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Chapter 59: Rescue Her
🕑 Added 2025-04-07 09:21:14 +0000 UTCThe terrain of Tianji Peak was perilous. Without the aid of light-footed martial arts or sword flight, reaching Kuaixue Residence within half an hour on foot was nearly impossible.
At this moment, Ji Rong had completely exhausted her spiritual power and could not fly. She could only dash towards Kuaixue Residence with all her might.
She had never run this fast in her life, yet the countdown to death was closing in.
[Warning! Player, please hurry! Gu Baiyi has only fifteen minutes left before death.]
Seeing Kuaixue Residence just ahead, Ji Rong felt a surge of relief, only to find a massive boulder blocking her path, cutting off all possibility of advancing.
The rock’s placement was devilishly precise, leaving her no room to maneuver around it. Worse yet, with her spiritual power depleted, she couldn’t even use a sword technique to cleave it apart.
But there was no time to waste.
Ji Rong cursed under her breath. Damn it, game developers, do you have no shame? Are you trying to drive me insane?
Despair welled up inside her, but she forced herself to remain calm. Someone was waiting for her to save them, she couldn’t afford to give up now.
As she frantically considered alternative routes on the map, her left hand unconsciously tightened around the Cangming Sword.
Blood from her palm seeped into the sword’s hilt, dyeing the silver engravings a deep crimson.
Ji Rong was too immersed in thought to notice the change in her sword.
But in the next instant, the Cangming Sword erupted in radiant light.
The silver tide-like engravings on the blade surged from its tip, flowing into Ji Rong’s arm like waves washing over her meridians.
Startled back to awareness, Ji Rong watched in amazement as the Cangming Sword pulsed with a luminous aura, soaking in her blood. Before she could react, a powerful force yanked her consciousness into her sea of awareness.
Unlike her usual meditative state, where she only glimpsed a small, tranquil pool, this time, she stood at the center of an endless ocean.
The sight of the vast, undulating sea left her breathless.
So... all of this spiritual energy belongs to me?
A gentle breeze swept across the water’s surface, sending silver ripples shimmering like silk embroidery.
Ji Rong stood atop drifting mist, gazing out at the boundless sea.
Closing her eyes, she felt the fierce winds rush toward her from all directions, weaving through her hair and robes.
Her body felt weightless.
When she opened her eyes again, she was already soaring toward the heart of the ocean.
Standing amidst the waves, she looked down into an abyss of unfathomable depths. When she raised her gaze, she caught sight of a distant star flickering through the misty clouds.
It wasn’t bright, compared to the fated stars of other cultivators, it was rather dim.
Yet, it stood high above, like snow atop towering mountains or drifting clouds in the heavens, remote, indifferent, like a lonely moon hanging in the sky.
Ji Rong thought it looked lofty, distant, and frankly, a little arrogant, not exactly likable.
She sighed. So this is the original owner’s fated star? Compared to the heroine’s “Seven Killings Star,” this thing is completely lackluster.
Yet, she had to admit, the star’s cold and noble aura did match the original owner’s character.
If not for the fact that only cultivators at the Riding the Wind stage could ignite their fated star, Ji Rong would have considered picking a different one.
This star is seriously underwhelming.
Still, if she could break through to the Riding the Wind stage, she could cut through the boulder and save Gu Baiyi and that meant survival.
With that thought, she looked up at the vast blue sky within her consciousness and, without hesitation, reached out to grasp the distant, dim star.
The moment her fingertips, separated by an unreachable expanse, made contact, the star suddenly erupted in brilliant radiance.
Like sunlight spilling over a field of golden wheat, the sudden brightness momentarily blinded her.
After a long pause, Ji Rong gradually adjusted to the light.
Opening her eyes, she found herself once again facing the massive boulder.
The Cangming Sword was still in her grasp.
Feeling the surge of spiritual energy coursing through her meridians, she recalled the boundless sea within her consciousness and a slow, confident smile spread across her face.
A mere boulder dares to block me? Heh. If gods and demons stand in my way, I’ll cut them down all the same.
Just as she was relishing the overwhelming surge of power, the mechanical voice of the system ruthlessly interrupted her.
[Warning! Critical alert! Gu Baiyi has only ten minutes left! Player, take immediate action!]
Ji Rong scoffed. Why are you rushing me? Don’t you think I’m more anxious than you?
Despite her grumbling, she wasted no time. Lifting the Cangming Sword, she unleashed a mighty strike—“Cold Waters Flow.”
The chilling force cut through the boulder in an instant. The supposedly indestructible rock shattered into countless fragments, crumbling before her eyes.
Time was running out. Ji Rong leaped forward, rushing ahead without sparing a glance at the shattered boulder behind her.
She wasn’t sure if it was sheer survival instinct or an improvement in her cultivation, but her qinggong felt swifter than ever, far beyond what she was capable of before.
Yet, there was no joy on her face. After all, the heroine was hanging by a thread, and her own life was still on the line.
Strangely, the closer she got to Kuaixue Residence, the harder it became to breathe. A sense of suffocation crept over her, making her chest tighten.
Pressing a hand to her violently pounding heart, Ji Rong couldn’t help but think, No way, right? Just because the heroine is on the brink of death… I won’t feel like I’m dying too, will I?
At that moment, she lowered her hand and finally caught sight of Kuaixue Residence, nestled among blooming plum blossoms.
The plaque was right in front of her. Ji Rong kicked the door open and strode inside, her gaze sweeping the room, searching intently for the purple jade pendant.
She assumed such an important keepsake would be hidden away in some secret spot, so she instinctively checked the corners first.
To her surprise, the pendant lay quietly on the desk, its surface glowing with a gentle, translucent luster.
Ji Rong froze for a moment, then stepped forward and grabbed it, turning it over in her palm as she examined it again and again.
As she stared at the pendant, a troubling thought struck her, how was she supposed to explain this to Bai Yushuang?
…But no matter how she explained it, it would sound suspicious, wouldn’t it?
She was still trying to come up with the perfect excuse when the system’s cold, urgent voice interrupted her thoughts.
【Ding! Gu Baiyi’s remaining survival time: five minutes.】
Ji Rong clenched her teeth. Screw it. No time for careful planning now, she’d just have to wing it.
Gathering a surge of spiritual energy in her palm, she crushed the purple jade pendant.
The shattered fragments crumbled into fine dust, dispersing into the air.
A shadowy figure emerged from the ground.
The newcomer wore dark robes, with delicate features and an indifferent smile playing at her lips—it was Bai Yushuang.
But the moment Bai Yushuang got a clear look at Ji Rong, her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. She pressed her lips together before chuckling softly, “Little girl, why is it you?”
Ji Rong had no time for pleasantries. She could feel it, Gu Baiyi’s life had entered its final countdown. And since her own fate was tied to the heroine’s, her heart was now pounding so fast she could barely breathe.
She parted her lips, about to speak—
But Bai Yushuang only smiled, gently cupping Ji Rong’s face with both hands. Her voice was soothing as she said, “Don’t panic, little girl. Take your time.”
Ji Rong: “…”
Take my time?! If I slow down any further, I’m gonna die!!
But with life on the line, she had no time to complain. She sucked in a deep breath and cut straight to the point. “Gu Baiyi was ambushed by Mei Lixue and fell into Wuji Peak.”
“…What?”
Bai Yushuang’s expression darkened in an instant. Her grip on Ji Rong tightened, and an overwhelming pressure radiated from her.
The force slammed into Ji Rong, making her cough up blood. She had just broken through a new realm, and her spiritual energy was still unstable. Now, her consciousness was slipping.
【Ding! Gu Baiyi’s death countdown: two minutes. Player is about to lose control over their body.】
【One minute after losing control, the player will be forcibly sent back to their original world.】
No! Hell no!
Sent back to my original world? Didn’t I already die there?!
A wave of dizziness washed over her as the sensation of weightlessness took hold. Ji Rong collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from her lips.
Through her blurred vision, she saw Bai Yushuang’s alarmed expression.
With great effort, she forced out two words:
“…Save her.”
