owlsbooks Chapter 177 Can I stay by your side forever?
Chapter 177 Can I stay by your side forever?
Chapter 178 Can I stay by your side forever?
Since he had no direct grudge against that killing god, Qing Yi was the most peaceful of the several Nascent Soul cultivators from both the righteous and demonic paths.
In his view, a mere late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was enough to shatter all schemes. Why bother going to the inner palace of the Void Heaven Palace?
Oh well, never mind.
He made up his mind that once the teleportation was activated, he would go to the outer hall and find some spiritual herbs, longevity fruits, or similar items.
As for the Void Heaven Cauldron—let whoever wants to fight for it fight for it.
As long as that person chooses to enter the inner sanctuary—
Even if we bring up the Void Heaven Cauldron, it would only be a waste of time and effort to benefit others.
A late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!
He secretly calculated that even if all six people from the righteous and demonic paths were combined, they would probably only be able to barely contend with the other side.
Even the barbarian with the barbarian beard, who was known for his defense and had cultivated the Heaven-Supporting Demon Art, was knocked headfirst by a casual sword strike from the opponent.
What's more, about cultivators like themselves who are only at the early Nascent Soul stage?
This spans a vast chasm between two major realms.
Unless—unless four or more of the six from the righteous and demonic paths are mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, perhaps they can still compete.
Judging from their posture, they were clearly also heading towards the inner palace.
Qing Yi was filled with doubts, wondering how the other party had managed to enter the Void Heaven Palace, as the restrictions seemed to have no effect on him.
Judging from his youthful appearance and vibrant energy, he is clearly not someone whose lifespan is exhausted and has no need for longevity fruits or the like.
Since he has no shortage of lifespan, the most likely reason is that he is after the Void Heaven Cauldron, the number one secret treasure of the Chaotic Star Sea.
This person is deeply connected to the Star Palace and acts on behalf of the Star Palace.
It was Xinggong who borrowed this person's influence.
Judging from Jin Kui's attitude towards him, although he did not reveal his identity as an elder of the Star Palace, his actions must be closely related to the interests of the Star Palace.
It's not easy to fully grasp the intricacies of it all at once.
It wasn't just Qingyi who thought this way.
At this moment, the three righteous men, Wan Tianming, Tian Wuzi, and Mu Tengzi, sat together.
They communicated telepathically, exchanging information and analyzing this sudden change.
Lu Jianghe got up and left.
After a conversation with Jin Kui, the two sides reached a tacit understanding and made compromises.
Regarding the matter of eliminating Ji Yin, we must wait until the portal to the true outer hall opens and we enter that area before we can take action.
As soon as he moved, Zi Ling, who had been quietly standing by his side, immediately came to greet him.
Even though she longed to be close to him, she knew she had to wait for Lu Jianghe and the Grand Elder to finish their discussion.
Seeing that Lu Jianghe had finally finished talking, Zi Ling immediately moved lightly closer to his side.
Lu Jianghe glanced at her and said calmly, "After we gather the necessary spiritual herbs, you will stay here until the month is up, then leave the Void Heaven Palace with the others."
Upon hearing this, Zi Ling pouted slightly, her eyes filled with anticipation, and pleaded softly, "I want to go out with you—"
Looking at her like this, Lu Jianghe felt no anger, but simply shook his head and explained, "I need to take this opportunity to break through the barrier of my cultivation realm, and I may not have time to protect you then."
"Breaking through to a higher realm?"
Zi Ling instinctively covered her mouth, her eyes wide with surprise, and blurted out, "Could it be—breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm?"
Although she didn't raise her voice intentionally, her soft call was exceptionally clear in the quiet environment.
Upon hearing this, Jin Kui and Elder Jia, who were standing close by, were both startled and exchanged a thoughtful glance.
Jin Kui, in particular, showed a solemn expression for the first time on the face of this Grand Elder of the Star Palace, his brows involuntarily furrowing slightly.
Zi Ling realized she had spoken out of turn, and her face instantly tightened. Afraid that Lu Jianghe would blame her for it, she lowered her head like a child who had done something wrong, not daring to look him in the eye.
Lu Jianghe wasn't really angry; he wouldn't get upset over such a small slip of the tongue.
Moreover, this is not something that needs to be deliberately hidden.
"I'll come back to help you gather some medicinal herbs. Don't act like a child anymore."
Zi Ling trembled slightly, her long, clear eyes meeting the other person's gaze once more, her eyes brimming with unspoken words, all focused on the one person before her.
She nodded slightly, her voice unusually soft and sweet: "Mmm."
The two left one after the other.
Elder Jia's face showed a hint of worry and unfinished words: "Grand Elder, this—"
Although the words were not finished, the meaning was already obvious.
Jin Kui's gaze was deep. He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and sighed, "Regardless of whether his attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage is true or false, this is the current situation. The dragon is coiled in the small pond. Even a casual shake of its head or tail is an unstoppable raging torrent for us."
Elder Jia said in a deep voice, "We can only inform the two saints about this matter afterward. If this comes true, the so-called structure of the Chaotic Star Sea will probably be turned upside down."
Jin Kui remained silent.
Elder Jia suddenly spoke up and asked, "Grand Elder, should the plan proceed as originally scheduled?"
Jin Kui's gaze swept over the cultivators around him.
Most of them belong to the righteous and demonic paths, with most of them having cultivation levels around the mid-stage of Core Formation, and even a few late-stage Core Formation cultivators.
According to the original plan, it was precisely at this strategic pass that these future allies of both the righteous and demonic paths were to be eliminated.
"kill."
Jin Kui uttered only one word.
Elder Jia nodded slightly and said nothing more.
Zi Ling followed silently behind Lu Jianghe, her steps light, yet seemingly treading on invisible quicksand.
A bitter feeling welled up in my heart, rising silently like a tide, pressing heavily on my lungs.
She looked up and saw that the figure in front of her was like a solitary peak, unreachable.
And what about himself? He hadn't even reached the threshold of Core Formation, yet he was already preparing to knock on the door of the legendary Divine Transformation Realm.
Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Deity Transformation—three insurmountable chasms lie between the two.
How can time and effort easily make up for this?
The gap is so large it's suffocating, large enough to crush all delusions.
Even if one were to succeed in forming the Golden Core by sheer luck, it would only add a mere few hundred years to their lifespan.
But for a great cultivator who is about to become a deity and whose lifespan is measured in thousands of years, it is merely a fleeting moment.
Zi Ling's thoughts were in disarray, and she was completely unaware that the figure in front of her had stopped, and her forehead gently bumped against something warm and solid.
Lu Jianghe turned around and his gaze fell on her face.
At this moment, Zi Ling's usually bright and sparkling eyes lost focus, and her brows were filled with an inescapable confusion and sorrow, clearly indicating that she was deeply troubled by a knot in her heart.
Lu Jianghe sighed softly, raised his fingertip, and gathered a tiny, almost imperceptible glimmer of light, gently touching her brow.
Zi Ling felt a cool sensation flow into her brow, and she quickly regained her senses.
Lu Jianghe withdrew his finger. "In the realm of cultivation, one should act with a mind of non-action, yet perform actions with purpose. One must hone a mind of non-action through actions, maintaining a calm and steady pace, in order to eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel. A mind filled with delusions is detrimental to cultivation in every way."
Zi Ling simply looked up at him, her eyes, which had just regained their clarity, quickly filled with a layer of mist, brimming with tears, as if she were about to sob.
They didn't listen at all.
A bitter feeling welled up inside me, surging forth like water bursting from a dam.
Seeing her with tears in her eyes, Lu Jianghe, unusually, raised his hand and rubbed his temples, seemingly somewhat helpless at this sentimental display.
"Wang Ning".
The moment she heard her real name, Zi Ling's eyes instantly welled up with tears.
She could no longer hold back and said, feeling wronged, "I just feel so uncomfortable, like a huge rock is pressing on my chest, making it hard to breathe—it's so painful—"
Lu Jianghe looked at the pitiful sight before him and remained silent for a moment.
He raised his hand again and gently placed it on the top of her head.
His palms were warm, and his movements were a little awkward, yet incredibly natural as he gently stroked her soft, dark hair a couple of times.
"The path to immortality is long and arduous, and the Great Dao is merciless. Do not be distracted by other things, nor do you need to overthink. Right now, your most urgent task is to try to form your core and then step into the Nascent Soul stage. Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up at the peak, you will naturally feel that it is unscalable and feel fear. But as long as you are down-to-earth and take one step at a time to climb up, when you reach the mountainside, the scenery you see will be a completely different world, and your state of mind will also be completely different."
It was meant to be a word of advice or persuasion.
However, Zi Ling heard a different meaning.
She took a small step forward, placed her hands in front of her, tilted her head slightly, and gazed at him with her bright, clear eyes, at Lu Jianghe.
"If I can form my Golden Core or Nascent Soul—would you be willing to let me stay by your side forever?"
Lu Jianghe was speechless upon hearing this.
Such frank and unreserved words were truly the first he had ever encountered in his life.
Even though he was usually clear-headed and almost ruthless, this direct question caused a ripple in his heart, and he felt a slight, indescribable sense of melancholy.
Seeing this, Zi Ling's hopeful expression grew even stronger.
Her soft hands, which had been folded in front of her abdomen, quietly loosened and then clenched tightly together.
Just then, Han Li walked over from the side.
"Brother Lu, are you going to the inner palace? If so, can I come with you?"
Hearing the sound, Lu Jianghe turned around and looked back.
"We do have this plan."
When Zi Ling saw that Han Li had suddenly come over without knowing the situation, her eyes immediately showed a hint of annoyance.
She rolled her eyes at Han Li and stomped her foot hard.
Han Li was taken aback by Zi Ling's sudden eye roll and action, completely bewildered and looking utterly confused.
He had no idea when he had offended the leader of the Miaoyin Sect.
"Since he can go, I want to go too."
Zi Ling remained calm and spoke in an almost nonchalant tone.
Lu Jianghe took a light breath.
Han Li was able to enter the inner hall because he possessed the Blood Jade Spider, a crucial link in retrieving the Void Heaven Cauldron. This involved his refining of the Azure Ice Flame and his attempt to integrate it into his natal flying sword.
This achievement is second only to his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage in the Void Heaven Palace.
Even if Han Li was slow to react, he suddenly realized that he had come at a really bad time, recalling Zi Ling's coquettish and shy appearance just now.
You ruined someone's good time!
No wonder that woman glared at me like that earlier.
However, even when she rolls her eyes in anger, it's done with such brilliance and captivating charm, making it truly breathtaking.
He couldn't help but look up and steal another glance at Lu Jianghe, secretly cursing in his heart.
How exactly did Brother Lu do it?
With such a stunning beauty before him, her warm and soft body so close at hand, he remained unmoved and his heart as still as water.
Could it be that...?