Chapter 52: Dao Protector

In the Inner Sect Task Hall, Senior Brother Ouyang and his fox demon lay on a warm jade bed, unconscious.

Senior Brother Ouyang’s entire body was covered in frost, his skin snow-white, and his hair had turned into strands of ice, exuding a biting chill.

His Pet Beast, the fox demon, was in a similar state, its fur completely white, unconscious.

No matter how the Task Hall Elder tried to nourish them with magic power or call out to them, Senior Brother Ouyang and the fox showed no reaction at all.

Nearby, the Magpie Spirit who had issued the task was washing its face with tears, blaming itself for failing to bring good luck to the Disciple who had gone to carry out the task for the Sect.

“How is Senior Brother Ouyang’s condition?”

Many Inner Sect Disciples knew Ouyang Hao. Seeing his state, they asked one after another: “Senior Mingque, what task was Senior Brother Ouyang executing? With his strength, how could he end up like this?”

Lin Jing had also arrived at the Inner Sect Task Hall at this moment, and heard the Magpie Spirit say angrily: “In the Great Wilderness Region, in Snow Moon City, our Beast Taming Sect has a Beast Valley where we raise many Snow Rabbits, which is a core industry of our Sect.

Several months ago, Disciples in the Beast Valley reported that Snow Rabbits were disappearing without reason. Besides that, a large number of ice and snow beasts in Snow Moon City also vanished mysteriously. To investigate this, the Sect issued a relevant task.”

“Many Disciples went to Snow Moon City to investigate, and Ouyang Hao was among them. But who would have thought that shortly after arriving in Snow Moon City, he would meet with such a mishap!”

“Stealing our Sect’s Spirit Beast and harming our Sect’s Disciple—this grudge is irreconcilable!”

“This injury is extremely strange. I don’t know what kind of Cultivation Technique caused it; my power is actually unable to neutralize it. If it weren’t for the abundant Yang Qi in their bodies, they would likely have turned into ice corpses by now.” Elder Shen of Danxia Peak had also arrived. She was well-versed in alchemy and medicine, but after observing them, her brows were tightly locked.

Besides her, Elder Mo also arrived in a rush. Even though Lin Jing had brought back important intelligence from the Demon Suppression Pagoda, he had set it aside for now to come here first.

“Elder Shen, is this ice injury unsolvable?” Elder Shen had already fed Senior Brother Ouyang and the fox demon each a red Medicinal Pill, but after they consumed the pills, there was still no change. Seeing this, Elder Mo asked with a dark expression.

“If you give me time, I might be able to study it, but given their current state, I’m afraid there isn’t enough time.” Elder Shen shook her head.

“Sigh, I will go find the Old Ancestor!” Having said that, Elder Mo took Ouyang Hao and the fox demon Hong’er away to seek help from the Sect’s Old Ancestor Wang Batian, who guarded the pagoda.

Currently, most of the Old Ancestors in the Sect were away with the Sect Master; only the Turtle Old Ancestor remained in the Sect.

Seeing Senior Brother Ouyang being taken away, the Inner Sect Disciples dispersed in a flurry, feeling extremely wary of the “Task of Investigating Missing Beasts” in their hearts.

An injury that even a Golden Core Elder was helpless against… it was better to stay away from Snow Moon City.

“Let’s go take a look too.” Lin Jing’s mind was heavy as he followed. Senior Brother Ouyang was one of the few friends they had in the Sect, and Lin Jing was very worried about his condition.

The Pine Leaf Squirrel nodded.

Upon arriving at Qintan Peak, Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Squirrel saw that the Sect’s Old Ancestor was also helpless in the face of Senior Brother Ouyang’s strange condition.

“Old Ancestor, even you have no way?”

“This injury is strange and is suspected to have been caused by a demonic Cultivation Technique. For example, the Ghost Fire injury from the Netherworld Hall is very difficult to cure by normal means; his case is the same.”

The Old Ancestor was also helpless. Elder Mo was burning with anxiety and could not bear to watch Ouyang Hao fall here; after all, he was a Genius he had discovered himself, and even more so, a Disciple favored by the Sect Master.

At this moment, Lin Jing climbed the peak. In fact, the Old Ancestor had discovered him long ago but did not stop Lin Jing from entering.

“Greetings, Old Ancestor. Greetings, Elder Mo.” Lin Jing looked at Senior Brother Ouyang, who was almost turning into an ice sculpture, and asked: “Is there really no way to save Senior Brother Ouyang?”

“The reason he can still hold onto a breath of life is because he possesses the Primal Yang Body, and his abundant Yang Qi forms a counter-balance with the mysterious ice injury. That fox is the same; because it feeds on Yang Qi daily and has a blood pact with him, it managed to save its life. But this situation… cannot last long, and this ice injury… is still spreading!” the Old Ancestor said.

Lin Jing walked up to Senior Brother Ouyang and the fox demon, picked them up, and said: “Elder Mo, could you send me to Tiandu Peak? I want to go and seek help from that person on Tiandu Peak!”

“Hmm?” Elder Mo glanced at Lin Jing and then at the Pine Leaf Squirrel, saying: “You succeeded?”

Lin Jing nodded. The Pine Leaf Squirrel had just obtained a powerful Cultivation Technique from the Divine Pine of Tiandu, and now they had to trouble this guardian deity again… He did not know if it was good or bad, but he could not watch Senior Brother Ouyang lose his life just like that.

“Good!!” Thinking that there was indeed another guardian deity of the Sect, Elder Mo felt as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

“That monster is willing to see people?” Old Ancestor Wang Batian looked surprised. That person on Tiandu Peak was someone even the successive Sect Masters found it hard to see…

On Tiandu Peak, Lin Jing, carrying Senior Brother Ouyang, arrived here once again and was not blocked.

Having fulfilled his wish to see the Divine Pine again, Lin Jing got straight to the point.

“Senior Divine Pine, this is Ouyang Hao, the Disciple of the current Sect Master. They encountered an accident while executing a task outside the Sect and were seriously injured. The Sect Elders are unable to heal them, so this Disciple had no choice but to bring them here. I ask for your help, Senior.”

“I have an agreement with your second Sect Master to provide aid only during the life-and-death moments of the Beast Taming Sect, within the scope of my abilities. I have no obligation to save the Disciples of the Sect,” the Divine Pine said.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak!!!” The Pine Leaf Squirrel also began to plead.

However, the Divine Pine remained unmoved.

“This Disciple understands…” Lin Jing nodded and said: “The most valuable thing on this Disciple’s entire body is the Longevity Body. This Disciple is willing to trade my Longevity Blood in exchange for one opportunity for Senior Divine Pine to help save them! I beg you, Senior… to extend a helping hand.”

The Divine Pine was silent for a while and said: “You do not need to do this, because I am also powerless. This was not caused by an ordinary ice injury, but by a poisonous Cultivation Technique. Moreover, this poisonous technique is very rare and difficult to eradicate by relying on cultivation alone. Only by finding the source of the poison is there a chance to prescribe the right medicine.”

“The source of the poison?” Lin Jing pondered, feeling a hint of trouble.

However, he felt that Senior Brother Ouyang could not die like this.

“To be targeted by the Yin Corpse Sect means you must be a cultivation Genius just like me.”

“Are you willing to return to the Beast Taming Sect with me to become a Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect and Cultivate by taming beasts?”

“I will teach you how to subdue wild Yao Beasts!”

“Congratulations, Junior Brother, on your promotion to the Inner Sect… Take these chili seeds as a gift from Senior Brother; I cannot accept these Spirit Stones!”

Lin Jing sighed slightly; he still could not sit idly by.

On Gengyun Peak, when Elder Mo saw Lin Jing carrying Ouyang Hao down, he hurriedly asked: “What did the guardian deity say?”

Lin Jing shook his head and said: “The guardian deity also has no way to eradicate the poisonous injury; it can only suppress it. However, it could see that this was caused by a strange poison.”

“Poison…” Elder Mo was stunned and said: “There are many Cultivators in Snow Moon City who practice ice-attribute Cultivation Techniques, but a poisonous technique…”

“This person must be the culprit behind the disappearance of the Yao Beasts in Snow Moon City! Ouyang Hao must have discovered clues about him, which is why he met with this accident! Damn it.” Elder Mo was extremely angry.

However, the next moment, he looked at Lin Jing, who was cupping his hands in a salute, and revealed a look of astonishment.

“Elder Mo, this Disciple requests to take over Senior Brother Ouyang’s task, go to Snow Moon City, continue to investigate this case, find the source of the poison, and save Senior Brother Ouyang.” Lin Jing requested.

“No!!” Upon hearing this, Elder Mo refused: “As for Snow Moon City, the Law Enforcement Hall and Sect Elders will investigate it later. Why would a small Qi Training Stage Cultivator like you go to such a dangerous place? As someone with the Longevity Physique, you should just Cultivate well in the rear!”

Lin Jing shook his head, his attitude firm: “Elder, Senior Brother Ouyang saved my life. It was he who rescued this Disciple from the hands of the Yin Corpse Sect. Within the Sect, Senior Brother Ouyang has also helped this Disciple a great deal. This Disciple cannot remain indifferent to this matter.”

“This Disciple knows the Elder’s good intentions and that you do not want this Disciple to encounter danger, but this matter… this Disciple wants to go personally.”

“This Disciple also wants to Cultivate peacefully for thousands or tens of thousands of years, but there are some things that, if not done at the time, will surely leave regrets.”

“If one’s life is full of regrets, then what is the point of… longevity?”

The Pine Leaf Squirrel crossed its arms, its Daoist robe fluttering, indicating approval.

“You…” Elder Mo was speechless. This Longevity Physique was most troublesome when it had a stubborn mule-like personality.

“Elder Mo, you do not need to worry. This Disciple is not going to die in vain. Senior Divine Pine of Tiandu… has already agreed to this trip to Snow Moon City to act as my Dao Protector. With that Senior’s cultivation, it should be an invincible existence within Snow Moon City. Its Elder self said that this ice poison is extremely special, and even if it finds the source of the poison, it only has a few chances of helping Senior Brother Ouyang eradicate it. If I only leave the investigation task to the Law Enforcement Hall, this Disciple truly cannot rest assured.”

“So I… want to go to Snow Moon City personally with Senior Divine Pine to investigate and do my part!”

“That Senior is actually willing to be your Dao Protector.” Elder Mo was incredulous. Afterward, he stared solemnly at Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Squirrel, and seeing that they were both extremely serious, he said: “Since that is the case, then you may go. Ouyang Hao is truly lucky to have a friend like you.”