Chapter 88: Trapped

Ever since the Blue Jade Bead entered his Sea of Consciousness, Xu Chen had been able to obtain the current Blue Light Treasure Bottle.

At the moment, the Blue Light Treasure Bottle had already been released outside his body to resist this terrifying giant beast, and his Sea of Consciousness was already completely empty; Xu Chen could not even find the location of his own Soul, which seemed to be hidden somewhere within the pitch-black void, yet also seemed to be everywhere, as if the treasure bottle itself had already merged into one with his Soul.

This was a strange state that left him conflicted.

His Soul had actually become a part of the treasure bottle.

He felt bewildered about how he should cultivate in the future if things continued like this.

Other cultivators would form a Nascent Soul after reaching Golden Core and Spirit Transformation, but would he cultivate a bottle as his Primordial Spirit in the future?

In his bewilderment, Xu Chen wanted to both cry and laugh.

But the situation before him did not allow him to overthink these messy matters.

Since he could no longer communicate with the vanished Jade Bead, nor could he control the jade bottle, he could only first repair his own injuries and also ensure that the woman in black would hopefully survive alongside him.

And the key to saving the woman in black was still the type of white Qi released by the treasure bottle.

Thus, Xu Chen began to focus all his Divine Sense on the Blue Light Treasure Bottle around his body, then tried to guide the treasure bottle—which did not exist in his Sea of Consciousness at all—to sense the presence of the white Qi.

Time passed silently, and he did not know how long had gone by.

Under his tireless persistence, wisps of white Qi slowly began to rise from the void and darkness beneath him, then merged into his body and that of the woman in black.

At this time, what he did not know was that beneath the Blue Light Treasure Bottle where he was located, there was a layer of clouds and mist composed of Blue Starlight, and beneath the clouds and mist was another scene of churning black fog.

Within a pool of Black Water, a Black Demon Lotus floated on the surface, its vine-like roots rolling and extending in all directions, growing wantonly like a ghostly demon; a large number of lotus leaves were budding in the black fog, and several huge black Soul Beasts were roaring, running, and attacking each other in the environment formed by the lotus roots and leaves.

Bolts of colorful lightning fell from the nebula light and mist high above, and every time a bolt of lightning flashed, a wisp of white Qi would inevitably rise from the black fog, slowly penetrating the starlight clouds and mist, and following the guidance of Xu Chen's Divine Sense, merge into the bodies of the two.

All of this seemed incomparably slow, but as the sand accumulated into a tower, Xu Chen still felt that his body and Soul were constantly being repaired and strengthened; as the white Qi continuously merged into his body, he slowly felt that the Blue Light Treasure Bottle around his body was also gradually relaxing.

Meanwhile, the aura of the woman in black on his back also gradually strengthened, her weak Soul began to stabilize, and her scattered vital energy slowly recovered.

Until a certain moment, the woman in black's body spasmed slightly before she woke up and slowly opened her eyes.

"You're awake!" Xu Chen said, opening his eyes at the same time.

The woman in black looked dazed, twisting her body slightly to look around, but she discovered that her entire body was pressed against Xu Chen's back by the blue light, making it almost impossible to move, with her cheek pressed tightly against Xu Chen's neck and ear.

"Don't move around. We were dragged into the depths of a vortex by a powerful Soul Beast and are currently trapped and unable to escape. However, this Blue Light Treasure Bottle Magic Treasure can keep us safe for the time being. You don't need to be too nervous. Don't ask questions for now; if you can circulate your energy to cultivate, hurry and repair your injuries. I don't know how much longer I can hold on."

Xu Chen briefly explained the situation at hand.

After the woman in black understood, her cheeks flushed red and she gave a soft 'en', twisting her body slightly to try and move her hands and feet. Xu Chen felt the two long legs still wrapped around his waist and reached out to swipe, a Wind Blade of vital energy cutting the cloth strips.

The woman in black immediately felt her body become much lighter, but inexplicably, she felt a faint sense of loss.

The two of them were tied tightly together like this, their limbs and bodies pressed closely against each other; amidst the intense fighting and running, the strong vibrations and friction had long since ground away all the Dao heart she had cultivated for over a decade.

Xu Chen felt the astonishing elasticity of her back and a violently beating heart, and even his own heart began to resonate with a 'thump-thump' in spite of himself.

In this pitch-black darkness, a lone man and woman together—this was truly not suitable for cultivation.

However, in an instant, he cast these messy thoughts to the back of his mind, his mind sinking into his Sea of Consciousness to continue guiding the white Qi to keep repairing his body.

He had thought about the possibility that he might die here, but as long as there was a sliver of a chance, he would not give up easily. This woman was not worth him putting in much thought; once they escaped, they would go their separate ways and have no further relationship.

Sensing that Xu Chen had slowly quieted down until he was silent and still, the woman in black felt her thoughts in a chaotic mess.

She had never imagined that her one act of reckless impulse would lead to such an awkward and shameful dead end.

Xu Chen's cold attitude did not make her feel the slightest bit of anger; instead, she felt incomparably ashamed and regretful.

But here and now, she could not make any changes and could only forcibly control her emotions, closing her eyes to slowly begin sensing the changes in her body. As she closed her eyes and circulated her energy, she clearly saw wisps of mysterious white Qi, which had come from nowhere, slowly invading her body. As her cultivation technique circulated, more white Qi flowed through her tendons, bones, skin, and flesh under the guidance of the technique, finally gathering into a warm stream that continuously repaired her flesh and Meridians, and even her soul felt a sense of warmth and coolness, constantly strengthening.

This was a strange sensation completely different from her past cultivation, leaving her both surprised and delighted, yet filled with doubts, not knowing where these wisps of mysterious white Qi were coming from.

Slowly, the woman in black's breathing also stabilized, and her mind became completely immersed in cultivation.

Xu Chen was the same; he had also been continuously cultivating by absorbing white Qi through the Blue Light Treasure Bottle.

But this time, his sensation was clearer and stronger.

Every time he finished a full cycle of his cultivation technique, he could feel his Meridians becoming sturdier, while his dantian was also slowly expanding and becoming more stable.

This was a sign that his cultivation was growing.

In other words, the white Qi could not only repair his body and Soul but could also continuously aid in the growth of his cultivation.

At this speed, if he could persist for two months, he would definitely be able to step into the late stage of the Kaiyuan Realm.

However, the current predicament would not allow him so much time to cultivate without distraction; he needed to reach his best state as soon as possible and then find a way to escape.

Thus, the two of them remained pressed tightly together, feeling each other's heartbeats and breathing, slowly immersing themselves in a state of selflessness.

It was impossible to guess how much time had passed; outside the Blue Light Treasure Bottle, the thick, terrifying tentacles were still desperately coiling and contracting.

Clusters of Blue Starlight continuously exploded between the magma-like blood-red and black tentacles, releasing brilliant and beautiful light and shadow.

Until a certain moment, Xu Chen slowly opened his eyes again.

At this time, he felt that his damaged Meridians and body had been completely repaired; not only had his Soul grown significantly, but his Meridians were also emitting a glowing white light like jade, and his dantian had also expanded quite a bit, the surging vital energy making him feel as if he had endless strength in his body.

And what surprised him even more was that the phantom of the Blue Light Treasure Bottle that had been pressing around his body had actually expanded by several inches, making his body feel much lighter and giving his hands and feet a larger range of motion.

"How are you feeling?" Xu Chen felt the strange sensation of a sudden rapid heartbeat behind him and knew that the woman in black should have also woken up from her cultivation.

"I, I feel that my injuries have completely recovered!" the woman in black replied softly, her lips pressed against Xu Chen's ear.

"That's good. Now that the treasure bottle space is slightly wider, you don't have to speak so close," Xu Chen reminded.

"Oh, okay!" The woman in black's body trembled slightly, then she moved her head slightly to the side.

Xu Chen also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the rolling red light and coiling black tentacles outside the Blue Light Treasure Bottle, he observed for a moment and said, "We are trapped to death here and must find a way to escape. If you have any ideas, you can say them, and we can discuss them together."

The woman in black was silent for a long while before saying, "My name is Lan You!"

Xu Chen:...

What kind of bullshit answer is that.

It is said that a woman's mind is unfathomable, and it is indeed true; what time is it, and she still has the mood to introduce herself.

"I, I just didn't want to die here together, and you didn't even know my name!"

"Mm, I know now. Let's reintroduce ourselves; my name is Xu Chen."

"Mm!"

After a simple exchange that was practically devoid of substance, the two of them fell into silence together.

"I—I shouldn't have wanted to kill you, I apologize to you now!" After a long while, Lan You spoke again.

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, if we can't get out, we'll both die here, so whether you apologize or not isn't important!" Xu Chen said.

Lan You was silent.

"Alright, let's stop talking about these meaningless things. Right now, it's not that we don't have a chance to survive; it's just that the situation is very complicated and dangerous. At the very least, with the protection of this Blue Light Treasure Bottle, that terrifying creature outside can't do anything to us for the time being. Furthermore, this Blue Light Treasure Bottle can continuously help grow and improve our cultivation, which is a good sign. I hope you won't give up hope of escaping. You should state your own thoughts first."

Xu Chen decided to end these meaningless, wordy topics between them and guide her thinking back to facing reality.

Lan You thought for a moment and said softly, "There are still some Bigu Pills in my Storage Bag; they should be able to let us hold out for about a month."

Upon hearing this, Xu Chen was overjoyed. He hurriedly probed his Divine Sense into the Storage Bag, quickly broke through the Soul Locking Array, and with a pull of his Divine Sense, a pile of pill bottles of various sizes immediately floated together before their eyes.

Although Lan You did not know how Xu Chen had so easily opened her Storage Bag, she still blushed and pointed to one of the small Jade Bottles, saying, "Inside here are the Bigu Pills. There are about twenty of them. Without drinking water, if we eat one every three days, we can barely survive for a month."

Xu Chen opened the Jade Bottle and poured out two Bigu Pills. He swallowed one himself, placed one in Lan You's hand, and then put all the pills back into the Storage Bag before saying, "Then we shall calculate time by each time we eat a Bigu Pill. I hope we can find a way to escape within this month. In a moment, I will release my Divine Sense to probe the Soul Beast outside. It might cause quite a commotion, so don't be afraid; there shouldn't be any danger."

"Okay!"

The two finished their brief exchange. Xu Chen quickly refined the Bigu Pill, and after feeling that the hunger and thirst in his stomach were not as intense, he slowly extended his Divine Sense outside the treasure bottle.

(End of chapter)