Inside the grand array.
Ye Qiu looked down at Fairy Baihua, who lay unconscious in his arms. He said, “You old thing, where is the glimmer of hope you spoke of?”
“You little brat, are you an idiot? Why ask me such a foolish question?”
The Real Changmei said, “Did you not hear them? This place is a Sage Tomb. The chance for survival must be inside the tomb!”
Green6 also said, “The Wine Sword Immortal of the Qingyun Sword Sect, the Sixth Elder of the Yin Yang Sect, Fairy Liu of the Chaos Sacred Ground, and the other Half-Saints from the sacred grounds, these people are rarely seen even one at a time on ordinary days. Now they have all gathered here. Clearly, this Sage Tomb is no ordinary matter.”
“From what they said earlier, there is a Sage inheritance inside the Sage Tomb.”
“Perhaps the Daoist is right. The chance for survival lies within the tomb.”
The Real Changmei continued, “The Wine Sword Immortal said earlier that in three days, the Great Sage Array will collapse.”
“Therefore, we must obtain the Sage inheritance before they do.”
“You say, if we get ahead of these Half-Saints and claim the Sage inheritance they so desperately desire, will they not go mad with rage?”
Ye Qiu said, “I have no interest in the Sage inheritance. I only want to save Fairy Baihua.”
In Ye Qiu’s heart, the Sage inheritance was utterly worthless compared to Fairy Baihua’s life.
The Real Changmei said, “You little brat, those are your words. Once we find the Sage inheritance, you must not compete with this poor Daoist for it.”
Ye Qiu said, “As long as you help me save Fairy Baihua, I will absolutely not compete with you for the Sage inheritance.”
“Very well, this poor Daoist will go find the entrance to the Sage Tomb now.” After the Real Changmei finished speaking, he immediately began searching around.
They were now at the end of the canyon. There was no path ahead. Considering that the major sects of the Eastern Wastelands were all above, it was evident that the entrance to the Sage Tomb was nearby.
The Real Changmei searched for a while but found no entrance to the Sage Tomb. At once, he pulled out the copper coin, preparing to divine.
“Hum—”
Suddenly, a violent tremor came from within the canyon, as if a magnitude twelve earthquake had struck.
Immediately after, cracks appeared on the ground.
“Crack, crack, crack—”
A vast aura rushed out from the cracks, like raging waves and billowing surges. In an instant, it filled the entire canyon.
Ye Qiu was about to retreat when suddenly his footing gave way. He and Fairy Baihua fell into the crack.
“You little brat!”
“Palace Lord—”
The Real Changmei and Green wanted to rush over, but cracks also appeared under their feet. They followed suit and fell in.
Such a massive upheaval had occurred inside the array, yet the people from the major sects outside the array were completely unaware. They all remained on their flying treasures, quietly awaiting the opening of the Sage Tomb in three days.
…
Ye Qiu held Fairy Baihua in his arms as they fell into the crack. He immediately released dragon qi to protect their bodies.
After a while.
“Thud!”
Ye Qiu crashed to the ground. He did not dare hesitate and quickly stood up. At once, a wave of cold qi assaulted him.
Ye Qiu shivered. He felt as if his entire body was about to freeze solid. The temperature here was even lower than inside the canyon.
“Damn it, that old thing has truly led me into a trap.”
Ye Qiu glanced around. This place resembled a massive secret chamber, pitch black, where one could not see one’s hand in front of one’s face.
He was about to activate his heavenly eye when suddenly, a point of light appeared in the darkness.
“What is that?”
Ye Qiu walked towards the light.
Who would have thought that after just two steps, a layer of frost formed on his body.
Ye Qiu hurriedly stopped. He stared at the point of light. Before long, the light grew brighter and brighter.
Only then did he see clearly that the light came from a flower bud.
The flower bud was pure white and flawless, emanating brilliant radiance. Then, at an astonishing speed, it miraculously bloomed. A rich orchid fragrance permeated the air.
The flower grew larger and larger. Its petals unfurled layer by layer. The outermost petals curled back vigorously, forming a round, large white flower.
The petals were lustrous as jade, white as silk, light as gauze.
From afar, it resembled a peerlessly beautiful fairy dancing gracefully.
“What flower is this?” Ye Qiu murmured softly.
“Red Spirit Bone.” Fairy Baihua’s weak voice rang out.
Ye Qiu looked down and said in delight, “You are awake?”
“Mm.” Fairy Baihua let out a soft hum. Her lips were dark purple. She asked, “Where are Green and the Daoist?”
“We are separated. Rest assured, they are both fine!” Ye Qiu was actually very worried about the Real Changmei and Green’s safety. He did not know if the two had fallen into the crack as well. He said this only to keep Fairy Baihua from worrying.
Fairy Baihua’s condition was very poor. If she knew Green was in danger, she would certainly worry and grow anxious. In that case, the situation would only worsen.
Fairy Baihua said to Ye Qiu, “Do not be fooled by the Red Spirit Bone’s beauty. In truth, it is filled with deadly poison.”
“A flower this large must have grown here for at least ten thousand years. With its toxicity, it could poison a cultivator at the early Nascent Soul stage to death.”
Such potent toxicity?
Ye Qiu was somewhat shocked. Just then, he felt Fairy Baihua tremble in his arms.
“Ye Qiu, I am so cold. Can you hold me tighter?”
Ye Qiu held Fairy Baihua close. He looked down and saw blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
“This is bad.”
Ye Qiu grasped Fairy Baihua’s wrist to check her pulse. At once, his heart sank heavily.
“Am I about to die?” Fairy Baihua asked.
“Do not talk nonsense. I will not let you die.” As Ye Qiu spoke, he turned his head away, not letting Fairy Baihua see the tears in his eyes.
Yes, Fairy Baihua was dying.
“Do not deceive me. I know my own condition clearly.”
A forced smile appeared on Fairy Baihua’s face. She said, “Ye Qiu, look at me, will you?”
Ye Qiu turned back and gazed into Fairy Baihua’s eyes.
Fairy Baihua said softly, “Since I am dying anyway, it feels suffocating to keep these words in my heart. I might as well tell you!”
“To be honest, from the first moment I saw you, I did not have a good impression of you. Only later, when I saw Sister Lin, Bai Bing, Sister Wan, and the others all with you, I grew curious about you.”
“I could not understand why they, being so beautiful and outstanding, were willing to be with you, even without seeking any title.”
“After spending more time with you, I finally understood. You are a man with a sense of responsibility. You can bring a sense of security to everyone around you.”
“I do not know when it started, but I have grown accustomed to being by your side. When I cannot see you, my heart feels empty, as if I have lost my bearings.”
“I wonder, is this what it feels like to like someone?”
“Cough, cough…”
As Fairy Baihua spoke to this point, she coughed violently. More and more blood overflowed from the corner of her mouth.
Ye Qiu hurriedly channelled true qi into Fairy Baihua and said, “Do not say any more…”
“If I do not say it now, I fear I will have no chance later.” Fairy Baihua said, “Ye Qiu, I can confirm now that I like you.”
“I have seen everything you have done for me, and I have kept it all in my heart.”
“If there truly is a next life, I hope I can meet you again, and be with you every single day.”
“By the way, you must have noticed Green’s feelings long ago. I hope that after I am gone, you can protect her well, do not let her suffer any grievances. I entrust this to you.”
“Finally, could you…”
