Chapter 239 Failed to resolve? The Snow Empress appears!
Huo Yuhao's forehead hit the rock with a dull thud.
He didn't stop.
The second time, the third time, the fourth time.
Each time, the impact was severe, breaking the skin on his forehead and causing blood to seep out, leaving a faint red mark on the grayish-white rock.
He moved quickly, as if he was afraid that he would lose his courage if he slowed down, or as if he didn't know what else he could do besides kowtowing.
The chains had all been removed, and his body was no longer restrained.
But he didn't stand up; he just knelt there, kowtowing repeatedly.
Long Aotian stood at the very back of the group, watching this scene with his brows furrowed.
His hands hung down by his sides, clenched into fists, then relaxed, then clenched again.
He turned his head away, not wanting to look anymore.
"This man has lost all dignity as a man and a strong person."
Long Aotian's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the quiet space could hear it clearly.
Poison Immortal stood on the other side of the pool, his arms crossed over his chest.
His expression didn't change much, but the corners of his mouth turned down slightly.
He watched Huo Yuhao's retreating figure as he kowtowed, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke, his tone carrying an indescribable disappointment.
"He's gotten himself into this state for a woman. If Wang Dong'er asked him to die, wouldn't he jump without hesitation?"
No one answered him.
Long Aotian remained silent, as did Liu Yuan.
The fragrant fairy plant huddled in a crevice in the rock, its petals closed, motionless.
The fiery apricot tree also shrank to another direction, its bright red leaves pressed against the ground, trying to minimize its presence.
Huo Yuhao was still kowtowing.
His movements have started to slow down, not because he doesn't want to go faster, but because he can't keep up with his stamina.
Blood loss made his face as white as paper, and blisters formed on the burns, which then burst, oozing clear liquid.
His forehead was covered in blood, which streamed down his nose, dripping onto the rocks and the back of his hands.
But he kept repeating the same sentence.
"Please, help me. Please, help me."
His voice was hoarse and intermittent, like a broken bellows blowing air.
Liu Yuan stood in front of him, looking down at him.
The purple-gold light in his three pupils had diminished considerably, but the light deep within them had not been extinguished.
His expression showed no anger, no sympathy, and no impatience.
There was only a faint, hidden complexity in his eyes.
He had mixed feelings.
As he watched Huo Yuhao kneeling on the ground and kowtowing, the scene of his first meeting with Huo Yuhao flashed through his mind.
In the Star Dou Great Forest, by the campfire, the aroma of roasted fish filled the air. A young man sat by the fire, his clothes shabby, but his eyes shone with light. He invited Huo Yuhao to the Body Sect, telling him that there he would not be looked down upon or treated as trash.
Huo Yuhao refused.
Liu Yuan respected his choice at the time.
But what about now?
Looking at the person in front of him with a bruised forehead, blood streaming down his face, and only able to repeat "help me," Liu Yuan couldn't tell whether he felt disappointed or something else.
If Huo Yuhao had listened to him back then and gone to the Body Sect together, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out this way? Perhaps he would still be that boy with light in his eyes, instead of the way he is now.
Liu Yuan looked at it for a few seconds, then spoke.
"stand up."
Huo Yuhao didn't stop. He bumped his head again, his forehead hitting the rock with a muffled sound.
"Please, please help me."
Liu Yuan raised his voice slightly, carrying an undeniable coldness.
"I said, get up."
Huo Yuhao's body stiffened for a moment.
He slowly raised his head and looked at Liu Yuan. Blood was flowing down his forehead, blurring his left eye, but he didn't bother to wipe it away.
His lips were trembling, but he finally stopped talking.
Liu Yuan looked at him, his tone flat and devoid of emotion.
I'm helping you, not because you begged me.
He paused, glanced at the blood on Huo Yuhao's forehead, then at the wound on his chest, and then continued.
"To be honest, I look down on your spineless behavior. No matter how many times you beg me, I won't help you. I'm only helping you because Old Master Yi spoke well of you."
Huo Yuhao's lips moved slightly; he seemed to want to say something, but no sound came out. His gaze shifted from Liu Yuan's face to the faint gray shadow behind Liu Yuan.
Electrolux's silhouette was faint, but its outline was clear.
He didn't look at Huo Yuhao, but turned his face slightly to the side, as if he was looking elsewhere, or as if he was avoiding something.
Huo Yuhao lowered his head and said nothing more.
Liu Yuan turned around and looked at the Poison Undying on the other side of the pool.
"Teacher, please try to help."
Poison Undying lowered his arms and strode over. His steps were slow, but each one was firm and steady.
He walked to the edge of the pool, squatted down, and looked at the love-sick grass that was submerged in the hot spring.
The dark red leaves were frozen solid, spring water flowed past them, and steam rose, but the ice showed no signs of melting.
Poison Undying stretched out his hand, palm down, toward the frozen plant.
Emerald green soul power surged from his palm, not dissipating but condensing into a thin beam of light that precisely covered the Love-Sickness Heartbreak Grass.
His soul power is biased towards poison. Poison itself is not a means of thawing, but his soul power contains an extremely high energy density.
High temperatures can melt ice, and when the energy density is high enough, a similar effect can be produced.
He enveloped the ice with his soul power, attempting to shatter it with an energy impact.
The ice trembled.
A fine crack appeared on the surface, extending from the edge of the leaf to the flower stem.
Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up.
However, the crack did not continue to expand.
The crack lingered on the ice surface for a moment, then slowly closed up, as if it had a life of its own and grew back.
Poison Undying frowned slightly.
He doubled his soul power output, making the emerald green beam of light even brighter, and the energy impact covering the ice layer became more concentrated. The ice layer began to emit faint sounds, as if something was shattering inside.
But the ice did not melt.
The cracking sounds lasted for a few seconds, then stopped.
The ice surface had developed several cracks, but none of them were penetrating, and none allowed the spring water to seep in. The cracks remained on the ice for less than ten seconds before slowly closing up again.
Poison Undying withdrew his hand and stood up. His expression didn't change much, but his brows were still furrowed.
"No," he said decisively. "This ice isn't ordinary ice. It's mixed with something else, and my soul power can't penetrate it. If I force it, I'll shatter the grass along with it."
Huo Yuhao's face turned pale.
It wasn't the pale white from blood loss, but a despairing gray-white that welled up from the depths of his heart. His lips trembled, and his body swayed, almost causing him to lose his footing.
"How could this be..." His voice was very low, almost inaudible, "Even the Poison Sect Master couldn't do anything..."
Liu Yuan glanced at him, his tone flat.
"What's the rush? I still have other methods."
He turned around, facing the pool, and closed his eyes.
A ball of light was gathering between his brows; it wasn't a purplish-gold color, but a pure white, without any impurities. The light grew brighter and brighter, spreading out from between his brows and coalescing into a human figure in front of him.
The figure of Xue Di emerged from the light.
She wore a long white dress, and her hair was also white, reaching her waist. Her skin was very white, not a sickly white, but a lustrous white, like that formed from frozen snow.
Her features were delicate, but her expression was cold—not intentionally cold, but a kind of indifference that came from her very bones, the kind that only someone accustomed to the cold would have.
She stood by the pool, her gaze sweeping over her surroundings.
He glanced at Du Busi first, then at Long Aotian, and finally at Huo Yuhao. He paused on Huo Yuhao for a moment, then looked away, focusing on the frozen Lovesick Heartbreak Grass in the pool.
"Snow Emperor," Liu Yuan spoke, his voice soft but clear, "You are most skilled with ice and snow. This ice is not ordinary ice; it contains other things. Try to melt it."
(End of chapter)