Chapter 391: Finding Life After Being Placed in a Situation of Death

Before Zhaoming Zhenren sacrificed himself, he stripped away a sliver of his Primordial Spirit and, by way of the Seal Gate Heart-Protecting Mark, left it within Maidong's body. In the vastness of her sea of consciousness, he steadfastly guarded Maidong's final line of defense.

Although Maidong was not a disciple under Zhaoming Zhenren, he had watched her grow up; he had also heard of Maidong's experiences from Fuyin Zhenren, and so, from childhood to adulthood, he had always felt great pity for her.

When Lingxiang and Maidong were small, they often caused trouble. Every time, it was Zhaoming Zhenren who would shout the loudest, yet every time Fuyin Zhenren wanted to punish them, it was also Zhaoming Zhenren who would plead for them.

Perhaps it was because he had children before he became a monk, and had seen his own grandchildren before going up the mountain, that Zhaoming Zhenren was so extremely protective of Maidong and Lingxiang. Although he was always saying one thing while meaning another, putting on a stern appearance, he was actually the softest-hearted of all.

"The forty-ninth time..." Zhaoming Zhenren looked toward the rust-sealed Maidong under the corridor and sighed deeply.

"Forty-ninth time?" Lingxiang was greatly shocked.

Could it be that Maidong had been corroded by Entropy forty-nine times?

Lingxiang looked at Zhaoming Zhenren, and the latter nodded, sighing helplessly.

"This child has shouldered too much. In the past, there was still a restriction to protect her, so she could still live with composure. But that day, the restriction was suddenly unsealed, and those unbearable things came rushing in like a tide, which is why she lost her mind."

The restriction... unsealed...

Lingxiang pondered for a moment, and then thought of the Demon Seal that Guihua had spoken of.

"That poisonous woman again!" Lingxiang was filled with indignation, wishing she could stab Guihua six times with three blades to kill her.

Zhaoming Zhenren stroked his long beard and said unhurriedly, "Since you already have a plan, why the need to rush for this moment? Doing what is right before you is the correct solution."

Hearing this, Lingxiang scratched her head in annoyance—that's right! She had become obsessed again.

"This sliver of my Primordial Spirit has already neutralized the Entropy Corrosion forty-eight times. Now, only the final breath of vital energy remains. If I cannot enlighten this girl Maidong this time, there will be no room for recovery."

This sentence made Lingxiang's eyes widen in shock, staring fixedly at Zhaoming Zhenren, and Zhaoming Zhenren naturally knew of Lingxiang's reluctance to let go.

"Silly child, my physical body has already perished, and my soul long ago returned to the Great Void. This is merely a breath of energy from before I died; there is nothing worth being sad about. You have practiced alchemy and studied the medical Dao for years; do you not understand the principles of nature?"

"Do not grieve for the dead; think more of the living."

Lingxiang held back the soreness in her eyes: "Fifth Senior Brother, by leaving this sliver of Primordial Spirit, you have actually become much more tolerant than before."

"What a thing to say!" Zhaoming Zhenren teased instead: "Was I very harsh in the past?"

Lingxiang gave a bitter smile but did not say anything more, only silently shaking her head—how could that be? Fifth Senior Brother was the most generous of all!

"My setting up of this trap can be considered a tacit understanding between us siblings, but this is the only chance left. Have you thought of how to break it?" Zhaoming Zhenren asked seriously.

Lingxiang shook her head; Maidong had suffered through the Nightmare Recurrence so many times that she truly had no clue. Of course, it could not be ruled out that it was because she herself had also been confused by this cyclical dream.

"Crossing a nightmare has a cause, and Reincarnation has a result. Since you do not know the cause, you might as well break the result first; that is not a bad strategy."

Zhaoming Zhenren spoke in Daoist riddles without being explicit. Lingxiang was momentarily confused and was about to open her mouth to ask again, but the Entropy Corrosion suddenly accelerated, rushing toward the two of them.

Lingxiang was shocked, but she saw Zhaoming Zhenren laugh aloud, his fingers twisting a Dharma Technique, and under the eaves of Wuji Hall, between Maidong's collarbones, spiritual light suddenly burst forth.

The surrounding Entropy rust shattered and dissipated in an instant, and the spiritual light expanded rapidly, stinging the eyes.

Lingxiang hurriedly covered her eyes, but at this moment, she heard Zhaoming Zhenren's voice.

"Little Junior Sister, we part here. Remember: to save someone, one must first break them..."

The spiritual light dissipated, everything returned to its original state, and Zhaoming Zhenren's Primordial Spirit had vanished.

"To save someone, one must first break them..." Lingxiang pondered Zhaoming Zhenren's words, but for a moment, she could not understand the deep meaning within.

Just then, Maidong appeared again, sword in hand, ready to kill, and in an instant, the blue stone slabs were flooded with blood.

Waves of wailing impacted Lingxiang's mind, making it impossible for her to calm down and think. She truly could not ignore the tragic scene around her, yet in her heart, she knew that none of this was real.

To save someone, one must first break them...

How exactly was she to break it?

Lingxiang closed her eyes and shook her head vigorously, attempting to cast off all distractions, but the incessant screams poured into her ears like a tide.

Suddenly, a flash of cold light streaked by, and the biting killing intent made Lingxiang's hair stand on end. Opening her eyes, she saw Maidong holding her sword, walking toward her.

Lingxiang's brows were deeply furrowed, and beads of sweat seeped from her forehead.

It had reached this step again. Every time Maidong thrust her sword, everything would return to the starting point. Repeating like this, it would eventually lead to Entropy Corrosion...

Sure enough, just as Lingxiang closed her eyes, waiting for Maidong's sword to strike, a sudden dizziness overcame her, and the surroundings returned to calm once more.

Opening her eyes again, there were the Yuanqing Disciples sitting upright in their respective positions, Zhaoming Zhenren pinching a Dharma Technique before Wuji Hall, and the sudden onset of killing intent...

"To save someone, one must first break them..." Lingxiang silently recited these incomprehensible words, "Save them... break them..."

"Crossing a nightmare has a cause, and Reincarnation has a result. Since you do not know the cause, you might as well break the result first; that is not a bad strategy."

Maidong had killed Zhaoming Zhenren again and was walking toward Lingxiang step by step with her sword, but Lingxiang now seemed to have emptied herself, completely unconcerned by Maidong's approach.

"The cause of the nightmare is unknown, but the result is known. Since the cause is unclear, then break the result first..."

After a murmur, Lingxiang's mind suddenly cleared. She stood up again and walked toward the murderous Maidong.

So that was it!

The so-called "finding life after being placed in a situation of death"—since the inner demon could not be resolved, then force Maidong to face it!

Lingxiang's expression was stern, her gaze like a torch, walking firmly toward Maidong step by step, not fearing the approaching blade in the slightest.

A gust of wind arrived as expected, and their loose hair fluttered in the wind, but there was no longer any misery here, only a sense of gratification.

Maidong raised her sword to strike, but Lingxiang did not dodge, meeting the blade head-on.

Blood splattered, reflecting red in Maidong's eyes.

The sword pierced into Lingxiang's body!

It was not the coldness she had imagined, but it was bone-chilling and piercing. Yet, Lingxiang endured the pain and embraced the stunned Maidong.

"Hell Desolate Bone Exhausting Injury, but with the two of us as companions, I think we can still run rampant and turn everything upside down..."

Lingxiang said weakly, her fingers pinching a Dharma Technique.

It was the Soul-Calming Incantation!

"But if you cannot pass this tribulation, I fear I alone will be bullied by those monsters and demons. How could you bear that?"

As soon as the words fell, the Spirit Qi from Lingxiang's fingertips was injected into the back of Maidong's neck, and a warm current instantly flowed through all of Maidong's limbs and bones.

Maidong's eyes became incomparably clear; she grabbed Lingxiang, who was about to collapse to the ground, and tears gushed from her eyes.

"Lingxiang... Lingxiang..."

The Seal Gate Heart-Protecting Mark between Maidong's collarbones suddenly shattered, bursting apart like glazed glass.

This was the final glimmer of light from Zhaoming Zhenren...

Lingxiang raised her hand to wipe the tears from Maidong's face: "Why cry? If Senior Brother Fuyin finds out, he will say I am bullying you again."

Maidong shook her head violently, yet could not say a single word, only able to watch helplessly as Lingxiang gradually grew weaker, not knowing what to do.

The light in Lingxiang's eyes grew increasingly dim, and even her body began to turn transparent.

Just at this moment, the sound of a zither suddenly rang out across the entire sky, and Lingxiang, who had been on the verge of dissipating, unexpectedly became clear once more.

A faint fluorescent glow enveloped Lingxiang's body, and waves of Spirit Qi coiled and wandered around her; Maidong did not yet know what had happened, but in the blink of an eye, Lingxiang had vanished without a trace.