Within seconds, snow began to fall from the sky, initially fine as willow catkins, quickly transforming into goose feather-sized flakes.

So cold!

Feng Miaojun exhaled a white mist, instinctively rubbing her arms as her teeth chattered twice. As a cultivator unaffected by heat or cold, she hadn’t felt chilled for many years.

She knew this was because her soul power was depleted, making her soul form particularly vulnerable.

Yun Ya pulled her into his embrace, producing a large cloak to wrap her tightly.

His body temperature was as high as a furnace, warmth gradually seeping into her body. Soon, Feng Miaojun stopped trembling.

She caressed Yun Ya’s face and sighed: “I’m fine, don’t waste your energy.”

In truth, his complexion was also pale to the point of transparency—having endured the battle at Red Demon Mountain, then persisted so long under the black shadow monsters’ attacks, how could he not be injured?

Yun Ya planted a gentle kiss on her forehead: “It will be over soon.”

The sudden climate change in the sea of consciousness was certainly not due to his whim. At least Feng Miaojun soon could no longer hear the water sounds below.

Only flowing water makes a sound.

Before long, white vapor began rising from the cliffs surrounding the abyss, growing from faint to dense.

Right before Feng Miaojun’s eyes, the gently flowing water suddenly froze into ice, from bottom to top.

Water flowed down, again and again, and ice solidified layer upon layer.

Finally, even the waterfall above the cliff quieted once more, transforming into a magnificent ice sculpture.

The world returned to silence, with hard ice and rock once again becoming the dominant theme of this place.

Feng Miaojun peered towards the abyss: “Frozen solid?”

“Yes.”

The gap leading from the labyrinth to this place was now sealed by a layer of hard ice. The monsters’ invasion was thus blocked.

“These things, they can’t all be killed?” Given Yun Ya’s temperament, if he could exterminate them completely, he would surely show no mercy.

“They can’t be eliminated.” Yun Ya took her hand as they walked toward the small courtyard. “The trouble here has been resolved. Shall we meet outside?”

She nodded.

By now, they had returned to the courtyard. Yun Ya pointed to the light in the house: “Let’s exit from here. I’ll wait for you outside.”

This was the exit? Unexpected.

Feng Miaojun smiled—this was indeed characteristic of Yun Ya.

She took a light breath standing at the doorway before pushing it open and entering.

Inside, darkness enveloped everything.

Feng Miaojun slowly opened her eyes, feeling her eyelids heavy, her mind foggy, and her limbs weak. She wanted to turn over, but every part of her body seemed rusted.

The commands issued by her brain seemed to reach her body after several breaths of delay.

In simple terms, her current feeling was like pulling all-nighters in another world, continuously for half a month—a fate worse than death.

This was the reflection of her soul’s injuries in reality.

Fortunately, Yun Ya’s handsome face was right in front of her, less than a palm’s width away.

Looking at such a handsome man could alleviate much of her physical discomfort.

Yun Ya was staring at her intently, his face showing concern: “How are you feeling?”

“Uncomfortable.” She mumbled, discovering her voice had turned hoarse. She summoned a water mirror to look at herself: “Ah!”

Was that woman in the mirror, with sunken eye sockets and haggard features, really her?!

Feng Miaojun instinctively touched her face, quickly moving to block Yun Ya’s view: “Don’t look!”

This was her at her ugliest; she didn’t want her beloved to see!

Yun Ya smiled, pulling her hand away and kissing it: “My An’an is beautiful no matter when.”

She stared at him, suddenly throwing herself into his embrace, holding him tightly.

Yun Ya was pleasantly surprised, gently patting her back, feeling her emotional intensity.

What had happened during his unconsciousness?

“I came late.” Her voice was thin and soft, almost inaudible even to him. “I’m sorry.”

Nestled against him now, feeling his warmth, she couldn’t stop waves of self-reproach. If she hadn’t arrived before the last wave of monster attacks if his will had truly been devoured by the monsters…

The Yun Ya she knew might no longer exist.

“Why apologize?” His low chuckle came from above. “You didn’t need to come. Did Xiao Yan give you trouble?”

He knew he had been severely injured and unconscious for a long time, so Lü Ming had likely brought him back to the Wei capital. It must have been very difficult for Feng Miaojun to see him, and she probably had to pay a price.

“Him? He didn’t have the chance.” Feng Miaojun’s heart stirred, suddenly realizing that Yun Ya’s physical body had never been in mortal danger this time, so she needn’t have risked entering his sea of consciousness to save him.

As long as his heart continued beating, she wouldn’t die either.

But at that moment, she hadn’t even considered this question.

Besides, she had no regrets, not in the slightest.

Yun Ya glanced outside the room, finding that this wasn’t a place he recognized: “Where are we now?”

“Tingyuan Town, a small town on the Wei-Xia border.” Feng Miaojun yawned. “Xiao Yan is sitting outside, waiting for me to wake you up.”

“Thank you for your hard work, my lady.” He placed a kiss on her lips, showing not desire but gratitude. His condition was special, and the cultivators of Wei truly had no way to heal him.

Once she relaxed, waves of fatigue assaulted her. She had to force her eyes open to avoid falling into deep darkness: “How is your body?”

“Much better.” Yun Ya sat up slightly, allowing her to see his smooth abdomen, the last traces of his serious injuries completely gone. “The blood essence was effective.”

The blood essence taken from the Sea King Whale had repaired his life furnace, awakening the powerful vitality that he urgently needed. With his consciousness returned, his wounds would heal more than twice as fast as before.

“That’s good.” She relaxed, drowsiness surging as she couldn’t help but yawn. “Xiao Yan is outside,” she repeated.

“Sleep peacefully.” Yun Ya whispered in her ear. “I will watch over you.”

He would keep his word. Feng Miaojun closed her eyes, not forgetting to complain: “Don’t take such risks again in the future.”

“Yes, certainly.” Yun Ya promised her, but heard her voice thick with sleepiness: “Next time… might not be able… to protect you.”

Her voice grew increasingly faint, and she fell asleep before finishing her sentence.

She was truly exhausted. The battle within the sea of consciousness had consumed her soul power. For most cultivators, this was a power that couldn’t be restored through meditation. Although Feng Miaojun was skilled in soul techniques and could recover quickly, given that her soul was now severely injured, she would still need to sleep soundly for several nights to regain her strength and spirit.

In this world, perhaps only she would save and protect him again and again. Yun Ya planted a light kiss on her face, his expression gradually becoming thoughtful.

His kiss was light as goose down, unable to disturb his beloved in her deep sleep.

Once her breathing became long and even, Yun Ya rose from the bed and tucked into her blanket.

He straightened his clothes and pushed open the door to walk out. Though his face still showed some paleness, his back was straight as a pen.