Chapter 705: The Seed of a Love Tribulation
"Hehe! Old dog Qi Hong, taste the power of the Cloud Peak Coiling Dragon Formation I, the Emperor, have set up!" Xiao Hei let out a loud laugh.
"Swoosh!"
Within a radius of a hundred zhang, the area formed a circular formation. The formation inscriptions emerged like green iron chains, intertwining to create the phantom of a green mountain peak.
On the mountain peak coiled a massive dragon, its claws extended forward, baring sharp fangs, its expression fierce and glaring.
The dozens of tombstones that flew over struck the formation, only to be neutralized by a layer of green light, shattering into stone powder.
Seeing that Xiao Hei's formation had blocked Qi Hong's attack, Zhang Ruochen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, he sensed Shengshu Cainü's delicate body struggling. He looked down at her and realized he was still holding her, so he immediately let go.
"Sorry, just now..."
Zhang Ruochen felt somewhat awkward, truly unsure how to explain himself.
Shengshu Cainü was also quite embarrassed, a shy expression appearing on her face. She immediately turned around to steady her emotions and said, "You don't need to apologize to me. I should be the one thanking you. The name Lin Yue—I'll remember it today! If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, feel free to come find me."
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Shengshu Cainü's bare jade-like back and thought to himself, *A transcendent, saintly proud daughter of heaven like her has probably never suffered such humiliation before, right?*
He untied his blood-stained Daoist robe and draped it over Shengshu Cainü's shoulders from behind.
Shengshu Cainü suddenly turned her head, her bright, beautiful eyes meeting Zhang Ruochen's gaze. In that instant, it was as if a certain string in her heart had been plucked.
At that moment, her heartbeat quickened by a few beats.
As a Spiritual Power Saint, she held Zhang Ruochen's gaze for several seconds before being forced to lower her head, a strange feeling stirring within her.
Why was this happening?
It seemed her saintly heart had been overwhelmed by him, making her wonder if this Lin Yue was actually a powerful Saint who was merely concealing his cultivation.
Otherwise, why would a Spiritual Power Saint have to avoid the gaze of a Fish-Dragon Realm cultivator? The thought made Shengshu Cainü feel utterly defeated.
To hide her inner panic, Shengshu Cainü quickly grabbed the two edges of the Daoist robe and wrapped them around herself, her fragrant heart still racing. She said softly, "Thank you."
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Shengshu Cainü, genuinely puzzled as to why a lofty Spiritual Power Saint would act so much like a timid young woman.
He simply assumed she was still shaken and didn't think much of it, silently marveling that even a Saint's state of mind could be so fragile.
In truth, it wasn't as Zhang Ruochen imagined. Rather, Shengshu Cainü's saintly heart had begun to stir.
Shengshu Cainü had seen men more handsome than Lin Yue, and many more outstanding men had expressed their admiration for her.
But back then, her Spiritual Power was immense, her heart devoted solely to the Saint Path, leaving no room for romantic feelings between men and women.
Just now, Qi Hong's Death Evil Qi had suppressed her Spiritual Power, reducing her to an ordinary woman of flesh and blood.
Moreover, at her most desperate moment, Lin Yue had stepped in to save her. His gaze toward her had always been clear and pure, and he had even taken off his own robe to clothe her.
Countless men in the world would have wanted to strip her of her clothes, yet Lin Yue was the first to willingly put clothes on her.
This was a feeling of being cared for—a sensation utterly foreign to her. It felt warm and comforting.
Sometimes, the smallest gesture can capture a woman's heart.
And so, Zhang Ruochen's figure left a faint, hazy imprint on her saintly heart.
To give an example: Shengshu Cainü, with her fifty-third level Spiritual Power, had a saintly heart that was like tung oil wrapped in thick iron plating.
When the Death Evil Qi entered her body, it suppressed her Spiritual Power, causing that layer of iron plating to vanish.
Her saintly heart became completely unguarded.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen's appearance was like a spark landing on tung oil, igniting a blazing inferno that made her once-cold saintly heart burn with warmth.
At this moment, Shengshu Cainü was like a young girl experiencing her first stirrings of love. Though it wasn't love at first sight, there was at least a flicker of affection stirring within her.
Of course, not only was Zhang Ruochen unaware of her thoughts, but even she herself couldn't fully understand what this strange emotion meant.
Qi Hong flew over from a distance, charging to the outside of the formation. He mobilized his Saint Qi, struck forward with his palm, and collided with the formation.
The light on the formation's periphery flickered. At the same time, a dragon phantom surged out from within the formation, letting out a furious roar. Its claws struck back, hitting Qi Hong and sending him reeling backward.
"Boom!"
A sharp light flashed in Qi Hong's eyes. He charged forward again, ignoring his injuries, and continued attacking the formation wildly, determined to break it in the shortest time possible.
He knew that if Shengshu Cainü were given a chance to recover, she would soon suppress the Death Evil Qi.
When that happened, he would be the one to die.
Inside the formation, Shengshu Cainü's beautiful eyes examined the Cloud Peak Coiling Dragon Formation set up by Xiao Hei. She shook her head gently and said, "This Cloud Peak Coiling Dragon Formation is incomplete. It lacks a formation eye, so it can only unleash at most thirty percent of the full formation's power. Such a flawed formation won't hold Qi Hong back."
"Little girl, you can recognize the Cloud Peak Coiling Dragon Formation? Not bad eyesight!"
Xiao Hei naturally knew Shengshu Cainü was a Spiritual Power Saint, but at this moment, she couldn't mobilize her Spiritual Power at all—she was no different from an ordinary person.
So it had no fear of her. At worst, it could drag her into the Scroll World to build cities.
Shengshu Cainü didn't bother arguing with Xiao Hei. She simply smiled and said, "The Cloud Peak Coiling Dragon Formation is an ancient formation. It requires a Half-Saint-level dragon soul as its formation eye to unleash its full power."
"The formation diagram for the Cloud Peak Coiling Dragon Formation is recorded in the Fengming Pavilion of the Tianyi Book Sect. Even disciples of the Book Sect might not know this. I'm quite curious—where did you learn this formation?"
"What business is it of yours?" Xiao Hei snorted coldly, then added, "Besides, what's the use of saying all this? Where am I supposed to find a Half-Saint-level dragon soul for you? For now, this flawed formation will have to do."
Hearing Xiao Hei refer to itself as "the Emperor," Shengshu Cainü's eyes finally turned cold. "A mere cat dares to call itself Emperor?"
"The Emperor! The Emperor! The Emperor!" Xiao Hei chanted fearlessly.
Shengshu Cainü was truly provoked and was about to teach it a lesson.
Zhang Ruochen quickly stepped between Shengshu Cainü and Xiao Hei, his voice stern. "What are you two arguing about at a time like this? Once Qi Hong breaks the formation, we'll all die."
Shengshu Cainü flicked her sleeve and said coldly, "I advise you to keep that cat in line. Today, you're lucky you ran into me. If it had been someone else, just those two words 'the Emperor' would be enough to get both you and it killed."
"What did you say? Do you believe I, the Emperor, will stuff you into..." Xiao Hei was extremely arrogant, pulling out the Cosmic Divine Wood Map.
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly and immediately snatched the Cosmic Divine Wood Map away, tapping Xiao Hei on the head. "How dare you be so disrespectful in front of a Saint?"
Xiao Hei could act without restraint, but Zhang Ruochen could not.
Qi Hong was right outside the formation, ready to break in at any moment. Without Shengshu Cainü's help, Zhang Ruochen would surely die.
Besides, even without Qi Hong's threat, could he just casually stuff Shengshu Cainü into the Cosmic Divine Wood Map? Shengshu Cainü was someone close to Empress Chi Yao, of extraordinary status. If she were in danger, Empress Chi Yao might even sense it.
If Zhang Ruochen dared to stuff her into the Cosmic Divine Wood Map, Empress Chi Yao would probably come for him within a day. Qi Hong might act impulsively, but Zhang Ruochen wouldn't. He had no desire to die at Chi Yao's hands again.
This cat really needed a beating. Knowing full well that Shengshu Cainü was one of Chi Yao's people, it still dared to speak recklessly in front of her—wasn't it just asking for death?
Calling itself "Emperor" was already a grave disrespect to the Empress, a crime worthy of exterminating one's entire clan.
If a savage beast showed disrespect to the Empress, even its master would be executed.
Clearly, Shengshu Cainü was quite reasonable. Such a serious offense, and she was willing to forgive it. This made Zhang Ruochen admire her a bit—a Saint's magnanimity was indeed beyond that of ordinary people.
Zhang Ruochen quickly bowed to Shengshu Cainü and explained, "A wild cat, ignorant of the rules, spouting nonsense. Please, Saint, don't take it to heart."
Shengshu Cainü said, "Let's drop the matter. The priority now is to deal with Qi Hong."
Zhang Ruochen asked with some doubt, "How long will it take for your cultivation to recover?"
Shengshu Cainü's face alternated between pale and dark. She pressed one hand against her lower abdomen, enduring the pain, and said calmly, "Qi Hong must have cultivated some evil technique. He injected a stream of evil Qi into my body."
"Whenever I try to cast a spell, the evil Qi rushes toward my Saint Source. If the Saint Source is corroded by the evil Qi, I might lose control of my Spiritual Power and turn into a mindless evil demon. Right now, I have to use all my Spiritual Power to resist that evil Qi. I can't afford any carelessness."
Earlier, Qi Hong had kicked her in the lower abdomen, clearly causing significant damage to her physical body.
Seeing her in great pain, Zhang Ruochen took out a healing pill, held it between two fingers, and handed it to her. "Take this first."
Shengshu Cainü took the pill, examined it carefully, and thought to herself, *A pill refined by Mu Lingxi—its medicinal power is gentle. It's safe to take.*
After swallowing the pill, a faint, blood-red glow appeared on the surface of her body.
Soon, the injuries to her physical body healed completely, and the pain in her head and abdomen vanished.
Of course, the healing pill had no effect on the Death Evil Qi. Shengshu Cainü still had to fully mobilize her Spiritual Power to suppress its erosion.
The weakness of Spiritual Power cultivators was suddenly laid bare: once poison or evil Qi invaded their bodies, it was very difficult to refine it with their own strength.
Zhang Ruochen's earlier decision to choose martial cultivation was also due to the significant weaknesses of Spiritual Power cultivators.
...
Qi Hong let out a cackling laugh. "Today is Monday, dear readers! Hurry up and cast your recommendation votes for Feitian Yu! Otherwise, Feitian Yu will cry in the bathroom." (To be continued.)