Dual cultivation makes you stronger, everyone else is a prodigy, and I'm the only one slacking

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen clouds of blood mist burst into the air.

The cultivators chasing after Shi Shangxu and his group didn't even have time to scream before they were instantly killed.

After the crisis was over, Shi Shangxu and his group collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

At this moment, Yu Luoning leaped forward and quickly arrived at Shi Shangxu's side.

Her voice was hurried and flustered as she asked, "Cousin, are you alright? Where are you hurt?"

Without waiting for a reply, he stuffed a pill into Shi Shangxu's mouth.

Shi Shangxu slightly raised his eyes, looking at her with an incredibly soft gaze. He asked in surprise, "Ningning? You're alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Very good."

As if remembering something, Shi Shangxu forced himself to stand up and presented the white jade box to Yu Luoning as if it were a treasure.

"I've obtained the fruit from the ancient tree in Wanning."

"Are you stupid? You're about to die, what do you care about the fruit?"

At this moment, Shi Shangxu was severely injured, his face was as pale as paper, and his whole body was soaked in blood.

Only that usually gentle face still held a faint smile.

Yu Luoning's heart clenched, and her eyes welled up with tears.

The sight of the two of them so affectionate and oblivious to everyone else was utterly jarring to Cui Xiu's eyes.

Lu Feishuang, standing to the side, stared in shock at the unfathomable strength of Cui Xiu. She quickly stood up, cupped her hands in a gesture of gratitude towards Cui Xiu, and said, "Thank you for saving my life, senior."

At this moment, everyone's attention finally turned to Cui Xiu.

Shi Shangxu also cupped his hands in the direction of Cui Xiu, feeling that this strange purple-robed youth looked very familiar, and for a moment he dared not match him with the man who had cut ties with the cold pool in Xiling.

He said sincerely, "My name is Shi Shangxu. Thank you for your help. May I ask your name?"

Cui Xiu crossed her arms and looked at them coldly without saying a word.

These people immediately noticed the aloof and cold aura emanating from Cui Xiu.

But then they saw that the man didn't seem to have any intention of killing them, and there was a moment of silence.

It should be noted that the people who had just been chasing them were mostly at the Foundation Establishment stage or above, yet this person killed them all with a wave of his hand.

Just as the atmosphere froze, Yu Luoning was terrified, fearing that Cui Xiu, that vixen, wouldn't utter anything nasty and would say something else shocking.

She quickly pulled Shi Shangxu behind her and said to Cui Xiu in a pretentious tone, "Thank you for saving my life, senior. I will remember this and repay you in the future."

After saying that, he helped Shi Shangxu up and tried to leave.

Shi Shangxu was momentarily at a loss. The purple-robed cultivator was highly skilled, and since the senior had not given any instructions, how could they leave without permission?

But Ningning has always known when to advance and when to retreat, and she understands the bigger picture.

Could it be that the two know each other?

Yu Luoning had no time to explain to Shi Shangxu; she just wanted to get away from Cui Xiu as quickly as possible. "Cousin, let's go. It's alright, he won't hurt us."

Cui Xiu saw this scene of someone desperately trying to distance themselves from the situation, and he smirked and chuckled.

After five days and five nights of passionate lovemaking, he even sacrificed his own evil essence for her, and now he's become an insignificant person.

Enraged, Cui Xiu laughed and strode over to Yu Luoning, pulling her into his arms with a single blow.

Looking down at the heavily injured Shi Shangxu, he spoke in a loud and clear voice that reached everyone's ears.

"Ningning, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Aren't you going to give me a proper introduction?"

The air froze once again.

Lu Feishuang and Lu Mingyu, siblings, were completely blank-minded, while Mo Fei's eyes darted around, his gaze sweeping over Yu Luoning and the other two, and he instantly understood what was going on.

Yu Luoning's face was extremely pale, and she felt uneasy.

Her lips moved slightly, but her mind went blank; she had no idea how to explain.

She truly had feelings for Shi Shangxu, and everyone knew that they were a legitimate couple.

She had originally planned to explain things clearly to Shi Shangxu, but she never wanted him to know the truth in this way.

At this moment, Shi Shangxu trembled. He was always gentle, upright, and elegant, but now he stared in disbelief at Cui Xiu's hand on Yu Luoning's shoulder, and even his breath stopped.

Shi Shangxu's voice trembled, his gentle eyes filled with astonishment, "Ningning? What... is your relationship?"

Yu Luoning felt a sharp pang in her heart when she saw his broken state.

Just as she was about to explain, the large hand on hers suddenly tightened, causing her to gasp in pain.

Cui Xiu didn't give her a chance to speak at all, a wicked smile curving his lips.

He said, word by word, "I'm her man. What kind of relationship do you think we have?"

Shi Shangxu opened his lips, his whole body seemingly swaying precariously.

Choi Soo seemed to think that wasn't exciting enough.

He suddenly said, "Oh, right! I just heard Ningning call you cousin. Hello, little cousin."

Cui Xiu winked at Shi Shangxu and gave him what she thought was a friendly smile.

His words were like a thunderclap.

Yu Luoning knew that she was completely finished.

Lu Feishuang and the others immediately sensed something was wrong.

It's utterly unbelievable that a terrifying being who can instantly kill more than a dozen cultivators with a single gesture would brazenly and shamelessly call a junior whose bone age is many generations younger than his own "cousin".

You can't just casually follow the gossip of big shots; it could be deadly.

Mo Fei instantly realized something, quickly grabbed Lu Feishuang and Lu Mingyu's hands, and ran away.

"Well, we're badly injured and need to rest. We'll wait for you about ten miles ahead. Don't rush, you can talk slowly."

In the blink of an eye, the three of them seemed to leave afterimages as they swung their legs and disappeared without a trace.

The surroundings fell completely silent, leaving only an eerie stillness.

Shi Shangxu gritted his teeth, and after a brief breakdown, he suddenly raised his head and looked directly at Cui Xiu without fear, "Senior, your cultivation is extraordinary, why do you humiliate her like this?"

"Ningning, did he force you? Don't be afraid. As long as you say you were forced, I will risk my life to take you away today."

Yu Luoning lowered her eyes, concealing the moisture in them.

Upon seeing her like this, Shi Shangxu abruptly stopped speaking.

At this moment, Cui Xiu also unusually put away the unrestrained mocking smile on his face.

He continued to drop bombshells, saying in a low voice, "We've been together these past few days, and we've done everything we should and shouldn't have done..."

"Choi Soo, shut up!"

Yu Luoning was furious and shook off the hand that was holding her shoulder.

Looking at Shi Shangxu, his warm eyes seemed devoid of light.

Yu Luoning felt a pang of pain in her heart. This was the person she had spent the most time with at Dongbao Shangzong, the person with whom she had the deepest feelings, and the person she was least willing to hurt.

Yu Luoning didn't want to dabble in empty rhetoric and shirk her responsibilities.

She took a deep breath, met Shi Shangxu's gaze, and explained the whole story word by word.

"...In order to break the formation, I cultivated with him. I'm sorry..."

Shi Shangxu felt his mind go blank, his whole body stiff, as if he couldn't tell whether what he had just heard was real or a hallucination.

The next moment, it felt as if a thousand ice picks were piercing his chest, and the pain made it impossible for him to breathe properly.

He didn't get angry; he believed everything Ningning said.

Ultimately, it was his fault. He failed to protect her when they went to the blessed land, which led to Ningning's desperate situation where she had to rely on others to survive.

What could she have done wrong? But his heart ached so much... so much...

The order of time and place is extremely chaotic.

He swallowed the blood in his throat with difficulty, then tremblingly placed the white jade box gently at Yu Luoning's feet.

He risked his life to get this back.

"Keep this fruit safe."

After saying that, Shi Shangxu looked at Cui Xiu deeply, his face pale, and said, "Ningning, my mind is a little messed up right now. I need to calm down. Until then, you... take good care of yourself."

After saying that, he turned away dejectedly.

Looking at his swaying figure, Yu Luoning could no longer hold back her tears.

A breeze from the mountains and forests brought a cool sensation to Yu Luoning's face.

She wiped away her tears, her voice icy cold: "Are you happy now?"