Chapter 5

Changsun Qianxue woke up.

Her awakening was not an ordinary one, but rather a state of clarity of her consciousness within her qi sea.

She saw herself standing in the middle of the qi sea.

The sea surface and the colorful primordial qi beneath her feet, resembling auspicious clouds, were completely frozen, and even the true essence descending from the heavenly aperture was frozen like an ice waterfall.

She began to realize that she had completely lost control over her body and true essence, having walked the line between life and death. However, she did not feel relieved, as she was fully aware that the threat of death had not passed.

She saw a faint red light at the top of the frozen waterfall, within the heavenly aperture.

That was Ding Ning’s primordial qi.

Although she could not understand what method Ding Ning used to timely awaken her consciousness, she knew that only by relying on herself could she truly survive.

Her emotions once again fell into absolute calmness. She exerted all her strength to sink her divine consciousness into the Jade Palace, which was completely frozen within the qi sea.

The Jade Palace emitted a slight tremor.

With just a slight tremor, countless cracks suddenly appeared on the frozen sea surface.

The ice waterfall also cracked, and the true essence began to flow.

Like the revival of all things, the fine streams melted the broken ice, then turned into larger streams, converging into the sea.

The colorful primordial qi also began to flow.

All the deep blue, icy-cold primordial qi was continuously suppressed and compressed to the deepest part of the Jade Palace.

The seawater beneath her feet became incredibly clear, a faint, indescribable blue.

As the qi sea cleared, a hint of a different color in her Jade Palace gradually became visible.

It was a blue-black sword!

At the center of her Jade Palace, there was actually a blue-black sword as if it were resting and recuperating!

The deep blue-black color, which seemed capable of swallowing one’s soul, made one feel a sense of overwhelming malevolence just by looking at it.

...

Changsun Qianxue’s body no longer felt icy cold, and her breath no longer contained the terrifying coldness of deep blue ice sand.

Her eyes opened, and she finally awoke, returning from the brink of death to the world of the living.

Then she saw Ding Ning tightly hugging her.

Her eyes instantly filled with shock and a fierce killing intent. Her palm slightly lifted, about to strike the head of Ding Ning, who was nestled in her arms.

The palm seemed gentle, but it contained a mysterious and indescribable destructive force.

Ding Ning was sleeping extremely soundly.

He was already extremely weak and exhausted. The moment he felt Changsun Qianxue’s true essence begin to flow, he felt reassured and fell into the deepest sleep, hugging her.

He did not sense the approach of death at all.

Changsun Qianxue’s face grew increasingly cold, but seeing Ding Ning’s overly pale face and his peaceful expression, her palm became increasingly slow.

Finally, she took a deep breath, and before her palm landed on Ding Ning’s head, the destructive aura transformed into countless gentle and warm currents.

All the moisture from the ice was shaken out of the bedding, turning into finer particles and leaving the bed.

She pushed Ding Ning’s hands away, stood up, and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the sky was already faintly lit, the heavy rain had stopped, and the sun was about to rise.

...

Ding Ning woke up to the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking.

The window of the bedroom, facing a field of taro, was already open. Even through the fence covered with loofah vines, Ding Ning could still feel the fresh air coming from the taro field.

The sounds of pots and pans, the clatter of carts, shouts, and the quarrels of couples from the nearby alleys continuously reached his ears.

After the heavy rain, the entire Changling seemed to quickly return to its original state, and it seemed even more vibrant.

Changsun Qianxue stood by the window.

She did not turn around, but she immediately knew that Ding Ning had woken up. She said coldly, “You were too reckless last night. If it happens again, I will not hesitate to kill you.”

Ding Ning looked at her beautiful back, his expression unchanged, and said softly, “You should understand that my cultivation is far inferior to yours. To save you, I had no other choice. Moreover, from last night’s situation, the power of the Nine Nether Sword Technique is even more formidable than I imagined. Your cultivation must be more patient.”

Changsun Qianxue turned around and looked at him calmly as he just got up. “Don’t you think what you’re saying is ridiculous?”

Ding Ning frowned slightly. “What’s ridiculous about it?”

Changsun Qianxue said, “If you don’t think some things are more important than life and death, why would you come to me? Why would you secretly plot against your emperor?”

Ding Ning shook his head and said seriously, “It’s different.”

“There’s no difference,” Changsun Qianxue said coldly. “For you, avenging your master is more important than life and death. For me, this matter is also more important than my life and death.”

Hearing this, Ding Ning was silent for a moment, then said seriously, “I’ve told you, I’m not his disciple. And if you have another accident like this, I will still choose to save you.”

Changsun Qianxue’s eyebrows slightly raised, and a truly angry expression appeared in her eyes.

“Don’t say such useless nonsense to me. If you’re not his disciple, it’s impossible for you to know what cultivation method I’m practicing. If you’re not his disciple, it’s even more impossible for you to practice the Nine Deaths Silkworm Divine Technique, and it’s even more impossible for you to have such cultivation and insight at your age.”

Her eyes were filled with cold killing intent again. “I just want to remind you again, the fact that you are his disciple is enough for me to kill you. I haven’t killed you because your existence can make my cultivation faster.”

Ding Ning was silent for a few breaths. He looked up and asked her seriously, “Do you really hate him so much?”

“Is there anyone in this world who doesn’t hate him? Even your own Qin people hate him,” Changsun Qianxue said expressionlessly. “Those who don’t hate him are almost all dead.”

Ding Ning looked into her beautiful eyes and said even more seriously, “If that’s the case, why did you come to Changling?”

Changsun Qianxue glanced at him, and her angry expression slowly disappeared, her face becoming cold and calm again. “Do you think I came to Changling because of our past relationship? I just think it’s unfair... I just think that after all he did, he ended up like this, and I think it’s unfair. Because I think it’s unfair, I want to kill your emperor.”

Ding Ning fell silent. He did not argue further, but said, “I’m going to the fish market today. I’ll kill someone and then come back.”

Changsun Qianxue frowned slightly. “You just rekindled the interest of the Divine Capital Guard. Are you sure this is a good time?”

Ding Ning nodded. “Zhao Zhan just died, and the powerful figures of the Heavenly Surveillance Bureau and the Divine Capital Guard will have more things to do.”

Changsun Qianxue looked at him and asked, “Who are you going to kill?”

Ding Ning rubbed his cheek and said softly, “Song Shenshu.”

Changsun Qianxue thought carefully. Her memory was not very good, but fortunately, the number of cultivators in Changling was not large, and this name was related to the classics and history of the Great Qin Dynasty, so she quickly recalled it.

She looked at Ding Ning with a gaze that saw him as an idiot. “A cultivator who has just reached the lower rank of the second realm actually says he’s going to kill a cultivator of the upper rank of the third realm?”

Ding Ning responded softly and casually, “There is no distinction below the fourth realm.”

“No distinction below the fourth realm?”

Changsun Qianxue’s eyes were immediately filled with killing intent. She looked at Ding Ning coldly. “You still say you’re not his disciple? Only he would dare to say such things. But if others really believe it, they will only be sending themselves to their deaths.”

Ding Ning was silent for a moment and said, “I will be as careful as possible, but if I haven’t returned by midnight, you should find a way to leave Changling on your own.”

Changsun Qianxue turned her head away and said coldly, “Don’t worry, I won’t be stupid enough to stay and die with you.”

Her words were heartless, but Ding Ning looked at her profile and smiled slightly.

He understood better than most people that some people who seem to have feelings are actually cold-hearted, while others who seem cold-hearted actually have feelings.

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