The Lightning’s Embrace

Su Hanxing arranged several simple formations along the corridor outside the iron gate. For cultivators with little skill in formations, like Chi Qiu, it would be extremely difficult to even perceive the hidden corridor.

“I never realized you knew so many formations.” Back in the secret chamber, after Chi Qiu had gathered her true qi once more to seal the iron gate, she looked at Su Hanxing with considerable surprise.

When Chi Qiu had still been a man, his cultivation speed had been agonizingly slow. He had once attempted to study formations, but without guidance from a sect or the resources to experiment, he had eventually abandoned that path after a period of practice.

Now, seeing Su Hanxing deploy multiple layers of formations in the corridor, even if they were minor, unimpressive ones, it revealed that he possessed some minor achievements in the art of formations.

“I studied them for a while in my younger days, but I’m far from proficient,” Su Hanxing said, shaking his head. Arranging these few simple formations had already been his utmost effort.

Chi Qiu nodded in understanding. Without wasting any more time, she found a safe spot close to the dragon scale and sat down cross-legged, preparing to make contact with it.

Su Hanxing watched Chi Qiu, who was now seated with her eyes closed, unable to hide the worry on his face. This golden lightning was the Yinglong’s most common method of attack, and even though it was now masterless, its destructive power remained formidable.

Meanwhile, Chi Qiu had already mobilized nearly ninety percent of the true qi within her heart aperture to protect her body. She dared not be complacent in the slightest when facing this dragon scale, which radiated an aura of destruction.

A wisp of true qi, pale blue with hints of golden divine power, slowly emerged from her body, approaching the dragon scale at an incredibly slow pace.

As Su Hanxing watched the true qi leave Chi Qiu’s body and draw near the dragon scale, his heart leaped into his throat. Sweat beaded on his palms, and the true qi within him was poised, ready to rescue Chi Qiu at a moment’s notice.

Under Su Hanxing’s tense gaze, the true qi made contact with the dragon scale.

In that instant, the dragon scale erupted with a blinding golden light, and several bolts of lightning flashed forth, only to halt just before touching the wisp of true qi.

Chi Qiu instantly broke out in a cold sweat. A wisp of her divine soul was currently residing within that true qi, and from her perspective, several bolts of lightning had surged towards her, only to stop abruptly right before her.

Fortunately, the lightning must have ultimately sensed the Yinglong’s divine power contained within the true qi, causing it to cease its attack. After a brief flicker, it vanished.

Seeing that the lightning did not attack her, Chi Qiu felt a significant sense of relief. She boldly urged her true qi to circulate over the dragon scale, attempting to uncover its mysteries.

After about half an hour of such probing, Chi Qiu had thoroughly examined the entire dragon scale, yet she had found nothing. The dragon scale’s texture was incredibly tough, far surpassing anything Chi Qiu had ever encountered. Moreover, there wasn’t even the slightest crevice for her true qi to penetrate, leaving her utterly helpless.

Chi Qiu reluctantly retracted her true qi and opened her eyes. She looked at Su Hanxing, who stood ready beside her, and said, “This dragon scale won’t attack me, but it has no gaps whatsoever. I can’t do anything with it. Why don’t you give it a try?”

After hearing Chi Qiu’s words, Su Hanxing pondered for a moment. Then, as if suddenly recalling something, he spoke, “Doesn’t lightning flash across this dragon scale? Since it won’t attack you, perhaps you could try actively merging with the lightning to enter the scale’s interior.”

Chi Qiu looked thoughtful. While the method sounded extremely risky, it was certainly worth a try.

“Then I’ll give it another attempt.” With that, Chi Qiu closed her eyes once more.

To merge with the lightning, Chi Qiu released even more true qi this time. She first selected a spot where lightning frequently flashed, condensed her true qi into a spherical shield, enveloped the area, and then waited patiently.

Sizzle—

Chi Qiu didn’t have to wait long. A bolt of lightning, no thicker than a strand of hair, flashed within the true qi shield.

Yet, this incredibly tiny bolt of lightning instantly disintegrated the true qi shield Chi Qiu had constructed. The wisp of Chi Qiu’s divine soul within the shield was also severely wounded, nearly dissipating entirely.

Chi Qiu felt an excruciating headache, as unbearable as if her head had been split by a giant axe. She endured the intense pain, forcefully retracting her divine soul, which brought her a slight measure of relief.

“How is it, Little Chi? Were you successful?”

All of this had occurred silently, so much so that even Su Hanxing, who had been intently watching Chi Qiu, hadn’t noticed she had sustained serious injuries.

“I’m fine, no need to worry.” Chi Qiu turned her pale face to look at Su Hanxing. Seeing the genuine tension and concern on his face, her heart stirred slightly. As if by some impulse, Chi Qiu decided not to hide it any longer, adding, “My divine soul suffered some minor injuries, but there was still a gain.”

Upon hearing Chi Qiu mention her divine soul was injured, Su Hanxing’s expression instantly changed. He moved closer to Chi Qiu and gently grasped her fair, slender hand. Immediately, Chi Qiu felt an immense surge of true qi flow into her body, probing her injuries.

This action was quite abrupt, but Chi Qiu held no secrets within her body. Moreover, when she had previously been wounded by the Yinglong’s divine power, Su Hanxing had likewise channeled true qi into her to heal her injuries. Given this precedent, Chi Qiu said nothing, simply allowing him to proceed.

Inside Chi Qiu’s body, her divine soul felt slightly ethereal. However, as she had not yet reached the God Concealing stage, her divine soul had not yet taken form, making it impossible to discern the true severity of the injury.

Yet, this lightning strike had also turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The lightning bore no malicious intent to kill, and thus, after touching Chi Qiu’s divine soul, it had instead left behind a small portion of warm, gentle lightning power.

As one of the most destructive natural disasters in the world, lightning, beneath its terrifying power that could annihilate all things, still contained an ultimate vitality.

“There’s no need to worry; I’m perfectly fine.” Seeing Su Hanxing grip her hand and examine her for so long, Chi Qiu could only repeat her earlier words.

Su Hanxing nodded. Releasing Chi Qiu’s hand, he asked in a low, slow tone, “Do you still wish to try?”

“Since I’ve already gained something, naturally I must try more.” Although the pain of her divine soul being shattered by lightning was almost unbearable, such an excellent opportunity to grow stronger lay before her. How could Chi Qiu possibly give it up?

“This is Soul Soothing Dew. If you can’t bear it any longer, drink some; it can heal injuries to the divine soul.” Seeing Chi Qiu intended to continue, Su Hanxing retrieved a jade bottle from his storage artifact and handed it to her.

Chi Qiu took the jade bottle, her face alight with gratitude. Such a precious treasure, capable of healing the divine soul, was incredibly valuable, yet Su Hanxing had directly gifted her an entire bottle. This gesture deeply moved her.

“Thank you so much. I truly need this, so I won’t refuse it. I will certainly repay you in the future,” Chi Qiu said, offering Su Hanxing a rare smile of thanks.

“No repayment is necessary; consider it my way of making amends to you. Oh, and Little Chi, has my image in your heart improved now?” Su Hanxing looked at Chi Qiu with considerable anticipation.

Chi Qiu found it somewhat amusing. She wondered what had gotten into Su Hanxing, to give her such a valuable bottle of Soul Soothing Dew just to hear about his standing in her mind.

“Even though you’ve given me such a precious medicine, I’m not someone who’s swayed by money,” Chi Qiu said, her tone slowly rising, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Hearing this, Su Hanxing’s face instantly fell, showing a hint of disappointment.

“However, your willingness to uphold our agreement and even help me refine the dragon scale—that sincerity earns my deep respect. So, yes, you’re definitely much better than before!” Seeing Su Hanxing’s crestfallen face, Chi Qiu couldn’t help but suppress a laugh. She reached out and lightly poked his chest, and with just a few words, she brought a smile back to Su Hanxing’s face.

As for the agreement Chi Qiu mentioned, it naturally referred to what Su Hanxing had said earlier in the cave: Chi Qiu would help him get revenge, and all the treasures within the Yinglong Tomb would belong to her.

“Of course, Little Chi isn’t someone swayed by money; I know that much…” Su Hanxing laughed wholeheartedly. He had long since confronted his true feelings and understood his real desires, and naturally, he was overjoyed at this moment.

“Then I’ll trouble the grand disciple of the Tianyan Sect to guard me.” Chi Qiu was already somewhat impatient to absorb the golden lightning. She shook the jade bottle at Su Hanxing, then closed her eyes once more.