Chapter 483 - 353: Why Is He Here?
Leaving the undercurrents of Qi Yun and the Barbaric Awakening Lion Valley aside, Fang Qingyuan steadily carried Chu Hongshang, speeding toward the Military Array Camp.
The distance wasn’t great, and they arrived in under an hour. But as they reached the Military Array Great Stronghold, Chu Hongshang’s eyes fluttered open. She was awake.
Chu Hongshang realized she was being carried on Fang Qingyuan’s back and immediately understood her predicament.
Just moments before, under the threat of the Yuanhou Lion Dance, she had unleashed the most powerful Flame Divine Techniques of her life, instantly draining all of her Magical Power and vitality.
Now, her body was completely devoid of Magical Power, and her spirit was utterly exhausted, as if she had fought nonstop for ten days and nights in a life-or-death battle. She couldn’t muster even the slightest bit of her abilities.
As Fang Qingyuan carried her, Chu Hongshang could feel how sore and weak her limbs were, completely devoid of strength. She definitely couldn’t walk on her own in this condition.
But being so close to a man she barely knew was an experience Chu Hongshang had never had before.
Despite her typically domineering and decisive nature, she felt a flutter in her heart.
Of course, Fang Qingyuan felt her stir. He could tell from the change in her aura that her mind was now perfectly clear.
’But doesn’t this make things even more awkward?’
Fang Qingyuan controlled his reaction, simply pretending he hadn’t noticed. He figured Chu Hongshang was a proud, powerful woman who wouldn’t want anyone to witness her in such a weak state. If he were to ask how she was feeling, Fang Qingyuan suspected that once she recovered, she’d probably want to kill him to silence him.
So Fang Qingyuan kept moving at the same pace. On his back, Chu Hongshang could smell his scent, so close to her, but her thoughts, however, turned to another question.
’Why am I still alive?’
She recalled the scene: the silver lion’s head formed from a swarm of silver insects, the words it spoke—something about a familiar scent, the aura of a Blood Phoenix.
It was because of this that the Old Lion had paused for a few moments, allowing the Bow-holding Nascent Soul to draw its attention.
And those few moments were the key to her survival.
Chu Hongshang then tried to recall when she had acquired the Blood Phoenix aura the Old Lion mentioned. She searched her memories and found that decades ago, she had obtained a Blood Phoenix Tail Feather, which she later refined into her body.
And the source of this Blood Phoenix Tail Feather was none other than the man carrying her now, Fang Qingyuan, who had sold it to her. To think that decades later, it would end up saving her life.
’How strange.’
A small smile touched Chu Hongshang’s lips. No matter what, she had survived, and the One-armed Nascent Soul was dead. That meant she had accomplished her goal for this trip.
In fact, the Old Lion had indirectly dealt a heavy blow to her enemies, a service to both Chu Hongshang and the Chu Family. The situation on Qi Yun’s Si Liang Peak was dire. Although few had actually died, Gao Hetong and his two companions, having provoked such a terrifying enemy, were about to face a hundred-year punishment.
Gao Hetong’s initial act of contacting shadowy figures for revenge was already a major crime. On top of that, he failed, lured out the Old Lion, and exposed the entire affair.
Xingxi, the Law Enforcement Peak Master of Qi Yun, was known for being a man who tolerated no nonsense. With him involved, the Gao Family and their allies had no hope of escaping punishment for this.
Thinking of this, Chu Hongshang felt a flicker of elation. But when she looked inward at her own soul, she discovered that a fine, crimson line had completely merged with it. The line’s color was so faint it was nearly invisible, but Chu Hongshang knew this only made it more troublesome.
This was the Blood Soul Ban. During the previous battle, Chu Hongshang had used her Innate Divine Techniques several times in a row, causing the Blood Soul Ban to dissolve deeper and deeper within her.
Then, at the critical moment, she had unleashed her full potential, allowing the Blood Soul Ban to seize the opportunity to merge completely with her soul, until they were indistinguishable.
A shadow fell over Chu Hongshang’s heart. What would be the consequences of having such a ban embedded in her soul?
’It can’t be anything good, can it?’
Seeing that they were almost at the Military Array Great Stronghold, Chu Hongshang finally spoke.
"Stop for a moment. Let me recover some of my strength."
Hearing Chu Hongshang speak, Fang Qingyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been waiting for her to say something the entire way, but since she remained silent, he could only pretend she was asleep and continue carrying her.
Now that Chu Hongshang had spoken, he carefully set her down and waited for her next words.
But as he set her down, he felt a sudden emptiness in his chest, a hollow feeling, as if he had lost something important.
Up ahead, Yuan Duo also sensed the change. She turned back, walked up to Chu Hongshang, and spoke in a tone that was anything but friendly:
"Were you the one who led those two Nascent Soul Cultivators here? Not only did you ruin our important mission, but you also nearly got us all killed!"
Yuan Duo mistakenly believed that Chu Hongshang’s fight with Tu Ling had attracted the Old Lion, so she had come to hold her accountable.
Chu Hongshang shot Yuan Duo a glance and said,
"You’re still as brainless as ever."
"You!"
Yuan Duo’s eyebrows shot up in anger. Just as she was about to argue the point with Chu Hongshang, Fang Qingyuan pulled her aside.
"Martial Aunt, don’t get angry with a patient. Elder Chu’s emotions are unstable right now because her cultivation base is too weak to suppress her thoughts. She doesn’t mean it."
"Hmph. Hurry up and send her back to Nanchu. No, have the Nanchu Sect send someone to pick her up. I don’t want to see her again anytime soon."
Yuan Duo said in a huff, then looked at Fang Qingyuan and continued,