Chu Lingwei had never intended to stay there forever. Besides cultivation, she searched for an exit every day.
After a period of searching and eliminating possibilities one by one, only this place remained.
Bringing Rufeng here today was deliberate on Chu Lingwei's part.
"The caves here could not possibly grow Nine-tailed Ice Fish; there's no spiritual energy," Rufeng said, his expression dim as he looked at the断流 (duànliú - broken flow). "No spiritual beast could survive here for even a quarter of an hour."
"Why?" Chu Lingwei asked in surprise, stepping forward to look at the water in the Spiritual Dragon Ravine, which seemed to vanish into thin air once it reached this point. "Where did the water go?"
"Let's go back," Rufeng turned around, emanating a chilling aura, and paid no further attention to Chu Lingwei.
"But..." Chu Lingwei wanted to get more information from Rufeng about this place. Turning her head, Rufeng was nowhere to be seen.
He refused to answer anything about this place.
It seemed there was a secret here.
If there was a secret, perhaps it was related to a way to leave this place. Chu Lingwei mounted her flying artifact and slowly flew towards the 断流.
As she flew over the river, a coldness pierced Chu Lingwei's body.
The temperature here was even lower than before, and no matter how she used her spiritual energy to resist, it was useless.
Chu Lingwei's heart inexplicably tensed. She urged the flying artifact forward, little by little, towards the 断流. She had to figure out where the water of the Spiritual Dragon Ravine had gone.
Less than two meters from the 断流, Chu Lingwei suddenly lost control and plunged into the river.
Chu Lingwei was startled and immediately summoned her divine-grade flying artifact. Just as she was about to board it, a pair of strong hands embraced her waist, and she was pulled away from the 断流.
"You'll die," Rufeng said, staring into Chu Lingwei's eyes. "Do you want to leave here that badly?"
"Of course, I must leave here," Chu Lingwei did not hide anything. No matter what, she would find every possible way to leave this place.
Rufeng placed Chu Lingwei on the ground. With a wave of his hand, the spiritual energy from all the glaciers, like flying spirits, danced gracefully.
Chu Lingwei had to admit that the Spiritual Dragon Ravine was truly beautiful like this. However, facing the same scenery every day, no matter how beautiful, it could not evoke any appreciation.
Moreover, Chu Lingwei had many things to do. She had not yet found her father, had not seen her mother, and had not figured out anything about the Phoenix clan.
These matters weighed heavily on her heart. If things continued like this, they would become her inner demons.
"Is there nothing here that can make you stay?" Rufeng looked at Chu Lingwei's face, and an impulse arose within him. A voice in his heart told him that he wanted Chu Lingwei to stay, very, very much.
"Rufeng, I have many things yet to accomplish and must leave," Chu Lingwei replied firmly. If she weren't trapped here, she probably wouldn't even greet Rufeng.
Her decision to stay or leave was hers alone.
Rufeng's heart ached slightly. In a thousand years, he had never felt pain.
"So this is what pain feels like," Rufeng murmured to himself.
Chu Lingwei's mind was entirely focused on the 断流, and she did not hear Rufeng's words.
What had just happened? Why did her flying artifact lose control? Even her spiritual energy, which she could control with ease, refused to obey her.
"Rufeng, is there a formation here?" Such an event must have a cause.
"Yes, someone sealed the Spiritual Dragon Ravine here, making it impossible to open," Rufeng wanted to leave, but upon hearing Chu Lingwei's voice, he couldn't help but come to her side. "The Spiritual Dragon Ravine can never be opened, unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless the curse is broken." Rufeng gazed at the 断流. A sentence suddenly appeared in his mind, and it blurted out of his mouth involuntarily.
"What curse?"
"Curse?" Chu Lingwei's heart tightened upon hearing the word curse. What was this nonsense?
"Curse?" Rufeng frowned as well. What had he just said?
"You said the curse is broken. What curse is it? Is it related to the Spiritual Dragon Ravine or somewhere else?" Chu Lingwei quickly asked.
Rufeng shook his head and clutched his forehead. An intense pain assaulted him, his vision went black, and he knew nothing more.
Chu Lingwei watched helplessly as Rufeng collapsed like a log. By the time she rushed forward to help, it was too late.
"Rufeng, Rufeng..." Chu Lingwei patted Rufeng's face. He was as cold as ice, just like the glaciers on the ground.
It didn't feel fake.
Rufeng's current state of unconsciousness didn't seem fake. It appeared that Rufeng had also been subjected to some kind of forbidden spell, implying there were certain things he couldn't speak of.
While Rufeng was unconscious, Chu Lingwei quickly threw more than ten Nine-tailed Ice Fish into her space.
Grandpa Yu in the space must be worried.
"Tell me, will Weiwei be alright?" In the space, Yu Qinghong stared at the Nine-tailed Ice Fish in the river and complained to Li Chen next to him. "It's been so long, and there's no news at all."
"The space is Weiwei's lifeline. If she hasn't entered it, she should be fine," Li Chen said, having been listening to Yu Qinghong's worries about Chu Lingwei since he woke up.
"This girl, when she encounters trouble, she doesn't know to hide in her space. She's too stubborn," Yu Qinghong shook his head. Weiwei was truly too strong-willed.
Just then, more than a dozen Nine-tailed Ice Fish appeared in the space.
Yu Qinghong's eyes lit up. He retrieved the Nine-tailed Ice Fish, tossed them into the river, and a brilliant smile appeared on his face. "Weiwei is so thoughtful, knowing to satisfy our cravings." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
So many Nine-tailed Ice Fish must be for them to eat.
"Grandpa Yu, do you know about the Spiritual Dragon Ravine being sealed?" Chu Lingwei's voice entered the space, filled with anxiety.
Yu Qinghong and Li Chen exchanged glances. They were both puzzled. When was the Spiritual Dragon Ravine sealed? They had never heard of it.
"Sealed? When did that happen?" Yu Qinghong retorted.
Chu Lingwei: "..." Grandpa Yu didn't know? That made sense. If he knew, he wouldn't have let her enter this place to bring him Nine-tailed Ice Fish.
"Three hundred years ago, Patriarch Xingming of the Cultivation Academy visited the Spiritual Dragon Ravine and caught two Nine-tailed Ice Fish," Li Chen said. Someone had visited the Spiritual Dragon Ravine three hundred years ago. If it was sealed, it must have happened in recent years.
"Someone came three hundred years ago?" Chu Lingwei was even more surprised. Rufeng said this place had been sealed for a thousand years, yet someone had visited three hundred years ago. Which one was true, and which was false?
"Yes, I had the good fortune to taste a piece of Nine-tailed Ice Fish." Li Chen looked at the Nine-tailed Ice Fish in the river, a hint of doubt in his eyes. The Nine-tailed Ice Fish brought back by Patriarch Xingming were slightly different from the ones Weiwei had thrown into the space.