Chapter 180: Branch of the Fusang Tree

"What should we do? Senior Hua is about to be surrounded by spatial rifts?"

Xia Xue watched the valley floor with worry and urgency, her gaze fixed on the Fire Lotus growing smaller and smaller, with Hua Changxi sitting cross-legged at its center.

Xia Yang's face showed regret: "I shouldn't have said earlier that Senior Hua was a selfish person who only cares about herself." If Senior Hua hadn't knocked them away in time, they would surely have been swallowed by the spatial rifts by now.

Baili Changfeng also sighed: "What a pity..."

The Zhu Que totem is not something just anyone can activate!

Just as the master and his two disciples thought Hua Changxi was surely dead, an unexpected change occurred; the long sword wreathed in Great Sun Divine Flame suddenly vibrated and began to retreat, like a kite high in the sky being pulled back by someone.

As the Floating Light Sword lost momentum, the dual wings of the Zhu Que spirit shadow spread open, then flapped together, directly batting the Floating Light Sword back, straight toward the Fire Lotus.

Xia Xue cried out in alarm: "Master, what is happening? Could it be that since the sword cannot kill the Zhu Que spirit shadow, it is now going to attack Senior Hua?"

Baili Changfeng was also somewhat unsettled at this moment: "The sword is not going to attack Senior Hua; it is being recalled."

Hearing this, both Xia Yang and Xia Xue froze in shock.

Xia Yang asked: "How is that possible? Master, didn't you say Senior Hua could not control the Great Sun Divine Flame? Then how can she recall the sword?"

Baili Changfeng did not speak, because he did not know what was actually happening either.

At the valley floor, in the center of the Fire Lotus, Hua Changxi bit her lips tightly in pain; she bit so hard that blood seeped from the corners of her mouth.

At this moment, she was enduring unimaginable suffering; within her dantian sea of qi, the seven strands of exotic fire had successfully fused into the Great Sun Divine Flame, and the appearance of the Great Sun Divine Flame immediately caused her sea of qi to surge violently.

While suppressing the seven strands of exotic fire, the mountain seal of Mount Wuzhi could still hang steadily in mid-air, but after the Great Sun Divine Flame was generated, the Mount Wuzhi seal could no longer suppress it and began jumping up and down and shaking left and right, looking utterly overwhelmed.

Waves, each higher than the last, continuously crashed against her dantian, making Hua Changxi feel as though her dantian was about to be shattered.

To make matters worse, the temperature of the Great Sun Divine Flame was too high, and the fire spiritual qi within her sea of qi was rapidly evaporating.

Gritting her teeth to endure the explosive pain in her dantian, Hua Changxi had not yet completely despaired; the instant she fused the Great Sun Divine Flame, she felt her connection to the Floating Light Sword become tighter, so she immediately manipulated the Floating Light Sword to return to her hand.

At first, things went somewhat smoothly; the Floating Light Sword was unwilling to be recalled, but after being heavily struck by the Zhu Que spirit shadow, the resistance on the Floating Light Sword decreased significantly, and under her forced summoning, it soon returned to her hand.

The instant she grasped the Floating Light Sword, Hua Changxi said nothing more, shot out of the Fire Lotus, and lightning-fast plunged into the spatial rift.

"Ah~"

Seeing Hua Changxi rush into the spatial rift, Xia Yang and Xia Xue screamed in terror; even Baili Changfeng could not hold back and let out an "Ah" as well.

"What is Senior Hua trying to do?"

"She wants the branch of the Fusang Divine Tree."

Baili Changfeng guessed that Hua Changxi must have fused the Great Sun Divine Flame, which was why she could recall the sword, but her body simply could not withstand the Great Sun Divine Flame, so she could only gamble everything by rushing into the spatial rift to seize the branch of the Fusang Divine Tree.

Xia Xue murmured: "Isn't Senior Hua afraid of being sliced into pieces by the spatial rift? Even if she luckily avoids that, she is very likely to get lost within the spatial rift."

Baili Changfeng's expression was somewhat complex; although he was certainly unwilling to see an outsider possess the precious flame of the Artifact Saint Palace now that Hua Changxi had fused the Great Sun Divine Flame, he also admired her determination to seek life amidst death.

Indeed, cultivators who have reached the Nascent Soul realm at this current stage are all ruthless and decisive people!

Xia Yang cried out in surprise: "The spatial rifts are disappearing."

Without the Floating Light Sword, the temperature in Tang Gu plummeted drastically, and the Zhu Que spirit shadow was also rapidly fading; without the tremendous force generated by the collision of the two, space began to stabilize, and naturally, the spatial rifts started to disappear.

Xia Xue said anxiously: "With the spatial rifts gone, won't Senior Hua be unable to get out?"

"Sigh..."

Baili Changfeng sighed again; rushing into a spatial rift was truly gambling with one's life.

Inside Tang Gu, as the Zhu Que spirit shadow faded, the fire spiritual qi overflowing from underground also decreased; the red mist in the line of sight of Baili Changfeng and his two disciples grew thinner and thinner, while at the same time, those black cracks became fewer and fewer.

When the Zhu Que spirit shadow completely dissipated, the red mist at the valley floor had become extremely thin, the valley floor returned to its previous gloom, and the master and disciples of the Changfeng family could no longer see any spatial rifts.

Xia Xue said in a low voice: "The spatial rifts have completely disappeared; Senior Hua... a Nascent Soul cultivator is gone just like that."

Xia Yang sighed: "Senior Hua really should not have rushed into the spatial rift."

Baili Changfeng sighed once more: "Meeting is fate; for us master and disciples to have met someone like Senior Hua..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xia Xue's scream interrupted him.

Xia Xue excitedly pointed at the valley floor: "Master, look quickly!"

At the valley floor, a patch of thin red mist was churning and vibrating violently; a point of white light appeared in the center of the red mist, and then, a white long sword tore open a gap in the red mist as if prying open a closed door, and immediately after, Hua Changxi, covered in blood, squeezed out from the opening.

Seeing this scene, Xia Xue cried out in joy: "It's Senior Hua; she came out alive!"

Baili Changfeng had not expected that even after the spatial rifts had closed, Hua Changxi could still emerge, which truly stunned him. Moreover, the Great Sun Divine Flame on the long sword in her hand had disappeared, indicating that she had obtained the branch of the Fusang Divine Tree and could now fully control that sword.

Seeing Hua Changxi emerge from the spatial rift only to fall to the ground and remain motionless, Xia Xue immediately said: "Master, Senior Hua seems to be injured; let's go over and check on her quickly."

Baili Changfeng uttered an "Mm," led his two disciples to the valley floor, and quickly approached Hua Changxi.

At this moment, the black robe on Hua Changxi's body was gone; her light blue robe was covered with dense bloodstains, and on her exposed skin were all fine, long cracks; Hua Changxi now resembled cracked porcelain.

Seeing her so severely injured, both Xia Yang and Xia Xue looked urgently at Baili Changfeng.

Recalling how Hua Changxi had repeatedly acted to save him and his two disciples, Baili Changfeng said to Xia Yang: "Carry Senior Hua on your back; let's go to the hot spring bath. Since Senior Hua has subdued the Great Sun Divine Flame, soaking in the hot spring bath should be able to repair the damage to her body."

Xia Yang obeyed the order and lifted Hua Changxi onto his back.

"Senior Hua looks a bit young."

"Cultivators naturally appear young, and after consuming some beauty-enhancing pills, they naturally look even younger; Senior Hua is a Nascent Soul cultivator, so even if she isn't several hundred years old, she is certainly over a hundred."

"You two must remember: when facing cultivators, never be deceived by appearances."

The master and three disciples talked as they searched for the hot spring bath; since it was their first time in Tang Gu, it took them considerable effort to finally locate the hot spring bath while carrying Hua Changxi.