Chapter 101: Falling

Yun Che and Lan Xueruo suddenly jumped down, completely catching Xiao Zaihe off guard. By the time he abruptly halted his Storm Eagle, their figures were already out of sight.

"Hmph, they're insane. Falling from this height, even I would be smashed to pieces. Besides, that kid was hit by a poisoned flare, so he's already as good as dead."

Below them lay what appeared to be a vast wasteland, calm yet subtly dangerous. Although he was certain the two who jumped were dead, Yun Che had looted his sect's treasure vault. He might be carrying spatial equipment capable of holding immense space. Yun Che's life or death didn't matter; he had to retrieve his sect's possessions. Otherwise, their sect would decline at an alarming rate.

Xiao Zaihe plummeted downwards at an extreme speed. The moment he landed, he was attacked by a ferocious True Profound Beast. He swiftly killed it, but to his surprise, this stirred up a hornet's nest. A large group of True Profound Beasts roared from all directions, forcing him to flee quickly and in fear.

This wasteland stretched for hundreds of miles. Xiao Zaihe searched like a headless fly for over two hours, finding no trace of them until night completely fell. The profound beasts here were unexpectedly dense and mostly aggressive and violent. Within those two relatively short hours, he endured dozens of attacks, including one from a low-level Earth Profound Beast. Although he escaped using his Storm Eagle, it still left him in a cold sweat.

The aggressive profound beasts were incredibly numerous here. In such a long time, they would have already devoured Yun Che's body completely, making it impossible to find anything. Realizing this, and despite his frustration, Xiao Zaihe had no choice but to give up his search. He steered his Storm Eagle towards New Moon City.

Yun Che instructing Lan Xueruo to hold him and jump was not a desperate choice made out of helplessness. Rather, if they hadn't jumped, they would certainly have died by Xiao Zaihe's hand. But by jumping, they were certain to live.

Because of Jasmine.

"Are you insane!" Yun Che's action greatly startled Jasmine.

Their bodies were plummeting rapidly, another soft and warm body clutching him tightly. But he had no time to enjoy that pleasant sensation. He raised his left hand, and seven kinds of medicinal herbs swiftly appeared in his lightly clasped palm. With a slight squeeze, the seven herbs transformed into a tiny pill under the refining power of the Sky Poison Pearl. He then painstakingly guided it into his mouth and swallowed it with effort. Only then did he urgently say to Jasmine, "Jasmine, absolutely do not try to save me! Otherwise, you'll die. Right now, lend me some of your power! Just enough for me to achieve 'Profound Void Crossing'."

After killing the Flame Dragon, the profound poison backlash prevented Jasmine from using her power for three months. However, if she transferred a small portion of her strength to Yun Che instead of releasing it herself, the backlash would undoubtedly be much smaller. But...

"'Profound Void Crossing'? Don't you know that to achieve 'Profound Void Crossing', one needs at least the power of the Sky Profound Realm! How can your current body possibly withstand Sky Profound power! There's a good chance your profound veins will directly explode in mere moments!"

"Don't forget, my current profound veins are Divine Profound Veins! I believe they're not easily destroyed! And I don't need it for long, just for those few seconds before we hit the ground!!"

The wind whistling past their ears grew sharper, and the scenery below magnified at an increasing speed. Lan Xueruo tightly closed her eyes, her arms instinctively clutching Yun Che. It was a protective embrace, but also an unconscious expression of fear.

Though his consciousness was fading, Yun Che's eyes were wide open, fixed on the ground below. The air resistance beneath his feet began to change noticeably, indicating he was very close to the ground. In just a few more breaths, he would violently crash into it...

"Jasmine!!!!"

With his shout in the sea of his mind, an immense power suddenly surged wildly through his profound veins... It was a power that made him feel capable of manipulating space, yet also a power so great it nearly caused his profound veins to rupture instantly.

Yun Che's eyes widened, his gaze instantly becoming incredibly clear and alert. He unleashed this profound energy without reservation, directing part of it to impact the airflow below and using another part to protect his body. Immediately, as if something was supporting them from beneath, his and Lan Xueruo's descent rapidly slowed, becoming slower and slower... However, in mere moments, even the power of the Sky Profound Realm was unable to completely neutralize such an exaggerated impact force. The moment before they hit the ground, their falling speed was still considerably fast... Almost without hesitation, Yun Che's arms went around Lan Xueruo, and with a push, he propelled her delicate body upwards.

Lan Xueruo's eyes snapped open, seeing the faint, gentle smile at the corner of Yun Che's mouth. But his face gradually receded in her vision... At that instant, she felt as if something warm and bittersweet had violently struck her heart. She parted her lips, but it was already too late to utter a sound.

*Bang!!!!*

Yun Che's body finally struck the ground, slamming down heavily. The hard earth instantly shattered. Before he could even register the pain, his consciousness completely dispersed.

It was a full four breaths after Yun Che landed before Lan Xueruo reached the ground. The force with which he pushed her upwards was gentle, yet unexpectedly sustained, like a soft, irresistible wind that slowed her descent more and more. When she was about ten meters from the ground, she even came to a complete stop in mid-air. When she finally landed, it was equivalent to stepping down from a height of ten meters.

Such a height made it impossible to sustain any injury. Lan Xueruo landed steadily on her feet, then rushed towards Yun Che as if mad. Seeing the horrifying large crater beneath him and the countless cracks in the ground extending ten meters away, tears streamed from her eyes.

"Junior Brother Yun! Junior Brother Yun... Junior Brother Yun!!"

Lan Xueruo knelt beside Yun Che, calling out mournfully. She hadn't shed a tear in over a decade, but now she wept inconsolably, tears gushing like a broken dam, quickly drenching her entire face. She covered her lips tightly, yet no matter what, she couldn't suppress her sobs.

She had told Qin Wuyou that Yun Che was someone who valued loyalty and righteousness, and that if she helped him in his time of need, he would surely repay her, or at the very least, not refuse her request. Indeed, before the Xiao Sect, she had saved him, using her contracted profound beast to help him escape Xiao Zaihe's pursuit. But she never imagined his repayment would be so fervent and absolute, protecting her desperately with his own body and life, not once but twice.

In this world, many people were kind to her, and even more tried desperately to curry favor with her. However, since childhood, she had grown accustomed to heartlessness, pretense, cruelty, and hidden agendas... This included even the family she had always considered dearest. Time and again, she had grown disheartened, almost despairing. Otherwise, she wouldn't have left home, traveling through seven profound palaces in two years, just to find a glimmer of hope.

While her sincere and gentle nature was innate, her heart, having suffered too much coldness and trauma, had never truly opened to anyone. Every time she laughed and conversed with people up close, her true self remained thousands of miles away.

She had never imagined that there would be someone in this world willing to use their own life to protect her when her life was in danger... At least, her own family wouldn't, nor would those who tried to please her...

But Yun Che, this little "junior brother" whom she had a motive for, had profoundly shaken her heart and brought tears raining down. He also made her realize for the first time in her life that there truly was someone in this world willing to protect her with their life... and it had happened twice in a row.

Only, she might have realized this a little too late, because the person might never wake up the moment she did. Such a terrifying fall could not possibly be endured by someone with only the profound energy of the Elementary Profound Realm. The only outcome was death.

Lan Xueruo's heart was in agony, her vision completely blurred by tears. In her profound sorrow, she didn't notice that although Yun Che's body had created such a huge crater and so many cracks in the ground, there was no pooling blood beneath him.

Amidst her weeping, her palm suddenly felt a warm touch. At that instant, she jolted as if struck by lightning, her beautiful eyes snapping wide open. Through her still blurry vision, she saw Yun Che slowly open his eyes. Perhaps because she was crying so tragically, her face completely stained with tears, he offered a faint smile. His hand rested on her palm, telling her that he was not dead.

"Junior Brother Yun..." Lan Xueruo instantly felt as if she had been transported from hell to heaven. In her immense surprise, her voice became ethereal and indistinct: "You... you're alright?"

"Originally... I was dead," Yun Che moved his lips, his voice hoarse and weak, but the faint smile at the corner of his mouth was just as mischievous as usual. "But the King of Hell said there was a beautiful and kind girl crying too sadly over my death, and he couldn't bear to see it, so he... sent me back..."

Overwhelmed by a mix of sorrow and joy, Lan Xueruo didn't know whether to cry or smile. She awkwardly wiped the tears from her face, trying hard to put on a chiding expression. But with her tear-streaked face, her feigned reproach was indescribably poignant and beautiful: "You're in this state, and... you still can't stop joking around. With that mouth of yours, who knows how many girls you'll charm in the future."

"Hehe..." Yun Che chuckled, but the sound tugged at his wounds, causing his brow to twitch in pain. "Then, is it possible... to charm Senior Sister too..."

From the first day they met until now, Lan Xueruo hadn't spoken many words with Yun Che, and a significant portion of them were these slightly teasing jokes. She had grown accustomed to hearing such remarks from him and found them amusing and playful. But this time, a sudden, indescribable, inexplicable flutter arose deep within her heart. She moved her lips, about to speak, but then noticed Yun Che had already closed his eyes and fainted.