75: Separate search for medicine 2

Just at this critical moment, the green flame, which had merged with the fire seed, suddenly erupted on its own, forming a protective shield.

Even more surprisingly, when the six types of flames touched this protective layer, they all "submitted," no longer attacking, but instead revolved around Xiao Yan as if paying homage to a monarch.

"This fire seed... can it control all flames?" Xiao Yan was both shocked and delighted, but he had no time to study it now.

He quickly left the Soul Burning Chamber and flew out of the ruins.

His energy body was much more stable than when he arrived, but the Soul Clan ruins' curse continued to erode it.

When Xiao Yan finally rushed out of the ruins' range, his energy body was already almost transparent, on the verge of dissipating at any moment.

"I must go back immediately... Ling Xiao and Xiao Bing are still waiting..." Xiao Yan forced himself to stay alert and flew towards the designated meeting point.

......

Tai Ling Ancient Clan Forbidden Ground, Ice Crystal Palace.

Xiao Bing stepped through the thick snow, arriving before the familiar building.

Unlike last time, there was no Ling Xiao to guide him, and the entire Forbidden Ground was eerily silent, without even the sound of wind.

"Strange..." Xiao Bing frowned, vigilantly looking around, "It's too quiet."

He slowly walked into the palace, ice-blue Spiritual Qi flowing around his body, ready to respond to any sudden situation.

The murals on both sides of the corridor remained as they were, recording the history of the plane of origin.

But when Xiao Bing arrived at the central ice chamber, the sight before him sent a chill through his entire body—

The Ice Heart Saintess's crystal coffin had been opened, its lid leaning to one side; and the massive ice heart, which had originally floated in the center of the ice chamber, had vanished without a trace!

"How is this possible?!" Xiao Bing rushed to the coffin, finding his mother's remains intact, as if the intruder was only interested in the ice heart.

He carefully checked the surroundings and found a few subtle scratches on the ice surface—someone had used Extreme Ice Power to cut the ice heart's base!

Even more unsettling was that these traces of ice-elemental techniques... were actually from the same source as his own Extreme Ice Power!

"Could it be..." A terrifying conjecture surfaced in Xiao Bing's mind, "Is it another person with the Tai Ling Bloodline?"

He quickly searched the entire ice chamber, finally discovering a deliberately left ice crystal fragment in the corner.

A message was sealed within the fragment: "To obtain the ice crystal, come to the Arctic Abyss."

The handwriting was delicate and clearly belonged to a woman.

Xiao Bing clutched the fragment, his heart filled with doubts.

The Arctic Abyss was a famous death zone in the Source World, perpetually shrouded in Mystic Dark Cold Energy, where even a Heavenly Supreme would not dare to easily venture.

Who would choose to trade there? And why steal the ice crystal?

There was no time to think further.

Xiao Bing put away the ice crystal fragment and turned to leave the ice chamber.

No matter who the other party was, or what their purpose, he had to retrieve the ice crystal—it concerned the lives of three people!

Just as he walked out of the palace, Xiao Bing's communication Jade Slip suddenly heated up.

He quickly took it out, and Xuan Guang Venerable's panicked voice came from within: "Young Master Xiao Bing! Young Master Ling Xiao... he's gone!"

"What?!" Xiao Bing felt as if struck by lightning, "What happened? Speak slowly!"

"Half an hour ago, Young Master Ling Xiao suddenly collapsed in pain, and his silver hair... all turned black!" Xuan Guang Venerable's voice trembled, "We tried to help, but we were repelled by the spatial power erupting around him.

When the light dissipated, he had... vanished, leaving only a scattered pile of ice crystals and... and bloodstains..."

Xiao Bing's vision went black, and he nearly lost his footing.

Wasn't Ling Xiao's contamination already under control?

How could it suddenly worsen?

And that spatial power... could the Chaos Devourer still have remnants?

"I'll return immediately!" Xiao Bing put away the Jade Slip and fully activated his Spiritual Qi, flying towards the camp.

Now the plan was completely in disarray—the fire seed had been obtained, but the ice crystal's whereabouts were unknown, Ling Xiao was missing, and Xiao Yan's condition was also...

Just as he was rushing with great anxiety, the space ahead suddenly twisted, and a figure stumbled out!

"Ling Xiao?" Xiao Bing instinctively caught the approaching person, but found it was an unfamiliar woman—dressed in white, wearing a bamboo hat, with a veil covering most of her face, revealing only a pair of clear, cold eyes.

After stabilizing herself, the woman quickly retreated, vigilantly observing Xiao Bing.

Her right hand held a blue crystal, which was precisely the missing ice heart fragment; her left hand held a green lamp, and the burning wick was none other than the nameless fire seed Xiao Yan had just obtained!

"Who are you?!" Xiao Bing's Ice Cold Sword instantly unsheathed, its tip pointing directly at the woman's throat, "Why do you have these?"

The woman remained unhurried, taking something from her embrace—an Elder token from Xingyun Pavilion, inscribed with Medicine Old Man's unique flame emblem.

"Medicine Saint's dying wish," the woman's voice was as clear and cold as ice, "To hand these two items to Brother Xiao Yan, to assist them in refining the Soul Plating Pill."

Xiao Bing's sword tip trembled slightly: "Why should I believe you?"

The woman sighed softly and removed her veil—on her left cheek, there was an ice-blue clan tattoo identical to Xiao Bing's!

"Because I also have the Tai Ling Bloodline, and by seniority... you should call me Aunt."