Chapter 1623: Take and Give

Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi had experienced countless joys, pains, and life-or-death experiences. They had a very deep relationship that had long surpassed friendship.

But there was someone between them, so they restricted themselves. They seemed to be close and yet so far.

Seeing Mu Lingxi’s beautiful figure, how could Zhang Ruochen not have any reaction as a regular man?

But he wasn’t a horny man and had a strong will. He quickly pushed down the devilish fire in his gut.

In the pool, after Mu Lingxi met eyes with Zhang Ruochen, she hurriedly covered her bosom with her pale arms. She looked very embarrassed. Her snow-white face instantly reddened and the flush spread to her neck.

The underground atmosphere became strange.

Zhang Ruochen averted his eyes and coughed dryly. “Actually, I just arrived.”

If any other man burst in, he would probably get his eyes gouged out even if he wasn’t killed.

But Mu Lingxi couldn’t gather any hatred. Instead, she didn’t know what to do. Her face grew even more red and beautiful.

Seeing Zhang Ruochen turn around, Mu Lingxi finally let out a relieved breath. She patted the water surface and flew out of the pool like a fairy.

She extended a slender hand and quickly picked up the clothing on the side. She put it on, covering her delicate and enticing frame.

Mu Lingxi stared at Zhang Ruochen’s back and bit her red lip. Resentment colored her pretty eyes on purpose. “Aren’t there two Female Saints guarding outside? How did you come in without a sound?”

Even though she was annoyed, she wasn’t actually angry.

Instead, Zhang Ruochen was a bit awkward. After all, their relationship was still at an ambiguous stage. They weren’t a true couple.

The two Female Saints guarding the door followed Zhang Ruochen into the underground space.

Right now, they stood at the edge of the tunnel and stared at Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi. They were shocked and almost fossilized—unmoving.

“Lord Ruochen actually spied on the body of the pure Saintess?”

They realized that they’d discovered an incredible secret and felt guilty. If they’d known, they wouldn’t have followed in.

Knowing something they shouldn’t know meant death.

Fearing that Zhang Ruochen would kill them, they knelt onto the ground and lowered their heads. “We didn’t see anything,” they said with trembling voices. “Priest, please forgive us…”

Zhang Ruochen’s headache intensified. Eyes turning cold, he said, “Do not let a third person know what just happened, or else I’ll destroy you two.”

“Yes,” the two female Saints said, terrified.

Mu Lingxi had an extraordinary status now and this pertained to her reputation. Zhang Ruochen naturally had to be careful about this.

“Go out now!” he uttered. He also used Spiritual Power to intimidate them, leaving the mark of fear in their hearts.

Faces pale, the two female Saints hurriedly retreated from the underground space and closed the stone door.

This problem was both big and small. If it wasn’t taken care of correctly, it could cause great trouble for Mu Lingxi.

But this was Zhang Ruochen’s fault. If he’d been patient and had the two female Saints report to Mu Lingxi first, it might not have happened.

Zhang Ruochen turned around and trained his eyes on Mu Lingxi. He was about to apologize, but when he saw Mu Lingxi’s anticipating eyes, he swallowed his words.

He knew that Mu Lingxi wasn’t waiting for an apology.

She stood across from Zhang Ruochen. Her exquisite egg-shaped face was breathlessly beautiful. Her body was completely wet and only covered with one layer of long white silk. Water droplets rolled on her skin, glistening.

Mu Lingxi’s bright eyes stared at Zhang Ruochen and the anticipation in them grew stronger.

She knew what Zhang Ruochen was hesitating and worrying about, so she was very anxious.

After a long silence, Zhang Ruochen finally got rid of his distracting thoughts. Eyes growing determined, he walked straight to Mu Lingxi. He took her cold hands and pressed them to his heart. “Lingxi, are you willing to be my companion?”

In terms of feelings, Zhang Ruochen had been holding back ever since he met Mu Lingxi. In the beginning, it was because he couldn’t move on from Empress Chi Yao. Then, it was because of Huang Yanchen.

Zhang Ruochen’s relationship history was full of hardship.

After those two relationships, he even started sealing up his emotions.

This was why Mu Lingxi didn’t expect Zhang Ruochen to be so direct. Naturally, she was shocked.

But her hands were pressed to Zhang Ruochen’s heart and her eyes touched Zhang Ruochen’s unwavering gaze. She gradually calmed down. She could feel that Zhang Ruochen was very serious and her heart started beating rapidly.

Mu Lingxi had been waiting for this sentence for a long time. After it came, it felt unreal, as if she was dreaming.

Zhang Ruochen waited for a long time without getting a reply. Furrowing his brows slightly, he said, “I made this decision after thinking carefully. From now on, I will do my best to protect you. I won’t let anyone hurt you. If…”

Mu Lingxi felt like she’d gone mute. She couldn’t say a single word, but she felt anxious. She nodded forcefully like a chick pecking at corn, afraid that Zhang Ruochen would say something like, “If you’re unwilling, then pretend I didn’t say anything.”

After all, it was very difficult to make Zhang Ruochen express his feelings voluntarily. Who knew when it would happen again?

Zhang Ruochen smiled and reached out his other hand. He grasped Mu Lingxi’s willowy waist and hugged her tightly.

Hearing that Zhang Ruochen had come out of isolation, Ling Feiyu immediately came to the Euphoria Underground Palace to discuss matters with him.

But when she reached the stone door, she stopped. She stared at the tightly shut door and stood there quietly. She didn’t take another step.

With her strong cultivation, a door wouldn’t be able to block her eyes or ears unless there was a formation. Naturally, she heard and saw everything that was happening.

The next moment, the door opened. Zhang Ruochen walked out, holding Mu Lingxi’s arm.

“I sensed Palace Lord Ling’s aura earlier,” he said to the two female Saints kneeling on the ground. “Did she come?”

“Yes,” one answered. “Palace Lord Ling indeed came, but she stood outside quietly for 15 minutes and then left.”

Mu Lingxi didn’t know that Zhang Ruochen and Ling Feiyu had seven lives together. “She must have come for you. She’s reached a bottleneck recently and wants to leave the Moon Goddess Dojo to challenge herself and have a breakthrough. But she seems to have something she wants to discuss with you, so she waited until you came out of isolation.”

Zhang Ruochen had already fused the memories of the seventh world. In that world, he and Ling Feiyu had deep interactions. Not only did they have feelings for each other, they’d also married and had their own children and grandchildren.

It was only a life spent in the scroll world, but the memories and feelings were very real. He couldn’t ignore them.

Ling Feiyu didn’t express it because she didn’t know that Zhang Ruochen had already fused the memories of that life.

Zhang Ruochen didn’t express it because he hadn’t found the suitable time.

Zhang Ruochen immediately ran out of the Euphoria Underground Palace, but he ran into Blackie at the exit and almost crashed into it.

Blackie hurriedly stopped him. “I saw Ling Feiyu earlier. She wanted me to give you a letter.”

Zhang Ruochen took it. “Where is she?” he asked impatiently.

“She left. She just entered the space transfer formation and said she’s going out for a challenge. Honestly, why is this woman so impatient? She obviously knew that you already came out, so why couldn’t she tell you personally? Why did she write a letter? I don’t get it… Hey, where’d you go?”

While Blackie was rambling, Zhang Ruochen had already disappeared from its sight.

He went through the space transfer formation and arrived at a rainforest in the Truth Heavenly Domain.

The space transfer formation in this forest connected with the one in the Moon Goddess Dojo. If Ling Feiyu left with the space transfer formation, then she must come here first.

Zhang Ruochen flashed to the top of the nearest mountain and looked around for a trace of Ling Feiyu.

He also released his Spiritual Power to check surrounding areas.

Unfortunately, it was to no avail.

Zhang Ruochen knew why Ling Feiyu had left so quickly. He was worried that she would be sad, so he wanted to make things clear.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Ruochen uttered sound waves. “I know you’re hiding nearby and can hear my voice. I want to tell you that I’ve fused the memories of the seventh world and I hope we can have a nice chat. I have two bottles of pills that can help a Saint King break through a bottleneck. It can help you. Please come out, alright?”

His sound waves traveled thousands of miles, layer after layer, and shocked a flock of crows in the forest.

But Ling Feiyu didn’t appear.

Instead, cultivators hundreds of miles away heard Zhang Ruochen’s voice and hurried over.

“I hope you’ll only hide from me for a while instead of a lifetime.”

Zhang Ruochen heaved a sigh and destroyed the space transfer formation before the other cultivators arrived. He had no choice but to leave.

“That’s strange. I heard a cultivator’s voice earlier. How did it suddenly disappear?”

“That man’s voice is so strong. He must be a Saint King. Let’s not look for trouble and leave quickly.”

After those cultivators left, Ling Feiyu walked out of a ravine. She held the Glass Heaven Cover. It was this weapon that helped fool Zhang Ruochen’s Heavenly Eyes and Spiritual Power.

She gazed into the distance at the mountaintop where Zhang Ruochen had been. With a bitterly sad expression, she murmured, “Since someone is able to mend your pain, then I’ll choose to leave. We both search for unlimited strength and shouldn’t be affected by coincidental fate. Rather than struggling to help each other in despair, let us forget it all. Zhang Ruochen, you’re on your own in the Truth Heavenly Domain battlefield from now on.”

Absoluteness filled Ling Feiyu’s eyes. She walked out of the ravine and into the distance.

The Truth Heavenly Domain’s environment was amazing and the Way of Truth was one of the nine ancient ways, but so what?

The universe was boundless.

This wasn’t the only path that led to the pinnacle.

The Truth Heavenly Palace didn’t exist before the Heaven World was created, but weren’t there still top figures?

Thinking of this, Ling Feiyu didn’t have anything holding her back anymore. She walked out of the Truth Heavenly Domain with more and more determined steps.

The moment she left, her mindset changed and she suddenly broke through the bottleneck that had been frustrating her. The Rules of Saintly Way multiplied within her and her cultivation shot up.