The battle between Li Langhuan and Bai Ji'an was arduous. Considering her current level of cultivation, Xia Lianqiao immediately went on high alert as soon as she stepped into the hall.
Upon entering, a sickly green demonic mist rapidly spread, thick and heavy, oily and foul, reeking of an ominous stench.
The further they advanced, the denser the mist became. Xia Lianqiao extended a hand, only to find she couldn’t even see her fingers.
The girl clutched the sword in her arms tightly, her almond-shaped eyes darting back and forth. Li Langhuan quickly noticed her nervousness and said, "Lianqiao, stay behind me."
Xia Lianqiao was deeply grateful and didn’t hesitate to comply. "Thank you, Daoist Li," she said.
Bai Ji'an glanced at her but said nothing, only stepping forward silently to shield Xia Lianqiao behind him as well.
Xia Lianqiao hurriedly added, "I’ll be fine."
Though she was a bit timid, she didn’t want to distract both of them.
"Who knows what might jump out next? Daoist Li and Brother Bai, you should be care—ah!"
Her words proved prophetic. Before she could finish, a flash of sword light shot out from the green mist.
A chill ran down her spine, and she hastily shouted a warning to Bai Ji'an and Li Langhuan.
Li Langhuan reacted swiftly, sending out a flying sword to block the attack just three inches from her body.
The girl’s movements were sharp and precise as she raised her head, frowning coldly, and demanded, "Who dares to ambush us here?"
The clash of swords sent sharp energy rippling through the air, dispersing the thick demonic mist. Li Langhuan paused, her brow furrowed. "Wait, what? A righteous sword aura?"
How could there be a righteous sword aura within this demonic mist?!
As the sword light faded, the mist gradually revealed a young Taoist priest wearing white-soled black boots, a long robe, and a gray Taoist garment.
The appearance of such a righteous aura was already shocking, but what surprised Bai Ji'an and Li Langhuan even more was the priest’s gentle and refined appearance. With his soft features and scholarly demeanor, he looked more like a scholar than a Taoist.
The young man held a white jade horsetail whisk in his arm and waved it gently as he spoke in a calm voice, "Fellow Daoists, please stop here before this gate."
Bai Ji'an’s peach-blossom eyes flickered with a hint of surprise as he stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting. "May I ask what advice you have for us, Daoist?"
The young priest hesitated for a moment before replying with a bitter smile, "I have a history with this flood dragon demon. If you intend to kill her today, I cannot stand by idly."
Li Langhuan stood tall, her expression calm but her tone unusually cold. "I see that your sword technique is of the orthodox Taoist tradition. Why, then, do you aid this evil today?"
The young priest fell silent for a moment, then sighed. He glanced at the three of them and spoke politely, "Are you all truly determined to kill her?"
"It’s not that we wish to kill her," Li Langhuan replied with a steady gaze, "but she has brought this upon herself. As a cultivator, you should understand this well."
She could give Xia Lianqiao a chance to reform because Xia Lianqiao’s actions were directed at her, but she could not be lenient toward those innocent boys and girls who had already perished.
The young priest quietly studied Li Langhuan for a moment before saying, "In that case, I must apologize for what comes next."
With a wave of his hand, a flying sword shot toward the three of them. At the same time,
the hall doors swung open,
revealing a scene that had clearly been prepared long in advance.
This was no mere reinforcement summoned by the evil flood dragon. Recalling the young priest’s true identity and the tangled web of love and hatred from the original story, Xia Lianqiao sighed. Without waiting for Li Langhuan to warn her, she quickly found a safe corner to hide in.
In the distance, Li Langhuan drew her sword and engaged the young priest in combat, while Bai Ji'an, with practiced coordination, dealt with the smaller demons.
Green, red, and yellow mists and sword lights flew chaotically through the air.
Xia Lianqiao wanted to help, but close-quarters combat clearly wasn’t her forte, and she had no skill with flying swords.
After several rounds of fighting, Li Langhuan still seemed to have energy to spare, but Bai Ji'an was struggling, his expression tense and beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
She remembered that Bai Ji'an was supposed to break through to the Initiation Realm during this part of the story. But right now, Bai Ji'an was fighting so hard that there was no sign of him rising to the occasion like the protagonist he was meant to be.
Before stepping onto the path of cultivation, Bai Ji'an had been a renowned figure in the martial world. Watching him now, Xia Lianqiao was once again reminded of the stark divide between cultivators and ordinary mortals.
Xia Lianqiao: "...I don’t know whether to marvel at how fierce and cool the heroine is or to lament the dynamic of a strong woman and a struggling man."
Meanwhile, the smaller demons continued to swarm Bai Ji'an, and under the relentless pressure, Xia Lianqiao saw his sword finally give way, shattering into pieces!
The moment the sword broke, Bai Ji'an’s expression changed drastically.
The demons, sensing an opportunity, surged forward like bloodthirsty beasts.
The battle between cultivators was fraught with peril. Almost at the moment the sword was broken, a flash of white light shot through the air. Bai Ji'an reacted with astonishing speed, swiftly summoning his Flying Immortal Rope to block the attack.
The young Taoist priest noticed the commotion and immediately sent a sword aura towards both Bai Ji'an and Li Langhuan, forcing Li Langhuan to intervene.
Li Langhuan, realizing the young priest's intent, acted a step faster, releasing her flying sword to intercept the sword light aimed at Bai Ji'an.
In the blink of an eye, all three parties had taken action.
What had been a sluggish and oppressive battle moments ago had now turned into a life-and-death struggle, with every step fraught with danger.
The immersive 3D-like experience sent shivers down Xia Lianqiao's spine. Though she had read the script and knew this battle was meant to elevate Bai Ji'an, the so-called "Dragon Proud Heaven," and that it would end without real danger, she couldn't help but feel her heart racing.
The Flying Immortal Rope, though resilient, was no match for the onslaught of monsters without a sword to back it up.
Li Langhuan clearly knew the rope wouldn't hold for long. In the midst of the crisis, she drew a short sword and hurled it towards Bai Ji'an, shouting, "Bai Ji'an, catch the sword!"
This was it!
Xia Lianqiao's spirits lifted. She remembered this moment vividly—Li Langhuan throwing the sword, only for it to be knocked down halfway by the young priest and the swarm of monsters. At the critical moment, Bai Ji'an would break through to the Initiation Realm, using his qi to control the sword, catching it and slaying eighteen monsters in one go.
This was the first climax of the "Evil Flood Dragon" arc, where the protagonist, Bai Ji'an, would shatter the golden chains and finally embark on his path to immortality.
But now, Li Langhuan had indeed thrown the sword, and it had been knocked down by the young priest. The problem was—where was Bai Ji'an? Xia Lianqiao's eyes widened in shock. The sword had been struck down, but the monsters were still surging forward. Bai Ji'an simply didn't have the time to catch it.
The white rope was now stained with demon blood, on the verge of succumbing to the demonic aura, repeating the earlier failure.
Could it be the butterfly effect of her transmigration? Realizing this possibility, Xia Lianqiao felt a surge of panic. Watching the sword being trampled underfoot by the monsters, she wished she could roll up her sleeves and rush over to hand it to Bai Ji'an herself.
There had to be a way. There had to be a way.
Forcing herself to calm down, she muttered, "Control the sword with qi, control the sword with qi," recalling the description of Bai Ji'an's breakthrough in the original text. She began to channel the qi she had recently mastered with Li Langhuan's help.
Fortunately, she had spent the past few days cramming cultivation knowledge under Li Langhuan's guidance, so she wasn't completely clueless.
As the qi circulated through her body, Xia Lianqiao suddenly felt a lightness, as if she had entered a profoundly mysterious state. The outside world was still embroiled in chaos, but for her, time seemed to slow down.
Every pore in her body opened, and the harmonious qi of the heavens merged with her innate primordial qi, like a gentle rain cleansing her entire being. Her mouth filled with sweet saliva, and her dantian felt warm and nourished.
An indescribable sense of euphoria spread through her, but Xia Lianqiao had no time to savor this sensation, more profound than even eating mushrooms. With her eyes closed, she focused solely on guiding the qi with her heart, her expression one of utmost seriousness.
A faint rumbling sound reached her ears, and Xia Lianqiao knew this was the moment. Driven by the urgency to save Bai Ji'an, she concentrated even harder, channeling the qi through her body, repeatedly breaking through the blocked meridians.
The rumbling grew louder, culminating in a thunderous roar, like the rolling thunder of spring. A vast surge of innate primordial qi finally burst through the stagnant meridians, rushing outward in a torrent!
She had done it!
Knowing that haste would only ruin the moment, she allowed herself a brief moment of joy before quickly reining in the qi and storing it in her dantian. Once her dantian was full, Xia Lianqiao hastily smoothed her skirt and stood up.
Now, her dantian was like a pool of shimmering dark water, brimming with qi, naturally resonating with the external qi in a continuous cycle. Without needing to think, her thoughts guided the flow, and she could feel a surge of spiritual energy emanating from her fingertips.
Bai Ji'an and Li Langhuan were too preoccupied to notice her sudden transformation. Xia Lianqiao stood up abruptly and dashed forward without hesitation. Bai Ji'an's expression changed, "Xia Lianqiao! Come back!"
But the girl seemed deaf to his words.
The monsters, who had previously ignored Xia Lianqiao as an easy target, now turned their attention to her. Seeing her approach, several fish-headed demons exchanged glances and began to close in, brandishing their weapons.
"Xia Lianqiao!"
Bai Ji'an, furious and desperate, nearly stumbled. He lashed out with his Flying Immortal Rope, sending several monsters flying, and shouted, "Xia Lianqiao, get back here!!"
The energy flowed from her fingertips, coalescing on the sword. At this moment, Xia Lianqiao could hear nothing, her entire focus devoted to wrapping the fallen flying sword with her energy and drawing it into her palm.
When the cool touch of the sword finally settled in her hand, Xia Lianqiao let out a long breath of relief. She raised her eyes toward Bai Ji'an and, with all her strength, hurled the flying sword toward him!
The sword's energy surged,
lifting Xia Lianqiao's glossy black hair. The young girl, who had just been charging forward with her head down, suddenly looked up. Her starry eyes reflected the sharp, cold light of the sword's energy, revealing a newfound determination and courage.
The work "To Get CP, I Decided to Romance the Immortal Lord" by Shu Ning has been updated with the latest chapter, available exclusively on [website name].
First level of the Mingdao Realm,
controlling the sword with energy!
The flying sword shot like a meteor, heading straight for Bai Ji'an!
As the saying goes, relying on mountains will cause them to collapse, and relying on people will cause them to leave. But the countless hours she had spent training day and night had not betrayed her. Combined with Xia Lianqiao's natural talent, she had actually surpassed Bai Ji'an, the male protagonist of "Asking the Dao," and stepped into the Mingdao Realm ahead of him!
This sudden turn of events immediately caught the attention of everyone present. The young Daoist hurriedly drew his sword to block, but Li Langhuan swiftly intervened, leaving him no time to react.
Bai Ji'an, on the other hand, was momentarily stunned, too shocked to speak.
Controlling the sword with energy?!
How could Xia Lianqiao control the sword with energy? When had she broken through to the Initiation Realm?
The battle situation changed in an instant. Bai Ji'an's shock and astonishment were beyond words, but after a brief moment of surprise, he quickly regained his composure. With a leap of his light-footed skill, his white robes billowed as he soared into the air, firmly catching the flying sword in his palm.
The cold touch of the sword in his hand stirred something within him. The true energy in his dantian responded, surging and boiling uncontrollably.
Seeing Bai Ji'an finally catch the sword, Xia Lianqiao's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. As she came back to her senses, she couldn't help but pause. Wait, what had she just done?
She wiped the sweat from her forehead, her palm damp with perspiration. Xia Lianqiao stared at the sweat on her hand, stunned. Had she just… broken through to the Mingdao Realm??
Heaven knows she hadn't been thinking about anything at that moment. She had only been terrified that her butterfly effect might have caused Bai Ji'an and Li Langhuan's deaths. Could she really have triggered such a breakthrough? Was the original host's talent truly this extraordinary???
A flash of sword light passed before her eyes.
A small demon, noticing her moment of distraction, lunged at her, only to be swiftly cut down by Bai Ji'an, who had arrived just in time.
Bai Ji'an's brows were furrowed. As soon as he caught the flying sword, he rushed to her side. In his haste, he could only manage to say, "Stand behind me."
Xia Lianqiao blurted out, "Brother Bai!"
"You broke through too?!"
Having just entered the Mingdao Realm herself, Xia Lianqiao immediately sensed the change in Bai Ji'an's energy.
After cutting down another demon in front of him, Bai Ji'an finally responded with a solemn "Hmm," his expression still serious. "Thanks to you."
This wasn't entirely untrue. He glanced back at Xia Lianqiao, who was still bewildered, his expression somewhat complicated.
In fact, the moment he caught the sword, he had also broken through to the Mingdao Realm.
The reason was the stimulation and inspiration he had received from Xia Lianqiao, causing his energy to move with his heart.
From rescuing her on the sea cliffs a few days ago…
To breaking through his realm in the midst of today's crisis, calming his mind to achieve the breakthrough.
Previously, Xia Lianqiao had been nothing more than a troublesome child in Bai Ji'an's eyes—someone he disliked but couldn't ignore. Now, even this "troublesome child" had broken through her realm. How could he not do the same?
But in just a few days,
Bai Ji'an's lips pressed together, and a chill ran through his heart. Was this still the same willful and spoiled Xia Lianqiao?!
