Translator: CinderTL
Chi Qi cast a deep, penetrating gaze at Jiang Lanruo, profoundly shaken by her words.
Outsiders widely believed that Jiang Lanruo cared deeply for Jiang Yushan.
Yet it was all a facade.
Her true concern lay with the shadow void rooted within Jiang Yushan's Sea of Consciousness.
"Why did you choose Jiang Yushan as the host for incubating the shadow void? Does he possess some unique quality?"
Jiang Lanruo glanced disdainfully at Jiang Yushan below.
"He's nothing but a pampered wastrel, with no redeeming qualities beyond his obsession with women. If there's anything special about him, it's his fortunate birth, granting him access to a constant stream of treasures that accelerate his cultivation. This, in turn, strengthens his Sea of Consciousness and soul, indirectly benefiting the shadow void's incubation."
"The real reason I chose him as the host is that the moment he understood romantic feelings, he set his sights on me. Such a degenerate deserves to live in sin; he's better off being used to incubate the shadow void—at least he'd serve some purpose. Besides, I've raised him since childhood, allowing me to stay by his side and monitor the shadow void's incubation progress. If I had chosen someone else and kept them constantly by my side, it would have aroused suspicion."
Chi Qi immediately understood.
Jiang Lanruo's final statement revealed the true reason she had chosen Jiang Yushan as the host body.
"As one of the Jiang Family's three Void Refinement Stage cultivators, why would you fear arousing suspicion? Surely Jiang Guyun and Jiang Liangbi are unaware of this matter?" Chi Qi asked.
Jiang Lanruo replied, "This concerns an opportunity to advance to the Body Integration Stage. Why would I reveal such a secret to outsiders?"
"But haven't they ever noticed the anomalies in Jiang Yushan's Sea of Consciousness?" Chi Qi pressed. "Especially Jiang Liangbi—he's Yushan's own father!"
Instead of answering, Jiang Lanruo countered with a question: "Before this, you've met Jiang Yushan countless times. Did you ever detect anything unusual about him?"
Chi Qi shook his head.
Jiang Lanruo continued, "I dared to implant the shadow void egg into Jiang Yushan's Sea of Consciousness precisely because I had methods to conceal it from prying eyes. Moreover, cultivators are often ruthless. Jiang Liangbi never truly cared for his own son."
"Your methods are truly impressive," Chi Qi conceded.
At that moment, another stream of spiritual light shot from Jiang Lanruo's hands, striking Jiang Yushan's head and vanishing into his Sea of Consciousness.
Jiang Yushan's eyes immediately closed, and he collapsed limply to the ground.
Jiang Lanruo ceased her hand seals.
Seeing this, Chi Qi spoke up, "It seems you've successfully put the shadow void into a deep slumber. Are you going to attack me next?"
As he spoke, Chi Qi's aura gradually grew colder, his gaze fixed warily on Jiang Lanruo.
Jiang Lanruo replied, "Why would I attack you?"
Chi Qi countered, "If I live, wouldn't you worry I might reveal the shadow void's secrets?"
Jiang Lanruo responded, "We're both at the mid-Void Refinement Stage. I have no certainty of defeating you, let alone killing you. Besides, why would you leak the secrets? Don't you want to complete Senior Ji Hong's mission and earn the Heavenly Astral Body Integration Pill as a reward, just like me?"
A peculiar light flickered in Chi Qi's eyes, a mix of anticipation and doubt.
"So, you're saying the mission to hatch the shadow void egg can be completed multiple times?"
Jiang Lanruo explained, "When I met Senior Ji Hong years ago, he told me that more than one person had already successfully hatched a shadow void. However, the hatching process is entirely unpredictable. What works for one person might not work for another, even if you copy their methods exactly. Perhaps that's why the Divine Blood Gate recruits so many people to help them hatch shadow void eggs."
"But I don't have a shadow void egg," Chi Qi said.
Jiang Lanruo replied, "As you've likely noticed, the shadow void is a creature that lives within Primordial Qi. If you search the Primordial Qi Death Zone, you're bound to find a shadow void egg. Alternatively, you could inquire in Cloudveil City and perhaps purchase one. Once you obtain a shadow void egg, I'll share all my knowledge on hatching them, helping you succeed in incubating it."
"The Primordial Qi Death Zone!" Chi Qi frowned deeply, his expression thoughtful.
The Primordial Qi Death Zone was no safe place. Even Great Ascension Stage cultivators might lack the confidence to traverse it freely, let alone a Void Refinement Stage cultivator like himself. How could he dare claim he could find a shadow void egg there?
Jiang Lanruo continued, "Chi Qi, I've revealed all the secrets of the shadow void to you truthfully. Whatever decision you make, take your time to consider it carefully. For now, shouldn't we deal with those two little rats? We can't risk them leaking the shadow void's secrets."
Only then did Chi Qi suddenly remember that Ye Bing and Song Wen were still alive.
He hadn't initially cared about the fates of Ye Bing and Song Wen, but after learning the secrets of the shadow void, he decided it would be safer to eliminate them. After all, they had witnessed the shadow void's true form with their own eyes.
Chi Qi swept his Divine Sense across the area, only to discover, to his astonishment, that both Ye Bing and Song Wen had vanished without a trace.
Song Wen's escape from his Divine Sense's detection range was somewhat expected.
Ye Bing's escape, however, caught him completely off guard.
The strike he had casually unleashed against Ye Bing, though not at full power, had still severely wounded her, leaving a massive crater in the ground.
Yet now, the crater was empty—Ye Bing was nowhere to be seen.
His mind had been entirely focused on his confrontation with Jiang Lanruo, and he hadn't noticed how Ye Bing had managed to escape.
"Where's Ye Bing? How did she get away?" Chi Qi demanded.
"She seems to have used an Earth Evasion Talisman to escape underground. But she couldn't have gotten far," Jiang Lanruo replied, glancing in the direction Song Wen had fled. "You have the Dreamfloat True Eye, which excels at tracking. Go after that brat. I'll hunt down Ye Bing."
"Agreed."
Chi Qi nodded, then transformed into a streak of light, pursuing Song Wen's fleeing figure.
When Chi Qi shot Song Wen with an arrow, Song Wen seized the opportunity to cast a life-substitution art and vanished into the dense miasma.
Simultaneously, he hurled out a Cosmic Transformation Incarnation, declaring, "Ye Bing is stalling for time!" His aim was to provoke Chi Qi and Jiang Lanruo into fighting each other.
Though his provocation failed, it successfully diverted Chi Qi's attention to Jiang Lanruo, giving Song Wen a chance to escape.
Song Wen couldn't be certain whether using the Two-Faced Buddha to disrupt his aura would render him untraceable even to the Divine Sense of a Void Refinement Stage cultivator.
Therefore, while spewing copious amounts of blood essence to activate the Two-Faced Buddha, he fled at full speed, putting as much distance as possible between himself and Chi Qi and Jiang Lanruo.
During his escape, he repeatedly changed direction.
Within Rotting Miasma Ridge, the miasma permeated everything, severely impairing both visibility and Divine Sense.
If Jiang Lanruo or Chi Qi couldn't track the residual aura from his spellcasting, they would find it nearly impossible to pursue him.
(End of the Chapter)
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