His master would no longer be on Evergreen Peak

The rain of blood fell, signaling that this inner demon illusion had reached its final stage.

If she did not awaken Xie Lingchuan in time, both she and Xie Lingchuan might be trapped in this illusion forever.

"Lingchuan! Xie Lingchuan!"

Zhu Lianqing called out to Xie Lingchuan twice with her mental power.

But Xie Lingchuan still held that blood-soaked body, submerged in immense grief, and showed no response to Zhu Lianqing's calls.

Zhu Lianqing's heart sank.

"This is bad. It looks like Xie Lingchuan has completely lost his senses. Mental power no longer works."

She pressed a fingertip to the center of her brow and drew out several strands of divine sense.

Those strands of divine sense twined together and sank into the center of Xie Lingchuan's brow.

"Xie Lingchuan."

This time, her call finally drew a response.

Xie Lingchuan raised his face, covered in blood and tears, and looked at Zhu Lianqing.

"Stop crying. Do you remember what your master told you before she died?"

Xie Lingchuan's eyes were hollow. He only murmured the same two words over and over.

"My master... my master..."

Looking at Xie Lingchuan like this, Zhu Lianqing felt as though someone had brutally clenched her heart once again.

"Xie Lingchuan, your master told you to take good care of yourself."

"Listen to me. This is an inner demon illusion. It isn't real. Wake up."

Xie Lingchuan repeated in a hoarse voice, "This place... isn't real?"

Zhu Lianqing hurriedly nodded.

"That's right. Everything here is false."

A trace of focus finally returned to Xie Lingchuan's hollow eyes. He tilted his face up and asked Zhu Lianqing.

"Then when I wake up, my master will still be on Evergreen Peak, right?"

The question caught Zhu Lianqing off guard.

Though this illusion was false... it was true that "she" was already dead.

His master would no longer be on Evergreen Peak.

Still, the Xie Lingchuan in the real world did not seem to feel so deeply about her, his master. Once he woke up and discovered his master was still dead, it probably would not matter much.

So, whatever the case, she had to bring him back first.

And so Zhu Lianqing nodded.

"Yes. There are still people waiting for you on Evergreen Peak."

"Besides your master, many junior brothers and sisters are waiting for you too."

Zhu Lianqing reached out a hand to Xie Lingchuan.

"Come, come here. Follow me. I'll take you out."

Xie Lingchuan lowered his head to look at the person in his arms, seemingly unable to part with her.

But the rain of blood in the illusion grew heavier and heavier. Clearly, Xie Lingchuan's state of mind had already reached its limit.

His inner world was about to collapse, and both of them were on the verge of being devoured by his inner demon.

Zhu Lianqing simply activated the strands of divine sense that had entered Xie Lingchuan's body.

Xie Lingchuan instantly frowned in pain, his body curling in on itself.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhu Lianqing grabbed Xie Lingchuan's wrist, then relied on her astonishing memory to lead him at a run all the way back to the spot where she had first entered this illusion.

The instant she stepped out of the barrier with Xie Lingchuan in her grasp, Zhu Lianqing opened her eyes underwater.

Xie Lingchuan's face was still before her eyes, very close.

But this time, there were no tears or blood on his face.

His eyes were simply closed, and he lay as quietly as though he were asleep.

Thankfully, she had made it in time.

Zhu Lianqing withdrew her divine sense, passed one last breath of air to Xie Lingchuan, then wrapped an arm around his waist and swam upward.

The instant Xie Lingchuan opened his eyes, all he saw was Zhu Lianqing's satin-like black hair drifting up and down before him.

She was taking him toward the surface.

The three waiting on the bank immediately ran over when they saw movement in the water.

With a splash, Zhu Lianqing and Xie Lingchuan broke the surface.

"Senior Brother Xie! Senior!"

Forcing her way into the illusion with her divine sense had already consumed most of Zhu Lianqing's spiritual energy, and she had suffered some injuries as well. Bringing Xie Lingchuan to the surface was already her limit.

Fortunately, Jiang Tingxue, Song Wensheng, and Yan Qing were on the bank-three people with six hands-and began pulling them ashore the moment they surfaced.

Once ashore, Zhu Lianqing glanced at Xie Lingchuan.

He had just awakened from that illusion and was still somewhat dazed, but he was certainly safe now.

Zhu Lianqing looked toward Shen Ji, who was leaning against the rock wall in the distance and had yet to awaken, and asked, "How is your eldest senior brother?"

Jiang Tingxue immediately said, "Eldest Senior Brother seems to have been trapped in a nightmare too. At first, he kept frowning and seemed to be suffering, but then he got better. He just hasn't woken up. Senior Brother Xie, Senior, are you all right?"

Judging by Jiang Tingxue's words, Shen Ji should have already overcome his inner demon and simply had not awakened yet.

Relieved, Zhu Lianqing nodded.

"I'm fine."

She had only just finished speaking and turned her back when a mouthful of stagnant blood surged from her throat, and she toppled straight down.

"Senior!!!"

"Senior, what's wrong!"

The three scrambled to catch Zhu Lianqing.

At some point, Xie Lingchuan had also risen. He caught the falling Zhu Lianqing against his chest, then steadied her by the shoulders.

He looked at the junior brothers and sister before him, their faces frightened pale by the succession of mishaps, and said, "Go look after your eldest senior brother. I'll take care of her. Yesheng's fragrance has already begun spreading above the water. We shouldn't stay here long."

Jiang Tingxue, Song Wensheng, and Yan Qing hurriedly nodded. "All right, all right. We'll get Eldest Senior Brother out right away."

As the three turned to find Shen Ji, Xie Lingchuan lowered his head and glanced at Zhu Lianqing in his arms.

Then he supported Zhu Lianqing and lifted her onto his back.

"Senior Brother always takes the best care of me, so of course I should carry him." Jiang Tingxue pulled Shen Ji over.

Song Wensheng's expression was plainly disapproving. "But... but you're our junior sister. Of course I should do this kind of heavy work."

Yan Qing also said, "That's right, Senior Sister. I may be young, but I'm strong. I can carry him too."

But Jiang Tingxue firmly refused to yield. She looked at Song Wensheng and said, "You just suffered at the hands of that vine demon. How could you have any strength left to carry someone? And as for Yan Qing, Eldest Senior Brother is two heads taller than you."

Then she thought for a moment and added, "How about this? I'll carry him along the mountain paths. Once we're down the mountain on level ground, if I'm out of strength, you two can take turns. Whatever happens, we have to bring Eldest Senior Brother back safe and sound. We can't let him fall even once!"

"Yes, Senior Sister! I definitely won't let Eldest Senior Brother fall!"

Seeing this, Song Wensheng could only let go of Shen Ji for now and let Jiang Tingxue carry him.

"Call me if you run out of strength. There are three of us, after all. We can't go wrong taking turns."

"I know, I know. Hurry up and go. If we keep talking like this, people will think Eldest Senior Brother is some two-hundred-jin fatty!"

Yan Qing could not help sinking into thought.

His senior brother currently had an elegant, slender figure, standing as tall and straight as a pine or cypress. He truly could not imagine what a two-hundred-jin eldest senior brother would look like.

As Xie Lingchuan passed the three, he happened to see them fumbling to carry their senior brother.

At that instant, a different emotion suddenly flickered in Xie Lingchuan's usually calm eyes.

But he soon withdrew his gaze, and that trace of emotion faded with it.

Xie Lingchuan carried Zhu Lianqing toward the cave entrance. As he looked at the faint daylight shining in, the scenes from the illusion surfaced in his mind once more.

A bleak smile rose at the corners of his lips.

Who could still be waiting for him on Evergreen Peak?