Chapter 89 Breaking the Formation "She...she's broken through!"...
One of the pillars of heaven suddenly broke off, and the huge rocks shattered and rolled down, disappearing into the rushing water. The eastern sky, without the support of the pillar, fell heavily as if out of balance, causing the earth to shake violently.
With such a heavy blow, the entire city of Kunming, though not completely shaken, was indeed tilted and raised, with the east side lower than the west side. The strange shape was not surprising.
In this day and age, nothing is surprising anymore.
The entire city was about to tilt, and the tide that had already accumulated into a river immediately flowed eastward. The sudden turn created a whirlpool, sweeping away even the tall houses that were teetering on the brink of collapse under the rain.
Gazing at the sky, a soft sigh escaped into the mournful wind and rain, the hem of her clothes and the ends of her hair whipping up in the wind and rustling.
Lin Feiran used her broken sword as a crutch to support herself. The person behind her took a few steps forward, holding up a yellow umbrella to shield her from the dense needles.
"Senior, have you seen enough?" She looked to her left, where a figure stood, supporting himself on his sword with his hand, just like her, but inexplicably hunched over.
"I've seen enough, I've seen enough. Grudges and feuds, it's a fight to the death."
Li Changfeng used his spiritual power to protect himself, tilted his head back and drank the last mouthful of wine, then threw the gourd down, which suddenly disappeared into the muddy water and was never seen again.
"How can the hatred of killing one's mother be avenged?" Lin Feiran did not shy away from the truth. Her body was tired and aching after the fierce battle. She covered her mouth and coughed a few times, then summoned the Compendium of Beauties. Among the jade pendants hanging from it was pure white and flawless.
"If you want to take me back to the pagoda and expel me from the Flying Flower Society, I will not regret it."
Li Changfeng swayed, then sat down straight, shaking his head and saying, "Your jade token is pure white, and you haven't done anything to kill me, so how can I capture you? Besides, even if your jade token is damaged, I won't waste my energy doing this. Isn't it better to just lie down?"
Lin Feiran looked at him, but her eyes revealed a hint of unfamiliarity. She even began to doubt whether this person was really Li Changfeng.
Li Changfeng continued, "You have broken through to the next realm, but the spiritual energy here is limited and cannot support your breakthrough, so you are still in the Mirror of Illumination."
Lin Feiran: "I know."
"Oh?" Li Changfeng glanced at it. "Then I was being nosy."
The last time Lin Feiran saw Li Changfeng, he was full of vigor, overjoyed at descending the mountain and ambitious to enter the world. Only thirteen years have passed, and he is now in such a dejected state.
"Senior, I have a request."
Li Changfeng remained silent, while Lin Feiran spoke up: "The rain here has some restrictions on the Flower Token. If you want to travel by sword, you must use a real spirit sword. Therefore, I would like to borrow the sword in your hand, senior."
Li Changfeng lowered his head and asked, "What use would I have for it?"
Lin Feiran said, "With the heavens and earth overturned and rivers flowing backward, we should borrow a sword to break the array's core and cleave a way out!"
"Cleave a way out?" He shook his head with a smile and said in a low voice, "Little girl, my sword is already rusty. It can't cleave, it can't cut, it can't destroy."
Lin Feiran's gaze remained fixed: "If it's rusty, wash it; if it's dull, sharpen it."
Li Changfeng looked up, a sharp glint in his slightly cloudy eyes: "Do you know what you're doing? Among those chosen as flower farmers are many bandits and madmen. Many cultivators here have also raised their knives before. Saving the good is one thing, but you want to save the wicked too? For a few Danruo Flower Tokens, they've surrounded you. Have you forgotten their true colors before?"
Lin Feiran lowered his eyes, gazing at the swirling currents flowing through the streets and alleys, and simply said, "I haven't forgotten. I want to break the formation, not for anyone else, but simply because I want to. Many things are simply a matter of following one's heart."
Whether you kill or save, the result is the same.
Li Changfeng stood up again, but simply turned and left: "It has nothing to do with me, I have no heart to follow. Li Changfeng is dead. After the Flying Flower Gathering, I will find a secluded place to live, till the fields, and be accompanied by flowers and plants..."
His figure disappeared into the wind and rain, no longer the dashing figure who once charged westward with a sword.
Wei Changzai withdrew his gaze, showing no surprise: "It seems he has already experienced a lot. Every grain of dust, every wisp of wind, every person, and every relationship in this mortal world is the heaviest whetstone. If you stay there for too long, it will become like a chronic illness, difficult to get rid of."
Once a cultivator has transcended the world, they should not easily re-enter it; otherwise, they are courting death.
Lin Feiran said, "I never expected to hear such words from you."
Wei Changzai was puzzled: "Manman, I cultivate the unity of heaven and man."
For them, every emotion in the mortal world is merely an opportunity to break through the path; it is important, yet also unimportant. After breaking through the path, they will be permanently left in the past.
At the same time, the elders also repeatedly warned the younger generation not to enter the world, otherwise, for a cultivator who is in harmony with the heavens and man, the shattering of the Dao heart can happen overnight.
In the long journey of life, only heaven and earth are eternal, and only the Tao is constant.
Lin Feiran closed his eyes slightly, no longer thinking about Li Changfeng's matter. The commotion earlier came from the flower farmer's place. He would go back and take a look before discussing it further.
"careful."
He managed to grab Lin Feiran just in time, but the roof tiles beneath their feet slipped and they were swallowed by the tide, disappearing from sight in an instant.
Her steps faltered slightly, though not very noticeably, but Wei Changzai, familiar with her well, kept a close eye on her and managed to stop her just before she stepped into the whirlpool.
She had suffered too many injuries before. Less than an hour had passed since Xunfang pulled her into the illusion, yet she was already covered in wounds. The water droplets dripping from the hem of her clothes were mixed with blood, some of hers and some of Xunfang's.
Wei Changzai raised his hand to support her arm, his dark eyes calmly gazing eastward, and asked again, "Where are you going? I'll go with you."
The whirlpool was right beneath her feet, so Lin Feiran didn't swat it away. She supported herself with her other hand on the broken sword and looked ahead.
Amidst the surging rapids, many rooftops remained steadfast, serving as stepping stones for people like sea reefs. At this point, they could only pass through the rooftops, and the two of them leaped over to another roof ridge.
Amidst the wind and rain, Lin Feiran spoke up: "Head west."
She had previously sheltered many flower farmers in a corner, and when the pillar collapsed just now, the riot broke out from that direction.
"Alright." Wei Changzai didn't ask why. Since she said to go west, then they would go west.
During their journey, she remained silent, her expression calm, yet a trace of red remained in the corner of her eye. He couldn't help but recall the tear that had slid down the back of his hand—hot, burning, and bitter.
Only then did he realize that tears were so bitter, not tasteless like dew.
He didn't actually know what had happened, but from their brief conversations, he could vaguely deduce that it was related to her mother.
For him, "parents" was a difficult word to express. Whenever he thought of them, he felt only displeasure. He didn't understand such grief, but he understood her grief because she was Lin Feiran.
The two walked against the wind, crossing several whirlpools: "After the Flying Flower Festival, I will go with you to pay our respects."
Lin Feiran's voice was still a little hoarse: "No need."
Wei Changzai paused slightly: "The time is drawing near..."
In previous years, they always went together.
"The time is almost up, and it's no longer your concern." She quickened her pace, heading straight for the faint light.
Wei Changzai lowered his eyes, then suddenly spoke, his voice ethereal: "Slowly, last time at the Peach Blossom Spring Fishing Altar, what happened at the altar..."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Lin Feiran pause slightly, standing still. He turned to look at her, but before he could see her clearly, she had already rushed into the rain and walked forward.
Wei Changzai gazed at it silently, and after a moment, he followed suit.
No matter how magical the Flower Order is, its origin is still a kind of magic, and it is clear that someone is maintaining it at this time.
Despite the excruciating pain throughout her body, Lin Feiran leaped forward, breaking through the torrential rain to reach the small courtyard.
Ru Xian stood on the roof ridge, golden ribbons swirling around her. She raised one hand, and spiritual light slowly flowed into the Peony Token. With her own power, she saved many flower farmers.
At this moment, the flower growers seemed to finally awaken. Their smiles vanished, replaced by fear and panic. They huddled tightly together in the courtyard, powerless to watch the raging flood, yet still showing a hint of breathlessness.
They were just ordinary people; how could they have ever encountered such a terrifying omen of natural disaster?
Almost without hesitation, Lin Feiran immediately passed through the Peony Token and landed in front of Ru Xian, frowning as she looked at him.
Even though he could use spiritual power, his meridians were sealed at the moment, so maintaining such a huge magic array would not be easy. Even so, he only looked somewhat displeased.
Accompanying him were Bi Qing and Xun Feifei, both looking disheveled. Their long hair was still damp, and their clothes were tattered, suggesting they had suffered a lot before arriving here.
"You're back!" Bi Qing's voice suddenly turned from surprise to delight, her eyes widening. "Lord, she's covered in injuries!"
Lin Feiran paused for a moment, then subconsciously said, "It's not too heavy."
Ru Xian's gaze turned and then stopped. Her originally calm brows furrowed slightly, her eyelashes drooped, and she looked her over carefully before withdrawing her hand and reaching out to her.
His slightly cool hand landed on her cheek, first wiping away the remaining bloodstains. After finding no wound underneath, he moved to her neck, where there were bruises on both sides of her neck, bluish-purple. After examining them carefully, his fingertips moved downwards, lifting the torn sleeve to reveal the wounds and bruises inside.
He clicked his tongue slightly, then looked up at her: "Went to get into a fight?"
He was a doctor, and what he had just done was a routine examination. Lin Feiran felt no discomfort and let him examine her. Then she looked into the courtyard and asked, "Hmm. What happened? Have the flower growers regained consciousness?"
Seeing that she didn't seem to care much and had no intention of discussing it further, Ru Xian frowned even more. Just as she was about to say something, she noticed a trace of red in the corner of her eye. Leaning slightly to look, she realized that she had been crying.
"..."
He swallowed all the words in his mouth, straightened up, and slowly exhaled. He knew that now was not the time to ask questions, but he was still inexplicably angry.
He took out a pill, without looking at her, and simply held it up to her face, his voice unlike his usual tone: "After the heavy rain, they regained consciousness."
So from the time it started raining until now, he has been the one maintaining the formation.
Lin Feiran swallowed the pill and looked back. His expression was unchanged, but he didn't look at her. He was staring ahead. Lin Feiran was stunned for a moment, then looked away and sincerely said, "Thank you, Your Excellency."
Ru Xian responded with a light but not heavy tone, then asked, "How long are the people you brought going to stand there?"
Lin Feiran looked puzzled and turned to look, only to see Wei Changzai standing not far away with an umbrella, not approaching, but just looking in this direction.
She had a headache, but the situation was urgent and she couldn't worry about him anymore.
"Let him be; perhaps he can be of some help."
Ru Xian still looked into the distance: "What are you going to do?"
The elixir dissolved in his dantian, and within a few breaths, waves of warmth surged through his limbs and bones. Lin Feiran regulated his breathing for a moment and looked up at the sky.
"Break the formation. If we remain trapped here, we will surely die."
Bi Qing and Xun Feifei also looked solemn and grave.
With a deafening roar, the remaining three pillars of heaven broke in half again. As night fell lower, the oppressive feeling of the massive object descending arose spontaneously. The people sheltered in the courtyard inexplicably felt a sense of suffocation. Some fainted, while others trembled and closed their eyes, praying to Buddha everywhere.
The spiritual pressure in the city was getting lower and lower, and more and more houses were destroyed. Some cultivators nearby lost their flower tokens and fell into the water, but were rescued by Lin Feiran. Gradually, many people gathered nearby. Although their expressions were not desperate, they were very solemn.
Lin Feiran stood on a high place and said loudly, "Everyone, the flower farmers have now come to their senses. They definitely do not have the Plum Token. Instead of fighting amongst ourselves here, we should work together to break through the formation!"
Everyone looked in the direction she was pointing and saw the sky collapsing with a deafening roar!
"Could the core of the formation be in the sky?"
How to get to heaven?
"The Flying Flower Festival will not end until all twelve Flower Tokens are collected. Are you trying to incite everyone to break the Sage's formation? What will you do then when everyone is unable to enter the valley?"
"Are you crazy?! A person is about to die, and you're still thinking about entering the valley! The sage is clearly doing this on purpose!"
The crowd started arguing through the rain, the rumbling thunder and the sound of the downpour making the situation even more chaotic.
Lin Feiran did not speak to stop them, nor did she intend to. She simply shared the idea with everyone and then began to think about how to get to the Sky Curtain.
As for where the key point of the formation is, she already has a guess.
She squinted at the exceptionally bright moon, which appeared so serene and peaceful amidst the torrential rain.
She had thought that when her master pointed to the sky earlier, he was trying to tell her that the sky was about to collapse and rain was coming. But now she realized that he was probably trying to tell her that the key to the formation was in the sky.
In the sky, only the bright moon remains constant.
However, even setting aside how to reach the moon, how could one possibly shake such a colossal object even if one were to fly on a sword?
Just as everyone was arguing, Wei Chang silently walked behind her, drew his sword, Lianyan, and placed the snow-white scabbard beside Lin Feiran. He then affixed the life-saving talisman, flipped himself onto the sword, and flew straight toward the moon.
The shimmering light was something he found in Taihu Lake. Although it was not as good as the spirit sword on Sword Mountain, it was still one in a million. Now, after being struck by the waterfall, it was completely unharmed.
As soon as someone moved, the other cultivators looked up and exclaimed in surprise when they saw that the person on the sword was Wei Changzai.
Why would he set off?
"Great! Let him go. Once the formation is broken, we can leave the Flying Flower Society!"
Above the swirling current, the Daohe Palace disciples suddenly stood up, feeling a chill run down their spines: "Where did our junior brother go? If anything happens to him, he'll perish here..."
"May the Heavenly Venerable protect us! May the Heavenly Venerable protect us! If we lose another great general, won't there only be one Daohe Palace disciple left in the top ten of the Azure Cloud Ranking!"
Standing in the crowd, Qiu Tong bit her lip and looked over, but unlike the others, she was not surprised. Instead, she was anxious. In her mind, Wei Changzai was a cold-faced but warm-hearted person. She was not surprised that he would take action. However, with the celestial phenomena in such chaos, she was afraid that something might go wrong.
Just then, a purple-robed cultivator in the crowd also took to the air on her sword. Her face was stern, and she wore purple-gold bracelets on her wrists. She moved with incredible speed, seemingly on the verge of overtaking the others.
"That's Pei Yu!"
"No, no! Breaking the formation rashly will only provoke the sage's wrath! Let's go find the plum blossoms instead!"
The disciples of Daohe Palace were even more dumbfounded: "It's over, with those two gone, we're going to go back ten years!"
These two were ranked first and second on the Azure Cloud Ranking. Rather than trying to stop them, everyone was more interested in seeing if they could really break the formation.
As the sky lowered, the moon, which was originally the size of a silver plate, now resembled an upside-down small mountain, standing motionless.
As the two drew closer, their speed slowed down. Then, their bodies began to sway and tremble on their own. Before they even touched the moon, several bolts of lightning suddenly struck out from the clouds, and the two fell backward, plummeting from the sky.
The crowd suddenly fell silent, then burst into several cries of anguish. Everyone turned to look and saw that the people weeping were disciples of Daohe Palace. Their faces were filled with sorrow, and they were even preparing a farewell ceremony.
"Stop crying! Hurry up and go save them, check if they're dead!"
The disciples of Daohe Palace immediately wiped away their tears, but due to the limited number of Peach Tokens, some drew their swords but could not move forward on them. Just as they were searching for the tokens, a figure stepped onto the sword and, like a streak of light, caught the two of them and returned to the rooftop.
They turned to look, and there stood Wen Ran, the one who had just revealed the method to break the formation.
Lin Feiran grabbed the two men by the back of their collars and put them down, only to find that they had not fainted; their eyes were open and they were still conscious.
Ru Xian stood aside, wrapped her golden thread around the two men's wrists, and put in a wisp of spiritual energy to examine them. She then said, "They are fine. Their meridians are not damaged. It's just that their bodies are out of control and they can't move."
He leaned forward slightly to wake Wei Changzai, and asked, "What happened before the lightning strike?"
His trembling body slowly stopped, and he shook his head slightly, saying, "Nothing happened. It's just that the closer I get to the moon, the more I feel an indescribable pressure in my heart. I can't overstep the bounds and dare not move forward. Although I'm a bit out of control, I can still hold on. If it weren't for that lightning, I could probably have gone one more step."
Lin Feiran frowned and looked up at the sky: "I'll give it a try."
The broken sword shattered completely when she saved them. With no magic weapon in her hand, she picked up Lianyan. Just as she was about to get up, Wei Changzai grabbed her wrist. His dark eyes were cold and his lips were a little pale, but he still said.
"You guessed right, that is indeed the core of the formation, and it is no ordinary object. You were injured earlier, so it is not advisable for you to fight now. I will rest for a while and then go to explore the moon again."
Before Lin Feiran could speak, someone pressed down on her shoulder and looked down at her, saying, "He's right, you should rest now."
Just then, several more people rose up on their own vehicles and headed straight for the moon. Beneath them were gourds or broadswords. Their faces were gradually illuminated by the bright moonlight, but their bodies swayed and trembled like Wei Changzai and the other two. With a loud bang, several bolts of lightning struck down, blocking three of them, but one of them managed to dodge!
As his figure drew closer, many people held their breath, a sense of anticipation rising in their hearts.
"You dare, you brat!"
A booming voice rang out, filled with awe-inspiring power and unfathomable might, as if it were a furious sound coming from the heavens and earth. With just one sound, the torrential rain stopped abruptly, the mountains and rivers trembled, and a sense of unease and transgression suddenly arose in everyone's hearts.
The next moment, a large number of cultivators flew out from behind the sky curtain. They were the senior brothers and sisters from various sects who had come out of the sky pillar earlier.
They flew down slowly, blocking the bright moon and preventing anyone from getting any closer.
With another deafening roar, the southern pillar of heaven completely broke. More than a dozen senior brothers and sisters flew up from under the pillar, all covered in dust and dirt, but they did not feel any discomfort. They then slowly headed towards the western pillar of heaven.
Without the rain to obscure their view, everyone realized that it was they who had caused the collapse of the Heavenly Pillar!
"We can't let them succeed again!" A cultivator stood up angrily. "If the remaining pillars of heaven break, and we push this canopy into the water, how will we survive! Those who have the strength, come with me to stop them!"
"If we can't stop the sages, can't we stop them?"
The group obeyed the summons and headed towards Tianzhu in the west.
The people sheltered in the courtyard had already clasped their hands together and were chanting incoherently: "Heavenly Lord, please forgive me! No, Holy Lord, please forgive me! Holy Lord, please forgive me!"
Many cultivators immediately suppressed their agitation: "Sage above, we have absolutely no intention of colluding with you. Please explain!"
The people who had fallen from the sky earlier did not receive any help from anyone. In the blink of an eye, several strands of golden thread flew out, binding the two falling people together and throwing them onto the roof ridge.
Everyone turned to look, and it was Wen Ran again. She had somehow managed to save several people by wrapping golden spirit threads around her hand.
"Time waits for no one. Even if I don't reach the moon, I have to observe the situation closely and think of a way."
Lin Feiran wrapped the golden spirit threads, which were like hailstones, around his arm, then pulled out the shimmering light, pressed Wei Changzai back into place, flipped over and leaped onto his longsword, and went straight away.
The Golden Spirit Thread was a magical artifact refined from scattered grains of sand. Originally, it was used to isolate people because he disliked contact with them, but now it had become a tether. He held the other end of the Spirit Thread between his fingers, and if anything unusual happened, he could bring her back at any time.
Lin Feiran rode forward on his sword, the wind whistling past his ears. Streams and mountains were beneath his feet. The closer he got to the moon, the more peaceful he felt. But gradually, this tranquility spread and formed a kind of lonely oppression, as if he were the only person in the world. Facing the vastness before him, he felt only powerlessness and emptiness.
She trembled involuntarily, but her mind was still somewhat calm. Suddenly, a thunderclap rolled by, and she immediately turned around to dodge. Just as she was about to escape, a cultivator came with a sword, trying to stop her from entering.
Lin Feiran immediately drew her orchid sword to deal with the situation. She did not intend to fight these people, so she wandered around, occasionally clashing swords with them, observing the full moon as she fled, but no longer getting close.
It was pure and flawless, exuding a chill, and there was nothing unusual about it.
If this is the core of the formation, how can we shake this mountain-sized body?
Lin Feiran looked down, her eyes flickering slightly. Suddenly, she broke free from the encirclement on her sword. Because she was multitasking, she inevitably suffered some injuries while dealing with the situation, but she didn't care.
Returning to her original spot, she immediately pulled out a peach charm and stuck it on Biqing's body: "Biqing, can you now shoot down that moon?"
With her spiritual power temporarily unleashed, Biqing hugged herself nostalgically and nodded, saying, "Now that the sky has collapsed to this extent, I can naturally hit the target! Where should I aim?"
Lin Feiran turned to look at Mingyue: "I'll go back to the edge again to clear a path for your arrow. Then you can make your move when the time is right."
Bi Qing took out a large bow, as tall as a person: "Alright, you go first!"
Lin Feiran turned around on her sword again. She endured the oppressive loneliness, dodged the lightning, and painstakingly lured away the cultivators blocking her way. At this moment, Bi Qing immediately flipped over the large bow in her hand, held it upright in front of her, and an extremely long arrow appeared on the string. With another clang, the arrow was released and flew towards the crescent moon!
Lin Feiran caught up on her sword, stepped over the cultivator's shoulder, and then flipped onto the arrow, heading straight for the edge of the crescent moon. In an instant, her figure disappeared into the moonlight, and no one stopped her as before.
After a moment of silence, a poem suddenly resounded through the clouds.
"Like a lotus emerging from clear water, naturally beautiful without any artifice."
The hibiscus petals fluttered out continuously, and the next moment, the bright moon that had been hanging high in the sky seemed to melt like wax, dripping down with the petals.
Gazing at this rare and wondrous sight, many commoners were captivated, while the other cultivators seemed to have a sudden realization on their faces.
This is a fake moon. Everyone knows it's a fake moon, but no one thought to use the Hibiscus Flower Game to peel away the mask and see its true face.
The cultivators beside the bright moon searched for the arrow's trajectory, but could only hear the sound and not see the person. Gradually, the enormous moon shrank, its radiance receded, and Spring City suddenly darkened.
Another loud crash was heard, and the western pillar of the sky collapsed. The cultivators who had rushed to stop it had failed. Only the northern pillar was struggling to support the entire sky, and under the weight of the burden, it even began to sway.
More and more houses were swept into the water, and many people had to huddle together in one place. Fortunately, the rain stopped at this time, and those who were still alive could float on the water, so that the houses would not collapse.
The moon grew smaller and smaller, and its light became dimmer and dimmer, until it condensed into a bead the size of a fist, at which point someone recognized it.
"That's the Pearl!"
Legend has it that a dragon lies beneath the Nine Heavens Abyss, and hidden beneath its chin is a precious pearl called the Dragon Pearl. This pearl contains the divine essence of the infinite changes of heaven and earth, and obtaining it allows one to traverse mountains and seas and create a realm of boundless change!
Just then, Lin Feiran finally appeared. She rode her sword and held a large arrow, heading straight for him. At first, some cultivators tried to stop her, but as she got closer, they scattered as if in fear.
As if a haze were about to fall, she raised her right palm, and the golden spiritual thread taut instantly, about to pull her back, but then suddenly snapped.
Without hesitation, he immediately leaped up, unleashing a surge of spiritual energy that shot straight into the sky. As soon as he left, the peony flower token that he had been maintaining began to show signs of collapsing again, but he did not look back even once.
Behind him, another person suddenly drew his sword and stepped forward; that person was none other than Wei Changzai.
The two hurried away, but no matter how fast they went, they were still a step too slow.
The Legend of the Spirit Pearl states that the Spirit Pearl is a naturally formed spiritual object and can only be contained by other spiritual objects. If you forcibly touch it with your hands, you will not only suffer a backlash but also destroy it. Remember this well.
The words of advice in the book, which she had been given, now became a hindrance to her.
The closer they got, the brighter the light became. Almost instantly, streams of pure spiritual light entered Lin Feiran's body, causing her spiritual meridians to begin to swell. Suddenly, a vortex arose around her, and the spiritual light that had been wandering around the pearl was drawn back and flowed into her body!
"She...she's broken through to a higher realm!"
Someone exclaimed in surprise under the sky.
At the moment of breaking through a realm, cultivators will absorb the pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth to refine their spiritual veins, which will serve as the foundation for breaking through to the next realm. The purer the spiritual energy, the more stable the foundation, and the more beneficial it is to cultivation.
Ru Xue slowly stopped, looking up at the sky, but there was not much joy in his eyes. Wei Changzai below him also pursed his lips.
"What an incredible stroke of luck to be able to receive the spiritual energy of the Li Pearl!" Some people were extremely envious.
However, some people lamented: "The opportunity is great, but if it were given to you, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to afford it. Once the spiritual energy inside the pearl is released, it won't stop. Fellow Daoist Wenran might be overwhelmed."
It goes without saying how pure the spiritual energy of a natural treasure like the Li Pearl is. However, few people dare to use it to build their spiritual veins because the spiritual energy within the Li Pearl is extremely abundant. Once it escapes, it will not be retrieved. If one uses it rashly, it will only sever the spiritual veins, resulting in more harm than good.
Lin Feiran was well aware of the characteristics of the Li Pearl and had known for some time that she was about to break through to a higher realm, but she still made a move. Ultimately, it was just because she had a gambling mentality.
This world might collapse at any moment, and she had no time to choose. She could only take the opportunity to break the Pearl and release the secret realm.
Although the Pearl of Li is a spiritual treasure, it is extremely fragile. As long as one can endure the incoming spiritual power, one can crush it in a few breaths. However, this Pearl of Li is extremely tough, and although it has cracks, it has not broken. Instead, it continuously draws spiritual energy into her.
As her meridians continued to rise and fall, the swelling sensation from the influx of spiritual energy was quite noticeable, but Lin Feiran did not experience too much pain. At this moment, the influx of spiritual energy was still within her tolerance range, merely wandering around and not being very controllable.
"Focus your mind and concentrate your attention."
Another golden thread wrapped around her wrist, and Ru Xian appeared nearby, twisting the thread and staring straight at her.
“The Mingmen, Xuanshu, Lingtai, and Shendao are wide open, while the Yanggang and Shentang are closed, blocking the spiritual energy into the hand and foot meridians, then into the Yinwei and Yangwei meridians, and finally into the main heart.”
The remaining spiritual energy followed the golden thread and rushed towards Ru Shimmer, but he only glanced at it, formed a hand seal, and a bright spiritual light appeared in front of him. He then slowly guided the escaping spiritual energy back into Lin Feiran's body, ensuring that she received every bit of it.
No one knew Lin Feiran's body better than him. The gaps in her meridians, which resembled valleys, combined with the spiritual energy she needed to break through her current cultivation level, were more than enough from this pearl.
Rather, it came at the perfect time.
With a crack, most of the cracks on the pearl shattered, showing signs of collapse, but the spiritual energy emanating from it did not diminish at all.
Lin Feiran felt as if she were on fire, and her meridians were surging faster and faster. Almost her entire body was filled with this extremely pure spiritual energy. Gradually, she could only hear her own heartbeat. Amidst the heat, only the pearly voice of Ru Xian brought a little coolness.
She suddenly opened her eyes, looked at the radiant pearl in her hand, and said in a hoarse voice, "Finally, I'm full."
Her spiritual veins were special. Ever since Ru Xian removed the curse from her, they had been in a state of constant depletion. No matter how much spiritual energy she inhaled or exhaled, it would vanish in an instant, leaving only two or three tenths. This was why she felt so hungry every day.
Now, with such pure spiritual energy flowing in, unable to escape, it strangely gave her a warm, full feeling.
With a snap, the pearl shattered completely. Everyone looked up at the sky and saw that behind the disheveled girl, the dark clouds that had been threatening to destroy the city gradually dispersed. As night fell, a ray of dawn finally pierced through the sky above the Spring City.
That was the long-awaited sunrise.
Lin Feiran turned his gaze, a smile playing on his lips, and then slowly raised his hand towards Ru Xian. Stardust dissipated between his fingers, and the Li Pearl, which was sought after by millions for hundreds of years, was reduced to dust and returned to the world.
The pearl shattered, and along with the sunlight, ten vigorous old plum trees also fell. The final hurdle for Kunming was to break through the Flying Blossom Festival and seek a glimmer of hope.
Lin Feiran reached out and took a branch, about the length of her forearm. The brown branch was covered with many flower buds. With a light touch of her fingertips, they burst open with a bang, and the plum blossoms swayed.
I still remember that when she was in Sanqing Mountain, she searched for a long time for plum blossoms, but to no avail. This time in Kunming, she finally found the most beautiful plum blossom.
Her lips were dry and pale. Lin Feiran opened her mouth slightly, but felt a hoarseness in her throat. She coughed, and suddenly, plum petals fell from the branches, covering her body. They were soft and gentle. With the early morning sun shining on her, she slowly closed her eyes.
She was so tired that she collapsed onto the sword and fell into a deep sleep. The accumulated petals were blown down by the wind and scattered like falling snow. All the wounds on her body disappeared without a trace.
It turns out that this last flower-shaped spell is for healing, and no matter what kind of injury it is, it is only under the shadow of the plum blossoms.
As she fell, she suddenly landed in an embrace filled with a cool fragrance. The person brushed the plum petals off her body and turned away.
Only a corner of the sky was pierced by the first rays of the rising sun, but it was enough to make people ecstatic. Some people in the city were scrambling for plum branches, while others lay on the rooftops, rejoicing that they had escaped death. Some were also discussing the great opportunity that Lin Feiran had encountered.
With a ding, everyone looked up and saw that Wen Ran's name was prominently listed first on the list, and no one objected.
"Her swordsmanship is superb; I wonder which famous sword she will take."
"Naturally, it's the Kunwu Sword. Who who enters Sword Mountain doesn't seek it?"
"That's not necessarily true. I've heard that the Kunwu Sword has been waiting in the Pilgrimage Valley for hundreds of years, just waiting for its destined person to arrive. When the Pilgrimage Valley opened a hundred years ago, even the number one swordsman couldn't take the Kunwu Sword away, did he?"
Amidst the discussions, Ru Xian had already led her people back to the rooftop. Bi Qing went over and saw that Lin Feiran was completely unharmed and was just asleep, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
Xun Feifei couldn't help but look up: "Lord, what did you do to that human boy?"
Bi Qing turned around and saw that Wei Changzai was still standing in the air, riding a flying sword, motionless.
Ru Xian said in a cool voice, "Later, throw him back to Daohe Palace, go and find Xuanzhen, and also, tomorrow present a full account of what happened in the observation platform."
He didn't explain, he just left with that one sentence and went to the real Spring City.
Bi Qing was silent for a moment: "Did the Lord leave with his men on his own? How strange, he never tires himself out."
Xun Feifei glanced at her and said in riddles, "It's strange in a way, but not strange in a way. Let's go. I wonder if Xuanzhen got beaten up while mingling with a group of human cultivators."
Author's Note: Lin Feiran will take all the magical treasures and artifacts!
P.S.: After thinking about it, I decided to finish writing the remaining two thousand-plus words of plot. That way, I can properly develop the romance in the next chapter.
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