Chapter 622: Immortal Root!

However, Ye Qingran showed no abnormality.

The next instant...

Ye Qingran's delicate body shivered, and a fresh splash of crimson blood again stained the corner of her lips, glaring against her pale skin.

Fu Hanxiu's pupils constricted sharply.

"Ranyer!"

He shouted, his deep voice trembling with panic.

The moment he saw her bleeding, his soul seemed to be torn away.

He could not bear to see her injured, not even a little!

Before meeting Ye Qingran, no one could make him care so much—not even his own son; after meeting her, she became more important than his own life!

Ye Qingran hurriedly wiped the blood from her lip, shook her head at Fu Hanxiu and said, "I'm fine!" In her heart, she cursed the Dead Spirit fiercely.

But what she did was a bit self‑deceptive.

How could Fu Hanxiu possibly believe her again?

She was coughing up blood, and still says she's fine?

Just as Fu Hanxiu was distracted, the Dead Spirit gave a sly grin and struck while he was unprepared!

"Watch out!" Ye Qingran, facing the Dead Spirit, was the first to spot its scheme and shouted loudly.

Fu Hanxiu also sensed danger from behind and reacted immediately.

But even so, he was a step too late.

Boom~

A blaze‑like burning Black Mist slammed against Fu Hanxiu's back; although he sidestepped and avoided a fatal blow, still...

His body shivered, his spine remained straight, appearing completely unscathed.

However, Ye Qingran knew this was only a façade!

The Dead Spirit's previous strike was so vicious, aimed at killing Fu Hanxiu; how could it have shown any mercy?

Ye Qingran's pupils fluttered slightly; she was at a loss for words.

"I'm fine," Fu Hanxiu shook his head lightly, his brows suddenly darkening, and with a turn he launched a counterattack.

The Dead Spirit's strike landed, and it was basking in triumph.

Failing to kill Fu Hanxiu but wounding him gravely, it was already thoroughly satisfied.

However, it never expected that Fu Hanxiu would choose to strike back at this moment!

The sudden assault caught the Dead Spirit off guard. Yet, unlike Fu Hanxiu, who had devoted almost all his mind to Ye Qingran and thus evaded most blows, the Dead Spirit appeared especially clumsy.

"Damn it!" the Dead Spirit roared, "Since you care so much about that woman, I will turn her into my puppet, ha ha ha!"

The Dead Spirit's bizarre, grating laugh echoed through heaven and earth, sending chills down the spine.

Its gaze shifted, staring at Ye Qingran with ill intent.

The earlier ambush was more than a simple surprise; it deliberately seeded its Dead Qi into Ye Qingran's Spiritual Root.

The Spiritual Root, a cultivator's foundation, is extremely fragile; once it controls an opponent's Spiritual Root, it controls that person.

Moreover, whenever it wishes, it can cause the opponent's Spiritual Root to wither, rendering them a waste!

In the instant the Dead Spirit looked over, Ye Qingran clearly felt the Dead Qi assault on her spiritual bud become even more ferocious.

She fought desperately, her whole body taut, and the children sensed her abnormality, watching her curiously.

Ye Qingran knew she could no longer conceal it, so she released the children's hands, sat cross‑legged, and said, "Xiaohu Xiaocheng, Mother just got a little hurt and needs treatment, but you don't need to worry; Mother is fine."

Xiao Hu and Xiao Chen both sensed an unusual aura and felt a bit worried, but to avoid troubling Mother they forced out an obedient smile, "Mother, you don't need to worry about us; hurry and heal yourself!"

Ye Qingran nodded, looked toward Fu Hanxiu in the distance, and said, "Just give it your all; you don't need to worry about me. Don't forget, I am the Pill Emperor!"

Fu Hanxiu pressed his thin lips together, yet offered no rebuttal.

Ye Qingran closed her eyes and began to resist the Dead Qi's invasion with all her being.

"Eh?"

The Dead Spirit made a puzzled sound, only then realizing that Ye Qingran actually had no Spiritual Root. To be precise, her Spiritual Root hadn't matured yet; it was still at the spiritual bud stage.

"A saint without a Spiritual Root—interesting."

But however interesting, it will ultimately be destroyed by its own hand.

No one can stand in its way!

No one!

Fu Hanxiu realized the Dead Spirit was currently attacking Ye Qingran, so he did not hesitate to strike again; faced with Fu Hanxiu's assault, the Dead Spirit remained remarkably calm.

"You think tying me up will keep her safe? Naïve!" the Dead Spirit sneered, "Besides, with your strength you could at best match me; now that I've gravely wounded you, how can you still be my opponent?"

"Care to try?" Fu Hanxiu's thin lips barely opened, saying coldly.

Even though he was schemed by the Dead Spirit, Fu Hanxiu's strength showed no sign of weakening; on the contrary, he grew more courageous with each fight, making the Dead Spirit secretly alarmed.

This man, how does he possess such immense potential?

On Ye Qingran's side, although her mind was focused on resisting the Dead Qi, she still allocated some attention to observe everything around her.

Learning that Fu Hanxiu was not heavily affected, she let out a slight sigh of relief.

Dead Qi continued to pour incessantly into the spiritual bud, attempting to blacken it. As long as the bud blackens, she becomes the Dead Spirit's puppet; even with her own thoughts, she can only let the Dead Spirit dictate her power.

Ye Qingran naturally could not easily abandon the resistance.

One must know that this tiny spiritual bud was cultivated with great effort; she placed huge expectations on it.

Nearby, Qin Feixue and the others felt worried when they saw Ye Qingran coughing up blood, especially as she sat cross‑legged on the ground to heal; several of them spontaneously gathered around her, shielding her in the center.

At this moment, Ye Qingran entered an inner‑vision state; she could clearly see her spiritual bud, which was a thin short stalk with a tiny leaf, like a freshly sprouted mung bean seedling.

However, the bud was now enveloped by Dead Qi, its once radiant sheen gone, appearing ready to wither at any moment.

Dead Qi's attack on the spiritual sprout is ferocious; once it breaches, the sprout becomes precariously endangered.

Ye Qingran exhausts all her strength to block Dead Qi's attack, and at this moment she can't help recalling the years without a Spiritual Root.

Back then, her Holy Spiritual Root was dug out by Ye Huanhuan, turning her into a waste without a Spiritual Root in everyone's mouth.

One must know that, in the eyes of the world, a Spiritual Root is the foundation of cultivation; without it there is no medium to communicate with the heavens' and earth's spiritual Qi, just as a skyscraper without a foundation can never be built.

Yet the impossibility seen by the world becomes possible for her.

In her previous life, she was the first cultivator of the 31st Century Reincarnation Era, mastering a special cultivation method that even applies in this world.

That is also the fundamental reason she can cultivate without a Spiritual Root.

However, that cultivation method cannot let her advance further, so she still needs to regrow a Spiritual Root.

But since the Spiritual Root is the foundation of cultivation and the medium for cultivators to communicate with spiritual Qi, must it be identical in every case?

Can it exist in a different form?

This thought appeared in Ye Qingran's mind, causing her whole body to shudder.