CH 61

Ji Ning’s blood ran cold as he watched Ozer fall from the spacecraft.

Although he had often seen the protagonists in life or death situations, they had been part of the original plots and he’d always known they wouldn’t really die. Now that so many protagonists had gathered outside of their novels, all with the same protagonist’s halo, it was hard to say whether they were really in danger of dying. 

“Hurry up and catch him, please catch him!” Ji Ning grabbed Herinos’s sleeve with a pale face, the words trembling in his mouth, “He can’t die…”

Ozer must have jumped after him when he saw Huo Wuling throw him off the spaceship. If Ozer died because of him, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life!

Surprise flashed across Herinos’s face, but after a moment of silence, he still obeyed Ji Ning’s words. A swarm of bats surged into the air, securely catching Ozer.

The Emperor didn’t take his eyes off Ji Ning. His face looked pale, blood still spilling from his wounded shoulder as it slowly dyed his snow white military uniform a deep red. 

In an instant, his overwhelming spiritual energy spread through the air, enveloping the bat swarm around him. The bats screamed in high pitched voices, their bodies twisting as they were forcibly controlled by the Emperor, carrying him towards Ji Ning. A light gleamed in Herinos’s eyes as watched Ozer move forward. He touched his fingers together to disperse the bats formed from black mist, before summoning another wave of them, wiping away Ozer’s mind control.

The vampire waved his hand and Ozer was sent back to his spaceship. At the same time, Huo Wuling’s face appeared in the hatch of the spacecraft. He glanced casually at Ozer as he passed him, then jumped out of the ship.

His sudden movements ruffled his hair and shirt, yet his figure remained steady as he landed gracefully on the staircase of bats, walking leisurely towards them as if he was strolling through a garden.

A red light flashed in Herinos’s eyes and the bats beneath the ghost’s feet vanished.

The dark haired man grinned at the empty air beneath his feet. Without pausing his footsteps, he continued walking over to Ji Ning’s side. Glancing at the stars that stretched out around them like a tapestry, he said, “Nice scenery.”

He tilted his head to look at Herinos, “It would be even better if you would disappear into it.”

Herinos smiled graciously, “I would say the same to you.”

Once he’d watched Ozer return to the spacecraft, all the tension drained out of Ji Ning’s body. Feeling a sudden vertigo from the stress, his figure swayed and Herinos held out a hand to support him. 

There was no way he would have predicted Ozer was crazy enough to jump out of the spaceship after him…although Ozer must have had a method to ensure his own safety, Ji Ning wasn’t psychologically prepared for it. His heart almost jumped out of his throat!

Several of the spaceships that had surrounded Ark had started to move closer to the three of them. Ji Ning looked at the spaceships that covered the sky in front of them and his mood which had only recently been soothed, grew anxious again.

“How are we going to escape now?”

Ji Ning knew that Huo Wuling and the others were capable of coming and going freely, but it would be extremely difficult for him to escape from Ozer’s reach when he still had the spiritual mark on him. 

If Huo Wuling wasn’t living in his shadow, Ji Ning would have committed suicide. It was an awkward situation, both he and Huo Wuling could escape by themselves, but by staying together, neither one of them could leave.

“When those spaceships are distracted, we can steal one randomly.” Huo Wuling grinned wickedly, glancing up at the spacecraft above him, “Or I could just snatch one now.”

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Leb Qeilcu ijeutfv, “Cybea atja-” 

Dfobgf tf mbeiv olclrt rqfjxlcu, Yhfg’r rqjmfrtlq fzqibvfv yftlcv atfw, qjga bo atf rtlq’r teii ojiilcu jkjs ogbw atf rtlq lc j mibev bo vjgx rwbxf. Ojguf mtecxr bo wfaji glqqfv ogbw atf rtlq, rqlcclcu jkjs lcab rqjmf.

Ji Ning’s eyes followed the fire of the spaceship. His vision went dark for a moment before he regained his senses. He found he’d grabbed Huo Wuling’s collar, his fingers trembling uncontrollably, “…Did you do this?”

“Does it matter?”

Huo Wuling’s eyes swept casually across the falling spaceship, “Now those people will have to save their Emperor. Isn’t it a good opportunity for us to escape?” 

“Huo Wuling!” Ji Ning’s eyes blazed, “I said that you couldn’t-”

“Kill him? I didn’t kill him.” Huo Wuling smiled, “I’ve told you so many times Ningning. Whether a person lives or dies has nothing to do with whether they have a body or not. If it really matters, I’ll bring his soul over to you, but he can’t be allowed to keep his status as an Emperor.”

As Huo Wuling predicted, the spaceships stopped their attacks, desperate to rescue Ozer’s spacecraft. However, as they changed their paths, countless beams of light shot towards them. The closest spaceships to the lights shattered, crashing into each other as they fell to the ground.

Boom. 

The wreckage of the spaceships ignited into a sea of fire. The remaining ships extended detection claws to grasp the hull of Ozer’s spaceship.

At the same time, mechas were released from the individual spaceships, rushing towards the malfunctioning ship from all directions. Even though they were being hunted by an Archangel, the Mo Ling Empire would stop at nothing to rescue their Emperor.

However, even though the spaceship’s crash had been prevented, the raging flames burning through the hull still progressed at a terrifying speed. In the blink of an eye, the hatch was engulfed in flames.

The sea of fire burned, raising the surrounding temperatures to scorching degrees, but Ji Ning felt like his heart had fallen into an icy ocean. 

If Ozer dies…if he dies…

He needed Fu Qinghan. He was the only one who could save Ozer.

In his panic, Ji Ning thoughts turned suddenly to Fu Qinghan. When he switched between two worlds, the time flow of the world he left behind became very slow, almost stationary. He had to find a way to beg Fu Qinghan to come to this world and prevent the spacecraft from being completely destroyed.

And it was more than just saving Ozer. In the future, he couldn’t let any of the protagonists die. If things continued like this, they would all end up dying sooner or later and the idea of that terrified him. 

Ji Ning quickly connected his consciousness to Future and asked to transfer his soul to another world.

Once the familiar darkness passed, Ji Ning slowly opened his eyes. It had been a while since he’d last transferred his soul and he’d forgotten how uncomfortable it felt.

Last time, when he learned that Yun Yuan and Fu Qinghan had become master and apprentice, he’d been so flustered that he hadn’t even bothered to return his consciousness to his body in this world, and instead hurriedly transferred his soul over to Gu Chen’s world

Now that he’d withdrawn his consciousness and returned to his body, he found that he’d returned to the dimly lit underground palace, with the spirit sword ‘Qiyue’ in front of him. Yun Yuan’s spirit resided inside the spirit sword, while his real body remained within the void in preparation for his tribulation. 

But Ji Ning shouldn’t have been here in the first place. He’d left Ying Qianqiu’s palace in Cangshan with Yun Dao to go to the Boundless Sea for refuge. It was Fu Qinghan who brought him back to Cangshan in a matter of seconds in order to lift the forbidden seal that had been placed on Ying Qianqiu.

Previously, he and Fu Qinghan had shared their spiritual consciousness in order to meet with Yun Yuan’s spiritual consciousness. He’d been the one to run away first, so Fu Qinghan’s consciousness might still be inside Qiyue at this moment. Even if Fu Qinghan had left, he couldn’t have travelled far away.

Ji Ning hastily recalled what had happened the last time he was in this world, staring at Qiyue with lingering fear as he took several steps backwards. Just as he was thinking about waiting for Fu Qinghan to come out, he heard a clear male voice from behind him.

“Little fox.” 

He turned towards the sound, and saw a handsome man in a green robe. The man looked at him tenderly, a slight smile on his lips.

“Were you looking for me?”

Fu Qinghan reached out to stroke Ji Ning’s hair, but the next moment his eyes widened in surprise as Ji Ning threw himself into his arms with an aggrieved expression on his face.

Perhaps it was because in the martial arts world, Fu Qinghan had always taken care of him, or maybe it was because of Fu Qinghan’s gentle temperament, but the terrifying situation he’d just witnessed made Ji Ning want to act like a spoiled child. 

However, he quickly came to his senses, his face flushing dark red. He tried to withdraw from Fu Qinghan’s arms, but the man gently pressed a hand against his head, stroking his hair. Allowing the man to move him, Ji Ning laid his head back down on Fu Qinghan’s shoulder.

“What happened?” Fu Qinghan caressed his back and spoke to him in a warm voice, “Don’t worry, you can take your time to speak, I’m not going to leave.”

Fu Qinghan’s gentle doting helped Ji Ning to calm down and he quickly explained what had happened in the other world. Fu Qinghan was already aware that he’d travelled to other worlds, so he didn’t hide that fact. Apart from a few details, he basically told Fu Qinghan everything.

“So you’re telling me that someone who is linked to you through fate is facing difficulty right now?” Fu Qinghan nodded to himself, “I understand. I want to help you, but that world is not like mine, nor like the three thousand spirit worlds, so it’s somewhat difficult.” 

“How is it difficult?” It had been so long that Ji Ning had almost forgotten the details of the cultivation world.

“If you want to cut a path across the thousand worlds, you will need a Dao guide.” Fu Qinghan said, “Only Shizun can do such a thing. If he creates a gateway to that world, then I can help you.”

It seemed that once again, he needed Yun Yuan…

Hearing Fu Qinghan’s words, Ji Ning’s heart sank. He remembered how Yun Yuan had found Huo Wuling’s spiritual world before. Indeed, if Yun Yuan wished, he could easily create a gateway. But Yun Yuan wanted to cut off all the connections Ji Ning had with other people, how could he be convinced to create a gateway? 

As he worried, the spirit sword in front of him flickered with light. Fu Qinghan leaned forward to listen, then bowed suddenly, saying, “Yes Shizun.”

He turned to Ji Ning and said, “Shizun has asked for you and I to enter Qiyue. He has something to tell you.”

Yun Yuan wanted to speak with him? Thinking of their previous unfortunate partings, Ji Ning’s heart beat faster and he couldn’t stop the anxiety in his heart. If it was possible, he really didn’t want to see Yun Yuan again, but he did need to speak with him…

Fu Qinghan patted Ji Ning’s back soothingly. Ji Ning took a deep breath before he separated 

his consciousness, and entered the spirit world together with Fu Qinghan.

Within Qiyue the peach blossoms were forever blooming in the stunning scenery around them. Yun Yuan stood on the mountain peak, wearing a long and intricately patterned white robe as he watched the peach blossoms scatter across the hills. Abruptly, he turned his head towards them. He wore a gentle smile, but his eyes were as cold as night rain.

“Why did you come to see me this time?” Yun Yuan asked coldly.

Ji Ning was already frightened to see him, but hearing his frigid voice, he couldn’t help shrinking behind Fu Qinghan. Watching his reaction, Yun Yuan’s eyes darkened even further and he said, “Qinghan, you should step aside.” 

Fu Qinghan didn’t move, replying, “Shizun, please don’t scare him.”

“You are always such a good person.” Yun Yuan sneered, “It’s just a pity that you’ve still come to beg for my help in the end.”

“If Shizun is dissatisfied, please speak with this disciple. I hope you won’t make things difficult for Ji Ning.” Fu Qinghan bowed.

“But I want to make things difficult for him.” Yun Yuan chuckled, “Ji Ning, I know why you came here. I can help you create a gateway to that world and save the people connected to your fate, but I do have some conditions.” 

Ji Ning moved out from behind Fu Qinghan, watching Yun Yuan nervously as he waited for the cultivator’s next words.

Yun Yuan flicked his hand towards him, qi flashing through the air and revealing several red lines attached to Ji Ning’s body. The delicate string-like things stretched out in different directions, disappearing into the void.

“These are your intertwined lines of fate, connecting you to those other people. Relationships predestined by fate.”

Yun Yuan said, “If you want me to help you, you must cut off your connected fates with these people. Are you still willing?” 

The author has something to say: My aunt is really an unbearable burden on my life, fortunately I have ibuprofen

Essay complete!! Happy times (ノ ^ ∇ ^)ノ

Ah, the return of these two – my author has abandoned them for so long! Don’t even say the name Gu Chen, I miss my baby so much *cry*

We’re entering the second arc of the novel (out of three) and this is where it gets really good!! Everyone say your favourite protagonist now because we’re getting some precious one on one action~