"Since you are in so much pain, why did you enter into a soul pact with him in the first place?"
"I don't know what came over me. Perhaps it's what they call drinking poison to quench thirst. When you are trapped in a certain kind of suffering for a long time, you wish to end it quickly. At that moment, you will underestimate any other pain. Similarly, when we possess a certain happiness, we often yearn for other temptations and easily give up the happiness we already have. Only after giving it up do we suddenly realize that what we once possessed was the best."
"I think what you're saying makes a lot of sense, but it doesn't apply to you. Your past was plunged into darkness, yet now, you at least possess a physical body and can stand in the sunlight openly. Compared to before, this is great progress. Although you are still in pain, everything is developing for the better. For instance, going home was something you never dared to dream of before. Now, not only can you dream of it, but you can also worry about it. This is progress."
Zhu Yan paused for a moment, then smiled, "I never thought you had such a sharp tongue."
She then put on a stern face, "If this were in the past, and someone lectured me, I would have killed them with a single palm strike. Now, I have to endure being lectured. Do you call this progress?"
Sun Qian shivered involuntarily at her murderous gaze, then met her eyes directly, "You won't. Perhaps you haven't realized it yourself, but this is truly progress. Because when you learn to listen, your heart is no longer so lonely. Arguing with everyone you meet and killing them at the slightest disagreement will only make you more and more isolated."
Zhu Yan's expression softened. She waved her hand, "Forget it. I don't want to argue with you, and don't try to persuade me. I'm afraid I might lose control and kill you one day."
With that, she turned and left.
Just then, Xiao Ling arrived with his army. Zhu Yan, unable to vent her anger, took him as a punching bag. She immediately flew towards Xiao Ling.
Xiao Ling, unaware of her power, smiled and calmly summoned the Heavenly Book.
The Heavenly Book unfolded in the air, and just as it was about to emit light, red tentacles emerged from Zhu Yan's body, expanding rapidly and striking down the Heavenly Book. Immediately after, dense white silk threads shot through the air towards Xiao Ling.
Without the Heavenly Book, Xiao Ling was practically useless against Zhu Yan.
The white silk threads were impossible to dodge or block. As Xiao Ling was about to be riddled with holes, a green shadow flashed past. A red light emanated from the green shadow, and with a mere sweep through the air, it dispersed the white silk threads.
Zhu Yan lunged forward, and only then did she clearly see a green-clad girl before her, exhaling a gust of red mist that roared towards her.
Zhu Yan's heart trembled. She dared not confront it directly, shaking her body. Her entire body's tentacles erupted in red shadows, merging in the air and entangling with the red mist.
During this process, Zhu Yan retreated rapidly, but she could not escape the shockwave caused by the collapse of her own spiritual energy.
The red mist was unstoppable. Upon contact, it shattered Zhu Yan's tentacle illusions.
The shockwave roared forward, sweeping towards Zhu Yan.
Zhu Yan fell to the ground. Seeing the red mist surging towards her, overwhelming and unstoppable, Zhu Yan's body seemed to stiffen, unable to move. Her heart was filled with despair, believing she was doomed.
Just then, the green-clad woman waved her hand, and all the red mist instantly dissipated, the pressure vanishing into nothingness.
Zhu Yan stood frozen. The green-clad woman glanced at her not at all, opened her palm, and the Heavenly Book landed in her hand. She then waved again, and the Heavenly Book drifted towards the stunned Xiao Ling.
Xiao Ling instinctively caught the Heavenly Book. Just as he was about to express his gratitude, the green-clad woman said, "Scram. If you dare to invade the Red Leaf Kingdom again, don't think I'll spare you, let alone them."
Xiao Ling was utterly bewildered. Was she here to save him or to kill him?
However, under the green-clad woman's immense pressure, he had no choice but to lead his army away.
Zhu Yan was also confused. Which side was this woman on?
"Who are you?" Zhu Yan asked after a long hesitation.
"It doesn't matter who I am. Do your job. If I discover any disloyalty from you, your fate will be dire," the woman said calmly. With that, the woman floated away, leaving Zhu Yan alone in the wind, bewildered.
At this time, in the Light World, Mo Qi was flying alone towards the Sun Star.
The Sun Star was similar to the Myriad Manifestation Valley, but its destructive power was tens of millions of times greater.
Besides the flames that could tear the skin and incinerate everything at any moment, there were layers of barrier forces constantly pressing down, making it impossible to breathe.
It was at this moment that the Heaven-Opening Axe proved its worth. As he swung the axe, he cleaved through the barriers layer by layer.
However, every step forward was incredibly difficult.
After only a short distance, he saw several bodies that were burned but still retained their human form. As he passed by, the wind he stirred up blew the bodies into dust.
Mo Qi was horrified. He surmised that these people had come for training. They hadn't even reached the center of the sun, being reduced to ashes in the outer space. It was easy to imagine how terrifying the center of the sun would be.
He could almost smell the scorched scent of his own body, feeling as if he was about to be cooked!
He had no choice but to forcibly halt his advance, consume some healing pills, and then sit down to meditate and recover for a period before continuing.
Time lost all meaning!
It felt like a long time had passed, yet it also felt like it had only happened in the blink of an eye.
He constantly reminded himself to persevere, to unleash all the potential within his body.
Later, along the way, he saw a few more human-like silhouettes, which disintegrated with a gentle touch.
After that, he encountered nothing further.
The flames grew fiercer and fiercer. Even if people were burned to death, no trace of them would remain.
Therefore, he felt that most of the people who had entered had likely been incinerated.
At this moment, with every breath, he might be touching someone else's body.
Thinking of this, his heart turned cold. Sometimes he would suddenly look down, afraid that in a moment, he might not be able to find his own body.
Pain and torment became his norm, constantly eroding his body.
No matter how agonizing it was, he gritted his teeth and persevered, because he knew that only by succeeding himself could he bring a glimmer of hope to others and prevent those who followed from rushing into this sea of fire to their deaths.
His goal was to succeed in the sacrifice, and to attempt to completely change the passive situation, resolving the collision between the Golden River World and the Silver River World once and for all.
With this goal in mind, he advanced inch by inch.
Although his progress was slow, he was still moving forward.
The vast sea of fire seemed endless, an infinite expanse of fiery red that was utterly disheartening.
Fortunately, nothing remained static. He felt his cultivation growing stronger silently.
The enhancement of his cultivation made his body increasingly robust, allowing him to venture further into the Sun Star.
Everything had its pros and cons. Surrounded by the essence of the sun, as long as he was not incinerated, he was constantly being nourished by it.
He remembered the Ding Hai Shen Zhen (Sea-Calming Divine Needle) and often took it out for refinement.
Initially, the Ding Hai Shen Zhen looked like a piece of rough wood, with bark peeling off. It didn't resemble a magical artifact at all, but rather a fire poker.
However, after refinement, the Ding Hai Shen Zhen gradually regained its radiance. The bark on its surface peeled off, becoming smoother. The essence of the sun coated it with a golden hue, making it shimmer like gold and appear very textured.
These were only superficial changes; in reality, its power was also increasing silently.
Afterward, he also improved and refined his own fire spiritual power, making the Azure Lotus Fire purer and more formidable.
The Sun-Chasing Star-Plucking Art also received an upgrade!
In fact, he hadn't used the Sun-Chasing Star-Plucking Art in combat for a long time. As his cultivation increased, this technique could no longer keep up. Below the Saint realm, its power could sweep through everything, but above the Saint realm, it became quite ordinary.
When facing opponents, Mo Qi mostly fought those with higher cultivation levels, often killing opponents beyond his own realm. What he needed were world-shattering techniques and magical artifacts, such as the Azure Lotus Fire and the Ding Hai Shen Zhen.
Once the Sun-Chasing Star-Plucking Art became ordinary, it was no longer useful in many situations.
However, here, he could continuously improve the Sun-Chasing Star-Plucking Art, elevating it to an astonishing level.
Therefore, he continued to cultivate the Sun-Chasing Star-Plucking Art.
For a long time, the Sky Bow and Earth Arrow faced a similar predicament, gradually becoming useless. Although they were perfectly compatible with his body, their materials and other factors limited their use in many situations.
But at this time, he still took them out one by one for refinement.
After all, the Sky Bow and Earth Arrow were one with him. As they were refined, it, in turn, led to significant progress in his cultivation.