Cultivating immortality begins with formations.

Gu Qingyao nodded slightly, said nothing more, and walked straight into the Xuanhuo Formation, sitting cross-legged in the center of the formation.

There are still a few days before the cold poison takes effect.

Lu Yuan wasn't idle either; he walked out of the cave.

This cave is located in a shady place, with a bamboo forest in front of it. Taking a deep breath, the fragrance of bamboo leaves mingles with a faint smell of decay, making one feel both refreshed and melancholic.

Just like the feeling when I was with Gu Qingyao.

Before him stood a woman of unparalleled beauty, yet she was as cold as ice and snow. Lu Yuan had never been with a woman like this before.

"This powerful figure is hard to rely on..."

After admiring the morning light over the Jiuling Mountains, Lu Yuan inspected the array plate buried underground.

Just to be on the safe side.

He buried two array plates of the Five Elements Mist, one in the open space in front of the cave and the other in the bamboo forest.

With both array plates activated simultaneously, the entire cave and bamboo forest could be brought under the control of the Five Elements Mist Array.

As for the Snow Soul Ice Silkworm, it was hiding in a crevice at the cave entrance, its tiny eyes blinking as it looked at Lu Yuan.

He took out two more spirit stones, stuffed them into the crack in the rock to feed it, and then returned to the cave.

Seeing Gu Qingyao sitting cross-legged in the Xuanhuo Array, eyes closed and mind focused, he ignored her, took out a Qi-gathering array plate, activated it, and began to cultivate wholeheartedly.

He has been extremely diligent in drawing formations and cultivating during this period, almost to the point of neglecting to eat and sleep.

Hard work pays off, and Lu Yuan vaguely felt that he was about to reach the fifth level of Qi Refining cultivation.

Two days later.

"I...I'm coming."

Gu Qingyao's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, her snow-white skin as white as ice and snow, exuding a chilling aura.

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow, made a hand seal, and activated the Profound Fire Array.

moment.

The raging flames engulfed her figure.

A wave of heat swept over him, and Lu Yuan swallowed another fire-avoiding pill, took a few steps back, and stared intently at the changes in the formation.

The flames gradually turned from bright yellow to crimson, and the temperature inside the cave rose sharply.

Gu Qingyao sat cross-legged within the formation, unaffected in the slightest; in fact, a layer of frost slowly appeared around her.

The flames crashed against Gu Qingyao in the formation like ocean waves, and soon the layer of frost began to melt.

The frost melted into snow water, soaking the dress and making it cling to the skin, outlining the exquisite curves of her figure.

Lu Yuan hadn't really appreciated it yet.

Gu Qingyao's face turned deathly pale instantly, almost transparent, and her entire body was once again covered in ice and snow, turning her into a snowman.

"The intensity of the flames is not enough."

Gu Qingyao's tone remained cold, but there was a hint of suppressed urgency in it.

"This cold poison is incredibly potent!"

Lu Yuan muttered to himself.

He immediately manipulated the formation again, increasing the power of the flames, and took a break to swallow two more Qi-restoring pills.

Under his control.

The frequency of the fire waves crashing against Gu Qingyao increased, and after being baptized by the fire waves again and again, the ice and snow on her body melted away once more.

Gu Qingyao was soaked to the bone, and even the raging flames couldn't evaporate her.

"Is this the power of a mutated ice spirit root?!"

Lu Yuan was secretly alarmed.

Seeing the water droplets on Gu Qingyao's cheeks dripping down her chin and landing on the Xuanhuo Array, they instantly evaporated into white mist.

He was startled to realize just how cold Gu Qingyao was at that moment.

Even so, her expression remained cold and stern, her eyes slightly closed, and the sharp aura between her brows remained undiminished.

The Mystic Fire Formation maintained this effect for a full ten days.

At the center of the formation, Gu Qingyao still had beautiful features, but her pretty face was frosty.

In contrast, Lu Yuan was covered in sweat, his lips were chapped, and he looked like he had lost a lot of weight.

He has already used up many of the Fire-Avoiding Pills and Ice-Cold Talismans.

But I still feel that I have lost as much water as I can.

"You take a rest first, I can hold them off for a while."

Gu Qingyao suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze piercing through the layers of flames and landing directly on Lu Yuan.

His eyes held a complex expression.

Lu Yuan didn't stand on ceremony.

After taking two Qi Condensation Pills, two Qi Recovery Pills, and two Spirit Condensation Pills, he immediately sat down cross-legged and let the Xuanhuo Array operate on its own, which greatly reduced the power of the flames.

And so on...

Gu Qingyao closed her eyes again to concentrate and resist the outbreak of cold poison within her body.

While resting and recovering, Lu Yuan thought to himself.

I had heard Gu Qingyao mention before that because her mutated ice spirit root was not perfect, she would experience an outbreak of cold poison every three years.

In the previous attempts, my skill level was not high enough.

I would prepare my own medicinal soup and boil water, bathe in it, and then stew myself on an iron pot; I could manage to get by.

However, once you reach the late stage of Qi Refining, the only way to resist the burst of cold poison is to face the raging flames directly.

To completely eliminate the cold poison, one would either need to find a way to completely resolve the flaws in the mutated ice spirit root, or reach the Golden Core realm in cultivation.

Lu Yuan felt he had fully recovered and slowly opened his eyes, only to find that Gu Qingyao was no longer in the center of the Xuanhuo Formation, only a pile of snow half a person high...

"Fairy Gu!"

Lu Yuan let out a low shout, and once again made a hand seal, stirring up a raging wave of fire that crashed into the half-person-high snow.

The ice and snow melted instantly under the impact of dozens of waves of fire, revealing Gu Qingyao, whose skin was as white as snow, her lips were purple, yet she still maintained a proud and aloof expression.

"Why didn't you call me, you wretched woman!"

Lu Yuan was furious and cursed under his breath, completely forgetting the difference in their cultivation levels.

Without the slightest hesitation, he manipulated the fire waves generated by the Xuanhuo Array, turning them into a vortex that surrounded Gu Qingyao.

"I……"

Gu Qingyao's lips moved slightly, her voice soft yet clear enough to reach his ears: "I can still hold on."

Lu Yuan had nothing to say.

With a series of swift movements, the power of the Xuanhuo Formation intensified, and the swirling flames completely engulfed her.

The temperature inside the cave was so high it was suffocating.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but Lu Yuan's throat was dry, and he was practically gritting his teeth to hold on.

Fortunately, he had prepared enough pills, so he wouldn't run out of supplies.

However, due to overuse of his divine sense, the occasional sharp pain in his mind forced him to stop and rest for a while after manipulating the formation for a period of time in the following days.

During his break, Lu Yuan began repairing the array patterns and replacing the spirit stones to ensure the effective operation of the Profound Fire Array.

At this moment, Gu Qingyao's complexion was also slightly better, unlike her previous icy beauty.

However, one could still observe the faint chill emanating from her body.

The cold poison continued to rage within Gu Qingyao's body.

Another ten days have passed.

Lu Yuan felt completely drained.

He had taken too many Qi-restoring pills, and his spiritual power was able to keep up, but his divine sense was becoming increasingly weak, and even his spirit was momentarily dazed.

Within sight.

Gu Qingyao was completely free of ice and water stains. Her expression was calm, and her plain-colored outfit, which clung to her skin, seemed to have been engulfed by flames.

Her flawless, porcelain-like skin and jade-like bones were laid bare, revealing her exquisite figure in all its glory.

The scene before him seemed so unreal that Lu Yuan couldn't tell whether it was an illusion or reality.

Suddenly.

A cool sensation traveled down my spine, spreading throughout my body, like drinking a refreshing sip of Sprite on a sweltering summer day.

Lu Yuan's spirits lifted, his eyes focused, and the scene before him solidified.

Gu Qingyao remained seated cross-legged in the center of the formation. Her soaked clothes had dried, her long hair was disheveled, and an unnatural flush appeared on her cheeks.

dresses...

Why did she change her clothes?

"That's fine."

Gu Qingyao's voice became hoarse, but the corners of her mouth slightly curved upwards.

"The cold poison will not flare up again within three years."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan didn't have time to think much. He let out a long breath, slumped to the ground, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and grinned.

"I'm exhausted!"

Gu Qingyao slightly raised her beautiful eyes, the blush on her cheeks still present, seemingly even more pronounced: "Thank you, Brother Lu."

Lu Yuan was indeed exhausted. He waved his hand, too lazy to even speak.

Fortunately, nothing unusual happened in the past few days, otherwise he didn't know if he would have been able to control the Five Elements Mist Array in that state.

"In that case, we..."

"Wait a moment."

Lu Yuan hadn't yet said that he wanted to leave.

Suddenly, Gu Qingyao's expression changed drastically, and an uncontrollable surge of spiritual power erupted from her body, sending Lu Yuanzhen flying and crashing heavily into the cave wall.

What does that mean?

Is this a case of discarding a useful tool after it has served its purpose, or kicking away the bridge after it has been used?

Lu Yuan endured the excruciating pain and rolled over, only to see Gu Qingyao looking at him with a chaotic expression, pleading and murmuring something.

"I...I think I'm about to reach the Foundation Establishment stage."