C20 Life and Death Were on the Line

Little Qing, with her flat nose, approached Soong Yuan and gently tapped him, reminding him, "Your stance is spot-on, but it seems you've held it for too long."

"Oh."

Soong Yuan sheepishly retracted his arm and stepped back, focusing his energy, ready to try once more...

Suddenly, a Thunder Aura burst forth.

Vicious Thunder Grandma surmised that the young man named Soong might carry some extraordinary artifact of great power, which, for some unknown reason, he was unable to activate at the moment.

Not wanting to give Soong Yuan any further chances to experiment, she launched a preemptive strike. A bolt of lightning signaled the imminent arrival of a fist-sized Thunder Aura.

Soong Yuan was defenseless.

He was only at Body Refining Grade One Level Three, with actual combat strength below the Seventh Level of the Qi Refining Stage.

He did have three magical treasures: the Universe Crystal Ball, Ghost Fire Blade, and Samadhi True Fire Fan. Sadly, the first was purely for detection, and while the other two were potent, Soong Yuan, burdened with a Spirit Losing Body and Zero Cultivation, was unable to muster the Vital Spirit needed to wield them.

Therefore, Soong Yuan was left with nothing but his three Innate Divine Thoughts, which, being ethereal, could only affect the mental realm of a cultivator and were powerless against the tangible force of magical spells. Fortunately, Little Qing was by his side.

With a resounding shout, Little Qing waved a piece of green silk that transformed into streaks of green light, trying to wrap around the incoming Thunder Aura. At the same time, Soong Yuan turned and fled. The disparity between their powers was immense; Little Qing was at Foundation Stage Level Two, while Vicious Thunder Grandma was a Thought Dividing Stage Great Cultivator. The vast difference in their levels of cultivation inevitably meant a huge gap in the potency of their magical energies.

In the span of two breaths, the fist-sized Thunder Aura expanded more than tenfold. Little Qing's strands of green light were no match for the Thunder Aura. She quickly retreated, but it was already too late. A deafening explosion rang out as the Thunder Energy swept through, instantly blasting Little Qing into countless fragments and a mist of blood...

Qian Ji was desperately using all of his life force to withstand the Thunder-shape Arrow. The fiery sphere around him had significantly shrunk, and his size had halved, making him look like a dwarf dangling from the wall.

"Hey, kid, are you alright?" Qian Ji looked down and asked.

Brushing off the dust, Soong Yuan stood up. Thanks to Little Qing's intervention with the Thunder Aura, he had managed to get far enough away to only be lightly affected by the aftermath of the Thunder Storm. He looked a mess, but he was unharmed.

Qian Ji, however, was not satisfied.

He was enduring the relentless burning and trembling from the Thunder-shape Arrow's Thunder Energy... The pain was unbearable, the struggle at death's door was excruciating, and his hatred for Vicious Thunder Grandma was intense. He was desperately hoping for Soong Yuan to defeat her. Despite the odds, he pressed on, urgently asking again, "Kid, can you really handle this?"

"I..." Soong Yuan found it difficult to respond, as the secret of his Innate Divine Thought must remain hidden.

"He's no good," Qian Xiaoruo interjected angrily, glaring at Soong Yuan and scolding him, "Spirit Losing Body, Zero Cultivation, merely a Body Refining Grade One Level Three. You brought this upon Little Qing. Soong, her death is on you. You're more trouble than you're worth, an utter failure."

"Look, Little Qing and I came here to save you," Soong Yuan thought to himself with a sigh. The girl with the flat nose and small eyes wasn't much to look at, but she had been indispensable when it mattered most, and thanks to her, he had narrowly escaped death.

Qian Xiaoruo was a tempest of feelings. She had been plotting to acquire the Yin Yang Day Boiling Spring, laying a trap in Multicolored City and using a fake Universe Compass to divert attention. Everything was proceeding as planned, and she was close to finding the Boiling Spring when she would slip away from Multicolored City and stealthily make her way into the Crystal Shattering Mountain Range. But then Vicious Thunder Grandma appeared, causing chaos and taking over everything.

Qian Xiaoruo was in the depths of despair.

The arrival of Little Qing and Soong Yuan seemed like an unnecessary and futile interruption, with Little Qing paying the ultimate price with her life. And there stood Soong Yuan, very much alive, brazenly asserting, "Little Qing and I came to rescue you." Qian Xiaoruo was livid.

She didn't mince words with Soong Yuan, "Little Qing, bless her heart, genuinely wanted to save me. But you? You're only here for the Universe Compass."

Soong Yuan was taken aback, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

Qian Xiaoruo added with a sneer, "Cunning trash."

"Damn it!"

Soong Yuan's anger flared.

Qian Xiaoruo had been calling him trash repeatedly, now even adding the adjective "cunning" to the mix.

"I did indeed come for the Universe Compass. Saving you was merely convenient, not a priority," Soong Yuan retorted, "Qian Xiaoruo, you're not my wife. Why should I feel compelled to save you?"

That's when Soong Yuan remembered that he and Qian Xiaoruo were actually engaged.

He added spitefully, "You might be keen on marrying me, but the feeling isn't mutual. I find you... less than favorable."

Being labeled as less than favorable, especially with a history of three failed engagements, was a bitter pill for any young woman to swallow. The private circumstances behind these failed engagements were not for public discussion, which made it all too easy for rumors to brand Qian Xiaoruo as a curse, a stigma she found impossible to shake off. She was a mix of anger and mortification, at a loss for words.

Soong Yuan, feeling as though he had the upper hand, was smugly pleased with himself, a strange excitement bubbling within him. He raised his voice, proclaiming, "Qian Xiaoruo, I hereby divorce you."

"Ah?" Qian Ji, who had been listening in bewilderment, couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is going on between you two?"

"I have nothing to do with him," Qian Xiaoruo declared with indignation.

"I want nothing to do with her," Soong Yuan shot back.

"Hmph."

"Hmph."

Qian Ji muttered to himself, still puzzled, "I just don't understand..."

"Everyone, shut up!" Vicious Thunder Grandma bellowed. She was the ruler of this realm, yet Soong Yuan and Qian Xiaoruo bickered incessantly as if she didn't exist, which irked and annoyed her. However, she was clear on one thing: Soong Yuan was a mystery that needed to be dealt with, the only one who could potentially threaten her, regardless of whatever secrets he harbored within.

Step by step, she closed in on Soong Yuan.

"Kill this jerk," Qian Xiaoruo hissed, cheering on Vicious Thunder Grandma. "He's been all show and no substance, a complete waste. You could easily crush him."

"Qian Xiaoruo, you..." Soong Yuan fumed, then he tried to coax Vicious Thunder Grandma: "Forget it, I won't kill you. Just give me her Universe Compass." He pointed at Qian Xiaoruo and continued, "I'll take the Universe Compass and leave immediately. You can do whatever you want with her, even if it means cooking Qian Xiaoruo in a braise or steaming her, I won't object."

"Soong Yuan, you can go to hell," Qian Xiaoruo retorted, rolling her eyes at him from afar.

"Hmph," Vicious Thunder Grandma snorted coldly, her gaze fixed on Soong Yuan. She remained vigilant, approaching him like a wild beast...

Soong Yuan tried to retreat, but a wall blocked his path. He had forgotten there was no way back. With no other option, he faced her, but as Vicious Thunder Grandma raised her hand, lightning flickered threateningly.

In this moment of life or death, Soong Yuan closed his eyes and focused his thoughts inward, resolved to make a final desperate effort to awaken his Innate Divine Thought.