303: Luo Yu's anger

This Cold Mist Mountain Range was even more secluded than Situ Jun had imagined.

Under the gray sky, the continuous mountain peaks were shrouded in a faint cold mist, their surfaces covered in a thin layer of white frost, and even the Spiritual Qi drifting in the air carried a biting purity, as if it had been filtered.

Unlike the desolation elsewhere in the space, the Spiritual Qi here, though thin, was exceptionally pure and carried a biting chill; inhaling it into one's lungs could actually slightly calm disordered spiritual power.

Situ Jun's figure landed on a boulder at the edge of the mountain range; he withdrew most of his aura, leaving only a faint trace of spiritual power to maintain his form, like a ghost blending into the environment.

He flew close to the ground, his Divine Sense like a fine-toothed comb, combing through every inch of the nearby land.

He had to confirm there were no traces of other Cultivators and avoid any potential traps.

Before long, deep within a leeward valley, Situ Jun sensed that familiar ice-attribute spiritual power.

He followed the aura and approached, seeing a hidden cave at the bottom of the valley, its entrance shrouded in faint cold mist; wisps of white mist were drifting out of the cave, condensing into tiny ice crystals upon touching the air, and the surrounding temperature was several times lower than elsewhere.

On the rocks around the cave entrance, several light blue runes were carved; that was the warning Formation Luo Yu had set up, which, though not complex, was sensitive enough to trigger an alarm if any outsider approached.

Situ Jun stopped several yards outside the cave entrance, not daring to barge in.

His Divine Sense could clearly perceive the spiritual power fluctuations coming from inside the cave—Luo Yu was currently Cultivating.

The space inside the cave was not large; in the center was a large cyan stone, and Luo Yu sat cross-legged upon it, her body surrounded by Ice Soul Profound Light, which formed an invisible force field, continuously absorbing the cold air from the ground and transforming it into pure spiritual power to merge into her body.

Clearly, she was also using this place's unique environment to Cultivate, attempting to increase her strength in this dangerous space for future needs.

Situ Jun observed for a moment, his fingertip moving slightly as a gentle yet unignorable wisp of spiritual power was slowly released, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, lightly touching the warning runes at the cave entrance.

The runes flickered slightly, emitting a faint blue light, before returning to calm.

Inside the cave, Luo Yu's eyes, which had been tightly closed, slowly opened.

Her eyelashes were long, as if covered in a thin layer of frost, and her beautiful eyes held a trace of clarity from just returning from her Cultivation.

When her Spiritual Sense perceived the visitor's aura, her cool pupils contracted slightly, filled with a bit of surprise.

She clearly hadn't expected that the person coming to find her would be Situ Jun.

Soon, that trace of surprise was replaced by vigilance; the Ice Soul Profound Light around her body fluctuated slightly, and her spiritual power quietly began to circulate.

A moment later, the cold mist at the cave entrance surged violently, and a slender figure slowly walked out.

Luo Yu was still in her moon-white long dress, its hem embroidered with delicate ice flower patterns that swayed gently with her movements.

Her figure was graceful, her face exceptionally clear and beautiful, and her skin was as white as if carved from ice and snow, but in those eyes like cold stars, besides deep vigilance, there was also a hint of imperceptible exhaustion.

Having dealt with this unfamiliar space alone for over ten days, searching for resources while guarding against sneak attacks from other Cultivators and responding to the dangers that could appear at any time, even for a Nascent Soul Cultivator, the mental exhaustion was immense.

Her hands hung quietly at her sides, faint cold air lingering at her fingertips, clearly prepared to strike at any moment.

“City Lord Situ?”

Luo Yu's voice was like ice beads falling on a jade plate, crisp and pleasant, yet carrying a hint of distant coldness.

She stood at the cave entrance, her beautiful eyes flickering as she continued:

“This place is my temporary residence; for what reason has the City Lord come uninvited?”

Her gaze was fixed on Situ Jun, her Spiritual Sense already spread out, vigilantly observing the surroundings for fear of someone acting against her.

Situ Jun stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze calmly meeting Luo Yu's without any evasion.

He knew there was no point in beating around the bush with Luo Yu; it was better to be direct.

His voice was deep and penetrating, passing through the faint cold mist to clearly reach Luo Yu's ears:

“Fairy Luo, let's not mince words. The Daoist Ming Ya Legacy is hidden without a trace, and Withered Bone Ascetic, Village Elder Gongsun, and the others act ruthlessly; we are both trapped here with dim prospects and great danger. My visit this time is to seek a karmic bond with you, Fairy, to plan a way out together.”

Luo Yu's brows furrowed slightly, the coldness in her eyes deepening.

Naturally, she didn't believe Situ Jun would come for no reason, nor did she believe his so-called “planning a way out together.”

She turned slightly, a wisp of ice-attribute spiritual power quietly gathering in her hand, her tone still icy:

“What does City Lord Situ mean by this? I am dull-witted, please speak plainly.”

Her voice grew colder, the chill around her intensifying, and even the surrounding air began to freeze slightly.

Seeing her vigilant state, Situ Jun's lips curled into a faint smile, and without any preamble, he directly uttered two words:

“Dual Cultivation.”

These two words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Luo Yu's ears.

She was first stunned, her cool eyes full of bewilderment, as if she hadn't heard correctly.

But when she saw the seriousness in Situ Jun's eyes, her pretty face was instantly covered in frost, the Ice Soul Profound Light around her suddenly surged, and dozens of sharp ice spikes instantly condensed in front of her, their tips gleaming with cold light, pointing directly at Situ Jun's vitals with a biting killing intent.

“Situ Jun! How dare you!”

Luo Yu's voice trembled slightly with anger, her cheeks flushed with a faint crimson, whether from shame or rage:

“You dare to insult me?! Even if I, Luo Yu, die trapped here, I will never engage in such shameful behavior with you!”

The moment her words fell, her Early Stage Nascent Soul pressure erupted without reservation; the air in the entire valley seemed to freeze, the white frost on the ground spread rapidly, and even the surrounding rocks were frozen until tiny cracks appeared.

Luo Yu's eyes were full of anger and humiliation; she was from the Xihua Sect and had practiced the Profound Yin True Art since childhood, always valuing her reputation; Situ Jun's proposal was undoubtedly the greatest insult to her.

Facing Luo Yu's killing intent, Situ Jun's expression remained unchanged, as if he had already anticipated her reaction.

He slowly raised his hand, indicating he had no ill intent, and continued calmly:

“Why must you be angry, Fairy? Listen to me first. The path of cultivation is long and treacherous, and one might lose their life at any moment; extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The method of Dual Cultivation is itself one of the Great Daos of heaven and earth, not something shameful.”

He paused, his gaze falling on the Ice Soul Profound Light around Luo Yu, his tone certain:

“The Profound Yin True Art you practice is a top-tier ice-attribute Cultivation Technique, and the Primordial Yin energy it produces is pure and vast; I'm sure you know this better than I do. And I have now reached the Half-step Soul Transformation Bottleneck, and the spiritual power in my body has long reached Perfection; what I lack is precisely a chance for a Breakthrough. If I can have your help, Fairy, using your Primordial Yin energy to harmonize my Yin and Yang and reach the state of Dragon and Tiger Harmony, I am fully confident that I can achieve a Soul Transformation Breakthrough in one go!”