Chapter 39 The Barrier Shatters

He used his last bit of strength to stand up, and after stabilizing himself, he began to forcefully mobilize all the spiritual power in his body. This spiritual power gradually took on a physical form, swirling around him like mist.

Cheng Yuan tried to stop him, but could barely get close.

Looking down, I saw the water on the ground slowly gathering into droplets, which were then dragged into the air by spiritual power and condensed into ice crystals.

As He Kun continued his actions, more and more icicles gathered. When almost all the water on the ground had been pumped out, He Kun raised his hand and looked at them with a dark expression.

"It's all time to end it all."

Bang--!

Countless icicles shot out like arrows in an instant. Cheng Yuan used his sword to form a shield, protecting Chu Jianshan behind him. However, these things were not aimed at them.

The ice shards were powerful enough to penetrate thick stone walls and then rushed straight towards the barrier. Almost instantly, cracks appeared in the barrier.

Luo Qiu stood behind him, watching all this hopelessly: "He Kun, stop!!"

No matter how much she screamed, He Kun was determined to drag the entire water city down with him. Blood kept flowing from the place where the sword pierced his heart, but it did not stop him for a second.

Before long, the barrier began to break down, and the cracks could no longer withstand the powerful water pressure. Water slowly seeped in, and as the water accumulated, it broke through several openings, causing the entire water city to begin to shake.

By then, it was too late for anything.

Luo Qiu forced herself to calm down, feeling the violent tremors beneath her feet and seeing stones falling continuously. She knew that nothing she did would make a difference.

She walked with difficulty toward Chu Jianshan and the others, handed them the wooden box, and said, "You still have a chance before the barrier is completely destroyed."

Chu Jianshan's heart sank: "And what about you?"

Luo Qiu smiled faintly and said, "I should pay for the sins I have committed."

Chu Jianshan wanted to say something more, but Cheng Yuan tugged at his arm: "Chu Jianshan, we can't help here if we stay. If we don't leave, everyone will die here."

Chu Jianshan hesitated: "But..."

Before they finished speaking, the stone walls of the tomb chamber had already been breached by the flood, and the water accumulated at their feet, soon reaching their waists.

Cheng Yuan realized that Luo Qiu had no intention of leaving, so he wanted to use the last chance to take Chu Jianshan out, but Chu Jianshan didn't understand. He struggled to take Luo Qiu with him as well.

There was another sound of water breaking through the stone wall; the barrier had completely shattered.

Chu Jianshan and Cheng Yuan were completely submerged in the water. At the last moment, Luo Qiu struck them with a palm, sending them away from the tomb. There was nothing more she could do to help them.

The floodwaters poured in, completely displacing the air from the tomb. Luo Qiu used all his demonic power to create a small barrier, protecting He Kun behind him.

At this moment, He Kun could no longer hold on. He knelt down with a thud, slowly raised his head to look at Luo Qiu, and said weakly, "You should know that there is an idiom in the world called 'struggling in the death throes'."

Luo Qiu remained silent with his back to him for a long while before saying, "I also know an idiom, which means 'willing to do something'."

He Kun asked, "What do you mean?"

Luo Qiu turned around and smiled at him gently, just like back then: "From the moment I met you that year, I regretted being a demon. Now, I have dispersed all my demonic power and only kept my human form. Look at me, don't I still look exactly the same as I did back then?"

She knelt down and stroked He Kun's blood-stained face: "Now I'm a human being just like you."

A tear rolled down He Kun's cheek, mingling with blood as it dripped onto the ground: "It's meaningless now."

Luo Qiu shook his head: "Yes, at least this time, I can use the identity I want to die with you."

He Kun stood there stunned for a long time, as if he had given up on something, and then he struggled to hold Luo Qiu in his arms. The two of them stayed like that, neither of them saying a word.

The floodwaters were rising, so much so that it was impossible to see if there was still a small barrier here, or if there was a human and a demon inside the barrier listening to each other's heartbeats.

After a crisp sound, in the murky water, the souls of the human and the demon finally merged, intertwining and tearing at each other, inseparable for all eternity.

On the other side, Chu Jianshan and Cheng Yuan were swept away by the floodwaters and were still far from the shore. Chu Jianshan had run out of strength after swimming halfway and was only able to stay with Cheng Yuan.

In his last moments before losing consciousness, Chu Jianshan glanced back at the water city. Almost all the buildings had been washed away by the flood. How many of the creatures in the city could have escaped? Would that little bird-headed, fish-bodied creature that could curse still survive?

This was the first time Chu Jianshan doubted whether his choice was right, and whether the path he was taking would only harm more people.

I don't know how long I slept...

In his dazed state, Chu Jianshan heard Ji Shi's loud and boisterous voice. Wait a minute, could it be that Ji Shi is dead too?

He struggled to open his eyes, but the sunlight stung them, causing him to close them again.

Bai Qianfan slowly walked over: "Alright, if you're awake, then you're fine."

Chu Jianshan propped himself up and looked at the people guarding his bedside. The first person he saw was Bai Qianfan.

Chu Jianshan suddenly realized what was happening and grabbed Bai Qianfan's arm, hurriedly asking, "Where's Cheng Yuan?"

Bai Qianfan put his arm down and pouted, "Don't worry, he's fine, as strong as an ox!"

"Oh..." Chu Jianshan breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly stood up again: "By the way, are you alright?"

Bai Qianfan stared wide-eyed in surprise: "Chu Jianshan, do you really want me to look at you with eyes full of disappointment? You didn't just remember now that there's someone like me in Shuicheng, did you?"

Chu Jianshan chuckled awkwardly twice, then gently lay back down.

"Huh? You!"

Bai Qianfan rolled up his sleeves, ready to demand an explanation, when Lin Mumu walked over and asked, "How did it go?"

Bai Qianfan replied, "It's alright now. You've got the item. When are you going to give me the antidote?"

Lin Mumu asked in confusion, "What antidote?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Shi hurriedly turned around: "How can you go back on your word! I've stayed with you in Qingyao City for five days, and you've bullied me for so long, and now you're saying there's no antidote!?"

Lin Mumu comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, I only said there's no antidote, not that it can't cure his poison."

Bai Qianfan raised an eyebrow: "If I can't cure this poison, how can you be more knowledgeable in medicine than me?"

Lin Mumu said, "I don't know much about medicine, but I know a little about healing techniques."

Chu Jianshan understood, rolled over in bed, and asked them, "Wood Spirit Core?"

Lin Mumu nodded: "It's still easier to talk to smart people."

Bai Qianfan's mouth dropped open, his surprise overflowing. If Lin Mumu really was a Wood Spirit Core, not only could she detoxify, but she could even solve the problem of Chu Jianshan's spirit core. Just as he was about to agree, he heard footsteps outside the door.

“The Wood Spirit Core disappeared five hundred years ago,” Cheng Yuan said as he walked in unhurriedly. “How do we know you’re not a fraud?”

Lin Mumu raised the corners of her mouth: "Whether it's a scam or not, you'll know once you try it."

How do I know you won't do something else?

Under Cheng Yuan's questioning gaze, Lin Mumu slowly walked towards him: "Our enemies are the same. From this perspective, we are friends."

"You can imagine how rare the Wood Spirit Core is. If others knew about it, there would be many who would want to kill me. Now I'm giving you this secret so that you can also hold something on me, so that you can feel at ease. I've seen your sincerity, so naturally I have to show my sincerity in return."

After these words, they had no reason to refuse. For Chu Jianshan's life, he had no choice but to give in.

Cheng Yuan slightly stepped aside to make room for her. Lin Mumu stepped forward and extended her hand to Chu Jianshan. Chu Jianshan sat up and tried to take her hand, but was stopped by Liuyin Sword.

Cheng Yuan looked at Lin Mumu warily: "What does this mean?"

Lin Mumu said speechlessly, "Please make an exception, this step is necessary."

After a long silence, Cheng Yuan reluctantly gave up his seat, watching Chu Jianshan touch Lin Mumu's hand, and tightened his grip on the Liuyin Sword.

A wisp of azure spiritual energy swirled around Lin Mumu and Chu Jianshan's hands. Lin Mumu gently sensed the faint spiritual energy within Chu Jianshan's body and said, "Your problem seems to be more than just poisoning, doesn't it?"

Cheng Yuan immediately raised his eyes and asked, "Is there anything else wrong?"

Lin Mumu looked at Chu Jianshan in confusion, clearly feeling him slowly tighten his grip on her hand: "Your spirit core...?"

"Cough cough cough!!" Bai Qianfan suddenly coughed loudly. Ji Shi thought he had choked and quickly patted his back.

Cheng Yuan asked again, "What happened to his spirit core?"

Seeing Bai Qianfan's behavior, Lin Mumu understood: "It's nothing, his spirit core is fine."

Although Cheng Yuan didn't believe it completely, he didn't ask any further questions. After some time, Lin Mumu called out loudly, "Alright, that's a wrap!"

Bai Qianfan didn't believe it: "That's it?"

But after he took Chu Jianshan's pulse, he found that he was really cured, and there was no trace of poison left in his body.

"This is incredible! No wonder the Wood Spirit Core has always been something everyone is fighting over."

Ji Shi, as if suddenly remembering something, asked Lin Mumu, "People say that possessing a Wood Spirit Core can grant immortality, is that true?"

Lin Mumu was stumped by the question. After a moment of thought, she said, "I really don't know. Why don't you wait until I live another hundred years and see?"

Ji Shi pursed his lips, knowing perfectly well that she was mocking him.

Chu Jianshan then asked, "Did you see what was in the wooden box? What was it?"

Lin Mumu replied, "It's a secret technique of the Linyi Sect. I took a quick look, and it should be related to puppets or something similar."

Cheng Yuan asked in confusion, "How do you know the secret techniques of Linyi Sect?"

"Lin Wei chose to cooperate with Linyi Sect in order to kill my father and silence him. I extracted this information from him by torturing him."

Cheng Yuan tilted his head to look at her: "Something this important, what is Lin Wei? Does he even have the right to know about it?"

Lin Mumu knew she was suspicious of him, and met his questioning gaze: "Whether you believe it or not, this is what I know, and there is no deception. As for why Lin Wei knows the secret technique, you can investigate it yourselves."