Chapter 85: Will It Stretch?

At the very last moment, a jade pendant from Jiang Yan’s storage pouch seemed to be propelled by an invisible force. It shot out suddenly and struck the ground with a crisp, ringing sound. The instant the sound echoed, time and space appeared to freeze—everyone present, including the demons, became as motionless as statues. Jiang Yan himself was suspended five meters above the ground, the entire scene shrouded in an eerie, tranquil stillness.

Murong Yun’s soul, graceful as a celestial maiden, drifted softly out from the jade pendant, catching Jiang Yan, who hung suspended in midair. She spun him gently a few times before landing steadily on the ground. With a light snap of her fingers, the flow of time and space resumed.

Gathering her divine power, Murong Yun carefully examined Jiang Yan’s condition. Her expression shifted—there were clear signs of qi deviation within him, his situation perilous beyond measure.

“Yan, you’ll be all right,” she whispered softly.

Everyone, humans and demons alike, gazed in stunned silence at the sudden appearance of this beautiful woman, their faces etched with astonishment.

The little dwarf dragon gaped in utter shock—it was the Divine Lady! Or rather, it was a fragment of her soul, capable of flying out from the jade pendant on its own!

“Lord Dragon, do you know that mysterious woman?” Bai Tao asked curiously.

“She’s the Divine Lady!” the little dwarf dragon blurted out.

Bai Tao frowned in confusion. “Divine Lady? What is she doing here?”

“That’s a fragment of her soul, originally sealed within a piece of jade,” the little dragon explained. “I never imagined Jiang Yan had ties to the Divine Lady. Thank goodness she was here to save him.”

They had barely recovered from their shock when an even more astonishing sight unfolded before them. Murong Yun bent down and gently pressed her lips to Jiang Yan’s…

Wang Xingzhi waved his feather fan and couldn’t help but comment, “Isn’t this a bit beyond the realm of a beauty saving her hero?”

Hua Ling’er clenched her teeth, her grip so tight her hand nearly drew blood. How she wished all of this was just a hallucination…

The intimacy between the woman and Jiang Yan was obvious; their relationship was anything but ordinary—perhaps even a bond of cultivation partners. Her own feelings had not yet been revealed, only to be crushed in the cradle by such a merciless reality?

“Sister, are you all right?” a fellow female disciple noticed Hua Ling’er’s odd expression and asked with concern.

Hua Ling’er forced a pale smile. “I’m fine…”

In truth, Murong Yun was transferring divine power to heal Jiang Yan, though the mouth-to-mouth method was certainly a private indulgence of hers…

As her divine power dwindled to its last trace, she had to stop her incantation, her gaze turning in the direction of the little dwarf dragon.

Her figure flickered, and holding Jiang Yan, she flew toward the little dragon.

“Divine Lady, thank you for saving Jiang Yan!” The little dragon’s wide, round eyes sparkled with gratitude.

“Thank you, Divine Lady, for saving Jiang Yan,” Bai Tao echoed, his voice filled with respect and heartfelt thanks.

“Meow, meow, meow…” Beautiful lady, thank you for saving Jiang Yan.

“No need for thanks,” Murong Yun replied gently. “I more than anyone wish for his safety. However, time is short—his soul remains unstable and needs further treatment.”

As soon as she finished, Murong Yun turned her gaze to Black Blossom. “Help him stabilize his soul.”

“Don’t worry, with me here, he’ll recover steadily,” Black Blossom replied.

With that, Black Blossom leapt lightly onto Jiang Yan’s chest. Lowering its head, it eyed its own root tendrils and muttered under its breath, “Oh well, here goes nothing—just a bite, either way.”

Summoning its courage, Black Blossom slowly fed one of its tendrils into Jiang Yan’s mouth.

Witnessing this, the little dwarf dragon felt a… curious sense of distaste… Could it be that Black Blossom had forgotten to wash its roots?

Jiang Yan unconsciously chewed, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“Yowch…”

The root snapped suddenly, sending Black Blossom tumbling back several steps, only for Murong Yun to steady it just in time.

With the infusion of divine power and the nourishment from Black Blossom’s root, Jiang Yan’s soul gradually stabilized and his breathing smoothed out.

Murong Yun landed once more, placing Jiang Yan gently on a clear patch of ground. The little dragon and the others followed, gathering around.

“Rest here for now,” she said softly, and then her figure dissipated into the air like starlight.

As the mysterious woman vanished, both humans and demons began to murmur among themselves.

“See? I told you she wasn’t an ordinary person.”

“That lad’s luck with women is something else!”

“What a beautiful kiss that was!”

“Silly with infatuation…”

“Why doesn’t fortune like that ever come my way?”

Amid the hubbub, Jiang Yan’s awareness gradually returned. His eyelids felt impossibly heavy, but he could clearly hear the commotion around him.

What on earth had happened?

“Master, you’re finally awake.” Xiaoxue’s voice rang out excitedly within his spiritual sea.

“Xiaoxue, why can’t I open my eyes?”

“Don’t worry, Master, your body is still recovering—you’ll be back to normal soon.”

“Oh, that’s good. By the way, Xiaoxue, have any new chains been unlocked?”

“Congratulations, Master! You’ve now reached the early Nascent Soul stage! And two chains have been unlocked!”

“I nearly lost my life, and only two?”

Xiaoxue seemed to understand his frustration. “Master, the later chains are much stronger and not so easily broken. Unlocking two this time is already a great achievement.”

Jiang Yan finally understood from Xiaoxue’s words—these chains wouldn’t stop until they killed him.

Such a cruel seal. If he ever discovered the mastermind behind it, he would make sure they tasted this pain as well.

What Xiaoxue didn’t tell him was that as the seal deepened, the difficulty of breaking it would multiply. But once the seal was finally broken, the backlash upon the caster would be even more ferocious.

Indeed, within the Temple of Light, the Lord of the Hall had already coughed up two mouthfuls of blood. Clutching his chest, he panted, a cold smile on his lips. “Heh, how many more chains have been broken this time?”

A divine attendant approached, trembling. “My lord… are you truly all right?”

Wiping the blood from his lips, the Lord of the Hall replied impatiently, “I am a god—what harm can a minor wound do to me? Leave! All of you, out!”

The attendants did not dare defy him and withdrew with bowed heads.

When the hall was empty, he coughed up several more mouthfuls of blood, nearly collapsing. He shut his eyes tight, hands forming rapid seals, drawing divine power to repair himself.

…

After a long while, Jiang Yan finally opened his eyes, as if waking from a deep dream.

Bai Tao, Fan Jingwen, and the others all stared at him.

Under so many watchful eyes, Jiang Yan felt awkward. He forced a laugh, sat up, and tried to act nonchalant. “Haha, it was nothing—I’m perfectly fine, as you can see.”

“You only survived your brush with death thanks to the Divine Lady!” said the little dwarf dragon.

“Divine Lady?” Jiang Yan was bewildered.

Bai Tao explained, “Yes, she saved you. And she also…”

Halfway through, Bai Tao hesitated, at a loss for words.

Just then, the little snail on Fan Jingwen’s shoulder blurted out, “And she kissed you! For a long time, too!”

Pfft…

At those words, a storm raged inside Jiang Yan.

He’d actually been kissed?! Was it a French kiss? Did it involve tongue?

Damn it, he’d been unconscious and didn’t feel a thing!