Chapter 159: Flood Dragon

Xie Yingying woke up with a splitting headache and a buzzing in her ears. The moment she tried to sit up, a searing, tearing pain throughout her entire body made her gasp sharply.

"Hiss..." She opened her eyes and looked around. Not a single person was in sight. Awakening to an empty room naturally stirred a sense of vexation within her, but thinking that Bai Shengyun might be busy, she swallowed her complaints.

With great difficulty, Xie Yingying propped herself up, slipped on her shoes, and prepared to get out of bed. The instant her toes touched the freezing floor, she instinctively pulled them back.

Fortunately, the chill lasted only a moment. Fully shod now, Xie Yingying decided to step outside and take a look.

"Bai Shengyun?" Unsure whether anyone was outside the door, she steeled herself and called out twice. Only silence answered her.

When the door had just been opened, the wind had rushed inside. The warmth Xie Yingying had barely managed to gather plummeted instantly, making her shiver with cold. Yet, she stubbornly refused to close the door; the mere memory of those events filled her with anger and suffocation.

Just as her mind was wandering, Bai Shengyun returned. He was carrying some food, presumably for her. Xie Yingying didn't notice him at first, and the moment she tried to stand up, Bai Shengyun intercepted her, blocking her path.

"What are you trying to do?" It was a familiar voice, yet it evoked only a sense of repulsion in Xie Yingying.

Frowning, Xie Yingying stared directly at Bai Shengyun. Her moist, limpid eyes seemed almost capable of melting him, but she suddenly turned away, ignoring him entirely.

Guessing the reason with effortless ease, Bai Shengyun walked up to her and lowered his voice so that only she could hear: "Don't be angry. I have never shared a room with anyone else."

His voice was clear, though slightly husky from thirst upon his return, and the warm breath he exhaled made Xie Yingying's heart tingle.

These words instantly summoned other memories to her mind, blushing her crimson from the tips of her ears all the way down to her neck.

In truth, Xie Yingying hadn't been genuinely angry; waking up to an empty room had merely left her feeling somewhat aggrieved. Since Bai Shengyun was now offering an explanation, persisting in her displeasure would have shown a complete lack of tact.

With this thought, most of her anger dissipated, and looking at Bai Shengyun again, she found him much more pleasing to the eye. Just as she opened her mouth to say something to ease the atmosphere, a faint, elusive scent of blood drifted to her senses.

"What happened to you?"

She furrowed her brow, the concern in her eyes unmistakable. The lingering scent of blood, though fleeting, had been successfully captured by her.

She scanned Bai Shengyun's body, and the sight of his wounds gave her a genuine fright, instantly tightening her nerves.

"Are you alright? When did you get hurt?"

Seeing Xie Yingying in such a state of panic, Bai Shengyun chuckled softly. The subtle amusement in his eyes was strikingly obvious, and the moment Xie Yingying looked up, their gazes met.

"It's nothing, just had a fight with a mad dog," Bai Shengyun said with a helpless shrug.

"A mad dog?" Xie Yingying was baffled, then noticed Bai Shengyun break into a sudden smile.

His smile was undeniably mischievous. Xie Yingying knew that whenever Bai Shengyun wore that expression, nothing good could follow. Sure enough, he looked right at her and murmured, "Ning Qingqing."

If he hadn't mentioned it, it would have been fine, but the name instantly conjured an image of Ning Qingqing in Xie Yingying's mind. While she felt somewhat speechless at Bai Shengyun's choice of the term "mad dog," upon second thought, it seemed rather fitting.

In the middle of their conversation, Bai Shengyun suddenly froze. He sensed something—it was the Xueyin Sword!

His expression turned solemn in an instant, the lightheartedness completely vanishing from his demeanor. Stripped of his frivolous facade, this was his true self.

Long accustomed to Bai Shengyun's abrupt shifts, Xie Yingying merely asked calmly, "What did you find?"

The resonance within Bai Shengyun's heart grew increasingly intense, and his gaze remained serious as he looked at her.

"The Xueyin Sword."

For both of them, this was exceptional news. The realization brought a glimmer of joy to Xie Yingying's face.

"This is wonderful news! Shengyun, let's hurry before someone else beats us to it."

Impatience laced Xie Yingying's expression, her eyes burning with eagerness—never mind the fact that she wouldn't even be able to use the Xueyin Sword herself.

Seeing Xie Yingying's shining eyes, the lingering tension in Bai Shengyun's heart eased somewhat.

Using a spatial artifact, the two of them rapidly teleported to the location of the Xueyin Sword. The moment they arrived, they were greeted by the sight of the pristine, white-bodied sword.

The place was as bone-chillingly cold as ever. Feeling like they had stepped into a Siberian gale, Xie Yingying's previous enthusiasm was entirely frozen away.

Bai Shengyun glanced at Xie Yingying, gesturing for her to stay put and wait for him. Understanding the signal without words, Xie Yingying wisely decided not to object—even if she wanted to step forward, she was in no condition to fight.

Seeing that Xie Yingying understood his intent, Bai Shengyun relaxed and used a light-body technique to reach the sword.

The closer he got to the Xueyin Sword, the more intense the cold became. By the time he reached it, even Bai Shengyun felt the biting chill, though thankfully, victory was within reach; once the sword was secured, all problems would be solved.

Just at that moment, Bai Shengyun felt a sharp, agonizing pain erupt across his back!

The intense pain carried a numbing sensation that wracked his entire body with discomfort. Looking back, he saw a half-dragon, half-jiao beast lunging at him.

With no other choice, Bai Shengyun had to brace himself for battle. Given his strength, dealing with a creature lacking basic sense was well within his capabilities. He raised his sword and charged directly at the jiao.

He remained completely silent throughout the process, radiating an aura of piercing cold. Tipping his toes against the ground, he glided forward with light-body movement, his sleeves fluttering as a violent surge of spiritual energy erupted.

The blinding light made it difficult for Xie Yingying to keep her eyes open. With an attack of this magnitude, not just one jiao, but even a second one wouldn't have stood a chance.

However, the defensive hide of that jiao was remarkably thick. Powerful as Bai Shengyun's strike was, and devastating as the blow should have been, the beast's formidable resilience allowed it to miraculously survive.

The situation instantly grew tricky. Seeing this, Bai Shengyun decisively reverted to his true form.

He was a six-tailed spirit fox, the tips of his tails brushed with a vibrant red that burned with dazzling brilliance. Looking at that crimson streak, Xie Yingying felt an overwhelming urge to reach out and touch it.

Upon seeing the six-tailed spirit fox with its blood-red tail tips, the jiao flew into a frenzied rage, instantly recovering the vitality it had nearly lost during their previous skirmish. It whipped its massive tail violently, entangling it with the spirit fox in a fierce struggle where neither side could gain the upper hand.

The heavy tail wrapped tightly around the spirit fox, while the fox radiated a scorching, blistering heat. The two beasts locked into a grueling war of attrition.

Time ticked away second by second, and the surrounding area had already been turned into a sea of fire by the spirit fox's intense heat. The jiao showed no intention of letting go. Suddenly, the spirit fox unleashed a massive wave of spiritual energy, blasting the jiao back a considerable distance.

Watching this deadlocked stalemate, Xie Yingying was nearly frantic with anxiety. Unable to offer any assistance, she could only pray silently while resolving to train much harder in the future.

Meanwhile, Xu Xiaosheng had already broken free from the realm of illusions, completely unaware of what had transpired. When he finally regained consciousness, he found himself surrounded by absolute emptiness, with no one else left around.