Chapter 279: Chapter 374: Then Become That Person_1
"If only I didn't have this seal on me…"
Bai Qi lay on the windowsill, her gaze dimly looking at her own hands, murmuring to herself.
A few seconds later, she shook her head, acknowledging the truth in her own words. She suddenly realized that even if she didn't have the seal, she wouldn't have been able to help Fang Ren either.
Xuan Yang Realm mid-stage practitioners were sent flying with one move by the Leader of Nightfall, and she had only broken through to the early stage of the Xuan Yang Realm by borrowing Fang Ren's Spiritual Root abilities. Moreover, since her breakthrough, she hadn't cultivated at all and was certainly no match for an ordinary Xuan Yang Realm practitioner.
In the end, she would have only gone to her death.
"If only my talent were stronger… strong enough to break this seal, strong enough to stand against the Leader of Nightfall, then he definitely wouldn't have been hurt…"
Bai Qi tightly grasped her other wrist with one hand, a faint glimmer of light flashing in her eyes. This matter saddened her deeply and filled her with self-blame.
The casual words she had once said to Fang Ren had, in fact, been taken very seriously by herself. She believed that braving fire and boiling water for him was her duty since without Fang Ren, Bai Qi would not be alive.
But her actions were not just about gratitude; her personal feelings were also involved.
Just as she was lost in silence all by herself, suddenly, a figure flew from afar—it was the butler, Chen Cheng.
"Miss, I just made a trip to the Special Medical District, and they all said they haven't received Young Master Fang. Fortunately, on my way back, I met the Head of Liu Family, who told me that Young Master Fang is safe and sound," Chen Cheng spoke directly.
"He's alright?"
Bai Qi snapped out of her world, listening to Chen Cheng's words, she was stunned. She clearly remembered that when Sister Hui Qing had carried Fang Ren out, she said that Fang Ren had been cursed. How could he suddenly be all right?
"I don't know the details myself," Chen Cheng said. "But don't worry, miss. Young Master Fang is a once-in-a-generation cultivation talent. He survived being injured by Princess Fulan in the arena with no lingering issues, so he will definitely be fine this time too. And this was personally confirmed by the Head of Liu Family, so there's no doubt about it."
"That's good…"
Bai Qi was dazed for a few seconds, then nodded dismally. Logically, she should have been happy that Fang Ren was not in danger, but at the moment, she couldn't feel any happiness in her heart.
The Nightfall Organization had targeted Fang Ren, and she had no power to protect him. This was what saddened her the most. This time, Sister Hui Qing had helped Fang Ren avert the crisis, but what about when Sister Hui Qing returned to normal? If the Leader of Nightfall attempted to assassinate Fang Ren again, who would be able to protect him then?
Even if the entire force of the Fang Family mobilized, it wouldn't be enough to match Jiang Ling, and even if the Bai Family joined in, they probably wouldn't be able to challenge Jiang Ling either.
After all, Jiang Ling's Realm was the profound Xuan Ye Realm. This time, Tianjiang had mobilized more than twenty mid-stage Xuan Yang Realm experts, over seven thousand Array Masters, and tens of thousands of warriors from the Blue Sky Realm frontline to barely inflict an injury on Jiang Ling.
Had Mu Huanqing not appeared, it's likely that Jiang Ling could have wiped out everyone here. Of course, if the reinforcements from the Central Area had arrived a bit sooner, with more than forty mid-stage Xuan Yang Realm experts joining forces, Jiang Ling would have surely been defeated.
But such an extraordinary gathering of more than forty Xuan Yang Realm mid-stage experts simply couldn't be maintained all the time; they too had to defend against the Void, and not all of them could accompany Fang Ren.
So, once Mu Huanqing leaves, Fang Ren will no longer have anyone by his side to protect him.
Regarding this, Bai Qi deeply resented her own low cultivation level. If she could possess strength akin to Sister Hui Qing's, she wouldn't have to watch Fang Ren in danger while she stood by powerlessly.
"Miss, there's actually another piece of good news," Chen Cheng said, seeing that her mood was still not uplifted. He immediately took out a jade stone and said, "The master has agreed to remove the Dispersing Spirit Mark from you."
Bai Qi's expression paused, and she asked, "Does Grandfather think that since my grand wedding with Fang Ren is approaching, there is no need to restrict me anymore?"
Chen Cheng said, "It's not that. The old master is concerned that Tianjiang has been infiltrated by the Nightfall Organization, and he's afraid you, Miss, might be in danger."
In fact, Bai Chaojin had someone deliver the jade to Bai Qi a while ago, but events coincided such that the Leader of Nightfall suddenly attempted to assassinate Fang Ren. Bai Chaojin simply took advantage of this reason to explain.
Although Bai Chaojin was still concerned about his granddaughter's safety, he could not yet reveal the true purpose of the test to Bai Qi.
Bai Qi took the jade Chen Cheng handed over, and the hesitance in her heart turned into motivation in an instant. She had to continue her cultivation, and she had to do it quickly.
Since there was no one beside Fang Ren who could protect him, she would become that person.
Crack—
Bai Qi crushed the jade in her hand, and in an instant, a dazzling light burst from the stone and entered her back. In a moment, the scattered Spiritual Marks on her back transformed into specks of white light, scattering throughout the room.
As the light dispersed, a powerful pressure surged from Bai Qi's body. This was the power of a Xuan Yang Realm expert, her first encounter with it, and she was overwhelmed by shock.
Yet even with such immense power, she would still be no match for the Leader of Nightfall.
Not enough, not nearly enough.
"Steward Grandpa, please make another trip back to the family clan later and ask my grandfather if there is any way for me to rapidly enhance my strength. I don't care about the side effects," Bai Qi said.
Chen Cheng was taken aback, clearly understanding what Bai Qi had in mind, and nodded, "I will head back to the clan once again, Miss. You just focus on stabilizing your realm without worry."
"Good."
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It had been three hours since the "assassination" attempt on Fang Ren that was meant to incriminate the Tiandao Sword Sect. All of Tianjiang was in a state of panic, and the internet was in an uproar.
The Xuan Ye Realm, a level never before reached by humans, had been attained by the leader of the world's most ruthless organization. It was undoubtedly something most people around the world could not accept.
Only a small portion of people could accept it, divided into three types. One type was those linked to the Nightfall Organization, like Fang Ren and its members, who naturally accepted this reality.
The second type was like Fang Ye, whose right faction of the Fang Family didn't think the matter too serious. Although Jiang Ling's death would have guaranteed Patriarch of Fang family an additional level of security when coming out of seclusion, Jiang Ling's survival might allow them profit during a future major conflict with Tianjiang. Naturally, they could accept Jiang Ling's strength.
As long as Jiang Ling was alive, they most hoped to see Jiang Ling fight strenuously against the Central Area, especially against the Bai Family, and utterly defeat them. That was what the right faction of the Fang Family most wanted to see.
The third type of people who could accept Jiang Ling's breakthrough belonged to those who possessed the strength to contend with him or would soon have such strength. Hence, while Jiang Ling's realm was terrifying, it did not mean those people were frightened.
Of course, only two individuals belonged to this third type: Mu Huanqing and Liu Qianqian.
The former was very confident in facing Jiang Ling, as her formations could kill even an Immortal.
As for the latter... she was in a certain room, furiously cultivating, absorbing nature's spiritual energy.