Chapter 225: Hongmeng Purple Qi

Ruan Xing did not speak, but merely attempted to find the location of the Hongmeng Purple Qi within the Fate Line of the World Consciousness, using the same method she had once used to view the fulcrum memory of her own Fate Line.

A person's thread is very different from the thread of the World Consciousness.

A person's thread is thinner than a strand of hair; if there were even the slightest lapse in her Divine Soul power, she would miss the thread. Fortunately, she had practiced many times before and was now quite accustomed to it, so she rarely missed when dealing with the threads on Cultivators whose cultivation was lower than her own.

Yet, the thread of the World Consciousness is much thicker than a person's.

It is similar to the difference between silk and yarn.

It is like many strands of silk twisted together, tangled and unclear.

With so many people on the street, one could grab a handful of silk-like thin threads at random; how could one that was so thick not be conspicuous? Moreover, she felt that the thread of the World Consciousness was essentially very similar to the one on Tianxin Island that she had accidentally broken.

It was just that at that time, she did not understand the power of supernatural abilities well and could not perfectly replicate the sensation of that moment.

But her intuition told her that there was more than a ninety percent chance it was the same thing.

If she were to break this thread as well, she wondered what would happen...

Her Divine Sense sank into the Fate Line of the World Consciousness.

In less than a second, she retreated with a splitting headache.

No!

Steadying her dizzy head, Ruan Xing felt a lingering fear; the Fate Line of the World Consciousness was like an endless, surging long river, completely incomparable to her own towering tree.

She had not even seen any useful images.

Countless fulcrums in the long river and chaotic memory fragments rapidly shattered her Divine Sense; it was fortunate she had retreated quickly.

Otherwise, her Divine Soul would have suffered heavy damage, and that would not have been worth the loss.

After all, it was a World Consciousness with status; even if it was held miserably in her hand due to the rules restricting it from attacking her directly, she would still suffer a backlash if she took the initiative to pry into things beyond her capability.

The World Consciousness let out a shrill howl.

In an instant, everyone on the street, whether Cultivator or mortal, collapsed, swaying.

Ruan Xing closed her eyes in discomfort and said irritably, "Stop howling! Is this the only trick you have?"

Sonic attacks combined with brainwashing and cognitive confusion—this Small World consciousness only had these few methods to cycle through.

It looked very powerful; Ruan Xing was already at the Return to Ruins Stage and had practiced the Soul Nourishing Record, making her Divine Soul incomparably strong. If she stayed here for a few more months, she might also be completely assimilated by the Small World consciousness, forgetting who she originally was like the others in this town, and focusing solely on the grand plan of reproduction instilled by the Small World.

"Don't you want to create life?" Ruan Xing said, "I can teach you, but the prerequisite is to give me the Hongmeng Purple Qi."

The Small World consciousness stopped its sonic attack and said in horror, "You want the Hongmeng Purple Qi?!"

Ruan Xing nodded.

"If the Hongmeng Purple Qi is given to you, this world will collapse. What use would life be to me then? I will never give it to you," the Small World consciousness refused stubbornly.

Ruan Xing couldn't help but laugh, "This fake world you've constructed—what difference does it make whether it collapses or not?"

"Don't think I haven't noticed; there is simply no Element Law of time in this world..." Ruan Xing curled her lips, "These people weren't created by you yourself; you abducted them from the outside world. What is the point of keeping them? It would be better to make a deal with me. I will teach you 'life', and you can slowly study 'time'."

The Small World consciousness was somewhat tempted, but it still had some wariness and asked, "How can I trust you?"

"If you give the Hongmeng Purple Qi to me and I deceive you, wouldn't I be violating the laws? Wouldn't you then be able to kill me justifiably, free from the restrictions of the rules?"

"Fine!" The Small World consciousness no longer hesitated, "I agree. Tell me, how can I make life naturally develop in my world?"

"Please, if I deceive you, I have to bear the punishment for violating the laws, and you can exercise your Heavenly Dao law rights in your world without restraint. But if you deceive me? You don't have to pay anything or bear any cost. Do you think that's fair?" Ruan Xing spread her hands, amused.

Ruan Xing would not let the Small World consciousness exploit this loophole.

It might not look smart, but not being smart didn't mean it was well-intentioned.

The Small World consciousness seemed to have realized that the brainwashing it excelled at could not shake Ruan Xing's will and thoughts at all. It hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Follow me. The Hongmeng Purple Qi is hidden in a very secret and safe place."

The old woman that the Small World consciousness was possessing let go of Ruan Xing's hand and walked tremblingly in one direction.

"Oh," Ruan Xing replied casually, "You don't look like you have the ability to have multiple incarnations, so where did you put the two of them?"

If this Small World consciousness, still in its infancy, could have multiple incarnations appear simultaneously, then the mortal it possessed would not have had two Fate Lines.

A Fate Line only appears on its true body.

Its true body was here with Ruan Xing and could not simultaneously handle matters elsewhere, so it was highly probable that Xijue and Xie Feng had not received the special care of the Small World consciousness like she had.

The Small World consciousness said without thinking, "Of course it's the most—"

It suddenly realized something and stiffly stopped speaking.

When it first discovered these people entering the Small World, it hadn't paid much attention.

It only thought they were like the previous batches of Cultivators, treating this place as an ordinary Secret Realm to explore and seek opportunities and treasures.

It wasn't until Ruan Xing easily resisted its mental pollution at the Xianzi Temple, was not brainwashed by it, and instead smashed its stone statue, that it began to take her more seriously.

Yet it never expected that Ruan Xing had come for its Hongmeng Purple Qi from the very beginning.

So... the place it understood to be the safest and most under its complete control was the place where it had sent Xie Feng and Xijue. It had originally intended to use all its divine power to brainwash Ruan Xing, who appeared to be the strongest, before dealing with the other two.

It was just a pity that it had failed at the first hurdle.

Ruan Xing curled her lips and smiled, "Since that's the case, do you still want to continue stalling for time, walking slowly in this mortal shell, thinking about consuming my Divine Soul energy and trying again? You won't succeed."

The Small World consciousness stomped its feet in frustration; the old woman's aged, cloudy eyes held resentment inconsistent with her age. She glared at her hatefully, detached from this body, and flew rapidly toward the direction of the Xianzi Temple.

The birth of the world originated from its consciousness.

Because it liked these things, they appeared in the world. This world had not fully evolved, so the constraints of the Heavenly rules on it were not that tight.

Once this world completely separated from the Cultivation world and became independent, it would become the high and mighty Heavenly Dao and would no longer be able to appear before people at will.

The birth and destruction of countless Small Worlds were nothing more than this.

Ruan Xing also followed with Instant Movement.

The stone statue in the Xianzi Temple that they had previously destroyed had already been restored to its original state.

The Small World consciousness crashed into the stone statue and disappeared instantly.

Xijue had disappeared the same way... but at this moment, she still held the Fate Line of the Small World in her hand, so she could sense that the true body of the Small World consciousness had arrived at a place that seemed both far and near.

This stone statue was likely the door it had opened for itself.

Ruan Xing pondered for a second, then walked toward the direction of the stone statue. She placed her hand gently upon it, but she did not touch a solid object; instead, she passed straight through.

A suction force came from within the stone statue, and Ruan Xing did not resist, following its force to enter the stone statue, which was a portal.

She had not expected that the thing she needed would appear before her from the very beginning, in the most obvious and direct place.

It actually cost her a bit of extra time; otherwise, when she first entered the Xianzi Temple, she should have charged into this stone statue gate.

"Stop! Put that down!"

The moment she entered, the urgent voice of the Small World consciousness reached her ears.

"Oh? Are you talking about this?" Xie Feng smiled with a perverse sense of humor, tossing a cyan-red ball of light up and down in his hand.

The Small World consciousness felt as if its heart were breaking.

It accused them with tears in its voice: "I have worked so hard for so many years to save up just this little bit..."

It had originally planned to return quickly, secretly hold back a portion to hide away, and then use the remainder to trade with Ruan Xing.

It had not expected that its entire nest would be wiped out at once.

What could it do? It could only blame itself for not realizing at the time that these people's target was its Hongmeng Purple Qi, thereby letting the wolf into the house by locking the two of them in its birthplace without any defenses.

It was true; most of the items containing Spirit Qi in this Secret Realm had been consumed by it while evolving the world. Now, apart from itself, only this bit of Hongmeng Purple Qi remained that could be called a treasure.

Once it truly finished evolving the world and became the Heavenly Dao, it would definitely—

The Small World consciousness suddenly deflated. Once it finished evolving, it would leave the Cultivation world, and it would never have a day to meet these people again, let alone take revenge. Moreover, the time required to evolve a world was thousands upon thousands of years; even Gui Xu Xianjun in the Cultivation world could only live for five or six thousand years at most. By then, these people would likely have long since returned their souls to the heavens and earth, turning into dust.

After purging the mental pollution from its voice, it spoke normally with the voice of a dainty little girl, sounding soft.

Ruan Xing stared straight at that ball of cyan-red light, sensing a strong scent of destiny upon it...

She took a sharp breath and muttered to herself: "It really is Hongmeng Purple Qi... I don't know if this is enough."

The Hongmeng Purple Qi accumulated by this Small World consciousness was only this one ball, but the Cultivation world was already a mature world that had finished evolving; it had existed for who knows how many years. For a small seed to use such a small amount of Hongmeng Purple Qi to punch a hole in the barrier of the Cultivation world and grow a Path to Heaven, it was likely not an easy task.

"Hand it over," Ruan Xing said to Xie Feng.

The Small World consciousness watched the two complete the handover with great reluctance. "Tell me now. After you've said it, I will send you away from here."

Ruan Xing looked down at the Hongmeng Purple Qi and did not speak.

The Small World consciousness said hesitantly: "The promise you made to me, does it still count?"

"Of course—it doesn't count anymore," Ruan Xing said. "I am very sorry, but I do not know the method to create life."

In the world of her past life, there were legends of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and she knew about reincarnation, but this world had no Underworld; everything regarding the afterlife came from the delusions of mortals.

Even Cultivators who studied the Ghost Dao, who researched souls so thoroughly, could not discover where souls actually originated.

In the world of the Small World consciousness, there was no time and no soul. No matter what method it used to make the mortals and Cultivators it had brainwashed in the world dedicate themselves to reproduction, there would never be new life in this Small World.

She had been lying to it from the very beginning.

Ruan Xing thought somewhat coldly that before she first entered, her inner thought had been to kill the World consciousness and take the Hongmeng Purple Qi. Now, she was merely lying to it, which could already be considered her being soft-hearted.

You cannot expect someone who wants to kill you to keep a promise to you.

"You lied to me!" the Small World consciousness roared with a shrill voice, and that terrifying, brainwashing mental pollution spread out over a large area again!

Countless voices echoed in this small place. Xizui could not help but frown and cover his ears, yet he was still shaken to the point of bleeding from his seven orifices by the sound.

Xie Feng no longer had blood flowing in his body, but his complexion still looked bad. He urged: "Let's go! Why are you standing here!"

Ruan Xing was hesitating, of course, about whether to take this opportunity to leave Xie Feng here...

To let him bear the wrath of the Small World consciousness?

Xie Feng widened his eyes. "You're kidding, right? Here?"

He did his utmost to persuade Ruan Xing. "I haven't been of any help in this world; don't you want to make the best use of me?"

That was true... She had also been worried that Xie Feng might eat the Small World consciousness here and make a comeback.

She didn't know if the digestive system his technique gave him was that good.

The violent voice of the Small World consciousness had become a fuse, igniting everything that could mobilize the laws. A hurricane swirled and shredded everything around it, and its shrill voice came eerily from all directions in layers. "I knew it, I knew it—you took my Hongmeng Purple Qi and violated the rules of my world; you are going to die here!"

Perhaps it had once thought about going back on its word; as long as it delayed long enough, Ruan Xing's Divine Soul would absolutely not be able to withstand its mental pollution as a Small World consciousness. But unfortunately, Ruan Xing had entered this Small World for less than three days. In order not to waste her points, she had chosen the most reckless and direct method from beginning to end, shortening the time and increasing efficiency, which had inadvertently caused the Small World consciousness to lose its most powerful means.

"I will not die here. Goodbye." Ruan Xing pressed two fingers against her temple, making a classic goodbye gesture from a Hong Kong film, and immediately used the Tunneling Spirit Bead to open a passage to the Secret Realm Space.

After the three of them entered the passage, they returned to the Northern Territory Underground Palace.

Only the Small World consciousness was left behind, raging impotently, but it dared not pursue them.

In the Small World, it was half a Heavenly Dao, possessing the most supreme power outside of the rules.

But within the Cultivation world, it was nothing, and it would even be detected and repelled by the Heavenly Dao of the Cultivation world.

Ruan Xing did not rush to close the Light Gate; she smiled and waved inside. Only after the hidden Sword came out did she close the Light Gate and return the Spirit-Tunneling Bead to Xizui.

Xizui wiped the blood from his face, took the Spirit-Tunneling Bead, and returned to his expressionless state. He said in a hoarse voice: "Excuse me, I need to go and report to the Saint Demon Lord."

"Mm, go ahead," Ruan Xing replied, and Xizui hurried away.

Leaving Ruan Xing and Xie Feng in his residence.

Xizui, with hurried footsteps, pushed aside the pale green bead curtain and told Xie Yao the details of what had happened over the past three days behind the thin gauze.

After hearing this, Xie Yao lowered her eyelashes. No expression could be seen on her face, and she asked indifferently: "And him?"

Xizui dared not hide anything and repeated what Xie Feng had said in the Spirit-Tunneling Bead, word for word.

"Is that so," Xie Yao smiled lightly.

"Then, should we follow what he said, and you, Saint Demon Lord, should just pretend you don't know him and ignore him?" Xizui asked.

"No, you don't understand him," Xie Yao smiled. "He said that if I become enemies with Ruan Xing in the future, I shouldn't care about his life or death. That must be interpreted in reverse; what he really wants to tell me is that if he dies in the future, then I should become enemies with Ruan Xing."

"He wants me to kill Ruan Xing."

"However, there is one more sentence I don't quite understand." Xie Yao propped herself up, tilted her head back, and a vine supported the back of her head. She pondered: "A kite without a string... what is that a metaphor for?"

Thanks to Xiao Mu Jun for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Aisme for the monthly ticket~