Chapter 442: The Beast Suan Yu

The moment Duan Rong leaped out of the tree hollow, he activated his intent.

Seeing that Lv Qingzhu was about to perish in an instant, he truly could not bring himself to sit idly by.

Over the past six years, in that dilapidated temple, Lv Qingzhu had become the first woman he had known in his two lifetimes.

Although he did not know if this bond was love or karma, he ultimately could not bear to let her life be extinguished.

The instant Duan Rong activated his intent, a flickering firefly light appeared before the fire weasel's eyes; almost at the same moment it flashed, it suddenly darted and submerged into the top of the fire weasel's head.

The moment the firefly light submerged, the fire weasel's body stiffened abruptly, as if it had turned to stone.

Even so, its sharp claws still lightly grazed Lv Qingzhu's throat, leaving a faint line of blood on her fair, tender neck, but it was ultimately not fatal.

By this time, Duan Rong had already flashed over, his figure like a ghost, appearing behind the side of the fire weasel that was frozen in mid-air; with a flash of white light, the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade was already gripped in his hand, stabbing from behind and to the side toward the fire weasel's heart in mid-air.

Within his Spirit Sea, the gray shadow sitting cross-legged in the center of the vast sky saw the blurry blade shadow at its brow suddenly brighten.

On the blade edge that was about to pierce the fire weasel, a half-inch of seemingly solid blade radiance flashed instantly!

The fire weasel was already paralyzed; under the reinforcement of the blade radiance, the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade pierced through the fire weasel's skin and shredded its heart as if it were stabbing tofu.

Duan Rong landed gracefully, and the fire weasel fell beside his feet, its body twitching a few times before going still; it was clearly dead.

Duan Rong's eyes were bright as stars; he turned his head to look at the ground not far away, only to see Lv Qingzhu lying there, as tranquil as if she were fast asleep.

Duan Rong's gaze swept over Lv Qingzhu's neck, where the line of blood was very faint, clearly of no great concern. Fortunately, he had not hesitated for a moment; the instant he leaped from the tree hollow, he had activated his intent and unleashed the Firefly Confusion, which was how he had saved Lv Qingzhu between life and death.

At that time, had he hesitated even slightly, Lv Qingzhu would likely have had her throat slit by the fire weasel and perished.

Duan Rong stood there, suddenly raising his left palm; with Qi surging in his palm, he stirred and pushed at the surroundings, immediately stirring up a gust of wind.

From the moment he leaped out of the tree hollow until now, he had been holding his breath. The power of the fire weasel's stinky fart had actually been enough to knock Lv Qingzhu unconscious, so its potency was evident, and Duan Rong could not afford to be careless.

Seeing the Qi in his palm stir up a gust of wind that sent the fallen leaves on the ground flying, Duan Rong finally took a breath.

But the instant he inhaled that breath, his face turned the color of a pig's liver, and the next moment, he actually squatted on the ground and began to retch.

He vomited for a while before raising his head, his complexion still looking rather unsightly.

Even just the air and the lingering smell on the ground were already unbearable for him, and he ended up vomiting anyway.

Although Duan Rong had used his Qi to stir up a gust of wind, he had clearly underestimated the power of the fire weasel's stinky fart.

"Careless!"

Duan Rong wiped the corner of his mouth, flipped his hand, and pinched a Cooling Pill to the tip of his nose; the fragrance of mint mixed with licorice immediately suppressed the stench remaining in the air.

He walked over slowly and dragged the unconscious Lv Qingzhu a distance away.

He looked at Lv Qingzhu, who was lying by the Black Fire Pool like a sleeping beauty, and his eyes suddenly went blank.

Lv Qingzhu had been anesthetized and rendered unconscious; Duan Rong had originally intended to drag her over and wake her up, but looking at Lv Qingzhu's stunningly beautiful face and her temperament, which was no longer green but possessed a mature charm, Duan Rong's heartbeat suddenly quickened.

He swallowed a large mouthful of saliva with a dazed look in his eyes.

To say he had no thoughts at this moment would be a lie.

However, Duan Rong quickly suppressed his wandering mind; he took a deep breath, flipped his hand, and pinched the small, dark green Porcelain Bottle.

Duan Rong removed the stopper and aimed the bottle mouth at Lv Qingzhu's nose; following her breathing, her eyelids twitched.

A breath later, her eyes opened.

The moment Lv Qingzhu opened her eyes, she saw Duan Rong's face hovering before her.

Past events rushed into her mind in an instant; she struggled to get up, but although her eyes were open, her body was still stiff and she could not move at all.

Seeing that Lv Qingzhu's shoulders were beginning to heave, Duan Rong put away the Porcelain Bottle and stood to the side; after a few more breaths, Lv Qingzhu had recovered as before.

She stood up, clutching her Long Sword, her cold gaze sweeping over the fire weasel's corpse not far away.

Her gaze lingered on the tree that had been burned, and she turned to look at Duan Rong, asking, "Was it you...?"

When she was unconscious, she had seen a figure leap out from the trunk of that tree; there was no one else here now besides Duan Rong, so clearly, the person who had leaped out of the tree trunk while she was unconscious was undoubtedly Duan Rong.

And Duan Rong must have been hiding in that tree trunk for a long time...

At this moment, the look Lv Qingzhu gave Duan Rong was clearly unfriendly.

Duan Rong rubbed his nose and said, "Miss Lv, why look at me like that? If I, Duan, had any ill intentions, I could have simply not stepped in to save you."

Lv Qingzhu suddenly pointed her Long Sword at Duan Rong and said, "Duan Rong! Six years ago, I said I would kill you! Why must you deliver yourself to your death?"

"Damn it!" Looking at the Long Sword pointing at him in Lv Qingzhu's hand, which was flashing with a cold light, Duan Rong could not help but curse inwardly.

However, he still said patiently, "Miss Lv, you are being unreasonable; did I, Duan, not just save you?"

Lv Qingzhu did not move her Long Sword and said coldly, "You were hiding in that tree hollow, and you had no good intentions either."

Duan Rong said, "Miss Lv, that is a trumped-up charge. I, Duan, arrived first, and you came afterward; how could I have had any intentions?"

Lv Qingzhu's expression was icy, and she remained silent.

Duan Rong suddenly sighed with a profound look in his eyes, looked at Lv Qingzhu, and said, "Miss Lv, regarding what happened six years ago, I, Duan, know I am guilty. But there were reasons for it."

Duan Rong looked at Lv Qingzhu; in any case, Lv Qingzhu had never spoken so many words to him before, and he could just take advantage of this encounter by the Black Fire Pool to see if he could resolve the old grudge between them from six years ago.

When Lv Qingzhu heard Duan Rong speak of the events of six years ago, her cold eyes suddenly seemed to shoot fire.

Duan Rong naturally saw the change in Lv Qingzhu's emotions, but how could he let such a good opportunity slip by?

"I, Duan, know that my crime is hard to forgive. But even an ant clings to life, and I do not wish to die by your sword, Miss." Duan Rong said, suddenly raising his left hand, and said, "I, Duan, will leave behind a finger to atone for my offense. I hope you can forget the past and spare me."

At this moment, Duan Rong's words were earnest. Lv Qingzhu was also slightly moved.

Duan Rong saw the expression on Lv Qingzhu's face and knew she was moved, so he suddenly gripped his blade with his right hand and sliced toward the little finger of his left hand.

With a "Ding!" sound, Lv Qingzhu flicked her Long Sword and deflected Duan Rong's blade.

Duan Rong looked at Lv Qingzhu with a puzzled expression. At that moment just now, he was not acting. He truly wanted to resolve the grudge between him and Lv Qingzhu; it was just a little finger, nothing of great consequence.

The Long Sword in Lv Qingzhu's hand trembled slightly; she looked at Duan Rong with her lips pressed tightly together. She had also been able to tell just now that Duan Rong was not acting, that he really intended to cut off his little finger to atone for his sins to her; the force of their blades clashing had only verified her assessment.

"A little finger is useless! Don't waste it!" Lv Qingzhu said, "Duan Rong, when I said I would kill you six years ago, it was merely because I never wanted to see you again. But today, I want to kill you because you are obstructing my Dao Heart!"

"Obstructing your Dao Heart?" Duan Rong looked stunned, completely bewildered.

Lv Qingzhu said, "If you do not die, I will never be able to enter the isolated realm of 'emptying all karma and emotion.' I kill you to solidify my heart and extinguish my emotions!"

As Lv Qingzhu spoke, she suddenly flicked her Long Sword and thrust it toward Duan Rong.

Duan Rong's blade flashed to meet her, though he felt a slight anger in his heart and coldly barked, "So, Miss, you are using me to temper your Dao Heart. However, although Duan is untalented, I have no intention of being a stepping stone on someone else's path to the Dao."

"If you can kill me, Miss, then by all means, bring it on!"

The two clashed with blade and sword, their figures flickering, and in the blink of an eye, they had exchanged several moves.

Lv Qingzhu was surprised in her heart; the last time they fought, she could firmly suppress Duan Rong, but this time, as she attacked again, Duan Rong stood like a deep pool or a towering mountain, easily neutralizing every attack she used.

After several moves passed, Duan Rong stood there without retreating even half a step.

Duan Rong had already achieved the Origin Qi Realm Fourth Layer, and in terms of cultivation level, there was no longer a large gap between him and Lv Qingzhu.

But in terms of Artistic Conception, Duan Rong still held the upper hand over Lv Qingzhu.

After three more moves, Lv Qingzhu retreated half a step.

Duan Rong's blade edge grew increasingly sharp.

Lv Qingzhu's gaze was focused, her lips pressed tight.

As the two fought, their gazes followed their moves, colliding and then separating from time to time.

The eerie firelight in the Black Fire Pool reflected on their faces.

After several more moves, the two entered a state of mutual understanding by the side of the Black Fire Pool.

That state was not about knowing what the other was thinking, but a peaceful state of mental communion; although their blades and swords clashed, their hearts were calm and tranquil, and that peace and tranquility of the two had merged into one.

At this moment, their gazes were calm and gentle, like spring wells, occasionally gazing at each other...

Just after they entered this state.

Duan Rong's Blade Radiance surged slightly and seemed to become more solid. In that state, it seemed Duan Rong's Artistic Conception was better unleashed.

But Lv Qingzhu was the opposite; her Sword Radiance began to flicker in and out of existence.

In this state, her Artistic Conception seemed to be disintegrating...

Yet, at this moment, neither of them cared much about the Blade Radiance or Sword Radiance; they simply stared blankly at each other, feeling this rare communion of minds.

Lv Qingzhu's Artistic Conception was disintegrating because, at this moment, her heart of absolute isolation was melting...

Just then, a shrill, strange cry suddenly rang out above their heads!

That strange cry was so shrill and chilling that it instantly jolted the two out of that state of mental communion.

Both of them were like people suddenly waking from a dream...

Almost simultaneously, a huge black shadow swooped down from the high sky, fast as lightning.

A sharp claw, thin and withered but gleaming with a dark, cold light, suddenly stretched out from that black shadow and grabbed toward Duan Rong's throat.

The speed was extremely fast; with Duan Rong's current movement technique, he could not dodge in time.

Just as he was about to have his throat crushed by that sharp claw, Lv Qingzhu, who was at his side, suddenly lunged, knocking Duan Rong away; the sharp claw that had been aimed at Duan Rong's throat instead shredded Lv Qingzhu's shoulder.

The strange bird flashed past, then circled and swooped down, coming again!

Duan Rong immediately grabbed the corpse of the Fire Weasel beside him and smashed it at the strange bird in mid-air, then took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Lv Qingzhu's waist, leaped, and carried her into the cave of the Fire Weasel on the cliff wall.

The strange bird was enormous and excelled in speed; they had nowhere to run and could only find a place to hide.

The strength of this Origin Beast was clearly far beyond theirs.

The moment they dashed into the Fire Weasel's cave, the two were almost choked unconscious again.

Fortunately, they immediately held their breath.

Duan Rong glanced at Lv Qingzhu's shoulder and saw that her clothes were torn, and the originally fair, tender flesh of her shoulder was a bloody mess.

Just a moment ago, if Lv Qingzhu hadn't knocked him away, he would likely have had his throat crushed by that strange bird.

Duan Rong said, "Miss Lv, thank you for saving me just now."

Lv Qingzhu looked at Duan Rong with cold eyes and said, "A life for a life, we are even!"

Duan Rong's lips moved, but he said nothing more. He took out a purple Porcelain Bottle, placed it at Lv Qingzhu's feet, and said, "This is excellent Wound Medicine, please use it, Miss."

Lv Qingzhu glanced at the Porcelain Bottle, looked coldly at Duan Rong, and said, "Apply the medicine for me!"

It was indeed inconvenient for Lv Qingzhu to apply medicine with one hand.

Only then did Duan Rong come to Lv Qingzhu's side; he looked at her shoulder and said, "Pardon me, Miss."

As Duan Rong spoke, he tore the tattered cloth on Lv Qingzhu's shoulder with a rip, revealing the entire bloody, mangled shoulder; Lv Qingzhu had already shyly turned her face away.

Duan Rong picked up the purple Porcelain Bottle and said, "Miss Lv, I am applying the medicine. It will sting a bit."

After Duan Rong finished speaking, he sprinkled the Medicine Powder from the Porcelain Bottle onto Lv Qingzhu's mangled shoulder, and Lv Qingzhu let out a muffled groan.

After Duan Rong finished applying the Medicine Powder, he tore off the hem of his own garment and bandaged Lv Qingzhu's wound.

Throughout the entire process, Duan Rong's gaze remained clear, and his heart was completely free of impure thoughts. He knew Lv Qingzhu was injured because she saved him, and seeing her mangled shoulder, he felt only gratitude and guilt.

After Duan Rong finished bandaging, he retreated to the side.

Lv Qingzhu looked at him, her expression unmoved.

Duan Rong soon used two strips of cloth to wrap some Cooling Pills and tied them around his nose to suppress the stench inside the Fire Weasel Cave.

Then he made one for Lv Qingzhu as well.

Outside the cave, the cries of the strange bird could be heard from time to time.

For one, the strange bird's body was too large to enter the cave, and for another, it seemed to fear the stench inside the cave, so it only screeched and threatened from outside.

Duan Rong hid in the shadows at the cave entrance and looked out; he saw the strange bird eating the corpses of the Fire Toad and the Fire Weasel by the Black Fire Pool.

Looking at the appearance of the strange bird, Duan Rong suddenly recalled the records in the Strange Beast Manual.

"There is a bird, its shape like a snake, with four wings, six eyes, and three feet, named Suanyu. Its cry sounds like its name; where it is seen, the town will have fear."

According to the records in the Strange Beast Manual, this Origin Beast is named Suanyu.

It has six eyes on its body, which not only allow it to see at night but also give it an extremely long range of vision.

That Suanyu beast must have seen the two corpses from high in the sky in the distance before flapping its wings and swooping down.

This bird's speed was extremely fast, and it possessed boundless strength. Given the cultivation realms of Duan Rong and Lv Qingzhu, even if they joined forces, it would be difficult to slay this bird, let alone the fact that Lv Qingzhu was also injured.

(End of chapter)