Chapter 118: The Pride of a Man
In the next moment, Qiao Wan's vision went black and she completely fell into the peculiar space of the Five-element compass.
When she opened her eyes again, Qiao Wan found herself falling.
All around her was emptiness.
And below, there was a raging fire, bursting with sparks and turning the entire emptiness red.
The scene resembled a fiery inferno.
In that instant, Qiao Wan felt a tingling sensation on her scalp and her mouth went dry.
Five-element compass, Five-element compass. She could almost foresee what awaited her next!
Help!!!
Unfortunately, there was no one in this space to hear her desperate cries for help.
In that moment, Qiao Wan deeply felt like a piece of roasted meat in free fall.
Sizzle—
The meat goes into the pot.
As the flames soared, a familiar white dragon with five claws dashed out, its dragon scales gleaming at the corner of its eye.
Qiao Wan's eyes lit up, as if she had found a lifeline, and she squeezed herself tightly into the shadow of the dragon!
Dragons are associated with water, which can extinguish fire.
This dragon with whom she had a bond, despite being a royal dragon of the Ao family, should be fine, right? Qiao Wan thought uncertainly.
The fiery tongue licked.
The white dragon, with its agile figure and powerful claws, gracefully transformed into wisps of white smoke amidst the blazing fire with a flick of its tail.
Qiao Wan, who had fallen into the raging fire after stepping on nothing, clenched her teeth expressionlessly. She knew it!
At Qingyang Academy in the distance.
A young man holding a scroll: "Ah... Ahchoo!"
A Confucian scholar beside him: "Gan Shidi, are you okay?"
"I-I-I'm fine!" The young man blushed, waved his hand, and quickened his pace. "Let's go, Elder Cao is still waiting."
The Confucian practitioner who was walking alongside lifted his foot and continued forward. The young man blinked his sparkling eyes and thoughtfully touched the dragon scales around his eyes. A faint warmth rose from his fingertips.
"Oh... Did my little sister get into trouble again?" Gan Nan said, lost in thought, his face showing a hint of worry.
Since they had separated in Kunshan after the dragon scale oath, the dragon scales had lit up countless times during this time period. Having formed the oath, their hearts resonated with each other, so he could vaguely sense Qiao Wan's situation.
With the dragon scales constantly fluctuating, Gan Nan clutched the scroll tightly and sighed in frustration.
After his little sister went down the mountain, she must have had a hard time. Unfortunately, he was still too useless. The dragon scale oath was of no use at all!
Because he was too weak, he was dragged back by Senior Duan and couldn't even participate in the Three Teachings Law Meeting, let alone the Kunshan Fellow Practitioner Meeting in a few months.
"Uh... Ah!"
Gan Nan, feeling more and more hopeless, covered his face with one hand. His male pride felt like it was being fried in a pan, causing him great agony.
Even though he was a bit useless, he still had his own personality and male dignity! But now, when his little sister was suffering, he couldn't do anything.
"Gan Junior Brother?" The Confucian scholar in front stopped in confusion, looking at the young man who had inexplicably fallen into despair.
The young man suddenly snapped out of it and stumbled along, holding onto the letter tightly.
"Here I come! Here I come!"
Indeed, he had to practice well!
Clutching the letter, Gan Nan silently clenched his fist against his chest, once again making up his mind.
Just like what Qiao Wan had said, he would punch Lone Sword Xie Xingzhi and kick the sick Lu Pihan's butt!
*
Lu Cixian disappeared.
Fang Lingqing's face turned serious as he took out a jade token.
On the jade token, there was a small red dot symbolizing Lu Cixian. It was still glowing, but it had stopped in one place for several hours.
He specifically went around with Qi Feidao , but found nothing.
Lu Cixian, a big living person, suddenly disappeared out of thin air?!
"How's it going?"
When he looked up, Fang Lingqing saw Qi Feidao standing there, raising an eyebrow and asking, "Any leads?"
Fang Lingqing shook his head.
Although Lu Cixian disappeared, to be honest, he wasn't particularly worried.
Just thinking about Lu Cixian's pretty face and his impressive moves, Fang Lingqing deeply felt that his worries were completely unnecessary.
Besides, this is just an illusion. Even if Lu Cixian "dies," he will just be sent back to Lotus Seat Peak.
The only thing that bothers Fang Lingqing is that Lu Cixian is his teammate, and if he "dies," it would be extremely difficult for him to solo the enemies.
Although Lu Cixian is a bit annoying, Fang Lingqing reluctantly admits that it's quite exciting to team up with him to defeat enemies.
Maybe because the unhappy expression on his face was too obvious, Qi Feidao seemed to have thought of something. With a serious look, he again put down his hand and patted his shoulder, his eyes showing a mix of sympathy and concern.
"Don't worry, Taoist Friend Lu has good fortune on his side. Perhaps he will have some other amazing encounters."
Then, his gaze subtly shifted downward.
Fang Lingqing jumped up as if his butt was on fire and glared angrily, saying, "I have nothing to do with Lu Cixian!"
What's with that comforting gaze of a widow? Who cares about that expressionless, disgusting guy Lu Cixian! He certainly doesn't care about that disgusting guy!
On Lotus Seat Peak.
A white light shimmered near the entrance to the illusion.
Chu Tongzheng stepped out with a confused look on her face, paused for a second, and then instinctively touched her own chest.
If she hadn't touched it, it would have been fine. But as soon as she did, the image of Lu Cixian's sword appeared in front of her again.
Chu Tongzheng let out a frustrated sigh and released her hand.
Lu Cixian, you jerk!
She had thought before about accompanying him through all sorts of difficulties, exploring a thousand mountains, and cooking soup for him alone. They would hold each other tightly in the dim snowy evening.
The disciple guarding the entrance to the fantasy realm was surprised.
He had been guarding this realm for a day and had seen many cultivators teleport out.
Some looked confused, not realizing they had already returned home. Others were furious, itching to draw their swords and charge back for a decisive battle. And there were those who seemed lost and resentful, with a look of despair and resentment on their faces.
There were already few female cultivators, so it was quite eye-catching when a beautiful and delicate female cultivator, with skin as fair as snow and a face as pretty as a peach blossom, appeared.
To their surprise, this female Taoist friend didn't do anything after coming out. She just touched her own chest with one hand, blinked her eyelashes, bit her lip, and burst into tears?!
The disciple guarding the gate of the Light Palace took a tentative step forward and asked, "Excuse me, are you a taoist friend?"
Chu Tongzheng was upset, pulling her dress and stomping her foot, "Lu Cixian, you heartless man!"
The disciples guarding the gate were not only surprised but also shocked to hear those familiar words!
Taking a closer look at the female cultivator in front of him, he became even more horrified.
Why does this female taoist friend in front of me look so much like the Souvenir Stone?
The commotion finally caught the attention of those nearby. Someone with wide eyes shouted, "Isn't that the one on the Souvenir Stone?!"
"Which one? Which one on the Souvenir Stone?!"
"The one who is with Lu Cixian!"
With a loud shout, everyone by the illusion turned to look. When they saw Chu Tongzheng, they were all amazed.
It's really her!
Just thinking about the critical moment when the picture was cut, the people from Lotus Seat Peak couldn't help but sigh deeply.
With such a good atmosphere, whether they did it or not, give us some certainty!
But when they saw Chu Tongzheng , everyone looked at each other in surprise and doubt.
Inside this illusion, weren't we still lovey-dovey? Why are you crying like this?
The girl sobbed, "Lu Cixian, you heartless man!"
Heartless man?!
- What happened? Did you break up?
- Could it be that this taoist friend didn't want you, so Lu Cixian forced himself on you?
- Lu Cixian showed his dominance and made this taoist friend cry?
Just then, a sound of creaking wheels and clinking beads synchronized together.
From afar, they could see a disfigured dark-faced demon following a stunning beauty who looked like a goddess.
There's nothing interesting about the Souvenir Stone, it seemed like a bunch of young clueless kids killing each other.
The ways they died were too horrible to look at, which made Ma Huaizhen sneer in contempt. As he continued watching, the demon seemed to think of something and smirked, causing Yuan Liu to shiver involuntarily.
Maybe because he was bored, Ma Huaizhen lazily shouted and asked Yuan Liu to push the wheelchair, so they could go around with Venerable One Miaofa.
Then, unexpectedly, they came across this scene and overheard a conversation. Even Ma Huaizhen couldn't help but notice Miaofa's reaction.
Although it was their first contact with the renowned Venerable One Miaofa, Ma Huaizhen had already figured out his temperament in a short period of time.
Seems like this Venerable One is quite concerned about someone named Lu Cixian.
The mention of Lu Cixian's triumph and making the taoist friend cry, swiftly entered their ears.
As they passed by Lotus Seat Peak, Ma Huaizhen's half-face, which was already damaged, twitched subtly.
With Yuan Liu, a young monk following closely behind Miaofa, he caught a glimpse of the beautiful Venerable One and shivered. With the compassionate beliefs of the Buddhist teachings in mind, he quickly clasped his hands together and thought solemnly,
"Fairy Qiao, it's best if you don't come out. If you appear, not even the living Buddha could save you."
Amitabha Buddha.
*
At the moment when Qiao Wan fell into the raging flames, she hurriedly activated her spiritual power to protect her vital organs, meridians, and bones.
Once she landed, the ground fire surged up her body.
It hurt, it hurt, it hurt!
As the flames touched her skin, Qiao Wan's face contorted in pain. The heat from the fire made her eyes unable to open. After great effort, she managed to open her eyes and looked ahead.
All she could see were endless waves of fire, like a never-ending sea.
Zhang Zhiyi and his Five-element compass seemed to be an independent small space. And as long as it's a small space, there is a possibility of breaking free.
So now... let's search for it.
To find the "crack" that can break through this space, they must move forward. But in this situation, with each step, it becomes more difficult.
Their feet burned, their flesh stuck to the ground, and every time they lifted their feet, their flesh was ripped off.
Their feet were especially sensitive, causing excruciating pain.
Especially when the fire burned the wings of the golden eagle, Qiao Wan couldn't help but cry, regretting her past decisions.
If only she hadn't grown so big! She was in so much pain now!
Continuing to walk like this was not a good idea.
In great pain, Qiao Wan had a sudden realization.
The fire in Zhang Zhiyi's compass was different from ordinary fire. It contained a bit of spiritual energy, specifically designed to deal with cultivators.
When she was refining her own skin before, she used a iron pot but the main thing was to add spirit herbs and medicine to the pot, absorbing the spiritual energy from the potion.
Taking a deep breath, Qiao Wan sat down and decided to start refining her skin.
After having the experience of stewing herself in an iron pot before, this time it wasn't too difficult for Qiao Wan to barbecue herself.
Having endured this period, Qiao Wan was surprised to find that not only did she no longer feel any pain, but she also had a subtle sense of being in a refreshing steam room.
Her skin and flesh felt as smooth and delicate as porcelain being fired in a kiln. Sweat seeped out of her skin and was licked away by the flames in the next second.
However, unlike fragile bottles and jars, her skin and flesh remained strong and resilient after being heated.
Qiao Wan freed one hand and clenched it tightly.
Not only that, she seemed to feel that her muscles all over her body were more well-developed.
With her skin-refinement, the next part of the journey became much easier.
Moving forward, the fire subsided, and she could hear the sound of rushing water in her ears.
This next element is water, one of the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth!
