Chapter 39 Who is saving whom?

Lin Yue activated his Green Fire Pill Eye and stared at the black mist within the cauldron. Through the patterns on the cauldron's body, the scene inside its belly clearly emerged: a mass of black mist was entrenched there, with countless hair-thin poisonous threads intertwined and wriggling like living snakes. They were continuously devouring the Spiritual Qi surging from the Spiritual Vein, while the toxins seeped through the cauldron's patterns into the surrounding soil. This was the true cause of the Spiritual Vein's clogging.

"A Poison Soul Gu is hidden inside!" Lin Yue shouted deeply, the Ten Thousand Jun Force gathering in his palm as golden light flowed through it. "Everyone, be careful!"

Before Lin Yue's voice had even faded, he struck out with a heavy punch, colliding with the black mist surging from the cauldron and producing a piercing scream.

"Heaven-Burning Sword Intent: Spirit Lock!" Su Qingyuan had already drawn her broken sword. The Sword Intent of her Innate Sword Body suddenly erupted, and the rust on the broken sword completely faded away. A pale green sword light poured down like a waterfall, transforming into three interwoven sword arcs that shattered the mass of black mist in an instant.

Injured, the black mist instantly expanded several times over, and agonizingly twisted human faces appeared on the surface of the cauldron—they were vengeful spirits whose souls had been bound by the Poison Soul Gu, reduced to tools for nourishing the toxins.

"This is the Poison Soul Gu; ordinary attacks are ineffective..."

Luo Ningshuang guided her spiritual power with her fingertips, condensing a wisp of purple poison mist that stabbed toward those twisted, agonizing faces like a tide! "Roar!" A sharp howl echoed from the black mist as countless poisonous threads broke through the cauldron walls and stabbed directly toward Luo Ningshuang's face.

"Watch out!" Lin Yue threw a punch, unleashing a dark golden fist radiance that struck those poisonous threads heavily, annihilating most of them.

Su Qingyuan's sword light swirled rapidly, her wisps of Sword Intent turning white-hot and forming a sword net; A He stood barefoot on the ground where Spiritual Qi gathered, her Azure Vine Mysterious Water Spiritual Root operating at full power. Green spiritual light overflowed from her fingertips, also forming a spiritual light barrier!

Unexpectedly, several poisonous threads still passed through the sword net and the spiritual light barrier, lunging straight for Luo Ningshuang. Unable to dodge in time, Luo Ningshuang was pierced in the wrist by one of the poisonous threads.

Her fair skin instantly turned dark blue as the toxin spread through her blood vessels, and a mouthful of black blood overflowed from the corner of her mouth.

"Ning Shuang!" Lin Yue roared, leaping in front of the cauldron. He pressed both palms against its belly, and the Ten Thousand Jun Force transformed into a golden torrent that poured into the cauldron, forcibly suppressing the black mist back inside.

A He took the opportunity to inject life force into Luo Ningshuang's body, but as soon as she touched her wrist, she was repelled by a surge of potent poison.

"No, this poison is too fierce; my life force can't suppress it at all!" A He's eyes reddened with anxiety as she watched Luo Ningshuang's face grow increasingly pale.

Luo Ningshuang leaned against the stone wall, her breath so weak it was almost imperceptible.

She looked at Lin Yue, a flash of relief crossing her eyes. "Don't waste your energy... This is the Heart-Corroding Gu Poison, there is no cure." She coughed twice, black blood sliding down the corner of her mouth. "I swore an oath to kill all Qingyun Sect Disciples in this life to avenge Baicao Valley. Now that my life is ending and my Dao is fading, I no longer need to worry about that oath."

"Nonsense!" Lin Yue supported her swaying body, the coldness from his palm making his heart tighten. "You cannot die." Just as Luo Ningshuang finished speaking, a cold mechanical voice suddenly exploded in Lin Yue's mind, the System's prompts breaking the silence of the desperate situation like a thunderclap:

[Emergency Warning! Bound partner Luo Ningshuang's vital signs are dropping rapidly; the Heart-Corroding Gu Poison has invaded the Dantian Origin!]

[Consequence Warning: If Luo Ningshuang dies, the [Alchemy Insights] the host obtained through her

and [Meridian Perception] abilities will be immediately reset to zero; your cultivation will drop from the Peak Ninth Level of Qi Refining back to the Seventh Level of Qi Refining, and the compatibility effect of the [Hundred Meridians Unblocked] Physique for alchemy-type techniques will be permanently disabled!]

[Solution: Immediately engage in Dual Cultivation with Luo Ningshuang! Her Innate Pill Body can use the power of Dual Cultivation to draw in the Spiritual Qi of the Spiritual Vein, forming a state of [Nourishing the Pill with Poison] with the Gu poison inside her body to condense a [Hundred Gu Divine Pill]; the host can simultaneously absorb the feedback from the poison pill to forge a [Myriad Poison Immunity Physique]!]

[Risk Warning: Luo Ningshuang once swore a Heart Demon Oath to [Kill all Qingyun Sect Disciples]; if she violates the oath, her soul will be extinguished. If she upholds the oath, the host will be marked as a target for hunting once she recovers!]

Lin Yue gripped Luo Ningshuang's cold wrist, the Ten Thousand Jun Force in his palm nearly spiraling out of control—he could never accept the consequences of his cultivation dropping and his abilities being reset, let alone watching this peerless unpolished jade, who possessed the Innate Pill Body, perish like this.

"What of a Heart Demon Oath? What if her soul is extinguished?" Lin Yue leaned down, his warm breath brushing against Luo Ningshuang's pale cheek, his tone carrying an irresistible dominance. "I insist on saving you; I insist on you living!"

The moonlight by the spiritual spring shattered into silver foil as Lin Yue leaned down and scooped Luo Ningshuang up in his arms.

Luo Ningshuang's pupils constricted, and she weakly pushed against his chest. "You're crazy! If I survive, I am sworn to kill Qingyun Sect Disciples like you!"

Her voice trembled, not from fear, but from the frantic struggle between the Gu poison and the Heart Demon Oath within her.

"That is a matter for the future." Lin Yue ignored her resistance, condensing a wisp of green fire on his fingertip and lightly tapping it against her brow. "Now, close your eyes and follow my spiritual power."

Lin Yue gently placed her on a bluestone by the spiritual spring, pressing his palm against the Dantian area below her abdomen as the Ten Thousand Jun Force transformed into a warm current to envelop the rampaging Gu poison.

"You... don't touch me there..." Luo Ningshuang gritted her teeth and turned her head, but she couldn't help letting out shallow gasps. When the green fire touched the Gu poison, her whole body trembled—the bone-eroding pain was actually fading. Her Innate Pill Body seemed to be awakened, and the Leyline Spiritual Qi beneath the spiritual spring surged in through her bare feet, intertwining with Lin Yue's spiritual power.

Lin Yue acted as if he hadn't heard her, increasing the pressure of his palm and guiding the Spiritual Qi to collide with the Gu poison. The black mist twisted between the spiritual powers of the two, gradually transforming into pale purple pill power.

The two embraced tightly as their clothes were shed piece by piece. Luo Ningshuang's resistance collapsed amidst the throbbing of her body. She looked up at him, the hatred in her eyes not yet dissipated but now joined by a hint of moisture. "Do you know... if I violate the oath..."

"I will bear it for you." Lin Yue leaned down, his lips brushing against the tip of her ear, his Green Fire Pill Eye reflecting the afterimages of Baicao Valley in her Sea of Consciousness.

Luo Ningshuang's entire body stiffened, but she suddenly took the initiative to reach up and hook her arms around his neck. The spiritual power of the Innate Pill Body surged frantically toward him—the Gu poison condensed into a pill core during the fusion, and her Sea of Consciousness connected with his...

Luo Ningshuang panted as she pressed against his palm, her fingertips smoothing his Meridians. "Lin Yue... if one day..."

Before she could finish, Lin Yue's lips kissed her again, hot and domineering, leaving Luo Ningshuang unable to speak any longer, save for the sound of soft moans. She felt like a block of ice melting in the sun, her entire body soft and weak, no longer able to muster a shred of strength, only able to allow the other to do as they pleased...

In the end, she also caught fire, responding passionately. Whether in body or heart and soul, they were completely entwined. The mist from the spiritual spring carried the spiritual power of both into the air, weaving into a pale golden cocoon under the moonlight.

In this moment, it was no longer possible to distinguish who was the savior and who was the one being saved.