"Concentrate! No matter what happens, just focus on absorbing the power of the Agate Tortoise!"
"Okay, I understand!"
Hearing Ye Qiu's instructions, Ning Rongrong became serious, suppressing her excitement and sitting upright.
She clasped her hands together, palms facing upwards, and held them in front of her abdomen. A nine-tiered, nine-colored glass pagoda spun rapidly on it.
The two yellow spirit rings attached to it spread out, slowly rotating on the ground beneath Ning Rongrong.
She had witnessed Ye Qiu absorbing his third spirit ring and had some understanding of his abilities, so she wasn't too worried.
Ye Qiu cleared his mind of distractions.
A blue-silver domain, predominantly blue with a hint of pale red, unfolded beneath him.
The area it covered was filled with the fragrant aroma of the Blue Silver Emperor, with shimmering green light swirling within.
Blue Silver Fragrance! Endless Life!
Combined with the Blue Silver Domain, it could perform area-of-effect healing and remove negative status effects within the domain.
"It's about to begin!"
Having completed the preparations, Ye Qiu reminded Ning Rongrong.
Bloodshot eyes gleamed brightly.
The agate tortoise, already on its last legs, was utterly powerless to resist. Its
bead-sized eyes flashed with a blood-red light.
A strange fluctuation appeared, and its entire body slowly ignited with blood-red flames, a dark light swirling and enveloping Ning Rongrong.
Feeling the power surging into her body, Ning Rongrong frowned and quickly activated her Mysterious Heaven Technique
, guiding this soul power to her limbs and bones.
Ye Qiu wasn't idle either; the Seed of Life at his heart flickered with each breath.
The black torrent that should have flowed into Ning Rongrong suddenly branched out, flowing towards Ye Qiu.
Some flowed into the Seed of Life, some into Ye Qiu's body.
The Blue Silver Domain also slowly rotated, gathering the dissipated soul power before transferring it into Ye Qiu's body.
Since helping Dugu Yan absorb her soul ring,
Ye Qiu had discovered that he could also use the Seed of Life and the Blue Silver Domain to absorb the energy from soul beasts sacrificing themselves.
Now he finally had the opportunity to try it out.
Feeling the increase in his soul power, Ye Qiu's face lit up with joy, but he dared not relax for a moment,
lest any problems arise.
"Roar~!" Er Ming looked down in astonishment at Ning Rongrong's absorption of the soul ring.
He scratched his head, completely bewildered.
He could only secretly remember it and ask his older brother when he got back.
Inside the Star Dou Great Forest, the vegetation was lush and the sky was dark.
Outside, the sun's radiance had disappeared, the bright moon hung in the sky, and the stars twinkled.
Time passed.
The black torrent that had surged from the Agate Turtle's body had thinned.
The sacrifice process was coming to an end.
Ye Qiu withdrew his hand at the right time, no longer absorbing the remaining energy.
He maintained his Blue Silver Domain.
Looking inward at the life seed within his body, which resembled a seedling, its two tender little leaves had begun to slowly unfurl.
Feeling that he had just broken through to level thirty-five,
Ye Qiu was overjoyed!
The last time he broke through to level thirty-four was when he was fighting hand-to-hand with Xiao Wu in the grass beside the Lake of Life.
It had only been a little over half a month, and he was already at level thirty-five.
However, Ye Qiu knew that
such a rapid increase was rare.
Calming himself down, he focused his attention on Ning Rongrong, who was still working on her project.
At this moment, the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda in her hand shone brightly, its light swirling.
Two yellow spirit rings flickered.
As they rose and fell, a black phantom suddenly appeared on the outer ring,
which then solidified.
When the black trickle of energy was exhausted, the black spirit ring finally stabilized.
Ning Rongrong's cultivation level also rose
accordingly, reaching level thirty-six before stopping.
Ye Qiu was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly.
It was much lower than he had expected; it seemed that he had embezzled most of the power of the Agate Tortoise.
"Ah! Am I dreaming?" Ning Rongrong opened her eyes, her gaze radiating nine-colored light.
Looking at the three spirit rings—two yellow and one black—on her Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda, and sensing her cultivation level, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
It felt like a dream.
"Of course it's not a dream," Ye Qiu hugged her from behind, gently nibbling her earlobe.
"Ye Qiu~! I'm level 36 now."
Ning Rongrong ignored the slight pain, instead feeling a tingling sensation.
She looked up, grabbed Ye Qiu's hand, and gently rubbed it.
Ye Qiu looked at her with some apology in his eyes: "Yeah, I know. If it weren't for me, you could definitely have improved even more!"
"No way," Ning Rongrong retorted.
She turned around, wrapped her arms around Ye Qiu's neck, and gently bit his lips, leaving fish-scale-like marks.
She pursed her lips, looking softly at Ye Qiu, her eyebrows and eyes like a painting, reflecting his image in her blue eyes.
Gazing at him, she said dreamily, "If it weren't for you, my martial soul wouldn't have evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda; if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have a third ring of 15,000 years; aren't all of these things thanks to you?"
Ning Rongrong gave Ye Qiu a playful glare.
"Besides, even I am yours, so aren't all my things yours too? No matter what."
"They're all yours!"
Ning Rongrong stared at Ye Qiu, speaking very seriously.
After speaking, she smiled sweetly and leaned into Ye Qiu's arms.
"You must remember that."
"Yes, I remember! My Rongrong." Ye Qiu murmured softly, picking her up in his arms.
He looked up at Erming, whose eyes still held a hint of curiosity.
"Erming, this agate tortoise is yours!"
"Roar~" Erming nodded.
Looking at the still-fresh tortoise in the pit, he scratched his head with his index finger.
He didn't feel hungry at all. He
was completely unaware that he had just been force-fed a large amount of what was called "dog food."
*Snap!
* Without much hesitation, Erming grabbed the three-meter-wide agate tortoise, lifted its shell to reveal the tender, fresh meat inside,
and then tore into it and chewed.
It was like a gorilla eating oysters, only with a little more blood.
Seeing Ning Rongrong's brows furrowed and her expression not looking good,
Ye Qiu turned his back to her.
Just as he turned around, his body suddenly stiffened.
Suddenly, a blood-red arrow shot into the sky in the distance, seemingly reaching the depths of the clouds and piercing the night.
Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow.
That blood-red arrow made him very uncomfortable.
Even from this distance, he seemed to be able to smell the blood in it.
Erming,
who was enjoying his meal, was already used to the battle fluctuations that occasionally emanated from the Star Dou Great Forest. He only glanced at it briefly before focusing on his food.
"Ye Qiu, is someone hunting souls over there?" Ning Rongrong grabbed his collar, leaned on his shoulder, and asked curiously.
"Probably!" Ye Qiu nodded uncertainly.
Although the Star Dou Great Forest was dangerous under the cover of night, people still risked their lives for suitable soul rings.
However, Ye Qiu was currently in the mixed zone, not far from the outer edge.
The blood-red arrow, on the other hand, was located closer to the interior of the mixed zone.
Most of the soul beasts there were over 50,000 years old.
Driven by curiosity, Ye Qiu's eyes suddenly turned purple.
He pierced through the overlapping shadows of the trees, searching for the location where the blood-red arrow had been launched.
After a long while, even as his eyes became slightly dry, Ye Qiu still couldn't make out everything in the distance.
"Almost there..."
Ye Qiu murmured to himself.
In a daze, Ye Qiu seemed to see a group of people fighting fiercely in the forest.
One of their martial souls seemed to be a longbow!
"Hoo~"
He exhaled softly, closing his Sharingan.
He blinked his dry eyes, a few tears welling up in the corners.
"Ye Qiu~" Ning Rongrong leaned over, her lips slightly parted, exhaling a warm breath that brushed against Ye Qiu's eyes.
Her soft hand gently caressed them, her movements gentle and meticulous.
"Alright, I'm fine now!" While she still had her cherry lips pouting, Ye Qiu leaned over and took a small sip.
Ning Rongrong withdrew her hand, a blush spreading across her face as she looked at him shyly.
A long-lost mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.
"Ye Qiu, have you ever used your eyes to peek at us?"
"Huh?"
Ye Qiu was taken aback, looking at her strangely.
He had already put the scene he had just witnessed out of his mind.
"Have I?"
Ning Rongrong twisted her body a few times, her eyes full of laughter.
"Mmm."
Ye Qiu sighed helplessly, deciding to try his best to satisfy her curiosity.
He raised an eyebrow, recalling the events carefully
before answering Ning Rongrong's question.
"Yes, I saw Xiao Wu and Yan Yan, but I didn't mean to," Ye Qiu said, quickly adding a disclaimer.
He continued, "As for Zhu Qing, when I healed her, it was around the same time, but I did it openly and with permission!"
As soon as Ye Qiu finished speaking, he noticed something was wrong with Ning Rongrong in his arms.
She was frowning and glaring at him, her small hands gripping her collar tightly, her teeth grinding.
"Uh, Rongrong, I really didn't peek, it was all unintentional!" Ye Qiu looked embarrassed, thinking she had misunderstood him.
"Hmph! I don't care if you saw or not!"
Ning Rongrong huffed. These women were all his future wives, and Xiao Wu was already a done deal.
Even if Ye Qiu had really peeked, she would only tease him a little.
Besides, she knew Ye Qiu wasn't that kind of person. Although he was becoming bolder, he wouldn't do something like this.
"Then why are you a little unhappy?"
"That's because you haven't even looked at me!" Ning Rongrong blushed, her neck flushed.
"Ah?!" Ye Qiu looked at the girl in his arms in surprise.
"How am I any worse than them?!" Ning Rongrong stiffened her neck, staring straight at Ye Qiu.
Noticing the surprise in his eyes and the subtle glances he gave her
, she suddenly felt a little insecure.
She was also incredibly ashamed and indignant.
"I...I'm only a little bit worse!"
"But...but through your efforts, you've grown quite a bit!"
Ning Rongrong wasn't very happy, twisting her body and rubbing against Ye Qiu a few times, letting him feel her growth.
"Uh, hehe! Indeed, you've made great progress." Ye Qiu chuckled dryly. He was also very happy about her growth; at least his efforts hadn't been in vain.
Future experiences would be relatively better.
"Then you can take some time to look at the fruits of your labor!" Ning Rongrong blushed, her body trembling slightly.
She cupped Ye Qiu, drawing his gaze to her.
"Rongrong, you—cough cough…"
Ning Rongrong's suggestive words made Ye Qiu cough.
He didn't have any particular fetishes, no special circumstances, why should he look at his woman like this?!
"Forget it, Rongrong! You can appreciate it another time." Ye Qiu chuckled, rejecting Ning Rongrong's tempting and strange suggestion.
Ning Rongrong seemed to have exhausted all her strength, leaning softly against Ye Qiu's shoulder, lightly biting his neck.
She didn't ask Ye Qiu to do anything more, her tone a mix of cuteness and gentleness.
"Hmph! Then this young lady will be waiting for you!"
Ye Qiu breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slightly: "Well, let's go back to the Lake of Life first!"
As soon as he turned around, Ye Qiu noticed two dazzling golden lights.
It turned out to be Erming, who had already finished eating, standing there staring intently at him with his two lantern-sized golden eyes.
Perhaps he had been disciplined by someone before.
The seemingly rugged Erming had thoughtfully covered the leftover scraps with mud, leaving very little blood on the ground.
There wasn't a trace of blood on Erming's large mouth either.
"Erming, how are you? Are you full?"
Considering the size difference between Erming and the agate tortoise, Ye Qiu still asked with concern.
"Roar~" Erming growled softly and nodded hesitantly.
It was quite puzzled.
It had only eaten less than half of its usual portion, but just looking at Ye Qiu and Erming made it feel full.
Ye Qiu looked at it curiously, unsure if it was truly full.
He could only tentatively ask again.
"Shall we go back now?"
This time, Erming didn't hesitate, growling softly as it squatted down and extended its palm towards Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu nimbly leaped up, carrying Ning Rongrong steadily into its palm.
Then, Erming transferred them to its shoulder.
Ning Rongrong was put down by Ye Qiu and stood on its shoulder.
She turned her hands into small megaphones and shouted into its large ears, "Erming, thank you for your hard work!"
Erming
shook its head, slowly got up, and began to jog.
Watching the trees rushing past, Ye Qiu's eyes looked in the direction of the blood-red arrow. It
wasn't until Erming was quite a distance away,
and Ning Rongrong urged him to speed up, that she came back to her senses.
The howling wind had made it impossible for her to open her mouth; she clung tightly to Ye Qiu, afraid of falling.
Just as on the way there, wherever the Titan Giant Ape went, all the beasts avoided it.
They rarely encountered any soul beasts that dared to provoke Erming.
...
The moon was bright and the stars were few; time passed.
Ahead, they could already see the faint glow emanating from the Lake of Life.
Erming also slowed its running speed appropriately.
Ning Rongrong leaned against Ye Qiu's chest, constantly looking at the surrounding scenery.
Standing high, she could see far.
The entire view of the Lake of Life captivated her.
A patch of blue-silver grass swaying in the wind suddenly came into her view.
The blue-silver grass there emitted a faint blue glow, with luminous insects shimmering within.
The grass grew vigorously, some so tall they reached up to her breasts.
Ning Rongrong blinked her blue eyes.
Turning her head to look at Ye Qiu, who was leaning on her shoulder, she pointed to the patch of grass and whispered in his ear,
"Ye Qiu, it's so beautiful there, shall we go take a look?"
"Hmm?" Looking at the blue-silver grass where he had once roamed, Ye Qiu couldn't help but touch his nose.
After hesitating for a moment, he nodded.
"Alright, but we'll just go. Let Erming go and let them know we're safe, so Xiaowu and the others don't worry if it takes too long!"
"Great! Great!" Ning Rongrong was pleasantly surprised; this was exactly what she wanted.
It also saved her the trouble of asking Erming to leave first.
"Erming, thank you for your help!"
After this trip, Ning Rongrong had basically overcome her fear of the towering Titan Ape and had even started commanding it.
Erming understood and reached out to his shoulder to help them down.
"Ah~!" Ning Rongrong cried out in surprise.
It turned out that Ye Qiu had picked up Ning Rongrong and jumped down.
Then, using the power of the Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone, he floated in the air.
"Erming, thank you so much. You should go back as soon as possible!"
Seeing Erming nod, Ye Qiu didn't delay any longer and flew towards the Blue Silver Grassland with Ning Rongrong in his arms.
…
Xiaowu, who was squatting by the lake talking to Daming, felt the ground tremble.
She immediately stood up and turned to look into the distance.
"Huh? Erming, why are you the only one who came back?" Xiaowu frowned, looking at it strangely.
After Erming barked and explained in sign language, Xiaowu finally learned where Ye Qiu and Ning Rongrong had gone.
She sat down, feeling somewhat discouraged.
"Xiao Qiu, really, doesn't even know to come back and take me with her!"
Erming barked softly, trying to comfort Xiaowu.
"Erming, I'm fine." Xiaowu smiled and waved her hand, pointing to Zhu Zhuqing, who was still sitting cross-legged beside her, diligently cultivating.
She wanted it not to disturb her.
Erming nodded and tiptoed to the lakeside, lowering its voice to bark at Daming,
reporting what it had seen and heard about Ye Qiu.
...
On the other side, in the Blue Silver Grassland.
Ning Rongrong held Ye Qiu's hand and ran through the grass, her giggles occasionally escaping.
They came to a small clearing surrounded by Blue Silver Grass.
Ning Rongrong turned around and hugged Ye Qiu, leaning against his shoulder.
Her face, pale from the cold wind, suddenly flushed red.
He pursed his lips.
"Rongrong, what's wrong?" Feeling the hot, delicate face pressed against his, Ye Qiu held the beauty and asked softly.
"Nothing, I just wanted to thank you properly!" Ning Rongrong's face flushed red, and she didn't dare to look up.
"Thank me?" Ye Qiu chuckled and pinched her soft cheek; such a gesture was rather unnecessary.
However, he was still a little curious.
"So, how does Miss Rongrong want to thank me?"
"Just...like..." Ning Rongrong stammered, biting her lip, before whispering in Ye Qiu's ear,
"Like Zhu Qing!"
"?!" Ye Qiu was startled and momentarily stunned.
In that instant, Ning Rongrong had already knelt down beside him.