Spirit Cultivation

"Miss—" The leading man, being a Sage Stage cultivator with an Air Qi sipping from him, tried to gently calm Nuwa down yet she was already negative towards them.

"What Miss?! I already have a husband!" Nuwa scolded the guy, unleashing a pressure of peak sage stage at the leader, making him shudder.

He was only a Team Leader so he was still midway his stage, not comparable to her. Though, thinking that Nuwa was only of Sage Stage, he relaxed a bit. They had the number advantage so if the real fight started, they shouldn't be the ones at losing position.

"Milady, please, we are just doing our job!" The leader pleaded, not letting her cut him off again.

"Answer my question!" She shouted as another skill began forming on Nuwa's palm, this time being a Lightning Spear instead.

Just the sheer fact she had mastered two elements was enough to impress them.

"W-we were ordered by the Ruler of the Realm to check each Flying Ship entering the Central Region… His Son's birthday is coming up so we need to make sure—" The Team Leader tried to explain, using the name everyone knows yet he had to stop halfway as a lightning spear flew straight towards his chest.

He barely dodged it but at the cost of another flying ship which body got pierced without any resistance.

Bang!

Another explosion woke everyone from the dreams of settling this dispute without any sacrifices. What's more, Nuwa's next words were a direct offence they couldn't ignore.

"Who cares about your bastard ruler or whatever. Is he so weak he can't even protect his own son? So useless! Where is he?! Show yourself!" Nuwa offended the highest man in the hierarchy without hesitation as another two Lighting Spears spawned on her hands.

When she swung her arm, the Royal Guard Cultivators in the flying ships already knew it was time to evacuate and the ones in the air dodged to the sides before she threw them.

"She is rebelling!" The Royal Guard Cultivator cried out as they pulled out their own weapons and readied themselves to battle.

Bang! Bang!

Two more flying ships exploded in the distance causing the panic of the Team Leader. They cost millions of Spirit Stones yet here they were destroyed one by one on his watch. He would be the one responsible for that damage!

"STOP!" He cried out. "We surrender! We will let you pass!"

Nuwa frowned right away, thinking that they would give her more entertainment. She couldn't help but sigh, stopping the creating of another spear.

"It's okay. They just can't afford to battle with you." Liu Xiaobei assured her, knowing she was not satisfied.

None of the Royal Guard Cultivators on the opposite side we satisfied with such an outcome as well. After all, they lost their ships for nothing, without even exchanging blows. Unfortunately, the complaints they raised were quickly dismissed.

"Silence! I already decided." The Team Leader shushed them before turning to Nuwa, bowing his head. "We apologize for offending you Milady. Can I have the Entry Token so that I can note it down?"

"Huh?" The Royal Guard Cultivators looked surprised at those words but soon realised what their leader planned to do. They all calmed down and put down their weapons.

Naturally, Nuwa and Liu Xiaobei noticed that change too.

"Give it to them. We are in a hurry." Nuwa ordered before Liu Xiaobei asked and he sighed, knowing exactly what she wanted.

"Here you go." Liu Xiaobei pulled out a golden token and threw it towards the Team Leader, leaving the rest to Nuwa.

He knew that they were scheming but with her power, he didn't worry.

'There shouldn't be a problem… Right?' He asked himself, before dismissing his thoughts.

Nuwa closely observed the token in the Team Leader's hands and she expected them to destroy it or deactivate it but instead, they all started falling down without warning. The Team Leader's voice reached those who were late to react after he was safe far away.

"Return to the city!"

Currently, they were high up in the sky, hovering above the border city that was responsible for taking care of the barrier. There were four such border cities, protecting their side of the barrier from the assigned region.

"Hahahahaha," Nuwa couldn't help but burst out laughing, finally having a legitimate reason to create chaos. She didn't want to later receive a scolding from Xuefeng so she deliberately let them steal the Token.

"It has been a while since I played like that, hehe. I think I deserve some fun after all those years." Nuwa giggled to herself as she contemplated how to punish them all.

"Do you need any help?" Liu Xiaobei asked just to confirm his own thoughts and he only received a short answer.

"Don't worry, I got this," Nuwa assured him, thinking how long it would take her and muttered just to be sure. "If Xuefeng wakes up and I'm still not back, stall him for a bit, hehe."

She didn't wait for his answer and simply stopped supporting herself in the air, falling down after the cultivators with a grin on her face.

———

As Nuwa was playing a game of hide and seek, Xuefeng and Ling were reaching the ending point of Ling's transformation. It took more time compared to when Xiao Wen did it because Ling's rank was lower.

She had to gradually create more and more Fate Qi, building her base. If she rushed, she would injure both her own and Xuefeng.

They were sitting on Ling's bed together, finding it the most comfortable place with the best memories.

"Are you ready? You can rest first if you feel like it." Xuefeng asked with care as he caressed Ling's cheek, seeing worried she was.

Ling was fine earlier but the more Fate Qi she absorbed, the worse she felt. She could sense that something was not right and that feeling was even stronger when she was a step away from breaking through.

"I don't know…" She muttered hesitantly. "It's there… It doesn't want to go away…"

Wanting to help her stop thinking about it, he brushed his fingers into her silver hair and pulled her closer, giving her a deep kiss she could focus her mind on.

She didn't want to let go of him, finally feeling safer. There was no other place like this for her. For a moment, the dark emotions that kept clouding her mind were blown away, replaced with positive thoughts about him.

"Xuefeng…" Ling said softly as a sudden idea crossed her mind. "Can I hug you as I breakthrough? I feel much safer with you around…"

"Of course, I will not let go of you, no matter what happens…" Xuefeng promised without hesitation, tightening his embrace.

"Promise…?" Ling whispered back and received an immediate kiss as a response.

"Okay… I will start then…" Ling pulled out one big Fate Stone and finally started absorbing it, sitting on his lap with both her legs and arms wrapped around him.

The Fate Stone started dissolving as the stream of Fate Qi entered into her body through her hands. Xuefeng was expecting a special reaction and quickly got it.

'Aaaah!' Ling screamed after a short moment, her fingers burying in his back from the amount of pain she suddenly felt. "It hurts…"

"Ling, I'm here for you! Listen to my voice and overcome it. I believe in you." Xuefeng quickly responded, cheered into her ear but it seemed like the pain was really unbelievable.

He could feel the shivers on her body as if she was freezing yet it was the opposite, she was burning.

"Why it is like that?! Ling, hang in there!"

He pulled her head away and noticed a blank look in the eyes which momentarily made him regret hurrying her like that.

"Share the pain with me! I can help you! Ling!" He cried out, kissing her lips, trying to help her regain the clarity of her mind but it didn't work.

Nothing worked.

Her eyes looked dead.

Her arms began to slowly lose power.

The scratches on his back which she used to relieve the pain also ceased away.

"NO! I can't lose you! Fight it! Please! Do it for me! I'm waiting!"

Still nothing…

Her legs that wrapped tightly around his back also lost power, dropping down limply.

"Please… Don't leave me… I need you…"

When his shouts didn't work, he tried begging.

Still nothing…

His lips trembled, eyes shuddered. He didn't realise when a flood of tears gushed down his pale cheeks.

Xuefeng finally understood the meaning of helplessness.

Her body didn't support itself on its own anymore. If he let go of her, she would fall down. Her back arched backwards as he hugged her tightly, his ear trying to hear her heartbeat.

There was none…

"I don't… I don't want to lose you…" He sobbed as he kissed her collarbone, neck, then lips.

No reaction.

He was already losing strength.

His eyes had no more tears to spill.

"LING!!!"

He yelled for the last time but nothing changed. He lost her.

He opened his eyes that he has been squeezing tightly, wanting to look at her one more time yet she wasn't there.

The body he held tightly was not in his hands anymore. All of his surroundings were filled with darkness.

"Ling…?" He called out weakly, in hope to hear her voice once again and he almost erupted with power when he heard her gentle voice from the distance.

"Xuefeng…"