Chapter 188

Ye Xi'an's steps halted; years of reading novels told her she couldn't go any further.

Such a shady place would definitely have some mishap, and it would be the most terrifying mishap in this instance.

So she closed her eyes to sense, but found it pitch black inside; her spiritual power saw nothing, apparently no trace of any life.

She tugged Bao Jing's sleeve, her face a little pale: "Let's just go out; there's no need to delve into such a dangerous place, the darkness inside is frightening."

Bao Jing patted Ye Xi'an's hand, comforting her: "Alright, if An'an says we shouldn't go, then we won't."

The few of them retreated from the cavern and returned to the beastfolk crowd.

They stood on the snow.

The faint light at the cave entrance stung the eyes, and the oncoming wind was no longer the bone‑freezing chill but carried a hint of moisture.

With each step, the ice beneath emitted a light "crack" sound, no longer solid.

Ye Xi'an instinctively looked down and saw a fine stream flowing beneath the ice; the color was no longer pure icy white, but tinged with the dark soil underneath.

"The temperature seems a bit higher now," she thought.

Bao Jing's voice was cool; he reached out to catch the droplets falling from the rock wall, and the droplets were not cold.

Ye Xi'an hummed and looked around.

Within her line of sight, the once‑thick ice and snow that covered everything had visibly thinned.

Some low‑lying spots had even formed small puddles, reflecting the grayish sky.

Ye Xi'an gazed at the distant snow‑capped mountains, hope flashing in her eyes: "Perhaps one day this place can truly become a second Zhu Shen Xing."

When more Zhu Shen Xing land becomes available, perhaps land trade will be permitted, and then she could have a home that truly belongs to her.

They stayed another month in this melting extreme‑cold realm.

During that month, they essentially found nothing; aside from the newly sprouted plants, only soil and snow‑melt water remained.

They also did not discover that ice‑blue plant again.

Time slipped by silently, while the environmental changes grew increasingly drastic.

The once‑indestructible ice layer had become fragile, and walking now required utmost caution to avoid stepping on overly thin spots.

Exposed black earth increased, emitting a damp, earthy scent.

The distant, continuous ice mountains no longer exuded a white chill, allowing everyone to see the full outline of the snow‑capped mountains more clearly.

One afternoon, an earth‑shaking, thunderous roar came without warning.

Boom—!!!

Everyone stared in horror toward the source of the sound.

In the far distance, a towering ice mountain cracked; massive ice blocks, like collapsing walls, surged down with tremendous force, smashing into the thawing waters below and stirring up towering waves and icy mist.

The sound seemed like some kind of signal.

After the ice mountain shattered, the land, once again quiet, burst forth with unprecedented vitality.

Plants that had previously appeared only sparsely now seemed to have been fast‑forwarded.

Tender green shoots broke through the remaining ice and wet soil at a visible speed, wildly growing upward.

In just a few days, the view was filled with vast expanses of green.

All sorts of strange, never‑seen plants spread unchecked, bearing a wild and vigorous force.

The air was filled with a strange scent of plant sap mixed with earth.

The beastfolk still in the extreme‑cold realm stared with shining eyes at the surface plants, for these were species never found on Zhu Shen Xing; the first to bring them back could surely earn the most Contribution Points.

It was Ye Xi'an's first time witnessing a war erupt between the families, and she had no idea what happened in the blink of an eye; the people before her suddenly started fighting.

Various abilities clashed, and Ye Xi'an clearly saw that while the males fought, the females frantically gathered the newly sprouted plants into a space, then abandoned the males and began retreating toward the spatial gate.

Ji Jiangci frowned at the chaotic scene: "We were a step too late."

Ye Xi'an turned her head: "You still want to fight them? Can you beat them? I see many of them are already seventh level."

Ji Jiangci was taken aback; he hadn't expected Ye Xi'an to speak so bluntly.

"Hahaha, I'm just kidding. We can't make big money, but we can still earn some small cash."

She was about to pick the grass on the ground when Lin Zhi Jing's cold, large hand suddenly seized her.

Lin Zhi Jing frowned, pushing aside a fern that had grown to his shin height; its fronds were thick, with serrated edges.

"It's growing too fast; something's off."

Gu Feng also sensed it.

This vibrant scene not only failed to reassure, but instead exuded an eerie feeling.

It seemed as if something, released together with the melting ice and snow, had been set free.

"Then I'll use my spiritual power to take a look."

Ye Xi'an was now heeding the advice; since Lin Zhi Jing said it was dangerous, she decided to be cautious.

She closed her eyes to sense the plant before her; there was no light, indicating it was just an ordinary plant.

Just as she was about to withdraw her spiritual thread, she suddenly noticed a thin layer of light clinging to the plant's leaf, shimmering faintly. What was this?

She recalled the pitch‑black cavern depths; although her spiritual power hadn't detected life, the darkness seemed to flicker with such subtle light.

Sealed by ice and snow for millions of years, there might be more than just these plants...

Crisis often hides beneath the most flourishing façade.

A faint, indistinct scent, unlike that of plants or earth, seemed to drift in the wind.

Ye Xi'an felt a slight chill run down her spine.

At that moment, Yi Yang's cheerful voice rang out: "Honey! A flower has bloomed here!"

He plucked it and brought it before Ye Xi'an.

Ye Xi'an's pupils narrowed, for she saw the lights, upon touching Yi Yang's hand, seem to come alive and begin climbing upward along his hand.

Yi Yang! Throw it away!

Yi Yang was startled and immediately threw it away.

He widened his fearful eyes, staring blankly at Ye Xi'an: "What's wrong, wife?"