Chapter 77 Rebirth (VII) She had a premonition that this farewell might...
Lian Qiang hadn't been having a good time these days. As the master of her body, she could sense the demonic energy stirring within her, as if something was calling them.
Demonic energy surged, and her thoughts were in a turmoil, uncontrollably swirling. Lian Qiang thought, for a moment, that if she died right then and there, it would be a clean slate. Then she thought, why not just kill Chi Xingji now, and perish with him, to save herself the agony...
Various thoughts intertwined together, and she felt more and more uncomfortable looking at Chi Xingji. She didn't even know what emotion was in her eyes when she looked at him. The other person's eyes looking back at her became more and more complicated and deep.
Finally, before Lian Qiang could put her murderous intention into action, the blood moon arrived. Lian Qiang regained consciousness and found herself inside the Demon Palace.
In front of her were Chi Xingji and Jiang Lang, their lips moving together, probably talking, but she was unconscious and even had difficulty listening.
Lian Qiang looked out. A huge, blood-red full moon hung in the sky. The poetic image of perfection now seemed eerie. A single glance at it made her lose her concentration and hurriedly close her eyes.
When I closed my eyes, I saw the same bloody color.
Lian Qiang couldn't bear it any longer and fell to her knees. The murderous urges that had finally subsided returned. The noise of her fall to the ground was so loud that it attracted the attention of both men.
Chi Xingji hurried over to help her. Lian Qiang tried to resist, but she couldn't resist his strength. The struggle actually made her slightly more awake, and at least she could hear him clearly: "...Are you ready?"
"...Nonsense." She managed to squeeze out two words, and the other two said no more.
Chi Xingji briefly explained the steps to her: "We must first break the seal within your body and release the demonic energy. Then, we will use wind and fire to refine you, stripping away your pure spirit. Finally, we will use the spirit wood to reshape your body."
He paused, waiting for Lian Qiang to digest it, and then said, "...Every step of this will be very difficult. You must persevere."
As he spoke, Chi Xingji's gaze fell on her face. Lian Qiang thought inappropriately that with the demonic energy raging now, her face might show some signs of it, which would definitely be very ugly.
She lowered her head, which was both a silent assent and an escape.
Chi Xingji erected his sword, creating a barrier to prevent interruption. The two of them sat cross-legged, with Jiang Lang standing nearby. Although Jiang Lang was a demon lord, his expression wasn't particularly good due to the approaching blood moon. He joined his index and middle fingers, drew a complex spell in the air, and struck Lian Qiang directly into her body.
With this action of his, the demonic energy that had been eager to try completely boiled over. It no longer remained obedient and was determined to fight with Lian Qiang for the control of his body!
A painful groan escaped her lips, and Lian Qiang suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood, almost losing her position! At this moment, a strong wind blew outside the hall, blowing open the windows and doors. In an instant, this continuous strong wind rushed towards the center of the barrier!
"Concentrate!" Chi Xingji shouted in a low voice, observing Lian Qiang's situation intently. If he couldn't get all the demonic energy to mobilize, even if only a little bit remained, he would not be able to eliminate the possibility of it reviving in the future.
Lian Qiang was in so much pain that she wanted to give up resistance. The extreme pain was indescribable, and the feeling of powerlessness and inability to control her body only made her want to die. She could hardly be called a human anymore. After all, even the dead could maintain their dignity far more than she could.
But Lian Qiang also knew that if she committed suicide now, there would be no recovery.
But she couldn't, and didn't want to.
Will eventually prevailed, and Lian Qiang slowly adapted to the attack. Chi Xingji summoned the blazing fire at the right moment. Even the space before them couldn't withstand the intense heat, nearly distorting. One could imagine what the outcome would be if only physical contact was made.
"...Come." Lian Qiang said through gritted teeth. She tasted a strong smell of blood, perhaps because she had bitten her lip.
Through the flames, she couldn't see Chi Xingji's face clearly, she only saw that his hands on his knees were clenched tightly.
Only after his entire body was burned by the Phoenix Fire did Lian Qiang finally understand what it meant to be living a life worse than death.
If the demonic energy was going to take over and rip her apart, then the Phoenix Fire would grind her to ash, not wanting to spare a single part. Lian Qiang could clearly hear the sound of her own flesh and bones melting.
She longed for rain to extinguish the unstoppable fire, but there was nothing. Even the tears of weakness evaporated the moment they fell.
The demonic energy that had taken over most of her body, sensing the aggressive outsider, fought fiercely, but it was futile. They were naturally no match for the Phoenix Fire, but they had the advantage in numbers. Like moths to a flame, they threw themselves into the flames one after another, becoming fuel one by one.
The battle was one-sided, and only eight or nine out of ten evil spirits were left after being burned. It was time - Lian Qiang looked at Chi Xingji. He received her gaze, hooked his index finger, and the flame was withdrawn. Only a small part was still left to face the stubborn enemies.
He moved his fingertips again, and the golden spirit tree appeared out of thin air, turning into a golden light and slowly falling into Lian Qiang's body.
A warm current swept through every bone, every meridian, every inch of her flesh and blood, slowly nourishing Lian Qiang's lost vitality. This process was also painful, as her body was destroyed and then rebuilt again.
Lian Qiang felt like she was herself, yet not herself, as if she were becoming someone else. She didn't even have the energy to rejoice in her impending success; the length of time was driving her crazy.
But soon, something caught her attention. The person who had been sitting in front of her suddenly stood up and walked towards her step by step.
Lian Qiang couldn't move, she could only watch Chi Xingji move, half-kneeling in front of her, gently holding her cheek, and caressing her face lovingly.
She could feel Chi Xingji's gaze lingering on her lips for a long time, and she could already sense the other party's slightly cool breath, but in the end he did nothing, just opened his arms and held her in his arms.
You… Lian Qiang wanted to say something, but she couldn't. Chi Xingji was so strong that he seemed to want to embed her into his body. Compared with the discomfort of being clamped, Lian Qiang couldn't express the inexplicable loss and panic in her heart.
This feeling... She had only experienced it once a hundred years ago when Chi Xingji was about to ascend to heaven.
Chi Xingji reduced his strength, let her go, lowered his head, and their foreheads touched. He said softly, "Close your eyes and don't look."
Lian Qiang closed her eyes uncontrollably, the fear in her heart growing stronger. She knew something was going to happen, but she couldn't stop it and could only let the situation get worse.
"Don't be afraid, it's nothing." Chi Xingji saw through the fear in her eyes and comforted her, "You can think of it as a dream. When you wake up, everything will be... fine."
What does this mean? Why should I treat it as a dream? The blood-red scene before my eyes was no longer there, but Lian Qiang was even more frightened.
She couldn't see the tens of thousands of fluorescent dots emanating from Chi Xingji's body. If Lian Qiang had her eyes open, she would surely recognize them; they were of the same origin as the ladder that had been lowered when Chi Xingji ascended to heaven a hundred years ago.
The power within her body slowly returned, a warm feeling filling her. Lian Qiang felt like crying, but she wasn't crying tears of joy. Even after so long, she could sense that the energy within her wasn't pure spiritual power, but something... more powerful and pure.
She had only felt this kind of power in Chi Xingji and Yue Lingjun after she successfully ascended to heaven.
Lian Qiang couldn't guess what Chi Xingji had done, or maybe she guessed it but didn't dare to think about it. She couldn't move, so she could only cry motionlessly, hoping that Chi Xingji would be moved by her and stop.
But her tears would only help Chi Xingji to achieve his goal. He had made up his mind, and nothing could stop him, not even... her.
Before the ceremony began, Chi Xingji's expression gave some clues. Lian Qiang thought about those unreasonable details and realized that she had inadvertently missed too much.
She wanted to make amends, and finally, she was able to open her eyes and move her fingers. Lian Qiang saw herself and Chi Xingji surrounded by light, and those light spots all came from Chi Xingji and flew towards her.
Lian Qiang wanted to pull Chi Xingji's sleeve to signal him to stop, but when she was about to succeed, Chi Xingji quickly pulled his sleeve away. To prevent her from going further, he even stood up, took two steps back, and stared at her condescendingly.
But that wasn't arrogance; on the contrary, his expression was one of compassion and reluctance. He stared at her for a long time. Lian Qiang knew it was his farewell.
The distance between them was close yet far. Close enough for Lian Qiang to touch him with a single hand; far enough that she couldn't cross it no matter what.
Lian Qiang let out a mournful cry from her throat and shook her head, hoping that Chi Xingji would be moved by her, but he did not stop. He just stared at her and then turned away, leaving her with only a lonely back.
The light spot's speed was getting slower and slower, but this was not a good sign. Lian Qiang's body gradually became lighter and more comfortable, but her eyelids were getting heavier. She struggled to support herself, using her hands to support the ground, trying to move step by step to get closer to Chi Xingji.
But she didn't get what she wanted. Someone walked into the barrier, stood behind her, leaned over, and grasped her shoulders, restraining her from moving.
"Lian Qiang, stop."
When she heard Jiang Lang say this, Lian Qiang looked at him in disbelief, but he avoided her gaze guiltily. Jiang Lang should have been someone she could turn to for help, but as soon as he said this, she knew it was a conspiracy between the two.
Control of her body gradually returned to her, but her consciousness had shifted from clarity to oblivion. Jiang Lang no longer controlled her and silently retreated. Lian Qiang wanted to make a final effort. She opened her lips and uttered a few syllables: "Eat..."
She had a premonition that this farewell might really become a farewell forever.
Lian Qiang didn't want this to happen, but her drowsy consciousness didn't allow her to do anything else. With her half-closed eyes, she only saw the person in front of her turn around and walk back.
Before she could even feel happy, Chi Xingji knelt before her again, this time on both knees. He lifted Lian Qiang's chin and looked at her carefully, as if he wanted to paint this face deeply in his heart and never forget it.
A cold breath approached, and he finally pressed a kiss to Lian Qiang's warm lips, a tear sliding down her cheek. The chill and bitterness made Lian Qiang shudder. She closed her eyes and clawed hard in front of her, but she caught nothing.
“…Go to sleep.”
Lian Qiang felt someone gently lay her down, as if it was just the end of a very ordinary coaxing to sleep.
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