Chapter 431 - 430: How Could I Leave You Behind?

Chapter 431: Chapter 430: How Could I Leave You Behind?

Ling Fei’s return left Lian Shuang utterly astonished.

After all, when Ling Fei had left, countless Demon Beasts were attacking Lian Shuang from behind, including five Great Demons of the Nascent Soul Realm.

For Ling Fei to rush back now, even with his profound foundation, dealing with five Nascent Soul Realm Great Demons would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Ling Fei had only succeeded this time because of a surprise attack, which allowed him to kill two Great Demons outright.

Afterward, he had to exert all his strength to finally kill the last one, the Peng King.

Without the opportunity for that initial surprise attack, he would have had to face several Great Demons at once. Saving Lian Shuang would have been incredibly difficult.

He might have even met his end here with regrets.

And one must remember, Ling Fei’s success was only possible because Lian Shuang had already slain two Great Demons herself!

If Lian Shuang hadn’t killed those two, Ling Fei would have had to face five Great Demons.

Therefore, for Ling Fei to come back was no different from a lamb walking into a tiger’s den—he was coming to his death.

This left Lian Shuang inwardly stunned. It seemed she had never imagined that someone in this world would be willing to go through fire and water for her.

"Heh, Senior Sister Lian Shuang, you risked your life to cover my retreat. How could I possibly abandon you?" Seeing Lian Shuang’s astonished expression, Ling Fei just shrugged and smiled. To him, it was the most natural thing in the world. Anyone with a conscience would have chosen to come back and rescue her.

"How could I possibly abandon you?" Ling Fei’s words were spoken casually, as if it were a perfectly normal matter.

But when those words reached Lian Shuang’s ears, her eyes misted over, on the verge of shedding tears.

’How could I possibly abandon you?’ She lifted her head, fighting to keep the tears from falling, but her heart kept repeating those words.

’How many people in the world would do such a thing?’ Lian Shuang wondered. Involuntarily, scenes from her past surfaced in her mind.

It was the Void above a stretch of sea.

Back then, she was very young. Her clan had suffered a great catastrophe, and she was being escorted to safety.

Unfortunately, they were intercepted at sea. In the end, the more powerful clansmen escorted her older sister away.

Meanwhile, she was left in the care of some weaker clansmen.

In the end, she could only watch helplessly as her kinsmen died one by one, before she herself was captured.

She was young, but she knew what would happen to her once the clan’s experts had left with her sister.

At that moment, her heart felt as if it had plunged into a Cold Cave. She felt so helpless, so aware of the world’s cruelty.

...

Her own clan had abandoned her then, but this time, this junior brother had risked his life for her. How could Lian Shuang not be astonished?

Before, when she was surrounded by those five Great Demons, she had already resigned herself to dying there and prepared to fight to the death.

At that time, she had resented the unfairness of the heavens, but it had never crossed her mind that Ling Fei would return to save her.

Because, in her eyes, it was something completely impossible.

But now, Ling Fei had come.

And so, with her eyes misty, Lian Shuang was moved to the brink of tears for the first time in many years.

She kept her head raised, trying hard not to let the tears fall.

"Senior Sister, what’s wrong?" Seeing her raise her head, her eyes misty, Ling Fei was taken aback and asked.

"N-Nothing!" Lian Shuang’s eyes flickered. A tear escaped, but she quickly wiped it away. She then took a deep breath, looked at the young man beside her, and said, "Weren’t you afraid you’d meet your end here by coming to save me?" She was touched, but also immensely curious and wanted to know what Ling Fei was thinking.

"How could I just stand by and watch you fall into a desperate situation?" Ling Fei said.

’I don’t want to die either!’

’I still have so many things I need to do.’

’But if I didn’t come to save Lian Shuang, my conscience would never be clear.’

Ling Fei lived by his principles. If someone treated him well, he would repay them tenfold.

If Lian Shuang had perished here, it would have likely become a Heart Demon for Ling Fei, and he would never know peace.

Since that was the case, he had to follow his heart and rush back without a second thought.

Lian Shuang was taken aback by Ling Fei’s counter-question, but she quickly composed herself and asked, "But if you had died, what would have happened to Wan’Er?"

"In life, there are things one must do, and things one must not do," Ling Fei said, shaking his head. He hadn’t overthought it.

Lian Shuang stared at Ling Fei in silence, her interest in him growing.

The young man before her was like a window into a new world.

It was hard to imagine that in this Martial Arts World, a world of deceit and backstabbing where people would do anything for themselves, there was still a Cultivator who could maintain such a pure and sincere heart.

Unconsciously, she found that there was a special charm about this young man, one that stirred her heart and made it difficult to pull away.

"Are you this loyal and considerate to everyone?" Lian Shuang asked, blinking.

"To those who are good to me, of course," Ling Fei smiled. "While I’m no perfect gentleman, I know right from wrong and understand gratitude."

"I will remember this debt of gratitude," Lian Shuang said, her eyes flashing.

"Heh, Senior Sister, you’re too kind. If you hadn’t covered our retreat, Wan’Er and I wouldn’t have escaped safely. If we’re really keeping score, I’m the one who owes you," Ling Fei said with a laugh.

Lian Shuang said nothing, but she pressed her red lips together. The light in her eyes grew firmer, as if she had secretly made some kind of resolution.

This incident had overturned her perception of the world. Her cold and unfeeling heart had felt a current of warmth.

Moreover, her heart was no longer as lost as before. She now had a new goal of her own.

She wouldn’t just live for herself; she would live for her friends, too.

"Are we friends?" Lian Shuang suddenly looked up at Ling Fei.

"To me, Senior Sister Lian Shuang is not only a fellow disciple, but also a friend, and like a mentor," Ling Fei said.

Lian Shuang nodded slightly, then closed her eyes to continue meditating and recover her Essence Qi.

Ling Fei flew onward with Lian Shuang, their path completely unobstructed.

Soon, they arrived at the Array Platform.

There, Shangguan Wan’Er was still waiting.

Seeing Ling Fei return safely, she breathed a sigh of relief.

She knew that his journey had been far too dangerous.

However, Shangguan Wan’Er also understood that if Ling Fei had abandoned Lian Shuang, he would have been a heartless and disloyal person. Although she worried for his safety, she didn’t want to force him to go against his own convictions. So, Shangguan Wan’Er could only watch him leave and worry in silence.

WHOOSH!

Ling Fei put away the Flying Boat and flew with Lian Shuang toward the Array Platform ahead.

The Array Platform stood a thousand meters tall, like a great Array Pillar suppressing the area. Mysterious Inscription Patterns were carved upon it, connecting to the eight directions.

"How did it go?" Shangguan Wan’Er asked as Ling Fei and Lian Shuang landed on the Array Platform.

"Everything is fine. We can now enter the core area of the North Spirit Ruins," Ling Fei said simply.

"That’s good!" Seeing Ling Fei was unharmed, Shangguan Wan’Er breathed another sigh of relief.

Afterward, they used their Plaques to activate the Inscription Patterns, which in turn drew upon the Light Patterns of the Array Platform.

At that, the Light Patterns on the Array Platform surged, forming a pillar of qi that connected to the hazy sky ahead, opening a path to the core area of the ruins.

"Let’s go!" When the Qi Vortex formed, Ling Fei’s eyes flashed, and he led Shangguan Wan’Er and Lian Shuang soaring toward it.

WENG!

The Qi Vortex rippled and pulled the three of them into the core area of the North Spirit Ruins.

Here lay the many legacies left behind from the Ancient Era, the very destination that the geniuses of every sect had been seeking.