Chapter 227 The Copy Inside the Belly (end)
When the vines loosened, the scene before my eyes had completely changed.
A gurgling sound filled the air as it churned. Steam rose, and a rich, intoxicating aroma filled the air, almost intoxicating.
Shen Lixia looked down.
A viscous liquid filled the space less than three feet beneath her, its depths unfathomable. The place was sealed, the air intensely warm, enveloping her completely. Something like a wall covered her, covered in fine, crimson down, pulsating as if alive. It was utterly eerie.
The presence of living beings flooded in; the meal was about to begin, and everyone was filled with joy and excitement. The liquid was crystal clear and strangely red.
The murky liquid gushed forth continuous bubbles, shimmering with heat.
Having consumed flesh and blood, this evil tree began to contemplate constructing a body more suitable for consumption, resulting in its current internal form.
I was swallowed into its belly.
nausea!
In a panic, she grabbed a vine and started climbing. The vine was slippery; no matter how she climbed, she kept falling halfway up. Hanging precariously in mid-air, she finally began to think calmly.
I really didn't expect this. Using divine fire might trigger a chain reaction of explosions, and what if the entire Kunlun Void collapsed...?
Those people still need to go back. What will happen to the mothers who have lost their daughters? This tree is so hateful, creating misfortune for no reason, just to satisfy its own greed.
Anger welled up inside her. Grabbing the vine with one hand, she braced herself against the wall and threw a heavy punch. Suddenly, the entire space shook and trembled. Shen Lixia quickly clung to the vine, nearly being shaken off her feet.
Without a doubt, she turned into a wisp of white smoke the moment she stepped down.
Unexpectedly, before she could even come up with an idea, a figure was suddenly shaken off.
Her white robes shimmered with a beautiful, warm light in the steam. Strands of her black hair were clearly illuminated, making her eyes clearly visible, revealing even the urgency, anger, and panic within them—things unseen on ordinary days. Despite being in grave danger, seeing her brought a surge of color to her face, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Qiao Yanshen forced himself to speak:
"Junior sister, are you determined to be that heroine and sacrifice yourself?"
His tone was icy, and his voice trembled violently.
Shen Lixia was stunned, swayed slightly, and gently touched the corner of her eye. Whether it was the steam from the heat or she had truly cried, her eyes were a little moist. Qiao Yanshen bit her lip again, a thousand words unspoken, all dissolved in silence. Shen Lixia knew what she wanted to say—this evil tree, after all, had lived for many years, and had consumed the blood of a god; its cultivation level was unknown—how dare you, how dare you rush up like this? You don't remember a single word I said.
But they finally had a chance to talk face-to-face. The noise outside disappeared, and their pounding hearts echoed. Shen Lixia pursed her lips, smiled, and said, "So, Senior Sister, are you here to keep me company?"
"Yes." Qiao Yanshen stared at her and sighed, "We'll be buried together even in death." This was the first time Shen Lixia had heard such chilling words from her, but the corners of her lips curved even more.
"How romantic, I love it!" she said. "But it would be best if you didn't come along next time, senior sister."
Qiao Yanshen ignored her words and turned his gaze to carefully examine his surroundings.
Shen Lixia said, "Look." She untied a ribbon and threw it down—the fabric emitted white smoke and disappeared without a trace.
"It's clever; its prey is inside its belly, so it definitely won't allow us to climb out."
After she finished expressing her concerns, Qiao Yanshen nodded. After a moment, there was a sudden commotion below. The two of them lowered their heads at the same time, their expressions changing.
A flash of silver light appeared in the churning liquid. The silver light gradually rose to the surface, becoming clearer and clearer. Suddenly, with a splash—as if in great distress—a wave surged up, finally revealing what it was.
one person.
Or rather, it was a person enveloped in something as translucent as mercury. More like a statue. Eyes closed, expression solemn, holding a sword in his arms, maintaining this posture, sealed within this layer of silver light.
Her eyes were closed, and in the silver light, they appeared even clearer and calmer.
If this person is soaking in it and it explodes, she'll be the first to be torn to pieces.
Qiao Yanshen said, "I'll try to bring her up."
Shen Lixia shook her head, beads of sweat sliding down her forehead.
"No, I'll do it. Senior sister, hold on tight to me."
Having lived together for so long, she knew perfectly well just how clean her senior sister was. She was quite curious about that pool of clear, sweet, warm water—in other words, the tree's digestive fluid—but Qiao Yanshen definitely didn't want to get involved.
Qiao Yanshen had no choice but to tighten his grip on her hand. "Alright. Don't force yourself. If you can't reach it, then forget it."
Shen Lixia released her grip, placing everything in her hands, and then, dangling down, tried to catch her. She missed slightly, and in frustration, desperately tried to grab her. The person bobbing about couldn't respond, swaying back and forth. But as she drew closer, all the blood in her heart suddenly rushed to one place, and her pupils trembled.
The Sword of the Lord of Taiyin!
Just like in the dream, it was the sword that had been severed in two. What a coincidence! It seems this tree still reveres the Moon Goddess—it must have rolled up that short sword and greedily swallowed it. Being rather dull-witted, I only felt that anything imbued with divine aura must be good. Looking closer, the person's face resembled Jiuyou's in five or six parts; she was probably her birth mother.
That is to say... the long-lost abbot.
She probably hadn't expected to find such a powerful demon here, after all, Kunlun Void was desolate and lifeless for hundreds of miles.
This sword possessed an extraordinary aura; I would rather give up all hope of survival than not obtain it. The Taiyin Temple truly lived up to its reputation.
The sword belongs to the Lord of the Moon. Those in the temple have been preserved for so long, it's not appropriate to take them away. Just like antiques in a museum, you can't simply say, "These are my ancestors' possessions," and ask someone to give them to you.
But this one had been sealed here for a long time. She really wanted it; she was so eager, she wanted to rush out and take the broken sword with her.
After swaying for a while, sweat dripped down her face. Shen Lixia gritted her teeth, wishing she could beg the evil tree to extend the vine even further. Qiao Yanshen gripped her wrist and whispered, "No, if you go any further, the vine will break, and you'll fall."
The commotion outside was faintly intense. The tree groaned in pain, shaking violently. The two men's hearts leaped into their throats as they looked up. The tree opened and closed, its branches flashing with a ghostly light, its edges covered with a dense array of teeth.
Shen Lixia frowned: "It's truly an evil thing..."
“The demonic energy is dissipating, and Tianchi is a place rich in spiritual energy, making it easy for demons to emerge. Once a demon transforms into an evil spirit, it is more unpredictable than ordinary evil spirits.” Qiao Yanshen habitually wanted to rub his temples, but finding he didn’t have a spare hand, he could only continue, “Li Xia, why did you come in alone? Can’t we think of a solution together?”
“Those puppets are just ordinary people. We can’t get our hands on them, and we have to avoid them at every turn. Once we’re exhausted, they’ll become food for the evil spirits. And…” Shen Lixia’s voice trailed off.
"And what else?" Qiao Yanshen had no intention of letting her go.
Shen Lixia pursed her lips and looked at her for a long while before saying, "You won't be by my side for so long. I have to learn to overcome these dangers on my own."
Her eyes were slightly red, her gaze was shimmering, and her voice was filled with a pitiful grievance.
Qiao Yanshen smiled, his expression rather cold and ruthless: "Overcoming it is not suicide."
After finishing speaking, he realized that he had been spoiled by his junior sister, and his true colors were revealed, his words becoming sharp.
He softened his tone and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? I still have so much time before I leave." The ceiling began to shake violently again. Qiao Yanshen continued, "I've thought of a solution."
"Although the outside is extremely hard, the inside seems particularly soft. Why don't we try to break through from here?"
"It's too dangerous!" the boy said, his voice strained.
The place was extremely cramped yet warm, filled with a rich, exotic fragrance, making it almost impossible for her to breathe. Her spiritual energy was also slowly draining away.
"There's no other way," Qiao Yanshen said. "It is indeed dangerous. So there are some things I must tell you."
Even if we fail, we'll still hold each other, intertwined bones until we're completely dissolved... Shen Lixia didn't say it aloud. She wanted to hear it.
“I woke up in the illusion just now. This illusion must be woven from people’s obsessions. After thinking it over, I realized I shouldn’t have started hiding the fact that I’ve been suppressing Luo You from you. She saw your expression then, and so did I. You must have been thinking again, you hurt me, you always hurt me.”
They hadn't talked like this in a long time. A surge of warmth welled up in Shen Lixia's eyes again, blurring them. This time it was warm, not the piercing chill of swirling, misty snow.
She sniffed. Qiao Yanshen's eyes curved into a gentle smile: "You see, I also like seeing you cry for me, shed tears for me. Thinking about it, I'm actually worse; every time I see you cry like this, I think it's so cute. You don't need to feel guilty for hurting me. Besides, you're just concerned about me. I've been avoiding you. Furthermore—"
The young man flicked his arm, and Shen Lixia understood, gripping the Flowing Fire tightly. His gentle words slowly reached her ears:
"If love is bound to bring hurt, then let it come. I am willing to bear it."
A sword suddenly plunged down. Immediately afterward, Qiao Yanshen gripped Frost Sky and, with all his might, followed suit with his own sword. The two swords, one black and one silver, together, painstakingly pierced through the soft abdomen.
Almost. An exceptionally solid barrier was the tree's bark. Shen Lixia's heart stirred slightly, and divine fire surged, scorching the tip of her sword. The tree screamed in pain, enraged.
With a hissing sound.
A huge crack appeared. Ignoring everything else, the two pulled with all their might. A roaring sound of water rose behind them, and a wave of heat surged towards them.
Amidst the upheaval, he finally emerged, utterly disheveled. A blast of icy air hit him, and Qiao Yanshen coughed twice, turning to look at the Evil Tree. This Dragon Blood Tree, seemingly never expecting its prey to struggle to such an extent, withered rapidly with a mournful cry. At the same time, Kunlun Void teetered on the brink of collapse.
“Li Xia!” Her gaze shifted.
The boy was even more disheveled than her, completely soaked. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that she was holding someone in her arms, enveloped in silver light, leaning heavily against the boy.
Shen Lixia shuddered with a chill, almost wanting to give up on herself after being drenched in this sticky, eerie hot liquid. Qiao Yanshen rushed over and carefully examined her, only breathing a sigh of relief after confirming that she was not missing any limbs or had been corroded.
My hands were sticky, but I didn't care. Nothing was more important than my junior sister.
"This place is going to collapse, get out of here!"
The ground was covered with fallen branches and leaves. Hearing the familiar voice, Simmons and Su Jiang's faces lit up with joy. They quickly hoisted the person onto their backs and hurriedly retreated the way they had come.
That small boat was carrying so many people for the first time—luckily, Zhao Qiguang had thought of this and chose an exceptionally sturdy one. It rocked and swayed, its draft deepening, but propelled by spiritual energy, it drifted with exhilaration.
The road twisted and turned, so much so that it nearly made one vomit their dinner from the night before. Accompanied by the quiet sound of a collapse, the remains were engulfed in flames, burning fiercely.
Shen Lixia stared, feeling as if she were on the set of a popcorn movie. She had set the fire. This place was no longer Kunlun; once burned, its ashes would nourish new life.
The silver light emanating from the abbot was fading, as if he were awakening. Shen Lixia put her down, then suddenly stumbled, nearly falling into the water. Qiao Yanshen quickly caught her, softly calling, "Junior Sister?"
Shen Lixia felt a wave of dizziness wash over her; her lips moved, but she couldn't speak. Her eyelids wouldn't open again, and everything went dark as she collapsed into Qiao Yanshen's arms.
Simmons heard the noise, saw the boy unconscious, spat out a mouthful of water, and exclaimed in horror:
"Poisoned?!"
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Author's note: I just remembered that I might have to write something in the next chapter, but I'm afraid it will be delayed. What time do you usually read the story? I'll see if I can time the update accordingly.
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