A Test
Ran Qingmo probably really can't fly.
Being carried away by her was not a pleasant feeling; it was even uncomfortable.
With each step he took, the powerful acceleration made Xu Yuan feel as if he were riding a drop tower from his previous life.
Upon entering the dark, spiraling passageway, Xu Yuan felt as if he were riding a drop tower, spiraling upwards into the sky.
Upon reaching the ground,
Ran Qingmo then put Xu Yuan down from her arms.
She let go, but Xu Yuan didn't.
Xu Yuan, who has now reached the seventh rank of cultivation, is already considered a superhuman, but he is still far from being a true superhuman.
In less than a minute, Ran Qingmo held her and spun her around like a motor in the passageway hundreds of times. Dizziness, nausea, and other discomforts surged into her heart like a tide.
"."
Ran Qingmo stared at the man who was holding onto her shoulder, her cool eyes showing a slight hesitation.
My master said that men and women are different.
Girls should not let men touch their bodies easily.
Thinking about it, Ran Qingmo shook her head again.
My master also said that there is always a saying: in urgent situations, one should act expediently.
And this doesn't seem to be the first time.
Ignoring Xu Yuan's hand, Ran Qingmo withdrew her gaze and began to sense the Source Qi below that had been contaminated by the Ghost Mist.
The battle between the Saint's Remnant Soul and the pseudo-second-rank demon seemed to have begun.
Counting breaths
Realizing they had reached the ground, Xu Yuan slowly released Ran Qingmo.
Ran Qingmo gathered her thoughts and looked at him:
"Xu Yuan."
Xu Yuan, suppressing his dizziness, waved his hand:
"Wait for me."
After saying that, he closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, and began to regulate his breathing.
The Blood Origin Heart-Fall Technique can also treat dizziness.
After about half a cup of tea, the dizziness subsided, and Xu Yuan opened his eyes again.
The gray earth, the gray and twisted tree trunks, the ever-rising Ghost Mist, and the array that prevents the Ghost Mist from overflowing—everything was as still as it had been.
Slowly rising, Xu Yuan brushed the dust off his robes and said in a low voice:
"Ran Qingmo, we can wait here."
Ran Qingmo asked, "Don't you want me to go down and help?"
Xu Yuan glanced at her upon hearing this:
"Help? Who do you want to help down there?"
Ran Qingmo tentatively asked, "Help the Saint's soul?"
Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, asking with a slightly amused expression:
Why help him?
Ran Qingmo tilted her head and asked in return:
"Didn't your Prime Minister's Estate reach some kind of agreement with him?"
Xu Yuan's eyes showed some surprise.
He hadn't mentioned the agreement to Ran Qingmo, and Xu Changge had only given him the Soul Ring in front of Ran Qingmo.
How could this Big Ice Block possibly deduce this result on its own?
Heh. You're quite clever, aren't you?
"."
Noticing his gaze, Ran Qingmo sensed that Xu Yuan was thinking about something impolite:
What's wrong with you?
"It's nothing." Xu Yuan shook his head.
Two seconds of silence,
Ran Qingmo's eyes were very serious:
"Xu Yuan, I'm not stupid."
"Puff"
Xu Yuan couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Ran Qingmo quietly held the sword hilt, staring at him without saying a word.
Xu Yuan looked at the sword hilt and inexplicably thought of a thick, long wooden stick.
Xu Yuan coughed lightly, his face serious:
"Okay, I understand. You're not stupid."
"Hmm." Ran Qingmo nodded in satisfaction.
Xu Yuan calmed himself down again and steered the conversation back on track, saying:
"Ran Qingmo, you're right. Xu Changge and my father did indeed reach some kind of cooperation with this Saint's Remnant Soul, but that doesn't prevent us from taking action against him."
Ran Qingmo thought for a moment and asked:
"Are you going to break your promise?"
Xu Yuan was embarrassed for a moment, then coughed lightly and said:
"That's not how it works. We just struck first. To call it cooperation is a lie; even that Saint's Remnant Soul has ulterior motives."
Ran Qingmo's eyes flickered twice, as if she believed him:
"Oh."
Seeing this, Xu Yuan smiled and said nothing more.
But Ran Qingmo still had something to say, and whispered;
"But what about the demon?"
Xu Yuan suddenly fell silent upon hearing this.
Demons and ghosts, scientifically known as Yingui.
No one knows why Yingui are born into the world, just as no one knows why there is Source Qi in the universe.
The mechanism by which it originates is unclear, but many ancient and modern texts have been passed down about Yingui, and many of their characteristics have been identified.
The corpses of all things give rise to Ghost Mist, and from the Ghost Mist, Yingui are born.
They possessed sentience, even fragmented memories from the remains of their corpses.
Even with fragmented memories, the Yingui is still almost impossible to communicate with.
Obsession, tyranny, madness, flesh and blood, slaughter.
These words representing destruction seem to be the meaning behind the existence of Yingui in the world.
This is the information Xu Yuan learned from classical texts.
Therefore, he really couldn't understand why the withered old man, who had become completely demonized, would do what he had just done.
Seeing that Xu Yuan hadn't spoken for a long time, Ran Qingmo gently called out to him:
"Xu Yuan."
Xu Yuan slowly came to his senses and gently shook his head:
"Isn't that Old Ghost a third-rank cultivator? You're no match for him?"
Although it's unclear whether Ran Qingmo could defeat his elder brother at the same level, judging from the earth-shattering sword strike that froze the Saint's Remnant Soul and killed the protagonist of the story, he could at least be considered half-invincible at the same level, right?
Ran Qingmo shook her head and said very seriously:
"It used to be a match for it, but now it's a pseudo-second-grade weapon."
"Originally? A fake second-grade item?"
Xu Yuan frowned, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Is it the hour or so we've been waiting for?"
The withered old man didn't come down until more than an hour after they entered the secret chamber; his sudden surge in strength likely occurred during that time.
"Yes, it seems it ate all the Yingui in that cave." Ran Qingmo nodded. When she escaped, she saw that all the Yingui in the cave had disappeared.
"."
Xu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.
The scene of countless ghosts wailing when the formation in the cave was activated echoed in his mind.
After a moment's hesitation, Xu Yuan gently shook his head.
He thought of something.
Xu Changge once visited this place.
He probably had some guesses about the whole thing.
The withered old man who had never devoured ten thousand ghosts was at most close to the second rank. Even a true second-rank expert had been reduced to just a head by Xu Changge, let alone someone who was only close to the second rank.
Could someone with such cultivation level survive Xu Changge?
Xu Yuan was somewhat skeptical.
Although it's unclear why Xu Changge would let go of the withered old man who had completely turned into a ghost, given his elder brother's methods, he must have some confidence in bringing him here.
even,
Xu Yuan suspected that Xu Changge was currently hiding in some secluded corner nearby, spying on them.
after all,
It only takes a day to get here from Jingjiang Prefecture.
After thinking it over, Xu Yuan said softly:
"It's alright."
"Is it alright?"
Ran Qingmo looked puzzled. "But... it will be dangerous for you to stay here."
Xu Yuan smiled slightly and said in a low voice:
"Xu Changge came here before. The Ghost Elder is probably still alive."
As he spoke, Xu Yuan paused, then suddenly looked around:
"Moreover, I suspect he's hiding nearby right now."
"." Xu Changge.
Ran Qingmo frowned slightly upon hearing this:
"But why?"
Why did Xu Changge go through this roundabout way?
Since he's decided to turn against us, why doesn't he just come over directly?
Xu Yuan shook his head and did not answer.
The purpose was simple; this was most likely a test set up by the older brother before he left.
This will test both Ran Qingmo and his abilities.
The clues, both overt and covert, here are crystal clear. If Xu Yuan were to still order Ran Qingmo to help that Saint's Remnant Soul under these circumstances, he could forget about traveling.
If you can't even handle something like this, what more do you want?
You should just go back to the city and stay there.
One more chapter later, before midnight.