Chapter 94 "Such pure demonic energy..."

"If I weren't Shen Qingming—"

These words were already poised to burst forth from his throat, ready to be uttered at any moment.

The moment Ji Fuguang saw Sheng Zhiyi's eyes, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and the turbulent emotions in his chest gradually subsided.

In those eyes, there was only pure doubt, and even a touch of benevolent patience, as if to say, "What do you want to say? It's okay, I'm listening."

This is completely different from the fear and hatred I felt when facing Ji Fuguang before.

This slight difference brought him back to his senses instantly. Sheng Zhiyi was not looking at Ji Fuguang, but at Shen Qingming.

She would never look at Ji Fuguang with that kind of gaze.

He coughed violently, and released his grip to cover up his earlier lapse in composure.

Sheng Zhiyi quickly knelt down, gently patting his back to help him catch his breath. "Don't rush, don't rush, tell me slowly. What's wrong? Is there something you want me to do?"

Ji Fuguang's coughing gradually subsided, and he explained in a hoarse voice, "You...you're injured...Don't risk your life for me anymore, I'm just...worried about you..."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Zhiyi breathed a sigh of relief and comforted her, "I thought it was something serious... It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about."

Ji Fuguang lowered his eyes. Her fingers were gripping his arm, and tiny cuts on her knuckles oozed blood, staining her skin red.

But her movements remained gentle as she helped him sit up slowly.

In an instant, Ji Fuguang suddenly realized something.

She wasn't actually afraid of getting hurt... Were his previous arrogant actions, like locking her in the Demon Palace, really what she wanted...?

Hearing his caring words, Sheng Zhiyi felt a warmth in her heart. She smiled and patted his arm, "I'm fine. You take good care of yourself and don't overthink things."

After saying that, she stood up and went to the cave entrance to check the magic array that had been set up.

Ji Fuguang watched her retreating figure. He had successfully maintained his facade, but felt no joy, only a deeper emptiness and guilt.

He took advantage of her kindness and solidified this false trust with lies.

How similar it is now... He always appears in front of her in disguise, always a liar who dares not show his true face.

"puff--"

Blood gushed from his mouth, and the stench of blood instantly filled the cave.

The emotional turmoil and his earlier efforts to suppress demonic energy caused the blood he vomited to turn a dark color, which then splattered onto his clothes.

Sheng Zhiyi hurried over to check his injuries. "What happened? You must have forced yourself to use your spiritual power just now, right?"

Ji Fuguang's face was ashen, and he was barely breathing. He leaned weakly against the stone wall, saying, "I'm fine..."

How could nothing be wrong?

Sheng Zhiyi was filled with anxiety and self-blame. If her cultivation level were higher, she could have immediately killed the wolf pack with her sword. Why would Shen Qingming have forced his spiritual power to activate like this?

"You were already seriously injured saving me, and now your injuries have worsened. It's all my fault..."

She didn't say anything more, but she had already made up her mind that she must find a way to get more precious herbs tomorrow so that Shen Qingming could recover as soon as possible.

"I'll brew you another bowl of herbal medicine. Lie down and don't move. Get some rest."

Sheng Zhiyi went to the fire and added a few more pieces of firewood to make the fire burn bigger. The water in the medicine pot was boiling and made a soft "bubbling" sound.

The warm firelight flickered continuously, and Shen Qingming seemed to have fallen asleep; the cave was completely silent.

Stirring the herbal medicine in the pot, Sheng Zhiyi thought about what had happened in the past few days.

In this parallel world, Ji Fuguang, for reasons unknown, exposed her identity early on, causing her to be investigated by the Tianyan Sect as well. Shen Qingming risked his life to protect her, suffering serious injuries in the process.

She had no interest in Ji Fuguang's affairs. If possible, she would have followed Feng Weiyin's advice and driven her thoughts to leave this place long ago.

However, Shen Qingming was implicated because of her, and she could not abandon him.

Once his injuries had healed, she bid him farewell and devoted herself to cultivation.

Having made up her mind, Sheng Zhiyi poured the prepared herbal medicine into a bowl and brought it to Shen Qingming's side.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that Shen Qingming had his eyes tightly closed, his cheeks flushed, and large beads of sweat on his forehead.

how so?

Sheng Zhiyi put down the medicine bowl and reached out to touch Shen Qingming's forehead. His palm was burning hot. He seemed to sense the touch, raising his arm in a haphazard resistance, muttering, "No...no...hit..."

Don't hit me?

Shen Qingming is the young master of the Shen family. His parents had him late in life and spoiled him rotten. Who would hit him?

Seeing his furrowed brows, helpless and fearful expression, and his body instinctively curling up, Sheng Zhiyi didn't have time to think and immediately grabbed his hand.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I will protect you, don't be afraid..."

Shen Qingming seemed to be stunned for a moment, his arm stiff, it was hard to tell whether he dared not resist or was afraid.

Sheng Zhiyi said softly, "It's okay, it's okay, it's safe here..."

Her deep, patient voice echoed through the silent cave, soothing Shen Qingming's emotions.

Gradually, Shen Qingming's whole body began to relax.

"I'll help you cool down now, don't be afraid..."

Sheng Zhiyi dampened a handkerchief and carefully placed it on Shen Qingming's forehead.

Seeing that he gradually calmed down, Sheng Zhiyi breathed a sigh of relief and secretly made up her mind that she must go deeper into the search tomorrow.

Legend has it that there is a secret realm left behind by the gods in Qibao Mountain, but over the years, there has been no clue, so it has gradually become a legend.

Sheng Zhiyi's heart stirred. She had some connection with the gods and wondered if she could find it.

If that's the case, then there's nothing else to worry about.

After all that commotion, the medicine had gone cold. Sheng Zhiyi was carrying the bowl back to reheat it when her wrist was grabbed.

She looked down and saw that Shen Qingming still had his eyes closed, but his brows were furrowed, his expression was somewhat painful, and he was muttering to himself.

The sound was so low and indistinct that Sheng Zhiyi had to lean closer to listen carefully.

"Don't go...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."

Why would Shen Qingming say these things?

"Shen Qingming, who are you talking to?" Sheng Zhiyi asked, puzzled, and casually adjusted the towel on his forehead.

The feverish Shen Qingming's lips were dry and chapped, and he murmured slightly, "Little..."

Sheng Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat, and she looked over in disbelief.

What was he trying to say?

Could it be... Junior Sister...?

Shen Qingming's body twitched, his voice filled with fear, "No...no..."

Did you have a nightmare?

Sheng Zhiyi reheated the medicine and fed it to Shen Qingming, watching him fall back into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Ji Fuguang gently opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing across them.

He carefully turned his head and saw Sheng Zhiyi's forehead resting against his shoulder. Her breathing was shallow, and the contact of their skin brought a warm touch.

I suppose I was taking care of him all night, and finally I dozed off against the stone wall and unknowingly slumped over.

A faint smile appeared on Ji Fuguang's lips. He carefully took out a cloak and draped it over Sheng Zhiyi's shoulders.

As he moved, Sheng Zhiyi's eyelids twitched and she slowly opened them.

A pang of regret flashed through Ji Fuguang's mind, but he looked over with a smile and asked, "How are you? Did you sleep well?"

Sheng Zhiyi belatedly realized her posture, paused for a moment, and then smiled apologetically at Ji Fuguang's excited and expectant gaze, patting his shoulder.

"I was a little tired last night. Is your arm okay? Did you put any pressure on it?"

She looked up at Shen Qingming's stunned expression, a little embarrassed. "What's wrong? Did I disturb you? Did you not sleep well last night?"

“No, no,” Shen Qingming smiled. “Thank you for taking care of me last night.”

Speaking of last night, Sheng Zhiyi's expression became more serious. "I thought about it yesterday. We can't just keep waiting like this. We still need to find a way to treat your injuries and make you fully healed."

"So what are your plans?" Shen Qingming looked up at him.

Sheng Zhiyi discussed with him, "We are still on the outskirts of Qibao Mountain. I want to go a little further in. If we can find the legendary secret realm of the gods, that would be great. Even if we can't find it, the rare and precious materials inside will be beneficial to your injuries."

Shen Qingming naturally had no objections, and the two quickly packed their things and left the cave.

Yesterday, he vomited blood and had a high fever, as if he had completely released the pent-up energy in his body. Today, although Shen Qingming's face was still a little pale, his condition had improved a lot.

Qibao Mountain is steep, and Sheng Zhiyi flew with Shen Qingming on his sword towards a place with tall trees and lush foliage.

"This place is close to a mountain stream, so there might be monsters lurking here."

Shen Qingming's voice sounded softly behind her, reminding her to be more careful.

"Okay." Sheng Zhiyi agreed readily and flew even higher.

A question quickly flashed through his mind: Shen Qingming was under the strict supervision of his father and rarely left the house, so how could he be so familiar with the distribution of monsters?

As the two were flying forward on their swords, suddenly, a beam of spiritual light swept towards them with overwhelming force.

Jinghongyu narrowly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.

Sheng Zhiyi turned her head and saw that the people who came were the three elders of the Tianyan Sect who had stopped her a few days ago.

The elder rebuked, "You traitor who betrays your own sect! You receive benefits from the sect but secretly collude with the demons! Surrender immediately and come back to the sect with us!"

Sheng Zhiyi did not answer, but whispered to Shen Qingming, "You have no deep hatred for them, and they did not come for you."

Shen Qingming's father was an elder of the Tianyan Sect, and he grew up in the sect since childhood. Why should he make enemies over this?

Besides, this will only create more trouble. If this matter is not resolved, Sheng Zhiyi will find it even harder to leave, which is not what she wants.

She threw out a talisman to block the elders chasing behind her, and propelled the Startling Feather into the depths of the mountains.

Before Shen Qingming could speak again, she shouted, "Listen, I don't need you to save me anymore. I've already... I've cultivated demonic techniques, and I already have demonic energy in my body. These things are hard to explain..."

She found a moment to put Shen Qingming down, then immediately flew up into the sky, saying, "Whether you return to the Tianyan Sect or not depends on whether you have the ability!"

The three elders had been searching for days and finally found Sheng Zhiyi. Upon seeing her, they didn't say much and rushed over, their long swords already aimed at her heart.

This move completely showed that she was an enemy, and the sword technique was used without reservation.

The other two formed hand seals, blocking Sheng Zhiyi's path.

Sheng Zhiyi held the Flying Feather tightly in her hand, her brows furrowed, prepared to perish here.

The sword light was as white as snow, a flash of cold light as a shooting star. The sword energy had already cut off Sheng Zhiyi's hair, and in the next instant it pierced her heart.

Just then, a burst of demonic energy erupted between heaven and earth.

In an instant, Sheng Zhiyi's figure disappeared into the mountains, forests, and vegetation.

The three elders looked at each other, and one of them said:

"Such pure demonic energy...it's the Demon Lord!"