840: A miraculous escape

“How audacious! How dare you ambush This Crown Prince!”

Baili Jianyun snorted coldly, and a powerful Sword Qi suddenly slashed out, cleaving directly toward the massive Sword Qi coming his way.

“Clang...!”

The two powerful Sword Qi intersected, emitting an earth-shattering boom. The surrounding air seemed to vibrate at that instant.

“Elder Xia, are you alright?” Yang Lingchen asked anxiously.

He hadn't expected the person who saved him at this critical moment to be Elder Xia Qingyue of the Jade Maiden Peak of the Lanxian Sect.

“I'm fine. You go first.” Xia Qingyue gently shielded Yang Lingchen behind her.

“I won't go. If we leave, we leave together,” Yang Lingchen said firmly.

He could not bring himself to abandon a woman and flee alone.

He had once made a terrible mistake back on the Tianwu Continent, almost causing Yao Lingyu to perish because of him.

Now that he was facing a similar situation, he naturally would not let history repeat itself.

“Truly a pair of lovers bound by death. Since both of you wish to die, This Crown Prince shall grant your wish.” Baili Jianyun shouted coldly, swinging his sword again toward Xia Qingyue.

“Scram! Don't get in the way here.” Seeing this, Xia Qingyue shoved Yang Lingchen away and then rushed forward to meet Baili Jianyun.

Yang Lingchen could only fret helplessly from the side. With his current strength, if he stepped forward, he wouldn't even last a single move against the opponent; it would be no different from seeking death.

As the fight continued, Xia Qingyue quickly fell into a disadvantage, and the situation became extremely perilous.

“Idiot! Leave!” Xia Qingyue cried out, her voice laced with urgency.

“I won't leave. If we die, we die together.”

Lingchen's voice held a trace of determination. He wielded his sky-splitting spear and charged directly toward Baili Jianyun.

Even if it meant death, he refused to let a woman fight for him alone.

“What a pair of desperate lovers!”

Baili Jianyun sneered. He instantly unleashed two powerful streams of Sword Qi from his hand. These streams carried a fierce light and instantly slashed toward Yang Lingchen and Xia Qingyue.

Xia Qingyue leaped forward, instantly positioning her body in front of Yang Lingchen.

“Hiss...!”

With a crisp, slicing sound, Xia Qingyue's right shoulder was instantly pierced by the Sword Qi, and her body plummeted heavily toward the bottom of the cliff.

Seeing this, Yang Lingchen didn't hesitate at all, throwing himself backward in a dive and catching Xia Qingyue in his arms.

Just as he tried to pull Xia Qingyue back toward the cliff edge, he felt a huge suction force instantly grab hold of his body, and then his body uncontrollably began falling toward the Desperate Cliff.

Baili Jianyun frowned slightly upon seeing this, ultimately choosing not to pursue them. He knew the terror of Desperate Cliff well; falling from there guaranteed death.

The speed of their descent was rapid. Icy, bone-chilling wind whistled past their ears, causing a chill to rise in their hearts.

He tried to bring Xia Qingyue into the haotian jade space, but he realized that his Divine Sense and Immortal Essence Power seemed to have completely vanished.

At this moment, Yang Lingchen suddenly turned, hoisting Xia Qingyue above him, leaving his own back facing the abyss.

Xia Qingyue was already severely wounded, and he naturally would not let a woman shield him.

“Bastard, you...!”

Seeing this, a look of panic flashed in Xia Qingyue's eyes.

She wanted to flip Yang Lingchen over, but found she had no strength left. She had been severely injured in the previous battle, and it was already difficult enough for her to hold on until now, so she naturally lacked the strength to turn Yang Lingchen over.

“I'm sorry. I might not be able to keep the promise I made to you.”

Yang Lingchen's face showed a trace of apology. Xia Qingyue had helped him many times, and they had even shared an intimate moment back at the Lanxian Sect.

“It's alright. Dying in your arms is actually quite nice!”

Xia Qingyue's crimson lips curved slightly, a helpless smile playing on her face.

Her smile was like a tiny flower swaying in the wind—though delicate, it still bloomed with the most beautiful radiance. Even though she was severely injured, it still could not conceal her peerless beauty.

Gazing at Xia Qingyue's unparalleled face, Yang Lingchen suddenly lifted his head and kissed her red lips.

To his surprise, Xia Qingyue did not resist at all; she even began sucking on his lips.

At this moment, both of them forgot about life and death, passionately embracing each other.

“Thump...!”

After an unknown amount of time, a loud crash was heard, and a huge splash of water erupted as the bodies of Yang Lingchen and Xia Qingyue slammed heavily into the surface of the water.

The intense pain nearly caused Yang Lingchen to faint.

“Pfft...!”

A mouthful of fresh blood spurted from his mouth. He felt as if his internal organs had been shattered. If he hadn't Cultivated the Undying Golden Body Art, he would have likely been smashed into pieces by now.

“Lingchen, are you alright!”

Xia Qingyue, having recovered slightly, ignored her own injuries and carefully held Yang Lingchen in her arms, asking nervously.

“I...”

At this moment, Yang Lingchen could not speak. His pupils gradually dilated, and the vitality in his body was rapidly draining away, as if he might expire at any moment.

“Roar...!”

Just then, a massive roar echoed. A colossal head suddenly emerged in front of them. It was the head of an Ancient Spirit Flood Dragon, its mouth wide open like a bloody basin, swallowing Yang Lingchen and Xia Qingyue.

Gazing at the Ancient Spirit Flood Dragon swallowing them, Xia Qingyue smiled bitterly. She had no strength left to resist. At the bottom of Desperate Cliff, they couldn't utilize even a trace of Immortal Essence Power. How could they possibly resist?

“Gulp...!”

With one gulp from the Ancient Spirit Flood Dragon, Yang Lingchen and Xia Qingyue were swallowed whole.

Upon entering the Ancient Spirit Flood Dragon's intestines, a violent stench assaulted them, causing Yang Lingchen to slowly open his eyes. Looking at Xia Qingyue, who was tightly embracing him, Yang Lingchen felt a pang of guilt.

Suddenly, a terrifyingly corrosive aura swept over them. Instantly, the clothes on both their bodies turned to nothingness, and their limbs were covered in a layer of highly corrosive stomach acid.

The excruciating pain, worse than death, caused painful expressions to appear on both their faces.

They held onto each other tightly; even at the brink of death, they did not let go.

Just when they thought they were certain to die, a streak of golden light suddenly erupted from Yang Lingchen's body, instantly enveloping them both.

Wrapped in this golden energy, the injuries inside Yang Lingchen and Xia Qingyue's bodies began to gradually recover, and the Ancient Spirit Flood Dragon's stomach acid was completely isolated by this light.

At this, a glimmer of hope returned to Yang Lingchen's eyes. If one could live, who would want to die?

Under the protection of this energy, the Immortal Essence Power within their bodies gradually began to recover.

After an unknown period, Yang Lingchen's body finally recovered.

Just then, a sensation that made his heart race suddenly came from beneath him.

He saw Xia Qingyue's slender, snow-white jade hands tightly clutching him, and her eyes held a trace of fervor.

“Give it to me...!”

Xia Qingyue pressed her delicate crimson lips close to Yang Lingchen's ear, her voice soft yet carrying a hint of seduction.