"Ah—!"
With a cry of fury, Gu Qingyuan finally slayed the last of the demon beasts. Cold-eyed, he wiped the dark green blood from his face, his whole body brimming with murderous intent.
Since being transported here, demon beasts had come at him in endless waves. Though none were strong individually, their sheer numbers left his mind and body exhausted. On top of that, the damage to his Divine Soul had yet to fully recover, so his strength was clearly weakened.
After dealing with the aftermath, Gu Qingyuan moved on toward another area. But he had barely walked far when he suddenly ran into Ye Chuxue.
"Chuxue?!"
Gu Qingyuan's eyes lit up with joy. Ever since they had been separated, he had been worried sick. Now, finally, he had found her.
Ye Chuxue hadn't expected to run into Gu Qingyuan either. Her eyes instantly reddened, and all the bottled-up anguish came rushing out.
"Master… wuwuwu…"
She called out once, then couldn't hold back anymore and broke into sobs.
Gu Qingyuan's heart clenched at the sight. He quickly stepped forward and held her in his arms, gently asking what had happened.
Ye Chuxue didn't want to talk about it. She simply kept crying, refusing to answer.
Only after she had cried herself dry did she finally quiet down.
"Master, I was just… so scared without you."
She forced a smile, her voice still trembling.
Gu Qingyuan's heart ached. He comforted her for quite some time before Ye Chuxue finally let out a small laugh through her tears.
Then, the two of them began searching through the Demon Sea in high spirits.
Not long after, they discovered something precious: the Seven-Star Lotus.
"It's the Seven-Star Lotus! Master, this is amazing!"
Ye Chuxue's face lit up with excitement. She grabbed Gu Qingyuan's arm and ran toward the flower.
Gu Qingyuan quickly stopped her. "Don't rush. For something as valuable as the Seven-Star Lotus, there's bound to be a beast guarding it."
He was just as tempted. If he obtained the flower, he could break through to late-stage Nascent Soul. Ye Chuxue could advance to mid-stage Golden Core too.
"Mhm."
Ye Chuxue nodded, finally calming down. Her desperate thirst for power had nearly clouded her judgment.
Just as their words fell, a demon beast burst out of hiding, lunging at them with its bloody maw wide open.
"Not good. It's nearly at the fifth stage!"
Gu Qingyuan's heart sank. He quickly stepped in front of Ye Chuxue, facing the beast alone.
Ye Chuxue stood back with a tense expression. She knew she was no match for the beast and didn't want to cause Gu Qingyuan trouble.
But the situation was grim. Her master was already weaker than this beast, and he was still injured. The moment that fear surfaced in her heart, Gu Qingyuan was slashed across the face by one of the beast's claws. Blood poured from the gash, staining half his face.
With a shout, Gu Qingyuan gritted his teeth and charged back at the beast.
The Seven-Star Lotus was far too important. No matter the risk, they had to fight for it.
This wasn't just for Ye Chuxue. It was for himself as well.
He fought with everything he had. As a sword cultivator, he had few treasures to rely on—his sword alone was his world. And he wielded it with deadly purpose.
But his heart had been shaken. His sword strikes no longer carried the absolute dominance they once had. After only a few exchanges, his body was already covered in wounds.
Ye Chuxue's chest tightened as she watched. She wanted to help, but the moment she moved, she remembered that several of her tools had been taken by Song Wanníng. The thought alone made her feel like spitting blood.
That wretched woman… Song Wanníng was despicable.
But just standing here was no help either. Gritting her teeth, Ye Chuxue drew her sword and leapt into the fray.
At the very least, she could buy her master some breathing room.
The two began to fight in tandem. With proper coordination, the situation quickly improved.
Ye Chuxue's strength was limited, so she relied on tools. Though she didn't have many treasures left, she still had some talismans and formation plates. Even unused magical items could be repurposed as weapons.
Still, the beast's power was overwhelming. It bit them again, sending them flying over ten meters before they crashed to the ground.
The beast roared, warning them to give up on the Seven-Star Lotus.
But Ye Chuxue suddenly hurled a magical item forward.
"Detonate."
With a command, the item exploded mid-air.
The beast howled in pain. Then it snapped.
Ye Chuxue's heart sank. Clenching her jaw, she threw out more magical items and detonated them one by one.
Compared to the Seven-Star Lotus, this loss was worth it.
She believed in her fate. If anyone could claim this treasure, it would be her.
The repeated explosions drove the battle to its peak. The beast was wounded, and so were they.
Time passed. The injuries piled up on both sides. Their tools were nearly depleted.
Finally, after exhausting everything they had, the beast collapsed with a thunderous crash that shook the ground.
Ye Chuxue and Gu Qingyuan didn't fare much better. Both collapsed, unable to rise.
The beast had nearly reached Divine Transformation. If not for sheer luck, they would have died in its jaws. Defeating it was a miracle.
Gasping for breath, they lay flat on the ground, bodies aching and limbs heavy. But when their eyes met and they thought about the Seven-Star Lotus that now belonged to them, they smiled.
"Master…"
Ye Chuxue's heart warmed. Surviving life-and-death once more with her master only deepened her feelings for him.
"I'll go pick the flower… wait for me."
Gu Qingyuan gave her a gentle smile. With the last of his strength, he crawled toward the Seven-Star Lotus. He was too injured to walk. They had no pills left. This was the only way.
Once they consumed the lotus, their injuries would heal. Their cultivation would advance. He couldn't even remember the last time he had broken through. Especially when Song Wanníng—once always beneath him—had skyrocketed ahead. That humiliation gnawed at him.
A glint of determination shone in Gu Qingyuan's eyes as he dragged himself forward.
Ye Chuxue, heart racing, also began inching toward the flower.
They had nearly died for this. Now, at last, it was time to reap the reward.
Little by little, they crawled forward.
Closer. Closer.
The Seven-Star Lotus was right within reach.
Their trembling hands stretched out toward the flower, shaking with excitement. But just as their fingers were about to touch it, a slender and graceful hand appeared from nowhere.
Before they could react, that hand plucked the lotus cleanly and closed tightly around it.
Gu Qingyuan and Ye Chuxue froze, then looked up in fury to see who had stolen the fruit of their victory.
What they saw instead… was Song Wanníng's flawless face. She smiled faintly, playing with the Seven-Star Lotus in her hand.
"Tsk. So this is the legendary Seven-Star Lotus?"
Her tone was casual, even bored, as she gave a dismissive glance at the flower.
"They say the Seven-Star Lotus is a once-in-ten-thousand-years treasure. Guess it's not so hard to find after all."