The spiritual energy of various people surged particularly strongly on this mountain peak, naturally drawing the attention of those lurking in the shadows.
A black shadow, like a thick mist, prowled through the gaps in the forest silently, like a ghost crawling out from the underworld.
It breached the overlapping arrays on the mountain. Those deadly traps and illusions were virtually non-existent before it. Passing through vines and floral fragrances, it finally stepped into a warm, comfortable cave adorned with flowers and plants.
The cave was filled with a comforting warmth, a stark contrast to the bloody, cold gloom outside.
Soft velvet was spread across the stone bed, dried herbs were placed in the corners, and even the wind seemed to soften its footsteps here.
Then, it saw the sleeping figure.
It was a woman.
Her abdomen was slightly swollen; she was clearly pregnant.
Strangely, however, her aura was as faint as a wisp of smoke, as if she would scatter into the void with the wind in the very next moment, leaving no trace behind.
Yet, beneath her fragile shell, there was another entirely different power.
That power was steady and vast, flowing through her body and nourishing her soul.
The black mist surged and condensed, transforming into the tall figure of a young man in black. His face was pale and cold, his features sharp, and a chilling aura radiated from his entire being.
"I wondered what kind of treasure was hidden on this mountain, but it turns out to be just a pregnant woman."
A calculating look surfaced in the black-clad man's eyes. "The person who could lay down such arrays on this mountain is no ordinary figure. If I capture you, he will have no choice but to serve me."
Unable to suppress his excitement, he slowly approached and reached out his hand toward the sleeping woman.
The woman's eyes suddenly snapped open, and she struck his chest with her palm.
Caught off guard, the young man in black stumbled backward. After spitting out a mouthful of blood, he looked up, his expression filled with shock, anger, and disbelief.
"How do you have such strength!"
He had sensed it clearly before: this woman's aura was so weak that she couldn't even compare to a Foundation Establishment disciple. She looked as if she would shatter at the slightest touch. Who could have expected her to hide her power so deeply?
The force contained in that palm strike crashed directly into his meridians, causing excruciating pain in his internal organs.
Mu Ran sat up from the bed. She first raised her hand slightly, gently smoothing her clothes that had been slightly rumpled during her light sleep. Along with this movement, the extremely fragile aura around her gradually faded, replaced by a warm yet profound presence.
"The Void Realm is an extraordinary place to begin with. How could anyone capable of entering this realm be entirely defenseless?"
The man in black was filled with suspicion and uncertainty. "If you possess such strength, why would you need someone else to lay down so many arrays to protect you?"
"My husband is merely worried about my physical inconvenience and fears I might be ambushed, that's all." A pale green halo gathered at Mu Ran's fingertips. "For the sake of the child in my womb, I do not wish to kill. Thousands of years ago, I had some ties with Chongyang Mountain. If you die by my hands, I'm afraid Xie Guanxin won't survive either."
The man in black's heart jolted. "Just who are you?"
She actually knew the secret between him and Xie Guanxin!
Mu Ran smiled. "Are you sure you want to know my identity right now?"
Her every subtle movement revealed nothing, making her appear all the more mysterious and intimidating.
Looking at the dangerous power gathering in Mu Ran's hand, he finally felt a surge of fear. Unwillingly, he turned around, transformed back into black mist, and vanished from the cave.
Once the black mist dissipated, Mu Ran could no longer hold on. Her body went limp, and she supported herself on the stone bed with both hands. The moment her fingertips touched the cold stone surface, they faintly shimmered with a translucent illusion.
That strike just now had already drained the last bit of strength she used to maintain her physical form.
If that black inner demon wearing human skin had stayed a little longer, he would have definitely discovered that she was merely bluffing, hollow on the inside despite her tough exterior.
She lowered her eyes to look at her slightly trembling hands. The edges of her fingertips were faintly turning into pale light dust; with even the slightest exertion, she felt as if she would completely scatter within this cave.
Her abdomen, however, radiated waves of warmth; it was the child instinctively releasing power to protect her.
Even so, her face remained as pale as paper, and she teetered on the edge of turning into flowing light and vanishing entirely at any moment.
Just as she clenched her hands with all her might, trying to retain the last shred of power to stabilize her form, thick black mist suddenly surged at the cave entrance once again.
"Heh, I was just thinking that in the tens of thousands of years I've lived, I have never heard of a name in the cultivation world that matches yours."
The young man in black stepped slowly out of the black mist. The pathetic state of his fearful retreat was completely gone. His eyes stared fixedly at Mu Ran's transparent, fading hands, his gaze full of mockery.
He approached step by step. "You really were faking it!"
At first, he had indeed been bluffed by Mu Ran. After all, there were some high-level cultivators who kept a low profile, so it was normal for there to be experts whose identities he didn't know.
But on second thought, if Mu Ran was truly that powerful, why didn't she just kill him with one palm strike just now?
So he took a gamble and doubled back.
And he had gambled right!
The edges of Mu Ran's figure were already blurry and unstable; even without his interference, she probably wouldn't last much longer. Yet, the child in her womb was exuding the purest spiritual energy.
A brilliant light burst forth in the young man's eyes. "If this child is nurtured well, he can definitely become the best vessel. Good, this is truly wonderful!"
He closed in step by step, his eyes filled with nothing but naked greed and malice.
Supporting herself on the stone bed, the glowing dust at Mu Ran's fingertips drifted more violently. Even breathing became a luxury; she could only rely on her last shred of consciousness to desperately protect the life in her womb.
"Stop struggling," the young man in black said coldly. "This dissipating shell of yours cannot keep the child. Why don't you let me take him from your womb before you vanish? In the future, when he achieves greatness, it will be the day I reforge my Dao body and ascend to the absolute pinnacle!"
With that said, he curled his fingers into a claw. Ink-black malicious energy gathered at his fingertips, and carrying a bloody wind, he lunged straight for Mu Ran's swollen abdomen, actually intending to rip the child right out of her.
Suddenly, a fierce wind whipped up outside the cave, and two overlapping, oppressive voices echoed simultaneously through the mountain forest.
"Courting death!"
It was the youth in green, tearing through the air to arrive.
The young man in black only felt his vision blur before a bone-deep coldness spread across his neck.
In the next moment, that head, still wearing a greedy and ferocious expression, flew into the air and rolled onto the ground.
The instant the head rolled away, the young man's remaining soul roared. His physical body instantly disintegrated, turning into a sky full of black mist, attempting to flee without a trace.
But a chilling frost spread even faster, freezing the entire patch of black mist in mid-air. Without even a second to struggle, it turned into countless tiny ice crystals, rustling down through the air and dissipating completely.
The crisis resolved, the moment Mu Ran breathed a sigh of relief, her body completely lost its strength.
The green silhouette flashed over, and the youth reached out his arm just in time, firmly catching her by the waist. His palm was broad and warm, transmitting a solid strength through her thin clothing, supporting her crumbling figure and pulling her into his embrace.
Mu Ran opened her eyes, her translucent fingertips brushing against a strand of snow-white hair.
The person before her still had the tall, straight bearing of a youth, yet his aura was now much more composed and deep. Within his eyes, it seemed as though two souls existed, watching her together.
In his eyes, Mu Ran could faintly see her own fading, ethereal reflection. She curled her lips into a smile. Jinzhi, you are here.
It was as if she were calling out to different existences, but from beginning to end, her eyes and heart held only one Jinzhi.
The young man desperately tried to channel more power into her to stabilize her fading form, but it was all in vain. Defeated, he lowered his gaze, mist gathering in his eyes once more.
You knew already.
She had known all along that he had used certain methods, unwilling to let her leave this world.
She had also known that this world was nothing more than a realm of reincarnation constructed by the inner demons of Cangshu Bai.
He had retraced the path he came from, only to lose himself within it. He had forgotten the so-called future and refused to acknowledge that so-called future self.
He was simply himself. He only wanted to stay in this very moment, remaining with her forever in this world.
Mu Ran reached out and gently cupped his face.
No matter how mature and steady the young man tried to be, if one looked closely, this youthful face still carried a trace of lingering, boyish innocence.
She let out a soft laugh. Knew what? All I know is that no matter what you become, and no matter how many times your name changes, you will always just be my Jinzhi.
Cangshu Bai's eyelashes trembled. The mist in his eyes instantly welled up into tears, welling with an emotion intense enough to almost melt his very soul away.
