FRGNM -Chapter 269 The Spirit of Heaven and Earth

The boundless green grass sprouted wildly. The herders still on the plains were overjoyed—grass meant their cattle and sheep could eat and grow fat, and their lives would improve!

But the grass continued to grow. It soon towered over human heads, stretching skyward. The dense blades eventually formed a suffocating cage—there was no way to part them; anyone caught inside was trapped.

“The Snow Goddess has left… we’re doomed!” Kodak’s face had gone pale. Seeing the figure disappear, his heart skipped a beat. The lake churned violently, water shooting up into the sky, blinding anyone who looked.

Massive waves swept across the land, flooding the plains. Lightning struck continuously, dark clouds pressed down, and thunder exploded around them. Torrential rain poured from the sky.

The rainfall nourished the grass, which grew even more uncontrollably. Individual blades sprouted so fast and large that they resembled massive leaves, enveloping everyone within.

“My heavens!” Maya shivered as the trees around her grew taller, reaching for the sky. She watched in horror as the floodwaters surged, sweeping away the cattle and sheep, which struggled in vain, only to be carried away by the torrent.

“What’s going on?” Ling Ruoxi leapt onto a tree trunk, surveying the chaos. This was far from what she had expected. Even she didn’t know why events had turned so wildly.

Someone reached out and scooped her into their arms. “We shouldn’t stay here. Let’s leave first. I’ll explain everything later,” they said quietly.

Seeing the people trapped in the flood, the four figures descended rapidly, rescuing them and bringing them to the trees. Their speed was extraordinary, but the flood moved faster. With the vast plains, each wave claimed countless lives.

Screams echoed endlessly across the plains.

The storm clouds slowly dispersed, and a single beam of sunlight illuminated the rain-drenched, pitted ground. Green grass covered the land, but amidst it were countless drowned cattle and sheep, and even people entangled and killed by the grass—so many dead that it was heartbreaking.

“You… you’ve gone too far! If I had known, I wouldn’t have saved you. Look at what you’ve done!”
“You can’t judge by appearances; they only came to spy on our treasures!”
“‘Lost on the plains’? Lies! People like them deserve to be eaten alive!”

Angry voices rang out, and those around could barely contain their rage, wanting to kill the four intruders. Their fear and hatred mirrored what Ling Ruoxi had seen in her dreams: a thousand years ago, humans had pressured Xue in exactly this way.

Ling Ruoxi smiled bitterly. She now understood Xue’s words. Humans were selfish and fearful by nature. They drove away threats instead of solving problems rationally.

“Enough!” Kodak shouted, clenching his fists. “Now isn’t the time to argue. The priority is to find the Snow Goddess and bring her back! The flood may turn into drought at any moment. You—leave. You’re not from these plains!”

“But all this is our fault, isn’t it? We have responsibility too,” Ling Ruoxi said, raising an eyebrow. She didn’t know that removing the purple bamboo had broken Xue’s formation. With the core removed, Xue could emerge.

Xue had sealed herself, expecting to be rescued by the man from before—but instead, his daughter had come. Even the kindest person would feel some resentment. And her father had been reckless, leaving even the Demon-Slaying Zither to be taken by a beast. Truly maddening.

“What can you do here? You’d only die! And the Snow Goddess herself is missing. We must go find her!” Kodak grabbed his hair in frustration.

Silver Wolf hung his head, dragging a hand across his chin. “It’s strange… that Xue carries no human aura, nor the aura of a beast. She is neither human nor beast. What… is she?”

Ling Ruoxi paused. Indeed, Xue felt off—something she couldn’t articulate until Silver Wolf pointed it out. She lacked the essence of life.

She was like ice, devoid of any life force—neither vitality nor death emanated from her. Yet she could play the Demon-Slaying Zither.

“She’s a spiritual entity,” Luo Mingyu said, his deep eyes scanning the group. “A human body cannot survive a thousand years, be sealed for a millennium, and remain intact—except through cultivation. From the start, her aura was cold. She could vanish before our eyes. And if she’s unworthy to be with her master, that confirms it.”

Luo Mingyu extended his right hand. A pulse of purple Dou Qi wrapped the white light, which struggled to break free but could not.

“You… you’re a Dou Qi practitioner!” Kodak’s face changed drastically. The person they had once hosted was a Dou Qi practitioner? How could this be?

The figure in blue nodded apologetically. “We never intended to deceive you, but now there’s no reason to hide. The white light is part of Xue’s spiritual form. Infusing it with Dou Qi reveals her exact location.”

“Exactly.” With a wave of his hand, the white light shot forward. The four figures rose rapidly, heading toward the plains.

Maya was speechless. A thousand years ago, the Dou Qi practitioner’s presence had destroyed their homeland. And now, the same had happened again.

“Maya, don’t overthink it. They didn’t mean it,” Kodak said, gritting his teeth. “They could have left but stayed for us. We, as the Snow Goddess’ people, should work together. Follow me. Pull out this cursed grass. See if anyone survived. Gather the living cattle and sheep…”

Few behind him listened. Kodak’s face darkened further. Letting go of Maya’s hand, he grabbed his greatsword and stepped forward, determined to search for any survivors.

“I’ll help you, Kodak!” Maya steadied herself, drawing a small knife and stepping into the dense grass.

Whoosh! The four figures shot forward like lightning, and the white light disappeared in an instant.

Far across the plains, the thousand-mile ice mountain loomed. Inside its snow-covered caves, icicles formed continuously. The figure sitting cross-legged on the icy bed slowly opened her eyes. Her body remained icy, her skin delicate like snow, and a trace of confusion lingered in her gaze.

“What are you doing here? Your goal is the purple bamboo. There’s no need to stay. Please leave,” she said.

“Yes, our goal is the purple bamboo. But have you considered the herders? I saw you a thousand years ago, entering the lake and turning into a statue to resist the calamity. Now, you hide in your ice cave, ignoring the lives of others?” Ling Ruoxi said coldly, her eyes sharp.

Xue smiled faintly, rising slowly. “Don’t you think you’re meddling too much? If it were your father, he would have left without a word. You, as his daughter, are far less efficient.”

“You—” Ling Ruoxi’s face darkened. She had never met her father and didn’t know his methods. She thought he would have stayed.

Seeing her thoughts, Xue chuckled softly. “You really are difficult. Your father left directly, but left a way to save them—me, as the statue you see.”

“Then why wait? Transform back into the statue now!” Silver Wolf frowned, impatient at her rambling.

Xue laughed lightly. “It’s not that simple. You think transforming into a statue is that easy?”

“What do you mean?” The blue-clad figure furrowed his brow, realization dawning. “You mean… you need the purple bamboo to become the statue?”

A thunderclap seemed to strike Ling Ruoxi. Of course—the bamboo at the statue’s feet was the key. But she had to keep it. Otherwise, she could never learn about her father’s fate.

Xue nodded, smiling. “Yes, the purple bamboo. But you said you wanted it to find him. I don’t intend to take it back. I hope you’ll tell me what you learn, so I can see him.”

“No! Without the purple bamboo, you can’t suppress the energy here. You…” Silver Wolf frowned. “Then… you’d watch your people die? Xue, you’re not heartless. There has to be a way, right?”