Chapter 379: Master, Youâd Better Stick Close
That blood-red streak was also a javelin.
It was over ten meters long, its shaft wrapped in black ghostly spirits, and with terrifying might, it instantly tore through the front of the flying vessel.
Those ghostly spirits had blocked his spiritual perception, which was the only reason it had gotten so close undetected.
No doubt about itâthis javelin had been thrown by the Tiger King.
But how could a Tiger King at peak Foundation Establishment throw something this powerful?
There was only one possibilityâthe Tiger King had broken through to the Demon Core Stage in the past three days.
There were more than a few Golden Core Ascenders aboard the flying vessel. They could still survive such a strike, but the weaker ones would definitely be affectedâsome might even die on the spot. Like Senior Chen, for example.
âDanger!â was all Wang Shouyi had time to shout.
At this point, whether or not the vessel exploded didnât even matter. He could only hope that this shout would at least let the girl next to Senior react in time.
But Wang Shouyiâs concern was unnecessary.
The moment the javelin shattered the vesselâs deck and ripped through a few slow-to-react Ascenders, Li Qingran had already flashed in front of Chen Huaian.
So fast that even Chen Huaian hadnât reacted yet.
In the blink of an eye, a seemingly delicate figure had already appeared in front of him.
âMaster, donât move!â
Li Qingranâs voice was firm. She raised her arms, palms together, and pushed forward.
Silver-white sword qi surged around her. She stood like an unshakable shield in front of Chen Huaian.
BOOMââ!
To Chen Huaian, it felt like a firecracker went off next to his ear.
In his vision, the javelin tip exploded the instant it struck Li Qingranâs hands.
The remaining shaft split open like a peeled banana,
One fragment pierced into the shipâs floor,
Another snapped the wooden railing and continued flying far into the distance.
From the moment the javelin pierced the ship to when it exploded in front of Chen Huaian and Li Qingranâall within the span of a few breaths.
The next second, the flying vessel split in half like it had been cut by a massive blade, both halves plummeting to the ground.
Chen Huaian was just about to summon his swordâ
Then his vision blurred, and he found himself already standing on Li Qingranâs Su Xian Sword.
The girl in a white dress stood in front of him, piloting the flying sword.
It seemed to be her first time taking someone else alongâher stance was a little unsteady.
She mustâve felt his gaze from behind because she turned and gave him a tight-lipped smile.
A gust of mountain wind blasted toward them, and the baseball cap on Chen Huaianâs head was immediately blown off.
âWhy didnât you activate a wind shield for the sword ride?â he asked instinctively.
âMaster and Pavilion Lord taught me this,â Li Qingran said without turning around, her voice fuzzy in the wind. âYour disciple understandsâsword cultivators shouldnât fuss over such dainty things. We should ride the fastest flying sword, catch the fiercest wind, let our hair dance wild behind us, and live free and carefree.â ââðá»ÐЧ
Chen Huaian: â???â
Hold upâhe never taught her that!
What kind of bizarre ideas had Su Qinian been feeding his precious disciple?!
Not using a wind shield while sword flying was clearly just that stingy old guy trying to save spiritual energy!
âMaster, your discipleâs going to descend faster now!â
Chen Huaian had just said âOkayââ
And the next second, his mouth was blown into a megaphone by the rushing wind.
â¦
â¦
âSenior, Iâm truly sorry. This was my oversight that led us to this situation.â
Somewhere in the Qinling Mountains, broken pieces of the flying vessel were scattered all around. Chen Huaian and Li Qingran were sitting peacefully under a tree, while Wang Shouyi stood before them, full of guilt.
âNo need to be like that, Brother Wang. Slaying demons and evil was always dangerous work.â
Chen Huaian didnât think the ambush was a big deal. He comforted him: âSee? This Venerable One is totally unharmed, isnât he?â
âThatâs thanks to Sister-in-lawâs protection,â Wang Shouyi sighed and shook his head. âBut now weâll have to travel to the Demon-Locking Tower on foot. The wilderness is full of demons. If we fly, weâll likely be ambushed again.
Golden Core cultivators can still manage in the air, but Foundation Establishment ones are just targets. Not to mention the Tiger King, that hidden threat. You never know when itâll throw another javelinâitâs hard to sense them coming. Our best option is to use the forest cover and inch our way toward the tower.â
Li Qingran sat with her chin in her palms, listening quietly.
Then she asked, âWhy does flying make you a target? Donât you guys have any airborne or defensive-type divine abilities?â
âDefensive divine abilities?â Wang Shouyi blinked in confusion. âWhatâs that? Arenât cultivation methods just divided into inner techniques and martial skills?â
Inner techniques raise cultivation and true qiâcore for training.
Martial skills were sword arts, saber arts, fist techniquesâmethods to apply that qi.
Wang Shouyi had never heard of anything else.
When flying, Ascenders had to rely either on strong enough cultivation to form solid body protection qiâor rely on defensive magical tools.
âAhahaha!â
Chen Huaian jumped in, smiling. âWhat my disciple meant was techniques and martial arts that inherently offer defensive effects. Like your own Mountain-Crushing Sword Formâit has defensive moves, right?â
Wang Shouyi suddenly understood and nodded. âAh, I see!â
He cupped his fists toward Li Qingran and said with a grin:
âSister-in-law, you may not knowâvery few of us get to train in martial arts that come with special abilities.
Most inner techniques just raise qi and cultivation, while martial arts tend to lean entirely into attack or defense.
Most of us can only manage one martial artâsplitting focus to study a second is too much. So most people pick offensive techniques and barely touch defensive ones.â
âOh, got it.â
Li Qingran realized sheâd misspoken.
She glanced at her Master carefully from the corner of her eye, and only relaxed when she saw his expression was unchanged.
But she couldnât help thinking to herselfâ
This worldâs cultivation system is way too backward.
These guys were already Golden Core level. Their swords were just ordinary weapons, and they didnât even know what divine abilities were. No wonder it took three or four of them to bring down one demon of the same realm.
In Cangyun Realmâ
A demon beastâs naturally strong physique wasnât that big a deal.
Most cultivators could fight evenly or even solo a demon beast of equal level using divine abilities and spiritual tools. At worst, they could at least survive. Some geniuses could even fight multiple enemies at once.
Only demons with truly rare, noble bloodlines were exceptionsâthose were nearly impossible to beat without a team.
Wang Shouyi left.
That javelin had killed seventeen Ascenders.
If Li Qingran hadnât stepped in, the death count wouldâve been higher.
There were still a lot of Ascenders behind them.
Wang Shouyi, after tallying the casualties, made a vow to create a more meticulous planâheâd make sure no more lives were lost before reaching the Demon-Locking Tower.
Meanwhile, Li Qingran was starting to feel that these Ascenders were really unreliable.
âMaster, once we start hiking up the mountain, you better stick close to me.â
âDisciple, Iâd love to stick close,â Chen Huaian teased. âBut what if a demon pops out and yanks me away? What can I do then?â
He was starting to feel like Tang Monk.
And Li Qingran was the Monkey King protecting him on his journey to the West.
âDonât jinx it, Master!â
Li Qingran rolled her eyes and pouted. âCareful your words come true!â
Chen Huaian sighed silently.
He wasnât wrong.
Li Qingran had only descended as an avatarâif he got snatched, she might not be able to hold him back. She could only use magic to interfere, but magic wasnât as fast as reaching out with a hand.
ãKachak! Ding ding ding!ã
His phone suddenly chimed with a notification.
He thought someone was calling.
But when he pulled it out, he saw the Digital Girlfriend game had launched itself.
A pop-up appeared on the screen:
ãDetected that the player is in a potentially dangerous environment. Please choose an insurance plan!ã
ã1ãGo full reckless mode. As long as youâre not dead, just keep pushing. Reject all insurance plans. (Accident Rate: 70%)
ã2ãCowardice is wisdom. Retreat your real body into the Small World and âremote controlâ Li Qingran in the outside world. (Limited-Time Feature) (Accident Rate: 0%)
ã3ãRecharge Â¥19999 to unlock Hand-Holding Mode. The player and the Digital Girlfriend avatar will enter a hand-holding state to boost safety until she exits Spirit Roam Beyond the Void mode. (Accident Rate: 30%)
â¦
In the real world, he was just a low-level Foundation Establishment guy.
All things considered, Option 2 was the safest. Why hadnât he thought of that before?
He could hide in the Small World and direct Li Qingran remotely.
Two realms apart.
Even immortals would just have to watch helplessly.
But when he saw the âLimited-Time Featureâ labelâhe had a realization.
This was a chance to teleport his real body into the Small World. Normally, that wasnât even allowed.
So what was there to hesitate about?
Go with Option 3!
If you hesitate even one second, it means you donât want to hold your precious discipleâs hand enough!
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