Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Brother Jing, let's get a divorce.

The two were only a few steps away from Lu Wushuang, who was by the fire.

Lu Wushuang turned over, muttering incoherently in her sleep, and kicked away the dry grass covering her with her right leg.

This commotion would have been nothing during the day, but in the deathly silent cave, the rustling sound was like a thunderclap.

Cheng Ying's heart suddenly raced, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

If her cousin were to open her eyes now and see herself in this disheveled state, pressed tightly against Yang Guo, she would probably never be able to show her face in public again.

It was precisely this tension of potentially being exposed at any moment that forced her internal energy to circulate even more rapidly.

Her inner energy was forced into a corner, and it actually touched a certain critical point, instantly bursting out with an unprecedented force that tightly sealed the Ren meridian.

Cheng Ying suddenly tilted her head back, clenched her teeth, and swallowed all her groans back down her throat.

Two streams of true energy circulated back and forth in the meridians of the two people, forming a complete Great Circulation.

But the fire poison was far too domineering, and its quantity was astonishing.

With each additional step of refinement, Cheng Ying's face grew paler.

The rate at which the Fallen Petal True Qi was consumed far exceeded expectations; in less than half an incense stick's time, more than half of it had already been used up.

A series of sharp pains came from the walls of her dantian. The purplish-red fire poison seemed to have found a weak point and frantically drilled into the most vulnerable part of her dantian.

Cheng Ying's knees buckled slightly, and she could no longer maintain her kneeling position, collapsing straight down.

Yang Guo reacted quickly, pinning her against the stone wall and using his body to stabilize her balance.

"Can't hold on any longer?" he asked in a low voice.

Cheng Ying's chest heaved rapidly, and large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead.

She was the least likely person in her life to show weakness, and she always wanted to compete and win. But at this moment, all her pride as a disciple of Peach Blossom Island and her cunning calculations were useless.

"The fire poison... is too intense."

Cheng Ying's voice was extremely weak, each word sounding hollow: "My dantian is about to crack."

Yang Guo cursed inwardly.

Although he had anticipated the worst-case scenario, he did not expect it to come so quickly.

Cheng Yingcai had just entered the Innate Realm, and his meridians were more than 30% thinner than Cheng Yingcai's, making him unable to withstand this level of pure Yang poison.

If this continues, she will surely die.

However, if the circulation is forcibly cut off, the fire poison that has already passed through will remain in her body, which is tantamount to planting a fire bomb in her dantian that could explode at any time.

There's only one way left now.

That was the Reversal of Heaven and Earth Technique, which drew back all the fire poison along with her remaining true energy.

However, the price is that he has to bear the impact of a second blow, which could result in a decline in his internal energy or even the rupture of his meridians.

Yang Guo did not hesitate at all.

He has lived two lives, schemed against countless people, and cheated countless people, but one bottom line has never changed: he must never let his woman fall into his hands.

"Listen carefully." Yang Guo spoke very quickly. "I'll draw all the fire poison back in a bit. You must immediately control your inner energy and not release even a single bit."

Cheng Ying suddenly raised her head.

She was an expert in both pharmacology and spiritual practice, and immediately understood what these words meant.

"Are you crazy?" she blurted out in shock. "With a second backflow, your dantian will suffer double the impact!"

"Stop talking nonsense, just do as I say."

"No!"

Although Cheng Ying's voice was weak, her tone was incredibly harsh. Her eyes were red, and her lips were bitten so hard that they bled.

"The disciples of Peach Blossom Island have never believed in letting others die for them."

"You are currently at the peak of the early stage of the Innate Realm. If you were to be subjected to another round of fire poison, you would be crippled even if you didn't die."

"If we're both unable to move, how will Wushuang manage to carry the load alone?"

What she said made sense. If Yang Guo were crippled, none of the three of them would be able to leave this deep mountain alive today.

But Yang Guo was clearly not buying it.

"I understand the logic better than you do," Yang Guo said in a hoarse, low voice. "But your dantian has already developed cracks. If you don't sever them soon, you might not even have a chance to turn things around."

Cheng Ying clenched her teeth and refused to give in.

She suddenly unleashed all the remaining Fallen Flower True Qi within her body, and actually charged headlong into the chaotic fire poison.

This is practically gambling with your life.

He was betting that her Fallen Petals Pure Yin True Qi could withstand the final wave of impact, and also betting that he could share some of the pressure with Yang Duo.

Yang Guo's eyelids twitched suddenly.

He really couldn't figure this woman out.

He's usually very stubborn, always trying to save face by bringing up the pretense of Peach Blossom Island. Who would have thought that when it comes to a life-or-death situation, he'd be so ruthless and fearless?

"Are you looking for death?!"

Without further hesitation, Yang Guo suddenly reversed the red and black primordial energy beads in his dantian.

A fierce suction force surged out from his dantian, violently pulling all the fire poison in Cheng Ying's body back through the true qi channel connecting the two.

Even her last wisp of Fallen Petal True Energy was swept up in it.

The moment the fire poison rushed into his body, Yang Guo's muscles tensed like cast iron, and his back slammed heavily against the stone wall.

He tasted a slight sweetness in his mouth, and a sudden rush of blood to his throat, but he swallowed it back down.

A violent swelling sensation came from his dantian, and the red and black primordial energy bead was about to fall due to the impact of the fire poison.

At this critical juncture, Cheng Ying's wisp of Fallen Petal True Qi played a crucial role.

The chilling aura tightly enveloped the core of the Yuan Qi Pearl, acting like a layer of armor protecting the most vital part.

Immediately afterwards, the pure Qi of the Toad Style surged up from his waist, forming a two-sided encirclement with the cold, yin energy.

The fire poison was continuously cut and compressed, and finally locked tightly in a corner of the dantian.

The scorching heat, which felt like it was burning a person alive, finally subsided inch by inch.

Yang Guo let out a long breath.

The excruciating pain in my limbs receded like a receding tide, replaced by a numbness born of extreme exhaustion.

At this moment, the surface of the red and black primordial energy bead in the dantian was covered with a light purple halo. Although its rotation speed was much slower than before, it appeared more stable and powerful.

Although the fire poison in his body had not been completely refined, it was at least suppressed within a safe range.

Moreover, after this life-or-death ordeal, the purity of his internal energy actually increased even further.

There is only a thin layer of paper left to separate them from the mid-stage of the Innate Realm.

Cheng Ying's situation, however, is not optimistic.

Her inner energy had been exhausted to the limit. At this moment, she couldn't even lift a finger. Her whole body seemed to have been deboned, and she lay limply on Yang Guo's chest.

Her breath was still hot, and her whole body was soaked in sweat.

Yang Guo looked down at her.

That usually cool and dignified pretty face was now filled with fatigue, the tear stains at the corners of her eyes were not yet dry, and there was a clear bloodstain on her lips.

Yang Guo remained silent for a moment.

To be honest, before tonight's incident, he had a very clear understanding of Cheng Ying's position in his mind.

A useful chess piece, a clever tool, plus a pleasingly pretty face.

He enjoyed the feeling of controlling and manipulating her, and he especially liked seeing her aggrieved expression when she was forced to submit.

But tonight's experience stirred something within him.

This woman clearly knew that the consequences of shielding him from the fire poison would be severed meridians, destroyed dantian, and even the complete ruin of her cultivation for the rest of her life.

It wasn't that she wasn't afraid; she just gritted her teeth and refused to back down.

Yang Guo leaned close to her ear, his voice low and husky: "Steward Cheng, I will remember this favor tonight."

Cheng Ying's eyelashes trembled slightly.

She turned her face away, burying her head deep into the gap between Yang Guo's neck and shoulder to avoid his gaze.

"It wasn't all for you."

Her voice was soft and muffled, with a hint of sullenness.

"If you die, the Qiankun Technique imprint within my body will also explode. I'm counting on you to live and bring us safely back to Xiangyang."

Yang Guo's lips curled slightly, but he did not expose her lie.

The two of them remained pressed tightly together, neither of them moving.

Although the temperature of skin-to-skin contact was gradually decreasing, the air inside the cave seemed to become increasingly hot and dry.