Chapter 310: The Matter of the Secret Realm

Inside the White Dragon Palace, the chill of ice permeated the air.

Lai Ling sat on Jiang Huai’s lap, her small body encircled by her father’s arms.

Yet, her petite frame kept squirming restlessly, kicking out randomly, bearing none of the aloof composure expected of a member of the White Dragon Clan.

“Stop moving around!”

White Dew scolded, her brows slightly furrowed. Her cool, elegant face showed a mix of helplessness and sternness.

“What kind of behavior is this? I was never like this when I was a child!”

“I’m uncomfortable! I don’t feel good! It’s cold!”

Jianjia’s tiny body continued to wriggle, her little legs kicking, her small hands flailing, like a live fish pulled onto the shore.

Her small white dragon horns even trembled slightly, and strands of her hair stuck to her cheeks with sweat, making her look utterly pitiful.

White Sandalwood, who was drawing the pattern on her back, could barely hold back, her lips pressed tightly together.

Her mouth was a taut line as she desperately suppressed the urge to laugh.

As a pure-blooded White Dragon, she had genuinely never seen a White Dragon this unruly.

There were also very few half-dragon White Dragons within the clan, as they were isolated from the world, and even dragons who went out to gain experience were few.

“This is colder than the Cold Pool! I don’t want to do this anymore!” Jianjia’s voice carried a sob, her little face scrunched up.

After discussing it, Ling Huai and White Dew had finally chosen the location for Jianjia’s mark: the back of her right hand.

The requirements for the mark on a female Yin-Yang Body were much more lenient than for a male Yin-Yang Body; it only served to guide Qi into the body and balance the internal Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. Therefore, White Sandalwood was perfectly suited for this task.

At this moment, White Sandalwood’s face was slightly pale.

Gathering her Heart’s Essence Blood at her fingertip, she slowly applied it to the back of Jianjia’s hand, stroke by stroke, as the shape of a petal gradually emerged.

The Essence Blood was originally red, but when it landed on Jianjia’s hand, it actually took on a faint blue hue, slowly congealing and emitting a bone-piercing chill.

“Dad, I’m so cold… I’m really so cold…”

Jianjia shivered from the cold, her little body trembling incessantly, like a leaf in a cold wind.

Her pale blue dragon eyes were already glistening with tears.

White Dew frowned slightly and said softly,

“Hold on a little longer, wait until the Saintess finishes drawing your mark.”

“Just hold on.”

She didn’t remember who the woman was who drew the mark for Ji Xi back then, but Ji Xi probably wasn’t this fussy, was she?

Seeing his daughter’s suffering, Jiang Huai’s heart stirred.

He suddenly thought that perhaps it was because Jianjia didn’t yet have a Small World inside her. She was merely receiving the White Dragon Clan’s Essence Blood, allowing the icy chill to invade her body, hence her reaction.

He closed his eyes and activated the Red Dragon Mark within him.

Clusters of blazing fire bloomed inside Jiang Huai, a crimson light shining through his body like a small sun.

He slowly channeled this warmth into Jianjia’s body, his movements gentle and slow, careful not to hurt her.

Immediately, Jianjia’s body settled down.

Having achieved balance within, ice and fire, cold and warmth, intertwined and merged at this moment.

She murmured, her voice now carrying comfort,

“So warm… finally not cold anymore…”

She felt as if her body had been suddenly pulled from the Cold Pool and placed under warm sunlight.

The entire dragon felt much more comfortable, and she happily flicked her tail, the small dragon tail drawing soft arcs in the air.

A moment later.

A pale blue, icy-cold petal appeared on the back of Jianjia’s hand.

The petal was crystal clear, as if carved from ice and jade, emitting a faint chill and a soft glow.

It lay quietly on her small hand, as beautiful as a work of art.

White Sandalwood’s legs gave way, and she nearly fell, but White Dew immediately caught her.

“Clan Leader…”

White Sandalwood’s face was as pale as paper, fine beads of sweat forming at her temples.

Drawing the mark had consumed too much of her Heart’s Essence Blood; she was now utterly exhausted and on the verge of collapse.

“You’ve worked hard.”

White Dew gently stroked the young woman’s head, her movements uncharacteristically gentle and filled with gratitude.

“Rest well during this time. I will personally deliver tonics and Immortal Materials to you.”

Jianjia stood up.

She looked seriously at her small hand, which now emitted a chilling aura, then at White Sandalwood’s pale face.

Though she was still young and didn’t fully understand what this meant, she still said quietly,

“Thank you, sister.”

Jiang Huai also stood up, solemnly cupping his hands towards White Sandalwood.

“Thank you, Saintess White Sandalwood, for this. I will present you with a generous gift in the future.”

White Sandalwood didn’t stand on ceremony, giving a slight nod.

‘Might as well take it. At least for this period, I won’t have to handle official duties under the Clan Leader’s pressure.’

She let out a subtle sigh of relief, a rare look of ease appearing on her cool face.

In the coming days, Jiang Huai planned to take Jianjia to first have Qin Xuange draw the Black Dragon Mark, then have Chihuang draw the Red Dragon Mark.

As for the Yellow Dragon and Azure Dragon, he could only wait and discuss it properly with them later.

Northern Plains.

A cold wind howled, the world vast and desolate.

A massive fissure stretched across the wilderness—the entrance to the Secret Realm.

The edges of the fissure flickered with an eerie light, dark and profound, like a scar upon the earth.

Faint Demonic Qi drifted out from around the fissure, twisting into bizarre shapes in the cold wind, like countless clawing ghostly hands.

All around was a boundless expanse of snowy plains, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The sky was a dull gray, leaden clouds pressing low, as if they might collapse at any moment.

In the distance, occasional dead trees stood, their branches twisted, emitting mournful sounds in the wind.

White Dew stood not far from the Secret Realm entrance, her expression grim.

Behind her were Chiyun and a group of powerful experts.

“The exploration is not going well.” Chiyun stood at the entrance, facing White Dew, her voice grave.

“The Extraterrestrial Demons seem to be starting to notice this method of invading the Northern Plains.”

She paused before continuing slowly,

“The cultivators who entered weren’t highly skilled. They could still emerge from the periphery, but anyone who advanced a certain distance never returned.”

“We don’t know what’s happening inside either, and we can’t force our way in.”

Struggle and hesitation played across White Dew’s expression.

She couldn’t bring herself to give the order, her blue eyes filled with complex emotions.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Chiyun advised, her voice gentle. “But I fear if this continues, the Northern Plains might…”

She didn’t finish.

But the meaning was clear enough.

If the Extraterrestrial Demons truly could invade the Northern Plains through this method, wouldn’t the outer defenses become a joke?

White Dew remained silent.

The cold wind howled, lifting her hair and rustling her plain white dress.

She stood there, motionless as an ice sculpture.

“I’ll go.”

A voice came from behind White Dew.

White Dew whirled around.

Yao Zhun arrived, riding his sword.

He stood upon the long sword, his robes billowing as he sped over from the distance.

The sword light cut through the gray sky like a falling meteor.

Behind him, a small figure followed. Lai Jia coiled around his shoulder, her little dragon head peeking out, looking around curiously.

The sword light touched down.