Chapter Fifteen: The Trial of the Icy Full Moon

Qin Yi stood at the doorway, staring in stunned silence at the scene unfolding within the room. He found himself unable to utter a word, for the chamber was enveloped in a chill so piercing that every object and wall was coated in a thin layer of frost, reminiscent of an ice cellar. The source of this biting cold was none other than the large bed in the center of the room.

His gaze lingered on that bed, where the surface was now obscured, shrouded in a haze from which white mist billowed and drifted outward. Qin Yi could not fathom the cause of such a phenomenon, but instinct told him it was nothing good.

"Such a power of extreme yin and coldness surely needs the force of pure yang to neutralize it. Fortunately, I lack not such strength," Qin Yi remarked, smiling as he looked at the bed enveloped in whiteness. Yet what he truly needed was not merely the power of pure yang, but for Jiang Yao to awaken, else he could not impart to her the secret techniques of the Dongling Wang family—the Supreme Da Luo Scripture.

The bed had grown so cold, and there was no movement upon it; Jiang Yao must have already fallen unconscious.

"Perhaps I should try that mysterious Foundation-building technique," Qin Yi thought, recalling the method he had acquired in the wastelands in his previous life. Though he knew little of its origins, its performance during the mountain entry ceremony had already proven its extraordinary nature.

"The Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things." Resolute, Qin Yi dismissed further distractions, focused his intent, and began to circulate his energy. A stream of qi flowed through his meridians.

A sizzling sound followed as he gathered his internal force at his fingertips and pointed toward the bed. The moment his qi touched the white mist, it hissed and crackled.

Though Qin Yi still lacked full understanding of this technique, he had underestimated its potency. He could tell that the white mist emanating from Jiang Yao was no ordinary matter, yet his slender stream of qi swept it away as effortlessly as a gale clears fallen leaves.

"So fierce—and the qi persists so long," Qin Yi exclaimed in delight. He had never underestimated the Foundation-building method, but now, witnessing its effect firsthand, he realized he had still misjudged its power.

The white mist dissipated at a respectable pace, yet Qin Yi watched with growing impatience, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on the center of the haze.

The hissing continued. Qin Yi sensed his spiritual energy encountering something hard within the mist, and when at last all the fog was dispersed, he discovered what it was.

It was a human-shaped ice sculpture—a likeness carved in ice. And the figure encased within was none other than Jiang Yao.

Within the ice sculpture, Jiang Yao still wore her crimson robe. Yet her once delicate features were contorted by the extreme cold, and her flowing hair was now tangled and disheveled.

"The Full Moon Ice Tribulation!" Qin Yi exclaimed in surprise as he gazed at the frozen form of Jiang Yao. This infamous poison originated from the sorcerer tribes west of Lingzhou, deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Its most remarkable trait was that it was nonlethal, but those afflicted would suffer unbearable cold each night of the lunar full moon. It was said that some, unable to withstand the torment, had taken their own lives.

Jiang Yao's cultivation was formidable, but this poison was one of the few unsolvable toxins in the world, crafted by the great powers of the sorcerer tribes. Even if the poisoner matched Jiang Yao's strength, the torment it inflicted was enough to drive her to the brink of death.

"Could it be Linglong?" Qin Yi wondered. Jiang Yao had been poisoned a year ago. Linglong, a candidate for the Saintess of the sorcerer tribes, had been with them in the wastelands when celestial phenomena appeared. This poison was a closely guarded secret of the tribe, and by deduction, Linglong was the only one who could have done it.

Qin Yi stared at Jiang Yao within the ice, his eyes unwavering and cold as he declared, "No matter who it is, anyone who harms Jiang Yao will pay the price. Besides, her poisoning is not entirely unrelated to me."

"But the urgent matter now is to help Jiang Yao through this ordeal." Qin Yi looked at the ice-encased Jiang Yao and drew a fiery red spirit pill from his sleeve, hesitating slightly before swallowing it.

After consuming the Flame Transformation Pill, his skin reddened visibly, until steam began to rise from his body. With a mischievous grin, he looked at Jiang Yao and said, "Yao Yao, here I come."

If an outsider witnessed the scene, Qin Yi would surely be condemned as a scoundrel desecrating a goddess.

Qin Yi lay atop the ice sculpture, instantly filling the room with steam. Soon, the melting began to take effect. The peaks, being the highest point when lying flat, were the first to thaw. Due to the difference in their heights, Qin Yi's face ended up nestled precisely between Jiang Yao's twin peaks.

Moreover, because his face remained buried there, the clothing covering Jiang Yao's bosom was completely burned away. The sight made Qin Yi's blood race, and he found himself reluctant to move from between her snowy, proud peaks.

Suddenly, Qin Yi felt someone watching him. With a sense of foreboding, he looked up. His fears were confirmed: Jiang Yao's entire head had thawed, and she was staring at him with cold, unfeeling eyes.

As their eyes met, Qin Yi was struck by another chilling realization—Jiang Yao's hands were beginning to melt, on the verge of complete thaw.

"Shh...! You...you dare!" Qin Yi sensed trouble and tried to flee, but before he could escape, a long, resonant sword cry and Jiang Yao's furious voice echoed behind him.

In his previous life, Qin Yi could have obliterated such an attack from Jiang Yao with a flick of his finger, but times had changed. Fortunately, Jiang Yao was still weakened, her body not fully mobile, and her strike had been hurried. Besides, Qin Yi had grown up with Jiang Yao; he knew her every move. Thus, he managed to evade her sword skillfully.

Now, with only her feet remaining frozen, Jiang Yao sat on the bed. Seeing Qin Yi dodge her attack, she did not grow angry; instead, she smiled lightly and unleashed three red sword energies in a pincer formation toward Qin Yi.

As the three sword energies approached, Qin Yi's head spun. With his current cultivation, he couldn’t hope to dodge even a casual strike from Jiang Yao, let alone three fueled by anger. The sword energies flew swiftly and soon were inches from him. Out of options, Qin Yi resorted to his ultimate move, shouting at Jiang Yao:

"Snotty Yao—!"

On the bed, Jiang Yao heard those once-familiar words, and her body reacted instinctively. With a flick of her finger, the sword energies near Qin Yi vanished instantly.

Jiang Yao's body was now fully thawed, but after standing on the bed for only a moment, she collapsed back onto it.

In her mind, only Qin Yi's words echoed:

"Snotty Yao—"