Bai Fanlu, ignoring the cloud of dust and flying gravel, rushed over at once. He found an exposed hand before the dust could land and blanket the surroundings. Xiao Liu was almost completely pinned down by the pieces of the broken wall.

Bai Fanlu forcibly suppressed the immense panic in his heart, did not dare to use any spells, and removed the stones with his bare hands.

But his hands were trembling fiercely at this moment. When he finally noticed Xiao Liu's face, Bai Fanlu was taken aback. One could not tell if the liquid on the back of his dust-covered hand was sweat or something else.

"Gege…I'm fine...don't cry..."

Bai Fanlu was surprised. Was he crying?

He obviously was not, but perhaps his eyes were a little sore after staring for too long.

Xiao Liu struggled to lift his hand but couldn't move. His face was grazed several times by stones, and there was a bloody, gaping hole on his forehead.

But that was not the most terrifying thing about him. What was more alarming were his lips, which had turned black and blue. Bai Fanlu knew that it was the poison from the Dragon God's tail and it had spread.

"Don't talk." Bai Fanlu grabbed Xiao Liu's hand, gritted his teeth, and continued to move the rubble away.

As he did, he was still cursing in his heart, You fool, you big fool!

Told you to obey me but chose not to! I specifically instructed you not to use spells!

Why aren't you satisfied being an ordinary man? Why did you have to practice spells and techniques!

But these words couldn't be uttered and the thoughts made Bai Fanlu's eyes hurt even more. It pained him so much he was unable to breathe.

Finally, he dug Xiao Liu out. At this moment, there was only one last trace of spiritual energy on Cang Jin wrapped around Bai Fanlu's wrist. He extracted it to purge part of the poison in Xiao Liu's body and treated him with some healing techniques. Yet this was only a means to stall for time and could not solve the root of the problem.

Xiao Liu watched this series of movements in silence with a tender gaze on Bai Fanlu's face, his lips were slightly open but he said nothing.

Bai Fanlu couldn't handle the look in his eyes, so he turned his face away and gently supported him to sit up. Xiao Liu took the opportunity to outright lean against him, pressing his cheek against the man's chest, and smirked.

This expression was one of joy, like a puppy picking up a bone, and it made Bai Fanlu both exasperated and amused, but he was completely helpless against him.

"How can you be in such a good mood in the state you are in? Heartless and wretched brat."

"Heartless..." Xiao Liu gasped and sighed weakly, "I used to have one...but Gege took it from me."

"..." Bai Fanlu almost exploded at this. How could this young man still tease him in this condition?

Did he bet that in this situation, Bai Fanlu could only accept all his tricks?

Bai Fanlu was indeed rendered speechless, but the other party's attitude showed that he could not be bothered even if he could not survive. This made Bai Fanlu even sadder and disappointed at his disciple's lack of ambition.

Bai Fanlu remained silent, raising his hand to cover Xiao Liu's eyes. After a while, the young man grasped his hand and fell asleep.

But what's next? Get help from Ling Qingzi? Can Xiao Liu hang in there for them to get to Tianshu Sect?

The answer was too clear. But Bai Fanlu went ahead and placed Xiao Liu on his back anyway.

As soon as he leapt out of the pit and returned to the ground, Bai Fanlu saw a person standing amidst the dust and fog, just opposite the collapsed Investiture of Gods Platform.

In the end, Xun Huang broke free from the shackles of the fire spell. He stood with folded arms and a halberd on his side. His extraordinarily tall figure gave off a sense of oppression, as if belittling Bai Fanlu.

"You are not him."

The hoarse voice sounded and spoke these words slowly.

Bai Fanlu frowned upon hearing.

But at this moment, the plot changed again.
Xun Huang struck very quickly, and waves of frost carrying condensed energy were thrown forward. A chill that could destroy the world was felt within every bone and almost completely froze Bai Fanlu's entire being.

He hastily put Xiao Liu down, but before he could back off, Xun Huang already got very close to him.

The creature had a face that seemed to be frozen like frost, and he had a pair of eyes which could not be distinctly seen. At this moment, there was a strong murderous aura that was exactly the opposite of the chill from his body. This aura was incredibly hot and could be felt with every breath.

Bai Fanlu didn't have any time to react and was gripped by his neck and pressed forcefully onto the ground by Xun Huang.

Bai Fanlu could only feel suffocation as Xun Huang was a creature of great strength. His cervical vertebrae even squeaked clearly under the force of Xun Huang's palm, as if they were about to be broken at any time.

He struggled to sustain his vision and stared stubbornly back at the Dragon God.

Xun Huang peered coldly at Bai Fanlu, who was unwilling to back down, and the layer of icy gauze that covered his pupils flashed again. In the split second when they were exposed, those pupils did not show any emotions, as if they were merely looking at a dead object.

As he gradually tightened his five fingers, he slowly uttered words in a hoarse voice, "Who on Earth are you?"

I want to know too!

Bai Fanlu was anxious and angry as he continued to summon his spiritual energy in resistance, but no matter how much he gathered, it seemed to be swallowed up by a bottomless pit in the form of his opponent's palm, pressed on his neck. Bai Fanlu's face writhed in agony and started turning purple. His neck was in such pain that he was about to lose consciousness.

Right before losing his consciousness, Bai Fanlu turned his head laboriously and looked at the young man who was asleep beside him. No one knew if he were dead or alive at this moment.

Xiao Liu…

No...he can't die!

Absolutely not!

This thought flashed past like lightning, and blared in Bai Fanlu's mind like a thunderclap. At that moment, a brute force broke out of his core like some shackle was removed.

In the next moment, a white light suddenly burst out, followed by a purple ray that shot into the sky. Next, light appeared like a rainbow between the two of them and Xun Huang was pushed away in an instant. He stumbled for several steps before the halberd that was driven into the ground could stop his movement.

Amidst the brightness, Bai Fanlu stood in mid-air, and his right hand struck a sword formation. Then, a huge power capable of shattering the surroundings faintly streamed out from the formation, condensing into a ring before giving out a deafening screech. In the next moment, the spirit of the sword quickly divided into countless streaks of sword glare and shot out at the opponent.

With a wave of Xun Huang's halberd, the Dragon God turned his body and dodged the first sword glare. Next, he leapt up into mid-air to avoid the second sword glare. While his body was still in the air, the third arrived, and pierce straight through his chest.

Countless beams of sword glare approached in greater numbers and close to each other. With an angry roar, Xun Huang's entire body suddenly doubled in size. He slammed his halberd down at the sword formation and swung his blade towards Bai Fanlu.

He advanced fiercely, but Bai Fanlu was calm. It was only then that Xun Huang realised that he had entered a trap. The sword formation was only a prelude, and the ball of energy blast technique which Bai Fanlu was preparing in his hand was the real deal.

But it was too late to retreat. Xun Huang gathered wind and snow around his body, and rushed towards Bai Fanlu. The two parties, with pure energies coursing through them, collided in mid-air. The sky was dim for a moment, before being enveloped by the surging clouds.

Xun Huang snorted and retreated wildly, a reptilian glaze covering his pupils flickered as his eyes widened and he looked at Bai Fanlu in disbelief.

Dust gradually fell and the smoke dissipated. But there was no one in mid-air...

Bai Fanlu had taken the opportunity to fly away with Xiao Liu on his back. He had no time to engage in a fight now. In terms of endurance warfare, his internal cultivation was bound to be inferior to the Dragon God's. At present, he just wanted to reserve some energy and seek help for Xiao Liu.

After leaving the temple, what awaited them was still an empty city on the outside. Since Xun Huang could not leave the temple grounds, Bai Fanlu need not worry for the time being.

Bai Fanlu flew for a long time, but he couldn't seem to leave the area. Perhaps he was lost but he was aware that this was probably not it.

He had been too desperate, and his heart was in a state of confusion. If Xun Huang's true form had not yet been awakened, how could they get out?

This city was a huge formation dedicated to sealing the Dragon God, Xun Huang, within. But now, it had also blocked their way out.

According to the plot, Yun Zhan and the original owner fought with Xun Huang after the Demonic Energy Rift was sealed, but they did not manage to defeat him. Even Yun Zhan got poisoned in the process.

However, it didn't take long for Xun Huang's true form under the Investiture of Gods Platform to awaken, and transform into a dragon, breaking through the barrier. Consequently, the two were able to escape.

Later on, when the war between Immortals and Demons broke out, Xun Huang was hunted down by the Immortal Realm for his crime of destroying the entire Ling City and massacring innocents. As such, he joined the army of the demon clan and was eventually beheaded by Yun Zhan.

However, the enchanted formation of this city was still in place. This meant that Xun Huang's true form had not been awakened, and Bai Fanlu could only wait for it to happen. According to the novel, it took a few hours after sealing the rift and should not differ too greatly from this estimate. Bai Fanlu knew that he had to find a way to buy Xiao Liu more time.

Bai Fanlu found a mansion with its gates wide open. Although there was dust everywhere, there was still bedding available. Bai Fanlu cleaned it up with some spells and placed Xiao Liu on the bed.

Cang Jin, which was wrapped around Xiao Liu's wrist, now had the appearance of a dull purple ribbon and without its original clear glow. But correspondingly, Xiao Liu's complexion finally seemed to have improved slightly.

In this situation, if things dragged on for a longer time, Bai Fanlu would be forced to retrieve Cang Jin, then he himself would be poisoned as well. But he could not be bothered about it now. As long as he could extract all the poison, Bai Fanlu would rather be dealing with the poison in his body than in Xiao Liu's.

This train of thought came out so naturally and Bai Fanlu subconsciously thought that it was because he had more confidence in his constitution. He did not go deeper with this and refused to speculate on any other reason.

"Gege…"

A low voice interrupted Bai Fanlu's thoughts. He hurriedly looked down. The youth didn't wake up, he was just dreaming.

Xiao Liu murmured, groping the air with his hands, but grabbed hold of Bai Fanlu's hand as soon as the man reached out to tuck him in.

This was an instant iron-clad grip.

Nonetheless, Bai Fanlu didn't pull away, and sat down by the bed, silently looking at the youth's face.

It was hard to imagine someone unconscious could be so forceful. How great was his fear of being left behind?

Bai Fanlu recounted that not long ago, this young man was still smiling cheekily as he confessed that he lied to follow him. Yet now, he was lying here weakly. Bai Fanlu blamed himself repeatedly. If he had known this would happen, he would not have gone soft and agreed to his requests.

If he were alone from the beginning, they wouldn't be in this state now…

What state were they in exactly?

Bai Fanlu was startled. Then how were they like in the beginning?

There were no answers to all his doubts. His mind was in a kind of chaos that he had never encountered before.

Just when Bai Fanlu wanted to retract his hand, stand up and go for a stroll, he heard Xiao Liu hum softly,

"…cold…"

The young man frowned—his hands were visibly trembling, as if he was shivering in cold. Bai Fanlu touched his forehead and felt it was indeed extremely cold. He then felt his shoulders and neck under the quilt.

It seemed that the poison had progressed to the second stage. This was a frost poison, originating from an ancient cold abyss the Dragon God inhabited. It tormented the inflicted with unbearable cold.

Bai Fanlu thought of what the original owner did to save Yun Zhan in the novel. Without hesitation, Bai Fanlu got under the quilt and lay down beside Xiao Liu.

He gathered fire-based spiritual energy throughout his body, and gradually radiated warmth. Xiao Liu seemed to have felt it, and leaned towards him increasingly. After a while, he just wrapped his hands and feet around Bai Fanlu, probably using him as a hot water bottle in his sleep.

Bai Fanlu didn't move and quietly watched Xiao Liu. He thought back to the occasion, he found this same youth holding him like an octopus when he woke up.

Back then, Bai Fanlu hurriedly pushed the other party away, and did not take a close look at him like he was doing now.

Up close, the young man's face was pale, but his facial features were all very well-defined. He was handsome and full of sunshine. Although his eyes were shut, Bai Fanlu could remember distinctly how those bright eyes looked.

Suddenly, the pair of eyes moved and slowly opened.

"If you stare at me...for too long...I'll become embarrassed."

Xiao Liu's chapped lips moved into a grin. He chuckled lightly, making a cheeky face.

"You…"

Bai Fanlu was about to move away, but remembered that the other party had injuries. His intended resistance was killed off in its budding stages. He allowed the youth to continue hugging him and even draw closer.

"Gege, you are so warm..."

Please don't speak like you are flirting with me.

Bai Fanlu solemnly protested with his eyes, but the young man was clearly frozen like a popsicle now. Yet, his gaze was even more blazingly passionate than the flames which trapped Xun Huang earlier.

If Bai Fanlu hadn't verified that the youth was indeed freezing, he would have thought that this little bastard was fooling him again and deliberately deceived him to gain sympathy.

"Gege, I really like you a lot..."

Bai Fanlu pretended not to hear. Although he secretly blushed at this, he was now ‘radiating heat’, and his whole body was warm. Naturally, his face was quite red, and the other party should not be able to catch his reaction.

"Gege, are you shy?"

"I'm not!"

Bai Fanlu replied decisively. After he spoke, he realised that he had replied too quickly which was an indicative sign of covering up, so he added, "You, you are overthinking it..."

Stuttering and defensiveness was also tantamount to a cover-up attempt.

Bai Fanlu hurriedly remedied, "I'm just keeping you warm. You caught the frost poison and that's why you are feeling so cold."

Talking too much was also indicative of having something to hide.

The smile in Xiao Liu's eyes was reflected in Bai Fanlu's eyes at this time, as if the youth could see through all his thoughts and feelings.

Bai Fanlu turned around abruptly in embarrassment. He was back facing Xiao Liu now and he grabbed a corner of the quilt with his fingers, covering half of his face, pretending to be an ostrich.

"Ah, I'm still very cold..." Xiao Liu lamented very pitifully.

Bai Fanlu didn't intend to pay him any heed, but his body seemed to have broken free from his control and silently readjusted the heat he radiated. He was now a truly automated humanoid electric heater.

Xiao Liu's soft chuckles sounded in Bai Fanlu's ears, and the temperature under the blanket was rising.

On the outside, there was an unprecedented cold and harsh winter, but inside it was warm like the peak of summer.

After a while, Bai Fanlu started sweating, but someone was still groping his body under the quilt, and finally grabbed his hand and held it.

"Gege, can you turn around?"

Xiao Liu's breath was cold, and when he spoke from behind him, Bai Fanlu's neck felt itchy.

"No." Bai Fanlu replied. The youth could still be warmed up even without him facing him.

"Then, can I kiss you?"

Bai Fanlu got so flustered and felt so absurd at this request that all he wanted was to sternly refuse the youth with an "Absolutely not!", and even turned his head to clearly show his attitude.

As a result, as soon as he turned, his lips touched an equally soft surface.

"…"

Bai Fanlu widened his eyes, and was so startled that he forgot to back off.

The youth gazed intently at him, with eyes deeper than a lake. Bai Fanlu's soul flew high into the sky in surprise, forgetting everything.

Every bit of emotion was concentrated on those lips. They were not smooth, and even had scabs due to the frostbite and the coldness made it not one bit comfortable to the touch.

Bai Fanlu's mind was blank at first, and when he got back to his senses, he subconsciously thought, 'So is this a kiss?'

It was not as sweet, beautiful, entwining and passionate as described in the novel. But there was one thing that felt exactly as written.

The sound of his own heartbeat...