Chapter 229: Seeing the Firmament Again, Unexpected Turns

Although Guihua and Huiwu had escaped, the group still dared not let their guard down; after all, the fierce god Xiangliu was still right before their eyes. Although it was currently making no moves, heaven only knew if it was because it was old and had poor eyesight, or if it had just woken up and was still dazed. If someone were to accidentally displease it and the old creature's temper flared up, that would be trouble!

Just as Lingxiang and the other two were being extremely cautious, Zhao Wuyang swaggered over.

"Yo! Everyone is holding their breath and acting all timid, what's this about?"

Sure enough!

Lingxiang rolled her eyes at him: "You really know how to pick your moment to appear!"

Just a moment ago, Lingxiang had felt something was strange. Even if Zhao Wuyang had found the Innate Qi, his cultivation base would never have increased to this extent, let alone his naturally weak Body Movement suddenly becoming so agile that he could actually injure Huiwu. Now that she saw him like this, what else was there to not understand?

"Tsk tsk tsk!" Zhao Wuyang clicked his tongue, looking arrogant, "It's only been a few days, and you little girl are still just as unpleasant!"

Long Qi and Xin Yi had never seen Zhao Wuyang like this, and both were left dumbstruck.

How could this still be that little dazed one?

Xin Yi, in particular, found it even harder to accept, just staring wide-eyed and at a loss.

That's right, the Zhao Wuyang before them was indeed not himself, but the Eternal Firmament residing within him.

"I couldn't just watch this kid die here, could I? After all, this old man hasn't had enough fun yet!" As the Eternal Firmament said this, he began to scratch his back, looking extremely strange.

Before long, he was seen pulling a small ball of fur from behind him; it was none other than Adao.

During the tremors just now, Zhao Wuyang had nearly been crushed by a falling tree. Fortunately, Adao had protected him with all his might, allowing him to remain unscathed. But precisely because of this, Adao had been severely injured, even losing half his tail, which was bloody and truly pitiful.

Seeing this, Lingxiang could no longer care about Xiangliu. She hurriedly stepped forward and, feeling heartbroken, picked up the little fur-ball that had reverted to its original form. She checked his breathing, and only after confirming he was still alive did she heave a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, this little brat is just fine!" The Eternal Firmament picked his ear and said dismissively.

But Lingxiang wouldn't have it: "What do you mean 'just fine'? He's in this state, and you call that fine? It's a shame you can even say that; you've clearly never raised a child, so you don't know what it is to have a heart and lungs."

Upon hearing this, the Eternal Firmament immediately blew his top. He was seen with his hands on his hips and his eyes wide, shouting at Lingxiang.

"It sounds like you've raised one! Besides, how do you know this old man hasn't raised children?"

Honestly, he was, at the very least, an ancient Spirit Artifact. He had possessed more hosts than she had eaten grains of salt, and he had to constantly guard against those hosts losing their lives at any moment.

How was that any different from raising a child?

"Wuyang, you... you even have children?" Long Qi was still bewildered, and suddenly hearing the Eternal Firmament say this, his jaw dropped so low he couldn't close it.

Lingxiang couldn't help but roll her eyes again. Although the events outside Xuancang Cave hadn't been made public, anyone with a sharp eye could see that the Zhao Wuyang before them was not himself. Even Xin Yi no longer looked surprised, yet Long Qi was still unable to wrap his head around it; it was truly...

A blockhead—completely dense!

Just as Long Qi was struggling, Lingxiang was feeling helpless, and the Eternal Firmament was going crazy, Xin Yi suddenly spoke up from the side: "After all, this child was injured like this because of you, yet you have such an indifferent attitude. Could it be that you're trying to shirk all responsibility?"

Although he didn't know what was wrong with Wuyang, observing Lingxiang's attitude, it was clear she knew the reason behind it. Since that was the case, there was no need to worry about Wuyang.

Thinking this, Xin Yi rubbed his chin and muttered the words out. As soon as he finished speaking, the previously hopping-mad Eternal Firmament suddenly went quiet.

Seeing him like this, Lingxiang couldn't help but secretly applaud in her heart, praising Xin Yi for a job well done! She even struck while the iron was hot:

"Oh my! Who's to say it isn't so! Perhaps it's because you have no real ability yourself, so you're just putting on a front? Hmph! Always talking about how great you are, I think it's just an empty reputation—you're nothing but a hollow shell! That's why you're shirking responsibility like this. Truly, all talk and no substance!"

The way she mimicked the tone made Long Qi shiver, as if he had returned to Youran Abode.

However, that remark from Xin Yi had indeed hit the nail on the head, and after Lingxiang's fanning of the flames, the Eternal Firmament really couldn't keep his face.

"Who? Who says I have no ability?" The Eternal Firmament blustered: "It's just a small injury, isn't it? This old man can restore him with a flip of my hand!"

Saying this, he placed his hand on Adao, and then with a flip of his hand, a golden light instantly enveloped Adao. In the blink of an eye, the wounds on his body healed, and even the severed tail grew back.

It really was just the effort of a flip of the hand!

"Hmph! How about that?" The Eternal Firmament clapped his hands, looking smug.

Seeing Adao's wounds healed, Lingxiang hurriedly checked the still-unconscious Adao again. Seeing his breathing was steady, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Since Senior has such heaven-defying abilities, then surely dealing with a mere Xiangliu would be a piece of cake, right?" Lingxiang tucked Adao into her arms and changed the subject.

"Good fellow!" The Eternal Firmament snorted through his nose, "So you were waiting for me here? What a pity, what a pity, I won't fall for your little tricks. I have been detached from worldly affairs for many years, so I naturally won't interfere in mortal matters. Since you have already fallen into this fate, you had better pray for your own luck!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Wuyang rolled his eyes and collapsed to the ground. Seeing this, Xin Yi hurriedly reached out to catch him.

"This old guy! Truly unreliable!" Lingxiang spat hatefully, but there was nothing she could do.

Just then, as if Xiangliu had sensed the disappearance of the Eternal Firmament, those eight heads all raised up and shrieked in unison, the sound shaking the heavens and earth like thunder in their ears.

Oh no! Could it be that the old guy didn't act before because he knew there was someone here who couldn't be offended? Now that he was gone, was it going to make things difficult for them?

Lingxiang cried out that it was bad, and Xin Yi also hurriedly hoisted Zhao Wuyang onto his back, ready to dodge at any moment.

Long Qi, however, was not as panicked as before. His face was extremely calm, and his hand gripped the hilt of Longyuan, as if he intended to fight it at any time.

Was he crazy? How could a mortal body compare to an ancient fierce god?

Lingxiang's almond eyes widened, and she hurriedly grabbed Long Qi and roared: "What are you doing? Don't tell me you want to challenge it?"

He would likely be crushed into meat paste in an instant!

But Long Qi replied very calmly: "Since you know what it is, in your opinion, where can we hide now?"

This stumped Lingxiang.

That's right, according to what was written in the books, Xiangliu was skilled in Xin Shui; even a random sneeze would leave them with no chance of survival, let alone the fact that with Xiangliu's size, if it just pressed down on them, there would be nowhere to escape. Rather than thinking about running, it would be better to burn their bridges and fight; perhaps they might even survive against the odds.

But...

Could it really be done?

Although Lingxiang was uneasy in her heart, she also felt that what Long Qi said made sense. She only pinched the Bolan Buqing Jue, hoping to provide some resistance.

Long Qi's brows were locked tight, his expression solemn and stern. He drew the Seven-Star Longyuan and was just about to perform the Lingkong Flying Sword when, at that very moment, a loud shout came from the horizon.

"Wait! Wait! Show mercy under the sword!"