Heart-Protecting Ice Essence

The biting chill of the mysterious ice fragments radiated from Shen Yi’s fingertips, while crimson warning text pulsed incessantly across his system interface.

He stared at the golden lotus mark on the back of Gao Yao’s neck, which mirrored the one over his own heart. Suddenly, he noticed that the ghostly flames dancing in the eye sockets of the skeleton soldiers perfectly aligned with the Nine Luminaries Star Chart recorded in the Shennong Mirror.

"Symbiotic demonic seed..." He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth as the ice fragments began to spin in his palm.

The three Frost Spirit Fruits resting in his system inventory began to glow—the price he had paid three days ago when he was bitten by an ice python while daring to dive into the cold pond.

The silver patterns on his Nightshade black robe rippled, and the ink-black orb of light condensing at his fingertips suddenly twisted and deformed. As Shen Yi retreated, the skull he had seemingly crushed in a panic was now oozing cyan smoke, tracing the path of a formation. "You dare use Shennong’s forbidden arts to alter my sacrificial array!" The laughter of Nightshade finally carried a hint of rage.

Shen Yi slammed the ice fragments into his chest. The excruciating pain caused him to stumble and shatter three stone pillars.

The progress bar for the demonic seed’s corruption suddenly began to reverse. A line of small text popped up on the system: [Ice Soul Heart-Guard effect detected. Consume all spiritual energy to activate?]

"Let’s gamble, Lord Nightshade!" Shen Yi spat out a mist of blood as the chill of the Frost Spirit Fruits exploded through his meridians.

As he fell to one knee, his left hand quietly pressed against the spine of a skeleton—a rusted half-hoe was embedded there.

The moment Nightshade teleported before him, the Immortal-Binding Vine hidden in Shen Yi's sleeve surged forth.

It was the final item he had purchased with system points. The instant the green vine coiled around the black robe, the corruption alert turned into a piercing drone.

"You think..." Nightshade’s words were cut off by the ringing of Gao Yao’s sword.

Moonlight suddenly flared around the girl, and the Frost Moon Sword severed its three chains on its own.

Shen Yi seized the opportunity to hurl the ice fragments toward the formation's core. In flight, the fragments split into nine ice prisms, piercing precisely into the skulls of the skeleton soldiers.

The ground shook violently as the village chief and a dozen villagers wielding torches charged out from the cellar.

Lie Feng, carrying a shovel as large as a door, roared, "Shen! You promised to invite me to your wedding!" The moment his shovel sent two skeletons flying, Shen Yi seized the gap in Nightshade’s focus.

When the ink-black orb pierced Shen Yi’s left shoulder, his blood-stained palm finally pressed against the Spirit-Locking Shackle on Gao Yao’s wrist.

The Twin Lotus, a treasure from his system inventory, blossomed, and two golden lotuses sank into their respective hearts.

Nightshade groaned and retreated; the silver patterns on his cuffs began to flake away.

"Shen Yi! Your blood..." Gao Yao trembled violently; the demonic mark on her neck was devouring the glow of the golden lotus.

Shen Yi only then realized that his blood was not red, but an amber hue shimmering with faint gold—a side effect from when he had volunteered to test the mutated spiritual rice for the village chief three days ago.

As the ice fragments burst, the Spirit-Locking Shackle on Gao Yao’s wrist snapped with a crisp sound.

Wrapped in moonlight, the girl stumbled toward Shen Yi. Three drops of blood flew from the green jade hairpin in her hair, forming a crescent-shaped blood blade in mid-air.

"Are you insane!" Shen Yi caught the falling Frost Moon Sword; the residual warmth on the hilt made his fingertips numb.

Gao Yao’s wide sleeves wrapped around his bleeding left shoulder. Two moldy, sugar-roasted chestnuts rolled out from the lapel embroidered with twin lotuses—the snack he had mentioned wanting from Old Wang’s street stall three days ago.

When Nightshade’s cold laughter echoed from ten yards away, Shen Yi noticed a tiny new golden mark behind Gao Yao’s ear.

It reminded him of the system prompt that had popped up while he was guarding the spiritual fields last night: [Lunar Eclipse Countdown: 23:59:59].

Her breath, scented with herbs, brushed against his neck: "The Drunken Immortal Grass you planted... is in the third hidden compartment of the storage bag..."

Shen Yi’s throat tightened.

He had watered that mutated Drunken Immortal Grass with three drops of his own heart blood; hidden within its veins was half a mysterious iron needle he had yet to retrieve.

Suddenly, the green jade hairpin in Gao Yao’s hair exploded. Twelve fine needles, as thin as ox hair and imbued with the exotic fragrance of the Drunken Immortal Grass, struck Nightshade’s vital points with pinpoint accuracy.

"Catch!" Lie Feng swung his shovel, knocking away two black-robed figures, and tossed a paper parcel from his chest.

The moment Shen Yi caught it, he smelled the familiar aroma of braised meat—a thank-you gift he had tossed to Lie Feng three days ago when delivering spiritual rice to the chief.

Yet, a piece of green jade marrow rolled out of the paper parcel—it was the core stone needed to unlock the spiritual vein’s restriction.

Nightshade’s silver-patterned black robe puffed up like a sail, and the hair on the back of Shen Yi’s neck stood on end.

The Shennong Hoe, which had been silent in his system inventory for so long, suddenly vibrated. The spiritual soil clinging to its blade fell away, forming half a fragmented star chart in the air.

As he shielded Gao Yao and rolled toward a stone pillar, the three Frost Spirit Fruits he threw from his sleeve slotted perfectly into the gaps of the star chart.

"Grab that girl!" Nightshade’s voice finally betrayed his agitation.

The moment the seven black-robed figures formed a sword array, Shen Yi pushed Gao Yao toward Lie Feng: "Take care of her! She’s my future wife!"

The Frost Moon Sword whistled past his ear, pinning the foot of a black-robed figure to the ground.

Using the recoil, Shen Yi crashed into the barrier of light. The green jade marrow in his arms turned into flowing fire, burning a scorched Bagua pattern into his palm.

The moment the system alert blared, his fingers brushed against the piece of pickaxe hidden in his boot—one he had tucked into his waist that morning while loosening the soil in the spiritual fields.

The spiritual energy erupting from the crack in the barrier blew away a stone table ten yards away, and cracks appeared on Nightshade’s silver mask.

The webbing between Shen Yi’s right thumb and forefinger split; as his blood dripped onto the pickaxe, it emitted a crisp, metallic chime.

He suddenly recalled the sensation of Gao Yao secretly injecting moonlight power into his bandages while she dressed his wounds last night.

"Open it for me!" Lie Feng smashed his shovel into the barrier. The shovel head suddenly erupted with green light—it was coated in the "Golden Fertilizer" Shen Yi had accidentally splashed onto it while testing new nutrients yesterday.

The barrier rippled like water. Shen Yi seized the chance to drive the pickaxe into the formation’s eye, and the Drunken Immortal Grass vines wrapped around the handle suddenly grew wildly.

A dragon-like roar echoed from the depths of the earth, and Nightshade’s silver mask shattered completely.

Amidst the spiritual storm, Shen Yi saw a pair of crimson pupils; swirling within them were the same runes found on his system interface.

Gao Yao’s cry pierced the shockwave: "Watch your right shoulder!"

Shen Yi instinctively ducked and turned. Nightshade’s fingertips grazed his earlobe, drawing a string of blood beads.

Those beads condensed in mid-air into small golden-red swords, spontaneously forming a sword array to protect the heart of the spiritual vein.

The Shennong Mirror in his system storage opened automatically, and on its yellowed pages appeared a formation map identical to the blood-sword array.

"So that’s it..." Shen Yi laughed, coughing up blood. His soil-stained fingers jabbed at Nightshade’s heart. "You should have realized—how could a farmer not have a backup plan?" The wheat seeds that slipped from his sleeve suddenly sprouted, and entangling with the surging spiritual energy, they instantly grew into golden vines, binding Nightshade tightly to the formation’s pillar.

As the first ray of dawn pierced the dark clouds, Shen Yi sat swaying by the spiritual spring.

His hem was still dripping with blood mixed with golden threads, yet a cluster of ink-colored irises had eerily bloomed by his feet—mysterious seeds rewarded by the system three days ago, which he had complained would never sell for a good price.

"Brother Shen!" Gao Yao ran over, her skirt lifted, the spiritual soil on her embroidered shoes shimmering.

The golden marks on her hair had spread to her collarbone, flowing like liquid moonlight in the dawn.

Shen Yi reached out to wipe the blood from her cheek, only to find his palm absorbing the cyan mist overflowing from the spiritual vein.

Nightshade’s cold laughter echoed from afar: "You think this is the end?" Before the black-robed leader dissolved into mist, the fragments of his mask gathered into an arrow, pointing at the spot over Gao Yao’s heart.

Shen Yi’s pupils contracted—there, pulsing in the light, was a lotus emblem identical to the one on his system interface.