The farther one ventured north in the Rootless Secret Realm, the colder it became.
What was once a thriving summer scene—lush plants, abundant wildlife, and an air of vitality—gradually gave way to desolation.
In the Rootless Secret Realm, seasons didn’t change with time but with space. As one headed north, the temperature began to drop. At first, a thin layer of frost coated the grass and trees.
But the farther north one traveled, the thicker the frost became.
Eventually, it turned into full-blown snow. A light snowfall blanketed everything in sight, forming layer upon layer of white.
And as one pressed on, the wind and snow grew harsher.
Near the vicinity of Bilong Lake—
A deafening explosion shattered the stillness of the icy landscape.
Another woman, tall and fierce, lowered her long leg after delivering the deadly kick. She exhaled a puff of hot breath into the freezing air and glanced disdainfully at the dead demon cultivators she had just dispatched.
But the next moment, a figure burst forth from the snow. Wielding a broad blade, the figure aimed a heavy strike at the back of the woman’s head!
Just as the woman was about to turn and deliver a punch—
A bagua array lit up beneath the attacker’s feet.
With a thunderous blast, the attacker was instantly obliterated, body and soul.
“Miss Wu, you’ve spent so much time fighting on the battlefield. How are you still this careless?”
A gentle voice rang out as a young woman in a daoist robe emerged, smiling warmly.
Before the words even finished, Wu Yanhan swung her fist at the smiling girl’s head.
The young woman didn’t dodge, and the punch brushed past her face.
Instead, a dark shadow behind her was sent flying, carving a long trench in the snowy ground.
“Miss Qin, you’re the careless one. After all you’ve been through so much with the Tianxuan Sect, you should know better by now. Especially here, in the Rootless Secret Realm—how can you afford to let your guard down?”
Wu Yanhan lowered her fists, her expression calm as she looked at Qin Qingwan.
Qin Qingwan, still smiling, said nothing.
The two women stared at each other. Though their demeanor seemed friendly, the tension between them was palpable, like a drawn sword ready to strike.
Both snorted softly, turned their heads away, and continued walking toward Bilong Lake.
The snowy ground bore the delicate imprints of their embroidered shoes.
In the past few days since entering the Rootless Secret Realm, Wu Yanhan had lost track of how many people she’d killed.
By her estimation, the number wasn’t in the dozens but likely in the hundreds. Most of them were demon cultivators who foolishly got in her way.
Wu Yanhan knew that Xu Ming had gone to Blood Bodhi Mountain for the main Blood Bodhi fruit, likely for Qin Qingwan’s sake.
Though a flicker of displeasure lingered in her heart, Wu Yanhan had still wanted to head to Blood Bodhi Mountain to help Xu Ming.
But the distance from her location in the Rootless Secret Realm to Blood Bodhi Mountain was simply too great.
By the time Wu Yanhan arrived, everything was over—nothing was left.
The only thing she gained from the trip was encountering Qin Qingwan.
Qin Qingwan, having been separated from her sect companions, had also made her way to Blood Bodhi Mountain, only to find it completely barren.
Though Wu Yanhan and Qin Qingwan weren’t exactly on friendly terms—perhaps even adversaries in some ways—the two maintained a cordial front, each wanting to appear magnanimous rather than petty.
And so, they ended up traveling together, if only to have someone to watch their back.
Wu Yanhan and Qin Qingwan wandered aimlessly like headless flies, eventually stumbling into the desert of the Rootless Secret Realm.
In that vast, barren expanse, Qin Qingwan acquired an Earth Spirit Pearl—a treasure of half-immortal grade, highly beneficial for dao cultivators practicing the Five Elements.
Meanwhile, Wu Yanhan obtained a set of golden armor, also a half-immortal treasure. This golden armor could adapt to its wearer’s physique and proportions.
When Wu Yanhan donned the armor, her heroic aura became even more striking. Even Qin Qingwan couldn’t help but blink in admiration, thinking to herself that it was no wonder Xu Ming would feel a bit flustered in the presence of this princess.
Wu Yanhan, too, felt that the golden armor suited her perfectly.
After leaving the desert, the two initially planned to visit the Samadhi Cave, only to hear that it had collapsed.
Unsurprisingly, this meant the treasures of the Samadhi Cave had already been claimed.
That left only one location—Bilong Lake.
If Xu Ming were here, he would undoubtedly have heard about how the desert’s treasures had already been looted and would head toward Bilong Lake next.
The same logic applied to most of the other cultivators.
Of the four major treasure sites in the Rootless Secret Realm, three had already been cleared out, leaving only Bilong Lake. As a result, nearly every cultivator was making their way there.
Thus, Wu Yanhan and Qin Qingwan headed toward Bilong Lake as well, killing enemies along the way as they closed the distance.
“I wonder how that guy is doing,” Qin Qingwan muttered, looking up at the sky, her eyes filled with worry.
She had heard that the main fruit of the Blood Bodhi had been taken by a sword cultivator who fought his way through a crowd to escape. Qin Qingwan suspected this sword cultivator was Xu Ming.
Following that, she heard that more and more cultivators were hunting Xu Ming but that none of them had succeeded.
Though she had confidence in Xu Ming’s strength, she couldn’t help but feel anxious about his safety.
“Don’t worry,” Wu Yanhan said calmly. “I’ve been with that guy since we were kids. He’s not someone who dies easily.”
Qin Qingwan smiled gently, her eyes curving with a trace of mischief. “Of course I have faith in my Brother Ming. Princess, you may have met him during your time in the Blood Asura Battalion, but we’ve been together since birth.”
Wu Yanhan let out a cold laugh. “That was a long time ago. You left Xu Ming when you were six years old. I wouldn’t say you know him that well. In comparison, after you left, I trained with him and fought side by side with him.”
Qin Qingwan’s smile remained as serene as ever. “Even so, I still believe I understand him better than the princess.”
The air grew heavier as the tension between the two women escalated, though both kept their composure.