“Get down! Don’t stay up there.”
The earthen yellow halo surged around them, the air itself growing thick and sluggish under the force emanating from deep within the earth.
Jiang Huai stared at the figure swaying precariously on the stone platform. He strode forward, reached out to Cang Jing, and urgently tried to pull her down from that terrifying force field.
He was genuinely scared.
Just moments ago, he had watched Cang Ling’s crystal be completely swallowed by ink-black darkness, a vibrant life sinking into the illusion realm of an Extraterrestrial Demon.
If Cang Jing suffered even the slightest accident now, he wouldn’t even know where to cry, and how would he explain it to the Yellow Dragon Clan?
Ao Yao, standing nearby, saw Jiang Zhun’s hand unconsciously rest on the Azure Dragon Short Sword at his waist. Her mouth twitched uncontrollably, and she silently pressed her slender calves together. The tips of her ears flushed a thin layer of red against her will.
She clutched her green skirt and cursed Jiang Huai a thousand times in her mind as a libertine, but didn’t dare actually disturb him. She could only tense her body, ready for him to draw the sword at any moment.
Cang Jing on the stone platform heard him and slowly raised her head. Amber dragon eyes brimmed with tears that streamed down her pale cheeks.
She stared blankly at Jiang Huai’s outstretched hand, then slowly shook her head, letting the tears flow freely, with no intention of coming down from the platform.
Seeing this, Jiang Huai hesitated no longer. He lunged forward and grabbed Cang Jing’s arm exposed below her short sleeve.
The instant his fingers touched her skin, a pressure so terrifyingly unimaginable slammed into him through the point of contact.
It felt like the weight of the entire earth, as if thousands of towering mountains had crashed down onto his arm at once.
Jiang Huai felt his whole arm go numb instantly. A teeth-grinding creak came from deep within his bones, as if his arm bones would be crushed to pieces in the next second.
“What’s wrong with you?” Ao Yao saw his face turn deathly pale, veins bulging on his temples, his whole body trembling slightly. Her expression changed abruptly, and she took half a step forward, asking urgently.
“There’s something wrong with this platform. Don’t get so close!” Jiang Huai clenched his molars, cold sweat dripping from his jawline.
He could clearly feel his arm being ground down by that overwhelming force, as if it would turn to dust the next second.
This was definitely not the cultivation of the Yellow Dragon Clan, nor could it be body tempering.
No form of training required enduring such terrifying pressure that could crush dragon bones, nor would it cause someone to reveal such a broken, agonized expression.
Jiang Huai guessed that Cang Ling’s disappearance earlier must have been because she came to a similar place and did the same thing, ending up that way.
But at that time, he wasn’t by Cang Ling’s side. He let her be destroyed by this overwhelming pressure.
Thinking of this, pain surged in Jiang Huai’s heart, and his will grew even more resolute.
The earthen yellow halo around the platform thickened, completely enveloping it.
Facing Jiang Zhun’s tugging, Cang Jing’s shoulder blades emitted a series of sharp cracks. The sound made one’s scalp tingle, as if the dragon bones inside were being crushed.
Her whole body trembled violently, as if she would collapse under the pressure at any moment.
The tight upper garments had already burst under the force field’s tearing. Torn fabric hung loosely on her shoulders, slipping down with her trembling, almost completely exposing herself before Jiang Huai.
The饱满 curve of her chest heaved violently with rapid breaths, carrying a wild and broken beauty.
“Can you please just come down first?” Jiang Huai gritted his teeth, using all his strength to pull Cang Jing off the platform, but the pressure was too terrifying. Not only did he fail to move her, but he felt his entire arm going numb.
“No, I can’t leave.” Cang Jing’s voice was hoarse, filled with tears. She looked at Jiang Huai’s face twisted in pain, silently enduring the torrential agony in her body. “If I leave, what about my sister?”
Jiang Huai’s heart churned with pain and self-blame.
“I don’t know what futile effort you’re making, but your sister is already dead. Do you understand?!”
“She has been completely devoured by the Extraterrestrial Demon. She’s gone! You can’t die too. I have to pull you out!”
Cang Jing froze suddenly, the amber dragon eyes losing focus.
She glared at Jiang Huai like an enraged dragoness, her voice a guttural roar: “What nonsense are you talking?! How could my sister be dead?!”
“We are one body, connected by blood, sharing senses. If she were dead, how could I still be alive?!”
“Don’t interfere with my help for my sister!”
The moment her words fell, the earthen yellow around the platform deepened sharply. The terrible pressure doubled in an instant!
Jiang Huai felt the force on his arm increase several times over. He stumbled, nearly pulled directly onto the platform.
On the platform, Cang Jing’s last shred of composure shattered completely. Her features were twisted by extreme agony, fresh blood seeping from the corners of her mouth, as if she would be ground to dust in the next second, vanishing into this space.
The surrounding space began to crack like breaking glass. Traces of black demonic energy seeped through the platform’s fissures, intertwining with the earthen yellow halo, exuding an ominous aura that chilled the heart.
Jiang Huai steeled himself. No more hesitation.
He raised his other hand, brought two fingers together, and channeled spiritual power to cut a deep gash across his wrist.
Bright red essence blood gushed out, carrying interwoven black-and-white energies of Yin and Yang, exploding before him.
Riding the force of that explosion, Jiang Huai lunged like a descending tiger, hurling himself toward the platform.
He slammed his shoulder hard into Cang Jing, sending her flying off the center of the platform. Using the recoil, he fell into the very core of the force field, taking the position Cang Jing had just occupied.
In that instant, the crushing force capable of shattering dragon bones struck Jiang Huai from all directions without reservation.
First, his chest tightened, and a surge of hot blood rushed to his throat, which he forced back down.
On the other side, Cang Jing, knocked off balance, stumbled several times in the air. Her strength had been drained during the extreme struggle. When she landed, her steps were unsteady, and she nearly fell.
The space began to mend itself. The black demonic energy faded and shrank back, as if waiting for the next opportunity.
Ao Yao’s eyes and hands were quick. She stepped forward and reached out to steady Cang Jing’s waist, but Cang Jing’s full weight pressed down on her.
Yet Cang Jing seemed completely unaware of anyone beside her. All her attention was fixed on Jiang Huai on the stone platform.
The amber dragon eyes lost their spark, becoming hollow. The ferocity she had shown while resisting the pressure vanished, replaced by boundless confusion and helplessness. Her legs gave way, and she slid down Ao Yao’s arm to sit on the ground.
Her chest heaved violently with rapid breaths. The not-so-pale mounds bounced, her clothes all torn, completely exposed.
“Don’t…” She opened her mouth, her voice hoarse, wanting to get up and rush over, but found her limbs had no strength.
On the stone platform, Jiang Zhun felt the world spin. His consciousness flickered like a candle in the wind, about to go out at any moment.
He bit the tip of his tongue, using the sharp pain to forcibly maintain a sliver of clarity. With one hand forming a seal, he clutched at the void.
A blinding white light exploded. A crystal coffin appeared at the side of the stone platform, its lid opening with a sound.
The tall figure in green robes floated slowly out of the coffin. Ji Xi’s tightly closed eyes opened gently, black-and-white Yin-Yang light swirling in her pupils like a Taiji diagram.
The terrifying force that had pushed Jiang Zhun and Cang Jing to the brink was nothing more than a gentle breeze before her, not even stirring the fluttering hem of her green robes.
The earthen yellow halo surging around the platform was forced back step by step.
Taking advantage of this moment when the force field was suppressed, Jiang Huai gritted his teeth and staggered down from the platform.
The moment his feet touched the ground, his knees buckled. He collapsed beside Cang Jing, his entire body feeling like a pile of loose bones. He gasped for breath, ragged and disheveled.
All around, calm finally returned, leaving only the heavy breathing of the three.
Cang Jing stared blankly at his pale face for a long time before murmuring to herself, “Why did you do that?”
As she spoke, she raised a trembling foot and lightly kicked Jiang Huai’s arm.
“You scared me. You scared me.” Jiang Huai crawled forward, cupped Cang Jing’s face, and examined her left and right, trying to see if anything was wrong.
This woman, who had been in the bridal chamber with him just last night, now seemed not to recognize him. She turned her head slightly, too weak to resist, and murmured, “What exactly are you trying to do?”