Chapter 60: Even Bai Gu Can Eat Ice Powder

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Even Bai Gu Can Eat Ice Powder

The Female Cultivator reached out to pick it up, but stopped halfway.

She didn’t know what had befallen the other greedy people in the cavern, but she was habitually cautious.

The closer she was to death, the more she feared it.

She decided to only look for the Lifespan Extension Pill she so desperately needed. If she couldn’t find it, she would reconsider her options.

After circling the shelf once, the Female Cultivator made a discovery.

"Lifespan Extension Pill. Extends life by one hundred years."

The Female Cultivator’s eyes lit up instantly. She opened the box and saw a white pill with green markings inside.

A wave of life force washed over her, making every pore on her body tingle with relief.

Her body began to instinctively absorb the escaping medicinal energy. The Female Cultivator thought for a moment, then decisively picked up the Elixir Pill and put it in her mouth.

’Delays breed trouble.’

She was only a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, nothing special in the grand scheme of things.

Lifespan Extension Pills were incredibly hard to come by in the outside world. This kind, which extended one’s life by a century, could only be found in the great sects.

If anyone knew she possessed such a treasure, they would likely try to take it by force.

Therefore, using it immediately was the safest option.

The medicinal power instantly surged through the Female Cultivator’s body. Her starved system was replenished, and the tension in her face eased.

The graying strands hidden in her topknot quickly turned black. Replenished with sufficient life force, the faint aura of death that clung to her vanished.

But before the Female Cultivator could even feel happy, she discovered a fiery poison suddenly erupting within her body.

The fire poison had been hidden inside the Lifespan Extension Pill.

No one knew how long the Fire Secret Realm had existed. The only certainty was that everything here was subject to the corrosion of high temperatures, and inanimate objects like Elixir Pills were no exception.

In fact, an Elixir Pill refined with Spiritual Fire was even better at storing fire poison.

Now, this fire poison, along with all the poison she had previously accumulated, erupted completely.

Having miscalculated, the Female Cultivator clutched her abdomen and doubled over in pain.

Raging flames scorched her from within. The rampage from the inside out caused her physical body to radiate intense heat.

The Spiritual Power in her body became the perfect fuel for the fire poison. Sparks faintly flickered across the surface of her skin.

If this continued, she would be burned alive.

’What do I do?’

’I don’t want to die.’

’Someone, please save me!’

A whirlwind of thoughts consumed her mind. Amid the chaos, she recalled a surprised voice.

"This stuff really can resist fire poison."

She remembered that voice. She’d heard it when the Fiery Fire Sparrows drove her toward the stone monument.

At that time, some people had been eating ice powder.

Those people had been lavishing praise on the ice powder, even saying the Fiery Fire Sparrows were just drumming up business for Boss Lu, which was why the birds had targeted them.

It sounded like this Boss Lu was a powerful figure. Not daring to offend him, she had followed the crowd and bought a bowl.

But her overly cautious nature had prevented her from eating it on the spot.

’After all, no matter how you look at it, setting up a stall in a place like this is just... wrong.’

Now, those words seemed to be her lifeline.

Including the two she bought later, she took out all three bowls of ice powder. The chilled dessert still radiated a cool mist.

That slight chill gave the Female Cultivator a faint glimmer of hope.

She couldn’t wait for a spoon. Raising the bowl, she pressed her lips to the rim and began to swallow great mouthfuls.

She didn’t savor it, but the light, sweet taste still left a deep impression. What overjoyed her most was that upon encountering the ice powder, the fire poison in her body froze in place, like a mouse seeing a cat.

The fire poison was receding.

The process was slow, but it was definitely working.

The Female Cultivator hurriedly picked up the second bowl and continued to wolf it down.

Only now did she understand what Boss Lu meant when he told her to buy a few more bowls.

It wasn’t a threat, but a kindness.

After finishing the second bowl, she looked at her skin, which had returned to normal, and was about to start on the third.

She reached out her hand, but found she couldn’t lift the bowl.

Focusing her gaze, terror instantly filled the Female Cultivator’s eyes.

She stumbled back several steps, nearly falling to the ground.

There, standing silently before her, was a skeleton.

It was holding down the rim of the bowl with a single finger, preventing her from lifting it.

"You..."

Her lips trembled. She wanted to say something, but in her extreme terror, she lost the ability to speak.

It was impossible to read any expression on the skull, but she had the distinct feeling it was studying something.

Not her, but the bowl of ice powder.

’It’s curious about the ice powder!’

Startled by this realization, the Female Cultivator forced her trembling body to stand straight. She dug her nails into her palm, the pain keeping her lucid.

"This is ice powder."

After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice trembling.

"Would... you like to try some?"

The moment the words left her mouth, the Female Cultivator wanted to slap herself.

’How could a skeleton possibly eat anything?’

’Would it just swallow it and have it leak out between its bones? What kind of morbid joke was she making?’

She had just barely survived one crisis, but it seemed the heavens had no intention of protecting her. Finding herself once again at the Ghost Gate, the Female Cultivator felt all her energy drain away.

’If I can’t fight it, then I might as well not fight it.’

Having come to this realization, the Female Cultivator suddenly felt much more relaxed.

But she waited and waited, and still, this Elder Bai Gu didn’t make a move.

She peeked over and saw Bai Gu pick up the bowl of ice powder. He tilted his head, which made a loud CREAKING sound.

Then, he opened his jaw and poured the entire bowl of ice powder into his mouth.

The scene was a little horrifying.

The Female Cultivator waited, but none of the ice powder fell to the floor. The entire bowlful was swallowed by something unseen.

’It can actually eat!’

The Female Cultivator was stunned.

"Is there more?"

A raspy voice echoed in the Female Cultivator’s mind. She pressed her lips together and gently shook her head.

"There’s no more."

Hearing this, Bai Gu nodded. He didn’t make things difficult for her and turned to leave.

"But I know where to get more."

The Female Cultivator added hastily.

After her initial fear subsided, she realized this was an opportunity for her.

The Female Cultivator’s words successfully made Bai Gu stop. He turned back, fixing his empty eye sockets on her.

"The stall selling this ice powder is just outside the cavern. I can help you buy some more and bring it back, Elder. You just have to wait a little while."

The Female Cultivator stated her proposal.

’If I do a favor for this terrifying entity, even a little something that slips through his fingers would be more than enough for me.’

Bai Gu said nothing. After studying the Female Cultivator for a long moment, he waved his hand.

And the Female Cultivator was sent out of the cavern.

Once he was alone, Bai Gu plopped down onto a chair and smacked his jaw.

"So this little thing is called ice powder, eh? Tastes pretty good. It’s been so many years since this old man has had anything sweet."

"But why does this little thing have the aura of the Glazed Fire on it?"

Thinking of the weak human who had entered not long ago and that treacherous bird, Bai Gu ground his teeth in frustration.

’What kind of bird helps an outsider steal its master’s treasure?’

Without the Glazed Fire to suppress it, the pseudo-dragon sealed beneath this Secret Realm would soon break free. When that happened, this place would become a sea of flames.

"Ah well, such is life, such is fate!"

’What’s there for a pile of old bones that’s been dead for so long to worry about? I just wanted to taste the food of the mortal world one last time before I fade away completely.’

For example, that stuff called ice powder.

The coolness contained within the ice powder somehow wasn’t assimilated by the flames here. That was what had drawn him over in the first place.

He hadn’t expected it to taste so good, too.

It was smooth and slippery, with a delicate sweetness. After eating it, a cool breeze seemed to drift through the seams of his bones.

It reminded him of past days, eating chilled watermelon with his Beast Pet on a sweltering summer day.

And yet...

When the man died, only a remnant soul was left. When the beast died, it had already reached Nirvana.

The man was no longer the man he once was. And the beast... was no longer the beast it once was.