Chapter 238: Your Old Flame (past love. ex)
“…”
Everyone inside Immortal Slaughter froze upon hearing Luo Xue’s words.
“But… haven’t we succeeded?” Nangong Mian stammered. “Did the Beiming Clan go back on their word…”
Before Luo Xue could answer, Nangong Ling spoke.
She raised her hand to stop Nangong Mian, looked at Luo Xue, and asked softly,
“Is it about the Yudu Clan?”
Luo Xue nodded slightly.
“Not just that… Anyway, you should leave as soon as possible. The Beiming Clan won’t stop you.”
“But Master, what about you?” Dugu Xue looked at Luo Xue with worry. “Are you staying… to face this with the Beiming Clan?”
“Of course not.” Luo Xue shook her head. “My soul is now within the Beiming Calamity-Averting Formation. You could say this formation is my new body. However… there are other reasons, reasons I can’t tell you.”
Dugu Xue wanted to ask more, but Nangong Ling interrupted.
“She has her own plans… Your Highness, don’t worry, even if the world ends, Miss Luo Xue will probably be fine.”
“Really?” Dugu Xue looked at Luo Xue with teary eyes.
Luo Xue looked at Nangong Ling with a complicated expression, then nodded.
“Yes, really.”
“Okay, I’ll listen to Master.” Dugu Xue no longer insisted. “But Master, you still have to be careful…”
“Of course.”
Luo Xue replied, her gaze meeting Nangong Ling’s.
Looking at Nangong Ling’s eyes, Luo Xue knew that she had realized something, but she didn’t say it out loud.
On the surface, Nangong Ling was only talking about the Yudu Clan, but she had already encountered that grotesque being, even before Luo Xue.
And having experienced the changes in the ancestral land’s separate dimension together, Nangong Ling had also glimpsed some hidden truths.
But Nangong Ling also knew that if the disaster that befell the Great Thousand Worlds in the ancient era returned, their strength alone wouldn’t be enough.
This wasn’t something that could be solved with just strength. Even if a Great Emperor reappeared, they would be helpless.
In this situation, all she could do was trust Luo Xue.
Of course, Nangong Ling couldn’t say these things directly. Some things… were better left unsaid.
Nangong Mian, perhaps due to their blood relation, felt that her sister and Luo Xue shared some secret.
But she couldn’t figure it out.
Luo Xue, after explaining everything and urging Dugu Xue to leave quickly, her projected form slowly dissipated.
Dugu Xue didn’t hesitate any longer. She activated Immortal Slaughter, left the Beiming Calamity-Averting Formation, and flew towards the Nangong Sacred Land.
The moment the small Immortal Slaughter ship left the formation, countless grotesque creatures were attracted, even Yuan River City stirred.
But… Immortal Slaughter’s speed was too fast. Before these nightmarish creatures could react, it had already broken through the encirclement and disappeared into the sky.
Watching them leave, Luo Xue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Beiming Ling silently observed her, seemingly deep in thought.
Suddenly, as if confirming something, she said with certainty, “Miss Luo Xue, you’re not Nangong.”
“…I said from the beginning, I’m not.” Luo Xue raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking that this woman had finally listened.
“You should be the spirit of an ancient divine beast,” Beiming Ling said, “related to the Nangong clan… the Divine Phoenix? Or the Phoenix Emperor?”
Luo Xue almost choked and said helplessly,
“Can’t I just be myself?”
“No,” Beiming Ling crossed her arms. “Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but your consciousness carries a terrifying ancient aura… so well-hidden that even I, using my Saint level consciousness, could barely detect it.”
Luo Xue opened her mouth, then just twitched her lips and replied,
“If you say so.”
How could she not have such an aura?
Nangong was within her consciousness…
And the Phoenix Emperor, Luo Xue didn’t know where her dormant consciousness had gone after leaving the Beiming Calamity-Averting Formation, but she felt its presence within her…
Luo Xue didn’t even know how many things were hidden within her consciousness now.
“…Yudu Cheng seems to be active again.” Beiming Ling’s gaze was fixed on Yuan River City.
After this brief battle, Beiming Ling was almost certain of the identity of the consciousness controlling Yuan River City: the most pitiful person from the ancient era.
His excessive desire for the Great Dao and power had led him to survive in this twisted form, and his insane pursuit of the impossible had created this cruel reality.
It could be said that Yudu Cheng was already dead. The moment he chose to merge with the power of the otherworldly demon’s remains, he had lost his original consciousness.
The current consciousness of Yuan River City wasn’t Yudu Cheng himself, but a simulation created by the otherworldly demon’s remains after devouring him, using its terrifying power.
Yudu Cheng thought he was still himself, even deceiving himself, but the truth couldn’t be changed.
Whispers echoed, spreading from Yuan River City, the remnants of Yudu Cheng’s obsession, the surging malice chilling.
“We must kill him here, as soon as possible, to eliminate this threat.” Luo Xue said in a low voice, her expression serious. “He… can’t continue to exist.”
The current Yudu Cheng carried the “gaze” of a god. His power wasn’t the most dangerous thing, this “gaze” was the true crisis of the Great Thousand Worlds.
This world couldn’t withstand His second glance.
“I know, we’ll do our best.” Beiming Ling looked at Luo Xue strangely. “But why are you so insistent…”
Luo Xue was silent for a moment, then shook her head.
“This isn’t something you should know.”
Hearing this, Beiming Ling’s brow twitched, and her face stiffened.
She was usually the one saying such things, not the other way around.
Did this Miss Luo Xue mean that even a Saint wasn’t qualified to know this secret…
“I know what you’re thinking.”
Luo Xue sensed Beiming Ling’s displeasure and looked at her calmly.
“Your primary goal isn’t to eliminate Yudu Cheng, but to resolve this crisis. If eliminating him requires a greater price, you’ll choose another option.”
“Naturally.” Beiming Ling frowned slightly. “We can’t sacrifice ourselves for others when our own clan is in danger…”
…This was the law of survival for the ancient clans, common sense to them.
“You don’t understand.” Luo Xue didn’t argue, her gaze turning to Yuan River City. “If the true crisis erupts… such considerations will be meaningless.”
Luo Xue’s cryptic words angered Beiming Ling, but she suppressed it, remembering that the Beiming Clan’s fate was in Luo Xue’s hands.
Meanwhile, Yuan River City gradually recovered. After completely absorbing the results of his recent devouring, Yudu Cheng had taken a few more steps on this new, strange path.
One more step beyond the peak of Saint, and he would reach quasi-emperor, the Great Emperor Realm no longer a distant dream.
And Luo Xue wasn’t waiting for Yuan River City to grow stronger. She also needed time to control and awaken the Beiming Calamity-Averting Formation.
This formation had been dormant for too long, its runes inactive.
Her previous attack against Yuan River City was just a test, a temporary reprieve for the Beiming Clan. To unleash its true power, Luo Xue needed more time to prepare.
But unfortunately, the preparation wasn’t going smoothly.
“The Great Dao… I see the end of the Great Dao…”
The whispers became ecstatic, and Yudu Cheng’s consciousness seemed clearer than before.
But Luo Xue knew that this was just the otherworldly demon’s increasing understanding of Yudu Cheng’s consciousness.
Using Yudu Cheng’s consciousness, this otherworldly demon was walking an unprecedented path, cultivating the Dao and mastering the laws as a cultivator.
If it succeeded, what would happen? Would it become an unprecedented Great Emperor, or would it attract the “gaze” of a god again? No one knew.
Of course, it wouldn’t be anything good.
“He seems… to be approaching quasi-emperor.”
Beiming Ling’s expression turned serious. She no longer cared about arguing with Luo Xue.
Previously, the demonic remains were just a powerful Saint, a Saint that could only be passively beaten, and the Beiming Clan, using all their resources, still had a chance of destroying it, but if Yudu Cheng reached quasi-emperor…
It wouldn’t be a matter of if they could destroy it, but if they could even survive.
“Miss Luo Xue, are you not going to act?” Beiming Ling turned to Luo Xue, her voice anxious. “Yudu Cheng’s power is increasing, every moment he grows stronger… If you don’t act now, you’ll miss your chance!”
Luo Xue rolled her eyes. When they thought the crisis was over, they were trying to avoid it at minimal cost, and now they were urging her to act.
These ancient clans…
“Don’t worry, don’t worry, I know you’re anxious, but don’t worry.” Luo Xue comforted Beiming Ling. “It will be soon, very soon, I’m already creating a new folder.”
Beiming Ling: “?”
What strange things was this girl saying?
After satisfying her amusement at the ancient clan’s expense, Luo Xue seriously observed the current state of Yuan River City.
Firstly, because of Yudu Cheng’s consciousness, although most of its rationality was gone, compared to other otherworldly demons driven purely by instinct, it was much, much better.
Coupled with this unknown Great Dao, it could be said that this was the strongest opponent Luo Xue had ever faced.
The Beiming Calamity-Averting Formation theoretically had the ability to kill an emperor, but even the Phoenix Emperor probably couldn’t do it, let alone Luo Xue.
And this formation hadn’t been activated in countless years, its power surely weakened.
However… it wasn’t completely hopeless.
Luo Xue still had a trump card, and she was about to use it.
“Senior Sister Li, I have a super formation for you to study!”
“Where? Where is it?”
Before Luo Xue’s consciousness could even finish transmitting the message, Li Guijiao’s excited voice echoed in her mind.
Indeed, her trump card was still Senior Sister Li.
The genius Li Guijiao had managed to control two-thirds of the formation nodes without any authority over the Beiming Calamity-Averting Formation before, a testament to her skill.
For her, there was no formation she couldn’t solve.
Li Guijiao, her real body in the barbarian lands, her puppet in the Imperial Capital, although separated by a vast distance, as long as her consciousness arrived, any formation problem could be solved.
Luo Xue explained the current situation to Li Guijiao, and upon hearing that the ancient formation she had tampered with before was now under Luo Xue’s control, Li Guijiao was so excited that she didn’t even listen to the rest of Luo Xue’s words and immediately entered the formation world through Luo Xue’s consciousness.
The long time within the formation world was but an instant in the outside world. The next moment, Li Guijiao’s consciousness reappeared, her earlier excitement gone.
“I’ve been kicked out.”
Li Guijiao’s tone was filled with dejection. Luo Xue could imagine her drooping head.
“Kicked out… by whom?”
“By your grown-up old flame.”
“Oh, the Phoenix Emperor.”
“Hmm?” Li Guijiao’s tone immediately changed. “Wait, Phoenix what? That’s your old flame’s true identity?”
With the White Tiger spirit beside her, Li Guijiao naturally knew who Phoenix Venerable and the Phoenix Emperor were.
“…Your topic changes are a bit too fast,” Luo Xue’s brow twitched. “You’re talking about Xiao Yao, right? The Phoenix Emperor is practically Xiao Yao’s ancestor.”
“Oh… I see.” Li Guijiao said thoughtfully. “You just said that this Beiming Calamity-Averting Formation can’t unleash its true power, right?”
Luo Xue nodded. She could sense that the current power it could exert was at most enough to deal with some lesser Saints, not worthy of its title as the number one killing formation of the ancient era.
“Because it’s missing something,” Li Guijiao said. “To unleash its true killing power, besides your will of withering, it also needs something else.”
“What?” Luo Xue listened attentively.
“…It should be… your old flame.”
