Ling Xiyue’s sword momentum did not slow.
The Green Scale Sword erupted with a blinding azure light, piercing directly through the giant’s thick right arm.
The sound of shattering crystals exploded at the bottom of the Heavenly Pit.
The tip of the sword did not pause, accurately stabbing into the dark red core inside the giant’s body.
The violent spiritual power of the peak Mid-stage Gold Core realm poured out along the blade, wreaking havoc inside the giant.
The massive impact shattered the array patterns inside the core.
The giant’s enormous body instantly froze.
Its raised left arm stopped mid-air, unable to descend even half an inch.
The red light in its single eye flickered violently a few times before being completely extinguished.
The piercing mechanical voice turned into a low rumble, echoing intermittently.
“Co…re damaged…”
“…don’t want to die…”
BOOM!
The thirty-foot tall Spirit Sand Crystal giant completely collapsed from within.
The hard crystals lost the support of the array and turned into gray powder, scattering everywhere.
The air at the bottom of the Heavenly Pit became murky.
*Crack.*
A crisp sound of shattering rang out in the air.
The invisible space lock that had sealed the entire Heavenly Pit shattered along with the giant’s annihilation.
The stagnant air began to flow again.
A cold wind blew down along the cliff walls.
The ground began to vibrate violently.
Withered leaves and dust were sent flying in all directions.
In the place where the giant had stood, at the center of the array, the ground slowly cracked open.
The sound of mechanical gears turning was dull and piercing.
An ancient white jade platform rose from underground.
The surface of the platform was covered in dust and the mottled marks left by time.
In the center, an ancient, simple bracelet emitting a faint azure light floated.
Extremely complex array patterns flowed across the surface of the bracelet.
Even from a dozen paces away, one could feel the pressure emanating from it.
Small spatial cracks even faintly flickered around the bracelet.
It was clearly a high-grade treasure, far surpassing ordinary items.
Ling Xiyue sheathed her sword.
She tapped her toes lightly on the ground and landed steadily to the side.
She did not even glance at the white jade platform.
She turned and walked quickly toward the cliff wall.
Luo Qingchen was still slumped in the pile of rubble.
Her face was covered in blood, her arms hung limply at her sides, and her chest was heaving violently.
Ling Xiyue walked over and knelt on one knee.
She reached out two fingers and placed them on Luo Qingchen’s neck.
Her divine sense swept through Luo Qingchen’s body along her fingertips.
Internal organs displaced, both arms broken.
For an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, such injuries would have meant certain death.
However, the pulse was steady and strong, and a residual medicinal force was rapidly repairing the damaged meridians.
She would not die.
Ling Xiyue’s tense back relaxed slightly.
She stood up and walked back to the white jade platform.
She reached out and took the Azure Light Bracelet.
It felt warm and moist in her hand, carrying extremely pure spiritual energy.
Ling Xiyue walked back to Luo Qingchen’s side with the bracelet and knelt down again.
She picked up Luo Qingchen’s blood-stained right hand.
Her movements were a bit clumsy, yet very gentle as she slid the bracelet onto the girl’s wrist.
“You were the main force in breaking the array.”
“You also came up with the method and used your precious pills. Since this Secret Realm only seems to have this one treasure, you should keep it.”
Her tone was still cold, carrying a firmness that brook no refusal.
Luo Qingchen leaned against the rocks, looking at the extra bracelet on her wrist.
Her eyes darted around.
Her inner drama queen instantly exploded.
She tilted her head to the side, eyes half-closed, gasping for breath as if her life were hanging by a thread.
Her fingers that were not broken moved with difficulty, grasping Ling Xiyue’s fingertips in return.
“Fairy…”
Luo Qingchen’s voice trembled violently, coming out in fits and starts.
“I’m afraid I… won’t make it…”
“This treasure… I can’t use it anymore…”
“In the future… you’ll have to take care of yourself…”
As she spoke, she used her fingers to poke at the pouch on her waist.
“In my storage bag… is my life savings for my future wife…”
“I’m leaving it all to you…”
“Use it to buy some good swords… don’t mistreat yourself…”
Luo Qingchen’s fingers loosened.
Her arm fell powerlessly onto the rubble.
Her head drooped completely.
She stopped moving.
She even deliberately held her breath.
The air suddenly became quiet.
The wind blew through the withered leaves at the bottom of the Heavenly Pit, making a rustling sound.
Ling Xiyue knelt there expressionlessly, looking at the ‘corpse’ on the ground.
When this little thief had fed her pills earlier, she had also stuffed herself with quite a few pills obtained from the Secret Realm exploration.
Moreover, just now, her Gold Core stage divine sense had clearly seen the state of Luo Qingchen’s body.
As for that pouch, aside from a few broken stones and expired pills, there wasn’t even half a spirit stone inside.
The pouch wasn’t even a storage bag.
This acting was so poor it was unbearable to watch.
The corner of Ling Xiyue’s mouth twitched slightly.
She coldly spat out two words.
“Get up.”
Luo Qingchen secretly opened one eye.
Seeing that Ling Xiyue was completely unresponsive, she could only sit up straight with a face full of regret.
The movement was too large and pulled on her broken bones, causing her to grimace in pain.
“Hiss—that actually hurts.”
Luo Qingchen supported herself on the ground with her uninjured arm and rolled her eyes.
“Hey, I’m dead!”
“How can you not have any reaction at all?”
“You really don’t have a shred of compassion!”
Luo Qingchen became more animated as she spoke, gesturing exaggeratedly with her good hand.
“According to the tropes in storybooks, at this moment, you should be holding me tightly and weeping.”
“Then you’d shout: ‘No!! Qingchen, don’t die! Open your eyes and look at me!'”
“Next, you’d beat your chest and stomp your feet, howling at the heavens and swearing to slaughter everyone in the world to be buried with me.”
“What’s with this cold attitude of yours?”
“You don’t provide any emotional value at all. One star review! Spit out the pills and compensate me!”
She curled her lips.
“My superb acting was wasted; I couldn’t even trick a single tear out of you.”
Ling Xiyue looked at Luo Qingchen.
The little thief’s face was clearly covered in blood, her clothes were tattered, and she was in a state of utter mess.
Yet here she was, dancing around and shouting nonsensical words.
That comical and vivid appearance overlapped with the silhouette that had just risked its life to stand in front of her.
Ling Xiyue’s beautiful face, which usually looked like ten-thousand-year-old mysterious ice, finally could not hold its expression.
The corners of her mouth turned up slightly.
A very light laugh escaped her throat.
“Pfft.”
With that smile, the moment blossomed.
Even this dark and oppressive Heavenly Pit seemed to brighten significantly.
Luo Qingchen was stunned.
The movement of her hands stopped mid-air.
Her mouth hung slightly open.
Only one thought remained in her mind.
‘This icy Senior Sister looks incredibly beautiful when she smiles.’
“You look so good when you smile,” Luo Qingchen blurted out instinctively.
“Don’t always be so cold in the future. Smile more; it’s good for your skin.”
A faint blush rose to the tips of Ling Xiyue’s ears.
She instantly retracted her smile.
The expression on her face returned to its usual coldness.
“Stop talking nonsense. In the future, you are not allowed to say such discouraging things, and you are not allowed to die,” Ling Xiyue snapped coldly.
However, there wasn’t much blame in her tone.
She stood up and turned her back to Luo Qingchen.
She bent over.
“Get on.”
Luo Qingchen was still thinking that this woman was quite overbearing, speaking as if she wanted to die, and then she paused.
“What is this for?”
“Your arms haven’t fully healed yet. You can’t climb up yourself.”
Ling Xiyue did not look back.
Luo Qingchen wasn’t polite either; she lunged forward and slumped onto Ling Xiyue’s back.
She rested her chin on the woman’s shoulder.
“These clothes of yours must be quite expensive. Don’t make me pay if I get them dirty.”
Luo Qingchen took the opportunity to rub the blood and grime off her face.
Ling Xiyue ignored her.
She supported the crooks of Luo Qingchen’s legs with both hands.
Luo Qingchen shifted her body on her back, still muttering.
“Senior Sister, do you usually not eat?”
“These bones are poking me; there’s no meat at all. But you smell quite nice.”
“When we get out, I’ll treat you to a good meal to make up for it.”
A vein throbbed on Ling Xiyue’s forehead.
She forced herself to suppress the urge to throw the little thief off.
She kicked off the ground forcefully.
Her purple clothes rustled loudly.
The two turned into an afterimage, soaring directly into the sky.
The spiritual power of the peak Mid-stage Gold Core realm exploded.
Treading on the walls, she rose several times in quick succession.
Carrying Luo Qingchen on her back, Ling Xiyue easily leaped out of the dozens-of-feet deep Heavenly Pit.
They landed steadily on the edge of the previous canyon.
The light in the canyon was still dim.
Luo Qingchen lay on Ling Xiyue’s back and stuck her head out excitedly.
She shouted toward the surroundings.
“Xiao Bai!”
“You dead dog, hurry up and come out to welcome us!”
“Your Grandpa Luo has won the comeback match!”
The voice echoed through the canyon, carrying far into the distance.
But there was no response.
The surroundings were deathly silent.
Even the sound of the wind had stopped.
There was no annoying barking, nor was there Xiao Bai’s figure wagging its tail to approach them.
Luo Qingchen’s brow furrowed.
“That dead dog didn’t really run away, did he?”
—