Chapter 18: A Final Look Back
The cliff face is steep and towering, connected to the precipice by an extremely narrow rock face, seemingly about to collapse. The road is too narrow for horse-drawn carriages to pass; the only way to reach the summit is on foot.
Yu Tianxing then needed to continue his journey to Mingsheng County in the Qiwang Mountains to reunite with his soldiers.
Ji Mingran jumped off the carriage and was about to rush forward as fast as he could when Yu Tianxing grabbed him.
"Here you go." He shoved something into her hand, his voice as cold and low as ever.
It was his usual black sword, adorned with a jade ring she had never seen before. The ring was as black as the sword itself, but its texture was smooth and lustrous.
"I don't want it." Ji Mingran shoved the black sword and jade ring back into Yu Tianxing's arms. "We agreed that no one owes anyone anything. I saved you, but you also protected me. Now that I've taken your things, I owe you something."
She knew what was important; it was his life-or-death sword, and at this crucial moment in the siege, how could she take it away?
Yu Tianxing was displeased, saying, "Why should I bother with such things between you and me?"
“No. I don’t want to owe anyone, nor do I want anyone to owe me.” Ji Mingran insisted, “It’s always been this way.”
Yu Tianxing gazed at her with his dark eyes. After a long while, he said softly, "This ring symbolizes return."
He took the jade ring off the black sword and placed it around Ji Mingran's neck. The black jade complemented her eyes perfectly, making them appear calm and bright.
A cold wind blew by, and a few strands of hair behind Ji Mingran's ears fluttered slightly in the wind. Yu Tianxing subconsciously gathered those strands of hair and tied them up for her. "Consider it a loan from me. You can pay me back later."
"Return it to you?" Ji Mingran was stunned, then realized the implication in his words, and his eyes crinkled into a smile. "Fine."
Once the two meet, they can return.
Good meaning.
Yu Tianxing met her gaze, his expression solemn as he said in a deep voice, "You must live, live forever."
Ji Mingran nodded, then turned and boarded the carriage, black sword in hand.
Ji Mingran waited quietly.
Sure enough, a moment later, the black wooden window of the carriage was opened with a whoosh, the heavy curtains were pulled up, and that handsome face that could amaze the world was revealed, staring at her unwillingly.
Ji Mingran laughed heartily: "Yu Tianxing, I can't eat the chicken, but you can keep the chick. If we meet again, I'll exchange it for the jade ring." She slapped the horse's rump hard, and the horse neighed, reared up, and dashed away with lightning speed.
The person inside the car leaned out of the window to look back at her. Their lips, which had been pressed into a straight line, curved into a slight smile, and their eyes were filled with undisguised tenderness.
Only when the carriage was completely out of sight did Ji Mingran slowly turn around and look up at the mountain peak that seemed to hang almost vertically from the cliff face.
How can there be such a strange view?
She carefully examined the winding, steep, and rocky narrow path leading to the summit.
The narrow passage was barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. If cultivators flocked here, this place would inevitably become the first battleground, and only the victor could advance first.
Ji Mingran knew he didn't have the ability to compete with others 100%.
Fortunately, she had the upper hand and noticed the subtle changes in spiritual energy before others.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is prone to occasional changes. In addition, the Qiwang Mountains are now filled with cultivators, and the towns in the mountains are equipped with large formations. It is normal for abnormal fluctuations to occur due to the interference of spiritual energy.
The powerful cultivators have abundant spiritual energy and carry a large number of spirit stones with them at all times, so such a slight change is not enough to attract their attention.
Only someone like her, who is still stuck in the Qi Induction stage and can only desperately search for the sparse spiritual energy in the air to refine herself, would pay attention to her.
Upon closer inspection, there was indeed no trace of them.
We can take advantage of the time difference.
But it is extremely limited.
The spiritual energy fluctuations caused by the Heavenly Gate will be intense, and it's only a matter of time before other cultivators discover them.
She could only try to get ahead of others.
If it can be as fast as possible, then it should be as fast as possible.
Ji Mingran took a deep breath of the icy, clear air, invigorated himself, and began to walk briskly.
The small peak seemed not far away, just ahead.
But the higher she went, the greater the air pressure became, and the thinner the air gradually squeezed out the oxygen from her heart and lungs. After walking briskly for about an hour, her body had reached its limit and she had to stop after taking only a few steps.
The spiritual energy became increasingly chaotic, and Ji Mingran bent over, panting heavily. Although he wasn't sure where the Heavenly Gate would ultimately open, the direction of the cliff tip was definitely correct.
The wind lifted the strands of hair on his cheeks, and Ji Mingran's gaze slowly followed the direction of the wind, his eyes growing increasingly resolute.
It's about to begin.
Ji Mingran took a deep breath and began to sprint forward recklessly.
The wind howled, and faint sounds of voices and fighting could be heard from behind.
The monks had already surrounded the narrow passage.
Ji Mingran's heart sank and she rushed forward with all her might. However, after breaking through the section of road blocked by thorny bushes, she suddenly realized that there was nothing in front of her.
Dead end!
She stopped abruptly, but due to inertia, she still fell to the ground, her body sliding forward uncontrollably.
Ji Mingran used her arms as support to resist the force of the impact. Her arms were covered in mud and rocks, and she used all her strength to stop herself. She finally stopped just as half of her body was hanging over the edge of the cliff.
She glanced down at the abyss below, a bottomless pit that would surely kill her if she fell in.
But... Ji Mingran pursed his lips, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
Suddenly, the sky changed color and the ground shook violently.
The sounds of the cultivators fighting grew ever closer.
A fierce wind arose, and Ji Mingran squinted, looking up at the sky.
It's getting closer.
She was struggling to get up when suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats approached from afar.
Ji Mingran turned around at the sound and saw a girl in red riding a white horse at high speed.
Her red robes billowed high in the wind as the girl ran wildly, almost reaching Ji Mingran in an instant.
The tall, fine horse was almost in front of Ji Mingran. Ji Mingran silently calculated the distance of the horse's hooves, curled up, and was about to roll to the side when the girl in red suddenly pulled the reins, and the horse's hooves rose high, not landing on her.
Ji Mingran looked up and saw a beautiful, otherworldly-looking girl on horseback, with an arrogant and aloof expression. The girl stared at her coldly, her expression wary.
A commotion arose behind them. The girl frowned slightly and said quickly, "Time is running out, answer me quickly. If you help me, I can take you across the Heavenly Gate. Are you willing?"
Ji Mingran was stunned.
Such a good thing?
Without thinking twice, Ji Mingran immediately responded loudly, "I do."
The girl raised her riding whip and lashed it fiercely at Ji Mingran.
Ji Mingran raised her hands and rolled sideways to meet the whip. The whip did not fall on her body, but instead wrapped around her waist.
The next instant, Ji Mingran was swept up behind the girl and landed on the horse, where she tightly hugged the girl's waist.
The whip struck the horse's back again, and the girl said, "Protect my back."
With a neigh, the white horse took off charging straight toward the cliff.
Clatter! Clatter! Clatter! Clatter! Clatter! The sound of hooves rang out rapidly, but the horse did not fall down. Instead, it carried the two of them as it galloped through the air.
Ji Mingran quickly drew in his Qi and activated the Vajra Formation to protect his body.
Countless attacks landed on the formation behind Ji Mingran.
The other cultivators were right behind them.
Ji Mingran focused her mind and concentrated her strength. She climbed on foot without using any formations, just to conserve her strength for this moment.
"Downwards!" she reminded her.
The girl turned her head at the sound of his voice, "How can you be so sure?"
Before Ji Mingran could answer, the girl shouted defiantly, "Fine, let's go!"
The white horse obeyed the command and charged downwards.
Thousands of miles below the cliff, they marched forward with an overwhelming force behind them. From afar, they looked like shooting stars falling from the sky.
The sounds of bombing, roaring, and clashing weapons followed one after another.
The sound did not come from behind.
Ji Mingran looked into the distance and saw flames flickering on a high cliff not far away.
Mingsheng County.
Before she could think it through, her body suddenly swayed, and she almost fell over.
"Sit still," the girl said solemnly, her hands bleeding from gripping the reins so tightly. She muttered incantations as she steadied the horse, which had almost been swept away, and galloped off again.
The biting wind stung their faces, and their eyes burned so badly they could barely open them. Ji Mingran immediately activated the Vajra Formation to completely protect the two of them from head to toe, leaving no gaps.
Only then did she have a chance to look around. It turned out that amidst the earth-shaking tremors, dozens of tornadoes had suddenly appeared, sweeping everything away with overwhelming force. The cultivators who couldn't dodge in time were all annihilated in an instant.
A tremendous rumbling sound descended from the sky, the deafening sound pressure almost ruptured eardrums and assaulted the mind.
Blood trickled from the corner of Ji Mingran's mouth as she desperately guarded the Vajra Formation, refusing to let the sonic pressure break through.
Right there, on top of the city's massive walls!
"I'll borrow your spiritual power for a moment," Ji Mingran called out to the girl.
The girl's back tensed, and she urged her horse forward with all her might, without turning her head: "How can I borrow it?"
"Concentrate and channel your spiritual energy."
"Isn't that what I'm doing now!" the girl shouted, urging her horse to rush into the gap in the torrent.
Ji Mingran closed his eyes, formed hand seals, and used the girl's spiritual power to activate the teleportation array. In the blink of an eye, the two of them and their horse appeared ten kilometers away from their original location.
The shadows of men and swords clashed atop the city walls, firelight flickered, and the attackers and defenders were faintly visible.
Just then, a thunderous and lightning-fast attack struck, piercing Ji Mingran's back. Golden light flashed, blocking the attack completely, but Ji Mingran still coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The girl's dress was stained with crimson blood, and there were even specks of blood on her fair face. She asked anxiously, "Are you alright?"
A thick, metallic taste of blood rose and overflowed in his throat. Ji Mingran said in a deep voice, "Upwards."
Thirty miles, we must get there in the next second no matter what!
Boss Jiang did leave her a way out.
Not far away, smoke billowed from the city walls, and war drums thundered. Ji Mingran turned around amidst the howling attacks coming from behind.
Just then, a familiar figure came into view.
On the city wall, a young man dressed in black, unstoppable, wielded his sword and rode across the battlefield. In a fleeting moment, he leaped nimbly, his sword moving like a dragon, striking the enemy general several times. Amidst the flashing blades, the young man looked up, his thin lips parted slightly, and his dark eyes, sharp and deep, met her gaze.
As their eyes met, something seemed to be submerged in their thick, dark pupils.
However, in the blink of an eye, the boy swiftly turned around and stabbed at the enemy beside him, while the girl rapidly focused her mind, forming hand seals and chanting incantations. The speed was so fast that it seemed as if the eye contact between the two just moments before was merely an illusion.
Ji Mingran chanted the array incantations rapidly, and the immense array pressure pressed down on her like a tidal wave. She firmly stabilized the Vajra and Domain Blessing arrays and began frantically drawing in spiritual energy.
In the blink of an eye, Ji Mingran suddenly recalled the scene of the two of them looking at each other. Although they were far apart, she could clearly see that the boy's thin lips were moving as if he was saying something.
“Go,” he said.
At the same time, the conversation between Yu Tianxing and her during the night suddenly came to mind.
"When the Heavenly Gate is activated, all sixteen prefectures will rise up in rebellion simultaneously."
How would other places know?
“I will send out a signal,” Yu Tianxing paused, “which can also be considered as a farewell to you.”
How did he send her off with his signal?
"You'll see, after all, you like it."
At the time, she did not understand its meaning, until the surrounding Heavenly Gate Array shone with purple and white light, and she looked back for one last time at the beautiful world she had come to.
She is Fang Mingxiao.
Like fiery red fireworks, they defied the dramatic changes in the world, stretching along the entire ridgeline of the Minghua Mountain Range, blooming and illuminating the night sky as if to turn it blood red, as dazzling as a beacon.
The next instant.
She disappeared along with Tianmen.
A message from the author: December 31, 2024, the New Year is just around the corner. She joins us in welcoming a brand new future. Wishing everyone a 2025 filled with even stronger self-belief and self-love!
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