Chapter 117: Snow Chant Sword

His face shifted dramatically. Seeing the state of things, he realized that the primordial essence of the Celestial Fox was far more formidable than he had ever imagined.

Without delay, he poured a continuous stream of immense spiritual power into Xie Yingying’s body and urgently commanded, "Third Brother, please, set up the array."

Bai Qirui, sensing the gravity of the situation, offered no protest. He took the papers, studied them, and immediately began to construct a rudimentary array according to the instructions. Because it was a simplified version, its efficacy would undoubtedly fall short of the original, but time was of the essence, and the necessary artifacts were unavailable. That it could be formed at all was a feat in itself.

Afterward, Bai Qirui withdrew from the bedchamber to stand guard. The sentries, sensing strange fluctuations within, were confused by the proceedings. Seeing Bai Qirui standing watch, their unease deepened. Just as they contemplated reporting the matter to the elders, Bai Qirui seemed to read their intentions. While stabilizing the array's core, he said coldly, "If any of you dare to speak of this, do not blame Shengyun and me for punishing you severely!"

Hearing this, the two guards knelt before him in silence, their foreheads pressed against the ground, not daring to move.

The night passed slowly. Bai Qirui had to endure several surges of volatile spiritual energy while standing guard; he could only imagine the strain on Bai Shengyun, who was inside, balancing the forces and channeling his own power. Sitting cross-legged before the chamber doors, Bai Qirui kept his consciousness focused on everything transpiring within. He felt Bai Shengyun’s spiritual reserves deplete time and again, and witnessed Xie Yingying teetering on the brink of death, only to be pulled back each time by Bai Shengyun’s efforts.

The following day, at noon, Bai Qirui, who had sat motionless all night, slowly opened his eyes, a hint of relief in his gaze.

The chamber doors swung wide, and a figure emerged. It was Bai Shengyun, weary yet resolute.

As he appeared, Bai Qirui gently flicked his "Clear Heart" fan and remarked with deliberate mischief, "She is so ungrateful; why do you continue to save her?"

Annoyed by the teasing, Bai Shengyun replied coldly, "Saving her is merely for the sake of a future necessity."

"And so, when will you two settle this 'great matter' so you can start a family?" he teased further.

Bai Shengyun understood the implication—the question was clearly about when they would marry. He gave a cold huff. "Who would want to marry her?!"

With that, he retreated back into the room and slammed the doors shut. Bai Qirui, far from being offended, simply chuckled outside.

Inside, Bai Shengyun sat by the tea table, warming water with his spiritual energy while pouring tea leaves into a purple clay teapot. The room remained as immaculate as ever, without a speck of dust.

"Hiss..."

Hearing a low groan from the bed, he turned to see Xie Yingying struggling to sit up, one hand clutching her chest in evident pain.

"You wake quickly," he said, his expression unchanged. He turned back to the steaming teacup, his tone cool. "Why not sleep a while longer? It would have been better if you never woke at all, then you wouldn't have to look so wretched."

Xie Yingying gave him a blatant roll of her eyes. Noticing this, Bai Shengyun let out a mocking, inscrutable laugh. "I initially thought you were particularly stubborn, that you refused to die at all costs. Now it seems you just have a death wish."

Once the pain in her chest subsided, she retorted, "It’s not that I have a death wish; I’m just wary of those with ulterior motives."

A voice suddenly echoed in Bai Shengyun's mind. Reluctant to bicker further, he set down the tea and said, "Now that you are awake, let us speak of business."

Mention of this reminded Xie Yingying of the purpose of her journey. "What exactly is it that you need to retrieve?" she asked, frowning. She was terrified that the object would be so dangerous it would cost her the life she had just fought so hard to keep.

Bai Shengyun looked up at her and uttered a few words: "The Snow Chant Sword."

At the mention of the name, her mind went blank. *Are you kidding me? The Snow Chant Sword?*

It was the ultimate treasure of the Celestial Fox clan, currently sealed within the Peach Blossom Wonderland. Legend held that it was pure white, and that a single swing could stir the elements. Striking it downward would cause snow to fall in midsummer; it could shatter ten thousand techniques and wound ten thousand men—a unique artifact containing both the ultimate yang and yin. It was said that if the Snow Chant Sword were to appear alongside the White Dragon of the East Sea, the world would be blessed with prosperity and eternal peace.

But... if used by those with malicious intent, the world would be plunged into ruin.

"You brought me here just to help you get this?!" Her tone was laced with anger; she felt toyed with by both the System and Bai Shengyun. The Peach Blossom Wonderland sounded beautiful, but it was a place of hidden, deadly peril. Entering it was a gamble of nine deaths for every life!

Many had attempted to infiltrate it, but even those who bypassed the great array perished at the final trial. The original author of her story had barely touched upon the specifics, glossing over them entirely. Thinking of that author, her head spun again. She no longer wanted to critique him—she wanted to curse him.

"Well? Have you decided?" Bai Shengyun raised an eyebrow.

At his words, Xie Yingying recalled that in the original book, the protagonist, Ning Qingqing, had also possessed low cultivation but obtained a great legacy within the Peach Blossom Wonderland, allowing her power to surge and match Bai Shengyun’s. The thought of that heaven-defying inheritance and immense power stirred a sense of longing within her. After all, being able to fight this lunatic Bai Shengyun properly would be quite satisfying!

However, the book's description of the Wonderland was too sparse; she had no idea how to navigate the trial with him. After weighing the pros and cons, she decided to refuse and simply run away. After all, the System's side quest was only to follow Bai Shengyun back to Gufeng Mountain and survive until the wedding day. If she could just leave right after the wedding, before the System realized, she wouldn't have to face any punishment.

Just then, the System's voice cut through her thoughts: "New Main Quest issued: Accompany Bai Shengyun to the Peach Blossom Wonderland to retrieve the Snow Chant Sword. Failure will result in the Host's death and the shattering of the soul!"

Realizing the System could read her mind, she cursed inwardly: *Perverted System!*

The System ignored her. Since the main quest had been issued early—and with such a dire penalty—Xie Yingying began to reconsider.