Chapter 131

The four followed the wolf clan patrol across the vast snowy plain, each step sinking deep into the snow. Ling Xiao's consciousness drifted between blur and clarity, feeling Shi Ran's supporting hand grip him with unusual force, as if loosening it would plunge him into an endless abyss.

The wolf clan outpost stood in a leeward mountain hollow, built of rough boulders, its watchtower capped with thick ice. The lead wolf clan warrior raised his head and let out a long howl; the stone gate slowly opened, and a warm breath mixed with the scent of pelts and roasted meat washed over them.

"This is Manager Ji's bone token," the outpost commander Lang Bin inspected the token Wei Yuzhu handed over, his gaze sweeping over the four. "Someone of the Third Prince?" His eyes lingered on the hilt of Ling Xiao's sword; the faint annihilation sword qi made his expression turn respectful. "Please tend your wounds at the outpost first; I will report to the Holy City as soon as possible."

The outpost's layout was simple but sturdy, a central fire pit flickering with crimson flames, walls hung with ice plain beast pelts and various weapons. The wolf clan warriors curiously sized up this battered group of humans and monsters, whispering about who they could be to have survived the depths of the Nine Abyssal Cold Abyss.

They got a brief respite, but the danger was far from over.

Ling Xiao's wounds were the most troublesome. He had forcibly merged the three's spiritual power and overdrawn his origin, his meridians broken in multiple places; the lingering extreme cold kept eroding his heart vessels. After taking the Blazing Yang Pill provided by the wolf clan, he vomited blood again, dark and congealed. Shi Ran insisted on staying by his side, using her unique abyssal demonic power to slowly draw out his stubborn cold poison. Seeing this, the wolf clan healer could only shake his head and withdraw, warning that under no circumstances should they use spiritual power again.

Luo Changfeng and Wei Yuzhu's injuries were lighter, mainly exhausted spiritual power and surface frostbite. With medicine and breath regulation, their complexion gradually returned to a healthy hue. Luo Changfeng took charge of communicating with the wolf clan, while Wei Yuzhu carefully guarded the jade box holding the "Azure Water Tide Moon," knowing it was the hope to save the prince and Shi Ran.

Yet Shi Ran's condition quietly changed. While treating Ling Xiao's wounds, the red thread on her wrist did not fade; instead it grew brighter, even wandering like a living thing beneath her layers of clothing.

The most terrifying part was that each time she circulated her demonic power, she felt an unprecedented hunger, an almost uncontrollable craving for the vital blood of living beings. Once, while drawing out Ling Xiao's cold toxin, she unconsciously absorbed a wisp of his scattered life essence, frightening her so that she instantly gathered her mind and broke out in a cold sweat behind her back.

"What's wrong with me?" Late at night, Shi Ran sat alone in the outpost corner, watching the black-gold demonic power coiled around her fingertips, now tinged with a scarlet strand, her heart filled with fear and confusion. "Is this world… really just a 'paper sheet' as they told me? The pain here, my master's blood—why does it all feel so real……"

On the third day at dusk, the outpost stone gate opened again; the expected Holy City reinforcements did not arrive, but a dust‑laden troop of Silver Wolf Cavalry came. Their armor was exquisite, their expressions cold and arrogant, starkly different from the outpost's rough warriors.

"I am Vice Commander Yin Che of the Silver Wolf Guard," the leader declared, flashing a token. His sharp gaze swept over Ling Xiao and the others. "By order of the Mirage Demon General Piao Nie, I have come specially to escort the esteemed guest bearing Manager Ji's bone token." Though his words were polite, his eyes held no respect, only scrutiny and suspicion.

Commander Lang Bin frowned: "Sir Yin Che, I have already reported this directly to the Holy City. By protocol, the Holy City or… the Third Prince's mansion should send someone to handle this."

Yin Che gave a cold laugh: "The Holy City is far away; General Piao Nie concerns himself with the guest's safety, so he ordered us to provide nearby escort. Commander Lang Bin, are you going to defy General Piao Nie's command?" A few Silver Wolf Guard behind him casually rested their hands on their hilts, and the tension spiked instantly.

Luo Changfeng and Wei Yuzhu exchanged a wary glance. "The Mirage Demon General Piao Nie?" Ling Xiao had once hinted at him—this commander stands above ten thousand, below only one, and aside from the Demon Emperor Yun Ting Cang, no one can command him.

Shi Ran, who had been silent, suddenly lifted her head; the red thread on her wrist warmed slightly beneath her sleeve, a strong sense of loathing and danger rising in her heart. She furtively tugged Luo Changfeng's sleeve, shaking her head ever so slightly.

Luo Changfeng understood, stepped forward and bowed with clasped hands: "Thank you for your kindness, Vice Commander Yin Che. However, Master Ling Xiao's injuries are too severe to withstand travel; we have been healing here in peace and cannot move. It would be better to wait here for news from the Holy City."

Yin Che's eyes hardened: "That may not be up to you!" Before he finished speaking, he lunged forward, grabbing at the apparently weakest Ling Xiao, intending to seize him by force.

"Impudent!" Commander Lang Bin roared, throwing a punch; a wolf‑shaped qi blast surged straight at Yin Che.

Almost simultaneously, a black‑gold streak arrived ahead of the rest—Shi Ran burst forth with speed far beyond expectation, her body shrouded in a mist threaded with scarlet, and she struck Yin Che's wrist with a palm. The devouring and corrosive force made him recoil in shock.

"Abyssal demonic power?! You're actually a demon clan member!" Yin Che stared, doubt turning to killing intent in an instant. "Colluding with the demon clan, endangering the demon realm—kill without mercy!"

The Silver Wolf Guard drew their blades in an instant, and the outpost's wolf clan warriors likewise took up arms; the hall instantly bristled with drawn swords and nocked arrows.

Just as the melee was about to erupt, a calm yet supremely majestic voice rang clearly in every creature's ear:

"The Demon Emperor's order is here—who dares to act rashly?"

Space seemed to freeze; a vast imperial pressure weighed down on all. A Xuan Bird token hovered in mid‑air, emitting a faint white light! Ling Xiao, who had somehow forced himself upright, gripped that black token in his hand—though his face was as pale as paper, his eyes were sharp as a sword, fixed on Yin Che.

"The Mirage Demon General's… hand reaches too far."

Yin Che and his subordinates, upon seeing the Demon Emperor's token, felt as if an invisible mountain pressed down on them; their faces paled, their bodies trembled, and they involuntarily dropped to their knees, unable to muster even a hint of resistance.

The disturbance was temporarily suppressed by the Demon Emperor's order.

After this incident, the outpost was no longer safe. Commander Lang Bin increased his personal guards and again sent an urgent secret report to the Holy City.

After Ling Xiao put away the token, he slipped back into unconsciousness. Shi Ran kept watch, her heart tumultuous. "Master actually possesses a Demon Emperor's token? What connection does he have with the demon clan?" She rubbed her forehead, "One thing after another—I'm really getting tired!" She felt the complexity and depth of this "paper‑sheet world" far exceeded her imagination.

In the deep night, all was quiet; Shi Ran gazed at Ling Xiao's furrowed brow even in sleep, the red thread on her wrist faintly warming. She sensed an icy, powerful consciousness, apparently stirred by the Demon Emperor's token or the earlier clash, reaching across endless space, faintly directed toward this place.

She lightly took Ling Xiao's icy hand and whispered, as if asking him and herself at once:

"Master, this red thread… where are you trying to lead me again?"

Undercurrents of the snowy‑plain outpost and the feelings of the red thread.

Shi Ran's bizarre red thread, like a living creature, wandered her wrist; each time she drew out Ling Xiao's cold toxin, her craving for living beings' vital blood intensified a notch; meanwhile, Ling Xiao's unconscious murmurs in his coma only deepened the bond between them.

Inside the outpost stone chamber, firelight flickered unpredictably, casting Ling Xiao's pallid face. Shi Ran carefully condensed her black‑gold demonic power at her fingertips and lightly tapped his chest, feeling the piercing cold seep away strand by strand. Whenever this happened, the red thread on her wrist surged like an awakening snake, a heart‑pounding longing rising with it.

"Eh…" Ling Xiao, in his coma, knitted his brows, unconsciously turned his face to press against her cool palm, as if drawing that faint warmth. Shi Ran's heart leapt; she tried to pull her hand back, but heard his muddled muttering.

"Don't go…"

Shi Ran's motion froze. She stared at her master's vulnerability, never shown before, and the softest part of her heart was gently touched. Days of sharing life and death, depending on each other, had quietly grown into feelings beyond master and disciple.

"Master," she replied softly, her voice as light as a sigh, "I won't leave."

The instant her words fell, the red thread on her wrist flared hot, a devouring desire far stronger than before sweeping over her. The faint life essence Ling Xiao leaked from his pain became, in her perception, an irresistible temptation. Her fingers curled involuntarily, the scarlet gleam at her fingertips flickering, almost touching his skin.

"No!" Shi Ran bit her lower lip hard; the sharp pain let her momentarily regain control of her body. She panted, retreating in disarray a few steps until her back struck the cold stone wall and she stopped.

Cold sweat soaked her inner garments.

What on earth is this? Fear wrapped around her heart like vines. She feared this strange change, and more so that she might one day lose control and harm the very person she least wishes to hurt.

The outpost was not quiet even at night. Wind moaned outside the window; occasionally came the faint clink of wolf clan warriors' armor as they patrolled, and far off could be heard the low, resentful growl of the temporarily detained Silver Wolf Guard.

Commander Lang Bin increased the guards, yet everyone inside the stone chamber knew the true threat was not external, but the icy consciousness awakened by the Demon Emperor's token, projected from afar to watch them.

Luo Changfeng finished his breath regulation, walked to the fire pit and added a stick of firewood, then lowered his voice to Wei Yuzhu: "Master's Demon Emperor's token is no trivial matter. As far as I know, the Demon Emperor Yun Ting Cang, in his youthful travels abroad, exchanged magical implements with like‑minded cultivators; I suspect the Demon Emperor's token…"

Wei Yuzhu's hand paused on wiping her long sword, eyes flashing with shock: "Master actually has past ties with the Demon Emperor? This… surely not… when Yun Ting Cang traveled back then, was he the Demon Emperor?"

That question left Luo Changfeng speechless; his face grew grave. "The Silver Wolf Guard arrived too fast, and General Piao Nie's reaction is even more suspicious. It seems this place isn't safe either—anyway, since we've got what we wanted, we should leave as soon as possible…"

Their conversation, not a word missed, transmitted into Shi Ran's ears in the corner; she gently draped a thick fur cloak provided by the wolf tribe over Ling Xiao's body, and as her fingertips brushed his still icy forehead, she lingered for a moment.

Demon sovereign? Demon tribe? Cultivator? None of them are at peace; Shi Ran sat beside Ling Xiao, while her master knew nothing of this.

In the dead of night, Ling Xiao's condition suddenly worsened; the extreme cold seemed to launch a final counterattack, a thin layer of frost spreading across his eyebrows and hair tips at a speed visible to the naked eye, his breathing so faint it was almost imperceptible.

The wolf tribe's healer was helpless; the Blazing Sun Pill had no effect.

"Let me try once more." Shi Ran's voice, unusually calm from despair, "Just this once."

Luo Changfeng wanted to speak but held back, finally just giving a heavy nod: "Be careful."

Shi Ran knelt beside Ling Xiao, her hands slowly hovering above his chest; this time, she no longer tried to suppress the restless red thread, but instead guided all the black-gold demonic power, mingled with that unsettling crimson, slowly infusing it into Ling Xiao's body.

Excruciating pain struck instantly, as if her meridians were being torn apart inch by inch; she could feel the red thread greedily absorbing the cold within Ling Xiao's body, even his faint vitality, then feeding back a strange heat flow that scorched her limbs and bones.

Her consciousness began to blur, countless chaotic fragments flashing through her mind——the traffic of a modern city, the panic when she first entered the book, her master's stern profile, and an endless darkness surging with scarlet…

Just as she was about to collapse, a cold hand gently covered her trembling hand.

Shi Ran's eyes flew open, meeting Ling Xiao's gaze, which had opened at some unknown moment; those eyes remained weak, yet regained their former clarity, their depths churning with a complex emotion she had never seen before—worry, realization, and a hint… of indescribable heartache.

"Stop... Ranran." His voice was hoarse, yet with undeniable force, "You will be devoured by it!"

"Master..." All her perseverance collapsed at this moment, Shi Ran's tears instantly burst forth, "I'm scared... I can't control it..."

"I know." Ling Xiao's fingers weakly but firmly gripped her wrist, as if trying to pull her out of that evil force, "Don't be afraid."

He exerted a little force, pulling her toward himself. Shi Ran lost her balance and fell into his embrace. His embrace remained icy cold, yet it carried a scent that made her feel completely at ease.

"This red silk... originally is the Deep Abyss Demon Clan's bloodline mark... and also... a kind of ancient Gu." Ling Xiao whispered weakly in her ear, "It will be triggered by strong emotions... especially... the thought of protection... and will also amplify the host's emotions... drawing vitality from others..."

Shi Ran shuddered violently, wanting to break free: "Then I can't even..."

"Don't move." Ling Xiao stopped her, "Let me... temporarily suppress it for you."

He strained to raise his other hand, his fingertips gathering the last wisp of weak yet pure sword qi, lightly touching the scorching red silk on her wrist. This was not an attack, but an extremely exquisite sealing technique.

The icy cold of the annihilation sword intent and the surging heat flow within her body violently collided, Shi Ran couldn't help but let out a repressed moan. The process was excruciating, as if her soul were being torn apart, yet strangely it also brought a feeling of perfect intimacy.

She could clearly feel Ling Xiao's heartbeat, weak yet strong, transmitted through their pressed chests, gradually syncing with her own.

After a long while, the scorching red silk finally faded and lay dormant. That maddening hunger also receded like a tide.

Shi Ran collapsed, limp against Ling Xiao's chest, drenched in cold sweat.

"Master... how could you...?" She lifted her face, so many questions she didn't know where to begin.

Ling Xiao wearily closed his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched into a faint arc: "Some early opportunities... later... I'll tell you." He paused, then opened his eyes again, gazing deeply into hers, "Just remember... no matter what it is, it resides in your body; don't fear it, face it bravely, and you will surely overcome it!"

His gaze seemed to pierce the deepest fears and confusion in her soul: "You are also not... alone; I will always be with you."

Outside the stone chamber, wind and snow howled; inside, it seemed as if spring had returned to the earth. The firewood in the fire pit crackled, illuminating the two entwined figures, and the air was filled with an unspoken affection and tacit understanding.

Shi Ran lightly pressed her cheek against his icy chest, listening to that weak yet tenacious heartbeat, for the first time feeling that even if this world were a sheet of paper, the warmth and emotion here were real enough for her to protect with everything she had.

"Mm." She replied softly, reaching out her hand and carefully returning his embrace.

However, the brief warmth did not last long.

In the early hours, a vast and cold consciousness descended without warning, clearer and stronger than any previous time. The air inside the outpost instantly solidified, and the flames in the fire pit were pressed by an invisible force to the brink of extinction.

All the wolf clan warriors, including the Wolf Bin Commander, involuntarily dropped to their knees at that moment, as if bearing immense pressure.

Ling Xiao suddenly opened his eyes, a cold light flashing in his gaze.

The red silk on Shi Ran's wrist, which had just calmed, heated up again, even violently twitching, as if excited, yet also trembling with fear.

An indifferent, dignified voice devoid of any emotion echoed directly in the depths of everyone's minds:

"Demonic Sovereign Command... and... the aura I despise..."

"I've found you...!"