“Your bloodline has already been replaced by the vampire bloodline, Mingyue.

So right now, there’s no bloodline left that gives you an innate ice ability.”

Mingyue thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

“I see. It took my innate ability, but it didn’t take my understanding of the ice element.”

“Yes,” Alex said. “And since you’ve used ice since your first step on the cultivation path, it’s already like second nature for you.”

It was like someone learning how to swim. Once they were used to it, they could do it without thinking.

“So you mean I need to learn how space abilities work, then keep using them until it becomes second nature too?” Mingyue asked.

“That’s the normal way,” Alex said.

“I suggest you do that, while also trying my new way.”

Alex then explained his insight about the soul, nascent spirit, and the idea he got from silicon-based life.

Mingyue’s eyes brightened.

“It’s interesting. So that would make our nascent spirit like some kind of assistant.”

Alex nodded.

“It will help you think about two things at the same time, something that was truly hard to do in the past.”

Mingyue smiled. She felt excited now.

She could see another path to improve her strength.

“Let’s finish this first,” she said.

Alex nodded. He took the space crystal and began upgrading the awe cube.

The awe cube already had storage space and many functions inside it.

Now he only needed to upgrade it using the space crystal, expanding everything inside.

While Alex was busy, Mingyue did not stand still.

She raised her palm.

Her qi surged, augmented by lifeforce.

Cold air gathered above her hand, then condensed into a beautiful ice lotus.

She blew lightly.

The lotus swayed in the air, then drifted down with a slow and graceful fall.

The moment it touched the lava lake, the lava froze.

A blazing red surface turned into a pale ice lake in an instant.

“ROARRRRA!”

The ground shook.

The frozen lava shattered, and countless chunks lifted into the air like broken plates.

A huge head burst out from the lake.

It looked like a giant salamander, but its skull was too long, and its mouth opened sideways like a split mask.

Rows of sharp teeth spun inside its throat like rotating blades.

Its eyes were not eyes at all.

They were two glowing vents, pouring out red light like furnace windows.

Along its head and neck, crystal-like ridges grew in uneven lines, as if the creature had swallowed too much molten ore and it hardened inside its body.

Its body kept rising.

Thick limbs dragged themselves out of the lake, each one ending in claws like hooked picks.

The ice spread over its skin, crawling up its neck and wrapping around its ridges.

For a moment, the creature looked like it was being sealed.

Then it roared again.

The ridges on its body flared, and its blood-glow intensified.

It burned its own life to fight back.

The ice cracked.

Steam exploded into the air.

The frozen surface melted in violent patches, like someone poured boiling water over glass.

Mingyue smiled.

“Stop throwing a tantrum,” she said.

She raised her hand again.

Another ice lotus formed, larger than the first.

The petals spun slowly, and the air around it turned white.

Mingyue flicked her fingers.

The lotus shot forward.

It drifted for a split second, then accelerated like a blade.

It flew straight toward the creature’s head.

BAM!!!

The ice spread into the creature’s body.

It moved through its flesh like a worm that had been poured with salt, forcing it to thrash harder and harder.

The salamander-like beast slammed its claws into the ground.

The mountain shook.

The ground split everywhere.

Magma burst out from the cracks like angry veins.

It tried to pull itself back into the lake, but the ice was already inside.

It locked its joints.

It clogged its heat vents.

Even its crystal ridges dimmed, as if its core was being strangled.

Mingyue lowered her hand.

She did not chase.

She just watched it struggle.

“It’s ready,” Alex said with a smile.

He raised his hand and threw the cube toward the creature.

The cube shot forward like a black bullet.

The creature sensed danger.

It tried to twist its head away, but its neck was already stiff.

Its mouth opened, and the spinning teeth roared like a grinder.

Alex’s cube hit its chest.

Then binding light erupted.

Lines of light wrapped around the creature’s limbs, its neck, and its ridges.

The creature roared again, but the roar sounded muffled, like it was being dragged underwater.

Its huge body began to break apart into glowing fragments.

The light streamed into the cube.

The cube trembled once, twice, three times.

Then it went still.

Alex caught it with one hand, he smiled.

“Done.”

He checked the cube’s condition.

The seals were stable.

The storage space was stable.

The space expansion layer he added was stable.

Everything worked as intended.

“Good, it’s as expected.”

Mingyue looked at the frozen lake, then at the empty air where the beast had been.

“Is it still alive?”

“Yes, it’s wounded but the cube will heal it slowly.”

They continued moving across the wasteland.

They found strange plants that grew out of black rock, their leaves sharp like metal and covered in heat-resistant wax.

They saw a few beasts lurking near magma vents, but none of them were strong enough to matter.

Mingyue killed one with a casual ice blade.

Nothing here was a challenge for them.

After some time, they took a break on top of a valley.

They sat on a broken ridge of stone and looked down toward the domed city in the distance.

The dome glowed faintly under the sky like a quiet star on the ground.

Mingyue leaned closer.

Then she placed her head on Alex’s shoulder.

Alex did not move.

He just looked at the city.

It was a rare moment of peace for both of them.

“Alex, what do couples usually do at Christmas?”

Alex’s eyes widened. He didn’t know what to answer.

Every story he knew was either too wild, or not something he could say out loud.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep