Yun Jun Xianzi bit her lower lip. "It's alright. This brat has the Xuan He Divine Physique; he won't die."
Yuan Bo quickly replied, "Yes."
Grasping the Spirit Binding Rope, he kicked Ming Zhi Tian down. With a "plop," Ming Zhi Tian plummeted into the Nine Cold Pool under the sheer weight.
The biting cold instantly enveloped his entire body, seeping into his flesh and blood.
The measured temperature was approximately minus eighty degrees Celsius!
Ming Zhi Tian was immediately frozen into an ice sculpture. Yuan Bo conjured a spell, and an inextinguishable flame emerged from his palm, directed at Ming Zhi Tian.
A sea of fire appeared before Ming Zhi Tian. He thawed instantly, only to be engulfed by the scorching flames. He would freeze, then thaw, then freeze again. The alternation between ice and fire left him unable to react to the extreme shifts in temperature. Was it hot or cold? This was the Nine Heavens of Ice and Fire.
The apparent temperature fluctuated wildly. Ming Zhi Tian's soul nearly left his body several times, and he almost couldn't endure it, yet he stubbornly held on.
At times, he experienced hallucinations. Yan Lixue, Yan Fei, Jie Qingxia, Yanran Qingcheng, and Ouyang Nifeng appeared vividly before him, only to fade away ethereally.
At other times, Hong Liefeng, Ren Xingyao, Xiao Mirui, Bai Liuli, Hua Ru Xian, and Hua Ru Hua appeared, smiling at him before vanishing without a trace.
Suddenly, the Star Empress called out to him from behind. They embraced for a long time... Soon, he felt the piercing cold wind again. The Star Empress, touched by Ming Zhi Tian, froze into an ice sculpture and shattered.
Half an hour later...
Yun Jun Xianzi opened her beautiful eyes, emerging from meditation. "Take him to the ice lake, prepare the divine boat. I wish to go boating."
"Yes!"
Fearing Yun Jun Xianzi would find trouble with him if Ming Zhi Tian died, Yuan Bo secretly fed Ming Zhi Tian a low-grade waste pill. Though a waste pill, it had once been a top-tier medicinal pill.
"You are only fit to eat such pills."
The ice lake...
Yuan Bo prepared a long divine boat. Yun Jun Xianzi sat in the center, legs crossed, enjoying Void Soul Fruits and a meticulously arranged assortment of other fruits.
The ice lake was connected to the Nine Cold Pool. The boat floated on waters that were minus eighty degrees Celsius, yet strangely, the cold pool did not freeze.
The ripples pushed the waves, and the gently swaying willows complemented the vast lake, its waters rippling.
Ming Zhi Tian was bound to the stern of the boat with the Spirit Binding Rope, enduring the Nine Cold Pool, the Blazing Sun Jade Ice Burn, and now the divine boat journey.
Suddenly, the side effects of the low-grade waste pill took hold. Ming Zhi Tian felt as if a thousand ants were crawling through his intestines.
He repeatedly fainted and was frozen awake, his consciousness a blur as he was dragged along.
Half an hour later...
After the boat trip, Yun Jun Xianzi felt refreshed in body and mind. Only then did she remember Ming Zhi Tian, the mortal.
She was curious how a mere mortal of the first realm had arrived in the celestial realm.
"Yuan Bo, go and see if he's dead."
Yuan Bo stopped propelling the divine boat and approached her, respectfully saying, "Yes."
Yuan Bo walked to the stern and lifted the Spirit Binding Rope. He discovered Ming Zhi Tian had already frozen into an ice sculpture.
After melting the ice with a spell, Ming Zhi Tian had lost all signs of life. Yuan Bo immediately returned to report, "Reporting to Yun Jun Xianzi, this brat is dead."
Yun Jun Xianzi's expression remained unchanged. "Hmm, after all, he was a servant of the Xiao Ling Immortal Mansion. Send someone to inform them; it's a courtesy notification."
"Yes, this old servant will attend to it immediately. May I ask where Yun Jun Xianzi wishes to go now? Shall we continue boating?"
Yun Jun Xianzi shook her head slightly. "I am quite bored. It's time to return."
Yuan Bo beamed. "Yes, this old servant will escort you back."
...
Xiao Ling Immortal Mansion...
Ming Zhi Tian was carried on a stretcher to the entrance. The servants, seeing this, and to avoid blame, placed him aside in the backyard. Before they could attend to him, they were called away by an old governess to work, and Ming Zhi Tian's corpse was soon forgotten.