Chapter 160: The Stubborn Girl
Li Yan was startled by Pingtu's words, while Pingtu remained indifferent.
"Young fellow, I've already taken great care of your Wraith Sect. I didn't separate those two merged teams, whereas other sects were separated by great distances.
It's just that the little girl from the Wraith Sect is now severely injured, and I cannot intervene. You must understand that the Wheel of Life and Death also has rules. Some rules, I, as the enforcer, cannot overstep."
Hearing Pingtu's words, Li Yan's heart tightened.
"Sixth Senior Sister is actually severely injured. I wonder what kind of situation she encountered? Pingtu is just the artifact spirit. Listening to its tone, it's impossible for him to change some rules."
He was calculating in his mind when his expression suddenly shifted.
"Senior, did the Five Immortals Sects not have any other meeting gifts after first meeting this junior? Like healing pills, for instance?"
Upon hearing Li Yan's words, a hint of a smile flickered in Pingtu's indifferent eyes.
"Hehehe… young fellow, why don't you just say you want to use pills to save that girl? Why beat around the bush?"
"However, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. True Monarch Qianchong didn't give anything beyond the three gifts."
Pingtu said with a half-smile, and Li Yan's heart sank.
"I wonder how severely Sixth Senior Sister is injured. Perhaps it's not as serious as I imagine, and perhaps the pills in my storage bag can cure her. I was just hoping to obtain better pills from here, with the idea of 'better nothing than poor quality.' There's no time to lose; I must go out and find Sixth Senior Sister immediately."
Li Yan immediately stood up, about to ask how to leave this secret chamber, but Pingtu unexpectedly continued.
"However… I myself still have two pills!"
Pingtu hesitated as it spoke, but soon, it flicked its finger, and an exquisite white jade bottle flew directly towards Li Yan.
"This is a True Essence Pill. It has an excellent healing effect on both internal and external injuries. Divide one pill into two halves; crush one half into powder for external application, and ingest the other half. As long as the person's life soul hasn't suffered a severe blow, they can generally be cured.
This is something I brought down from the Immortal Spirit Realm back then. I imagine it's not found in this mortal realm. I'll bestow two upon you."
Li Yan was startled as he watched the jade bottle fly towards him. Reaching out to take it, he immediately opened the stopper.
Immediately, a cool, invigorating medicinal fragrance directly poured into his mind. With just a single sniff, Li Yan felt a blissful, almost ethereal sensation, immersed in an indescribable feeling.
Li Yan quickly focused his mind, and only then did he gradually regain clarity.
"What kind of pill is this? Just a wisp of its aroma is enough to make one lose oneself. Only legendary pills of seventh rank or higher are said to possess such efficacy. Judging by Pingtu's reluctant expression, it must be extremely precious. If I could have a few more, wouldn't they be life-saving divine pills?"
Li Yan hastily capped the jade bottle, his eyes burning with desire as he looked at Pingtu.
Pingtu's mouth twitched.
"Don't overthink it. This is an eighth-rank mid-grade pill that can only be refined in the Immortal Spirit Realm. Several of the main raw materials simply don't exist in this realm. When I first came down to the mortal realm, True Monarch only gave me three bottles.
Even in the Immortal Spirit Realm, the 'True Essence Pill' is an extremely valuable pill. Only someone of True Monarch's status can afford to buy it.
I gave one bottle to Pei Buchong, and I've already consumed most of the remaining two bottles due to the severe injuries I sustained in the battle with human Void Refinement stage cultivators. Giving you two pills is already my limit. I still need the rest for my own healing, so I absolutely cannot give them to you."
Pingtu seemed to have understood the meaning in Li Yan's eyes. It preemptively blocked Li Yan's attempt to beg for more, causing Li Yan to sigh inwardly.
"Senior, how do I exit this secret chamber? Is it by using the round prism crystal?"
"The round prism crystal? If you use it now, it will directly transport you outside the secret realm. Since there's no fixed entry point, it's uncertain where on the Barren Moon Continent you'll be sent."
"Then how can this junior find Senior Sister now?"
Li Yan's voice held a hint of urgency.
"They are all currently within the final stage space. I can send you directly there. However, I will not interfere with anything that happens afterward. Only if you face a life-or-death situation will I intervene. Otherwise, even if everyone from your Wraith Sect dies, it is simply their fate."
Pingtu said indifferently, its tone extremely calm. The lives and deaths of others held no concern for it.
"Then I shall send you out. Remember: The essence of the Five Elements encompasses the mechanism of creation. It can be non-existent, and yet there is nothing they cannot create."
With a sweep of Pingtu's large sleeve, Li Yan was enveloped by a strong wind and instantly vanished from his original spot. Just as Li Yan disappeared, Pingtu's cryptic words echoed in his ears.
...
Gong Chenying stumbled forward, her steps already unsteady. She had only advanced less than twenty li before Wang Lang caught up. Left with no choice, Gong Chenying had to turn back and engage him.
Facing Wang Lang's attacks, Gong Chenying only managed to withstand two blows before spitting out blood and flying backward. Fortunately, her physical body was formidable. Using the force of her backward fall, she surprisingly managed to escape the battle once more and flee forward.
Wang Lang's handsome face behind her bore a cold sneer, like a cat toying with a mouse. This time, he followed leisurely.
"Gong Chenying, I've long heard your physical body is formidable. To still be able to get up after such severe injuries, I want to see how far you can go."
Looking at the beautiful figure dashing forward, and the blood splattered along her path, Wang Lang's expression was grim.
His injuries were only slightly better than Gong Chenying's, and his previous forceful breakthrough of the array had also caused significant depletion of his spiritual power.
In the two clashes with Gong Chenying just now, he seemed to have gained a great advantage, but the wound in his chest and abdomen had already reopened, restricting his movements. Otherwise, he would have caught up long ago. This made him think of Quan Jiuxing.
"Truly a peerless genius. If I hadn't used my sect's magical treasure, the 'Unstoppable' sword, it might have been me who perished."
At this moment, Gong Chenying's face ahead was pale and bloodless, with traces of blood at the corners of her mouth. However, her gaze remained icy, devoid of any emotion. She completely ignored Wang Lang's words from behind, her lips tightly sealed as she pressed forward.
Thus, the two pursued each other, one in front, one behind, separated by only two or three li. Normally, Wang Lang could catch up with a single stride, but now he couldn't close the gap in a short time.
If he flew, Gong Chenying flew. If he landed, Gong Chenying also landed. To conserve stamina and spiritual power, both ultimately chose to pursue on foot.
After pursuing for more than ten li, Wang Lang's face turned grim, because he suddenly discovered that the direction Gong Chenying was taking was completely opposite to the center, meaning she was fleeing towards the periphery.
And just within their sight ahead, black qi was already rising, and half of the sky had gradually turned inky black. With such obvious actions, how could Wang Lang not understand that this young girl ahead was trying to drag him to a mutual demise?
Seeing this, Wang Lang's footsteps instantly slowed.
"This mad woman!"
A sharp glint flickered unsteadily in his eyes, but after only a slight hesitation, he gritted his teeth.
"Do you think I can't kill you like this? If I kill you, I'll still have time to escape this place."
Wang Lang advanced step by step, forming sword incantations with both hands. Two flying swords whistled out from his Niwan Palace.
Although Wang Lang spoke thus, his heart was also extremely vigilant. Controlling two flying swords was already his limit now, and he didn't know if the opponent still had any hidden life-saving trump cards.
He never underestimated a dying but powerful Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. Once they counterattacked, it could either be weak and ineffective, or astonishingly powerful.
Of the two flying swords, one was like lightning, striking directly at Gong Chenying's face. The other was soft as water, arcing diagonally from one side towards Gong Chenying's waist. Her waist and abdomen were precisely where Gong Chenying was injured, most affected in her movements.
Gong Chenying tossed her long halberd into the air. With a hand seal and a pointing gesture, the azure halberd transformed into four azure monstrous worms. Two moved to meet the two long swords, while the other two, their eyes flashing with bloodthirsty red, charged straight at Wang Lang.
Their momentum was even swifter compared to Wang Lang's flying swords. With a whistling sound, they actually caused the short hair beside the girl's ears to fly forward, and her dark green robes billowed and rustled forward.
Even at this point, Gong Chenying still focused on offense. Her character rarely entertained defense; when facing an enemy, she always attacked, attacked, and attacked again. This time, her strike was still an utterly resolute and fierce one.
Wang Lang's eyes narrowed at the sight. He never expected that this girl, whose expression was utterly indifferent, would always adopt a head-on, forceful clash regardless of his attacks.
Even though she had spat blood several times before, she had also exacerbated his own counter-shock injuries.
Now, she had reached such a state, yet this girl, who had never uttered a word from beginning to end, still resolutely employed an extremely fierce offensive.
Her face was clearly pale and bloodless, and she looked exhausted and weakened, yet her attack was still as ferocious as a tiger. He could tell that the two azure monstrous worms blocking his flying swords did not possess strong auras.
And the girl had concentrated most of her spiritual power on attacking him. Her intention was clear: even in death, she would drag her enemy down with her.
Wang Lang's expression remained unchanged as he looked at the two azure monstrous worms charging at him. He lightly patted his storage bag, and a sharp sword gleaming with cold light appeared in his hand.
After all, he was a Pseudo-Core stage cultivator. Although the number of flying swords he could control had decreased to less than one-tenth of his usual, his spiritual power still surpassed hers.
Gazing at the charging monstrous worms, he recklessly poured spiritual power into his body. The sharp sword immediately became enveloped in a chilling white mist. Then, he swung a powerful strike.
As he swung his sword, two loud bangs already resounded from ahead. Gong Chenying's body swayed, and she once again spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood.
Her feet repeatedly hit the ground, and she retreated nearly ten more steps. The black shadows rising from the ground behind her were now only a dozen or so zhang away.
...