Chapter 318: Night Talk

Under the cover of night, the atmosphere was extremely awkward. Lucy’s little face was red as a ripe red apple. She breathed heavily with her back turned to Rod, her expression filled with complexity—emotions too hard to describe. Her heart raced, and she could clearly hear its pounding.
A cold breeze brought a chill, prompting her to instinctively tighten her arms around herself, her expression constantly changing.
Behind her, Rod also felt awkward. Looking at Lucy, he wasn’t sure what he was feeling. Just moments ago, he had even had an impulse—to throw himself at her. What was going on?
Rod had forgotten that he was a man, a real man. All these years, he hadn’t felt anything because he had been too busy. Now that he was calm, his instincts as a man naturally surfaced.
Especially when facing a beauty like Lucy—one of the Golden Flowers of the Dark Source—her charm was undeniable. Especially after entering the Yin Yellow realm, the aura she emitted was a deadly temptation.
He had to admit that Lucy had grown up—she was now a young woman, no longer the little girl he had met first time. Rod also had to face the truth about his feelings for her—they were no longer those of a friend or siblings. Especially after spending time together day and night, their relationship had undergone subtle changes.
“Are… are you okay?” Rod asked softly after a long silence.
“I’m… I’m fine!” Hearing Rod’s words, Lucy froze for a moment before quickly responding. She turned to look at him, her face even redder.
“I’m sorry about earlier…” Thinking back to what had happened, Rod’s heart also skipped a beat.
“It’s okay. You didn’t do it on purpose. And… and I… I too…” Lucy couldn’t continue. She couldn’t blame Rod alone for what had happened—she was also at fault. If she hadn’t lost control, this wouldn’t have happened.
“It’s getting late. Let’s rest for now. We need to set off tomorrow!” Their eyes met, and unsure of what to say, Rod spoke after another long silence.
Lucy, as usual, didn’t refuse Rod’s request. Yet, an almost imperceptible hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes. She didn’t know why she felt disappointed upon hearing those words, nor why she felt a faint sense of unhappiness.

On this rock, the two of them lay back to each other, lost in their own thoughts. For a while, there was complete silence, broken only by their gentle breathing and the howling wind. tossing and turning, this night was destined to keep them both awake; it was a night filled with worries, and it would become a turning point.
“Still not asleep?” After what seemed like a while, Rod heard Lucy asking from behind him.
“Mm! How about you?” Turning to look at Lucy, Rod asked a foolish question. But at that moment, both of them were preoccupied and didn’t notice. They asked such silly questions.
“No, you’re not asleep either!” Seeing Rod looking at her, Lucy’s face turned red again.
“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?” Rod asked, puzzled by her expression.
“N-no! You… can’t sleep either?” Gradually calming down, the two lay flat and talked to the stars as the sky grew brighter.
“I don’t know why, but I can’t sleep. Let’s talk!” Not knowing what else to say, Lucy shifted the topic to Rod.
“We’re going to the God’s Lament Forbidden Land tomorrow. Hehe, no one has ever crossed the Battlefield of Death, right? Do you have confidence?” Rod naturally changed the subject to avoid further awkwardness.
“Yes! As long as I’m with my brother, Lucy has confidence wherever we go!” Nodding firmly, Lucy spoke with determination, once again showing her childish side, which made Rod laugh and cry at the same time!
Lucy’s trust in herself only added to Rod’s pressure.
“The God’s Lament Forbidden Land… one of the two great forbidden lands. The elders say it’s much more dangerous than the Source of Darkness. There are only monsters, no races, and though there are few, they’re all extremely powerful. It’s covered in mid-aged glaciers, extremely cold! There are also many hidden dangers we don’t know about! What are we going there to look for?” Up to now, Lucy still didn’t know what they were searching for in the God’s Lament Forbidden Land. But if Rod went, she would definitely follow without hesitation.
At the same time, she still clearly remembered what that old elder had said to her when she entered the Elemental Space to train in the Netherworld—that she should help Rod find several items. Now that they had found the Ghostly Flower in the Battlefield of Death, what about those from the God’s Lament Forbidden Land? Could it be the legendary Seven-Colored Ice Spirit?

At the thought of this, Lucy’s heart skipped a beat. It was very likely this—the Rainbow Ice Spirit. It was a divine artifact, even rarer than the Nether Flower. It was said to have appeared only once in tens of millions of years, and that was even an incomplete version, only one-tenth in size. Yet, it still sparked competition among various factions, eventually leading to great disasters!

The Rainbow Ice Spirit was said to be born only in the coldest places in the world, with an extremely low chance of formation. It would take tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years in such frigid regions for just one to appear, and each one was an extraordinary existence. Especially for those who practiced water-element magic, it was like a godsend. Just one-tenth of it could help someone break through to the Yin Yellow realm without any side effects. This was just one of its uses. Those who used the Rainbow Ice Spirit would gain a naturally blessed water body, allowing them to progress smoothly on their cultivation path without any obstacles. In other words, if an ordinary person used the Rainbow Ice Spirit while practicing water-type combat energy or magic, they could reach the Yin Yellow realm effortlessly and have their soul strength reach the Yang Xuan realm, laying a solid foundation for advancing further. This showed just how extraordinary it was. And this was only one-tenth of its capabilities—so precious was the Rainbow Ice Spirit! No wonder it caused so much strife.

Of course, the benefits were said to go beyond this. The rest could only be explored by the user themselves. It was said that the only person to use the Rainbow Ice Spirit in tens of thousands of years later became a top figure in the Yang Xuan realm, the strongest person on the continent, just one day away from breaking through to the legendary Xuan Huang realm!

“Rainbow Ice Spirit!” Rod also was stunned for a while before awkwardly saying, “This is indeed quite demanding. If it were easy to find, it wouldn’t be so rare.”

“It’s really the Rainbow Ice Spirit. It seems we’re in trouble!” Lucy said with a bitter smile, realizing her guess had come true. Even she felt a bit discouraged at that moment.

“Don’t worry. Let’s go take a look and give it a try. We’ve already found so many Nether Flowers, and even obtained the Nether Flower King—this shows that fate favors us. Maybe it will favor us again! Even if we can’t find it, we can still consider it a learning experience!” Rod reassured her, seeing Lucy’s expression.

“Mm, as long as I’m with Brother Rod, Lucy isn’t afraid of anything!” Lucy nodded, secretly clenching her small fist with determination.

As the topic shifted, the awkwardness between the two vanished, and the atmosphere became gentle once again, filled with laughter and conversation. It wasn’t until late at night that they felt tired and fell asleep. The awkwardness, which seemed impossible to resolve, was easily dissipated, which was somewhat unbelievable.

A gentle breeze blew, and the sky gradually turned gray. Slowly, the sun rose above the horizon, and a hint of pink appeared in the gray sky. It gradually expanded, spreading like waves, until half of the sky was tinted pink. As the sun finally fully appeared, the battlefield of death welcomed another day!

In the valley where Rod and Lucy were, however, it remained gray. The sunlight didn’t reach this place so quickly. There were barely five hours of daylight in the valley each day, with the rest of the time in darkness!

Above the Valley of the Wind, a giant white wolf walked around the cliff edge, then turned back toward the scorching sun with a hint of disappointment.

“King Andy, I say they must be dead. Why are you still worried?” a red wolf beside it complained.

“Better to be cautious. Now that I’ve returned as king, this is our first mission—I definitely can’t afford any mistakes. Send people to keep watch here. If anything happens, inform me immediately. Remember, right away!” The white wolf said, scratching its head as if speaking human language.

Then it muttered, “Damn it, my head hurts. There are no living creatures in the Valley of the Wind. Could anyone really survive and come out?”

Muttering to itself, it walked away, leaving behind the dissatisfied red wolf and several smaller red and gray wolves.

……

“Are you ready?” At the moment the white wolf left, below in the valley, Rod and Lucy looked up at the top of the cliff, their faces showing excitement. Rod asked Lucy softly.

“Yeah, I’m ready. Big brother, can we really get out?” Lucy asked, looking at Rod with anticipation. After staying in such a place full of bones for so long, anyone would long for the wonderful life outside! If it weren’t for cultivation, Lucy would have wanted to leave this hellhole long ago!