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

Yu Luoning's breathing became completely disordered.

She looked up to her left; Shi Shangxu was extremely weak, his forehead covered in sweat.

The scalding lava in the abyss below was still surging upwards.

Shi Shangxu's gaze towards Yu Luoning remained gentle. He even silently shook his head at her, indicating that she should leave him alone.

He was still as kind as ever, not wanting her to be caught in a dilemma or fall into pain and self-blame.

But precisely because of this, Yu Luoning felt increasingly sorry for Shi Shangxu.

How could she let such a good cousin down again and again?

As she turned to look to her right, Cui Xiu, dressed in a noble and magnificent purple robe, was looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

However, upon closer inspection, one would notice a deep glint in his eyes, a hint of anxiety and uncertainty.

Who should we save?

The lives of two people now weigh heavily on her shoulders alone.

Yu Luoning felt like she was going crazy.

She hated making choices more than anything in her life, especially making choices for others.

As the incense stick burned down to more than half its original length, the old doctor let out a hearty, cold laugh in the air.

"There's still half an incense stick's time left."

Cold sweat beaded on Yu Luoning's forehead. She gasped for breath, as if her internal organs were being torn apart.

Stay calm, you must stay calm.

She took a deep breath, reviewing the cards she had up her sleeve.

Are you forcing her? Using her life as a bargaining chip, what can she possibly do?

In an instant, Yu Luoning suddenly realized her biggest trump card.

Phoenix bloodline, reborn from the ashes.

Yu Luoning suddenly opened her eyes, all the panic and confusion in them vanished, replaced by a resolute determination.

As the incense stick burned out, Yu Luoning raised her hand and pointed to one side.

"I choose Choi Soo..."

At that moment, everything suddenly became quiet.

Cui Xiu stared blankly at Yu Luoning.

The shock he felt at that moment was indescribable.

It felt like countless fireworks exploded in my mind.

Knowing his own bad temper, and seeing Luo Ning fawning over Shi Shangxu all the way, he had long been prepared to be abandoned.

But he was unwilling to accept it; he wanted to know who Yu Luoning would ultimately choose.

When the result was clearly laid bare before him, Choi Soo's heart pounded wildly.

She has me in her heart, she can't bear to see me die?

Cui Xiu was overjoyed.

On the other side, upon hearing this answer, Shi Shangxu felt an uncontrollable, sharp pain in his heart.

Although he had long been prepared to sacrifice himself.

But when Luo Ning didn't choose him, the subtle sense of disappointment and bitterness still made his heart ache.

That's fine! Luo Ning didn't choose him.

He felt a sense of relief and ease.

If Ruoling chooses him, Cui Xiu will die.

In the future, he and Ningning will both be burdened with guilt, tormented every night, and never have a peaceful day, just like when their senior brother Linye fell.

He didn't want to go through that kind of pain anymore.

"die."

"I choose Choi Soo, to die."

Yu Luoning bit her lip and spoke slowly and deliberately, as if she had used all her strength to say it.

At that moment, the surrounding air seemed to quiet down.

Cui Xiu's originally bright purple glass eyes were instantly shrouded in a layer of darkness.

Choi Soo: "You..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yu Luoning leaped to Cui Xiu's side, who was hanging from the dead end of the scales.

Amidst the scorching heat of the raging fire, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest. "The winds of the underworld are strong; I'm afraid you'll be lonely. Shall I stay with you?"

Cui Xiu stared at her blankly.

In that instant, only five words floated into his mind.

She was also pleased with him.

On the other end, Shi Shangxu's face was paler than ever before.

In the void, the old doctor, who had been observing coldly, fell into a deathly silence.

Yu Luoning: "Please keep your word, senior, and let my cousin leave."

A complex glint flashed in Yao Lao's eyes, but he ultimately said nothing. With a wave of his long sleeves, a violent spatial fluctuation rippled through the air.

"Ningning!" Shi Shangxu shouted in despair.

But in the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared into the entire gray fog space.

Seeing Shi Shangxu leave safely, Yu Luoning finally felt relieved.

She took a deep breath, never expecting that the grafting technique she had copied from Bai Rongling would be put to use so quickly.

Just as Yu Luoning was about to transfer the death to himself, at the very moment he activated the reversal of cause and effect, Yao Lao suddenly stopped.

The air became still once again, the flames below ceased, and the entire space began to tremble.

The old doctor looked at her, remained silent for a long time, and then suddenly said, "Enough!"

Yu Luoning was taken aback. The old doctor continued, "I'll consider this round a pass for you."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the old apothecary waved his sleeve, and Cui Xiu regained his freedom.

Yu Luoning's words caused his eyes to well up with tears.

So the first thing he did after recovering his cultivation was to press Yu Luoning tightly against his chest and kiss her forcefully.

This time, he failed miserably, completely and utterly.

I am very happy.

Yu Luoning blinked, feigning ignorance, and asked, "What?"

"You value your life so much, yet you are willing to die with me. I... am very pleased," Cui Xiu reiterated, his tone earnest.

"Now you know, right? Your place in my heart is far higher than you imagined. Let me tell you, you'd better treat me better from now on."

Yu Luoning immediately took advantage of the situation and continued, "If you really like me, just teach me some cultivation techniques, and give me plenty of rare and precious herbs. Also, try to curb your jealousy and don't be so possessive. Finally, remember to leave the door open for me at night, to warm the bed or something... How about that? I'm not asking for much, am I?"

"Shut up!"

Yu Luoning's voice went hoarse. Well, one shouldn't be too greedy.

It's already quite an achievement to have managed to pry open even a little bit of Choi Soo's heart.

/

Sometime later, when the two of them came to their senses...

They had reached the bottom of the abyss outside, where the perpetually frozen ice plains and eerie ice peaks had vanished.

Yu Luoning looked up and saw a Nine Nether Cauldron shimmering with a faint blue light, which somehow flew directly into her palm.

After hearing the noise...

Shi Shangxu rushed over like a madman, and was overjoyed to see Yu Luoning standing there unharmed.

Shi Shangxu held her tightly in his arms, his voice hoarse, "Ningning, you're alright... that's so good."

Beside Yu Luoning, Cui Xiu watched coldly, her purple eyes flickering slightly.

Seeing Shi Shangxu like this, Yu Luoning felt heartbroken and gently wrapped her arms around his back to comfort him.

A moment later, she suddenly remembered Cui Xiu, who was standing to the side.

The thing the Empress Dowager feared most was an imbalance in the distribution of resources.

Yu Luoning's eyelashes trembled, and she glanced slightly to the side, only to see that although Cui Xiu looked displeased, something seemed different about him.

A touch of gentleness appeared in his eyes.

Yu Luoning saw through it but didn't say anything. She freed one hand, reached to her side, covered Cui Xiu's hand, and gently squeezed the soft flesh of his palm, as if to comfort him.

Cui Xiu chuckled and decided to forgive this womanizing bastard for the time being.

After all, she loved him so much that she was willing to die with him, so what else is there to say?

It took Shi Shangxu an unknown amount of time to calm down.

Yu Luoning seemed to have thought of something. She suddenly turned around and shouted at the gradually closing illusion gate, "Senior, don't think about things you can't understand anymore. Save more people in the future, and maybe one day you will figure it out yourself."

The wind blew by, but no one answered.

Yu Luoning didn't care and finished saying all that.

She slapped her forehead, suddenly realizing that Lu Feishuang and the others hadn't been found yet, so she raised her voice and shouted again, "Senior, my companions are nowhere to be found!"

After a moment, Yao Lao's voice, tinged with a hint of helplessness, finally rang out in the air.

"Just fly up to the summit. Get lost, don't stay here and get in my way. I've actually done you a favor! What a loss!"

Yu Luoning chuckled, scratching his head with one hand, his heart filled with joy.