Chapter 401: Heartfelt Talk by the Pond
"Boom!"
Amidst the stillness of the lakebed, an unexpected thunderous sound erupted after who-knows-how-long. A surge of powerful energy burst forth from a ball of light, forcibly scattering the two figures intertwined within it.
Seizing the opportunity, Ling Qingzhu swiftly escaped Lin Langtian's hold. She floated backward and, with a graceful wave of her hand, cloaked herself in a robe.
In this moment, her breathtakingly beautiful face was shrouded in a cold, wintry frost—clearly furious and offended by Lin Langtian's prior invasion of her space.
Lin Langtian looked at Ling Qingzhu's expression, feeling his satisfaction swiftly replaced by a sinking dread.
Realizing the impending trouble, he muttered to himself that this wasn't looking good. Before he could react further, Ling Qingzhu extended her hand, summoning a gleaming blue sword that appeared instantly, emanating a sharp, menacing aura.
"Forget it, a gentleman doesn't quarrel with a lady; time to make a quick retreat."
Noticing her fury, Lin Langtian shook his head slightly, sensing that her anger was about to explode. He didn't hesitate, turning and dashing out of the pond as fast as he could.
He thought to himself that hurting his own lady wasn't good, but getting hurt by her was just as undesirable; his only option was to make a temporary retreat.
Whoosh!
Just as Lin Langtian bolted away, two sharp sword lights shot from behind, brushing past him and cutting two deep channels through the water in their wake.
"Lin Langtian, I will kill you!"
Ling Qingzhu's voice, cold with a hint of overwhelming anger and embarrassment, echoed from behind as sword light after sword light rained down upon him in relentless pursuit.
Swish!
Of course, Lin Langtian wasn't foolish enough to stay put and endure this attack. Unfurling his crimson wings, he bolted through the air at lightning speed.
Behind him, countless sword lights, as swift and agile as fish in the water, chased him with a relentless fury.
In the quiet Taishang Fairy Pond nestled in the valley, the serene silence was short-lived. A huge whirlpool began forming in the pond's depths.
In the next instant, a figure wreathed in fire burst out of the water, immediately followed by a deluge of sword lights that blasted through the surrounding cliffs, leaving deep sword scars etched in the stone.
Lin Langtian, having emerged from the pond, surveyed the chaotic destruction around him. His mouth twitched as he realized that he had seriously angered her this time.
Still, he couldn't help but think, recalling the blissful moments just earlier, that it had all been worth it.
Boom!
The water of the Taishang Fairy Pond exploded once again, sending droplets flying everywhere. A graceful figure emerged, her wet, azure robes flinging aside as she donned a white gown, instantly covering her slender form.
As the water settled, a woman in a white dress stood in midair. Her long, dark hair cascaded down like a waterfall, while her stunningly beautiful face remained icy and unyielding.
"Swish!"
With a frosty expression, Ling Qingzhu held her sword and glared at Lin Langtian, who was smiling awkwardly from midair. Without wasting any words, she swung her sword, sending a flurry of deadly sword lights toward his vital points.
Seeing this, Lin Langtian quickly dodged, using his exceptional agility to avoid her attacks with ease.
"I went down there to save you—do you really have to be this ruthless?" he called out, trying to appease her as he continued dodging.
"If I hadn't gone down there, that thing would have drained your life force."
"I was worried about you!"
Biting her lip in frustration, Ling Qingzhu coldly replied, "What does that have to do with what you did? The first time...was excusable. But this time, what's your explanation?"
Hearing her words, Lin Langtian found himself speechless.
The first incident had occurred because Ling Qingzhu had unwittingly provoked the ancient tomb's master, falling prey to his trap. Lin Langtian, as it happened, was also a victim, so despite her anger, she hadn't placed all the blame on him.
But this time, it was undeniably due to the surge of "demonic fire" within him that he lost control and acted impulsively. As much as he might have thick skin, even he struggled to come up with an excuse.
"Actually...I didn't mean to force you or anything; I just couldn't resist," he explained with a sheepish smile. "Who could've guessed that the Vermillion Bird flame would trigger such intense desire?"
Though he admitted he found her captivating, his own sense of honor wouldn't allow him to act so crudely. But who could have predicted that Ling Qingzhu would end up responding positively, even willingly? Since she seemed to accept it in the end, he simply...went along with it.
"You!"
Remembering her own actions during their "union," Ling Qingzhu's face flushed red, and with an icy snort, she swung her sword once more. A massive sword light, spanning dozens of feet, came crashing down on Lin Langtian.
Watching the sword light heading his way again, Lin Langtian sighed helplessly, realizing she wouldn't relent until she managed at least one strike.
Whoosh!
The sword light reached him, and as it was about to slice him, Ling Qingzhu clenched her teeth and redirected the blow at the last second, narrowly missing him and carving a deep scar into the ground below.
Seeing her hold back at the last moment, Lin Langtian raised his head and looked at her frosty expression with a wry smile, "Have you vented enough?"
Rumble!
Just as he spoke, a thunderous sound echoed nearby, and the three-headed serpent they had previously warded off returned, hissing and charging furiously toward the valley.
Upon spotting the two figures in the valley, its serpentine eyes burned with a savage intent to kill.
Whoosh!
Lin Langtian prepared to face the serpent, but before he could act, a flash of light shot past him as Ling Qingzhu unleashed a storm of fierce sword lights that completely enveloped the monster.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
Under Ling Qingzhu's relentless assault, the serpent let out anguished screeches as blood streaks quickly appeared all over its massive body. In no time, the serpent—a creature as powerful as Thunderclap the Beast—was reduced to a mangled mess.
Lin Langtian glanced at the serpent's miserable state, then at Ling Qingzhu, whose cold expression was finally beginning to thaw. He couldn't help but scratch his head in bewilderment.
It turns out this woman is using her actions to show him just what happens when he angers her.
Boom!
Moments later, in the valley, the enormous snake monster collapsed with a crash, blood spilling out and spreading across the ground, saturating it with a pungent stench.
Ling Qingzhu calmly descended from mid-air, making her way to the Taishang Fairy Pond. She dipped her slender hand into the water, slowly washing the blood from her sword.
Watching this, Lin Langtian couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile. Clearly, he had angered her deeply this time.
But, in retrospect, he could understand why. If it weren't for the strange circumstances that led to their first encounter, if someone else had done what he did today, Lin Langtian was certain that person's fate would have been much like that of the snake monster.
In fact, Lin Langtian was probably the only man in the world who could continue testing her patience like this.
Their complicated relationship obviously kept either one from treating the other as just a regular person, and it was also the reason Ling Qingzhu had been so tolerant of his repeated transgressions.
The water splashed off the sword, dripping back into the pool and creating ripples. Ling Qingzhu looked down at her own breathtaking reflection in the water, her lips pressing slightly as memories of their intense encounter resurfaced in her mind.
That man always seemed to shatter her once-peaceful heart.
As she thought about it, Ling Qingzhu's lips tightened, a complex look in her eyes. Was she really destined to fall for this man in this life?
Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly heard soft footsteps behind her. Her body tensed, though she quickly masked the emotions in her eyes.
Lin Langtian walked over and took a seat beside her. Glancing at her profile, which was beautiful enough to bewitch the entire world, he smiled and asked, "Do you remember what I said five years ago?"
"No," Ling Qingzhu replied softly, her long lashes slightly lowered.
"Back then, I was aware of the gap between us, but I also knew it was a gap I could close. After all, anyone can rise above their station with determination, right? Even the first palace master of your Jiutian Taishang Palace wasn't born into nobility, I imagine?"
"I don't mean to boast," he continued, "but five years ago, you and I were worlds apart. Today, we're on equal footing. And in five years, I believe no one will be able to keep us apart."
Lin Langtian smiled, exuding absolute confidence.
"I said once that a woman who's been with me is mine. It may have sounded crude at the time, but…"
He paused, looking directly at Ling Qingzhu, and said, "You are my woman."
Splash!
Her bright sword flashed through the air, its icy point pressing against his throat. Ling Qingzhu's gaze was frosty. "Do you really think I wouldn't dare to cut you down?"
Lin Langtian said nothing, his gaze fixed on her, not a hint of hesitation or restraint in his eyes.
Having taken Ling Qingzhu twice, Lin Langtian was confident he had left an indelible mark on her. This kind of mark, even on someone as composed as Ling Qingzhu, couldn't simply be erased.
Sure enough, Ling Qingzhu clenched her teeth before sheathing her sword. She clenched her delicate hand, saying, "You'd better stop saying that. If my master hears about it, she'll kill you—even if you are a disciple of Yuan Gate."
"In Jiutian Taishang Palace, every palace master cultivates the Way of the Heart-Mirror, a path of clarity and purity. If my master knew about us, she'd do everything in her power to rid me of such worldly attachments."
She looked at him, her voice resolute, "And you are the attachment in my heart."
Hearing this, Lin Langtian nodded in understanding, but then shook his head. "Jiutian Taishang Palace may have its unique ways of cultivating, but I know only one thing—that Ling Qingzhu is my woman. If your master wants to stop me, then I'll just become stronger than her and take you from Jiutian Taishang Palace myself."
Ling Qingzhu couldn't help but feel exasperated and amused by his words, shaking her head in resignation. "Even the three great masters of your Yuan Gate show her respect. Don't set your sights so high."
Lin Langtian just laughed and let the topic drop, sensing the complex emotions she held for him. That was already a promising sign.
As for surpassing the master of Jiutian Taishang Palace? Lin Langtian believed five years would be enough.
"Thank you for earlier at the pond."
Noticing a slight restraint in his usual boldness, Ling Qingzhu felt a quiet sense of relief, and then added in a softer tone, "I appreciate it."
"Of course," Lin Langtian replied with a grin, "after all, you are my…"
Anticipating his next words, Ling Qingzhu's face flushed as she quickly interrupted, annoyed. "Lin Langtian, stop saying that I'm your woman! If anyone hears, I'll hold you responsible."
Startled, Lin Langtian quickly agreed, realizing her irritation could flare up with the slightest provocation.
But hearing her warning, he understood that she mostly didn't want others to hear, rather than rejecting the claim itself. Whether intentionally or not, Ling Qingzhu's words revealed a significant implication.
Seeing his response, Ling Qingzhu relaxed slightly and then shifted the subject.
"That skeleton at the bottom of the pond… I think it has a connection to Jiutian Taishang Palace. When I entered the pond, I felt a calling, but it turned out to be something trying to drain my life force."
"A connection?" Lin Langtian looked surprised. "No wonder that spirit mark entered your body…"
Ling Qingzhu nodded. She could feel the powerful spirit mark within her, and it was no small fortune.
Ling Qingzhu nodded again, then stood up, saying, "Let's leave now."
Having achieved their objective, there was no reason for them to linger.
Lin Langtian nodded, and with a wave of his sleeve, two dark lights shot over from afar, returning to his mirror-world—his demon corpses used earlier to lure away the snake monster.
As they prepared to leave, Ling Qingzhu suddenly paused mid-flight. She raised her delicate hand as a golden light shot from a distance, landing in her palm.
"This is a soul message from Jiutian Taishang Palace. Something must have happened."
Taking the golden light, she gently pressed her fingertip to her forehead, reading the message. Her expression quickly changed.
"What happened?" Lin Langtian asked, surprised.
"It's not…" Ling Qingzhu hesitated, glancing at him. "It seems that Tianxuan Sect has made a move against the disciples of the Fire Division."
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