309: Reaching the Spirit Spring

Situ Jun led Luo Yu to the mouth of a valley and stopped. His gaze swept over the rolling mountains, and after confirming there were no unusual auras lingering, he slowly turned to look at the woman beside him.

Luo Yu wore a moon-white gauze dress, its hem fluttering slightly in the cold wind, outlining her exquisite and graceful figure.

Time seemed to treat her with extra kindness. Although she was at the age of a Nascent Soul Cultivator, her skin remained as white as snow, as delicate as the finest mutton-fat jade, glowing with a lustrous sheen under the pale sky.

Her eyebrows were like distant mountains painted in ink, and her eyes like autumn ripples. At this moment, she looked slightly weary as her spiritual power had just stabilized, adding a touch of poignant charm to her appearance.

The skin on her neck was delicate and slender, rising and falling slightly with her breath, inviting one's imagination, while the sash at her waist accentuated her slender, willow-like waist.

As she walked, her hem swayed, revealing a pair of snow-white wrists like jade. Her fingertips were slender, and her nails were trimmed round and neat, showing a faint pink hue, as if carved from the finest jade.

Situ Jun's gaze lingered on her for a moment before he quickly withdrew it, his tone carrying a hint of consideration as he said:

"This place is still a hundred miles from the Spirit Spring Immortal Cave. Your spiritual power has just stabilized, and flying a long distance might worsen the burden on your Meridians. Shall I carry you?"

Having said that, he extended his right hand, his palm enveloped in a faint layer of Chaos spiritual light.

That spiritual light was soft and gentle, carrying no hint of offense, yet it could securely protect her form and avoid the awkwardness of direct contact between them.

Luo Yu's cheeks heated up again, and a faint blush spread to the tips of her ears like fine rouge, adding a bit more allure.

Her fingertips curled slightly, and her long eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings, betraying the unease in her heart.

She naturally knew that now was not the time to be overly sensitive. If she truly had to fly on her own, she feared that before she even reached halfway, the spiritual power in her body would fall into complete Chaos.

She nodded gently and carefully attached a strand of her own Mysterious Yin Spiritual Energy to Situ Jun's palm.

As soon as her fingertips touched the spiritual light in his palm, a gentle force was instantly transmitted. Her body slowly rose under Situ Jun's guidance, hovering three feet above the ground.

The moon-white gauze dress unfurled in the wind like a blooming white lotus, making her graceful figure appear even more light and ethereal.

She glanced at Situ Jun, her eyes seemingly containing autumn waters, misty with a hint of shyness and gratitude.

Seeing this, Situ Jun manifested an invisible concealment shield around them, completely enveloping their figures and masking even the slightest fluctuation of spiritual power.

Then, with a tap of his toes on the ground, his figure streaked out of the Cold Mist Valley like a beam of light, flying toward the cliff to the southeast.

A golden spiritual light left an afterimage in the wind and snow. Less than an hour later, the two had already arrived beneath that cliff.

The cliff face before them was steep as if carved by a knife, reaching thousands of feet high. It was covered with vigorous ancient vines—deep green vines with thick frost condensed on their leaves, clearly having grown there for hundreds of years.

Faint, bone-chilling frost flowers were entwined among the vines, blending perfectly with the surroundings. Had Situ Jun not intentionally guided her, even if Luo Yu stood right before the cliff, she would never have noticed that a secret Spirit Spring Immortal Cave was hidden within that seemingly seamless wall.

"This is the place."

Situ Jun raised his hand and waved, sending a bolt of golden spiritual power toward a certain spot on the cliff.

With a soft "crack," the disguised stones on the cliff face instantly shattered, revealing a stone crack only wide enough for one person to pass through sideways.

As soon as the stone crack was revealed, a gust of clear Spiritual Qi mixed with warmth rushed toward them, forming a sharp contrast with the cold air outside.

Luo Yu looked up, a flash of surprise in her eyes. Her long eyelashes seemed to catch some mist, making them look even more moist.

Her lips were pink and tender, like peach blossoms blooming in early spring, now slightly pursed with curiosity.

The long, narrow mountain crack was hidden behind the cliff face, and within it, one could vaguely see dense white mist rising.

The pure water spiritual power contained in that white mist was extremely dense, causing the Profound Yin True Art within her body to circulate involuntarily. The restless spiritual power in her Meridians also calmed down significantly.

She subconsciously straightened her back, the curves of her chest becoming even more exquisite under the outline of the gauze dress. With every breath, the skin on her neck rose and fell, glowing with a faint soft light, like fine mutton-fat jade soaked in warm water.

Situ Jun turned to look at Luo Yu and explained with a hint of a smile:

"This place is very well hidden, and the Spirit Spring inside is suitably warm. Moreover, this spring eye is quite unique; its bottom is connected to a Volcanic Earth Vein, yet it somehow produces pure water spiritual power. It can be considered a one-of-a-kind wondrous place in this Secret Realm, and it is most compatible with your Profound Yin True Art."

Having said that, he took the lead and stepped into the stone crack. At the same time, he raised his hand to cast several runes, setting up a defensive Formation at the entrance. The moment the Formation was activated, the stone crack once again blended with the surroundings, leaving no trace.

Luo Yu followed behind him, slowly moving through the narrow stone crack.

The further they went, the denser the water vapor became. The air was gradually filled with a sweet Spiritual Qi, like the scent of grass after rain, mixed with the crispness of spring water.

Faintly, the crisp sound of water droplets falling on the stone surface could be heard—"drip, drop"—exceptionally clear in the silent stone crack.

Her gauze dress was dampened by the mist and gradually became somewhat translucent, making her slender figure look even more hazy and moving. With every step, a subtle fragrance seemed to float as her hem swayed.

Before long, the two passed through the stone crack, and the view suddenly opened up—it was actually a cavern about thirty zhang in size.

In the center of the cavern was a ten-zhang-square hot spring pool. The water's surface glowed with a lustrous white light, and tiny specks of spiritual light condensed within the rising mist. When those specks of light landed on the skin, they actually brought a hint of warmth, without any of the chill of ordinary spring water.

A more pure water-element spiritual energy rushed toward them. Luo Yu felt the restless spiritual power in her Dantian instantly calm down, and even her Nascent Soul seemed to stretch slightly, letting out a comfortable tremor.

She subconsciously raised her hand to brush away the mist on her cheeks. The smooth and delicate touch of her fingertips against her skin made her startle slightly.

On the stone walls surrounding the Immortal Cave were many embedded crystals formed from condensed Spiritual Qi. Those crystals emitted a soft white light, illuminating the entire cave like an ice and snow palace.

The warm light and the dense water vapor intertwined, refracting a rainbow-colored halo that fell upon Luo Yu, making her silhouette appear even more hazy and beautiful.

Even the beauty mark at the corner of her eye was faintly visible in this soft light, adding an indescribable charm.

She stood there with a graceful posture, her moon-white gauze dress blending with the surrounding scenery, like a moon in the water or a flower in a mirror—so beautiful that one would not dare to disturb her.