CBGC - ch168

Chapter 168: The Ice Cavern

The Six Beast Kings whisper among themselves. The Nine-tailed Fox Priestess steps forward, "The sacred fruit, only three pieces at most could be consumed. Did she really eat all of them?"

Jiu Yue still harbors doubts in her heart; it’s just too unbelievable.

Xuanyuan Wentian coldly nods. He raises an eyebrow, his gaze deepening, and lightly wipes a bit of red juice from a Xiao Bai's leaf with his finger. He flicks it directly onto Jiu Yue's face. Her enchanting fox eyes suddenly widen, her pupils spinning, and she sticks out her tongue to lick the red juice. Her body trembles slightly, and her voice becomes hoarse, as if her throat has been scorched by flames, leaving her nearly voiceless.

"It’s true." She gently covers her throat with one hand, speaking in a low, raspy voice. Fox Beasts are naturally alluring, and her husky voice at this moment sounds incredibly seductive. Coupled with her enticing movements, several male Beast Kings can't help but steal a few extra glances.

"If this juice were given to the children of our tribe, it should also have an effect." After Jiu Yue speaks, a porcelain bottle appears in her hand. She continues, "But if consumed too much, it will produce chaotic and violent energy. She can only follow me back to the Holy Temple's Ice Cavern, where we can temporarily suppress her raging blood."

The Ice Cavern of the Holy Temple is a place where the Beast Saint cultivates. Would they really allow such an unknown creature inside?

Would she dare to go?

Xuanyuan Wentian waves his hand with a commanding air, "Lead the way!" His demeanor is so dismissive of everyone present, even to the Beast Saint of their Realm, that the other Kings abandon any thoughts of causing trouble and they become much more polite.

Su Tingyun, noticing that Xuanyuan Wentian is about to leave, glances at the trembling group of Butterfly Beasts huddled together and says, "Don’t forget about those little beasts. I have some medicinal pills here; take it and give it to them."

The butterfly beasts are severely injured, with several already unconscious and on the brink of death. Su Tingyun has plenty of medicinal pills, and since she can easily refine more, giving some away is no big deal.

"And don’t forget Big Bai’s skin!" Su Tingyun reminds Xuanyuan Wentian not to forget about the hide.

Xuanyuan Wentian takes out a bottle of pills and throws it in front of the leading butterfly beast, then glares at the large black dog. The pressure from his aura causes the dog to whimper and wag its tail. He then points at the black skin, and the black dog obediently picks up the dead skin and respectfully places it in front of him.

After storing the black skin, Xuanyuan Wentian grabs Big Bai and boards the Nine-tailed Fox Priestess's flying artifact, following her to the Holy Temple of the Beast Realm. The Six Beast Kings follow closely behind. Having failed to obtain the sacred fruit, they can only follow along, hoping to find a solution.

Her flying artifact is a king lotus, a type of water lily. Each of its nine leaves should supports one of her long tails. She should be sitting upright on the lotus seat, but at this moment, it’s Xuanyuan Wentian who is lying there.

Xuanyuan Wentian is a man, and his sleeping posture is rough. Even in Su Tingyun's body, he sprawls in the center with one leg crossed over the other, and tapping his foot, completely lacking any feminine grace. Paired with her face and figure, it’s an awkward sight.

The valley isn’t far from the Holy Temple; they arrive in less than an hour. During this time, Jiu Yue continues to collect the red juice seeping from Little Bai's leaves, managing to fill about half a bottle.

As they approach the Holy Temple, Xuanyuan Wentian suddenly frowns and transmits a message, "The Beast Realm is so isolated, I didn’t expect their Beast Saint would have such power, nearly reaching the level of deification."

Huh?

"I’ll lay low for a while and observe," says Xuanyuan Wentian, then he immediately retreats into Su Tingyun's consciousness, leaving her to regain control of her body.

"Hey, what’s going on?" Su Tingyun complains internally. You put on a show, and now you’re leaving me to clean up the mess?

She shifts her sitting posture, cradling Big Bai more carefully while scanning the surroundings with heightened alertness.

Her aura changes instantly, the oppressive force weakening compared to before. As Jiu Yue has been standing close, she notices immediately. Her tail sweeps lightly as she glances over with a smile, "Senior, we’ve arrived at the Holy Temple."

Su Tingyun remains silent, giving a slight nod and lifting her chin with an air of arrogance as she holds Big Bai and follows Jiu Yue inside.

Earlier, she was casually holding Big Bai by the scruff, but now she cradles the creature in her arms. This change in posture slightly reduces Jiu Yue’s suspicions. The little beast had consumed an enormous amount of sacred fruit, causing its body temperature to skyrocket. Within Guanding Mountain, there is a fierce poison that only the glowing powder unique to the butterfly beasts can temporarily resist, which is why they are the ones who always harvest the sacred fruit.

Only up to three pieces of the sacred fruit can be safely consumed. Beyond that, the poison becomes deadly, causing the body to explode. The little beast had eaten a thousand pieces, and the poison is already seeping through her skin. Earlier, Jiu Yue had pricked her with her fingernail and lightly licked the juice, nearly losing her voice to the poison. Now, her heart feels like it’s on fire, a sensation of extreme discomfort.

Yet, the fact that Su Tingyun can hold the little beast without fear of the poison indicates her immense strength, perhaps even surpassing that of the Beast Saint. Her weakened aura is likely a deliberate act of playing weak while being strong.

With these heavy thoughts, Jiu Yue leads Su Tingyun deeper into the Holy Temple, heading directly toward the Ice Cavern. The Six Beast Kings, unable to follow, remain behind, their faces dark with frustration. The Tiger Beast King grumbles, "I’ll wait here. The Beast Saint will surely stand up for us."

"Then you can wait here," Jiu Yue responds, gesturing for Su Tingyun to continue following her while the other Beast Kings watch them depart, all the while simmering with resentment.

"What if we can’t retrieve the sacred fruit?"

"What else can we do? At least no one got it, so it’s fair."

"You’re happy because you came in last. We tigers won first place!" the Tiger Beast King roars.

"So what? The Holy Temple won’t tolerate your noisy outbursts."

...

The Six Beast Kings continue to bicker as Su Tingyun, holding Big Bai, walks further away.

"The Beast Saint is in seclusion, cultivating in the Ice Cavern," Jiu Yue whispers as she leads Su Tingyun through the temple to a cliffside. A towering tree grows at the edge of the cliff, not as grand as the Kunlun Divine Tree but still tall and majestic, covering half the cliff face.

There is a mechanical lift attached to the tree, a wooden platform tightly wrapped in vines, resembling a basket suspended in mid-air.

"The Ice Cavern is where the Beast Saint cultivates. Other than myself, no beast is allowed to disturb them. This mechanism is the only way to reach the Ice Cavern," Jiu Yue explains as she boards the lift with Su Tingyun.

"Even if you fall straight down the cliff, you won’t enter the Ice Cavern. Instead, you’ll end up as a meal for the beasts below."

Almost an hour has passed by this point, and Big Bai’s body is growing increasingly hot. The leaves on Little Bai are starting to curl, as if scorched, and yellowing in the center, causing Su Tingyun’s anxiety to grow. She presses her lips together, her eyes darting around as she becomes more and more uneasy.

As the lift dangles in mid-air, a massive shadow suddenly rises from the bottom of the cliff, so large it seems to engulf the entire cliff face.

Su Tingyun, focused on Big Bai and Little Bai’s safety, barely pays attention to the shadow, remaining calm despite the immense pressure.

"That’s the Beiming Kunpeng," Jiu Yue sighs. "The number of Great Beasts at the bottom of this cliff is countless. A single misstep and you’ll be devoured."

"Hmph," Su Tingyun snorts with disdain.

Jiu Yue chuckles, "Of course, with your cultivation, you have nothing to fear."

She’s been testing Su Tingyun all along, and now she’s certain this is no paper tiger. Bringing this great Beast to the Ice Cavern without permission should not bring her any blame from the Beast Saint.

As they reach the bottom of the cliff, a cold wind rises, sending a chill through Jiu Yue’s body, but Su Tingyun feels nothing. Though her soul can sense the cold, her body doesn’t feel even a hint of chill. Instead, a mist forms around Big Bai and Little Bai as the clash of heat and cold creates a layer of condensation.

Su Tingyun had felt no discomfort from the poison in Guanding Mountain, and now, the cold of the Ice Cavern doesn’t faze her either. This further astonishes Jiu Yue, who becomes even more cautious.

Jiu Yue glances at the little Beast in Su Tingyun’s arms and breathes a sigh of relief, "It seems the Ice Cavern is helping; her body temperature has slightly decreased."

Su Tingyun maintains her aloof demeanor, giving only a slight nod, remaining silent.

Who knows if the Beast Saint will be easy to fool…

If it were easy to fool, Xuanyuan Wentian wouldn’t be hiding. Isn’t he supposed to be some ancient Demon Lord? He was so arrogant back in the valley—where’s his pride now?

At the bottom of the cliff, Su Tingyun discovers an icy river. The river’s surface is smooth like a mirror, occasionally reflecting the shadow of a creature flying overhead from the cliff above.

As they move forward, the aura of the Beast Saint becomes increasingly pronounced. Xuanyuan Wentian starts muttering, "I’ve never been to this realm before. I didn’t expect such a powerful beast to exist here."

"Could it be that the strength of this realm rivals that of the True Immortal Realm? That great beast is already in the late stages of the Nine Heavens Supreme, not far from achieving godhood."

If he hadn’t endured an additional three thousand years in the mortal world, weakening his soul under the rules of the Heavenly Dao, Xuanyuan Wentian would never have feared this Beast Saint. But now, he opts to stay low, safely hiding within Su Tingyun's spatial ring, confident that the Beast Saint would never detect him.

He’s curious to see how this creature cultivates and why this realm is so isolated from the other three thousand realms. Despite its strength, why has it completely sealed itself off?

At the end of the icy river lies an ice cavern. The cold air rushes forward, causing frost to form around Big Bai, stabilizing its primordial spirit and easing Su Tingyun’s anxiety. Just then, a hoarse, deep voice echoes from within the cavern, "Jiu Yue, you’ve arrived."