Chapter 2086: It’s All for Saving Lives

Shi Bingxiu was about to return and ask Zu An to fulfill their agreement when he saw the scene unfold. He and the soldiers looked at Zu An with incredible shock. Even though they had been departed spirits for a long time, they still had an appreciation for human aesthetics. They could naturally recognize Jing Teng’s astonishing beauty and voluptuous figure. Even in life, this was a goddess-level figure they could never have hoped to attain. And yet a woman like that was actually being so proactive with Zu An?

Zu An had never expected Jing Teng to be this direct. He could only look awkwardly at Mi Li.

Mi Li remarked with an unhappy expression, “What are you looking at me for? She’s still waiting for you to compensate her for her loss.”

Zu An almost choked on the spot. He quickly sent some natural ki into Jing Teng's body so her complexion wouldn't be so pale anymore. It seemed that repairing the broken seal had cost her quite heavily.

Shi Bingxiu really couldn't keep watching this anymore. He and his men had already been dead for so long, and yet he still had to watch this damned public display of affection. He coughed lightly and said, “We’ve helped you defeat the monsters and repair the seal. Shouldn’t it be time for your respected self to fulfill your promise?”

After he said that, the spirits stared at Zu An. If he dared to say that he couldn't, they would immediately rip him to shreds.

Zu An set Jing Teng down off to the side first. Then, he cupped his hands toward Shi Bingxiu and the others, saying, “Thank you for bravely killing the enemy and saving this world, everyone.”

Shi Bingxiu chuckled, saying, “I guess we didn’t cower this time... Hold on, stop trying to curry favor with us. Can you save us, or can you not?”

“I can,” Zu An said, not delaying any longer. Instead, he used the Primordial Origin Sutra, and with its purification skill, chanted, “Dust to dust, earth to earth. What should not remain should cease to exist...”

He was now more and more curious about Imperial Gate Bei Qing.

Just how did she know that I would definitely obtain this Skycloud Sword, and how did she know that the one with the Skycloud Sword would just happen to be able to purify these departed spirits?

On top of that, judging from how she spoke, it almost seemed as if she knew me.

A clear gust of wind blew over them, and streaks of blue light flickered in the air. Some illusory figures appeared, and one after another, the departed spirits began to disappear like dust. When they saw that, the soldiers didn’t feel fear. Instead, there was a serene smile on their faces. Perhaps death was really scary for others, but for them, it was something they had long sought but could never obtain.

When he saw that his own body was also disappearing, a rare smile appeared on Shi Bingxiu’s face. He said, “It turns out the feeling of not being deserters, but rather heroes, is quite good...” Afterward, he also completely disappeared from this world.

Zu An thought to himself,

If things were going to end up like this anyway, why did you decide to do what you did?

And yet, in the end, he didn’t say those words. After all, the soldiers had been tremendously helpful in fighting back the monsters.

Mi Li said, “Now that the danger has passed, it’s time for me to return to sleep. Sigh, I wonder if my appearance drew the attention of those guys this time.”

“Are those guys stronger than the Shadow Monster King and the Lord of Slaughter?” Zu An couldn't help but ask.

“Those two aren’t even fit to wipe their shoes,” Mi Li said in disdain.

“Then what about the one who appeared after the Dance Offering to the Universe?” Zu An asked.

Mi Li hesitated before replying, “That’s hard to say.”

Zu An was stunned. If even she was saying that, then even if they weren’t as strong as that being, they were probably not far off.

As expected, both immediate and long-term priorities have to be paid close attention to...

“You should rest properly in the meantime. I’ll seriously think about how to make you stronger, and how to save that little lover of yours,” Mi Li said with a grave expression. The things that had just happened made her really nervous too.

“Thank you, master!” Zu An said sincerely.

“Hmph, you’ve finally addressed me properly for the first time because of that little lover of yours,” Mi Li said, chuckling and waving her hand. Then, she returned to the Tai’e Sword.

Zu An looked at Qiu Honglei inside the jade coffin, and then at the Great Snowy Mountain. He felt as if he was looking at Chu Chuyan’s cold and pure appearance. He said resolutely, “I'll definitely save you both!”

He then went over to Jing Teng’s side. He was about to return her to the jade coffin, but she just happened to wake up. She quickly said, “I don’t want to go back to the coffin! I’m tired of just lying there. I want to get some fresh air! Also, now that you've thrown a chunk of ice in there, I'm about to freeze to death!”

Dark Jing Teng immediately began to chatter continuously.

Zu An looked at her slender legs and the black leggings covering them. He said in annoyance, “Of course it’ll be cold if you only wear that much.”

“Hmph, with my cultivation, I normally don’t get cold at all. Even if I didn’t wear a thing, I wouldn’t feel cold. But this ice you dragged in there is a bit different, and it even makes me feel a bit cold.” Dark Jing Teng harrumphed.

When he thought about how this was Chu Chuyan’s Pure World Icelotus, Zu An couldn't help but feel a bit broken-hearted.

“Hey, it ended up costing me a lot to help you, you know? It’s almost as if I rested all that time for nothing. Hurry up and compensate me!” Dark Jing Teng cried. As she spoke, she couldn't help but purse her lips, her expression turning both alluring and enticing.

Zu An said with lacking interest, “Let’s wait for a little bit. I can’t get into the mood right now.”

Dark Jing Teng was stunned, replying, “There’s no way, right? Your body was ridiculously tough last time. There’s no way you could have become weak so quickly! Could it be that humans age that fast? Wait, could it be that some vixen already sucked you dry?”

Zu An became a bit unhappy as he said, “I just lost two loved ones one after another, so do you think I’m in the mood to talk about these things?”

Dark Jing Teng looked at Qiu Honglei in the jade coffin before saying, “Oh, so it was that woman in the tomb last time. Who is the other one? Hm? She has the Pure World Icelotus intent around her. Is it that blue and white-clad one, the one with the Kiss of the Goddess?” Previously, those two women had ruined her plans, so she still had a deep impression of them.

Zu An voiced his confirmation.

Dark Jing Teng grinned.

Hmph, I hope all of those vixens disappear.

However, when she saw Zu An’s unhappy expression, she wasn’t stupid either and didn’t show it. Instead, she pretended to be hurt and said, “That’s a huge pity then.”

“Your act would be more convincing if you weren’t smiling,” Zu An said, promptly exposing her in annoyance.

Dark Jing Teng decided to just not pretend anymore, saying, “Hmph, I’m not even close to her, and she almost ruined everything last time. I’m already being respectful by not clapping and celebrating.”

“You...!” Zu An was a bit angry, but when he saw her stare at him stubbornly, he sighed and said, “Forget it.”

He also knew that Dark Jing Teng was rather unreasonable in nature, and she had been a villain to begin with. The way she thought was very different from that of an ordinary person. Besides, it was because of her great help that the world had been saved, so he naturally couldn't criticize her.

When she saw him act all discouraged, Dark Jing Teng carefully asked, “Will you not be close to me anymore in the future because of this?”

Zu An was speechless.

This woman really is quite the prodigy, isn’t she?

When she saw that he didn’t say anything, Dark Jing Teng immediately panicked. “You can’t just abandon me when times become hard! In the worst case, I’ll just help you think of a way to save them, okay?”

“Don’t misuse idioms,” Zu An said with a scowl. “When did I say that I was going to abandon you? And also, what ways are there to save them?”

Dark Jing Teng propped up her chin with her hand and said, “I can vaguely remember that there's a way to save them in this kind of situation, but I’ve lived for so long that I’ve lost a lot of my memories. I can’t think of it right now.”

Zu An grabbed her excitedly and said, “You have to remember it!”

Sigh, they remain young and beautiful after living for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, but the biggest issue is that their memories aren’t great. Mi Li is like this, and she's also like this.

Dark Jing Teng’s eyes swirled with brilliance. She said, “But right now, my fundamental power is really exhausted. If you help me replenish it and I recover more, I might be able to remember.”

Zu An was speechless. He almost laughed out of anger. This woman always managed to circle back to that subject somehow.

“Let’s leave this place first,” he said. Even though he was in a rush to save his lovers, he wouldn’t do something like that in this kind of place.

When she heard his tone loosen up, Dark Jing Teng smiled. She didn’t return to the jade coffin, and instead decided to just travel with Zu An.

...

There was only the snowy mountain range all around them, but Dark Jing Teng was still full of interest and excitement. Along the way, she chattered continuously with Zu An and always asked questions that were beyond obvious to normal people.

At first, Zu An was annoyed, but later, he realized that she'd had to keep the monsters in the great tomb suppressed for a seemingly endless amount of time. After becoming her own person, she'd lived in the dark Ghost Realm, so she probably hadn't gotten many opportunities to see the outside world. He couldn't help but develop a sense of pity for her. As he answered her questions, his tone became gentler.

When she sensed the change, Dark Jing Teng intimately held his hand. Her body even naturally stuck to him.

Soon after, a wave of smoke and dust suddenly stirred in the distance. A group of mounted riders on all kinds of strange beasts rushed over. A few moments later, they arrived. The one in front was incredibly charming, and her expression carried the delicate and helpless air of a widow. Who else could it be but the Second Empress?

Meanwhile, behind her were many of the Fiend races’ experts. Just then, they also saw Zu An and looks of excitement broke out on their faces. They were about to call out when they suddenly saw Jing Teng sticking to him. All of their words stopped in their throats. From time to time, their eyes darted over to the Second Empress. They had all kinds of expressions on their faces.