Chapter 7

Chapter Seven
Reflection Cliff, snowflakes swirling across the sky.

A vividly colored little bird darted swiftly through the thick clouds cloaking the steep cliff face of Reflection Cliff and perched quietly in a crevice, watching the two figures lying and sitting there.

The stone slab was somewhat hard; Ning Yin turned over restlessly.

She wondered how her senior sister was faring—had she awakened yet?

Probably not; otherwise, she and Yan Hanzhou would have been released long ago.

Returning to a familiar place, Ning Yin tossed and turned in the corner. The events of the past two days made it difficult to calm her mind. At one moment, scenes of her future self being struck down by the male lead flashed through her mind; at another, the image of Shi Yunzhao covered in blood appeared; and then there were Yan Hanzhou’s arrogant, dazzling remarks—truly an overwhelming flood of vexation.

She decided to sit up and began to study the intricate, mysterious patterns etched on the Azure Abyss Ring.

The Azure Abyss Ring, said to contain all things of the world, was, according to unofficial histories, a betrothal gift from the Lingxiao Immortal Lord to his fiancée. But its true origin remained unclear even after a thousand years.

In truth, storage rings like this were not uncommon. Even the most basic cultivators possessed simple storage tools, such as cloth pouches, which were the most common. Cultivators of higher rank carried storage bracelets or rings, combining beauty with function.

What made the Azure Abyss Ring so coveted among countless cultivators was that it had been modified by the Lingxiao Immortal Lord himself—a classic case of the celebrity effect. In the novels, Shi Yunzhao only used the Azure Abyss Ring as a storage ring; it had no other special functions and was scarcely mentioned beyond that.

Until later, when Shi Yunzhao was in peril, a faint trace of soul power within the Azure Abyss Ring protected her from a fatal strike by a formidable Nascent Soul stage foe.

Across the Jiuzhou Continent, Foundation Establishment cultivators were common, Golden Core practitioners numerous, and those above Golden Core with Nascent Souls were rare; even more so were those at the Nascent Soul stage. To withstand a fatal blow from a Nascent Soul cultivator was tantamount to having an extra lease on life.

Shi Yunzhao had indeed survived thanks to this Azure Abyss Ring.

Perhaps because she was so engrossed in these patterns, Ning Yin suddenly felt dizzy; her thoughts momentarily scattered. When she came to, she found herself in a boundless white space that stretched endlessly in all directions.

Where was this?

Since accepting that she had transmigrated into a cultivation world, no matter how incredible things became, she no longer startled easily.

Could this be the inner space of the Azure Abyss Ring?

Curious, Ning Yin looked around. Seeing the cloud-like whiteness before her, she reached out to touch it.

Incredibly, the moment her fingers brushed the mist, it seemed to come alive, flowing into her body like a living thing. A pure, refined spiritual energy surged within her, filling her meridians and dantian with abundance, as if an inexhaustible force coursed through every vein and sinew, giving her the strange sensation of being utterly satiated throughout her body.

She quickly withdrew her hand.

Currently, she was only at the Foundation Establishment stage; even a small amount nearly overwhelmed her.

It seemed this mist-like substance was condensed spiritual energy, hundreds or even thousands of times more concentrated than the ambient spiritual energy of Jiuzhou Continent.

To gather such energy here and transform the storage space into an excellent training ground—this Lingxiao Immortal Lord truly was formidable.

But how could she exit?

As she pondered, her vision blurred again. When clarity returned, she was back on Reflection Cliff amid the swirling snowflakes.

She was out already?

Ning Yin stared suspiciously at the intricate, mysterious patterns on the Azure Abyss Ring.

Could it be that because Shi Yunzhao never bled to bind the ring, she never discovered its inner space?

Then how did Yan Hanzhou know about it?

She glanced at Yan Hanzhou, who was still sitting cross-legged in meditation.

Since being brought back to Reflection Cliff, Yan Hanzhou had sat alone in the corner, immersed in meditation for a full day and night without a sound. If not for Ning Yin frequently checking his breathing, she might have worried he’d silently perished from the soul power of the Lingxiao Immortal Lord within him.

“Yan Hanzhou…”

Yan Hanzhou opened his eyes and looked at Ning Yin close by. “What is it?”

“…” Ning Yin moved slightly away. “You’re awake?”

Ning Yin now dreaded when he retreated into his own world. With his previous arrogant remarks, his silence often gave the impression that he was scheming to eliminate both the male and female leads.

“I did not sleep.”

“If you didn’t sleep, what were you doing?”

Yan Hanzhou furrowed his brow.

For the past day and night, he had been probing the condition of this body. The fusion of the Lingxiao Immortal Lord’s soul power with his own remnant soul had only lasted a day. The body, born with a defective spiritual root, was beginning to show signs of backlash. If the flaws caused by the defective root were not resolved, the body would eventually explode, and he would truly perish.

He recalled being trapped by countless elders of various sects a thousand years ago, his cultivation and spiritual roots stripped at the judgment platform, only to miraculously have his roots restored by an unknown remedy later.

Unfortunately, at that time, he was blind and deaf to the world, drowning himself in alcohol daily; even now, he did not know what he had consumed.

But perhaps someone else might know.

He looked at Ning Yin.

“I have been thinking about how to transform a defective spiritual root into a pure heavenly root.”

“You really are greedy. It’s already good enough to reconstruct the spiritual root; you want it to become a heavenly root? Do you think awakening a heavenly root is that easy?”

“Is it that difficult?” Yan Hanzhou said meaningfully. “A thousand years ago, the Lingxiao Immortal Lord was also crippled in his roots…”

“Can that be compared?” Ning Yin interrupted. “That was the Lingxiao Immortal Lord, who began cultivation at three, established foundation at five, and completed in ten years what others took centuries to achieve. Born with extraordinary talent, only one genius like him emerged in a millennium. Even after his roots were crippled, he immediately recovered and returned to his peak…”

“I was also cultivating at three, foundation at five, and completed ten years what others took centuries to do.”

“So you died and perished because your foundation wasn’t solid.”

“…”

“Wait!” Ning Yin suddenly realized something and smiled faintly. “You want to know how the Lingxiao Immortal Lord recovered after losing his roots, don’t you? Just say so. I’m not going to tell you anyway.”

“…”

“Fine. I’ll tell you on one condition.”

“What condition?”

“After you recover your roots, focus on cultivation. Stop all the killing and fighting. Defeat demons, uphold justice, be a good person—won’t that be better?”

Yan Hanzhou remained silent, resolute to the end.

“Alright, alright. I agree. Stop giving me that look. I’m doing this for your own good. If it weren’t for you… forget it,” Ning Yin sighed helplessly. Yan Hanzhou’s stubbornness left her at a loss.

She pondered seriously.

But the scant writings left by the Lingxiao Immortal Lord were sparse and scattered, and the information was fragmented. After some thought, she said thoughtfully, “When the Lingxiao Immortal Lord was crippled and humiliated, it was his fiancée who saved him…”

Yan Hanzhou cut her off. “He had no fiancée.”

“He did.”

“No!”

“He did!”

“No!”

“He really did!”

Yan Hanzhou’s voice deepened. “I know better than you whether he had a fiancée!”

Their voices rose in volume.

“Why are you yelling at me? Anyway, he was saved by his fiancée. She fed him the Heavenly Spirit Spring water, and soon after, his crippled root recovered. Believe it or not!”

“Who was this fiancée?”

“How should I know?”

“But you just said he was saved by his fiancée?”

“Well, since you just arrived in this world, you might not know much. Let me tell you about this Immortal Lord’s life in detail.”

“The life of the Lingxiao Immortal Lord is truly admirable, but what people love to talk about most is his mysterious fiancée.

It is said she came from a cultivation family; the two were a perfect match, made for each other. Unfortunately, after the Lingxiao Immortal Lord was harmed and his roots crippled, his fiancée’s family used this as a reason to break off the engagement.

On the day of the break-up, the Lingxiao Immortal Lord stood at the gate clutching the marriage contract and shouted: ‘Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west; do not mock the youth’s poverty!’”

“Is that from the ‘Lingxiao Immortal Lord: Unofficial History’ again?” Yan Hanzhou’s face darkened ominously.

“There are countless versions of the Lingxiao Immortal Lord’s life story. Although this is unofficial, among the many recorded accounts, it is fairly credible. There are even bolder versions. If you’re interested, I’ll tell you another time.”

“…” Yan Hanzhou took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and his soul power surged violently, nearly causing his body to explode.

“I told you, and you still don’t believe me. Don’t ask me anymore in the future.”

Yan Hanzhou calmed the raging soul power inside him and, after a long moment, asked evenly, “Heavenly Spirit Spring water—is that its name?”

“Why do you ask if you don’t believe me?” Ning Yin frowned, noticing his pale complexion. “Yes, that’s the name. What’s wrong? Did I upset you again? Is the soul power inside you still unstable?”

Yan Hanzhou replied honestly, “This body cannot hold soul power for long. Without a spiritual root, it will eventually explode.”

Ning Yin shot up in alarm. “What? Explode? Are you reckless? Knowing your condition, how can you be so rash? What will you do now?”

She looked at Yan Hanzhou in horror.

So he was essentially a walking time bomb. The moment his body exploded, the fury of his soul power would sweep through the entire Lingyun Sect, with a force comparable to a nuclear blast. Anyone below Nascent Soul stage would not survive.

“If what you say is true, then only the Heavenly Spirit Spring water can solve my predicament.” Yan Hanzhou looked at Ning Yin and asked again, “Are you sure it’s the Heavenly Spirit Spring water?”

The situation was dire, and Ning Yin hesitated slightly. “It should be… yes.”

Yan Hanzhou closed his eyes. “I understand.”

Learning that this walking time bomb was right beside her made Ning Yin’s scalp tingle. “You… hang in there. Once I leave Reflection Cliff, I’ll help you find the Heavenly Spirit Spring water. You must hold on—don’t explode.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t happen anytime soon.”

“Since it can reconstruct a spiritual root, the Heavenly Spirit Spring water must be very precious and hard to find. Your situation is urgent. Maybe we should seek the sect leader? It is said his cultivation has reached the Great Ascension stage; he must have a way.”

“His only solution is to extract the soul power from my body. But since it has fused with my remnant soul, extraction means certain death.”

“...Forget I said anything.”

Outside Reflection Cliff, footsteps approached rapidly.

Ning Yin’s eyes lit up. “Someone’s coming—surely it’s my senior sister, awake and here to free us!”

Before she could finish, several disciples from the Discipline Hall arrived solemnly.

Ning Yin asked excitedly, “Has senior sister awakened?”

The lead disciple’s face was as cold as water. “Senior sister has not awakened. By order of the master, you two are to be taken to the main hall for trial!”

Seeing the fully armed disciples, Ning Yin stepped back a few paces. “Trial? Senior sister isn’t awake—what trial? I told you, once senior sister wakes, you’ll see we are innocent!”

“This is the master’s will. Take them away!”

The Discipline Hall disciples bound their hands behind their backs with immortal-binding ropes.

Ning Yin whispered into Yan Hanzhou’s ear, “Why don’t you just explode now?”

Yan Hanzhou: “…”