Sunset Black
High in the sky, the clouds and mist grew thicker and thicker. This was caused by the evil dragon's continuous ascent. At this moment, the evil dragon seemed to have completely lost patience and opened its huge mouth, emitting a terrible stench.
Having located Ruan Qingyu, Ruan Qingyu retreated towards the tail of the evil dragon, only to be met with another breath attack from the dragon.
Then she plummeted to the ground. The intense feeling of weightlessness caused Ruan Qingyu to slip and fall onto the tail of the evil dragon.
The evil dragon flicked its head upwards, seemingly with a mixture of joy and a desire to press its advantage, and pounced towards Ruan Qingyu. Its fangs, dripping with black venom, along with its tail, were determined to devour Ruan Qingyu whole.
Ruan Qingyu instinctively felt a stench, like that of dead fish drowning in a pond, lingering around her nose, causing her temples to twitch and making her feel dizzy several times.
She formed a hand seal with her left hand, and the fire elemental energy quickly enveloped her, making her feel somewhat better. However, at this moment, she was already face to face with the evil dragon, and suddenly her sea of consciousness began to tremble.
Immediately, she followed her heart and took out the source of the disturbance in her sea of consciousness, using it to block the evil dragon.
A long, resonant sound rang out, intertwined with the sound of paulownia wood being violently struck. It seemed as if the evil dragon had stopped, but the speed at which the man and the dragon were falling increased even more.
The wind was like a knife, blowing Ruan Qingyu's long hair wildly. After the music stopped, the evil dragon shook its head and prepared to pounce again.
Instead, the zither struck its head again, once, twice, three times. Ruan Qingyu held the zither and kept hitting the evil dragon's head until it was dizzy and couldn't see the light of day.
At that moment, Ruan Qingyu seemed to hear the howling of the wind, and also the mournful sound of the Wutong Qin (a type of zither). Instantly, flames burst forth from the scorched tail of the Wutong Qin, burning all the way to the Phoenix Tongue.
Phoenix fire burned throughout the entire phoenix zither, and in an instant, the flames spread along the zither to the evil dragon's body. The evil dragon, already with its scales fallen off and covered in wounds, was now defenseless.
The pain of being burned by the flames caused it to fall heavily to the ground, while Ruan Qingyu used its body to cushion the impact and landed steadily on the ground.
At this moment, the phoenix fire was gone from the Wutong Qin, but seven-colored divine light emanated from the strings and flickered continuously.
"You want me to play the zither?" Ruan Qingyu looked at the zither in her arms, somewhat hesitant.
Upon hearing this, the seven-colored divine light of the Wutong Qin flickered even more frequently. Seeing this, Ruan Qingyu couldn't help but hold the qin with her left hand and slowly reach for the strings with her right.
If Ruan Qingyu hadn't known her own abilities, she would almost have believed she could play the piano simply by looking at her slender fingers. Gritting her teeth, Ruan Qingyu plucked a string.
In the blink of an eye, the seven dazzling red lights transformed into seven beams of light, rushing towards the evil dragon that was still writhing in agony on the ground.
Instantly, the evil dragon stopped thrashing about, for the Wutong Qin's attack had cleaved it into eight pieces. In the blink of an eye, the Phoenix Divine Fire easily incinerated the evil dragon completely into ashes.
Light snow began to fall again, just like when Ruan Qingyu had arrived, except this time there seemed to be something reflecting light in the snow.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the only demon core remaining after the evil dragon had been burned. A dragon core from the early Foundation Establishment stage would be worth quite a few spirit stones if sold. Ruan Qingyu raised her hand and wiped it into her storage bracelet.
Slowly exhaling a heavy breath, Ruan Qingyu was momentarily stunned, her legs buckled, and she was about to collapse to the ground. Seeing that the matter was over, Yun Yin, who had just stepped forward, immediately knelt down and caught Ruan Qingyu completely.
Ruan Qingyu's cheeks sank into the black panther's softest belly, and the fine fur brought warmth to her, as she had exhausted her spiritual energy and could no longer keep warm.
"Yunyin, I'm a little tired," Ruan Qingyu murmured softly. The wutong zither that she had been holding in her left hand suddenly turned into a red light and returned to her dantian.
The relaxation that followed intense concentration made Ruan Qingyu's consciousness seem to float among the clouds. Yun Yin's voice at this moment was like a whisper coming from within the mist.
"Then rest. You won successfully, that's impressive." Yun Yin curled up again to make Ruan Qingyu more comfortable.
The snow fell heavier and heavier, just as it had always been at Tianshan Pool. Only because the evil dragon resided there did the snowfall lessen.
Now, Tianshan Pond has returned to its former tranquility, and the previously droopy Tianshan Ganoderma lucidum looks much more vibrant.
Leaning against Yun Yin, Ruan Qingyu felt her dantian frantically absorbing the surrounding fire spiritual energy, and the effects of the Great Phoenix Heaven technique were becoming apparent at this moment.
Gradually, a spiritual energy shield formed around Yun Yin and Ruan Qingyu. From the outside, it resembled a giant ball of flame.
The ever-expanding flames, once they reach a certain peak, are completely absorbed into Ruan Qingyu's body like a whale swallowing its prey, replenishing the meridians that were parched after the fierce battle.
Half an hour later, the snow around Yun Yin and Ruan Qingyu had piled up to three feet high, forming a snow wall around them.
However, the snow never came any closer. After Ruan Qingyu recovered 50% of her spiritual power, the surrounding snowflakes had no effect on her at all.
Her fiery aura even caused the snowdrifts to melt into water inch by inch.
"We'll leave once we get the Tianshan Lingzhi." With that, the Phoenix Divine Flame in Ruan Qingyu's palm expanded even further. It carved a new path through the snow, eventually stopping near the Tianshan Lingzhi.
*
“The evil dragon has been eliminated, and the sect leader of the Mountain Pool Sect will surely know this, so there is no need to inform him separately.” Ruan Qingyu sat on Yun Yin’s back, glanced at the Mountain Pool Sect’s gate, and pointed in another direction.
After Ruan Qingyu and the black panther beneath her left, three figures suddenly appeared at another spot at the foot of the mountain.
"Brother, we're too late. It seems Ruan Qingyu is incredibly lucky to have survived the evil dragon's jaws." One of them looked in the direction Ruan Qingyu had left, a hint of fear in his eyes, followed by a deeper malice.
Fang Cheng put his hands on his hips, narrowed his eyes, and looked at the distant spot where no one could be seen anymore. He smiled sinisterly: "Those damned people won't be spared just because of this. Just keep up."
The three Fang brothers were the same three Qi Refining stage cultivators who had met Ruan Qingyu last time and served as protectors for the young lady of the Beast Taming Sect. However, now, the three of them had all reached the early Foundation Establishment stage through some unknown method.
But looking at the deep, bone-revealing scars on Fang Yuan's face, and Fang He's still-bleeding arm, one could tell that a considerable price had been paid.
After abandoning Liang Qingqing, the three brothers returned to the Beast Taming Sect to report back. It is said that the four encountered a Golden Core stage demon beast, and Liang Qingqing insisted on taking the beast's cub, angering the beast and resulting in her being brutally murdered.
The sect leader saw that the three of them were seriously injured, and although he had suspicions, he couldn't find out anything. He let them go for the time being, but now, the only person who knew that the three of them had betrayed their promise and caused Liang Qingqing's death was Ruan Qingyu.
In order to silence them, the three of them gathered information along the way, which led them to Tianshanchi.
“Brother Fang, since Ruan Qingyu is a newly recruited disciple of the Xuantian Sect, she must be looking to gain more experience and take this opportunity to improve herself.” Fang He, who had been silent until now, spoke up, his voice hoarse like that of an old man.
Fang Yuan nodded: "Yes, this girl will definitely go to other places. We need to hurry up and follow her. Her Thunder Leopard looks pretty strong."
*
Three days later, in a town at the border of Luzhou and Dingzhou.
The streets were lined with stalls, so much so that pedestrians were practically shoulder to shoulder trying to avoid them. If you accidentally stepped on something and damaged it, you'd definitely be extorted for a sum of spirit stones.
The town is called Sunset Black, meaning that after sunset, the town is full of shady shops. If you don't have some skills, you would never dare to rest here.
The people around were all wearing black or brown cloaks, and it was rare to find a cultivator like Ruan Qingyu who openly exposed himself in the crowd in red.
Along the way, many cultivators secretly watched her for a long time, and some even tried to rob her while she was in distress. However, when they saw the black panther beside Ruan Qingyu, its beastly eyes filled with savagery.
After assessing Ruan Qingyu's cultivation aura from a distance, it immediately diminished by more than half. Realizing this was a tough opponent, he decided not to waste any more time.
Those who were unwilling to give up followed her all the way, thinking that Ruan Qingyu would at least find an inn to stay in. But they saw her turn a corner and enter the largest mercenary alliance of Sunset Black, the Other Shore Flower Alliance.
Immediately, the group that had been trailing behind exchanged glances and abandoned their plans. Anyone daring to enter the Other Shore Flower Alliance, whether a mercenary or someone placing an order, was a threat.
Neither of them are people they can easily mess with. The former's methods are hundreds of times more cruel than her beautiful appearance suggests, while the latter, if the employer dies before she receives her payment, will also take care of the enemy in a revenge killing.
Ruan Qingyu came here because she had met a minor manager here by chance in her previous life. The manager saw her pitiful state when he was on business in a town near the Xuantian Sect, so he said that if she had any difficulties, she could come here to exchange things, as long as the manager here was willing to take a liking to her.
Unfortunately, before she could even reach Sunset Black on her escape journey, Chen Tian captured her and took her back to the Xuan Tian Sect's basement.
Since entering the Sunset Black area, Yunyin's aura had been low and oppressive; normally, he would at least say something. Now, his tail drooped, and tiny purple lightning flashed intermittently in his pupils—he was fully prepared to attack at any moment.
Sensing the fluctuating emotions in her mind, Ruan Qingyu reached out and touched Yun Yin's head, gently patting it to soothe him.
As the gates of the Other Shore Flower Alliance opened, Ruan Qingyu led Yun Yin inside.
"This fellow Daoist is so beautiful, could it be that you came to our Other Shore Flower Alliance for a crime of passion?" A flirtatious voice rang out, and Ruan Qingyu couldn't help but look up at the source of the voice.
On the stair railing, a male cultivator in purple robes was leaning against the wall. His hair was also purple, making it immediately clear that he was a demon cultivator.
"Zilian, stop scaring people." A reprimanding voice came from the second floor, followed by a female cultivator in white robes, holding a moon-white fan and wearing a warm smile.
Those eyes, however, were fixed directly on Ruan Qingyu: "This customer, are you here to find someone or to take an order?"
In the past, cultivators dressed like Ruan Qingyu were usually there to issue missions, but Bai Zhi looked into Ruan Qingyu's eyes and felt that they contained many stories.
Upon hearing this, Ruan Qingyu calmly replied, "I'll take orders too, even if it means looking for people."
Immediately, Zi Lian, who had been scolded and shut up, darted over from the armrest: "Who are you looking for? We can find anyone here as long as you have money. Of course, for a beautiful woman like you, I'd be happy to give you a discount, how about 10%?"
Zi Lian stared intently at Ruan Qingyu, but soon felt a chill on the back of her neck.
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