People have always stuck to their own principles and faith. Some people have remained loyal until they met their end; some have shared weal and woe to practice filial piety; some have layed down their lives for audacity; and some have gone through fire and water for integrity.
The Orange Star Emissary was no exception. So, she could not watch her former young master get killed before her eyes.
"Swoosh!"
Her wrist trembled, and the Dragon Lock Chain flew away to sweep Di Yi to her side.
Mu Lingxi certainly knew what was going on between Zhang Ruochen and Di Yi. She snorted in contempt, summoned up her white holy sword, and activated the inscription on it to attack the Orange Star Emissary.
"Murong Family."
Zhang Ruochen had an uncanny look in his eyes while murmuring.
"Hold on"
Zhang Ruochen stopped Mu Lingxi and walked up to the Orange Star Emissary. "Are you a descendant of the Murong family?"
The Orange Star Emissary stared at Zhang Ruochen in bewilderment and said, "So what?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded his head and beckoned Blackie over with a wave. "Blackie, you take her away first. I will go find her and have a word with her later."
Blackie did not expect that Zhang Ruochen would let go of the Orange Star Emissary, and he gave a dim-witted smile. He said, "No problem!"
The Orange Star Emissary had no strength to resist the wind power created by the Blackie, and she was blown far away. In a moment, they disappeared over the horizon.
No more nonsense with Di Yi. Zhang Ruochen employed a sword skill, and waving his hands, he brought out a blast of sword Qi from the tips of his fingers and cut off Di Yi's head.
"Hehe!"
Di Yi's head and body were set on fire in black leaping flames.
When his corpse had been burned to ashes, a stream of black holy Qi and red spiritual blood drifted up and entwined with each other as if they were about to produce a new body together.
Zhang Ruochen would certainly never give Di Yi a second chance to reproduce a new flesh body, and he immediately released Power of Space to part the black holy Qi with the red spiritual blood by force.
"Senior sister apprentice Duanmu, help me to refine Di Yi's martial soul," Zhang Ruochen said.
Martial soul was the soul of a Monk.
Only by refining his martial soul to the end could Zhang Ruochen kill Di Yi.
The power of Di Yi's martial soul was comparable to a Monk with a cultivation of the Eighth Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm. It would be hard for Zhang Ruochen to refine it through his cultivation alone.
"Swoosh!"
Mu Lingxi sat cross-legged across from Zhang Ruochen and mobilized from her body a current of freezing Qi that turned into a white light column and flashed out of her hands.
Zhang Ruochen brought his hands together. The Qi Sea between his eyebrows and the mysterious embryo in his belly ran together to integrate into a stream of domineering masculinity.
As Zhang Ruochen opened his arms, a fire column suddenly surged away from his palms.
Two blasts of power, one cold and one warm, collided with each other and started to refine the Black holy Qi and the red spiritual blood.
Di Yi's martial soul was enveloped by the two blasts of power.
Even though Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi were cooperating, it still would take them three days to completely refine Di Yi's martial soul.
The black holy Qi and the red spiritual blood remained floating in the air, like two clouds rotating around each other and forming a Tai Chi mark.
Mu Lingxi withdrew her genuine Qi and looked up. She said, "The black holy Qi should be the undying holy Qi. If we managed to refine it, we might be able to cultivate ourselves into an immortal Saintly Being."
Zhang Ruo shook his head. "I have been practicing the Five Elements Chaotic Body, and I have already been at the level of 'Treasured Body of Three Spirits'. I would not give up halfway in order to cultivate into a Saintly Being. Moreover, I do not want to dig my heart out."
An undying Saintly Being was also called a "Heartless Saint Being."
The only way a warrior could cultivate himself into an undying Saintly Being was to dig his heart out.
Even with his heart removed, he still held a very limited rate of success. It was more likely that he would lose his life.
An undying Saintly Being was truly powerful and was comparable to the Four-Spirit Treasured Body. It was a great temptation for anyone, and many people were willing to risk their lives by digging out their hearts to achieve it.
Zhang Ruochen never thought about practicing to be an undying Saintly Being. For him, Five Elements Chaotic Body was the real challenge.
Mu Lingxi also shook her head in an obvious sign that she had no interest in practicing to be an undying Saintly Being either.
Just when Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi were considering how to deal with the undying holy Qi...
The black holy Qi and the red spiritual blood in the air swooped downwards as if being dragged down by some kind of force. A human shadow was lying motionless on the ground, and it kept inhaling the holy Qi and the spiritual blood.
The holy Qi and the spiritual blood mingled into an intact flesh body as quickly as a bamboo shoot springing up.
Mu Lingxi was startled and began to put up her guard. She said, "His soul has been refined. Is Di Yi still alive?"
Zhang Ruochen looked thoughtful. His heart always throbbed with joy when he figured something out, and a shadow of a smile gradually touched his mouth. Apparently, he also marveled at it.
The black holy Qi had condensed into a suit armor. It wrapped around the body, and only an angular and handsome face peeped through.
He had sharp facial features. Acute eyes, an aquiline nose, and every single line on his face was as distinct as if it had been carved by hatchet.
"Bu Qianfan."
Since Mu Lingxi had seen Bu Qianfan once, she recognized him at first sight.
Why would Di Yi become Bu Qianfan after he died?
Mu Lingxi did not know that Bu Qianfan had been refined by Di Yi into one of his shadows. Therefore, she could hardly believe what she was seeing now. She found it quite amazing.
However, Zhang Ruochen looked calm and smiled. "Kind of interesting."
Bu Qianfan stood opposite Zhang Ruochen, his body erect like a javelin, and he said confidently, "Zhang Ruochen, I have to thank you first. If you had not refined Di Yi's soul, there would be no chance for me to regain my freedom. I owe you a favor. But shall we put an end to our discord now?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Congratulations! You are free now. And I like those who can tell kindness and hatred apart. But I remember that a long time ago, you already owed me a favor. With this one, it is two you owe me. What else is between you and me, except the two favors?"
Bu Qianfan squinted his eyes and involuntarily took a step forward, his body warlike. He said, "Although I was refined into a demonic shadow by Di Yi, I still retain my old consciousness. Do you think that I could forget what you did to the Orange Star Emissary? As the disciple of a Sword Saint and Time and Space Descendant, how could you be so mean? How could you dare to do it, while not daring to admit it?"
Zhang Ruochen certainly knew how infatuated Bu Qianfan had been with the Orange Star Emissary.
What surprised him was that immediately after Bu Qianfan regained his freedom and his new body, he began to look for revenge for the Orange Star Emissary.
Zhang Ruochen did not know whether to call Bu Qianfan a psycho or a fool.
Zhang Ruochen kept his face straight. He did not care to explain what had happened between him and the Orange Star Emissary. He smiled. "Forget whether I have done anything to the Orange Star Emissary first. Even if I did, does it have anything to do with you?"
Bu Qianfan was slightly jolted, and his intention for battle obviously abated.
Zhang Ruochen added, "What happened between the Orange Star Emissary and me is none of your business. Who are you? What right do you have to defend her? Are you her lover? No joke, ok? You are dispensable to her. Even Di Yi is more important to her than you. Perhaps, so am I."
After hearing these words, Bu Qianfan was at a loss, and he became flustered. He finally smiled wryly and said despondently, "You are right. I am nothing to her."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and walked toward him. Patting his shoulder, Zhang Ruochen said, "Truth is not always music to your ears. But it is the truth. Even though she knew you had been refined by Di Yi into a demonic shadow, the Orange Star Emissary still tried to save Di Yi when I was about to kill him, and she never thought about you at all."
"She's a woman who does not love you back. She will never give you a look, even if you have done so much for her. Are you such a fool?"
Bu Qianfan closed his eyes and said, "I don't care."
"You have the right to love somebody deeply. I was like you before. But I paid a high price for it at last. You can never force a woman to love you back. All you can do is change yourself. Otherwise, she will be your weakness forever."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head again and said, "When you think it through, come to me. I will lead you out of the Scroll World. Because of you, Saint Bu Gentry will certainly be punished by the imperial court. If you refuse to perk yourself up and hurry back to the East Region Saint City, Saint Bu Gentry will suffer immeasurable losses."
Zhang Ruochen did not meddle in his love affairs. What needed to be said was said. It was enough.
If Bu Qianfan was still stuck in his unrequited love, then nobody could help him.
When Zhang Ruochen mentioned "Saint Bu Gentry," aspiration rekindled in Bu Qianfan's eyes. He seemed to realize the duty on his shoulders.
"Wait," Bu Qianfan said.
Zhang Ruochen turned around and looked at him.
Bu Qianfan heaved a long sigh and said, "I am going back to Saint Bu Gentry. Since I have made big trouble, I have to go back and make up for it. I will undertake my requisite duty."
Seeing him out of the woods so quickly, Zhang Ruochen could not help thinking highly of Bu Qianfan, and he said, "Great, come after me."
After opening the doorway to space and time, Zhang Ruochen led Bu Qianfan out of the Scroll World himself.
They appeared in a deep valley in God Falling Ridge at the same time, and they walked side by side out of the valley.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I hope you will keep my secret to yourself forever. If you can do it, a favor will have been paid."
Bu Qianfan gave Zhang Ruochen a cold look, and said, "Are you pitying me? You can rest assured that I will not spill the beans. As for the two favors I owe you, just give me a word, and I will come repay them right away."