Breaking through the illusion of the mortal world

Chapter 91 Life and Death Together

Just as Lu Ming rushed into the stone gate, a powerful energy vortex swept in.

A chaotic mix of energies raged like a tidal wave, accompanied by an invisible force of suppression, and a faint aura of nothingness.

Ning Qingxue was the first to be hit, and she felt her cultivation being suppressed instantly. Her spiritual power was sluggish and difficult to circulate, and the protective shield around her body was torn apart by the energy waves as soon as it was formed.

The dark-colored outfit fluttered loudly from the force of the energy, the Cold Soul had long since slipped from his grasp and disappeared, and the Heart-Shattering Bell on his wrist was now dull and lifeless, its clear sound swallowed up by the roar of the vortex.

Her body was like a withered leaf in the wind, swirling and spinning in the violent energy. Her internal organs were shaken, and she didn't even have the strength to protect herself. She could only instinctively curl up her body and let the energy hit her.

Lu Ming, though caught in the vortex, was not suppressed in the slightest.

Although the Xuan Yuan True Qi trembled slightly, the Dao Foundation of the Immortal Sword Fragment in the Dantian remained exceptionally stable, emitting a faint golden light to resist external suppression.

Lu Ming's Xuanhuang Divine Treasury was surging with energy, and his powerful physique withstood all the energy impacts.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Ming noticed that Ning Qingxue was being swept around unsteadily, her face as pale as paper, and blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

That arrogant and willful demeanor vanished, leaving only a fragile vulnerability on the verge of death.

Lu Ming's heart softened, and in the end, he couldn't bear to do it.

Even though they had been locked in a fierce battle, he simply couldn't bear to stand by and watch someone die.

He immediately withdrew his sword aura, and against the pulling force of the energy vortex, he twisted his body and rushed to Ning Qingxue's side.

"pay close attention!"

Lu Ming raised his hand to embrace Ning Qingxue's waist, shielding her in front of him. With his other hand, he condensed sword energy, transforming it into a shield of light that firmly blocked the two of them.

The violent waves of energy crashed against the sword aura one after another, producing a deafening roar, and the light shield trembled violently.

Lu Ming's arms were bulging with veins, and his back endured several sharp bursts of energy. He gritted his teeth in pain, but he still managed to protect Ning Qingxue completely.

Ning Qingxue was held in his arms, and gradually regained her senses.

The solid sword aura isolated her from all impacts, allowing her to regain her balance from the near-death experience.

She subconsciously gripped Lu Ming's sleeve, her fingertips touching his wrist, and somehow she held on tightly, refusing to let go.

The pulling force of the energy vortex grew stronger and stronger, the surrounding light and shadows distorted, and the two were swept up and spun around at high speed.

Lu Ming's sword aura gradually dimmed under the continuous impact. He used his last bit of Xuan Yuan True Qi to shrink the protective shield to its smallest size, tightly wrapping the two of them.

Finally, an energy surge far exceeding the previous one crashed in, shattering the sword energy. Lu Ming had no choice but to use his body to withstand the attack.

Although it couldn't cause any real damage to Lu Mingqiang's powerful physique, it still made his blood surge, his vision went black, and he slowly lost consciousness.

Only his palm still unconsciously gripped that slightly cool hand, unwilling to let go.

Ning Qingxue was also knocked unconscious by the raging tide. In the last moment before her consciousness faded, she gripped Lu Ming's hand even tighter, as if he were her only support in this vortex.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Ming woke up to a bone-chilling cold.

The energy vortex around him had disappeared, and he was in a stone chamber. The walls were made of solid dark blue boulders, smooth as a mirror, with no doors or windows, and not even a crack.

Only a dim luminous pearl was embedded at the top, casting a faint light that made the stone chamber feel cold and desolate.

A faint, ethereal power permeated the air, seeping into his meridians in wisps. The power that suppressed his cultivation was even stronger than that in the vortex, yet it still could not shake his foundation and martial arts power.

He moved his fingers and felt his palm being clenched tightly. Looking down, he saw Ning Qingxue curled up beside him, her eyes closed and her face as pale as paper.

Her hands were slender and icy cold, gripping his hand tightly, even in her unconscious state, there was a hint of stubbornness in them.

Lu Ming felt slightly embarrassed and wanted to pull his hand back, but as soon as he moved, Ning Qingxue frowned, gripped his hand even tighter, and let out a very soft groan, clearly indicating that she was still recovering from her serious injury.

Lu Ming had no choice but to give up and looked down to check on her condition.

Ning Qingxue's internal magical power was completely suppressed, her meridians were damaged in many places, her breath was as weak as a thread, and she could not use any of her cultivation at all.

At this moment, she was just an ordinary person, powerless to even kill a chicken, with only her chest rising and falling slightly, proving that she was still alive.

The void power raged within the stone chamber. Although not fatal, it continuously eroded her life force. Ning Qingxue, already severely injured, simply could not withstand such consumption.

Lu Ming took out the healing pills from the Zhenwu Sect from his storage bag, cracked open a gentle pulse-restoring pill, and carefully brought it to her lips.

She was unconscious, her jaw clenched, unable to swallow.

Helpless, Lu Ming could only send out a wisp of gentle Xuan Yuan True Qi, gently probing into her lips and teeth, sending the pill down her throat, and then using True Qi to guide the medicinal power, allowing it to slowly integrate into her meridians.

After doing all this, he placed his palm on Ning Qingxue's back and carefully channeled his Xuan Yuan True Qi into her body as wisps of gentle energy.

This true qi, a fusion of Dao and martial arts, is full of vitality, slowly smoothing out her damaged meridians and resisting the erosion of the void power.

Lu Ming focused his mind and concentrated on channeling his spiritual energy, the warmth of his palms penetrating through his thin clothes and reaching Ning Qingxue's back.

After an unknown amount of time, the faint light of the luminous pearl flickered slightly. Lu Ming felt that he had consumed 30% of his true qi before he could barely stabilize Ning Qingxue's injuries and calm her breathing a little.

At this moment, Ning Qingxue's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.

His gaze was initially unfocused, but it took him a long time to focus in the dim light of the stone chamber.

She moved subconsciously, only to feel soreness and weakness all over her body. Her spiritual energy remained dormant, and she couldn't muster any strength at all.

Only her back felt warm, and she could feel the firm touch in his palm; she was still holding Lu Ming's hand.

Ning Qingxue snapped back to her senses, a wave of annoyance and embarrassment washing over her.

She tried to pull her hand away, but the moment she exerted force, it aggravated her internal injuries, causing her to gasp in pain. Instead, she gripped Lu Ming's hand even tighter.

Seeing that she was awake, Lu Ming immediately withdrew his hand from her back. He looked at their clasped hands, coughed lightly, and released her first, saying in a calm tone, "You're awake."

Ning Qingxue immediately withdrew her hand, put it behind her back, and turned her head away.

Her face was still pale, and her voice was very weak: "Who asked you to meddle in other people's business?"

Even so, she was no longer as arrogant as before.

A complex look flashed in her eyes. She hadn't been completely unaware of the sword energy that enveloped her while she was unconscious, nor of the solid warmth in her palm.

Lu Ming didn't argue with her, but simply pointed to the surrounding stone chambers: "There are no doors or windows here, and the power of nothingness is rampant. The suppression of cultivation is even more severe than in the energy vortex. I can barely use my cultivation, but you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ning Qingxue had already tried circulating her spiritual energy, but it still didn't budge. She frowned deeply.

The two remained silent, the only sound in the stone chamber the faint echo of nothingness passing through the air.

Ning Qingxue leaned against the cold stone wall, watching Lu Ming get up and examine the walls. His figure appeared particularly steady in the dim light, and the true qi that had just entered his body was still flowing slowly through his meridians, dispelling the chill.

Lu Ming ran his fingertips across the smooth stone wall, probing with his spiritual energy, only to have it bounced back by the stone wall.

He walked around the stone chamber, searching every nook and cranny, but there really wasn't a single exit.

He turned around and looked at Ning Qingxue, his expression grave: "We're trapped here."

Ning Qingxue looked up and met his gaze. In the dim light of the stone chamber, both of their eyes were filled with a deep heaviness.