The Dual Nature of Ice and Fire, and a Crushing Embrace

Lin Mo’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets, astonishment filling them to the brim.

Around his body—densely packed, overwhelming—countless rhomboid ice crystals floated and spun, each radiating a bone-chilling, ethereal blue light.

The sight was utterly bizarre.

Each ice crystal was as perfectly formed as a sapphire carved by divine hands, crystalline and flawless.

One’s gaze could easily penetrate the frigid crystalline shell, peering directly into its core—and it was this very ‘direct gaze’ that brought Lin Mo’s heart to a standstill.

Within the core of those ethereal blue ice crystals… a single, captive flame flickered.

Yes, a flame!

An incredibly tiny, yet undeniably distinct and vibrant, golden-red wisp of fire.

Despite the ethereal blue radiating an ominous chill, the sheer weight of this cold caused the bluestone slabs beneath Lin Mo’s feet, typically caked in dust, to rapidly condense a thick layer of white frost, etched with rebellious blue patterns, at a visible pace.

It was clearly ice, yet fire burned within?

Lin Mo gazed at the ice crystals in astonishment, then, inexplicably, reached out a curious finger to touch them.

An icy cold, like a thousand silver needles, pierced his skin.

Yet, in that same instant, a wave of warmth permeated the ice crystal’s frigid exterior, reaching his fingertip, followed by a searing heat that scorched Lin Mo’s skin.

In this flash of lightning!

Lin Mo’s arms, which had been flailing wildly in extreme terror, attempting to block or dispel the ice crystals, had already moved.

He squeezed his eyes shut, almost whimpering, bracing himself for the dual agony of the ice crystals’ bone-deep chill and the flames’ searing burn.

The anticipated torment never arrived.

Instead, he was met with an extraordinarily strange and utterly fluid ‘smoothness’.

Lin Mo’s eyes snapped open!

He witnessed a sight that would forever be etched in his memory:

The hordes of ethereal blue ice crystals, which had been ferociously surging towards him, now, directly in the path of his swinging arms—responded as if the most disciplined soldiers had received a silent command!

In unison, they streaked forth, carving dazzling trails of intertwined ethereal blue and golden-red light, sweeping violently away in the direction of his arm’s motion.

Boom!!!

The ferocious torrent of ice crystals slammed into a massive temple pillar several yards away from Lin Mo.

There was no world-shattering explosion, only a dense, grating sound of “chichichi… karalala…” as the pillar was eroded and fractured, sending shivers down one’s spine.

The colossal pillar of thousand-year-old sandalwood, so hard it would take two people to encircle it, appeared as fragile as decaying wood before the ice crystal torrent that swept in like a raging gale.

It was relentlessly bombarded, savagely chiseled, and sliced by the ice crystals, which struck with the density of rain, attacking the sandalwood that had stood for countless years.

The hard, dense wooden surface was visibly riddled with countless pits and gashes, while sharp, shattered ice crystals embedded themselves within like blades.

Yet, the rampage of the ice crystals, the flying debris, and the pervading ominous chill lasted for less than a breath.

Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!

The massive pillar, visibly shrouded in an icy aura, now had countless golden flames flickering around it.

As if breaking free from a confining cage, they were no longer docile, no longer mere sparks struck from a match.

Now, they were raging infernos, like ferocious beasts, snarling and roaring.

Lin Mo could feel it, could sense the ferocity contained within those flames, and… a certain spirituality?

He had a feeling that they possessed a life force, standing now like soldiers poised for battle, awaiting Lin Mo’s final—attack command.

Lin Mo glanced at his palms, as if countless invisible threads extended from their centers.

Subconsciously, he swept his palm forward, aiming it at the sandalwood pillar.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

A series of deafening roars, more muffled than the ice crystals’ impact, yet seemingly exploding directly within the depths of his soul!

The flames, pure and scorching, as if pulsating with the rhythm of destruction, emitted a terrifying heat that instantly vaporized the lingering chill and wood shavings.

Even the air warped and shrieked, twisted by the searing heat!

And it wasn’t over!

The flames did not vanish; even as the intense heat scorched the sandalwood pillar, vaporizing many sections, the fire began to spread, tendrils of flame reaching out to connect the surrounding inferno.

Ultimately, a colossal curtain of fire formed, enveloping the entire pillar!

Then, the curtain of fire seemed to ripple, as if stirred, or perhaps, as if a gigantic heart had given a fierce beat!

Under the horrified gazes of Mu Qingli and Lin Mo—

A piercing, resonant cry, seemingly from primordial ancient times, unexpectedly erupted from the core of the pulsating fireball, soaring straight through the clouds and piercing the heavens!

The inky black night was instantly illuminated; the fiery glow, like daylight, instantly swept away all darkness and gloom from the Xuan Nv Sect!

Lin Mo stood frozen, his body trembling uncontrollably like a flickering candle in the wind.

But this time, it was not from fear!

An unprecedented, scorching torrent, threatening to burst from his chest, surged wildly up his spine, burning every inch of his nerves!

Exhilaration! Ecstasy!

It was like a beast, imprisoned for ten thousand years in endless darkness, finally glimpsing the dawn of tearing its cage apart and returning to the wilderness!

This power!

With it!

Could this damned world, which had treated him like dirt, still crush him so easily?!

Could those prisons, which had seen him as a plaything, a medicinal ingredient, an ant, still confine him forever?!

Resist! Tear apart! Burn to ashes!

A surge of ferocity and longing, stemming from the deepest recesses of his soul, suppressed for far too long, roared wildly within his chest like a volcano breaking its chains!

His breaths grew heavy and scorching; each inhale felt as though he were drawing the pillar-consuming inferno into his very lungs!

Yet—this ecstatic blaze, potent enough to incinerate all reason, burned for only an instant!

‘Though I didn’t understand what had just transpired, this power… the fact that I, a Qi Condensation cultivator, can wield such strength… it means Mu Qingli will view me with even greater importance in the future.’

‘This isn’t good. If I can use this power now, will Mu Qingli ever let me go? Will I ever have a good day again?’

‘No need to think. She’ll only watch me more closely, perhaps even chain me up and never let me out of her sight.’

‘It’s like finding gold, putting it in your pocket, and feeling like everyone wants to snatch it. Or putting it in a vault and wanting to check it eight hundred times a day, terrified it might vanish into thin air.’

In an instant, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over Lin Mo’s head, instantly rendering him sober.

The flame of hope, just ignited, was abruptly shrouded in a cold shadow!

With an almost instinctual vigilance and a desperate need for confirmation, he abruptly turned his head, his gaze like lightning, darting towards the direction of the Cold Jade Throne—

Before his vision could even focus!

A frigid yet intoxicatingly fragrant scent, mingled with a violent surge of Profound Yin cold energy, swept over him like a breached dam, instantly engulfing him!

The light before his eyes was suddenly obscured!

Two ‘presences’—astonishingly elastic and oppressive, soft yet radiating a bone-chilling cold—crashed squarely into his vision without any buffer, pressing hard against his cheeks!

The sensation… was impossibly soft, yet as icy as Profound Ice!

It was Mu Qingli!

She had lunged at him! So fast that only an afterimage remained!

“Ugh—!” Lin Mo was caught completely off guard, staggering from the immense impact.

His nostrils instantly filled with the frigid, fragrant scent, his cheeks sinking into that suffocating ‘cage’ of intertwined softness and icy cold!

Mu Qingli’s arms, like the strongest Profound Ice chains, clamped tightly around his back with a terrifying force, almost as if she intended to crush Lin Mo and embed him into her own body!

The sheer power made Lin Mo’s bones groan under the unbearable strain!

‘An embrace? This feels more like… capture! Imprisonment!’

Lin Mo could distinctly feel the cold body in his arms trembling uncontrollably!

The intensity of her tremor far surpassed the shivers he had experienced earlier from excitement!

‘I knew it! This woman definitely has ill intentions! She must want to—’

“It’s done… it’s truly done! Master… did you see it? The Bright Jade Profound Yin really can… be perfected…” A thick-nosed, almost dreamlike whisper, fragmented and broken, filtered into Lin Mo’s ears, her scorching breath fanning his neck.

Lin Mo’s tensed body paused slightly, his struggles ceasing.

It wasn’t because of the soft, fragrant presence in his arms, but because of the overflowing ecstasy and… a profound, almost sorrowful sense of relief contained within her words.

Mu Qingli held Lin Mo tightly, as if she wished to melt into him.

Then, piercingly cold liquid began to drip onto Lin Mo’s shoulder.

The Xuan Nv Sect’s uniform was thin, and it quickly soaked through to his own clothes.

“Ma… Master…?”

There was no reply, only the sound of her sobbing, tears of overwhelming joy echoing through the silent Sect Master’s residence.

There was no chirping of night insects, no whisper of the night wind, not a single sound.

Only the beating of their two hearts, Mu Qingli’s soft sobs, and… the sound of Lin Mo’s bones cracking.

“Ma… Master… your grip… it’s too strong!”

Lin Mo’s voice was quiet not out of reluctance to disturb her, but because… he was almost being crushed to death.

Then came—snap.

The crisp sound instantly cut through all other noises.

A deathly silence descended upon the grand hall!

“Lin… Lin Mo…?” Mu Qingli inquired softly.

But there was no answer, only the boy’s whimpers echoing through the silent main hall.

At that moment, Lin Mo couldn’t help but recall the complaints he’d seen while watching anime in his past life.

‘A small car driving a large one—it won’t kill you.’ (TL Note: A Chinese internet slang phrase, ‘xiǎo chē kāi dà chē,’ humorously implying a smaller person can handle a larger partner. Lin Mo’s current predicament offers a literal, painful interpretation.)

‘Initially, Lin Mo had dismissed it, believing those people simply didn’t understand the beauty of a younger person with an older one.’

‘But now… he truly felt it—the heavy price behind that ‘beauty’.’

‘If he could ever return to Blue Star, he would definitely apologize to everyone he’d argued with about it.’

‘A small car pulling a big one… the danger coefficient really is high… especially when the big car is actively doing the crashing.’