76: Chapter 76 A Long-Awaited Reunion: Destroying the Spirit to Kill!

That familiar figure struck his eyes, and Lin Xiao was momentarily dazed by the sudden surprise.

Su Qingyue clutched the scorching door frame, panting heavily.

Over these past few days, she felt as if she had walked through Hell.

Since entering the Tianyuan Ancient Realm, her extraordinary beauty had attracted countless greedy gazes.

If not for the nascent power of her Taiyin Sacred Body, she would have long been devoured alive by those Loose Cultivators.

Countless times she had escaped death, and countless times she had drawn her sword to kill.

The slim chance of survival she had earned was stained with blood.

Along the way, she dared not rest or stop, her mind filled only with Lin Xiao.

Heaven did not disappoint; she finally saw that figure she had dreamed of day and night once again.

Her grievances erupted like a mountain torrent. Her eyes instantly turned red, and tears streamed down her face.

"Brother Lin Xiao! I finally found you!"

Her voice was choked with sobs, and her shoulders trembled violently.

She reached out, her fingertips trembling, wanting only to touch him to confirm this was not a dream.

Lin Xiao was overjoyed. He hurried forward, opening his arms to welcome her.

"Qingyue! Why are you covered in blood? Are you alright?!"

Just as their fingertips were about to touch, a flurry of hurried footsteps suddenly flooded into the Immortal Cave.

"Young Master!" A delicate and crisp female voice abruptly echoed through the stone door.

It abruptly severed their movements. Immediately after, a group of people stepped over the threshold.

Leading them was a luxurious young girl draped in a red cloak with gold patterns. Behind her followed several old men with profound auras carrying swords.

It was none other than the ninth princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Princess Ji Yuxuan.

Seeing the mess inside the Immortal Cave, Princess Ji Yuxuan exclaimed in surprise.

She didn't even spare a glance for Su Qingyue, walking straight past her and rushing to Lin Xiao, her eyes filled with undisguised urgency.

"Young Master, how could you be so severely injured?"

Princess Ji Yuxuan reached into her sleeve and pulled out a silk handkerchief emitting the faint fragrance of orchids. She stood on her tiptoes, naturally wiping the blood from the side of Lin Xiao's face.

"I told you before. I told you to travel with the Great Zhou Dynasty's royal retainers."

Princess Ji Yuxuan's tone was coquettish and full of reproach. "You insisted on entering the Tianyuan Ancient Realm alone. Let me see, are there any other hidden injuries on your body?"

This turn of events happened so quickly. Su Qingyue's hands, suspended in mid-air, froze completely. She felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, her feet nailed to the floor tiles.

She stared at this jarring scene. The luxuriously dressed young girl was almost pressed against Lin Xiao's chest, her arm slightly wrapped around his, their posture intimately blinding.

Lin Xiao looked awkward, but he did not push Princess Ji Yuxuan away immediately. The joy of their reunion was completely washed away by those soft, sweet words.

Gu Changsheng's mocking voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

"Do you think he is suffering?" "Perhaps he is holding a soft, fragrant beauty in his arms right now."

She had fought all the way here just to find him! She had thought Lin Xiao was suffering, and she had even yielded to Gu Changsheng, trading her dignity for resources to Cultivate desperately.

Yet, here he was, standing beside a pampered princess; what a jarring sight.

"Lin Xiao." Su Qingyue spoke coldly. Her voice was hoarse, and she omitted the word "Brother." "Who is she?"

Su Qingyue questioned him. Lin Xiao woke as if from a dream. He retreated in a panic, forcibly avoiding Princess Ji Yuxuan's attempt to wipe his face.

"Qingyue, let me explain." Lin Xiao spoke rapidly, reaching out to pull her. "This is the ninth princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"When I first arrived in the Xuantian True Domain, thanks to the Princess's care, I was able to gain a foothold. I am indebted to her, but I have absolutely no improper thoughts!"

The more anxious he became, the more his urgency seemed like a cover-up.

Princess Ji Yuxuan turned around, raising her eyebrows as she looked up and down at the woman whose beauty surpassed her own by three parts. She cursed inwardly: What a shameless vixen!

Hostility surged instantly, and she immediately stepped forward, blocking the space between Lin Xiao and Su Qingyue.

"Miss Su, is it? I have seen you before. Haven't you been staying by the side of that Saint from the Daoxuan Immortal Sect?"

Princess Ji Yuxuan covered her mouth and chuckled, her words lashing out like knives.

"Someone like Saint Gu wouldn't mistreat you, so why..."

She paused, sighed, and then slowly delivered another strike. "Or is it that you suffered grievances there, lost your purity, and want to come find the Young Master as a fallback?"

"Stop!" Lin Xiao was furious, roaring sternly. "Princess, do not spout nonsense!"

He bypassed Princess Ji Yuxuan and faced Su Qingyue directly. "Qingyue, I have never looked down on you. That beast Gu Changsheng is cruel. I was just worried..."

Lin Xiao's voice suddenly stuck in his throat. He stared fixedly at Su Qingyue's stunningly beautiful face. Then, thinking of how she had been alone in Gu Changsheng's palace for so long, and how her cultivation had surged without warning, a terrifying suspicion suddenly sprang into his mind.

A light of hesitation and suspicion flashed rapidly in his eyes. Su Qingyue happened to see that look clearly.

That look was like a basin of ice water poured over her head, instantly freezing the passion in her heart.

She had cultivated the Taiyin Sacred Body with all her might, swallowing the cold poison that tore through her Meridians. She had endured Gu Changsheng's verbal humiliation, all just to escape that cage and find him.

All the terror, fighting, and grievances along the way now transformed into a loud slap, landing squarely on her face.

Hearing Lin Xiao roar at her, Princess Ji Yuxuan's eyes misted over, her nose slightly red, full of grievance. "Young Master! I just don't want you to be deceived."

Princess Ji Yuxuan pointed at Su Qingyue, her voice rising. "Did I say something wrong? If she were pure and innocent, why would the Gu Family Young Lord feed her massive amounts of resources? Why would he let her come to this dangerous Ancient Realm? She's just a worn-out shoe that he discarded after getting tired of playing with her! Young Master, do you really think you picked up a flawless treasure?"

Every word pierced Lin Xiao's eardrums like a thorn. The veins on Lin Xiao's forehead bulged. Reason told him he should seal this woman's mouth, but the suspicion in his mind grew wildly like poisonous weeds.

Su Qingyue's cultivation could not be faked. She was originally just an ordinary Cultivator from the Lower Realm, but now she was already at the Late Stage of the Divine Light Realm, whereas he had gone through immense hardship to obtain countless resources to reach this point. If Gu Changsheng wasn't after her body, why would he give her all this?

Lin Xiao's lips trembled violently. He was unable to refute Princess Ji Yuxuan's questioning.

Su Qingyue took it all in. She did not argue. She did not scream or explain how she had gritted her teeth to resist in the middle of the night. She just found it ridiculous. The loyalty she had traded her life for was as fragile as thin paper in the face of a few provocations.

Su Qingyue suddenly burst into laughter. Tears rolled down her face wildly. Her smile was one of utter despair.

"What are you laughing at!" Lin Xiao's eyes stung from that smile. He suddenly reached out to grab Su Qingyue's arm. "Come with me! I have already broken through to the Divine Light Realm, and I have even subdued the Nine Nether Sea Heart Flame! I can kill Gu Changsheng now! I will take you away, far from here!"

"Get away!" Su Qingyue let out a sharp cry. The Taiyin Qi accumulated within her body exploded completely. A violent cold current directly knocked Lin Xiao's reaching hand away.

"Young Master Lin now has the Great Zhou Imperial Family backing you." Su Qingyue gritted her molars, the taste of blood spilling into her throat. "And a beauty to keep you company. How could someone like me, who is pointed at and considered impure, a withered flower, be worthy of being your partner?!"

She retreated step by step.

"Qingyue!" Lin Xiao was shocked, lifting his leg to pursue. Princess Ji Yuxuan, standing to the side, let out a timely cry of pain. "Oh!"

She lost her balance and fell straight into Lin Xiao's arms. "Young Master, this woman's cold energy is so domineering. My heart is in so much pain..."

Lin Xiao subconsciously reached out to wrap his arm around Princess Ji Yuxuan's waist. It was precisely this split-second hesitation that allowed Su Qingyue to retreat outside the bronze stone door.

She stared fixedly at the arm Lin Xiao had wrapped around the princess's waist. Those eyes that were once full of love completely lost their luster, leaving only a dead grey.

She turned around abruptly. Without hesitation, she plunged into the rolling toxic fog at the bottom of the cliff. Her figure was swallowed by the darkness in the blink of an eye.

"Qingyue!" Lin Xiao's eyes turned blood-red, and he shoved Princess Ji Yuxuan away. Princess Ji Yuxuan stumbled back and was steadily caught by several retainers. Lin Xiao rushed out of the Immortal Cave. Outside, the poisonous wind howled; there was not a living soul to be seen. "Qingyue—!"

Su Qingyue ran wildly through the toxic fog. Her tears were dried by the strong wind. Her heart ached until it was numb. Lin Xiao's heart-wrenching call came from far behind her, but it fell upon her ears without stirring the slightest ripple. Deep affection that comes too late is cheaper than grass.

She only wanted to leave this disgusting place now. The toxic miasma of the Tianyuan Ancient Realm was incredibly domineering. Her mind was in chaos, and the circulation of her Taiyin Qi became stagnant. Traces of toxic gas crept into her lungs through her Meridians. Su Qingyue stumbled and rolled straight down a steep slope.

Sharp stones cut her cheek. She slammed heavily into a dead tree trunk and vomited a large mouthful of black blood. She felt dizzy. Her limbs and body lost all strength.

Just as she was about to pass out, a streak of dark golden light arrived, piercing through the air, and landed steadily in front of her.

A large hand reached out. It unceremoniously gripped her chin, forcibly pried open her lips, and fed her a Taiqing Detoxification Pill.

The familiar touch. And that suffocating, domineering aura. Gu Changsheng squatted on the ground, looking down at her from above, revealing a faint, mocking smile.

"How did you end up in such a miserable state?"

Gu Changsheng's thumb wiped away the black blood from the corner of her mouth heavily. His tone carried undisguised mockery. "Did your Brother Lin Xiao not prepare a seven-colored cloud for you?"