Chapter 44

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Xie Tingyun was now lying in Ning Shen's arms, feeling his strong arms wrapping around his arms, then pressing on his waist, turning him around, and finally being blown several miles away by the aftermath of the spiritual power explosion.

There was still a calm demonic aura lingering on Xie Tingyun's waist. It was the source of the barrier that silently lingered on his waist before the thorny tentacles fell down, blocking most of the thorns for him.

Xie Tingyun looked through the blood-mist-swirling water, and through his slender fingers, he lowered his eyes and looked into Ning Chen's dark red eyes.

Perhaps because he had been soaking in the Samsara River for too long, Xie Tingyun's body became extremely stiff, and even his emotional fluctuations seemed to be frozen.

For a moment, Xie Tingyun found it almost impossible to tell what his mood was at the moment.

He had long realized that Tian Xiao seemed different from before, but Tian Xiao always surprised Xie Tingyun, as if he was facing a new, strange yet familiar person.

Ning Chen didn't care about that. He raised his hand and took away Xie Tingyun's hand that was covering his eyes. He saw Xie Tingyun staring at him in a daze, with their noses almost touching. Ning Chen saw him silently move his lips and mouth the words: "...Tian Xiao."

No one knew how many spirit balls Xie Tingyun had put into the flesh ball formed by the spiked tentacles during the time he was underwater. The explosion not only blew Ning Chen and Xie Tingyun several miles away, but also caused the entire riverbed to tremble, and the water became chaotic, turbid and turbulent.

Those tentacles with spiky spines were blown up so badly that not even a trace of them remained. They were completely reduced to ashes.

Ning Chen looked at Xie Tingyun's pale face and couldn't help getting annoyed. He really wanted to put his clothes back on and give those tentacles a few more kicks.

Ning Chen remembered the blood mist rising above the water. He still had a lot of demonic energy on the Chengfeng Sword. Those demonic energy could be transferred to Xie Tingyun through the connection between the sword master and the natal sword. However, Ning Chen's action was still a step too late. The blood mist that emerged was definitely not from the tentacles, so it could only be from Xie Tingyun.

Ning Chen turned the person in his arms over and over in the water to check him out, and finally found a cut on Xie Tingyun's waist.

There was only one cut, and it only cut through the superficial flesh, without touching the deeper layers, and without exposing the bones. The injury was much less severe than Ning Chen had imagined.

Under such circumstances, Ning Chen almost thought that Xie Tingyun could be pierced into a sieve.

Xie Tingyun was helplessly tossed around by Ning Chen like a motionless rag doll. When he saw Ning Chen finally stop, he signaled to him that he was fine and went up first.

Ning Chen then swam up holding the person.

He held the woman's shoulders and neck and rushed out of the water. He subconsciously wanted to look around, but suddenly remembered the rule that he could not look back, and he froze for a moment.

Ning Chen's vision ahead was filled with fog. The waters where he and Xie Tingyun were located were polluted with blood. In the distance, a large army was noisily shouting and screaming, but was barely maintaining its formation. Above him was the fish-headed octopus that was still trapped in the sword formation.

The fish-headed octopus had been worn down to the point of exhaustion, and its impact on the sword array became weaker and weaker. Excessive blood loss made it gradually weaker, but Ning Shen's sword shadow still did not let it go, stabbing into the fish-headed octopus's vital points at various tricky angles. It looked like it would be killed in no time.

Ning Chen snorted coldly, barely accepting this result.

Xie Tingyun's voice was a little hoarse, and he whispered: "It seems that it doesn't matter how you turn in the water."

He rolled around in the ball several times without any problem, not to mention Ning Shen holding him and turning over in the water.

But once it surfaces, the rules take effect immediately.

Xie Tingyun was unable to understand the rules of the Samsara River for a moment.

When we say you can't turn back, does it only mean that you can't turn back when you are swimming in the water?

So what is the point of this rule if you can look back while you are underwater?

The Yuanying period monk who was temporarily in the lead was still trying hard to maintain the formation. Li Min was at the end and his throat was almost smoking. This group of cubs were still shaken by the inexplicable waves coming from underwater and screamed in confusion. Their startled looks were so rare that Li Min even felt the long-lost vitality.

However, thanks to the huge waves in the water, everyone slid a long distance. They continued to float down and the second round was completed.

The atmosphere was unusually heavy because of the uncertainty over the life and death of Xie Tingyun and Demon Lord Tianxiao.

Li Min comforted them, "Instead of worrying about a great demon in the Silent Realm and a Mahayana cultivator, you might as well worry about your own lives. I guess they won't die even if you die."

Monks: “…”

The monks spat at him angrily with red eyes.

However, they had to admit that what Li Min said was true.

But no matter what, they couldn't let go of their worries about their eldest senior brother.

Those spikes are even poisonous. Considering how Senior Brother is surrounded, he will...what will happen to him?

Thinking of this, the junior brothers and sisters of Liuyun Sect couldn't hold back their tears again.

Tears welled up in my eyes for a while, but I finally held them back.

Senior Brother can't always be by their side. They should learn to save themselves and their Senior Brother instead of waiting for their Senior Brother to come back to save them when he is covered in wounds.

The monks wanted to stay where they were and wait for the two people to float up, but the water was flowing fast and they could not wait there. If they did not move, they would be washed forward by the current and might even lose their way.

So everyone thought about it and decided to swim to the shore and use their swords to stick into the ground on the shore to fix their position and wait for the eldest senior brother and the demon king to catch up.

Xie Tingyun was held by the shoulders and neck, and this posture forced him to lie in Ning Shen's arms. When he tilted his head, he could see his protruding Adam's apple, and when he looked down, he could see his long clavicle vaguely. Ning Shen's neck still had the marks left by Xie Tingyun's bite. Although it had faded a lot, it was still intact when you looked closer.

“…”

Xie Tingyun coughed lightly and turned his head slightly.

Ning Chen always felt that something was poking his chest. He looked down subconsciously and saw the red rope sticking out of Xie Tingyun's collar, and then he suddenly realized what was going on.

It is the ring that Xie Wan left for Xie Tingyun.

Following Ning Chen's gaze, Xie Tingyun also noticed the red rope sticking out from around his neck, so he hid the ring around his neck a little deeper to prevent it from being lost easily.

However, Xie Tingyun was hit by the waves in the river and scratched by the sharp thorns on his tentacles. His white clothes were already torn to varying degrees. The collarbone could not be covered by the collar, and intermittent red could still be seen if one looked closely.

Xie Tingyun sighed and simply let it be.

Regardless of whether I cover it up or not, this outfit is almost ruined.

It was not until now that Xie Tingyun suddenly realized that the distance between them seemed a little too close.

Their skin was almost pressed together, and they could clearly hear each other's breathing and steady, powerful heartbeat.

Xie Tingyun didn't know for a moment why he didn't investigate such a dangerous situation, but instead unconsciously paid attention to a person's heartbeat and breathing.

He took a deep breath and decided not to continue like this.

Xie Tingyun silently dived under the water, and after he was completely submerged, he turned over underwater, with his back facing Ning Chen's chest, and then floated up again.

Ning Chen was surprised: "Is this possible? You are so skilled at finding loopholes in the rules."

Xie Tingyun's face was still a little pale. Although the wound on his waist was not deep, the poison entered his body through the wound, causing severe pain.

He always felt that things were not that simple, so when he heard Ning Chen say that, he could only shake his head.

Ning Chen said nothing more and swam forward with Xie Tingyun.

The chattering of the group of righteous monks could be heard from far away. It seemed that they were afraid that everyone would become stupid after soaking in the cold Samsara River for too long. The younger brothers and sisters from Liuyun Sect took the lead in talking loudly and chatting, reciting all the jokes they had ever heard in their lives, just to lift the atmosphere from the low point and prevent everyone from being too depressed.

Junior brothers and sisters: "We have all made a big mistake. We will confess our sins to our senior brother when he comes back."

Someone forced himself to ask, "What? Did you make a mistake? To be honest, you were able to calm down and obey orders quickly without the leadership of Brother Xie. I think you are already very good. Why should you be punished for making a mistake?"

The junior brothers and sisters looked at him dimly, not knowing whether they were grateful for his serious answer or sympathetic, and continued with the next sentence: "We must admit our mistakes. We loved Senior Brother so much that we didn't know what to do. This is a capital crime, and we need to go to Senior Brother in person to accept the punishment."

Xie Tingyun: "..."

Other monks: "..."

Ning Chen laughed softly, his chest shaking: "Those little brats you brought out are really fun."

Xie Tingyun raised his hand and pinched his eyebrows, resisting the urge to pick up these bastards and throw them back to the sect. After a while, he said, "... stop slandering me."

He was silent for a while, then said in a low voice: "Tianxiao, you..."

Ning Chen felt that nothing good could come from this opening, so he immediately interrupted, "Don't ask why. There is no why. If you dare to ask, I will throw you back."

Xie Tingyun: "..."

Why is it that sometimes there is always some strange tacit understanding between the two of them?

Xie Tingyun said: "Then throw me back - why, Tianxiao?"

Ning Chen: “…”

Ning Chen was in a dilemma as to whether to let go or not. He felt awkward and said speechlessly, "Xie Tingyun, are you sick? Why do you have to go back and die?"

Even if you are thrown back, you still have to ask, what's wrong!

Their backs were pressed against each other, and the tremors caused by their conversation were transmitted between them.

Xie Tingyun stared at the arm around his neck in a daze, sighed softly, and said, "Tianxiao, I don't know what to do with you when you are like this."

Ning Chen said lazily, "Xie Tingyun, don't be so sentimental."

He lowered his eyes and stared at Xie Tingyun's thin and pale neck for a long time, then suddenly leaned over and took a bite, neither lightly nor heavily.

Xie Tingyun groaned unexpectedly and tried to turn his head away subconsciously, but Ning Chen held his neck to stop him.

Xie Tingyun: "..."

Xie Tingyun leaned forward, breaking away from Ning Chen's hands and embrace. He pressed his hand on the side of his neck where he was bitten, frowning and saying, "Tianxiao, you had to pick a time when I was here to get sick, right?"

Ning Chen admitted that he was just taking revenge on Xie Tingyun for biting him several times.

But it was not until he saw Xie Tingyun holding the mark he had bitten, helplessly suppressing his anger, that Ning Chen suddenly realized that this action also had the meaning of marking and branding something he owned.

Ning Shen found that he did not hate it and even felt happy about the action.

He had finally found a good sparring partner and a good rival. He was pleasing to the eye because of his good looks, enjoyed the fights with his good skills, and was satisfied with his good temper.

How could I allow myself to be provoked and destroyed by others?

Ning Chen had to admit that it was a great pleasure for him to go and provoke Xie Tingyun every few days.

Ning Chen was like a cat that had been comforted. He said happily, "Xie Tingyun, I admit that you are a worthy opponent. If you get hurt or bruised, where will I go to entertain myself?"

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The author has something to say:

Ningmi: (protecting food) (breathing) (fierce) (licking Xiao Xie's fur) (breathing at others)