Chapter 266 Mountains and Rivers Intertwined (Part 20)
You're oversimplifying the nature of romantic tribulations.
"The word 'love' has no beginning and no end. When paired with the word 'calamity,' it signifies a predestined, unfulfilled karmic debt. Whether it's a gentle, flowing love or a passionate, intense one, in the end, it will tear at your heart and erode your soul, corrupting your very being and hindering your spiritual cultivation. You may think you can remain unmoved, and you may scheme and plot to overcome this calamity, but in the end, you cannot escape this fate."
"When you meet that person, you'll find you can't let go, you can't bear to part with them. All the entanglements, the dilemmas of love and hate, the pursuit of immortality or demonic power—none of it compares to them looking at you again."
'Arrogance is no good. Take care on your journey.'
Amidst the deafening explosions and sounds of battle, Jiang Gu heard a voice in his mind that he didn't recognize. He dismissed it with disdain and sneered inwardly.
He gets whatever he wants; the entire Three Realms, Nine Provinces, and Thirty-Six Heavens should grovel at his feet. Why should an insignificant person and a trivial love affair be treated like this?
But now, as Jiang Gu held Wei Feng's gradually dissolving body and slowly dissipating primordial spirit, listening to him desperately calling out to his master, begging him not to ascend, all that remained in his heart was endless panic.
“Wei Feng…” He touched Wei Feng’s cheek, which was now just bone, and tried his best to keep his voice steady, “Don’t be afraid.”
He couldn't recall the meticulous plans he had made just a quarter of an hour ago, nor could he remember how he should react now, who he should use, who he should scheme against, what step he should take, who he should kill, or what tribulation he should overcome.
He just wanted Wei Feng to survive.
This shouldn't be happening. His reason desperately tried to stop him, forcing him to calm down. With only a portion of the Chaos Core, Wei Feng wouldn't die. He had a plan. He just needed to wait a little longer, until the final one was drawn out—
"Master...it hurts." Wei Feng's hoarse voice rang in his ears.
The rationality that had been painstakingly built up suddenly crumbled.
The golden Dharma form turned around, sword in hand, and embraced the pool of chaotic core on the ground. It let the dirty, sticky ghost patterns seep into the Dharma form and cling to its bones. The clear primordial spirit suddenly dispersed and turned into powder, gathering the shattering black primordial spirit into it. Even though the sense of touch was severed, the lingering pain still left Jiang Gu's mind in a long-term blank.
He enveloped Wei Feng's body with all his spiritual power, his scattered primordial spirit gathered around the trembling lump of mud, the Dharma form of the Crimson Snow Sword suddenly surged behind him, the purest and cleanest spiritual power in the world rapidly condensed, even the Chaos Core retreated for a moment, and a sword swept across.
Accompanied by the sound of bones and spirit shattering, only a silent void remained in the blinding white light.
A faint sigh drifted from the Changning Temple.
——
Jiang Xiangyun and Feng Wuyou set up multiple magic arrays outside the cave.
“It won’t be hidden for long.” Feng Wuyou frowned as he held the weakened original form of Chanlin. “Wen Xiuji and Chang Ping’an are not pushovers. They will realize what’s going on soon.”
"Such an opportunity is extremely rare, even the upper realm has bestowed divine artifacts upon us... Jiang Gu should ascend to immortality."
Jiang Xiangyun remained noncommittal and turned to look at the cave behind him.
Inside the cave, Jiang Gu finished the last part of the formation. As he watched Wei Feng's chest gradually rise and fall evenly, his blood-stained hand loosened its grip, accidentally brushing against a nearby rock and getting a long, bloody gash.
The hand was still trembling almost imperceptibly, and Jiang Gu's expression grew even colder.
Wei Feng liked to keep some of the things he was given in the storage bag on his chest. Inside was a thick stack of Hunyuan Songjing Talismans. The one closest to his chest was drawn by Jiang Gu many years ago. In addition to these, there were countless pills for calming the mind and nourishing the vital energy, as well as remnants of the magic array that Jiang Gu drew for him when he was calming his mind. No one knew how much he had accumulated over the years.
Although they were all very basic things, they protected his heart meridian for a moment at a critical moment.
It was in this instant that Jiang Gu had room to maneuver—after examining Wei Feng's injuries, he discovered that even with only one-fifth of the Chaos Core, Wei Feng's soul would still dissipate due to the immense shock to his mind.
He almost caused Wei Feng's death.
Just as Jiang Gu withdrew his hand, Wei Feng suddenly opened his eyes. The moment he saw Jiang Gu, he broke free of the healing array and pounced on him, pulling him tightly into his arms.
Jiang Gu knelt on the ground, slowly raised his arms, and hugged him.
"If you dare to abandon me, I will never let you go even if I die... I will chase you to the heavens, kill everyone and bring you down, and you will never be able to ascend again for all eternity." Wei Feng breathed heavily, his voice filled with hatred, and bit down on his shoulder. His sharp fangs pierced his bone, and blood instantly soaked through a large patch of his clothes.
Jiang Gu didn't say anything, but simply hugged the person tighter.
After Wei Feng finished venting his anger, the sharp fear and resentment subsided temporarily. He let go of Jiang Gu's grip and tenderly licked the wound on Jiang Gu's shoulder, belatedly realizing that he felt a little guilty.
Even though he had spoken eloquently and thought everything was perfect, and had convinced himself countless times that he wouldn't stand in Jiang Gu's way of ascension, that he would trust Jiang Gu and listen to him to find another way, when the crucial moment came and he watched helplessly as Jiang Gu was about to ascend, he realized that all of that was bullshit.
He had no grand principles, no concern for the common people, and no thought of himself; he only had Jiang Gu in his heart.
Delusion, obsession to the point of madness, and a desperate gamble.
It's a fight to the death.
Jiang Gu looked at him calmly, wondering what he was thinking, his guilty conscience turning into a sense of arrogance.
“That part of the Chaos Core has already merged with your Ghost Mark, and it will continuously absorb the chaotic energy between heaven and earth to help you increase your cultivation.” Jiang Gu raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his eye and said thoughtfully, “Although your primordial spirit and bones are shattered, they have also absorbed this part of the Chaos Core evenly. On the contrary, you have benefited from the misfortune and maintained your consciousness. The method of sealing your meridians is no longer feasible. Maintaining the status quo will only allow your primordial spirit and body to be assimilated by the Chaos Core. It is better to do the opposite. You can use the Chaos Core to accelerate your cultivation and suppress it in turn.”
Wei Feng said, "But if that happens, Heaven will intervene and kill me."
“Only one-fifth, no way.” Jiang Gu said confidently, “I will find a way before you completely absorb the Chaos Core.”
Wei Feng nodded, moved his neck and shoulders, and felt only a slight soreness. He looked at Jiang Gu in confusion: "Master, did you use a lot of pain-relieving magic arrays on me...? Why can't I feel any pain?"
"Hmm." Jiang Gu placed another healing array on his chest. "The Chaos Core can also alleviate some of the pain."
Wei Feng looked at him with suspicion: "Really?"
Jiang Gu looked at him expressionlessly: "I can make you suffer excruciating pain right now."
Wei Feng dared not question any further. The turmoil in his mind after regaining consciousness was dispelled by Jiang Gu's almost harsh and calm arrangements. Jiang Gu's white clothes were stained with blood. Even though he had just experienced a fierce battle, his expression remained calm and his tone was as indifferent as ever. It was as if Wei Feng's forced interruption of his ascension, the rescue of his dying disciple, and his escape again had no impact on him whatsoever.
They even threatened him maliciously.
Wei Feng was overwhelmed with emotion. He had survived a great calamity, survived Jiang Gu, and even turned misfortune into a blessing, gaining control of the Chaos Core. He felt complicated and fortunate. He stared at Jiang Gu for a while, then threw himself at Jiang Gu.
Jiang Gu supported him but did not push him away. He said in a deep voice, "Focus on healing."
"I thought I'd never see you again," Wei Feng said in a muffled voice. "You're so smart, your plans are always changing. I'm not as smart as Jiang Xiangyun, and sometimes I have no idea what you're going to do. I just end up holding you back."
Jiang Gu frowned: "If a plan can be guessed by others, it's not a plan anymore."
As for being a burden, in his opinion, anyone other than himself could be a burden at any time, but Wei Feng could not be counted among them.
Wei Feng can only be considered... his apprentice, and everything he has done so far is barely within his tolerance range.
At least they're adorably stupid.
Jiang Gu patted his head: "Don't underestimate yourself."
Wei Feng's eyes lit up. After waking up, he found that his master seemed to have become unusually easy to talk to. At first, he just obediently rested his head on Jiang Gu's shoulder, but he gradually became more unrestrained. He slowly kissed the red marks on Jiang Gu's neck, and his primordial spirit entered Jiang Gu's sea of consciousness without restraint. He arrogantly wandered around inside and checked Jiang Gu's meridians and primordial spirit again. After confirming that Jiang Gu had not suffered any more serious injuries, the little flame of doubt in his heart slowly died down.
When this bastard starts acting up, it means you've almost won him over.
Jiang Gu pinched the back of his neck, but Wei Feng suddenly stopped, rested his forehead on Jiang Gu's shoulder, and muttered something in a low voice.
"What?" Advisor Jiang asked.
Wei Feng raised his head. The wounds on his face had not fully healed, and tiny black ghost patterns stretched out menacingly from the cracks in the wounds, but Wei Feng did not notice them at all.
Jiang Gu gathered spiritual power in his palm, and without changing his expression, he raised his hand to force the writhing ghost patterns back into his body. He then used his spiritual power to seal the wound. Wei Feng, whose face was covered by Jiang Gu's slap, subconsciously rubbed his palm against Jiang Gu's palm and looked at him expectantly: "If you kiss me ten times every day and then have a spiritual conversation with me three times, I'll believe you won't ascend to immortality."
Jiang Gu frowned: "When did I say I wouldn't ascend?"
Wei Feng's expression changed, and he stared intently at him: "With the Chaos Core, no one can defeat me, not even you. If you dare to ascend again, I will—"
Jiang Gu stared at him coldly.
Wei Feng glared at him fiercely, refusing to back down. The ghostly patterns around his body spread out arrogantly, and a heavy pressure spread out, but he still dared not actually touch Jiang Gu. He was so angry that his eyes turned red: "Anyway, it's no use."
Jiang Gu pinched his face and pulled it to the side, scoffing, "Say it again."
Wei Feng's cheeks ached from being pulled, but he held onto his wrist tightly without using force, and mumbled, "Whoever is stronger gets to decide. You taught me this, so you have to listen to me from now on. I am now the strongest in the cultivation world—ooh!"
Jiang Gu let go of his hand, and Wei Feng covered his face, glaring at him with tears in his eyes and indignation, looking as aggrieved as a steamed bun with its filling sticking out.
Jiang Gu covered him with another layer of his primordial spirit. He originally wanted to get up, but his body swayed. He simply sat down next to Wei Feng, leaned against the mountain wall, and exhaled a breath of turbid air.
"Very well, since that's the case, let's form a Daoist partnership."
"Really?!" Wei Feng suddenly turned to look at him, the surprise in his eyes burning Jiang Gu's heart.
"Mmm." Jiang Gu raised his hand and pinched his cheek.
He thought to himself that this love tribulation was truly heart-wrenching and soul-crushing.
The sentence Wei Feng mumbled while leaning on his shoulder just now was—
"Become my Daoist partner, Master."
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