Chapter 177: Choosing a path

Su Menqi gained consciousness shortly after the procedure was done. The hall master's advice worked and the Crimson aura managed to weaken the seal to a large extent. The latent properties of her body began to awaken. Even Long Tao could feel the ice-energy generated within her body.

The phenomena began with her body's temperature decreasing, which would generally be a sign of her organs failing to cope up. If it weren't for the Keeper, Long Tao would have instantly assumed the worst. It was soon followed by frost aura being released out of her body. It soon covered the bed underneath.

"Is it really fine?"

"Her body was being locked forcefully by someone using a great amount of energy and precise technique. It was so efficient that she wouldn't even experience an outburst of cold energy, which is often felt by even those whose body is sealed. This is her body slowly getting awakened."

"How long does the outburst last? How large is its impact going to be?��

"In general, the amount of energy released would depend on the type of body. Since Su Menqi's body is a superior grade ice-jade body, the energy released is going to soon cover the tent. I would suggest you continue the supply of Crimson Qi while covering the surrounding atmosphere with your beast flame."

When the final outburst took place, the atmosphere around her body began to morph into a colder one. Long Tao couldn't feel a single thing due to his elemental lord body, but the tent presented quite a sufficient visual confirmation.

"You need to slowly retract your aura now. Her body should be able to eliminate the poison on its own. It is one of the benefits of being an ice-type natural body holder. Their resistance against poison is quite high. You could say that she has an immunity to lower grade poisons."

"Shouldn't I have something like that too?"

"This situation involves some of the cons of holding an Omni-element body type. Although your affinity for each element gets exceptional, when it comes to inherent abilities, the elements tend to cancel each other's properties out. So, the effect of this poison would be much more apparent on you."

"Thankfully you have two other body types. Heavens/immortal aura works as a purifying aura for these poisons. "Long Tao was satisfied with this result. At least he didn't need to fear poison users when engaging an enemy.

The avatars began to supply more and more crimson world Qi into Su Menqi's body, which helped it accommodate the beast flame covering their surroundings. "You need to hold for a little longer. She would be waking up any minute now."

After a long struggle against time, Su Menqi's body was finally able to dispel the curse by itself and the injury began to heal itself. Long Tao began to provide more Qi, and at the dawn of the next day, she finally opened her eyes. Even her eyes carried a faint white glow in them.

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Long Tao her up and made her drink a potion and some food. The body, although awakened was in an extremely distressing shape. He kissed her on the forehead, which resulted in a reddish glow on her cheeks.

"I hope you are feeling better than before." Long Tao still held her in his arms. SU Menqi's weak body was still shaking from the grievous injuries she had suffered.

"I wasn't prepared…" she tried to explain the situation but he silenced her with his fingers on her lips. "We can discuss all the matters after you recover completely. As of now, I will be channeling more energy into you and you need to eat more ice-element pills for faster recovery.

Although the estimation was not on the mark, Su Menqi managed to recover most of her strength within the next few days. She was expectant to know more about the cause which led to her current situation.

"I know you have some major doubts in your mind." Long Tao brought out the slip presented to him by the woman. "You need to instill your aura into this and you would be able to visualize the memory fragments which were recorded in this slip. I would leave the rest on you to explain if the matter is true or not."

Su Menqi followed through the process. The initial expression was that of a short discomfort, which was soon followed by astonishment, sorrow, and rage. It seemed that the woman was speaking the truth about them being on the run. Long Tao could feel the animosity growing inside Su Menqi.

When she finally opened her eyes, they were filled with intense rage and longing. "Are they your actual…"

Su Menqi nodded midway. She described the whole memory in a shortlist. Long Tao came to understand the origin of the two people and the enemy they were about to face. Su Menqi was still pretty shaken from the knowledge regarding her ancestry.

Long Tao calmed her down and grabbing her by the waist declared a promise. "Since you finally got to know about your past, it's up to you to decide what you want to do. Although your mother wanted me to run with you and help make you stronger, I would like for you to choose your future."

Su Menqi bit her lips in a forceful manner. She couldn't lead this pathetic lifestyle of being carefree and ignorant. "I will walk on the path of becoming strong." She was having tears in her eyes. Long Tao lifted her chin up and gave her a long kiss.

"Guess we are going to Wuji City then." Su Menqi decided the path to her future.

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"What are you aiming to achieve in this hunt?". Su Menqi was skeptical of Long Tao's objective. The frost fountain was situated within the Kemono region, but Long Tao was also interested in something found within the beast lands.

"While you are a frost type body practitioner, I am here in search of the Crimson fox tribe. They are the source of the beats flame I wish to obtain to advance my refining skills."

"The pathway to the frost fountain passes through the crimson fox's residence area. We need to hunt them down and get a good quality core from one of the top tier beasts. I can use the frost fountain to successfully create a harmonious environment to absorb the beast flame, which is ranked at 40th in the beast flame ranking."

"How many people are going to join our party?"

"According to the rules of the hunt, you need at least 5 members to form a party and attack the beast regions. You me and two of my brothers make up 4 of the members. The last one was a chance to gain for me during the registration process. He seems to be having a companion along with him. So, a total of 6 people is joining this hunt."

The trail they decided to follow was somewhat out of the general scope of the hunt. It ensured that they don't arouse any suspicion. Long Tao decided that they would split as soon as they enter the forest. This was also a chance to replenish his blood reserves required for his training.

'We will be passing through every section which has listed a sighting for a powerful beast. You need to train more to improve your strength. The enemy this time is a monarch level practitioner from some superpower. We need to be careful."

"I will be clearing the area around you, while you just need to concentrate on the designated area. Thee contains the beasts which are suitable for your level to fight with. Given we were able to locate the frost spring, your cultivation and strength would get an incredible boost. We can discuss the next plan after that."

The last party members were a duo of brother and sister. Each had a defining set of weapons they used. The brother was a dual sword wielder and the sister was a whip user. "It great to meet fellow Daoist. I hope we could cooperate till the end of this hunt." The boy came forward to greet Long Tao's party.

"Since we have decided on teaming up, I would like to make it clear that we four would be hunting at different locations. Since the plan is to get the most kills, you just need to take care of yourself and hunt as many as you can. We will rendezvous at the last day, that is if you are still alive." Qin Wen's words were quite straightforward. The duo was taken back by this attitude.

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The hunt was officially announced the next day, and the hunters began to enter the Kemono regions. Long Tao's group instantly disappeared after entering the forests. The boy wanted to stop them but was held back by the girl.

"Let them go. They think of us as a burden. We just need to carry out our task this time around. Remember to show no mercy to anyone on our way. I must get to the frost spring."