Chapter 216: You Are Not a Dog Either

"Then what do you want?" Shen Lingyun asked suspiciously.

"Freedom," Xie Feng said. "Don't you want freedom?"

Shen Lingyun frowned and said, "But she hasn't restricted your movements. As long as you fulfill your promise to help her teach the disciples, you can leave at any time."

"Is it the same? We have all signed a Contract with her. As long as we are not dead, she can go back on her word at any time. Even worse, if she dies one day, we will all have to be buried with her."

Shen Lingyun was silent for a moment. "That's not necessarily a bad thing."

"I don't want that. Have you ever been a dog?" Xie Feng sneered, then without waiting for Shen Lingyun to answer, he continued: "You seem free, but the master will tie a rope around your neck. The size of the area you can move in depends on how long the rope the master gives you is."

"The Contract is that rope."

"But I am not a dog." Shen Lingyun remained unmoved.

Xie Feng looked at her quietly and suddenly laughed. "Right, you are the exceptionally talented and upright Lingyun Xianzi, and I am a dog, is that fine?"

He had thought this conversation would end here; Xie Feng no longer wanted to argue with Shen Lingyun.

Unexpectedly, Shen Lingyun was unusually stubborn. She retorted, "You are not a dog either; you are a devil."

Xie Feng's footsteps paused.

He shook his head in self-mockery. "I'm truly crazy. Why am I saying so much to you?"

The two had already reached the underground pool of the National Teacher Palace. The jagged tree roots were gone, leaving only a pool of water as calm as ink.

He turned and jumped in.

At the very bottom, inside a water bubble, Ruan Xing's body was half-curled, lying on her side on a small bed made of woven branches, her pretty little face wearing a peaceful sleeping expression.

Shen Lingyun chased Xie Feng into the water bubble. "Stop! The tolerance I've shown you is already high enough. You are not allowed to take another step forward."

"Why should I listen to you?" Xie Feng scoffed and walked toward Ruan Xing on his own.

The branches on the ground grew wildly, instantly wrapping Ruan Xing's body tightly in a cocoon.

The little seed's voice was slightly nervous. "If you come any closer, don't blame me for being impolite to you!"

But in truth, it had no confidence in its heart.

Its species was the paradigm of putting all attribute points into defense.

Barriers were what it was best at; it had no means of active attack at all. Even if the opponent broke into the barrier and was countered by it, its counterattacks were only effective against living people. These Puppets simply came and went as if it were nothing, trampling its dignity into the dirt.

Xie Feng took another step forward.

A hand rested on his shoulder.

Slender, jade-like fingers, like silver hooks and iron rings, clamped tightly onto his shoulder blades.

He looked back at Shen Lingyun's stubborn eyes, as if seeing her unyielding soul inside through this ill-fitting shell.

They stared at each other like this for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.

Xie Feng retracted the step he had taken forward, tilted his head, smiled, and left the water bubble.

Shen Lingyun and the little seed breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

"Why did he suddenly leave?" the little seed asked in confusion.

"Perhaps he saw there was no chance," Shen Lingyun said.

Both she and Xie Feng had once advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage, so they naturally knew how the Heart Demon Tribulation was overcome.

Ruan Xing's peaceful sleeping appearance really did not look like she was undergoing a Heart Demon Tribulation.

"She should have already passed the Heart Demon Tribulation; that devil came too late." Shen Lingyun looked at the branch-wrapped cocoon, her expression complex. "She actually passed the Heart Demon Tribulation in just one night."

The little seed recalled what Ruan Xing had said and added, "Right, she said she was too tired and needed to rest."

So even if they woke Ruan Xing up, it wouldn't matter. Xie Feng knew he couldn't influence anything and couldn't get what he wanted, so he left decisively.

But since Ruan Xing had instructed the little seed to watch over her, it could not let others disturb her.

And Xie Feng, who had already left, was thinking about other things.

The reason he was suddenly so urgent to find a way to break the Contract was because of the strange phenomenon last night.

Everyone in the Fengling Yueying Sect knew that Ruan Xing was previously at the Nascent Soul Stage, and even if she had returned this time, the tribulation she was undergoing was the Heart Demon Tribulation.

Moreover, these people had all come out of the Xumi Realm and had low cultivation, so they had no common knowledge of the Cultivation world.

None of them associated that Heavenly Dao phenomenon with the Return to Ruins Stage.

The only one who might have understood the Heavenly Dao phenomenon, Shen Lingyun, was a simple-minded person; she certainly hadn't thought in that direction either.

But Xie Feng was more cunning, and combined with the news he had obtained in the Xumi Realm, he instantly had a terrifying thought.

From a common mortal girl in the Xumi Realm to the Nascent Soul Stage today, Ruan Xing had only cultivated for less than eight years.

In his era, this would be a peerless genius that hadn't appeared in a million years, a legendary figure that could be passed down through the ages.

Yet in the Cultivation world, she hadn't spread any great reputation.

This was not only because of her mostly lone-wolf behavior—she rarely interacted with people using her true face—but more importantly, no one knew her background. Many Cultivators who had contact with her probably thought she had some mysterious background, which was why she could achieve such success.

But Xie Feng had investigated deeply, and he knew that from the very beginning, Ruan Xing was just an ordinary mortal.

This was the most terrifying part: from mortal to Nascent Soul, with thousands of dangers, she had only used eight years.

Then, such a fantastical thing as breaking through from the Nascent Soul Stage to the Return to Ruins Stage at once was not impossible, right? So he had to go see Ruan Xing himself to confirm his thoughts.

In the water bubble, the first moment he saw Ruan Xing, he knew she had already successfully passed the tribulation, and her aura was peaceful, with a trace of power containing the opportunity of the Heavenly Dao hidden within her body.

He could almost conclude that she was already at the Return to Ruins Stage! Thus, taking advantage of the trend of Shen Lingyun stopping him, he directly gave up and left.

With Ruan Xing at the Return to Ruins Stage, he no longer had any possibility of breaking the Contract from her hands.

But it didn't matter; he still had one last chance.

That Ghost Cultivator, Cui Yurong... he knew that Cui Yurong's Ghost Cultivator techniques were obtained from Ruan Xing.

There must be content regarding Puppets in there!

It was just that before, Cui Yurong possessed the Nether Ghost Fire that countered souls, and he didn't have a foolproof opportunity, so he didn't dare to act rashly.

He had snuck into the Xumi Realm several times, using the Righteousness Manor graveyard to cultivate via the Puppet method, only then making up for the last bit of Yin energy to reach the limit for breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage.

No matter what, his speed was still not as fast as Ruan Xing's, so he had no choice but to rely on his own newly broken-through realm to go and test Cui Yurong.

This time, he could only stake everything on one throw.

A cold glint flashed in Xie Feng's eyes, and his entire body transformed into black mist, drifting away at extreme speed toward the direction of the Fengling Yueying Sect.

Inside the Fengling Yueying Sect.

Cui Yurong looked at the Xie Feng before her, half-believing and half-doubting, and said, "If the Sect Master ran into trouble while undergoing the tribulation, even if she needed my help, the Fairy should have been the one to notify me. Why would it be you?" "What difference does it make whether it is the Fairy or me? We are all just Puppets refined by the Sect Master." Xie Feng sighed, "The Sect Master is currently trapped in a Heart Demon Tribulation and can only communicate with us briefly through a mental connection. If you are unwilling to contribute, just say so."

"It is not that I am unwilling to contribute, I just do not trust you," Cui Yurong frowned and said.

"Understandable, the Sect Master also thinks I am unreliable." Xie Feng spread his hands helplessly, "Therefore, the Fairy and Sword Lai both have their own things to do, and only I was sent to do the errand of passing the message. If you do not believe it, you can go to the place where the Sect Master is in seclusion and ask that little sapling guarding her whether we Puppets have all been in there these past two days."

Xie Feng's words were not to be trusted, but the little sapling's words could still be listened to.

Thus, Cui Yurong hurried to the underground water bubble and asked the little sapling, "In the two days the Sect Master has been in seclusion, have Sword Lai, the Fairy, and the Demon Lord all been in here?"

"Yes, they have," the little sapling replied.

Thus, Cui Yurong returned with peace of mind. She asked Xie Feng, "What help do you need me to provide?"

Xie Feng then said, "A hundred miles away from here, there is a place called Sui-ice Valley. Because of the formation's energy field, the ice there never melts all year round, and it contains all kinds of low-grade spiritual items with yin-cold attributes. Go and retrieve them for the Sect Master."

Cui Yurong immediately raised a question, "What use can low-grade spiritual items have for the Sect Master? And wouldn't it be better to send the disciples from the Consulate to do this kind of thing?"

Xie Feng was somewhat helpless and explained, "First, you possess the Ghost Escape Technique, so your speed going back and forth is fast and will not waste time.

Second, the low-grade spiritual items in the valley are of course useless; what is useful are the thousand-year spiritual items buried a hundred feet deep underground. The disciples of the Consulate are at most at the Foundation Establishment stage; how could they withstand the yin-cold energy a hundred feet underground?

Third, that Sui-ice Valley is the territory of the Nanzhou Xuanbing Sect. We cannot just openly go and chisel a hole to take other people's things, can we? You are a Ghost Cultivator and are at the Nascent Soul stage; you can leave your body and enter the underground without effort. Even if you are discovered, the people in that Sect have lower cultivation than you and would not be able to catch you at all.

Therefore, you are the most suitable candidate. If you don't go, who else can?"

"Alright," Cui Yurong nodded and said, "The Sect Master is my benefactor; how could I stand by and do nothing? I will go and make this trip for the Sect Master."

"Mm, I will wait for your good news," Xie Feng said with satisfaction.

"Are you not coming with me?"

"Hall Master Cui, what kind of joke is that? I am a Puppet Body. If you get discovered, you can still use the Ghost Escape Technique to flee, but if I get discovered and happen to be caught, what then? Wouldn't that implicate the entire Fengling Yueying Sect? I am someone who cannot endure hardship; there is no need for heavenly fire to be cast upon me—if I just scrape off a bit of skin, I would confess everything," Xie Feng said, clutching his forehead with a wry smile.

Once these words were spoken, the doubts in Cui Yurong's heart vanished completely.

She thought to herself that since Xie Feng was unwilling to leave the Fengling Yueying Sect, and she had the Ghost Escape Technique to rely on while outside, she would not encounter any danger.

Thus, she left with peace of mind.

Xie Feng curled his lips into a smile, his body turning into black mist and drifting away with the wind.

"So, Xie Feng tricked Cui Yurong away, and when Cui Yurong left her body, he devoured it, trapped her in the underground of Sui-ice Valley, and threatened that if she did not hand over the contents of the Nether Ghost Record, he would digest her body and leave her with no way to continue." Ruan Xing rubbed her temples with a headache.

After understanding the cause and effect, Ruan Xing easily deduced Xie Feng's behavioral trajectory.

Although Cui Yurong was a Ghost Cultivator and could leave her soul from her body, she could not go without a shell forever.

Moreover, that was the original body she had used since she was young.

If Xie Feng did not return the body to her, she could only stay underground until someone brought her a new body.

During this period, Xie Feng could completely eat away at Cui Yurong's soul bit by bit.

Furthermore, there were no other combustible materials in Sui-ice Valley, and Cui Yurong's Nether Ghost Fire lacked precision; as long as Xie Feng was careful, he could completely treat it as nothing.

"I'm sorry, if I had reminded her at the time, this wouldn't have happened," the little seed said with some guilt.

"It's not your fault," Ruan Xing shook her head.

The little seed had almost no interaction with anyone other than her, and it had only been a few years since it truly sprouted and gained consciousness.

It was still just a child.

It did not understand the complex relationships between people.

"Are we going to save her now?" the little seed asked.

"Save?" Ruan Xing smiled, "I want him to come back and admit his mistake to me himself."

Her Divine Sense at the Return to Ruins Stage instantly drifted out, extending hundreds of miles in a few seconds and enveloping the Sui-ice Valley.

The Nanzhou Xuanbing Sect only had one Golden Core stage cultivator holding the fort at this time, which was not enough to be feared at all, and he could not even detect the presence of Ruan Xing's Divine Sense.

After seeing the situation in Sui-ice Valley through her Divine Sense, Ruan Xing's fingers moved slightly.

She grabbed the invisible thread behind Xie Feng.

From the time she woke up until now, the supernatural power in her body had already recovered by more than half, and its strength had also increased.

For instance, right now, she could already span a distance of a hundred miles to control the thread on someone else.

Xie Feng's entire body shook, and he said in horror, "What is going on... she clearly did not activate the Contract..."

Yet, his whole body was as if frozen, controlled by someone.

Ruan Xing sent a message through their mental connection, "Return the body to Cui Yurong."

Actually, she could also directly control the thread to make Xie Feng spit it out, but she did not understand Xie Feng's cultivation technique and was afraid that her rash actions would damage Cui Yurong's body.

Xie Feng was still putting up a strong front; he smiled stiffly, "Sect Master, please do not be angry. I was just playing a joke on Hall Master Cui. If I return the body now, will the Sect Master kill me directly?"

Ruan Xing said angrily, "I will not kill you; I will let Cui Yurong torture you properly."

"Torture me? Good," Xie Feng said happily, "That is something I haven't experienced in a long time."

He nimbly spat the body out, and Cui Yurong, somewhat weak, crawled back into it.

Borrowing Xie Feng's mouth, she instructed Cui Yurong to be careful and return as soon as possible, and then Ruan Xing controlled Xie Feng, making him return to the Xumi Realm.

The journey took about two hours, and the supernatural power in her body had only been consumed by one-fifth.

It seems there really was a big improvement.

Even though Cui Yurong had consumed most of her yin energy, with the Ghost Escape Technique, she returned faster than Xie Feng.

She lowered her head toward Ruan Xing and said guiltily, "I troubled the Sect Master to save me as soon as you came out of seclusion. I have caused the Sect Master trouble."

"It is no matter; it is Xie Feng's fault," Ruan Xing said, looking at Xie Feng with a frown of disgust, "You have actually secretly reached the Nascent Soul stage."

"Indeed, but still not as good as you. Sigh, I'm getting old and can't keep up with the times," Xie Feng said with a calm smile.

"I never intended to trap you. If you don't cause me trouble, the Contract is just a safeguard to keep you in check. If you could be as obedient as the others, perhaps I could even treat you as one of my own," Ruan Xing said, crouching down.

Xie Feng's thread was in her hand.

As long as she gave it a light tug, he would have his soul scattered and his spirit destroyed.

Just like that Foundation Establishment Cultivator who spread rumors, he had not a single mark on his body, yet he was thoroughly dead.

"Anyone can say nice things, and I can too," Xie Feng said. "But you clearly know that you don't trust me, and I don't trust you either."

Thanks to Book Friend 20220124163846231 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Green Plum 1996 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Jadeite for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 140824173901400 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 20221023004510870 for the monthly ticket~