Chapter 85: Divine Obsession (1/2)
Lu Yun rubbed his nose in embarrassment at Qing Han’s words. Those were the very words he’d said himself in the beginning. Come what may, he was now even more positive about a certain conjecture of his.
The girl called “Qing Yu” must have left a strand of her nascent spirit on Qing Han in order to emerge at critical times to confront powerful threats.
“Do you want her to come out again?” Qing Han grinned and winked at him.
Lu Yun shook his head. “The last time she appeared, it almost cost you your life. And it wasn’t much better this time around.”
Qing Han blinked, a strange sentiment gleaming in his eyes. Outwardly, he seemed to have recovered somewhat, but he’d truly exhausted too much of his energy. If he hadn’t refined the Scroll of Shepherding Immortals, the starstone would’ve already drained his life.
This time, he’d released the power of his nascent spirit to boot, and used it to activate the starstone in order to subdue the black dragon.
“If I ever have the opportunity to visit House Qing, I must meet and thank her in person. Since she told me her name, she must be a little interested in me.” Lu Yun’s expression turned sunny once again, the earlier display of his anxious stammering nowhere to be seen.
“Yes.” Qing Han felt the burn on his cheeks. Thankfully, his skin was dark enough to cover the blush. “Who the heck knows why she did that,” he mumbled almost inaudibly.
……
Mo Yi and the others caught up to them. The protective formation had shattered when the black dragon burrowed out from the ground, but thankfully, the scroll had already sent the dark creatures packing, giving the group a reprieve.
Fragments of talismans littered the ground, illuminating the area with their cool blue light.
Seeing Qing Han and Xuanxi in a boneless heap on the ground, Mo Yi immediately asked, “What was that just now?”
She smartly avoided asking about Xuanxi’s identity. Given that her appearance was strikingly similar to Dusk River’s river god from earlier, much of it was easy to guess.
“Everything’s settled. We’ll be able to leave in a moment.” Lu Yun sighed with relief when he saw Diexi and Mo Yi appear.
Both Qing Han and Xuanxi were incapacitated, and Lu Yun was only a golden core cultivator. Hellfire was now his only way of self-defense. But Mo Yi and Diexi were both powerful immortals, and even if they couldn’t face the legion of creatures by themselves, they’d easily be able to dispose of one or two stragglers.
“Leave?” The two women beamed. Finally! Freedom from this forsaken place was finally at hand!
“Hmm? Human torso, fish tail, blue hair, and blue eyes... that’s a mermaid!” Qi Shenghui’s eyes gleamed at the sight of Xuanxi. “What a fine mermaid slave, and she’s already a true immortal. She can be sold for a small city at least!”
Xuanxi’s face hardened at his remarks.
Mermaids were beautiful by nature, and their songs moved the soul. In the immortal world, they were outstanding playtoys in certain circles. But they were extremely few in number and protected by the water spirits in the four seas, so mermaid slaves were extraordinarily precious commodities.
“The Formation Orb might be out of reach, but capturing a mermaid slave for the crown prince will make up for our failure!” Near-visible beams of light from his eyes highlighted Qi Shenghui’s desire.
“Qi Shenghui, what kind of nonsense is this?” Qin Xianhuo scowled when he saw Qi Shenghui head for Xuanxi. How could the eunuch think of stirring up trouble at a time like this! He was the reason why everyone had almost lost their lives earlier!
“Mister Qin, this slave that appeared out of nowhere is obviously a creature of the abyss. When I capture her, she’ll belong to me. What, are you people going to stop me?” Qi Shenghui fixed a malevolent look upon the old man.
Qin Xianhuo was about to retort when Situ Yun pulled him aside. Everyone had quietly distanced themselves from the eunuch during the exchange.
“What’s wrong?” The old formation master had finally noticed something amiss.
“A castrated man like him already brims with yin energy. Giving free reign to his wicked desires in such a sinister place…” Lu Yun pressed his lips together. “He’s been possessed.”
And not by an immortal ghost! Lu Yun would’ve been the first to notice that. Moreover, an immortal ghost would be afraid of approaching him. A place permeated with such strong yin energy was certainly populated with many unknown, sinister creatures that’d initially stayed away, intimidated by his hellfire.
A eunuch to begin with, Qi Shenghui was teeming with the most yin energy out of all of them. Moreover, his mind was filled with one evil scheme after another. The strange yin creatures had followed the trail of his wicked desires and taken possession of him. They now controlled his thoughts, magnified his most hidden desires a thousandfold, and exposed them for all to see. He wouldn't be so uninhibited otherwise, even if he’d these dark stirrings.