Ambush (Thanks to Nuanyang Ju's Golden Alliance)

The door was open, and a draft blew out of the room. What came into view was a traditional Chinese ink painting screen that separated the main hall from the outer room.

After staring at the exquisitely painted ink-wash screen for several breaths, Tang Ruofu suddenly raised his hand and gently stroked the material of the screen with the back of his hand, and said softly:

"It seems these two really intend to stay in this area permanently, and they even went so far as to capture a Thousand-Handed Ghost Spider to spin silk."

Xia Qing also watched for a few moments, and then softly commented on Tianyan's painting:

"This woman is quite accomplished in painting."

"What if it was drawn by that man?"

"A man's brushstrokes should not be so delicate and refined."

"You seem to know quite a bit about these refined pursuits."

As they spoke, the two walked around the screen and entered the main hall.

However, the moment he stepped inside, Tang Ruofu's nose twitched slightly, and he suddenly stopped.

Seeing the other person's actions, Xia Qing, who was following behind, immediately became alert. Her Will Soul surged forth, instantly enveloping the entire pavilion. After failing to detect anything amiss, she asked with slight confusion:

"Ruofu, what's wrong?"

"Don't be nervous, I was just a little surprised."

Tang Ruofu laughed heartily, pointed to the incense burner in the corner of the main hall where wisps of smoke were rising, and said softly, "Yin Spirit, a medicinal herb that grows in Ghost Mist and has the effect of nourishing the soul. It's a wonder these two were able to find such a rare item."

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Upon hearing this, Xia Qing narrowed her eyes slightly, took a step, and instantly arrived in front of the incense burner. She reached out, opened the lid, glanced down at it, and said thoughtfully:

"Only half of the incense ash in the burner has burned out; those two must have left more than half a day ago."

"Half a day?"

Tang Ruofu gracefully landed behind Xia Qing, gently stroking her soft, long hair. "Your mind is as delicate as ever."

"It's because you've been too idle."

Xia Qing glared at the man behind her upon hearing this:

"It takes half a day to travel to the Origin Beginning Realm. You and I can probably catch up in a day. However, things might change if we're too late. There's a Saint Venerable from the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion roaming around here. If he sees us, all our plans will be for naught."

At this point, she glanced at the water-sac-shaped artifact in his hand and asked with a serious expression:

"Ruofu, surely there won't be any problems with this extraordinary treasure of yours?"

Tang Ruofu shrugged helplessly.

"We've been dao companion for decades. How can you not trust me in my actions?"

Xia Qing glared at him immediately upon hearing this:

"It's precisely because I know your lazy nature so well that I'm worried! All those good deeds you did before, wasn't it me cleaning up your messes?"

"Well"

Tang Ruofu was taken aback by the retort, and said awkwardly in a low voice:

"This item is called the Source Qi Transmutation Pouch. It can convert the Source Qi in the air into Spirit Liquid that cultivators can drink."

As he spoke, he casually removed the stopper from the water bladder:

"At first, I always thought this thing was just a useless treasure, since Spirit Liquid is no longer of much use to my current cultivation level."

"However, six years ago, when I destroyed an enemy's cave abode, I suddenly discovered that this treasure was not simple. If one absorbs too much of a cultivator's Qi and drinks the Spirit Liquid inside, one can see the traces that person leaves in the air."

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the attic suddenly froze.

Centered on Tang Ruofu, a surge of Source Qi began to flow within the room.

Countless streams of Qi flowed from Tang Ruofu's fingertips into the water-bag treasure. When it reached a certain critical point, a suction force suddenly burst forth from the water bag, enveloping the entire pavilion.

A strong wind blew, and the curtains fluttered wildly.

However, this lasted only a moment before everything returned to calm.

Xia Qing's beautiful eyes showed a slight hesitation as she softly asked:

"Is that all?"

Tang Ruofu gently shook the water pouch, and the sound of water gurgling came from inside. He replied with a smile:

"Nature."

Having said that,

He raised the water pouch, drank a mouthful of the Spirit Liquid, and then handed the pouch to Xia Qing in front of him.

Xia Qing took it as a matter of course, drank it all in one gulp, gently wiped her mouth, and asked:

"How long will it take for this to take effect?"

Tang Ruofu pointed to the doorway of the pavilion and chuckled softly:

"Immediately."

Xia Qing was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and when she turned around, she saw that her perspective had changed.

The air, which was originally filled with white mist, now contained traces of golden light and crimson Source Qi.

These two colors stood out starkly against the white mist, stretching outwards to the horizon.

"This is... the Qi of those two?"

"Otherwise what?"

Tang Ruofu smiled and asked in return, patting Xia Qing's head. "We should go. There isn't much residual Source Qi left in this house. We can only 'peep into spirits' for about a day or two. We need to hurry."

Looking at the man beside her, Xia Qing smiled gently, her eyes crinkling.

"Okay, then let's..."

Before the words were finished,

Xia Qing's expression suddenly hardened, and she turned to look at the opposite shore of the lake outside the pavilion.

Tang Ruofu, however, reacted even faster.

In an instant,

His figure had already disappeared into the attic.

And the next moment,

"Boom!!!"

With a sudden, earth-shaking tremor, a violent roar suddenly exploded on the opposite shore of the lake!

Sensing the intense fluctuations of Source Qi outside, Xia Qing's eyes revealed a hint of confusion.

This energy comes from those two younger generation members.

Those two actually came back?

Why?

The return of Jing He and Tianyan did not bring Xia Qing any joy whatsoever.

Instead, a sense of bewilderment and intense unease instantly overwhelmed her.

In an instant, a thousand thoughts flashed through my mind.

Jing He and Tianyan were able to survive for seven years under the pursuit of the two major powers of the world Heavenly Oversight Pavilion and the Taiqing Dao Palace. Apart from their strength, their methods and intellect must have been the best in the world.

She didn't think those two people would choose to stay and fight them head-on.

Even without Tang Ruofu, with her Mortal Shedding cultivation, she was simply no match for the two opponents.

Something unusual must be going on.

Rather than being stubborn, Xia Qing felt that the other party's actions suggested they had something to rely on.

What is it?

While pondering the situation, Xia Qing's body showed no hesitation, and she rushed out of the pavilion immediately after Tang Ruofu.

In that instant, she saw the scene outside.

Several huge craters appeared on the ground.

The several elders of the Moon-Inviting Sect who were originally waiting outside were now in a sorry state, some with blood trickling from their lips, some with torn clothes, and some with charred bodies.

And above them,

A girl in black hovered in mid-air, looking down, her golden pupils radiating a divine light like the rising sun.

But none of that matters.

The important thing is,

Tang Ruofu, the Sword Maniac who was close to becoming a demigod, was defeated in an instant.

A young man in brocade robes with long, unbound hair suddenly appeared beside Tang Ruofu, his three-foot-long sword leaving a blood-stained mark in the air, leaving behind a trail of brilliant cherry blossoms.

Tang Ruofu just watched this scene approach as if he were in a daze.

Before the sword could even be drawn, it was pierced through the chest by that young Origin Beginning, turning into a rapidly retreating afterimage and crashing into the tranquil lake, creating a towering wave!

"Ruofu!!"

The scene before her eyes puzzled Xia Qing, and it also made her sense of crisis rise to its peak.

Therefore,

The moment she stepped out of the attic, a guqin appeared out of thin air beside her, and all the light around her suddenly dimmed.

Looking down from the sky,

Amidst the misty forest, a sphere with a diameter of a hundred feet suddenly rose into the air!

All sound within vanished without a trace, and all light disappeared into darkness.

Bell-Tone Dark Domain.