The black vortex covered up the sky and the sun completely. Terrifying amounts of corruption filled the air. It was like a giant devil that could devour the entire world was about to come into existence.
In the distance, the scenery changed. Mountains, valleys, and rivers gradually returned.
This was the original look of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm.
Jiang Qing'e looked a little stunned. She had finally snapped out of her daze after being pushed by Li Luo. Then she hurriedly dashed towards the black vortex.
It was as if she did not care about the copious amounts of corruption. She only knew she had to dive in no matter what.
In a flash, Ning Meng appeared right beside her and grabbed her arm. "Little Jiang'e, don't be rash. The corruption in that vortex is too wild. Even with your dual ninth-grade light resonances, you won't be able to resist it!"
"Let go!" Jiang Qing'e shouted coldly. Her usually calm, golden eyes were looking a little anxious at this point.
"No! You have to calm down! Li Luo is still under the protection of the spirit beast, so he'll be able to last a while. If you dash in recklessly, things will only become even harder for him!" Ning Meng shouted back in a hurry. She was a little unsure about what to do. After all, Jiang Qing'e was usually the unfazed and collected individual in all situations. Who would have expected her to act according to the whims of her heart now?
It was the first time she had seen Jiang Qing'e lose her cool.
At the same time, Feng Lingyuan and Li Hongyou arrived by their side. Although they were looking worried as well, they tried to calm Jiang Qing'e down. "Exactly, Student Jiang. You have to take a step back and observe the situation."
Jiang Qing'e was stopped from making any rash decisions when faced with all their resistance. She stared unblinkingly at the terrifying, black vortex. "If Li Luo is not out in a hundred seconds, please do not stand in my way."
Her voice was calm and composed once again. However, her decision was one that made the crowd's hearts skip a beat.
It seemed like if they tried to stop her again, Jiang Qing'e would tear down all pretense.
The vortex was the last struggle of the White Eyed True Devil before its death. It was further bolstered by the power of the broken All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion, making it so powerful that even a Duke probably wouldn’t make it out alive. How would Jiang Qing'e be able to do anything?
Li Luo was stuck in a truly precarious situation.
Nonetheless, Jiang Qing'e did not care about what the others thought. She clenched her hands tightly. Veins surfaced on her arm, and her heart was overwhelmed with emotions.
If one could peer inside her, they would notice that rays of light had begun to emit from her Heart of Light.
If Li Luo did not come out in a hundred seconds, she would sacrifice her Heart of Light without any hesitation. Then she would rush into the vortex of corruption to save him.
......
Just as Jiang Qing'e's side was preparing for the worst-case scenario, Li Luo had indeed fallen into yet another dangerous situation.
He glanced around, but corruption was all he could see. Horrifying screams and strange whispers echoed in his surroundings. Under the influence of the immense amount of corruption, Li Luo could feel negative emotions surging up in his heart even with the power of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf. He nearly lost control of the power to protect himself.
"Kid, if you don't escape from here soon, we'll both die!" The Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf's impatient voice rang out in his mind. It could sense how dire their situation was.
However, Li Luo could not spare any energy to respond. He suppressed the negative emotions in his heart and controlled his resonant power to form a protective layer against the corruption.
Besides, he could feel that there was a terrifying force in the depths of the vortex that was trying to drag him in deeper.
The corruption there was terrifying beyond belief. It would surely be fatal if he were to be sucked in.
However, even when Li Luo resisted with all his might, he could sense that he was slowly moving deeper into the depths.
"d.a.m.n it, All-Beings Devil King!"
Li Luo could not help but swear at it. “Couldn't it just vent its frustration on the Princ.i.p.al of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College after losing the game? Why come after a small and tiny ant like me? What a sore loser!” Li Luo's thoughts ran furiously. He had to come up with a way to save himself.
The Heavenly Emperor's Writ was mysterious. However, he had only managed to trigger the will of the Heavenly Emperor when Vice Princ.i.p.al Wu Yu targeted him directly. It would not trigger under normal circ.u.mstances. After all, the plaque from Heavenly Emperor Li wasn't really meant to protect his descendants.
Suddenly, a pale and slender arm reached out of the vortex of corruption and grabbed Li Luo’s arm.
Li Luo broke out in cold sweat. The Dragon Elephant Blade materialized in his grip immediately and he slashed down on it by reflex.
Suddenly, an eye opened up on the arm. The eye stared quietly at Li Luo.
Li Luo was shocked as he stared back at that familiar eye. He asked in disbelief, "Cousin Lingjing?!" This was indeed an unexpected development. He paused as he still trusted her.
The arm did not say anything. It tugged Li Luo's arm and began to pull him towards the outside.
Li Luo was touched when he sensed the intention of the arm. He had no idea what had happened to Cousin Lingjing after being absorbed. Despite all that, she was still trying to save him.
As the slender arm pulled with all her might, Li Luo summoned up all the resonant power in his body. He protected himself from the corruption and pushed his way outwards, one step at a time.
Li Luo was pleasantly surprised. He could sense that he was no longer being dragged deeper.
Hope had surfaced in his heart! Li Luo slowly inched forward with the help of Li Lingjing's arm. Gradually, the corruption in front of him began to grow weaker as he escaped the strangling grasp of the vortex. A hint of delight appeared on Li Luo's worried face.
Similarly, the slender hand slowly relaxed her grip as she sensed that Li Luo could now handle the situation on his own.
However, Li Luo quickly grabbed onto her arm. "Cousin Lingjing, I will bring you out as well!"
Although he did not know what had become of her, he did not mind. He could bring her back to Li Jingzhe. The Respected Elder would surely help him out and find a way to rescue her.
However, the arm shook a little. Then she lightly waved at him to turn him down.
Before Li Luo could respond, the arm rapidly melted away. It turned into black smoke and was absorbed back into the vortex.
Li Luo was stunned. He could faintly see a slender figure amidst the thick shroud of corruption. She was holding the Aquamarine Bamboo Python Staff, and she turned around to smile at him before walking off. It was a choice she had made willingly. Then the corruption surged, and the figure disappeared completely.
Li Luo's eyes were filled with mixed emotions. Cousin Lingjing had chosen to take another path, and no one knew where it would lead. He did not know what would happen to her in the future either. Would she become twisted and strange like the members of the Murderous Ghost Horde?
Regardless of what happened, he knew that she would always be a heroic lady in his heart. The indomitable and proud girl from the Western Region, Li Lingjing.
"Cousin Lingjing, no matter what happens in the future, I will always be there to help you," Li Luo said. After that, he did not hesitate anymore. Resonant power exploded from his body and he pushed back against the corruption pressing down on him, das.h.i.+ng forward in a flash.
In just a few breaths of time, he reached the outskirts of the vortex, where the corruption was a lot weaker.
The vast and beautiful world was slowly appearing in his sight. Then Li Luo sensed a formidable energy coming out of Jiang Qing'e. His face changed completely and he shouted in a hurry, "Sister Qing'e, don't worry! Don't be ras.h.!.+ I am almost out!"
From the looks of it, Jiang Qing'e was ready to begin the ignition of her Heart of Light. If he had arrived any later, she would have sacrificed herself once again to save him.
The energy fluctuations coming from Jiang Qing'e stabilized a little as she stared deep into the vortex of corruption. Her eyes came to life when she saw Li Luo.
She flew forward and dashed towards him.
Li Luo grabbed onto her slender waist. In the same moment, a cold voice entered his ears. "Li Luo, I will not let you off lightly if you make decisions on your own and push me away again!"
Li Luo turned to face her and saw that Jiang Qing'e eyes were welling up with redness, something he did not see often.
She must have felt terrified when he was engulfed by the vortex.
She was afraid she would lose him forever.
Li Luo's heart was overwhelmed with emotion as well. He hugged her lightly and said in a gentle voice, "I'm sorry."
He wanted to say more, but before he could do so, the energy within his body diminished rapidly. As the power of the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf left him, weakness spread across his body. Li Luo's face turned pale immediately. He didn't even have enough strength left to hold onto Jiang Qing'e. This was not just the aftermath of borrowing power from the Five-tailed Heavenly Wolf; he had converted his resonant power multiple times, causing him to lose a huge amount of blood essence.
Jiang Qing'e noticed that something wasn't right with him. She hurriedly grabbed him and asked in a worried tone, "Li Luo?"
But he was unable to answer. His eyelids grew heavier and his vision began to darken.
Just before he lapsed into unconsciousness, Li Luo could see Li Hongyou rus.h.i.+ng over. She cut herself and let the blood from her arm drip into his mouth.