Chapter 227: Three Routes

"I have also considered the Snow Camel Ridge route, little sister, but although the journey is short, the chance of encountering powerful demonic beasts along the way is several times higher than the other routes. It is truly somewhat dangerous." Bai Suyuan's delicate brows furrowed slightly, revealing a hint of timidity.

"Rest assured, Junior Sister Bai. With Qi here, I will never let you suffer the slightest harm." Qi Huanyu, upon hearing this, quickly patted his chest in assurance.

"Young Master Qi, aren't you afraid the wind and snow might be too strong and make your tongue slip? Just with you, you dare claim to protect Junior Sister Bai's safety?" Before Bai Suyuan could speak, Tang Chuan also approached, a look of disdain on his face.

"Senior Brother Tang, don't say that. Senior Brother Qi means well." Seeing this, Bai Suyuan smiled and explained on Qi Huanyu's behalf.

The latter felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this and coldly rebuked Tang Chuan, "I invited Junior Sister Bai to come along. What business is it of yours? Go cool off somewhere."

"Junior Sister Bai, Chen and I plan to take the White Fox Valley route. The gains are no less than those on Snow Camel Ridge, and the risks are somewhat smaller. After all, our ultimate goal is still the Snow Bear. Why not travel with us?" Tang Chuan ignored Qi Huanyu and spoke directly to Bai Suyuan.

Bai Suyuan twisted her hands together in front of her, looking very hesitant.

Seeing this, Qi Huanyu and Tang Chuan were about to say something more when the woman suddenly spoke:

"I'll go with Senior Brother Sun Ke and the others on the Pinecone Ridge route."

Qi Huanyu and Tang Chuan were both stunned. Even Sun Ke and his group, who had already started walking toward Pinecone Ridge, paused and stopped in their tracks.

The few rogue cultivators traveling with Sun Ke were all invigorated. There were already few female cultivators on this trip, and most had decided to join Qi Huanyu's or Tang Chuan's teams while on the flying boat. Now, having Bai Suyuan, the most attractive one, join them was truly a blessing from heaven.

Only Sun Ke's lips twitched into a bitter smile.

He only wanted to complete this trial peacefully and had no desire to get entangled in others' disputes. But since Bai Suyuan had named him, they couldn't simply ignore her. They had to turn around and look this way.

At that moment, however, the looks Qi Huanyu and Tang Chuan shot him were already blazing with anger. Both were almost simultaneously considering whether to change their routes and travel with Bai Suyuan.

"Little sister's skills are meager, not comparable to the two senior brothers' profound arts. So I'd better choose the safest route. Both senior brothers are outstanding among our peers, and I deeply admire you. Though we cannot travel together, I sincerely wish you encouragement. I wonder which of you will win the top prize this time?" Just then, Bai Suyuan spoke again.

With a few light words, she tossed out a tall hat that fit both of them comfortably, while also dispelling their thoughts of changing routes.

None of them looked at Sun Ke anymore. They glared fiercely at each other, bid Bai Suyuan farewell, and led their respective teams toward the two most perilous routes.

"Senior Martial Brother Sun, would you mind if I traveled with you all?" After those people left, Bai Suyuan came up to Sun Ke and his group, smiling sweetly.

"I couldn't ask for more." Sun Ke smiled politely and said.

The few people behind him all showed delighted expressions, said a few words of welcome, and began introducing themselves.

At the same time, over a hundred li away above the snowy ridge, Han Li and Su Tongxiao hovered in midair, concealing their auras. Before them shimmered a thin water screen, displaying images of Bai Suyuan and the others.

"This young lady Bai is quite remarkable. With just a few words, she provoked the two strongest competitors onto dangerous routes. Both her scheming and methods are top-notch." Su Tongxiao couldn't help but admire.

"Don't blame others for scheming; blame oneself for being too foolish." Han Li had long witnessed this woman's various calculations and was not surprised. He just smiled and said.

"Haha, Brother Li is right. As they say, a beauty's favor is the hardest to bear. Those two, having received such expectations from Miss Bai, will surely fight desperately for the top spot." Su Tongxiao laughed.

"It is said that one of Bai Suyuan's ancestors was an inner sect elder of our Candle Dragon Sect, with considerable influence. Brother Su, do you know him?" Han Li seemed unwilling to dwell on this topic and changed the subject.

"Indeed, that ancestor should be Elder Bai Fengyi, who disappeared several thousand years ago. He was somewhat acquainted with Elder Qiliang. Although I never had deep dealings with him, I met him a few times within the sect." Su Tongxiao nodded.

"Brother Su, do you know what happened to Elder Bai back then? Why did he suddenly disappear?" Han Li asked with interest.

"Well... there are many rumors within the sect. Some say he died accidentally while on a mission, others say he was framed by enemies and killed. In my opinion, Elder Bai might have gone into seclusion for a life-or-death breakthrough to achieve the Golden Immortal realm from the late True Immortal stage. By the way, according to some inside information, his soul lamp in the sect never went out." Su Tongxiao said after some thought.

Han Li listened and felt that the matter was not simple, but he didn't think much of it and didn't intend to delve deeper.

Seeing the figures of Bai Suyuan and the others gradually disappear among the white snow towers formed by pine trees, Su Tongxiao wiped away the water screen and said:

"Let's go, Brother Li. We need to follow."

Han Li nodded. They stopped flying and descended into the forest, unhurriedly trailing behind Bai Suyuan's group, locking onto the movements of the three routes ahead with their divine sense.

After secretly following for a while, Han Li frowned slightly, as if sensing something, but then his expression returned to normal.

……

Sun Ke, Bai Suyuan, and a group of six others flew at low altitude along a gently sloping mountain path toward the interior of the Xuanbing Mountain Range.

The place appeared calm, but many demon beasts were adept at concealing their aura through ice and snow. If they rashly flew at high altitude, they would easily become targets. Having learned from the experiences of those before them, they naturally dared not take reckless risks for quick gains.

Perhaps following a previously agreed division of labor, Sun Ke took on the mission of leading the way.

At this moment, a jade-bowl-shaped magic treasure hovered above his head, casting strands of white light that enveloped his entire body. Meanwhile, four crystal-clear green flying knives shot out and slowly revolved around him.

Still seemingly uneasy, he also held a small earthen-yellow shield with a surface as smooth as a mirror.

Behind him, the other four male cultivators similarly protected themselves with their own methods, looking around warily.

At the rear of the group, Bai Suyuan held a white jade ring that conjured a white halo to shield her body. She also wore an additional white gauze garment that emitted faint silver-white specks of light.

The group flew while maintaining vigilance, not moving very fast. Apart from a few low-level demon beasts that recklessly launched sneak attacks, they encountered no major dangers along the way.

As they ventured deeper into the mountain range, the surrounding temperature grew increasingly colder.

Bone-piercing icy chills surged from the ground, and gusts of wind mixed with snow and ice howled past from time to time. Even with their cultivation at the Deity Transformation stage, Sun Ke and the others found it somewhat unbearable, shivering uncontrollably. Except for Bai Suyuan, who could still withstand it, the others even showed a bluish-purple tint on their faces.

Startled, they all began to circulate their energy to resist the cold.

But as the temperature continued to drop, they regretted not having prepared any cold-resistant items.

After all, relying on energy circulation to ward off the cold consumed a great deal of magical power, which would be detrimental to the subsequent battles and hunts. Had they known this earlier, preparing one or two cold-resistant treasures would have saved them from such a predicament.

“I have some spiritual wine here, brewed from fire-attributed spiritual materials. It can help ward off the cold. If you don’t mind, you may try some,” Sun Ke suddenly said, stopping his flight and turning back. He then took out a delicate fire-red wine bottle.

“Spiritual wine…” The others exchanged glances, seeming hesitant.

Sun Ke flipped his hand and produced a cup, pouring out a cup of spiritual wine.

The wine appeared bright red, emitting a flame-like red glow that noticeably raised the surrounding temperature.

At the same time, a strange aroma of wine spread. Even Bai Suyuan’s eyes lit up slightly, and a desire to taste it arose in her heart.

“Good wine!” Among them, a young man with sword-like eyebrows, who seemed to be a wine enthusiast, praised.

“Brother Lin is also a wine lover? If you don’t mind the humble quality, please have a taste. It greatly helps against the cold.” Sun Ke handed the cup over.

“Then many thanks.” The sword-browed young man took it eagerly and drank it in one gulp.

As the wine entered his stomach, it felt like a line of fire flowing down his throat into his abdomen, then turned into a flame-like heat that enveloped his intestines.

Then this heat burst open, transforming into streams of warmth that, as if sentient, surged into his limbs and bones. His body became incredibly light, as if about to float away with the wind.

The sword-browed young man stiffened as if struck by lightning, his face showing an expression of intoxication. It took a while before he recovered.

“Excellent wine! Truly worthy of being called celestial nectar. May I ask, Brother Sun, what is the name of this wine?” He clapped and praised, asking.

“This wine is called Fire Saliva,” Sun Ke replied with a smile.

“Fire Saliva Wine! A fitting name, perfectly matching the wine. I once had the fortune to taste Green Pear Immortal Wine, one of the ten great celestial brews, but its flavor seems slightly inferior to your Fire Saliva,” the sword-browed young man said excitedly.

Not only did the wine taste exquisite, but as Sun Ke had said, it also had the ability to ward off the cold.

At that moment, his entire body felt warm and comfortable, as if bathed in gentle sunlight. The cold was completely dispelled, and a faint red glow appeared on his face.

Seeing this, the other three male cultivators had no more doubts and each asked for a cup of the spiritual wine, their faces showing pleasant surprise.

They were not wine connoisseurs and cared little about the taste; what delighted them was that the cold inside their bodies was easily driven away.

Moreover, the heat transformed from the Fire Saliva Immortal Wine lingered in various parts of their bodies, seemingly not dissipating for a while. This way, they no longer needed to circulate energy to ward off the cold and could even try to replenish the magical power they had previously consumed.

“The aftereffect of this Fire Saliva Immortal Wine is long-lasting. The heat it generates will persist for half a day before slowly fading. Junior Sister Bai, would you like a cup as well?” Sun Ke said with a smile.

“Then thank you, Senior Brother Sun,” Bai Suyuan expressed her gratitude.