The Chaos Abyss Sea lay to the southeast, facing the Wasteland from afar in a diagonal alignment.
It was named the Chaos Abyss Sea because it bordered the Chaos Abyss, which devoured everything.
The sea was so vast that it seemed endless. As far as the eye could see, reefs and islands stretched without end.
Lou Yue arrived at the Chaos Abyss Sea near dusk, but there was no sign of anyone.
Xiao Rangchen’s communication butterfly still hadn’t responded. She could only make a rough guess at his route based on the locations he had mentioned earlier.
Yet the Chaos Abyss Sea was simply too vast. From high above, every island looked much the same, and before long, she lost her bearings.
The eagle-vulture had spent two hundred years in the ruins. This was its first time in the outside world, and it had never even seen the ocean before. It was already hopelessly disoriented and of no help whatsoever.
Lou Yue drew a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
A battle between cultivators of the Divine Transformation realm could not possibly produce only minor fluctuations of spiritual power.
She spread out her senses to their fullest extent and searched continuously. Yet even after night had fallen, she had neither found any sign of a person nor detected any traces of a powerful battle.
The worry she had forcibly suppressed surged back with renewed force.
Standing on the eagle-vulture’s back, Lou Yue stared at the ceaselessly churning sea below. Her fingertips tightened slightly.
If she were Xiao Rangchen, how would she act if she were being hunted by someone stronger than herself?
She would use the terrain of the Chaos Abyss Sea to hide, avoid a direct confrontation first, and wait for an opportunity.
If there were nowhere left to run, then even if she had to die, she would take as many enemies with her as possible. Ideally, they would perish together.
What place in the Chaos Abyss Sea fulfilled the conditions for mutual destruction?
Lou Yue pressed her lips into a straight line, her heart sinking.
There was only one answer.
The Chaos Abyss.
There was no place more suitable than the Chaos Abyss, which could devour everything—even spiritual power and light.
Although she did not know where exactly the Chaos Abyss lay within the Chaos Abyss Sea, if it could swallow all things, then the fluctuations of spiritual power around it must certainly be different. Perhaps they even followed some distinctive pattern.
Lou Yue had the eagle-vulture land on an island while she sat cross-legged and began sensing the fluctuations of spiritual power in the surrounding area.
Half an hour later, Lou Yue suddenly opened her eyes. She immediately mounted the eagle-vulture and flew rapidly in the direction from which the abnormal spiritual energy extended.
As she drew closer, she began to discover more and more traces of battle.
One island after another had been sheared in half above the surface of the sea. The reefs had been reduced to fragments scattered among the waves. Deep ravines carved out by sword qi crisscrossed the water, while rocks melted by flames still released wisps of green smoke.
She continued sensing the source of the abnormality and adjusted her direction accordingly.
After flying for more than an hour, powerful aftershocks of battle shook the air ahead.
In midair, the phantom image of a gigantic sword had solidified into something almost tangible. Its terrifying sword pressure crushed the clouds apart and forced even the sea below to cave inward. Beneath the sword’s radiance, fiery clouds surged into the heavens, while several blazing chains writhed across the sky, burning that entire stretch of air into a purgatory.
Lou Yue’s pupils suddenly contracted.
Xiao Rangchen’s four limbs were bound by chains coiling with flames, leaving his body rigid and helpless in midair.
Wrapped in the overwhelming might of the late Divine Transformation stage, the sword’s phantom had already descended from the highest heavens, cleaving straight toward the crown of his head.
There was nowhere to dodge and nothing with which to block it.
Once that sword fell, only the complete destruction of his soul awaited him.
At that critical moment, Lou Yue’s mind went blank. Only a single thought remained:
He could not be allowed to die.
She gave a sharp cry. “Heaven and Earth Manifestation!”
Ten thousand zhang of radiant light shot into the sky from within her body. It descended before Xiao Rangchen and condensed into a golden phantom with an aloof and coldly beautiful face.
Behind the manifestation hung an ice-blue halo. Its light flowed in shifting circles, sacred yet piercingly cold.
The phantom pressed its hands together, then raised its pale hands and caught the descending giant sword head-on.
Clang!
The thunderous collision shook heaven and earth. Fierce sword qi and the power of the golden manifestation crashed against each other in a frenzy. Violent shock waves sent waves several zhang high surging outward, while the surrounding reefs instantly shattered and flew in every direction.
The bloodlust and murderous fury in Xiao Rangchen’s eyes vanished in an instant.
He stared blankly at the manifestation before him, which had blocked the sword in his place—aloof and peerless, resembling a celestial goddess descending to the mortal world.
At the same time, Cangya Lan, Yue Qianzhong, and the cultivators of both clans riding flying beasts in midair were all frozen in shock.
Every gaze was nailed to that goddess manifestation radiating golden light across the heavens.
Taking advantage of their distraction, Lou Yue blurred and appeared directly beside Xiao Rangchen. The Black Sword that Yanxiang Fang had transformed into slashed toward the chains binding him.
“You’re… Lou Mo’s grandson?” Yue Qianzhong stared at the dark magical weapon in Lou Yue’s hand. Lou Mo had entrusted him with forging it personally, so he could not possibly mistake it. Besides, he had seen the victorious Lou Yue in Xuandu—but at the time, Lou Yue had clearly been a young man. How could she have become…
Cangya Lan had seen Lou Yue in Xuandu and in the Wasteland. Thus, the moment the manifestation appeared, he recognized its face as Lou Yue’s. A manifestation reflected one’s true appearance; there was no possibility of falsifying it.
Cangya Lan’s expression turned solemn, and his voice carried a hint of profound meaning. “You’re a woman.”
At those words, Yue Qianzhong immediately understood the crucial point. His expression changed dramatically, and he cried out in disbelief, “She’s actually a Divine Transformation spiritual cauldron!”
The moment the words left his mouth, he attacked without hesitation, reaching out toward Lou Yue.
At nearly the exact same instant, Cangya Lan struck as well.
The two collided in midair.
“Old Lan, you want that brat Xiao Rangchen dead. I’ll leave him to you. This one is mine.” Yue Qianzhong’s voice was grim, and he refused to yield even an inch.
Cangya Lan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze imperious. “I want both.”
Yue Qianzhong’s brows drew together coldly. “Old Lan, what do you mean?”
Cangya Lan snorted. “Don’t pretend. I don’t believe you don’t know what she represents.”
As the two confronted each other in midair, Lou Yue seized the opportunity. She urged the manifestation to grasp both ends of the chains, then suddenly unleashed her spiritual power and tore apart the flaming restraints.
Xiao Rangchen had no time to say anything. He extended his arm, wrapped it around Lou Yue’s waist, and carried her in a headlong rush toward the sea.
Cangya Lan and Yue Qianzhong immediately stopped their confrontation and pursued them together.
Xiao Rangchen had originally lured Cangya Lan there with a plan already in place. He simply had not expected Yue Qianzhong to appear as well, which was what had led to this unforeseen predicament.
The instant they touched the surface of the sea, white tinderflame spread across it.
Holding Lou Yue, he plunged headfirst into the deep ocean. Their figures vanished beneath the surging waves in an instant.
The moment Cangya Lan and Yue Qianzhong’s palms touched the layer of white flame, it coiled around their arms.
The fire was not hot, but it gnawed at their souls with an icy bite. Their flesh felt as though it were being eaten away piece by piece, while even their spiritual power was being fiercely scorched and dissolved. Agonizing pain shot straight to the tops of their heads.
Both men revealed expressions of shock.
After expending considerable effort, they finally managed to extinguish the white flame. Their arms were already covered in blackened scars.
“That boy was actually hiding such a trick!” Yue Qianzhong’s face was dark and sinister as he gritted his teeth. “He absolutely cannot be allowed to live!”
Cangya Lan raised a hand behind him. The next moment, someone brought forward a jade vessel bearing Xiao Rangchen’s name.
Cangya Lan casually raised his hand again, and at once, someone respectfully handed him a jade vessel. The words “Xiao Rangchen” were affixed to its side.
He lifted the lid. A drab gray moth slowly flew out of the vessel and lazily circled in the air several times before identifying a direction and flying straight toward it.
Every member of a clan other than the Cangya clan was required to swallow a mulberry-moth egg each year after entering the inner sect. A mulberry-moth egg was not a living thing, but it allowed a mulberry moth to determine the location of the person who had consumed it.
Xiao Rangchen had swallowed only a single mulberry-moth egg, and he had only one chance to use it. That was why he had waited until now.
The moment Yue Qianzhong saw Sang E, he understood. A hint of wariness colored his voice. “The Cangya clan certainly has no shortage of tricks.”
Cangya Lan had never wanted to use this move in front of Yue Qianzhong. Compared with Xiao Rangchen, he was more eager to obtain Lou Yue, who was very likely to possess the Zhuoxi Physique.
But judging from how Bai Yan and Xiao Rangchen had escaped him several times just now, he had no absolute confidence in taking them down alone.
“Kill Xiao Rangchen first. We’ll discuss who gets Lou Yue afterward,” he said coldly.
Yue Qianzhong pondered briefly, then offered no objection.
At that moment, Xiao Rangchen was speeding through the depths of the sea with Lou Yue in his arms.
He passed her breath several times. Only when his strength was nearly exhausted and he sensed no danger outside did he bring her back to the surface and climb onto a small island.
The instant his feet touched land, Xiao Rangchen’s body swayed, and he pitched forward.
Quick on the draw, Lou Yue caught his arm and draped it over her shoulder. Half supporting, half carrying him, she made her way into the dense forest at the heart of the island.
She lowered Xiao Rangchen to sit against the roots of a tree and swiftly set up two layers of protective barriers. Only then did she crouch down and pull open his bloodstained robes.
A sword wound in his right chest was still gushing blood. There was also a hole in his lower left abdomen that looked as though it had been burned through by fire, the surrounding skin charred black.
Lou Yue silently fed him a healing pill, then took out medicinal powder and gauze and began binding his wounds.
Xiao Rangchen gazed at the woman before him. Her brows were cool and lowered, her expression exactly the same as when she had appeared in her manifestation. He raised a hand and slowly brushed aside the wet strands of hair dripping over her forehead.
“…Aren’t you very busy?”
Lou Yue said nothing, only continuing to sprinkle medicinal powder over his wounds to stop the bleeding.
Xiao Rangchen’s palm moved to her cheek. His fingertips stroked her cool skin as he asked softly, “Why did you suddenly come?”
Lou Yue raised her eyes and stared coldly into his.
The corners of Xiao Rangchen’s thin lips lifted in a faint, feeble smile. “Are you angry?”
He slowly caressed her face, his voice deepening. “I just didn’t want you to worry.”
Lou Yue asked him only one question.
“What if I hadn’t come?”
Xiao Rangchen’s hand stopped.
Lou Yue lowered her head, pressing her lips together as she continued to dab away the blood with gauze, sprinkle on more medicine, and press it down over the wound.
Xiao Rangchen sighed and reached out to embrace her.
Lou Yue turned her head away, refusing to lean toward him. He ignored her resistance, bending forward to pull her into his arms regardless. Even when the movement tugged at his wounds, he insisted on drawing her close.
Only when he caught the sweet, warm floral fragrance rising from Lou Yue’s neck did Xiao Rangchen feel the nerves that had been stretched taut for days ease slightly.
Lou Yue’s lashes, damp from seawater, hung heavy with tiny droplets that trembled with every movement.
She gently pushed him away and continued sprinkling powder over his wounds.
Xiao Rangchen lifted a hand and slowly smoothed her drenched hair, his gaze resting on her face, quiet and intent.
“I’ve dragged you into revealing that you’re a woman.”
Lou Yue still did not say a word.
Xiao Rangchen leaned down and pressed a light kiss to her forehead, his voice low and gentle. “I want to hear you speak.”
Lou Yue replaced the gauze, poured more medicine over it, and pressed it down. Only when she saw that the bleeding was gradually stopping did she finally release a faint breath of relief.
The wounds were deep to begin with, and they had been soaked in seawater. She truly could not understand how someone carrying two gaping holes in his body had managed not to show the slightest sign of pain.
Didn’t it hurt?
A surge of anger simmered in her chest. She wanted to press hard on his wounds, just to make him understand what pain felt like.
But when the moment came, she looked at his pale face and could not bring herself to do it. She merely lowered her eyes and wound the gauze in circles around his back, waist, and abdomen, securing it carefully in place.
“Lou Yue…”
Xiao Rangchen called her softly.
Lou Yue had just risen to her feet when, in the next instant, sweetness surged into her throat. She suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.
Xiao Rangchen’s expression changed dramatically. He immediately reached out to steady her, drawing her down to sit beside him, and placed two fingers against her wrist.
Lou Yue instinctively pulled her hand away.
Cangya Xun was at the perfected stage of the Deity Transformation Realm, while she was only at the early stage. Although her manifestation had withstood that sword strike, the backlash it inflicted had been considerable.
Xiao Rangchen frowned and seized her wrist again. His brows drew tighter and tighter.
Lou Yue’s injuries were not minor. He wanted her to leave the Chaotic Abyss Sea at once, but he was also afraid that Cangya Lan and Yue Qianzhong had taken an interest in her spiritual cauldron constitution and would attack her.
Yet if she stayed, he was in no condition to protect her. Instead, he would only drag her into even greater danger.
The forest was utterly silent. The only sound was the rustling of leaves as the sea wind swept through them.
After a long while, he spoke heavily, his voice strained.
“I’ll find a way to draw them away. Summon your flying beast and let it carry you out.”
Lou Yue raised her eyelids.
He looked straight into her eyes and enunciated each word.
“You can’t stay here.”
Lou Yue suddenly gave a cold laugh. “And then have me wait in the Savage Wastes for news of your death?”
Xiao Rangchen’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His lips pressed into a rigid line as his thoughts churned.
“Xiao Rangchen, can you stop treating your own life so lightly?” Lou Yue paused, her voice turning hoarse. “And stop treating me as though I’m so useless.”
Xiao Rangchen lowered his long lashes, concealing the emotions in his eyes. He remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh, his voice so quiet it was almost inaudible.
“But I can’t bear to see you hurt.”
Lou Yue lifted her gaze toward the towering, densely packed forest ahead, her voice growing faint. “I can’t go back now.”
Cangya Lan and Yue Qianzhong had probably already guessed that she possessed the Zhuoxi Physique. If they caught her, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Xiao Rangchen was just about to speak when, before he could get the words out, the two of them simultaneously looked up toward the horizon.
Two powerful auras tore through the sky from afar, rushing straight toward the small island.
It was Cangya Lan and Yue Qianzhong!
Xiao Rangchen sprang to his feet, seized Lou Yue by the wrist, and pulled her toward the opposite end of the island at a rapid pace.
