A man walked forward as if nothing had happened, a golden mask completely covering his handsome face. His eyes, as deep as ink, made it impossible to fathom his thoughts.
Feng Ninghe wanted to pull her hand back, but the man sensed her intention. His deep voice slowly descended, "Hold on to me tightly. If our luck holds, we won't be separated."
The secret realm was fraught with danger; only he could protect this woman.
Just as Feng Ninghe was about to speak, a powerful, blinding light surged towards their location.
"What's happening?"
Bai Niannian clung tightly to Feng Xing's arm, fearing they would be swept apart.
Feng Xing tried to block the light and open his eyes.
But the light was everywhere, impossible to shield against.
*Clang!*
The sound of wind roared in their ears.
Blinded by the light, Feng Ninghe quickly closed her eyes, her body sinking as she stumbled.
She felt her wrist being pulled even tighter.
Instinctively, Feng Ninghe used both hands to grasp the strong, powerful body, trying to steady herself.
Suddenly, her hands were empty.
The hand she had been gripping tightly had vanished.
She quickly opened her eyes, only to see a vast expanse of white, snowflakes falling from the sky.
Her feet sank deep into the snow. As cultivators, they were protected by spiritual energy and wouldn't fear the cold.
However, the biting wind that swept towards them was unnaturally frigid.
Around them, more people were falling, and cultivators pulled out thick clothing, wrapping themselves layer upon layer.
"Feng Ninghe!"
A sharp female voice pierced her ears.
Feng Ninghe found it irritating and instinctively reached up to gently rub her ears.
Not far away, Mei Ziling stood there.
Seeing Feng Ninghe, she was overjoyed, wishing she could rush forward and tear Feng Ninghe to pieces.
However, after taking a few steps forward, Mei Ziling shivered uncontrollably from the cold.
"Senior Sister, quickly put on this cloak to warm up!"
A disciple from the Xuanqing Sect quickly approached Mei Ziling, holding a thick cloak.
The biting wind was piercing, and what was worse, spiritual energy could not be used here, nor could they fly on their swords. They could only rely on their own two feet.
Fortunately, their spatial bags still worked, allowing them to retrieve items to warm themselves.
Feng Ninghe slowly withdrew her gaze and took out a hand warmer from her spatial jade bracelet, cradling it in her hands.
She had made the hand warmer in her spare time; as long as she dropped spirit stones into it, the fire would not extinguish.
A ginseng sprout emerged from her dantian and wrapped around Feng Ninghe's wrist. It extended its tender leaves, sensing the surroundings. "Master, I can sense the thing that attracts me. It's a bit far. Let's find a way to get out of the snow first."
As soon as the ginseng sprout poked its head out, the intense cold drove it back into the dantian.
"Master! The wind and snow here are not right. If it blows for too long, it will damage the body. I'll return to the dantian. If I sense anything, I'll come out again!"
The ginseng sprout's voice trembled.
Feng Ninghe smiled helplessly. At this moment, she also began to assess her surroundings.
Looking around, she saw nothing but endless white snow. Leaving this snowy expanse would be difficult.
She did not notice that the jade orchid bracelet on her wrist emitted a faint glow.
Elsewhere.
In a desert.
Si Jianye stood still, his eyes closed as if sensing something.
After a moment, he opened his eyes and strode rapidly in one direction.
At that instant, a vortex appeared beneath his feet.
The vortex instantly swallowed him whole!
Si Jianye struggled with all his might, but the vortex clung to him tightly. A ethereal male voice whispered in his ear.
"A'Ye, my brother, come find me."
The voice seemed to have a bewitching quality.
Si Jianye sank deeper into the vortex, his mind becoming muddled.
He felt as if he had heard this voice before.
Who was calling him?
The vortex deepened.
Suddenly, Si Jianye's eyes snapped open. With a sweep of his hand, the black energy that had bound him dissipated, and he found himself in an open space.
He instinctively clutched his chest, his deep eyes fixed intently on the distance.
Something was calling him there...
In a jungle.
Bai Niannian opened her eyes, rubbing her aching limbs as she slowly looked around.
Towering trees blocked the sunlight, casting the entire forest into dimness.
After a moment, she withdrew her gaze, a thought striking her as she quickly sat up.
Beside her lay Feng Xing, unconscious.
"A'Xing, wake up!"
Bai Niannian shook Feng Xing's body vigorously. Soon, Feng Xing woke up.
He rubbed his sore eyes and slowly sat up. "Where are we?"
Bai Niannian hesitated before voicing her thoughts. "I think we're on a big tree..."
The space they occupied was very small, surrounded by dense forest, with what looked like a bottomless abyss below.
Around them, many other cultivators had also fallen onto large trees, just like them.
"Where is this? How did we get here?"
A cultivator exclaimed, looking around in panic.
People had fallen onto each massive tree. The trees were like cliffs, and they couldn't see how tall they were.
The space on the trees was small, able to accommodate at most three people.
Bai Niannian took out a spirit stone and dropped it towards the ground below.
The spirit stone plummeted downwards, but they heard no sound.
The absence of the sound of the spirit stone hitting the ground indicated that the tree was extremely tall.
They didn't even know what awaited them below.
Bai Niannian's face turned pale, her lips trembling. "A'Xing, this tree is probably much taller than we imagine."
Sensing her fear, Feng Xing gently patted her shoulder and softly comforted her, "Don't worry. There are still many cultivators here. Let's see how they handle it first, and then we'll act accordingly."
Bai Niannian bit her lip, fearfully staying put...
The wind in the snowy plains grew stronger, and the sky gradually darkened.
Even with the hand warmer, Feng Ninghe felt the cold.
Xiao Zhao was curled up on her shoulder, its soft fur providing warmth.
It blinked its azure eyes, surveying the surroundings.
"Master, it's getting colder as it gets later. We need to find a place to shelter from the wind and cold."
Feng Ninghe nodded in agreement. "You're right, it's getting colder and colder. It might be better in the morning."
As she turned her head, her eyes suddenly lit up as if she had spotted something.
A wooden house stood in the snowy landscape.
Two strings of red lanterns hung on the door of the wooden house.
The appearance of a wooden house in the vast white snow was eerie, but with the wind and snow intensifying, she had no choice but to seek shelter there.
Shortly after she spotted the wooden house, cultivators cried out, "Everyone, look! There's a wooden house! We can shelter from the wind and snow now, hurry!"
The cultivators swarmed forward, as if they had seen hope, rushing towards the wooden house.
Feng Ninghe also pushed open the wooden house door at that moment and took in the interior.
The wooden house was neither large nor small. The candlelight on the walls was dim, and it could accommodate at most a hundred people.
But in the snowy plains...
There were at least a thousand people, a dense crowd.
How could such a small wooden house accommodate so many people?