenly treasure was right before them, but it was discovered simultaneously by Zhong Qing and the Mirror Heart Lake group.

Ming Yuexian frowned slightly; he suddenly took a step forward.

Suddenly, within the ice lake, a brilliant light burst forth, not the light of the seven-colored glazed spirit flower, but the light of array patterns radiating from the bottom of the lake.

These lights intertwined into profound patterns, enveloping the ice lake.

"It's an ancient array!"

A Mirror Heart Lake Elder spoke in a deep voice.

Ancient Sect arrays left behind were everywhere in the White Wind Plains; encountering one was not surprising.

They had encountered one before, which still possessed extremely strong power, almost causing a Tianxuan Realm Elder to perish.

However, Ming Yuexian's brow relaxed; he looked at Zhong Qing.

"Since that's the case, it's easy to handle. You and I discovered this treasure at the same time, but there's no need to fight to the death."

"This ice lake is protected by an array. You and I shall each rely on our own abilities. Whoever can break the array can naturally go and retrieve the seven-colored glazed spirit flower."

Zhong Qing was somewhat surprised; he had thought that a fight was inevitable next.

Thus, he gained a bit more respect for the Mirror Heart Lake group; although these people were cold in demeanor, they weren't evil, at least they seemed more agreeable than the people from the Frost Sword Sect and the Black Serpent Sect.

"Good."

Since the other party was so understanding, Zhong Qing wouldn't refuse, and nodded decisively.

Of course, the biggest reason was that he knew he was bound to win.

Blocking him with other things would be one thing.

An array?

How was that any different from having nothing?

Just as he was about to pass directly through the array, Ming Yuexian made the first move.

He struck out, fiercely blasting the array's light barrier.

Immediately, the earth shook and the mountains swayed; a Sanyin Realm expert's attack was extraordinary.

But this ancient array was no small matter; although it had been incomplete for countless years, his strike failed to shake it.

Ming Yuexian was not surprised; his gaze deepened, and a bright mirror floated up from behind his head.

The mirror's surface, as clear as water, seemed to be touched, creating ripples, and at the same time, a pure white light shot out from the mirror, shining directly onto the array.

"Mirror Spirit, break!"

Ming Yuexian spoke faintly, the white light from the mirror exerted its power, and the array's light barrier began to shake continuously.

Breaking this array was not too difficult for him; if it weren't for his excessive consumption, it could have been even faster.

The seven-colored glazed spirit flower held significant meaning for him; he had consumed too much during the Ghost White Wind, and with the seven-colored glazed spirit flower, he could quickly recover his vitality.

Otherwise, the path ahead would likely be much more difficult.

The Mirror Heart Lake group, seeing the array waver, all showed joy, believing that securing the seven-colored glazed spirit flower was already a sure thing.

And then...

They saw Zhong Qing, with his hands behind his back, leisurely walk down to the ice lake.

Ming Yuexian: ...

Mirror Heart Lake group: ...

They subconsciously rubbed their eyes, only to confirm they hadn't seen wrong.

Then, one by one, they were too stunned to speak.

What was going on?

The array hadn't been broken, so how did this guy just walk in?

If it weren't for Sect Leader Ming Yuexian still urging his treasure mirror to contend with the array's light barrier, they would have doubted whether the array even existed.

"How did he get in?" an Elder asked, his eye twitching.

Ming Yuexian didn't speak, but his dark eyes were full of confusion.

And Zhong Qing, right under their noses, unhurriedly walked towards the seven-colored glazed spirit flower in the center, stepping on the broken ice floes on the lake surface.

Every step he took seemed to tread on the hearts of the Mirror Heart Lake group.

Ming Yuexian's face remained impassive, but his heart was filled with urgency.

Disregarding his already significant exhaustion, he vigorously urged his spiritual power.

The mirror surface of the treasure mirror in the sky continuously showed ripples, and the white light gradually transformed into gold, its power greatly increasing.

"Break!"

Ming Yuexian let out a low shout, and with a crisp cracking sound, the array's light barrier finally shattered, breaking into streams of light that filled the sky.

The power of the shattered array spread out, shaking the entire ground, and the ice and snow covering the surrounding hills were directly blown away by the aftermath, revealing the dark mountain body.

Before he could even let out a sigh of relief, Ming Yuexian leaped up rapidly, flying towards the center of the lake.

No matter what method Zhong Qing used to enter the array, he could not give up on the seven-colored glazed spirit flower.

He didn't plan to attack Zhong Qing; he would just compare who was faster.

As Ming Yuexian's thoughts moved, his figure had already rushed into the lake, and he was about to approach the seven-colored glazed spirit flower.

Suddenly, there was a deafening roar.

Beside the seven-colored glazed spirit flower, the calm lake surface suddenly churned.

The mud at the bottom of the lake suddenly split open.

A massive, terrifying tentacle, several zhang thick and a hundred zhang long, covered in scales and suckers, emerged from the bottom of the lake, sweeping towards Ming Yuexian, who was in the water.

At the same time, another tentacle emerged from the other side, bursting through the lake surface and lashing out at Zhong Qing, who was still on the lake surface!

PS: Happy National Day to everyone, have fun.