70: Chapter 70 The Sacred Realm is Not To be Spied On by Insignificant Ants; Lady Qingli Risks Her Life to Save Her in a Critical Situation

Just as Xu Ruyu pushed his own Taixu True Qi to probe the power Xiao Nianyin had left in his body, that originally dormant Saint Realm Power was awakened by the slight stimulus of this external "offense." Or perhaps it felt some familiar "calling," as an extremely subtle ripple suddenly appeared on its surface.

In that instant, Xu Ruyu felt a vast consciousness carrying a supreme majesty, like a sleeping dragon opening its eyes, indifferently sweeping over his probing intent.

With just this single "sweep," Xu Ruyu felt his Divine Soul hit by a giant hammer; his head buzzed, his vision went dark, and a sweetness rose in his throat as he nearly spat out blood!

Immediately after, that Saint Realm Power seemed to "recognize" his intention to "communicate" or even "refine" it. In an instant, its indifference turned into a sort of... displeasure, as if provoked by an ant?

A terrifying suction force, which felt like the heavens collapsing and the earth rending to Xu Ruyu, suddenly erupted from the "deep sea"!

It wasn't going to erupt outward, but rather... it was going to completely swallow his entire Divine Soul along with that pathetic bit of Taixu True Qi!

Xu Ruyu was terrified. He wanted to cut off the connection and withdraw his consciousness, but he found his mind trapped like a fly in thick amber, unable to break free at all!

Though the suction was subtle, its level was too high, directly locking onto the Origin of his consciousness!

It's over. Damn it, I've really played myself this time!

Xu Ruyu's heart went cold, as if he could already see the miserable end of his Divine Soul being assimilated by the Saint Realm Power and his Physical Body exploding into a mist of blood.

At this critical, hair-breadth moment—

"Buzz!"

Inside the room, the pink light net of the Taixu Fox Shadow Sound-Proofing Array, which had long since faded from view, flickered violently without warning!

Immediately after, a figure the color of rosy mist appeared silently before Xu Ruyu like a ghost, out of thin air!

She didn't break through the door or pass through the walls; she simply manifested there as if she had been standing there all along.

It was none other than Madam Qingli, who had claimed to live next door!

Her face was completely devoid of its usual lazy and seductive smile, and a trace of shock and anger flickered in her soul-captivating peach blossom eyes.

The moment she appeared, her jade-like hand shot out as fast as lightning. A slender finger tipped with bright red nail polish tapped precisely on the center of Xu Ruyu's brow!

A soft yet lingering power instantly penetrated Xu Ruyu's Sea of Consciousness. Like the most skillful surgical scalpel, it precisely severed the lethal connection that was about to form between Xu Ruyu's strand of consciousness and the Saint Realm Power!

"Pfft—!"

Xu Ruyu felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. His body trembled violently, and he spat out a small mouthful of fresh blood. His face instantly turned as pale as paper, and his aura withered to the extreme.

But that terrifying suction also vanished abruptly. His Divine Soul returned to its place, and though he was significantly injured, he had at least reclaimed his life.

He weakly opened his eyes. Through his blurred vision, he saw Madam Qingli's exquisite face, filled with anger, right in front of him.

Madam Qingli withdrew her finger, her chest heaving slightly. Clearly, that seemingly effortless move had actually cost her a great deal of mental effort.

After all, the power inside Xu Ruyu's body was no ordinary existence.

That was Xiao Nianyin's Saint Realm cultivation. If handled poorly, both of them would have died from the backlash, their bodies exploding.

One must realize that Madam Qingli had only just barely broken through the Saint Realm Bottleneck; she was still a long way from the Saint Realm itself.

Looking at Xu Ruyu's pale face and the blood at the corner of his mouth, she was both annoyed and helpless, which finally manifested as a sharp cry filled with heavy reproach:

"Xu! Ru! Yu!

You little lunatic, do you have a death wish?!"

Her voice rose due to lingering fear, losing its usual sultry charm and gaining a bit of sharpness:

"What do you think Xiao Nianyin's Saint Realm cultivation is? Is it some candy that a little Qi Refinement Stage body like yours can just mess around with?!

That is the Origin of her life and cultivation, refined over hundreds of years!

It contains her Saint Realm Law marks and her majestic will!

If it weren't for the fact that she's currently lost control of it, its spontaneous backlash would be enough to kill you ten thousand times over!"

"Forcing a connection? Even wanting to refine it? Do you know that if I had been just one breath later, your Divine Soul would have been completely sucked in, crushed to pieces, and turned into a part of that power? And you, as a person, would have gone—'Bang!'—"

Madam Qingli made an exaggerated explosion gesture, her beautiful eyes wide:

"—Exploded until not even a scrap was left!

Saying your body would explode is an understatement; it would be total annihilation of both body and soul, with no hope of reincarnation for all eternity!"

Xu Ruyu was left speechless by the scolding, and a wave of lingering fear washed over his heart.

Only now did he truly realize how reckless and dangerous his actions had been.

In the face of an absolute gap in power levels, any thought of taking shortcuts could bring about total disaster.

"I... I just..."

Xu Ruyu wanted to defend himself but found he didn't know where to start.

"Just what? Just couldn't wait? Just felt that Cultivating on your own was too slow?"

Madam Qingli sneered, seeing through all his thoughts.

"Boy, shortcuts aren't that easy to take, especially ones involving Origin power!

Even Xiao Nianyin, the Sect Master of Hehuan Sect who has practiced for hundreds of years, doesn't dare to forcibly take back this Saint Realm cultivation and can only use slow, painstaking methods to guide it, trying to gradually reclaim it. Do you think you understand her power better than she does?"

She paused, her tone softening slightly but still carrying a warning:

"Listen, Xiao Yuer.

To you, the cultivation Xiao Nianyin left in your body is currently a Treasure Trove covered in countless barbs, a volcano that could explode at any moment.

Until you have enough power to control it, you'd better stay far away from it!"

But then, remembering that the Saint Realm cultivation was inside Xu Ruyu's body, she quickly corrected herself: "At the very least, stop having those crooked ideas!"

Xu Ruyu silently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Feeling the stabbing pain in his Divine Soul and the weakness of his body, he nodded bitterly.

The lesson learned from this gamble was profound enough.

Seeing Xu Ruyu's apologetic attitude, the anger on Madam Qingli's face finally faded, replaced by her usual seductive smile.

She leaned down, reached out a finger, and lightly flicked the tip of Xu Ruyu's nose, her tone returning to its lazy cadence:

"However... since you managed to find such a creative way to seek death, I've actually become even more interested in you."

"Remember this lesson. You only have one life, so don't mess around." She stood up and smoothed out her skirt, which wasn't even messy. "If you want to become strong quickly, refining Saint Realm cultivation isn't the only dead-end path.

Use that little brain of yours from the other world more; perhaps... there will be other surprises?"

After saying this, she gave Xu Ruyu a meaningful look. Her figure faded once more, and she vanished silently from the room.

Leaving Xu Ruyu alone, sitting on the messy bed, his face pale and his heart still pounding with fear.

Outside the window, the sun was bright, but a heavy haze hung over his heart.

Seeking outward, the path was blocked.

Seeking inward, the danger was like an abyss.

Where exactly did his path lie?