Chapter 500 Grab and Run

There was silence.

Vermilion Bird was deeply silent.

She looked at Shangguan Huanling's condition, then glanced at Lu Ye, who was dazedly staring at his right hand.

Right now, Lu Ye's face was filled with confusion.

*Who am I?*

*Where am I?*

*What was I just doing?*

Gradually, Lu Ye snapped out of it. He suddenly felt relieved that he hadn’t forgotten his memories of Shangguan Huanling.

Otherwise…

Scary. Really scary.

"Is she okay now?" Lu Ye asked, his voice carrying a hint of urgency.

Vermilion Bird's face was unreadable.

But seeing Shangguan Huanling's current state, being a woman, Vermilion Bird naturally understood what it meant.

In her past life, she had lost track of how often she had experienced such a state herself. Sometimes, when she was with Shangguan, Shangguan would often end up the same way too.

At this moment, Vermilion Bird was also at a loss.

People often said Shangguan Huanling wasn't the brightest, but was Vermilion Bird any better?

In her past life, she had been totally tricked by the Myriad Spirits Demon Emperor.

"So… did I pass?" Lu Ye's voice grew more insistent.

Finally, Vermilion Bird sighed.

"Passed!"

The moment she spoke, Lu Ye's figure instantly vanished.

At that moment, four beams of intense light descended from the sky, plunging straight into Lu Ye's body.

The four-colored lights merged together, transforming into the rawest, most powerful force—the primordial energy of the world.

Lu Ye devoured it greedily, his power skyrocketing.

*Xumi Realm Third Layer, Xumi Realm Fourth Layer*…

However, Lu Ye didn't take the Four Spirits' power to enhance his own strength, but to accelerate the expansion of his inner world.

Thus, he directly funneled the Four Spirits' energy into his nascent world.

At this moment, nothing visibly changed within his inner world, yet Lu Ye sensed something subtle but pivotal quietly unfolding.

His Xumi Realm cultivation ceased advancing.

All of the Four Spirits' power poured into the unformed world.

As this power continuously infused, the changes within the world began to grow more pronounced.

A nascent force started to emerge.

From destruction, new life was born.

At this moment, Lu Ye's skin suddenly began to shed large amounts of flakes—actual flakes.

It was unthinkable that this could happen to Lu Ye in his current state. What were these flakes?

They were impurities from within Lu Ye's body!

At his level of cultivation, how could there still be impurities in his body? Especially for someone like Lu Ye, who had perfected every stage of cultivation.

Lu Ye had consumed many pills, but those were all top-tier elixirs—how could they leave any impurities?

Lu Ye observed carefully and soon understood why these impurities had appeared.

The world within him was being reborn, and a portion of this nascent power had fused with his body, causing it to undergo continuous transformation.

Endless transformation!

Every single moment.

Lu Ye was growing stronger.

He was undeniably growing stronger. His physique was evolving—from a mortal body to a spiritual body, then to a divine body, and finally to a sacred body...

This nascent force was reshaping his body, as if remaking the world itself.

The blessings of the Four Spirits did not last long, though the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise exchanged puzzled glances. After all, Lu Ye's strength had not increased by much.

The blessings of the Four Spirits shouldn’t have granted him such a slight power increase, right?

Could it be that Lu Ye had banked the energy for later?

Well, the blessings had ended, so their duty was fulfilled.

The auras of the Four Spirits faded.

Lu Ye's body continued to transform. He glanced at Vermilion Bird and Shangguan Huanling, who had already dressed—especially when Shangguan Huanling looked back at him—and he felt a jolt of alarm.

Fall back!

Lu Ye couldn’t fathom why Shangguan Huanling had reacted this way after being exposed to the Primordial Morning Mist. Others who had encountered it had suffered excruciating torment.

Admittedly, what little remained of the Primordial Morning Mist Lu Ye had was minimal, but it should still have wracked Shangguan Huanling with pain...

Lu Ye, having grown up in an orphanage without even a phone, had never learned that there existed a type of person in this world... the kind who got off on pain—the worse it was, the more devoted they became.

This possibility had never crossed Lu Ye’s mind.

Faced with such an unpredictable situation, especially with Shangguan Huanling, Lu Ye decided that discretion was the better part of valor.

Killing her wasn’t an option, as he didn’t perceive her as a threat.

In fact, without her help, would he have gained the blessings of the Four Spirits?

His goal had never changed—so long as the other party meant him no harm, he’d just watch, whether they live or die.

Lu Ye fled.

The process of rebirth and transformation continued endlessly.

Lu Ye felt he needed proper seclusion.

Shangguan Huanling sat on the ground, still a little woozy and out of it.

*What just happened?*

Because Shangguan Huanling was worried things might go sideways, she had taken a special charm-boosting pill in advance.

It just had…

a bit of an intoxicating effect.

But Shangguan Huanling didn’t mind at all, because that was exactly what she wanted. She’d even worried it wouldn’t hit hard enough.

The only thing was, it didn’t work.

She was fine—but Lu Ye? Not so much.

Even with Vermilion Bird fighting alongside her, they couldn’t get through to Lu Ye.

Vermilion Bird gave Huanling a worried look and comforted her, saying, “Huanling, it’s alright. There will be more chances. Don’t be sad.”

“Vermilion Bird, I’m not sad at all. Even though I didn’t make Brother Lu Ye feel good, he made me feel good. He’s totally been watching me—he knew exactly how to please me without even thinking. He gets me on a deep level, so why should I be sad?” Shangguan Huanling said with a rather peculiar expression.

Vermilion Bird: ???

Even in her normal state, Vermilion Bird sometimes couldn’t keep up with Shangguan Huanling’s train of thought, let alone now when she was on this high.

“What about your tribulation?”

Shangguan Huanling’s eyes were filled with determination.

“Brother Lu Ye will definitely save me! As long as I undergo my tribulation, he’d never let me die!”

“I must cultivate diligently and strive to reach the Void Realm as quickly as possible. I’ll undergo my tribulation outside the Heavenly Gate—Brother Lu Ye will never abandon me.”

Vermilion Bird’s brow furrowed.

Her worry wasn’t whether Lu Ye would intervene or not, but rather...

“What makes you think your cultivation speed will surpass Lu Ye’s?”

Right now, Lu Ye was already at the Sumeru Realm, while Shangguan Huanling was only at the Longevity Realm. With how fast Lu Ye levels up, could Shangguan Huanling really surpass him and undergo her tribulation first?

“It’s fine. As long as Brother Lu Ye sees how hard I’m working, he’ll *have* to wait for me!”