Chapter 165: Heh, Men

Seeing the other person look at him, Shi Kun nearly peed his pants. He thought about his top-tier family background, his reputation as a cultivation genius, and his looks that charmed countless women – a truly brilliant future and a wonderfully exciting life lay before him.

Was he really going to die unnoticed in this dark corner?

He shivered with fear, especially remembering how his tall, burly subordinate had just been sucked dry by the black-armored general, leaving behind an unrecognizable mass.

Just then, a green light appeared around Qiao Xueying. She then spat out a mouthful of blood but successfully broke free from her restraints. She quickly ran to Shi Kun's side, and with a wave of her hand over his head, a green energy enveloped him from head to toe.

That was the power of life, capable of countering necromantic energy to some extent.

Qiao Xueying's face was pale at this moment, with blood oozing from the corner of her mouth. Clearly, activating such power had drained her significantly.

"Young Master, run!" Because it would still take a few seconds to fully unseal, and even one or two seconds could be fatal in front of a master, Qiao Xueying dared not delay. She grabbed Shi Kun by the collar and ran towards the corridor.

"You're courting death!" The black-armored general hadn't anticipated such a turn of events and flew into a rage. With a flash of his figure, he charged towards the two of them.

Seeing the speed at which the opponent charged, a flicker of despair crossed Qiao Xueying's eyes. She gritted her teeth, and a look of determination flashed across her face. She knew there was no escaping the current situation. It would be better to sacrifice herself to buy time for her young master to escape, hoping he could get away.

Her beautiful hair transformed into countless vines, lashing out at the black-armored general. She was already at the end of her rope; this power was entirely fueled by burning her life essence.

She was also considering using her last two "Illusory Moon and Water Reflection" techniques. Although they might not allow her to escape the black-armored general, they should buy her a few breaths of time, which would give her young master a chance to escape.

Her only concern now was that her young master might not make a snap decision to run. If he tried to stay and fight alongside her, wasting time with hesitation, then neither of them would likely escape.

Just then, a tremendous force came from behind her, sending her uncontrollably flying towards the black-armored general.

All her attention and defenses were focused forward. Her back, she realized, had been completely undefended. That's why a single push sent her tumbling forward without any resistance.

Qiao Xueying's mind went blank. Only her young master was behind her; she didn't even need to think to know who had pushed her.

Still, she turned her head, unwilling to give up hope, wishing she had been wrong about everything.

The sight of Shi Kun's panicked figure fleeing fell into her eyes, finally bringing her to despair. So, in her young master's heart, she was merely a disposable pawn, to be used as a human shield at any moment...

The black-armored general raised a hand and almost instantly grabbed her by the neck. Not only did his oppressive aura make it impossible for her to resist, but even if she had the ability, her heart was now ashes.

She closed her eyes, waiting to be sucked dry by him.

To her surprise, after a long moment, there was no movement. She opened her eyes, only to see the black-armored general displaying a complex expression — even though his face was hidden within a cloud of black mist, she could sense his emotion.

"Another scene of betrayal," the black-armored general said with a sigh. He let out a long sigh. The sight before him seemed to have triggered a memory from a very, very long time ago.

However, he suddenly snorted. "This general despises people who betray their comrades most in life. Get back here!"

He raised his other hand, and a ball of black energy appeared in his palm. It quickly spun into a black hole, which he pointed towards the corridor ahead.

Shi Kun was desperately running through the corridor when suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept through it. A massive suction force came from behind him.

He lost his footing and tumbled backward, rolling several times. In a panic, he plunged his sword into the stone wall, barely managing to halt his momentum.

He was greatly alarmed. He himself cultivated wind-based techniques, yet in this storm, he was utterly powerless to resist. He could only cling tightly to his sword hilt with both hands.

But the suction force from behind was so immense that his entire body lifted into the air. His hands, clutching the hilt, began to slip. One hand finally gave way, and he hastily gripped the nearby wall to steady himself again.

He knew that being sucked in meant certain death. He could only grit his teeth and hold on, his fingernails tearing and bleeding profusely. But he couldn't care less about that now.

"His will to survive is strong, but it's meaningless," the black-armored general in the stone chamber snorted. He slightly curled the fingers of his hand, about to increase the force to pull the man back.

Suddenly, his whole body stiffened, and he let out a roar of both shock and fury: "How dare you touch the Traceless Phantom Lotus!"

He no longer bothered with Shi Kun. A cloud of black mist rose behind him, and he, riding his horse, plunged directly into it and vanished. Qiao Xueying, still in his hand, was also carried away. There was no trace of her left in the entire room.

Shi Kun, who was desperately struggling in the corridor and felt he couldn't hold on any longer, saw a flicker of despair in his eyes. Suddenly, he felt the suction force behind him vanish instantly. His body, suspended in mid-air, plummeted heavily to the ground, leaving him bruised and battered.

Even so, he was overjoyed. He didn't know what had happened behind him, nor did he dare to find out. He scrambled out of the tomb, not even daring to linger near the entrance. He ran several miles away before finally feeling completely relieved.

Meanwhile, Zu An plucked the Traceless Phantom Lotus. He winced in pain as he tore off the petals one by one to feed her, muttering, "Wife, do you know what I gave up for you? If you're not good to me later, you're not even human..."

"Heh, men," came the mysterious woman's scoff from the void. "Your own wife is at death's door, yet you're still thinking about improving your own cultivation, somewhat reluctant to give it to her. If I were her, I'd be heartbroken."

"What the hell do you know?!" Zu An cursed. But he couldn't be bothered to explain the reason to her, as his suppressed abilities were not something he wanted to boast about.

"How dare you speak to me like that!" The woman's voice turned cold.

Rage from Mi Li +314!

Zu An was startled. Was that the mysterious woman's name? What a strange surname. If he hadn't watched "The Legend of Mi Yue" in his previous life, he wouldn't even know how to pronounce that character.

But at this moment, he had no time to pay attention to her, because Chu Chuyan had fallen into a coma. She couldn't swallow the petals at all.

Remembering the mysterious woman's warning that she only had sixty breaths left, Zu An no longer dared to hesitate. He chewed the petals first, then transferred them into her mouth, mouth-to-mouth.

Chu Chuyan's lips were cold and soft; the chance to kiss her was something countless men could only dream of. But Zu An felt no enjoyment at all at this moment; his mind was completely consumed by worry for her.

Throughout the entire process, he dared not pause. He transferred the Traceless Phantom Lotus petals into her mouth, bite by bite. His breaths were filled with a refreshing fragrance, and he couldn't tell if it was the scent of the flower or Chu Chuyan's own fragrance.

A moment later, Chu Chuyan slowly opened her eyes, gazing at him quietly. Whether her complexion had improved or something else, a faint blush inexplicably appeared on her face.

"You're awake?" Zu An was both surprised and delighted. The heavy weight in his heart finally lifted.

"What... what are you doing?" Chu Chuyan looked at the petals in his hand, then her gaze fell on the corner of his mouth.

Zu An felt a pang of guilt. He quickly said, "I was just saving you, not taking advantage of you."

Chu Chuyan hummed, "I know."

Feeling the awkward atmosphere, Zu An didn't know what to say. Instinctively, he chewed another petal and leaned in to feed her, but halfway through leaning down, he froze.

She was awake now, so it seemed she wouldn't need to be fed like this anymore, right?

Chu Chuyan stared back at him. After a long moment, she awkwardly turned her head away. "I can do it myself now."

Zu An knew well that since she was awake, she would absolutely not accept being fed mouth-to-mouth. He simply offered the remaining petals to her lips, saying, "Then eat it yourself."

He swallowed the piece of Traceless Phantom Lotus still in his mouth, wondering if the medicinal properties of a single petal would be enough to break his seal. Thinking of this, he quickly took out the Unsealing Pill that Ji Dengtu had refined for him and swallowed it.

He quickly closed his eyes to feel the changes in his body.

As soon as the Unsealing Pill entered his mouth, he felt several surges of heat rush directly downwards towards his lower abdomen, accompanied by a refreshing coolness, which he presumed was the effect of the Traceless Phantom Lotus petal.

These warm currents, combined with the clear stream, caused many meridians to suddenly open up along the way. It felt as if shackles all over his body were being unfastened one by one.

"It's working!"

Zu An's eyes lit up. He quickly focused his mind to guide the energy currents through his body's meridians.

At first, it advanced with unstoppable momentum. But at the critical moment, this mixed current seemed to hit a heavy door, unable to break through.

With each attempt, the current weakened slightly, until he watched it vanish completely.

As expected, the medicinal properties of one petal weren't enough!

Zu An felt like crying but had no tears. "Heavens, earth, why am I so cursed?!"

Of course, it wasn't without any benefits. He noticed that the fifth array had been filled. It was important to note that the fifth array theoretically required 377 Qi fruits, far more than any previous array.

Before, it would take him a long time to fill one array, but now, just one petal had easily filled it.

Indeed, the rumors were true: one petal could elevate one's minor cultivation realm.

But what was the use of that? The ability he wanted most was still not unlocked!

"What is this you fed me?" Chu Chuyan's soft and pleasant voice asked. Her mind had just been in chaos, and she had subconsciously swallowed the petal he put to her lips. The coolness from the Traceless Phantom Lotus petal, along with a strange, gentle power, flowed throughout her body, making her instantly realize that this flower was extraordinary.

Although her elemental meridians were still completely destroyed, the injuries in her body were recovering at an astonishing speed. She even had a faint feeling that if she took a few more years to slowly recuperate, her severed meridians might even regrow.

Although her cultivation would be completely gone by then, and her movements still wouldn't be as agile as an ordinary person, it was still much better than being paralyzed in bed for the rest of her life.

"It's a spiritual herb I stumbled upon in this underground palace. I saw you were about to breathe your last, so I fed it to you." Zu An wasn't the kind of person who did good deeds anonymously, but at this moment, mentioning the Traceless Phantom Lotus would inevitably sound like he was seeking credit. Moreover, he was so depressed that he didn't want to mention that name at all.

Zu An suddenly realized why he hadn't heard the mysterious woman's voice for a while.

Just then, an angry roar echoed from not far away: "Who dares to touch this general's Traceless Phantom Lotus!"