Chapter 34: The Head Spirit Bone Skill
"It's... you?" Jing Ni's voice was a hoarse whisper. She clutched the warm prenatal tonic, her eyes wide with a profound, disorienting shock.
She stared at Qin Xuan, who had just put the luxurious [Thousand Gold Coat] over her shoulders and pushed back the hood of his black robe, revealing his true face.
"You know me?" Qin Xuan asked, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected a reaction of recognition, only, perhaps, fear or curiosity.
"We'll meet again soon."
That sentence, spoken by her mysterious savior in the alley, echoed in Jing Ni's mind. She shook her head, pulling the fur-lined coat tighter. "No... I'm just very surprised."
That was an understatement. From the murderous, chilling aura and the cold, emotionless voice, she had prepared herself for the worst. She had steeled her heart to be the possession of an ugly brute, or even a twisted, perverted murderer.
Who would have thought that beneath that terrifying black robe was such a handsome, almost elegant, young man?
Qin Xuan had a proper, well-defined face, dark eyebrows that gave him a heroic cast, and thin, resolute lips. In terms of raw, classical looks, he might not be considered the absolute peak of handsome men on the Douluo Continent, but in the world of Qin's Moon—where the Net valued function over form—he was otherworldly.
[Inorin's Note: Qin's Moon (The Legend of Qin) is a Chinese animation/franchise from which Jing Ni and the Net organization originate.]
In fact, this was only the second time in her entire life that Jing Ni had seen such a handsome man.
He was good-looking, and more importantly, he stood up to scrutiny. The contours of his profile looked as if they had been carved by a master sculptor. If he didn't frown or exude that cold, murderous aura, she imagined his resting expression would be gentle and clear.
"Surprised?" Qin Xuan, thinking this was their first true meeting, didn't overthink her reaction and flashed a faint, teasing smile. "Is it my appearance? Did you think that under this black robe, there would be a lecherous old uncle who covets your beauty? Or at the very least, a perverted murderer?"
"Mm." Jing Ni hesitated, wanting to say, 'Yes, that's exactly what I thought.' But she ultimately didn't open her mouth. She slowly nodded, took a sip of the prenatal tonic, and it was unclear whether it was shyness or the tonic taking effect.
She only felt a warm current flowing through her body, spreading to her limbs, and her originally pale complexion from the cold rain and the stress of her pregnancy visibly turned rosy.
"How do you feel, Madam?" Qin Xuan looked at Jing Ni's face with a smile. He was internally checking the system, which surprisingly showed that her favorability had just crossed a threshold.
[Favorability: 70 (Gratitude)]
There was no "love" or "affection" attached. It was pure, profound gratitude.
Hmm. The revolution has not yet succeeded, he thought to himself. Comrades still need to work hard.
Jing Ni, however, was stunned by the title. "Madam...?"
Then she reacted, lowering her eyes. This title... it implied she was his wife, his property. But coming from him, it felt less like a brand of ownership and more like... a statement of fact. She was, after all, purchased by him. "I'm... much better. Thank you."
"Good, that's good." Qin Xuan slowly nodded, and the more he looked at this 'salamander', the more he liked her.
[Inorin's Note: The "Jing Ni" (惊鲵) sword's name translates to "Startling Salamander" or "Giant Salamander," hence the nickname.]
Even though she was heavily pregnant, that face was perfectly flawless. Her body, draped in the heavy coat, was incredibly graceful. Although her abdomen was highly prominent, it didn't detract from her beauty. Instead, it made her appear even more voluptuous and charming, adding a unique allure of motherhood.
Qin Xuan admitted to himself that he was a bit perverted. He could actually harbor such wicked thoughts even towards a pregnant woman.
"Sir," Jing Ni said, deliberately averting her gaze from Qin Xuan's direct, undisguised look of admiration. A sense of relief inexplicably washed over her heart.
As an assassin for the Net, observing expressions was her most basic ability. From Qin Xuan's eyes, she saw lust, yes, but not the cruel, debased malice she was used to. It was simple, almost honest, admiration. This was a blessing in misfortune.
"Speaking of which," she continued, "I still don't know your name."
"My name is Qin Xuan. And I come from... beyond the heavens."
"Beyond the heavens?" she repeated, her brow furrowing.
"Yes. You can understand it as... other worlds." He saw no reason to hide it from someone who would be by his side from now on. "That's also why I said the Net will never be able to reach you again. Where we are going, they do not exist."
Qin Xuan then took out six smooth, glowing Awakening Stones from his spirit tool and placed them on the ground in a hexagonal formation. "I'll explain this to you in detail later. Before that, stand in this formation. Next, I'm going to awaken the power unique to my world within you."
This was something he had prepared as early as when he obtained the [Mo Ya Recruitment Card]—a portable awakening array for the convenience of awakening Spirits for recruited targets. Now, it finally came in handy.
Although Jing Ni didn't understand what "awakening" meant, she trusted the man who had saved her. She stepped into the awakening formation as instructed.
As Qin Xuan's spirit power was infused, the six Awakening Stones lit up simultaneously. A pillar of light golden light shot up, forming a protective cover that enveloped Jing Ni's entire body.
Jing Ni only felt a warm, gentle aura seeping into her body, making her feel warm all over, with an indescribable sense of relaxation and comfort.
Then, the "true qi" in her meridians, her Qin's Moon internal energy, seemed to be drawn out by this new power. It began to fluctuate wildly, and under the guidance of that warm energy, she felt something shatter deep within her soul.
All the warm aura, and all her own internal energy, instantly rushed toward her palms.
The next second, a scene that surprised both her and Qin Xuan appeared.
Her Jing Ni Sword, which she had been holding in its scabbard in her left hand, suddenly hummed. It dissolved into particles of brilliant red light, which then flowed into her left palm and vanished, as if she had absorbed the physical blade into her very being.
A new, intrinsic connection formed, a bond stronger than merely holding a weapon.
Simultaneously, in her right hand, a different light gathered. An ethereal, small sword, about the size of her palm and almost identical in shape to the Jing Ni Sword, appeared, floating above her hand.
A phantom of a massive, purple-golden salamander was released from within the small sword. It circled around Jing Ni once, bringing with it the illusion of large, phantom waves, before returning to the body of the new sword.
Jing Ni stared in shock. "This is…"
"This thing is called a 'Spirit' in my world," Qin Xuan explained, his own eyes wide with surprise at the phenomenon. "Everyone has one, but the types and quality vary."
"At the same time, the 'true qi' in your body has also been transformed into what we call 'spirit power.' But your Jing Ni Sword... it has followed you for many years and has long been integrated with your soul. It's truly an unexpected surprise that it merged with you during the Spirit awakening."
He looked at the new, smaller sword in her right hand with admiration. "This... this is your Martial Soul. The Jing Ni Sword, one of the Eight Swords of the King of Yue, is truly miraculous."
Qin Xuan briefly explained, then put away the now-dimmed Awakening Stones. He stepped forward and, before she could react, slid one arm under her back and the other under her knees, lifting her into his arms.
"Sir, don't—!" Jing Ni cried out, her hands flying to her stomach in a panic. "Don't hurt the child!" She thought, with her awakening over, that he was finally going to... do that to her. A hint of panic flashed in her eyes.
Qin Xuan smiled, amused by her reaction. "Don't worry. Although I desire your body, I'm not so desperate. I won't touch you before the child is born."
He adjusted his grip, holding her securely. "Next, I will take you back to my world. You don't need to worry about anything, nor do you need to be afraid. Just hold on to me tightly. From now on, before us, there are no opponents."
Jing Ni's pupils widened slightly, looking at Qin Xuan with a stunned expression. Could it be that besides this chaotic world, there really are... other worlds?
Qin Xuan held Jing Ni close. He activated the system's return function, and with a flash of intense white light, both of them disappeared from the Qin's Moon world.
When they reappeared, it was not in a safe room, but in the chaotic, oppressive space of the Slaughter City's Hell Road exit. They had materialized exactly where Qin Xuan had used the recruitment card—in mid-air, above the churning, endless Blood River at the end of the Hell Road.
There was no foothold. They were falling.
"Ah!" Jing Ni screamed, instinctively clutching Qin Xuan and her stomach.
But Qin Xuan was prepared. He had anticipated this.
He instantly changed his grip, holding Jing Ni securely with one arm. A brilliant, piercing blue light emanated from his forehead. His head was tilted downwards, and his powerful mental force, amplified by his new Head Spirit Bone, was completely unleashed.
His eyes glowed with an icy, analytical light.
"Longitudinal and Horizontal Swordsmanship!"
With a flash of light, two large, sword-shaped beams of pure blue energy burst forth from his eyes. It was not like Tang San's Purple Demon Eye; this was not a physical attack but one of pure mental force and condensed sword intent.
One beam was "longitudinal" (vertical), the other "horizontal." They crisscrossed in mid-air, forming a giant cross-shaped sword of pure energy that fiercely struck the Blood River below. Its speed was so fast that it even surpassed his own Hundred Steps Flying Sword.
This was Qin Xuan's Head Spirit Bone skill. Its power was dependent on the strength of his mental force and consumed almost no spirit power.
With his powerful mental force, comparable to a Spirit Douluo, this attack, unleashed with all his might, was comparable to a full-strength strike from a Spirit Douluo. It was one of his strongest killing moves.
BOOM!
A thunderous roar echoed through the chasm. The Blood River below exploded. The terrifying Longitudinal and Horizontal Sword Light blasted a huge, blood-red vortex in the river, the waves vaporizing against the raw power.
The recoil was immense, a shockwave that blasted upwards from the explosion.
Qin Xuan used this force, arresting their fall and propelling them straight up like a cannonball, dashing directly into the shimmering white light curtain of the exit.
Both of them lost consciousness simultaneously, enveloped by the pure, blinding white light.
When they woke up, they were lying on the cold, hard ground of the outside world. The air was frigid, but clean.
Qin Xuan felt as if he had just had a long, strange dream. But Jing Ni, draped in the [Thousand Gold Coat] and lying safely in his arms, and the solid, familiar weight in his right hand, told him that this was all real.
He turned his head and was surprised to find that his crimson Changming Sword was somehow already in his hand.
And just below the sword guard, etched into the metal as if it had always been there, was a small, intricate, pure-white bat pattern.
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