Chapter 162

Merging of Qi

That Ruan Rong appeared here was truly beyond Ruan Ci's expectations. In an instant, she had thought of many subsequent actions, but at this moment, Ruan Rong's safety was the most important. She hurriedly supported Ruan Rong on her knees and swept her spiritual sense over her, seeing that she was full of energy and had not suffered the slightest injury, only that she was in a deep sleep. Feeling slightly relieved, she called out several times. Ruan Rong's aura surged, and with a soft moan, she slowly woke up, "... Sister Ci?"

The sisters were both surprised and happy to meet. Ruan Rong was safe and sound, just a bit weak. Leaning on Ruan Ci's shoulder, she asked, "What place is this? Ah... these flowers, how did they wither?"

She could not help but reveal a deep sense of regret, seemingly touched by the scene, her mood very low. But Ruan Ci had no heart to care about the Cold Rain Flower and said hurriedly, "These Cold Rain Flowers are extremely prone to withering, but Sister Rong, how did you inexplicably end up here from the Absolute Dead End—did those people from Langhuan Zhou Tian put you here? Have you encountered them? No, wait, do you know that outsiders have snuck in?"

Ruan Rong frowned and said, "Slow down, I will answer you one by one."

The two sisters then recounted their experiences. Ruan Rong chose the highlights of her and Zhong Shiliu's journey through the waves in the Absolute Dead End and told Ruan Ci, then added, "We were attracted by fate and were almost bound to encounter the Langhuan visitors who were invading this place from a spatial rift. At that time, Zhong Shiliu hoped to infuse the power of the Wind and Wave Rising into one of his magic treasures. He could jump into the rift, release the power, and destroy the spatial passage. But we didn't expect that this group of Langhuan visitors was extremely cunning and cautious, and even more proficient in many devious methods. In fact, one person had already crawled out first and hidden in the aura field without leaving a trace. Even Zhong Shiliu didn't notice and was stabbed by him from behind."

Since that person was proficient in hiding, it was likely he intended to be the first to come out to protect the others. It also showed that this group of visitors from Langhuan Zhou Tian were indeed the elite of their world, as even Zhong Shiliu had fallen for it. Ruan Ci could not help but ask, "Could it be that even the Heaven and Earth Six Harmonies Lamp didn't reveal him?"

Ruan Rong sighed, "The Heaven and Earth Six Harmonies Lamp wasn't lit at the time, but this was also because the opponent was more skilled; there's nothing to say. However, Zhong Shiliu was also powerful. I was only grazed by the aftermath of their clash and suffered not-insignificant injuries, but his Golden Core was not damaged, and the internal wounds healed quickly. It was just that he was outnumbered, and also..."

A trace of paleness flashed across her face, and she bit her lip, saying, "And he was afraid of harming me, so he didn't dare to detonate his Dao foundation. In the end, he was captured and thrown into the spatial passage. I don't know if he is alive or dead at this moment."

Zhong Shiliu was also considered a genius of his generation, yet he ended up in such a state, all because he was worried about Ruan Rong and dared not fight to the death. Ruan Ci could not describe the feeling in her heart. She did not dislike this young man too much; although they were on opposing sides and had grievances, each served their own master and did their best. Once circumstances changed, they would join forces to fight the enemy without reservation, just like this time. That Zhong Shiliu actually wanted to sacrifice himself to protect Ruan Rong, eventually ending up seriously injured, exiled, and with his life unknown, made Ruan Ci feel somewhat emotional.

"The Langhuan Zhou Tian cultivation techniques are very devious. There were ten of them in total, including two Foundation Establishment cultivators, both of whom had strange supernatural powers. One of the youths, with white eyebrows, hair, eyes, and lips, gave me the most special feeling. He seemed to be proficient in psychological illusion techniques, pulling me into an illusion, wanting to completely devour me within it and obtain all the memories of my life." Ruan Rong recalled that experience, her brows slightly furrowed, clearly very dangerous and painful. "But I already knew he was an outsider and that he came with ill intent. Some of the common knowledge in our hearts is extremely valuable information to them, so how could I let him succeed?"

Ruan Ci interrupted, "Sister, it's no surprise you felt something special about him. This person just fought with me and was killed by me. He was the Donghua Sword Seed of Langhuan Zhou Tian, and naturally had a deep resonance with the Donghua Sword Qi."

The two sisters looked at each other for a moment. Ruan Rong nodded slightly and sighed, "No wonder. I felt a sense of familiarity and closeness the moment I saw him, and he relied on this to wreak havoc in my inner landscape. But fortunately, I also have magic treasures to protect myself, and I have experienced countless illusions in South Zhuzhou, so I have some experience in dealing with this. I responded with illusions as well. Although I was struggling to stall for time, I didn't let him see the true secrets in my heart, only some childhood memories."

"At that time, my Dao foundation was shaking, and I was already seriously injured. Playing the game with that person in the illusion, I vaguely felt that my magic power was exhausted, like a lamp running out of oil. Regarding everything outside, I felt hazy and vaguely heard a few people talking, using a language I didn't understand at first. Perhaps because of this, they had no scruples in their conversation. I learned as I listened, but I could only understand a little. That person seemed to have misunderstood the situation of our Zhou Tian, believing that the boundless desert of Song Kingdom was the current state of most continents in Langhuan Zhou Tian."

When Ruan Rong said this, she could not help but show a smile, and Ruan Ci was even more astonished, "This, this..."

Ruan Rong also laughed, "I didn't expect such a change either. Perhaps this is just fortune. That group of people was very excited about this, and after discussing it, they decided to return to the void immediately to contact Langhuan Zhou Tian."

She paused, "But after that person went out, he didn't come back. I could faintly feel the fluctuations of the Heaven and Earth Six Harmonies Lamp, but I don't know if it was an illusion born from my own hope."

In this way, after Zhong Shiliu was exiled to the void, not only did he not die, but he also had the strength to drive the Heaven and Earth Six Harmonies Lamp. This recovery ability was terrifying, even bizarre, so it was no wonder Ruan Rong was not sure. Ruan Ci judged her expression and said, "Although he is hateful, he did his best to protect you. If he returns safely, I won't be the first to oppose him when we meet in the future."

Ruan Rong hurriedly said, "That's not necessary. Why should you change your actions because of me? With a powerful opponent like Zhong Shiliu, if you intentionally yield, wouldn't you be at a disadvantage from the start? You are polite to him, but he might not be polite to you... It's not convenient to talk about this here, let's talk about it when we go back."

Zhong Shiliu's life or death was unknown at this time, and this was a side note. Ruan Rong added, "At that time, I was sometimes clear-headed and sometimes confused, and I had to conserve my energy to gather the last bit of strength to resist that person's invasion again. Therefore, my perception of the outside world was quite hazy. I only vaguely remember that after the Heaven and Earth Six Harmonies Lamp fluctuated, the Qi of that passage was no longer stable and could no longer be traversed. In other words, the remaining nine people were gone for good, destined not to be able to return to the void through the original path and back to Langhuan Zhou Tian. At this time, they also lost their patience and were unwilling to obtain memories through illusions, wanting to execute me and capture memory fragments from my inner landscape. Just at this critical moment, another cultivator suddenly appeared and started fighting with them."

Ruan Ci hurriedly asked, "Who is it? Is it one of our people?"

Ruan Rong shook her head, "It was a person from Langhuan Zhou Tian. As for the rest, I... I couldn't see clearly."

Perhaps because she recalled this most dangerous part, her eyes turned slightly red, looking a bit aggrieved, "At that time, I was really hanging by a thread, struggling between life and death. My Dao foundation was shaking and peeling off. In fact, even if they didn't kill me, after a while, the Dao foundation might have collapsed on its own. At that time, I couldn't see anything and could only vaguely hear the shouting and sense the fluctuations of spiritual energy. After a long time, that cultivator seemed to have killed that group of people. In any case, I was held in his arms, and he said he wanted to heal my wounds."

What Ruan Rong said was what she saw at the time, hence the words "killed them all." Currently, it seems at least six Langhuan cultivators left the Absolute Dead End, so Ruan Ci still had some doubts about how many that person actually killed. However, she was not most concerned about this point at the moment and asked impatiently, "How did he heal your wounds? This person's medical skills are simply divine! You don't look like you've been injured at all right now! You really should thank him properly."

Ruan Rong bit her lip, "I don't know... At that time, my consciousness was extremely blurred and fragmented, and I soon fell into a deep sleep. When I woke up, I was already here."

She could not help but shed tears, burying her head in Ruan Ci's shoulder, and only after crying for a long time did she manage to say, "Sister Ci, I... I... I really felt like I was going to die there."

Ruan Rong had always been soft on the outside and firm on the inside, and even on the bloody night when her family was destroyed, she had not cried so hard. Ruan Ci was very surprised and hurriedly hugged Ruan Rong, coaxing her in a low voice for a long time before Ruan Rong calmed down. As for who that person was, she could not say anything more.

Since Ruan Rong could be sure that it was a Langhuan Zhou Tian cultivator who fought with the Langhuan Zhou Tian people, then this person should be a friend, not an enemy. Ruan Ci said, "No matter who it is, it won't be too late to repay the kindness if we meet by chance in the future. However, this person's methods are truly mysterious and powerful. I'm afraid he is not an ordinary Golden Core cultivator, being able to put you into the bud of the Cold Rain Flower King silently—if you are here, then where did the original Flower King go?"

She was quite puzzled, "Could it be that what the Space-Roaming Kun pointed me to find was not the Cold Rain Flower King, but you, Sister?"

Ruan Rong lowered her head and raised her hand to lightly brush her temple. Ruan Ci's gaze also unconsciously followed her movement. She let out an "Eh," "Wait—Sister, you this—"

She saw that at Ruan Rong's temple, she was wearing a small multi-petaled flower, flashing with spiritual light, vaguely giving people a strange resonance. It was exactly the peculiar Qi that the Space-Roaming Kun had guided her to find. Ruan Ci took off the small flower and examined it carefully, seeing the petals overlapping—it was the Cold Rain Flower after being shrunk by magic power. She could not help but cry out, "Oh, this must be the Cold Rain Flower King—did that person actually know that we came here to find this thing? —It was I who blamed my master wrongly; he is actually not inferior to the Langhuan Zhou Tian cultivators, and his calculations are even much stronger."

Thinking of the marks on the Flower King's root, it must have been left by the Langhuan youth who failed to pick the flower. If Ruan Ci had not come, Ruan Rong and he would have fought again, and the outcome would have been hard to say. It was indeed mysterious that a single instruction from True Person Wang had brought the sisters together at this time.

In Ruan Ci's heart, all the complaints she had previously held against True Person Wang were swept away, and she could not help but feel a sense of gratitude and admiration. For a moment, she was all smiles, handing the flower pouch to her sister and letting her keep it safe. She added, "Let's not move around here. I will send a message to Senior Sister Xu and order them to rush over immediately. We will also pick the remaining flowers here first to strengthen the power of the formation."

She told Ruan Rong about her various experiences after they were separated and explained the current situation clearly. Ruan Rong nodded, "The reason I didn't let everyone move before was because I didn't know how many people were still in the swamp, nor did I know our whereabouts, so we had to search this place inch by inch. Now that everyone is reunited, our top priority is to leave this place first. I also need to be examined by the elders to avoid any hidden methods the Langhuan cultivators might have planted in my body, which could cause future trouble."

Since Ruan Rong had said so herself, Ruan Ci's faint worry was also relieved. The two women immediately busied themselves separately, picking the Cold Rain Flowers here. Ruan Ci, thinking of her sister's recent recovery from serious injury, took out her flying carriage and ordered Ruan Rong to enter it to rest.

Ruan Rong did not refuse, but she also had her own flying carriage and did not want to share one with her sister, saying, "Before leaving the swamp, it's better for me to stay a little further away from you all."

This was also out of fear that the Langhuan cultivators had planted an ambush on her. Ruan Ci had no objection. Ruan Rong walked into the carriage, set up a small defensive formation, and sat cross-legged to adjust her breath for a while. However, several voices kept circling in her heart—it was the whispers of that person in her ear when she was unable to see, unable to lift her hands, and hovering on the edge of life and death.

"How many times have I saved your life now, Ruan Rong?"

That person's voice still carried that annoying smile. At that time, even her consciousness was sometimes clear and sometimes confused, but she still remembered the wet breath on her earlobe, "Don't worry, I won't let you die here. The Sword Envoy cannot do without your help."

That familiar feeling struck again, and Ruan Rong shouted in her heart, "Don't—don't again!"

But how could she stop it at this time? Within her whole body's Qi, a majestic force suddenly appeared, rolling away her Qi, but quickly feeding back vitality to her own body. The two's Qi merged, as if there were no more secrets between them, and even injuries could be shared. And for her, the extremely serious injuries were not worth mentioning to him. She had forgotten everything outside this merged Qi, unable to help herself, throwing herself into the bliss of vitality resonance...

She did not know how long it had been, but she was finally able to speak. Originally, she did not even have the strength to speak, as if her throat had been swallowed by the injury. Amidst a light cough, there was only regret and pain, "I don't want you to save me, just let me die... Liu Jizi!"

But Liu Jizi just smiled and helped her lie down, then picked another flower, lightly brushing her hair and wearing it at her temple, "What a child."

He tapped her forehead lightly, "You haven't killed me yet, why are you seeking death?"

Ruan Rong suddenly opened her eyes, suppressing all the lingering thoughts in her heart. Wiping her face with her hand and looking in the mirror, she saw that the person in the mirror had slightly swollen eyes and tear stains on her cheeks that had not yet dried. She looked somewhat lost, and for some reason, she seemed to have grown up a little more than before.

She stared at the mirror for a long time before lightly touching her forehead. She hadn't paid attention before, but now she noticed a red dot on her forehead. It hurt slightly when touched, and spiritual energy surged up, but there was nothing wrong, as if only the skin there had been damaged by spiritual power.

Thinking carefully, this was exactly where Zhong Shiliu had flicked her forehead; perhaps it was caused by his secret force. Ruan Rong breathed a sigh of relief, but still kept a note of it in her heart, intending to ask her master to check it after leaving the swamp. Just as she was about to close the mirror box, she remembered Liu Jizi's touch on her forehead in her hazy state and could not help but cover her forehead with her hand, lost in a daze.

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Updated, sorry to keep you all waiting. This chapter was updated from the draft box, but I believe the content will still satisfy you.

Hmm, this new portable mechanical keyboard is much easier to use than the minila. I switched to an air, and the 13-inch screen is much bigger. I used a new macbook before, the 10-inch screen, I think. It was portable, but my eyes were almost going blind...

I'm going out! I'll write tomorrow's update when I get back! See you all tomorrow!

(I didn't read any articles on the road yesterday)

. Thank you to the little angels who gave me Overlord votes or irrigated nutrient solution between 2020-11-20 12:02:40 and 2020-11-21 09:31:27~

Thank you to the little angels who gave landmines: Yu Yu Wan Yao, Ye Se Ru Mo, Ban Mu Fang Tang, Ma Daidai Qima, Tengjing Shushu, Ming Ji, sphenoid x1;

Thank you to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: sphenoid x30 bottles; Bantouming sushi x23 bottles; You You Sika x20 bottles; Tianlei Zhenzhen Dang x15 bottles; Lan Ai Wan Qi, garcie, Jintian Ni Geng Le Ma, Qiushan Xianyin x10 bottles; Duijiu Dangge x5 bottles; 18205385, Ren Xu x3 bottles; Yisheng De Junjun, Li Li, yzac x1 bottle;

Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!