Chapter 306

Chapter 306: Immortal Maiden Azure Luan Loses Control

Thick Devil Qi raged through Immortal Maiden Azure Luan’s body, clashing with her original Spiritual Qi and forcing it back.

She opened her eyes, panic rising as pain tore through her meridians: [Didn’t I already draw out and clear the Devil Qi from my body? Why is there suddenly so much Devil Qi now?]

[Was it those two people in black robes?] She denied it at once: [No, not them. They know how terrible I become if I’m tainted by Devil Qi. Even in Shadowmist Ravine, they wouldn’t dare infect me directly.]

[Then who?!]

She tried to press the Devil Qi down with her Spiritual Power, but this Devil Qi was even fiercer and more vicious than the kind at the very source in Shadowmist Ravine.

She had no way to resist.

The Devil Qi entered with purpose, as if it meant to destroy everything inside her.

Her vision turned blurry, like a red veil had dropped over her eyes.

Her breathing quickened and her heart pounded.

She saw blood, so much blood.

The heavy smell of it seemed to curl around the tip of her nose, so close she could taste it.

All outside sound vanished. Only screams echoed again and again beside her ears.

In a flash, Immortal Maiden Azure Luan’s face went pale and her gaze went empty.

She clutched her head with both hands and cried out in pain.

If this continued, Devil Qi would soon corrupt her completely. She would lose control, slaughter without reason, and die.

With one last shred of reason, she forced her body to move and, with great effort, pulled out her Heart-Link Pearl.

Using the little Spiritual Power the Devil Qi had not eaten away, she sent a message to Immortal Lord Chang Li.

[Please find me quickly, stop me, do not let me kill again.]

For years she had been suppressing her cultivation, and this place was sparsely populated. [If I do lose control, at least it won’t…] The thought cut off. Her final sliver of reason was devoured by the Devil Qi.

She changed completely. Her expression turned cold. She fell silent and began to search for living people.

Ninghua Sect.

Immortal Lord Chang Li, a touch excited, took out the Heart-Link Pearl as it flashed urgently: “Azure Luan has sent a message, maybe she already handled the matter and will be back soon.”

The light on the Heart-Link Pearl flickered again and again, almost impatient.

Watching it, Shen Sang Ruo felt a knot of worry tighten in her chest. [I hope I’m wrong.] She asked softly: “Master, what did Immortal Maiden Azure Luan say?”

Immortal Lord Chang Li could not wait and checked the message at once, then his face darkened as he said in a hard voice: “Azure Luan is in trouble. I’m going to find her now.”

The message from Immortal Maiden Azure Luan was only two words: out of control.

Immortal Lord Chang Li knew exactly what those two words meant.

His urgent tone showed how serious it was.

Shen Sang Ruo did not waste time on questions. She rose at once and said: “I will go with Master.”

She had only one thought: [I cannot let Immortal Maiden Azure Luan come to harm.]

Everything came so suddenly. She alerted the others, then she and Immortal Lord Chang Li left by Teleportation.

The rest of Ninghua Sect needed to raise their guard against a sudden move from Flying Cloud Sect, so only the two of them went.

The two Heart-Link Pearls were connected and could guide them to Immortal Maiden Azure Luan’s location.

What should have been a half-day journey was forced by Immortal Lord Chang Li down to about an hour.

They arrived at the place where Immortal Maiden Azure Luan had lost control.

Before them lay ruins. Wisps of black mist lingered over the rubble, clearly Devil Qi.

Around Shen Sang Ruo’s Nascent Soul, the black mist that lived there felt the Devil Qi and grew wildly excited, hopping about with glee.

Annoyed, she called up her flames and gave the black mist two solid punches. The mist covered its head in a sulk and finally behaved. Only then could she focus on the problem at hand.

She remembered that just ahead lay the Devil Cultivators’ Shadowmist Ravine.

[Was Immortal Maiden Azure Luan attacked by Devil Cultivators?] But Immortal Lord Chang Li had said Azure Luan had lost control. These traces of Devil Qi should be from Immortal Maiden Azure Luan herself.

That thought made Shen Sang Ruo’s heart jump. [Why would Azure Luan have Devil Qi on her?] Linking event to event, she could not help but guess: [Is Shadowmist Ravine the clan Azure Luan returned to?] Even if Devil Cultivators had not attacked her, what happened to Immortal Maiden Azure Luan was tied to Devil Cultivators and Devil Qi.

Immortal Lord Chang Li thought along the same lines. He knew Immortal Maiden Azure Luan’s connection to Shadowmist Ravine and had first assumed Devil Cultivators there had forced Devil Qi into her.

Now it seemed not so. He sensed no Devil Cultivators nearby.

Shen Sang Ruo also felt something odd about the remaining Devil Qi.

She had dealt with Devil Qi before, and what lingered here seemed to have a little something extra mixed in.

But that “something” was faint, likely because much had already dispersed. She could not tell what it was yet.

[If we find Immortal Maiden Azure Luan, I might know what it is.]

Immortal Lord Chang Li tightened his grip on the Heart-Link Pearl and said, face set: “By the Pearl’s sense, Azure Luan is nearby.”

But no one stood within their sight.

That left only one possibility.

Following the pull, they walked several dozen more meters.

At last, under a snapped tree, Shen Sang Ruo found Immortal Maiden Azure Luan’s dropped Heart-Link Pearl.

It had fallen during her rampage.

Without the Heart-Link Pearl, how were they to find Immortal Maiden Azure Luan? Shen Sang Ruo was about to search the hard way and summon the Dodder Flower Sprite, Kui Ox, and Snake Maiden to help when the black mist within her stirred again.

Freshly scolded, the mist behaved very obediently now. It wagged its tail at her, fawning so hard it almost bowed. She caught its meaning at once.

She pointed at it and asked in a low voice: “You can find Immortal Maiden Azure Luan?”

This black mist was born from the remnant soul of the Great Devil Ya Lan. It might well sense someone soaked in Devil Qi like Immortal Maiden Azure Luan.

The black mist hopped up and down, answering without words.

Shen Sang Ruo had not expected it to be useful like this. She gave a quick nod and said: “If you find her, I’ll count that as a merit for you and let Little Flame go a whole month without hitting you.”

The mist bobbed its head again and again, grateful to tears, and pointed the way.

Her Nascent Soul represented her will, and the black mist showed up on the right side of the Nascent Soul, which meant they should go right.

After another half hour, Shen Sang Ruo and Immortal Lord Chang Li finally saw, not far away, Immortal Maiden Azure Luan wreathed in black Devil Qi, killing intent rolling off her.

Immortal Lord Chang Li called out, voice tight: “Azure Luan!”

Shen Sang Ruo echoed him, eyes stinging: “Immortal Maiden Azure Luan!”

A sizable city stood just ahead. If Immortal Maiden Azure Luan entered, the result would be unthinkable.

Thankfully, they had arrived in time.

She stood with her back to them, so they hurried forward.

Immortal Lord Chang Li gathered Spiritual Power in his palm, ready to subdue the berserk Immortal Maiden Azure Luan at once.

Shen Sang Ruo also raised her guard. Judging from the ruins they had seen, Azure Luan’s strength after losing control far exceeded Early Divine Transformation.

But before they reached her, Immortal Maiden Azure Luan suddenly crumpled and fell.

She had already lost consciousness.