Chapter 30: Field Battle.
Xie Qiyang carefully held up the Azure Dragon Fruit.
Up close, it was even more extraordinary: translucent, its skin etched with fine, dragon-scale-like patterns, yet soft and smooth to the touch, like a peach.
It exuded a captivating, soul-soothing fragrance, far more enchanting than any fruit or flower from her past life. Such a stunning fruit naturally raised her expectations for its taste.
Exhausted and injured, coupled with the allure of its scent, Xie Qiyang could no longer resist.
“Whatever, I need to eat it to recover!” She opened her mouth and took a huge bite, nearly a quarter of the fruit!
“Ugh—!!!”
The next second, her delicate features twisted into a mask of agony.
What a mistake—this fruit was insanely sour! Like concentrated lemon mixed with a peach soaked in aged vinegar! Her teeth felt like they’d softened from the ordeal.
A piercing sourness exploded in her mouth, numbing her tongue, flooding her with saliva, and nearly bringing tears to her eyes. Her entire body’s hair stood on end.
Fighting the urge to vomit, she forced her throat to swallow the torturous bite.
Staring at the remaining chunk—a hot potato in her hand—she was on the verge of tears. But thinking of its immense spiritual energy and healing properties…
“Here goes!” She steeled herself, closed her eyes, and devoured it, refining it instantly!
“Pfft, pfft, pfft!” As the last bit of fruit slid down, Xie Qiyang felt her mouth and soul had endured a sour torture.
It was so bad she questioned her life choices.
But after the pain came a surging wave of relief.
Within minutes of eating the Azure Dragon Fruit—
Boom!
A warm current erupted within her, an overwhelming, pure spiritual energy flooding her limbs, organs, and every meridian.
“Uhh…” She let out an involuntary, blissful moan.
She could feel her pores opening, expelling fatigue, hidden injuries, and even minute impurities from her body.
Wherever the spiritual flood passed, her parched meridians were nourished and widened, her damaged foundation mended bit by bit. A force tempered her muscles and bones, emitting faint crackling sounds.
Without conscious effort, the mysteries of the Lunar Ancient Scripture her original body cultivated flowed through her mind. She sat cross-legged, fully channeling the technique to guide the vast spiritual sea.
After an unknown time, the glow around the seated girl gradually faded.
She slowly opened her eyes, a fleeting glint of icy moonlight in her pupils, her gaze radiant, free of exhaustion.
Her skin glowed like jade, with a faint, ethereal sheen. Her already aloof, stunning aura now carried an otherworldly, celestial charm, like a moon goddess descended to earth.
Standing, she clenched her fist lightly.
Crack.
Her knuckles popped crisply, an unprecedented surge of power coursing through her.
Xie Qiyang glanced at a nearby tree, thick enough for two to embrace, a confident smirk curling her lips.
One punch—no, one finger—and that sturdy tree would shatter.
Though she hadn’t broken through to the Innate Realm, she was at its peak. Once she passed the lightning tribulation, she could unleash all her accumulated power.
But now wasn’t the time for that.
Suppressing her realm was uncomfortable, like being a pilot with everything ready but forced to delay takeoff.
It was frustrating, but she had to hold back—her most vulnerable moment couldn’t afford surprises.
Now wasn’t the time to let loose.
“Hm? This smell…” Xie Qiyang frowned, sniffing hard, a sharp pain hitting her throat. Alarm bells rang!
She leaped up, landing lightly on a nearby tree’s canopy, scanning the distance. Over ten kilometers away, vast swathes of trees were collapsing, spreading toward her at an alarming rate!
That snake! It was catching up!
“Damn it! Didn’t that old guy cripple it? How’s it still so fast?!” Her face paled, cursing under her breath. She jumped down and streaked through the forest, fleeing desperately.
Behind her, the massive snake shadow pursued, slightly faster than her.
Where it passed, it was like a steamroller—centuries-old trees toppled, smaller plants withered and blackened from the lingering poison mist.
“Relentless! Did it plant a tracker on me?!” Xie Qiyang fled with all her might, glancing back, her heart sinking—the distance was closing fast.
At this rate, being caught was only a matter of time.
“If this keeps up, I’m done for! I need to distract it.” The shadow of death made her mind race.
“Wait!” She gripped the remaining Azure Dragon Fruit core tightly. “Is this beast tracking me with this?!”
Just then, her peripheral vision caught three familiar figures a few miles away! But… their postures… why were they so… indecent?
…
Faint, fragmented voices drifted with the wind:
“That damn old man’s finally dead! Ling’er, we can finally be together openly! No more watching that old bastard bully you in front of me.” It was Wang Zongyao.
He lifted Wang Ling’er high, like an affectionate couple.
“Don’t forget me, Ling’er!” Wang Rui chimed in, eager like someone scrambling for a bus seat.
“Look behind you, Ling’er!”
The bombshell conversation left Xie Qiyang stunned, instinctively making a classic “old man, phone” face.
“It’s fine, don’t be so eager. With that old guy gone, no one can hold us back. Once we leave the Nether Ancient Realm, the three of us can live happily together.” Wang Ling’er waved grandly, as if declaring them all her wings.
“By the way, who’s prettier, me or that Jiang Ningshuang?”
The question stumped the brothers. Seeing their hesitation, Wang Ling’er’s face darkened.
“Ling’er, of course it’s you,” Wang Rui answered first.
“Yeah, yeah! How could that woman compare to our Ling’er? She’s probably snake food by now. Why bother with a dead woman?” Wang Zongyao echoed.
Wang Ling’er basked in their flattery, smugly saying, “That wench deserved it. Even Uncle Wang lost interest in me because of her. Well, she can join that old fool in the underworld.”
Xie Qiyang, caught in the crossfire, was dumbfounded. Their relationship and logic were as shocking as a soap opera.