Chapter 1455: Spirit Detox is Poisonous

They looked at each other in silence. Ling Shu extended her slender, snow-white arm and wrapped it around Jiang Fan's neck. Jiang Fan lowered his head, and their lips met in a passionate embrace.

Ling Shu was inherently reserved and shy, and Jiang Fan was typically cautious and calm. However, one had returned from the brink of death, finally understanding the true taste of separation and loss. The other knew his end was near and no longer hesitated. Consequently, both became uncharacteristically proactive, embracing and kissing with abandon.

Ling Shu was incredibly fervent. When she was sealed away, the last image in her mind was Jiang Fan's figure, and his promise to give her what she desired upon her return. She had believed everything would end in regret. To her surprise, when she awoke again, the first person she saw was still Jiang Fan. It felt too much like a dream, and she clung to him desperately, afraid to wake up. Meanwhile, Jiang Fan wanted to give everything he had to the girl who had left a scar on his heart, especially in his remaining time.

Suddenly, Jiang Fan felt a slight stinging pain on his lips. At first, he paid it no mind, thinking Ling Shu was inexperienced and had accidentally bitten him. As the pain intensified, he realized something was wrong. He quickly pulled away and asked in surprise, "Did you bite me?"

Ling Shu stirred from the wonderful experience, her crystal eyes barely open, her beautiful face flushed. She lowered her head, unable to meet Jiang Fan's gaze, burying her face in his chest as she whispered in a slight complaint, "What are you talking about?" She had been completely lost in the moment, too busy enjoying it to possibly bite Jiang Fan.

The pain grew more severe, and Jiang Fan finally realized something was seriously wrong. With a wave of his hand, he conjured a mirror of spiritual energy in front of him. When he looked, his eyes widened in shock. His lips had turned black and were rapidly swelling. In just a short moment, they had puffed up like fat bean pods.

"Wh-wh-what happened?" Jiang Fan exclaimed in astonishment. As his lips swelled, his voice became muffled and buzzy. Only then did Ling Shu notice the anomaly. She looked up and gasped, covering her own red lips, "Brother, what's wrong with your mouth?"

She reached out and touched them. To her dismay, her hand seemed to be poisonous. The moment she touched his swollen, pod-like lips, they immediately inflated like balloons. In the blink of an eye, they resembled two puffed dough sticks. Jiang Fan stared at Ling Shu in alarm, quickly released her, and put some distance between them.

The Golden Scale Grand Venerable also noticed their strange behavior and instantly appeared beside them. When he saw Jiang Fan's lips, even with his profound composure gained from surviving the Five Declines of Heaven and Man, his mouth twitched, and he nearly burst out laughing. As for Liu Li, who had also hurried over, she was far less restrained.

"Pfft!""Hahaha! Serves you two right for sneaking around!"

Liu Li had certainly noticed them kissing. She felt a pang of jealousy but hadn't wanted to interrupt their tender moment. She never expected Jiang Fan to get his comeuppance so quickly after just a short kiss.

Jiang Fan's face darkened. He circulated lightning energy around his lips. Wisps of black mist were evaporated, and his lips gradually returned to normal. Jiang Fan stared at the black mist, his expression growing serious. The Golden Scale Grand Venerable's smile vanished. He frowned slightly and asked, "Alien energy?"

The black mist contained the alien energy from the black profound ice! This meant the alien energy had invaded Ling Shu's body. He quickly examined Ling Shu, and a moment later, his frown deepened. "She has a large amount of alien energy inside her. But this energy seems to have assimilated with her body and isn't harming her."

He couldn't say whether this was good or bad. The origin of the alien energy was extremely mysterious. Such occurrences were rare in the Central Lands, and the assimilation with alien energy was unheard of.

Learning that the alien energy wasn't harming Ling Shu, Jiang Fan breathed a small sigh of relief. Then, he grew puzzled: "Why can Ling Shu assimilate with this alien energy, but Liu Li cannot? Logically, Liu Li is your daughter, Grand Venerable Golden Scale, a descendant of a true spirit. Ling Shu is just an ordinary demon. If the alien energy were to choose a master, shouldn't it choose Liu Li?"

Ling Shu looked at her hands and asked, "Alien energy?" She fell into thought, then, after a moment, said with some uncertainty, "When I was sealed, I think I heard a faint voice. It seemed to come from that crystal mine."

This startled not only Jiang Fan but even the Golden Scale Grand Venerable. "Does that crystal mine possess consciousness? What did it say?"

Ling Shu became even more unsure. She said, "It only said four words. It sounded like... 'Tai Xu Shen Shu'..."

The Golden Scale Grand Venerable's brows furrowed deeply. "'Tai Xu Shen Shu'? What's that?" He had never heard of it. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Regardless, this should be considered a blessing for you. You can try to absorb more of this alien energy and embark on a cultivation path of otherworldly beings."

Ling Shu worried, "But will there be any problems?" Jiang Fan walked over, embraced her, and comforted her, "Give it a try. Perhaps you can forge a unique martial path."

Given Ling Shu's aptitude and background, she wouldn't be able to progress as far as Liu Li. Whether she could even reach the Soul Transformation realm in this lifetime was uncertain. Now that she could absorb otherworldly alien energy, it presented a viable path for her to explore.

Of course. Most importantly, he understood what Ling Shu meant by "Tai Xu Shen Shu." The reason no one else understood was that Ling Shu had only caught the pronunciation. The voice had likely said... Tai Xu Divine Tree!

Perhaps the bond of their near-death separation had left a trace of the Tai Xu Divine Tree's aura or essence on Ling Shu. This was what the crystal mine's consciousness had detected, and it had integrated the alien energy into Ling Shu's body. Whether the consciousness's intention was benevolent was unknown, but it was at least not malicious. Otherwise, it could have simply let Ling Shu freeze to death; there would have been no reason to go to the trouble of having her merge with the alien energy. This was also why Jiang Fan encouraged Ling Shu to cultivate the alien energy.

Hearing Jiang Fan's words, all of Ling Shu's doubts vanished. She smiled sweetly, "Okay, I'll listen to you, Brother." She wanted to reach out and hug Jiang Fan, but then she worried that the alien energy might harm him. Her small mouth pouted, and she said, "Then I won't be able to touch you again, Brother? If I can't even manage a simple touch, how can I ever become Brother Jiang Fan's bride?"

For a moment, her willow-like brows furrowed. This alien energy was truly troublesome! Jiang Fan chuckled softly, "You just don't know how to control the alien energy yet. Once you cultivate it to a certain level and can control it freely, you won't accidentally harm anyone."

At this moment, Ling Shu was like a mortal who had suddenly gained the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Before she could fully assimilate these powers, she would naturally cause harm to those around her.

Hearing this, Ling Shu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She then eagerly asked, "Brother, shall we return to Taicang Prefecture now?" Upon hearing this, Liu Li instantly grew anxious. If the two of them went back, wouldn't they soon be in bed together, and then have a little Jiang Fan? "Why should they?"

She stomped her foot and pulled Ling Shu, saying, "You're not allowed to leave! Stay here in Myriad Demon Prefecture and keep me company." Ling Shu rolled her eyes at her. "You go ahead and enjoy being the Princess of Spirit Serpent Mountain. I'm going back with Brother."

The Golden Scale Grand Venerable pondered for a moment, then said, "Jiang Fan, let Ling Shu stay here. Since she's cultivating alien energy, it's best to have someone guarding her." Jiang Fan had experienced the dangers of alien energy firsthand. An accidental touch earlier had nearly driven him mad. Only a Supreme like the Golden Scale Grand Venerable could suppress the alien energy. If Ling Shu encountered any problems during her cultivation of alien energy, Jiang Fan alone wouldn't be able to control it.

After a brief thought, he agreed, "Alright." Then he turned to soothe the anxious Ling Shu, who was stomping her foot, and said, "I'll stay with you for a few days before I leave. Be good."

However, no sooner had he spoken, a detached voice, imbued with heavenly might, descended from the Ninth Heaven.

"You don't need to leave. Practitioner of the Void Current Thunder Force!"