Qing Jiang's eyes glimmered with a hint of regret.
Without the immortal spirit qi at its core, which transformed the surrounding spiritual energy, this vibrant spirit spring, though still rich with energy, would gradually lose its vitality. Over time, it would degrade into a mere hot spring, retaining only faint traces of spirituality and warmth.
Even so, stripped of its immortal spirit qi and fated to lose all spiritual energy, this rootless spring remained a rare treasure in the mortal world. With a graceful wave of her delicate hand, strands of spiritual energy shimmered, and the central platform of the spring began to tremble, slowly contracting.
Under Elder Mu's astonished gaze, the spring, spanning hundreds of meters, shrank inward bit by bit, revealing a dry riverbed and damp soil. The steaming mist that had clouded the air dissipated, leaving the view clear and unobstructed.
Finally, to his amazement, the entire spirit spring condensed into a small jade disc, which settled into Qing's jade-like hand.
"Put your clothes on."
Her cool, indifferent voice snapped Elder Mu out of his daze. The warmth of the spring was gone, replaced by a bone-chilling breeze that made him shiver.
Grinning awkwardly, he kept one hand behind his back, concealing Qing's undergarment, while the other fumbled for his scattered clothes on the ground. He clumsily dressed his gaunt, withered frame in robes that seemed too large for him.
Only when he was fully dressed did Qing's gaze shift to the distance, as if peering through the mystical Nine Heavens Secret Realm, a paradise-like enclave within the perilous ruins of immortal gods. The ruins themselves had undergone an unprecedented transformation.
The cause? A monstrous entity, born from the resentment and malevolent qi enveloping the remains of an immortal god.
"It's doomed."
Her icy gaze fixed on the sky, where a sea of thunder brewed. Each bolt that struck paved the way for an even more terrifying one.
How many had fallen so far?
Why was achieving immortality so arduous? Why was the Heavenly Dao so elusive? The heavens had their laws: all beings had their fates, and all spirits had their destinies.
Tribulations were natural, eternal, and unchanging. Heavenly punishment, however, was different. Anything that defied the laws of the Heavenly Dao, anything the heavens deemed intolerable, would provoke their wrath. Such entities faced fivefold thunderous strikes, enduring countless bolts. Those who survived could exist in the world; those who failed turned to ash.
History recorded many instances of evil beings born from immortal remains, defying death to return. Yet, the Xian Sect, with its millennia of secrets, knew well: without external aid, the thunder of heavenly punishment was precisely calibrated to destroy such abominations. Only a last-second breakthrough or intervention from a demonic lord of the Nine Nether Abyss could save them.
But in this era, with the Jianmu tree severed, the heavens and earth were sealed. The immortal realm could no longer directly interfere with the mortal world, let alone the distant, illusory Nine Nether Abyss. Without their involvement, these creatures were almost certainly doomed.
"Something's off about this heavenly punishment."
Qing watched the rolling thunder prison in the sky, its roaring bolts flashing within dark clouds. Its intensity far exceeded her understanding of heavenly punishment.
Unbeknownst to her, this thunderous wrath targeted not only the evil.Concurrent with the entity born from Yuanwu Jun's remains, it also aimed at a Nine Nether demon hidden deeper beneath and a life-reversing Longevity Grass. Together, their combined power was beyond comprehension.
The pitiful creature, revived from an immortal's frame, was unaware of this. It unwittingly served as a shield for the Nine Nether demon and Longevity Grass, bearing the brunt of the heavens' wrath.
"Let's go."
Qing spoke calmly, withdrawing her gaze. Without waiting for Elder Mu's reply, she turned and began to leave.
The old man hurriedly followed.
Thus, the peerless immortal maiden and the wretched, hunched Elder Mu departed as they had come, one leading, the other trailing.
But Elder Mu, clutching Qing's undergarment, sank into thought. His eyes locked onto her figure ahead, her hips swaying slightly with each step. Her taut, youthful curves trembled faintly, perfectly rounded yet not as lush as Empress Mei's mature allure. Instead, they carried a maiden's purity and vibrant elasticity.
Elder Mu's mouth went dry, his unsatisfied desire stirring beneath his loose robes, the massive outline of his arousal forming a hammer-like bulge.
Was the immortal maiden wearing anything beneath her robes? Or was she bare?
His blood surged, his nose nearly bleeding at the thought.
Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, Qing's expression shifted. Her steady steps faltered, and she whipped her head toward the distant horizon, where black flames and lightning clashed.
A tidal wave of black flames swept through, and a young man's figure was hurled from it, tumbling dozens of miles through the air, blood scattering like stardust.
It was Feng Wei.
Qing summoned her spiritual power and soared into the air, rising dozens of feet in an instant.
"Immortal maiden! Wait for me!"
The sudden shift startled Elder Mu. As Qing's protective aura vanished, the suppressed black mist surged like ravenous wolves. Panicked, he shouted after her but could only watch as her figure flew farther away.
Her body wrapped in a stream of light, Qing streaked toward Feng's landing spot like a meteor.
"Immortal maiden! What about me?"
Monsters and black mist closed in, leaving Elder Mu frantic. Qing, focused on the injured figure, paid him no heed.
Gritting his teeth, he steeled himself and ran after her.
Qing flew through the sky; Elder Mu raced on the ground.
It was like a tale of chasing an immortal's shadow, but unlike the stories of immortal maidens and gallant youths, this immortal maiden was pursued by an old, ugly eunuch.
Fleeing beasts and cultivators, rushing away from the immortal corpse, caught fleeting glimpses of the moonlight-like stream of light passing by. Looking down, they saw the hunched, elderly Elder Mu sprinting after it.
"Wait... wait for me..."
His frail body was no match for Qing's lightning-fast flight. His feeble shouts couldn't reach her, now a mere speck of light in the distance.
The encroaching black mist grew closer. His lungs burned, legs numb, vision blurring, strength fading. He stumbled, nearly collapsing.
No! I can't fall here!
Immortal maiden! My immortal maiden! Princess! My princess!
I can't die here... I must stay with you, serve you...
I want to lie with you...
Deep within, a yin-yang fish that had somehow entered his body leaped, sending a cool stream from his mind through his spine, washing away his exhaustion.
Renewed strength surged. Elder Mu ran faster, outpacing the pursuing mist. The resentful spirits in the darkness howled in frustration, unable to catch him. At one point, he nearly overtook Qing's stream of light.