The elder’s figure was like a flash of lightning as he streaked through the arcs of lightning that had not yet fully subsided, landing in the center of the scorched earth.
He immediately saw Fang Xuan and that layer of black liquid.
The black liquid seemed to possess a form of sentience; sensing the elder’s approach, it writhed slightly.
Then, it receded like a tide, shrinking into a ball and rolling to the side as if its strength had been completely spent.
The elder did not have the time to investigate what it was; he hurriedly leaned down and carefully picked up Fang Xuan.
Judging by his aura, he was still alive!
The massive weight on the elder’s heart finally lifted. He quickly produced a life-saving spirit pill unique to the family, crushed it, used his spiritual power to dissolve it, and slowly transferred it into Fang Xuan’s mouth to protect his final heart vessels.
"Grand Elder," a deacon who had followed him down spoke with hesitation, his gaze landing on Ning Xian, whose aura was even weaker than Fang Xuan’s.
"This enchantress... seems like she’s about to die too."
The elder stood up while holding Fang Xuan, glancing at the woman on the ground covered in blood and filth.
He recalled the investigations regarding the entanglement between this woman and the young master, as well as her dangerous identity as a suspected lingering immortal......
"Pay her no mind. The young master’s safety is the priority. We leave this place immediately and return to the family for his treatment!"
With that, he stayed no longer. Holding Fang Xuan, he soared into the sky and sped toward the Fang family’s stronghold.
The other deacons followed closely behind.
.......
On the ground, only Ning Xian was left once more.
Her messy black hair, matted with blood, covered most of her face and her eyes.
She curled her legs, looking like a young beast abandoned in a storm, watching the direction in which Fang Xuan was taken, even though her vision had long since become a blur.
Junior brother was saved... that’s good.
He had his family, elders who cared for him, and a bright future and path ahead.
Without a senior sister like her, who only brought calamities and danger, his future path would be much smoother and safer.
This... was for the best.
A suffocating, twisting pain radiated from her heart, even more unbearable than when she had been struck by the purple lightning earlier.
It turned out the heart really could hurt, aching so much that she couldn't even control her breathing.
It was fine; in time, she would get used to it.
Just like the dozens of cycles of reincarnation before this, she was used to being alone and used to loss.
Only this time, a name and a figure were etched into her heart, a warmth... that she might never be able to possess again.
.......
She didn't know how much time had passed.
A cold, damp sensation touched her face.
Was it raining?
The rainwater slid down her blood-stained chin, washing away thin tracks in the grime.
She moved her fingers, slowly and with great difficulty.
Then, using every ounce of her remaining strength, she pushed off the ground bit by bit and stumbled to her feet.
Her thin body swayed in the drizzling rain as if she might collapse again at any second.
She looked at the purple thunderclouds faintly dissipating in the distance.
Junior brother... had been taken away.
She had to... live on.
At the very least, she had to live long enough to personally confirm he was safe and sound, and to live until... she could steal another glance at him.
Right, junior brother still had to face his tribulation.
After the Transformation Realm was the Tribulation Crossing, and ascending the Heavenly Ladder was fraught with extreme danger......
Her groggy mind began to turn again.
Nirvana Grass... she would need Nirvana Grass of over a thousand years as the primary ingredient, combined with Nine-Yang Lingzhi, earth-core jade marrow... to brew a medicinal bath. That could strengthen the body’s resistance against heavenly thunder.
Deep within the volcanic secret realm in the Eastern Reaches, there seemed to be one......
And defensive artifacts; she needed at least a middle-rank heaven-grade one, preferably one forged from a fragment containing a trace of space or thunder laws......
In the ruins of the Return to the Abyss in the South Sea, there seemed to be a damaged ancient Void Mirror......
Heart-Stabilizing Pills could stabilize the mind and resist inner demons... those required the petals of the Yaochi Celestial Lotus.......
She had to get them.
Even if... she didn't hand them to him personally, even if she could only watch from afar, even if he might not need them, or even... if he wouldn't remember her in the future.
But he was her junior brother. She had promised to protect him and let him go further......
She could hide away, staying well-concealed, and just watch him secretly. She wouldn't bring him any more disasters.
.......
He had gone home. He had family who loved him and abundant resources; his future was boundless.
There was no need... for him to keep thinking about a senior sister whom he had only known for a year, yet who had almost caused his death.
He would have a better life......
In any case... they were both still alive. How wonderful.
Ning Xian tried her best to pull at the corners of her mouth, attempting to force out a smile of "relief" or "satisfaction."
But after several attempts, her lips only twitched stiffly, mixing with the rainwater and tasting bitter and salty.
She stopped trying to smile and simply turned around numbly, her gaze falling on a corpse not far away—it was Dao Yi.
She stumbled over, crouched down, and almost mechanically searched the scorched corpse, finding several storage rings and a compass-shaped artifact that was not yet completely destroyed.
Then, she extended a trembling hand, gathering the last sliver of weak spiritual power within her body.
"Squelch... squelch......"
The spiritual power transformed into tiny wind blades, beginning to shred that charred corpse over and over again.
Debris flew, mixing into the rainwater.
If not for this Dao Yi, if not for these lingering immortals... perhaps she and her junior brother could have stayed in the small courtyard for a few more days. Perhaps......
She didn't know how many times she shredded it, not stopping until the corpse was completely reduced to dust, washed away by the rain until no trace remained.
Only then did Ning Xian stop. she sat blankly in the rain, staring at her blood-stained hands.
.......
The apricot blossoms gradually faded and fell until the apricots grew full, hanging beautifully on the branches......
The weather was warming up, and the streets of the mortal world remained as bustling as ever.
In a secluded side villa of the Fang family, layers of arrays currently shrouded the area, isolating it from the outside world.
Fang Xuan drifted back to consciousness.
Why does this feel so good?
It felt too satisfying; he couldn't help but let out a low groan as he slowly opened his eyes.
What greeted his vision was an unfamiliar ceiling.
"Where is Senior Sister......"
He muttered subconsciously, his voice terribly hoarse.
The system had said that as long as he wasn't ground into dust, he wouldn't die, though he would lose consciousness if his injuries were too severe.
Fang Xuan twitched the corner of his mouth and assessed his internal condition.
The injuries were ridiculously heavy; his meridians were shattered and his dantian was withered, but there was indeed a gentle force slowly repairing them.
He struggled to sit up slowly.
Looking around, the room's furnishings were simple and elegant, and the spiritual energy was dense. It was clearly an excellent quiet room for healing.
So... where was his senior sister?
Fragments of memory flooded back: purple lightning, thunderclouds, Ning Xian’s vacant eyes, scalding tears, her telling him to leave, and his own words, "I only have Senior Sister"........
And just before he lost consciousness, did something wrap around them?
Was it... Xiao Hei?
Ignoring his injuries, he threw back the quilt covering him.
Stepping barefoot onto the cold floor, he stumbled to the door and pulled it open.
Outside the door was not the courtyard or corridor he had expected.
Instead, it was... a sea?
A cool, moist breeze brushed against his face.
Fang Xuan leaned against the doorframe, staring at the unfamiliar sea, completely stunned.
This is absolutely ridiculous......
Where on earth did they bring him?
Up in the sky? An immortal island overseas?
Rate on N.U.
