The Young Lady Only Wants to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 64

Inside the secret chamber, after A’Ling left, Lan Fushang vigorously wiped away her tears, suppressing the fear and other emotions in her heart. What she could do now was not to be a burden to A’Ling; she had to take good care of Gu Jingyang.
After Gu Jingyang’s pulse stabilized, Lan Fushang stopped channeling spiritual energy, and carefully unfastened Gu Jingyang’s robes, which had long lost their original color. Tossing aside the blood-soaked robes, she meticulously tended to Gu Jingyang’s wounds. Seeing the raw, torn flesh, Lan Fushang’s eyes immediately brimmed with tears. She could only tilt her head back slightly and force the tears back, now was not the time to cry.
One by one, she disinfected all of Gu Jingyang’s wounds, applying the best medicinal paste she had brought. The wounds on her body were manageable, but Gu Jingyang’s most severe injuries were on her hands. The flesh on her entire palm was almost entirely gone; if not for the bones maintaining its shape, it would have been impossible to tell it was a human hand. It must have been injured by the Blazing Azure Edge Sword. When they first arrived at the Great Demon Cave, A’Ling had asked Gu Jingyang if she had been injured after using that sword. A’Ling had mentioned that the sword would injure the wielder while harming the enemy, and had already warned Gu Jingyang not to use it again. Thinking of this, tears silently trickled down Lan Fushang’s cheeks. It was all her fault. If she hadn’t been discovered by that monstrous beast, A’Ling wouldn’t have needed to come rescue her, and Gu Jingyang wouldn’t have needed to use the Blazing Azure Edge Sword again to save the two of them.
Lan Fushang’s heart ached dully. She struggled to steady her trembling hands as she carefully applied medicine to Gu Jingyang’s hands. After all of Gu Jingyang’s wounds were tended to, Lan Fushang took out a clean set of clothes and dressed Gu Jingyang, then retrieved a blanket and covered her. The secret chamber was cold and damp. Gu Jingyang was too severely injured, and her spiritual energy was too depleted, making it difficult for her to ward off the cold on her own. She glanced at Gu Jingyang, who looked troubled even in her peaceful sleep. Listening to the increasingly fierce sounds of battle outside, she quickly got up and began searching the secret chamber.
Lan Fushang wanted to see if there were any other exits in the secret chamber. A’Ling had only checked for monstrous beasts in the chamber earlier, and hadn’t had time to thoroughly search for other exits. If an exit could be found, then perhaps they would be saved. Lan Fushang ran her hands along the walls, checking every inch. The occasional loud thuds from outside, accompanied by the trembling walls, made Lan Fushang’s heart tremble fiercely.
She finished checking all four walls, finding nothing. She then crouched down, kneeling in the accumulated water, and fumbled her way forward bit by bit. When she crawled to the center of the puddle, near the throne, Lan Fushang apologized to the skeleton on the throne, and carefully picked up the bones to check if the throne had any special features. The moment she picked up the skeleton, she heard a ‘plop,’ and something fell into the water. Lan Fushang quickly reached for it. When she picked it up and saw it in her palm, it was actually a Cosmos Pearl. Lan Fushang placed the skeleton back on the throne, which revealed no abnormalities. Holding the pearl in her hand, she wondered, Did this belong to the skeleton? Was it hidden in its palm just now? She didn’t know if the item belonged to the skeleton before her. She tried to open it, but couldn’t find the key or a way to unlock it. She decided to put it away for now. As a medical cultivator, by instinct, Lan Fushang instinctively examined the skeleton. She confirmed there were no external injuries, suggesting it had died naturally of old age. She quickly discarded these thoughts and continued searching the secret chamber.
Just as she was about to continue searching the puddle, a continuous low roar came from outside. It was the mutated Sword Dragon. For some unknown reason, it was unusually and ceaselessly roaring. Lan Fushang splashed through the water, hurrying towards the secret chamber door. She pressed herself against the door, trying desperately to hear the commotion outside, but could only hear the low roar that had been going on for a long time. Her heart in turmoil, she frantically pounded on the door a few times, and called out in panic towards the outside.
“A’Ling!”
Shi Qingqian gazed at the barrier that suddenly flickered with a faint light, abruptly giving voice to the worry in her heart. If anyone outside A’Ling’s cave dwelling had been spying, they would have been shocked that A’Ling’s ugly dog could speak human language.
Inside the cave dwelling, the night was deep, the bright moon hung high, and the stars were dim. The people who had been watching the commotion during the day had long since dispersed. Shi Qingqian sat back down at her desk. She looked again at the weakened layer of the barrier. Shi Qingqian decided she could wait no longer. She withdrew her gaze and looked at the talisman on the table. This was the last talisman in A’Ling’s cave dwelling, and her last chance. Shi Qingqian closed her eyes briefly. When she reopened them, there was no trace of hesitation in her eyes. She quickly drew a barrier-breaking talisman on the paper. Although her current hand was a furry paw, and the talisman she drew was irregular, if a high-cultivation elder were present, they would likely recognize at a glance that the talisman Shi Qingqian drew was not of the righteous path. If A’Ling were here, she would also recognize that the final stroke of the drawing was reversed. If it were drawn correctly, it would be the Inner Sect’s most common barrier-breaking talisman, its power derived from the talisman wielder’s spiritual energy cultivation. Shi Qingqian’s current body had no spiritual energy to begin with; this was the fundamental reason she hadn’t been able to break A’Ling’s barrier these past few days. Unless absolutely necessary, Shi Qingqian would not use demonic arts within Mystic Crane Mountain. If discovered, it would likely lead to trouble. She had originally intended to wait until deeper into the night, but seeing the barrier flickering on the verge of collapse multiple times, Shi Qingqian could no longer wait.
The fiery glow of the burning talisman fell into Shi Qingqian’s eyes, like stars falling into an eternal dark river. A silver light flashed in her deep black eyes. Gazing at the barrier, which cracked open like a shattered mercury mirror, Shi Qingqian suddenly burst forth, soaring over the endless wilderness of the night, with only one thought in her mind: Faster, even faster. She had to quickly return to her true body and ascertain A’Ling’s whereabouts. A’Ling was likely at her limit!
A’Ling half-knelt on the blood-stained ground, watching in disbelief as the mutated Sword Dragon slowly rose to its feet amidst its companion’s continuous low roars. The mutated Sword Dragon, whose tail had been cut off by Gu Jingyang, and which A’Ling had knocked unconscious, had actually risen again. Amidst these seemingly urging sounds, it pressed itself back against the wall from which it had originally appeared, slowly disappearing as if melting into the rock… A’Ling watched all of this unfold. If not for the throbbing pain from her wounds, she would have thought she was dreaming. What was going on? Why could the Sword Dragon return into the wall? Was there a secret chamber inside the wall? No, that couldn’t be it. If so, it would have ‘returned,’ not ‘disappeared’ like this. Was this disappearance temporary, or would it reappear from the wall later? A’Ling knew nothing about this, and had no time to thoroughly explore it.
The mutated Sword Dragon that had urged its companion to return was even larger and seemed stronger than the one that had just disappeared. Its skin and flesh seemed to be made of Adamantite Steel; her Little Wandering couldn’t inflict the slightest damage. A’Ling lay crumpled on the ground, covered in wounds. If the mutated Sword Dragon before her hadn’t suddenly stopped to urge its companion, she would likely have been trampled into a pulp. The mutated Sword Dragon seemed to have realized that A’Ling was no longer a threat. It didn’t even spare A’Ling another glance, but instead walked towards the secret chamber. Its arrogant and terrifying tail suddenly slammed against the barrier A’Ling had set up. That barrier was linked to her divine soul. With such a forceful blow, A’Ling instantly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Damn it! If this continued, in less than ten blows, her barrier would be broken, and she would die here.
A’Ling was furious. The barrier in her cave dwelling had already been broken by who-knew-who, and she didn’t know how her ugly dog was faring. She absolutely would not allow this barrier to be broken by anyone—oh no, by this mutated monstrous beast. A’Ling glanced at the tightly shut secret chamber door. She would absolutely not allow anyone or anything to harm Gu Jingyang and the others, unless she died! She re-gripped Little Wandering, which glowed with purple-gold light, and fiercely wrapped it around her already blood-soaked wrist twice. “I’ll pull out all your bone plates and use them as a sled!”
A’Ling roared with rage, flew up on her sword, and charged towards the mutated Sword Dragon at top speed. As she approached, she suddenly leaped up, her iron sword still cutting through the air, stabbing towards the mutated Sword Dragon. The mutated Sword Dragon seemed to pay no mind to A’Ling’s sword. With a flick of its head, it knocked the iron sword away. A’Ling’s eyes narrowed. This was the chance she had been waiting for. A’Ling suddenly flipped over, leaped onto the mutated Sword Dragon’s back, and swiftly wrapped Little Wandering around its neck. This mutated Sword Dragon had no weaknesses anywhere on its body; even the skin under its neck was as hard as iron. A’Ling had previously tried to strangle it by tightly constricting Little Wandering around its neck, but found it completely useless. The mutated Sword Dragon probably thought A’Ling was trying the same move again. It showed no panic, snorting through its nose, and suddenly shook its body, intending to throw A’Ling off. A’Ling was sent flying, but the two ends of Little Wandering had one end tightly clasped around the mutated Sword Dragon’s neck, and the other tightly around A’Ling’s wrist. After being thrown off, she quickly pulled herself back onto the mutated Sword Dragon’s back with the help of Little Wandering.
A’Ling wedged herself between two bone plates on the mutated Sword Dragon’s back, her eyes blazing with fierce light. She grabbed the largest bone plate on the Sword Dragon’s back, roared, channeled her internal energy, and with her bare hands, violently ripped the bone plate from the mutated Sword Dragon’s body!
“ROAR—ROAR—ROAR—”
A beast’s cry, like a mountain collapsing and a sea splitting, filled with trembling wails, made all the monstrous beasts on Zhuoling Mountain shrink back into the earth in fear. The plants and trees where these monstrous beasts resided rustled as if moved by no wind. For a moment, the entire mountain was filled with ‘rustling’ sounds everywhere. They had lived on this mountain for so long, yet this was the first time they had heard such a terrifying roar from the Great Demon Cave. Inside the demon cave, the mutated Sword Dragon, howling in pain, furiously thrashed about the cave, slamming into the rock walls like a mad beast, attempting to dislodge A’Ling from its back. The fresh blood from A’Ling’s wrist was like sap flowing ceaselessly from an oak tree that had been gashed. She ignored the pain. Each time she was thrown off, she used Little Wandering to climb back onto the mutated Sword Dragon’s back. No matter how frantically the mutated Sword Dragon raged, A’Ling focused solely on its row of bone plates, ripping them out one by one, like pulling teeth from a fierce beast. The mutated Sword Dragon’s exterior had mutated to have no weaknesses, but A’Ling refused to believe that even its internal bones and blood were invulnerable. If she couldn’t break through it, she would pull it out.
By the time A’Ling pulled out the last bone plate from the mutated Sword Dragon’s back, she looked as if she had been dragged out of a pool of blood. Blood dripped from her body, face, eyes, and mouth; every single strand of her hair was dripping blood. With a ‘rumble,’ the mutated Sword Dragon, now missing its last bone plate, let out a mournful wail and crashed to the ground. The fresh blood gushing from the dozens of holes on its back instantly filled the numerous craters created in the ground. A’Ling collapsed into one of the blood-filled craters. She wiped her face, clearing the blood that obstructed her vision, and looked at the colossal beast lying beside her, feeling somewhat dazed and disoriented. Is it over? Her back, which had been tensed for so long, suddenly felt as if a tightly bound iron plate had been removed, and it went limp and sore. She hurt so much. She wanted to lie down for a while. If it was truly over, A’Ling wondered if she could rest for just a little bit? She truly hurt so much. Her bones felt shattered. She didn’t even know if her hand was still there; she couldn’t feel it anymore.
A’Ling clenched her back teeth, enduring the excruciating pain, struggling to turn her neck to see if her hand was still there. But just as she managed to twist half her body, aggravating her wounds and almost causing her to faint from the pain, what she saw first was not her hand, but a colossal, human-head-sized, pitch-black eye on the opposite wall. The wall trembled, and everything seemed to return to square one. The mutated Sword Dragon that had ‘disappeared’ into the wall, had returned. A’Ling glanced at its tail, which clearly had a color difference from its body, and let out a bitter laugh. Great, this wall not only heals injuries but also regrows severed tails. The mutated Sword Dragon had evidently fully recovered its strength. Its wounds had completely healed, and even the tail that Gu Jingyang had severed had grown back. A’Ling heard its continuous low roar. She knew it was urging the fallen mutated Sword Dragon on the ground to return into the wall. She had never felt so desperate in her life. So this was what it felt like to be so close to success, only to find that everything was in vain. A’Ling gasped rapidly. Her heart ached as if it had been pierced by a dozen holes by the bone plates she had just ripped out with her own hands, and from each hole, someone was gouging out flesh and blood. Sour, bitter, painful, and helpless. She wanted to cry, but it felt absurdly comical. How could this be…? A’Ling watched in despair as the fallen mutated Sword Dragon rose amidst a bloody mist, and then disappeared into the wall. Then she watched as the mutated Sword Dragon, with its regrown tail, charged towards her with fierce eyes. The blood puddles it trampled along the way, every splash of blood seemed to land in A’Ling’s eyes. Her eyes stung terribly.
A’Ling squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she looked at her wrist, still entwined with Little Wandering; the skin there was abraded to the point where bone was visible. Enduring pain as if being slowly cut apart, she tore off a piece of clothing, gritted her teeth, and wrapped it tightly around her wrist several times, then re-wrapped Little Wandering around it. A’Ling knew this might all be in vain. The injured mutated Sword Dragon could simply return to the wall and start anew, while she was slowly exhausting her spiritual energy. This was a destined losing battle, but she couldn’t help but enter the fray. The longer she stalled, the more Gu Jingyang could recover. She could die, but Gu Jingyang absolutely could not!
A’Ling remembered that before entering Mystic Crane Mountain, Gu Hongjue had sought her out privately. He had given A’Ling another hundred thousand spiritual stones, claiming that the profit from the Haocang Stone brought to the Gu family far exceeded the hundred thousand spiritual stones given to A’Ling. He felt very embarrassed, so he thought of sending more. He rambled on, beating around the bush, until A’Ling couldn’t take it anymore and directly asked if he had something to say, telling him to just say it. Seeing A’Ling’s bluntness, Gu Hongjue felt it would seem indecisive to keep beating around the bush. “A’Ling, we’ve known each other for quite a while now. My Jingyang, and my wife—we’ve all treated you quite well, haven’t we?” A’Ling nodded. There was no doubt about that: “Of course, you’ve all been very kind to me. So please take this money back. The previous hundred thousand spiritual stones were already enough.” Gu Hongjue shook his head: “Just keep the money. You haven’t been to the Inner Sect, so you don’t know, but there are many places to spend money there. If you want good advancement pills or fine cultivation artifacts, you’ll need spiritual stones for them.” A’Ling raised an eyebrow, looking at him, still feeling he was beating around the bush: “Uncle Gu, just say what you mean.” Gu Hongjue, hearing A’Ling’s words, suddenly reddened at the eyes and sniffled. A’Ling was even more surprised. Gu Hongjue was, after all, the current head of the Gu family, a renowned figure in the Outer Sect. Why was he suddenly so vulnerable? He looked as if he had aged more than ten years, and the wrinkles between his brows were deeper.
“A’Ling, I won’t beat around the bush with you anymore. Jingyang, this child, has been exceptionally talented since childhood. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have agreed to her pursuing the path of cultivation. But Mystic Crane Mountain, you haven’t been there, it’s not a peaceful place. You might encounter many people, many demons, and many monstrous beasts. There will be many life-and-death situations. Uncle Gu almost didn’t make it out alive back then. If I hadn’t been saved by fellow disciples, I would probably have rotted away inside Mystic Crane Mountain. I came to you today to beg you: if you encounter danger, please, please help our Jingyang.” A’Ling furrowed her brow in confusion. Her abilities were so far inferior to Gu Jingyang’s; how could she possibly help her? Gu Hongjue saw that A’Ling didn’t seem to fully understand, but he found it hard to say the plain truth. He couldn’t possibly say, ‘If it’s truly dangerous, you must protect Jingyang even if it costs you your life,’ could he? He awkwardly looked around, then suddenly changed the topic: “Are you comfortable living in this house?” A’Ling was confused as to why the conversation had turned here, but she did genuinely like the house: “Yes. Speaking of which, I haven’t thanked Uncle Gu yet.” Although the house was Gu Jingyang’s private property, it was ultimately Gu Hongjue who had given it to her.
Gu Hongjue smiled: “You should thank me. That night, you suddenly said you needed a place to stay, and Jingyang pleaded with me to get a house ready for you within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. That day, I emptied out the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion of the Gu manor. It was my first time flying back and forth on my sword, carrying a Cosmos Bag full of furniture just to set up a place for someone.” “Huh?” A’Ling was astonished. She remembered Gu Jingyang saying the house already came furnished. She hadn’t expected that Gu Hongjue had actually furnished and cleaned the place. “Gu Jingyang, she…” A’Ling didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t realized Gu Jingyang had gone to such lengths just to give her a place to stay. Seeing A’Ling’s touched expression, Gu Hongjue felt somewhat relieved. It was good that she knew gratitude. He also knew his current thoughts were rather base, but he was truly worried about his Jingyang. If he could always be by Jingyang’s side, in times of danger, he would unhesitatingly stake his life for her. But he couldn’t bring himself to directly ask A’Ling to do the same. He deliberated, unsure how to voice his request, while A’Ling had already fully understood Gu Hongjue’s intentions. Her heart felt as if Gu Hongjue had seized it and flayed it upon a blade’s edge. She wasn’t angry at Gu Hongjue’s selfishness; she was just very envious of Gu Jingyang. Envious that she had such thoughtful parents. When Gu Jingyang entered Mystic Crane Mountain, Gu Jiangxue would personally escort her, and Gu Hongjue had anxiously come to her, hoping she would protect Gu Jingyang. A’Ling’s heart ached as if pierced by a volley of arrows. But what about her? She had nothing. She forced a smile, and said to Gu Hongjue: “Uncle Gu, don’t worry. Even if I die, I won’t let Gu Jingyang die. I will protect her with my life.” Gu Hongjue’s eyes suddenly reddened: “Good, good child. Uncle Gu didn’t mean it that way. I just hope you two can watch out for each other and both be well. Don’t blame Uncle, and don’t tell Jingyang about this. You know Jingyang; she’s definitely the same as you. She would also stake her life to protect you.” A’Ling nodded. It was precisely because she knew this that she had agreed.
A’Ling sharply inhaled, snapping out of her memories. She glanced at the tightly shut secret chamber door. If Gu Jingyang hadn’t used her full strength with the Blazing Azure Edge Sword to save her, she wouldn’t be in a coma now. She had to save her. Even if it meant self-destructing her core and perishing with this mutated Sword Dragon, she would save Gu Jingyang. Otherwise, how sad would Gu Hongjue and Gu Jiangxue be…? Anyway, she was alone. If she died, she died. A’Ling clutched Little Wandering tightly, supporting herself as she slowly and laboriously stood up. The mutated Sword Dragon was getting closer. A’Ling gathered all the spiritual energy in her Dantian into her palm. Purple lightning enveloped her entire arm. Seeing the mutated Sword Dragon almost upon her, A’Ling let out a loud cry, raised her whip, intending to perish with this cursed mutated Sword Dragon.
But before her whip could even strike, a black rift suddenly tore open in the void! A blinding sword light flashed. A completely dark iron sword, carrying earth-shattering sword energy, thrust directly towards the mutated Sword Dragon’s eye. The trailing sword energy was like a bolt of lightning.
“ROAR—”
A’Ling’s eyes widened. She saw that the iron sword had actually pierced through the iron-hard protective shield over the mutated Sword Dragon’s eye, thrusting directly into its eye. This single sword strike, carrying extraordinary momentum, its sword energy seemingly tangible, actually pinned the colossal beast in place and pushed it back more than ten zhang. The sound from the vibrating sword hilt was like countless tormented souls howling and screaming. A’Ling looked at the suddenly appearing void rift, and the figure that descended from it like a celestial deity. Enormous golden flames swirled around her. Her long hair fanned out with the movements of the flames. Her pale face wore a solemn expression, but the worry contained within her shimmering eyes made her still appear like a mortal.
“Shi Qingqian?” A’Ling looked at the newcomer, voicing her confusion: How did she get here? Did the cave dwelling know something had happened here, and send her? A’Ling didn’t know why, but the moment she saw her, the last bit of strength she had been holding onto finally gave out. She stumbled, staggered back a few steps, and, her body aching, slowly sat down against the cave wall.
The figure before her, who had appeared like a deity, as the golden light faded, suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and collapsed. Shi Qingqian laboriously propped herself up on her knees, kneeling on one knee before A’Ling. She wanted to ask if A’Ling was alright, but as the words reached her lips, the blood she had forcibly swallowed rushed out again, mixed with her words. A’Ling only heard a choked sound, and then saw a thin trail of blood seep from Shi Qingqian’s cracked lips. Soon after, that bleeding slit seemed to open like a demonic maw. An endless stream of fresh blood traced a path from Shi Qingqian’s lips, across her jaw, soaking the collar of her plain white robes. A’Ling was utterly astonished. A guess formed in her mind, but she couldn’t be entirely sure.
“You used spatial transmission to get here from Mystic Crane Mountain?”
A’Ling’s tone was filled with pure shock. Thinking of Shi Qingqian’s void appearance just now, and her current appearance of depleted spiritual energy. She remembered Gu Jingyang saying that the further the distance, the more spiritual energy was consumed. Shi Qingqian laboriously swallowed the blood in her throat, and nodded slightly. Although the movement was minimal, it still caused her agonizing pain. Her shattered ribs felt as if they were piercing her flesh and blood. Shi Qingqian was in too much pain to straighten up.
“Are you insane?! Did your brain get squeezed by a door?! Are you that lazy? You don’t want to walk even a little bit?!” A’Ling’s voice trembled with anger. She had originally held a faint hope that Shi Qingqian had just used spatial transmission when she got halfway and didn’t want to walk further. She never imagined this person would be crazy enough to use spatial transmission all the way from Mystic Crane Mountain. Gu Jingyang had said that even a Soul Transformation Realm peak master would exhaust all their spiritual energy using spatial transmission from Mystic Crane Mountain to Zhuoling Mountain. Without spiritual energy, anyone who came would just be one more person dying in vain. “Now look! You’re going to die too!” A’Ling looked at the person before her, whose face was so pale she seemed on the verge of fainting. She was so angry that the mouthful of blood she had been holding back finally couldn’t be suppressed, and as she spoke, blood seeped in streams from the corners of her lips.
Shi Qingqian propped herself up, gazing at the crimson blood at A’Ling’s lips. Her eyes burned with heat, and the entire rim of her eyes turned red. A furious roar erupted from not far away. A’Ling looked up. The mutated Sword Dragon had already broken free from the sword Shi Qingqian had just impaled it with, and was charging towards them. Its blinded eye oozed dark red blood. Its terrifying expression was like a fiend crawled out of hell. Great. Now they’d die together, a pair. She glanced at the person still kneeling before her. It was as if Shi Qingqian couldn’t hear the sounds behind her, simply staring intently at A’Ling. Shi Qingqian gazed at the vivid red at A’Ling’s lips, slowly extended her hand, and her slender fingers gently wiped the corner of A’Ling’s mouth. A’Ling wanted to turn her head away, but her movements paused, and her eyes widened in alarm. Her fresh blood, on Shi Qingqian’s fingertip, turned from vibrant red to dark crimson… In the blink of an eye, that dark crimson liquid seemed to evaporate, turning into a black mist.
The puddle of blood where Shi Qingqian’s kneeling knee touched instantly split into numerous fissures, and the vivid red blood rapidly spread in all directions along the countless cracks. A’Ling abruptly looked up, staring at the person before her. Black mist was rising all around her. For the first time, A’Ling saw madness and cruelty on Shi Qingqian’s face. In an instant, demonic energy permeated the demon cave. The illumination talismans, enveloped by demonic energy, dimmed considerably. In the pitch darkness, A’Ling heard a series of painful, suppressed breaths. This sound? A’Ling’s scalp tingled. She instantly felt as if she was back in those nights when she had first arrived in the Demon Realm. That obstructed breathing, like inhaling a strand of hair, was a torment endured day and night, making one wish for reincarnation. Listening to the heavy breathing beside her, A’Ling’s heart suddenly tightened.
Shi Qingqian… had fallen to the demonic path???