A Luminous Golden Chalice Bloom
Lily Bai: "From him alone, you can tell that your Qilin Divine Lord must be a god as bright and warm as the sun."
"Mm! He truly is," Lu Xuanlian replied.
"By the way, when High Immortal Quinn mentioned something called the 'Celestial Chronometer' just now, you looked a little pale. What is that thing?"
"It's nothing," Lu Xuanlian said. "Just an artifact that hasn't surfaced in ages. I was just surprised, that's all."
"Oh!" Lily Bai didn't suspect a thing and said, "I'll head back for now. I'll come visit you another day."
Lu Xuanlian nodded and saw her out.
Sure enough, it was snowing outside.
Snowflakes drifted down, silently covering the earth with a soft, cottony blanket.
For someone like Lily Bai, an upper immortal, a little snow was nothing at all.
But maybe it was High Immortal Quinn’s little psychological nudge—she found herself opening that umbrella almost without thinking.
It was an old umbrella.
But it was also a lower-grade Immortal Artifact.
Once opened, it blocked wind and rain, felt as warm as spring, and was incredibly comfortable.
There was even a patch sewn onto it—a bit of fabric in the shape of a Luminous Golden Chalice Bloom.
Lily Bai gave a little laugh, thinking to herself that High Immortal Quinn was truly a character.
If he was going to give her an umbrella, so be it—but did he really have to send her a beat-up one?
She held the umbrella, supported the still-recovering Nine Li, and flew off toward Heavenly Pool Mountain.
Shenxiao and the other two were still waiting in the same spot.
They stood beneath a big tree at the edge of the cliff, which blocked some of the wind and snow.
Nine Li rushed over, cast a spell to force out the Fiendbloom he'd sealed in his belly, held it out on his palm, and said, "I got it, Baxa! Look!"
Baxa smiled gently and said, "Thank you, Nine Li."
"I knew it! I just knew this plan would work," Nine Li said happily. "Hurry and eat it—once you do, you'll be fine!"
Baxa ate the Fiendbloom, sat up, and began refining it in meditation.
......
Ever since Lily Bai arrived holding the umbrella, Azure Flame had been watching Shenxiao with a worried look.
Then she quietly moved farther away from him.
Standing next to him was just too cold.
He stared unblinkingly at the umbrella Lily Bai was holding, the pressure around him dropping to a terrifying low.
Lily Bai noticed his sour expression and asked, "Shenxiao, we got the Fiendbloom—aren't you happy? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Shenxiao turned away, reining in his icy aura, but his eyes only grew more desolate. He didn't say a word.
"What's up with him?" Lily Bai asked Azure Flame.
Azure Flame hesitated, then asked, "Who gave you that umbrella?"
Lily Bai replied, "High Immortal Quinn gave it to me! Do you guys know him? He's the divine attendant to the Qilin Divine Lord—a really wonderful High Immortal! He heard it was snowing here and went out of his way to send me an umbrella!"
As she spoke, Lily Bai walked toward Shenxiao, smiling. "This umbrella may look old, but it's an Immortal Artifact—it blocks wind and snow, and it's warm as spring. Want to try it?"
She raised the umbrella, wanting to shield Shenxiao from the wind.
But he turned away, his back to her, and said coolly, "I don't need it."
"I know you don't need it," Lily Bai followed after him. "I just want you to try it!"
"No thanks," Shenxiao replied again, his voice icy cold.
He was so cold that Lily Bai stopped in her tracks, staring at him in surprise.
He didn't use any spell to ward off the wind and snow. The wind whipped his cloak aside, revealing a glimpse of dark red robes underneath—he stood alone, solitary and hauntingly beautiful.
What's wrong with him?
Did something happen?
......
Baxa meditated for about half an hour, until all the black miasma faded—he was completely healed.
He stood up and bowed to Lily Bai. "Thank you."
Lily Bai shook her head. "We'll still need your help to escort me and my junior back inside the Tribulation Storm Array. This little act—we have to play it out to the end."