Chapter 477: Heart Knot
Behind Ao Xinyan, a two-meter-tall purple exotic plant grew. Silently, the surface of its leaves began to show blood vessel patterns.
At the tip of a leaf, the flesh split open, revealing a large black eye, resembling a human eye or that of a ferocious beast.
"Be careful," Zhang Ruochen said.
Ao Xinyan was slightly startled, and the next moment, she too sensed the dangerous aura and was about to dodge.
"Whoosh!"
One of the leaves of the purple exotic plant quickly curled around and wrapped itself around Ao Xinyan's body.
With her hands bound, Ao Xinyan couldn't draw her sword. She could only channel her true qi to her arms, trying to snap the leaf.
But the leaf was incredibly tough; no matter how much force she used, she couldn't damage it in the slightest.
As Ao Xinyan panicked, she accidentally inhaled a nauseating, foul-smelling gas.
The gas seemed to be toxic. Ao Xinyan felt her mind grow groggy, her body numb, and even the flow of her true qi became increasingly slow.
"What a powerful human. Absorbing your blood qi should increase my cultivation by a hundred years."
The exotic plant actually spoke in a human voice.
The plant had seven leaves. One was wrapped around Ao Xinyan, while the tips of the remaining six leaves sharpened into thin, tube-like shapes and stabbed toward her delicate body.
"Swish!"
A sword cry rang out.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword flew from its sheath, tracing a graceful arc in the air.
The ancient sword dragged a sword qi, swung in a slash, and cut off all six leaves.
The severed leaves dripped with crimson blood.
The purple exotic plant let out a human-like scream. With only one leaf left, it coiled around Ao Xinyan and fled into the distance.
"It can even move?"
A faint smile appeared on Zhang Ruochen's lips. He extended an index finger and pointed through the air, sending out a scorching red sword wave.
The purple exotic plant was struck by the sword wave and shattered into pieces.
The leaves were covered in flames, crackling as they burned into a pile of black ash.
Ao Xinyan lay on the ground, her eyes tightly shut.
Zhang Ruochen retrieved the Abyssal Ancient Sword, walked over, and pressed two fingers to her neck.
The tips of his fingers released true qi, which entered her body.
Then, Zhang Ruochen withdrew his hand and said, "The poison she's taken isn't very strong; it's only temporarily knocked her unconscious. With her cultivation, she should wake up in at most half a day."
"Tsk! Zhang Ruochen, why did you have to get involved with such a troublesome person? Why not just leave her here and go collect the origin qi first?" Xiao Hei said.
Zhang Ruochen hesitated for a moment, then said, "Take her with us. She's unconscious now. If we leave her here, she'll soon be eaten by the wood spirits and grass monsters in the forest."
"How? You carry her, or I do?" Xiao Hei asked.
"Of course, you."
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands behind his back, activated the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow movement technique, and vanished into the forest, leaving only a series of fading afterimages.
Xiao Hei glanced at Ao Xinyan and muttered, "What a pain."
With that, he hoisted Ao Xinyan onto his back, turned into a streak of black light, and swiftly chased after Zhang Ruochen.
Not long after Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei left, a group of people arrived at the spot where they had been.
It was Pei Ji, Xi Yunxi, Zuo Qiuling, and the eighteen Heaven Extreme Realm Great Perfection experts dispatched by the three sacred clans.
"Buzz, buzz!"
Above Zuo Qiuling's head, a swarm of bees hovered, each the size of a fist.
These were second-rank savage beasts, Thousand-Mile Bees.
Zuo Qiuling was not only a martial arts prodigy but also a highly talented beast tamer. That was how he could command the Thousand-Mile Bees to track the aura Zhang Ruochen had left behind.
"Zhang Ruochen must have left about a quarter of an hour ago, and he's continued heading northeast," Zuo Qiuling said.
Xi Yunxi looked puzzled and asked, "What exactly is Zhang Ruochen trying to do by coming to the Wood Essence Ruins Realm?"
Zuo Qiuling said, "Zhang Ruochen's move has not only drawn us to the Wood Essence Ruins Realm but also attracted the Black Market and the Demon Sect. It seems there might really be something extraordinary here. Otherwise, Zhang Ruochen wouldn't take such a big risk."
Xi Yunxi stroked her chin thoughtfully and said meaningfully, "Maybe the Buddha Emperor and the Golden Dragon told him some secret before they died. That secret might be in the Wood Essence Ruins Realm."
Zuo Qiuling's expression stiffened, and he said, "That's actually possible."
Pei Ji's face darkened as he said, "Right now, guessing is useless. Once we catch him, we'll naturally know why he came to the Wood Essence Ruins Realm."
Zuo Qiuling and Xi Yunxi nodded.
Guided by the Thousand-Mile Bees, they continued their pursuit.
The daytime in the Wood Essence Ruins Realm was long, taking up two-thirds of the day.
When night fell, two bright moons appeared in the sky, enormous like crystalline jade plates hanging on a black cloth, casting down strands of silvery light.
Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei stopped their journey and found a high vantage point to rest.
Ao Xinyan had woken up. After taking a detoxifying pill, although her cultivation hadn't fully recovered, she was no longer in danger.
But since waking up, she had remained silent, standing motionless under the moonlight.
She had always been proud and willful. Losing to Zhang Ruochen was one thing, but after leaving the Holy Academy, she had nearly died twice in a row. If Zhang Ruochen hadn't saved her, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
How could this be?
Ao Xinyan began to doubt her own strength even more.
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged on a white stone. After a period of meditation, he had fully restored the true qi he had consumed during the day, returning to his peak state.
He was getting closer and closer to the Heaven Extreme Realm Great Extreme Position and should break through within a few days.
Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath, withdrew the true qi that had dispersed around his body, opened his eyes, and looked at Ao Xinyan. She was still standing in the same spot, as if she hadn't moved at all.
Ao Xinyan's eyes locked onto Zhang Ruochen, and she said, "Zhang Ruochen, are you laughing at me in your heart?"
"Why would I laugh at you?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"You must be laughing at me for being useless, for not knowing my place, for overestimating myself. Maybe you're right. I really should find a place to hide, leave here, and obediently return to the Holy Academy."
Ao Xinyan's eyes reddened, as if she might cry.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Do you want the truth or a lie?"
"The truth."
Ao Xinyan tensed up, holding her breath.
Clearly, she cared a great deal about Zhang Ruochen's opinion of her.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Your talent is exceptional, one in ten thousand, worthy of being called a prodigy. If you work hard in your cultivation from now on, you have hope of becoming a saint."
"You're lying to me," Ao Xinyan said.
"I have no reason to lie to you. If you didn't have such outstanding talent, I wouldn't bother saying so much to you, let alone save you twice," Zhang Ruochen said.
"But..." Ao Xinyan began.
Zhang Ruochen stood up and said, "The reason you're so lost right now is that you've never faced setbacks. People only learn how to get back up after they've fallen."
He continued, "The reason you were ambushed by the Wei family's eldest and the grass spirit isn't that you're not strong enough. It's because you've lacked experience since childhood, haven't seen the darkness in people's hearts, and are too arrogant about your own strength."
"The ruins realm battlefield isn't an arena duel. Surviving here isn't easy."
"You don't need to be so pessimistic. After a few more trials and a few more setbacks, you won't be so vulnerable in the future."
Ao Xinyan listened quietly to Zhang Ruochen's words, like a little girl receiving a lecture from an elder.
He told her many things, and she silently absorbed them. Her beautiful eyes grew brighter and brighter as she looked at Zhang Ruochen, a different light flickering in them.
About two hours later.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I've told you almost everything I need to. Whether you can untie that knot in your heart is up to you."
Ao Xinyan's mood seemed to have improved significantly. A smile appeared on her face, and she said, "Captain, you said earlier that only those who have fallen know how to get back up. Does that mean you've fallen before too?"
She had taken the initiative to change her address of Zhang Ruochen to "Captain," showing that her mindset had truly shifted.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at her, a look of recollection in his eyes. He nodded and said, as if to himself, "I've fallen before, and I fell hard. I almost didn't get a chance to stand back up."
"That can't be! You're so strong, practically invincible among your peers. Who could make you fall?" Ao Xinyan asked curiously.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Don't ask. Even if you do, I won't answer. Also, I'll advise you one more time: it's best not to follow me in the Wood Essence Ruins Realm. It won't do you any good."
"Why? A beauty like me wants to travel with you, and you'd refuse? You know, many heirs of sacred clans have invited me, and I never gave them a chance."
Ao Xinyan seemed to have untied her heart knot. In a good mood, she smiled brightly, her teeth gleaming, and teased Zhang Ruochen.
Under the moonlight, Ao Xinyan's skin was as smooth as jade, her facial features exquisitely beautiful, and her figure curvaceous, outlining graceful lines.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Because I'm going to make an enemy of the entire Wood Essence Ruins Realm."
"What?" Ao Xinyan asked.
"You wouldn't understand even if I explained."
Just as Ao Xinyan was pondering the meaning of Zhang Ruochen's words, his ears twitched slightly. His eyes sharpened, and he quickly turned around, looking toward the southwest. "Such a powerful killing intent. They've finally caught up!"