野荷塘

Chapter 76.2

Xing Zhi did not answer, Shen Li only heard the incantations softly recited by her ears. Those incantations seemed to turn into golden floating lights, sweeping across the darkness of the Ruins of Heavenly Poles and disappearing into the surroundings. Shen Li was stunned. Suddenly, the iron chains that bound her were vibrating from within itself, and Shen Li asked, “Is the Ruins of Heavenly Poles about to collapse?”

“The space of the Ruins of Heavenly Poles is too large, if it collapses immediately, something unexpected will happen. This incantation will make the ruins slowly collapse from the outside to the inside.”

Shen Li smiled helplessly: “To watch how I’m going to slowly die… Xing Zhi, you’re really heartless.”

The softest part of Xing Zhi’s heart appeared to be struck hard by these words. He could only breathe lightly, suppressing the pain radiating from within all the bones in his body to his limbs. The wound on his shoulder split open again, and without uttering a sound, he suppressed the pain. His brows did not even furrow, he only stroked Shen Li’s head and said, “I’m sorry… For making you feel afraid together with me…”

Shen Li stared at him for a long time, and then she finally bumped his chest lightly with her head and said helplessly: “Who told you to apologize! It’s me, my heart aches for you!”

Having carried so much burden on her back, she could not even choose a quick and painless way to die. Xing Zhi was bound by the invisible power of the Heavenly Laws all of his life… After hearing these words, Xing Zhi fixed his eyes on her, and finally he just smiled: “The feeling of having someone’s heart ache for me is not that bad at all.”

The deities in heaven were too high up, not to mention mortals, even immortals could only look upward. They would admire, worship, and revere, but in their frame of mind, they would never look at them as weaklings. Who would feel sadness because of the deities’ lack of choice? Who would feel heartache because of their helplessness? Everyone had forgotten why the deities are heartless, it was not because they lack a passionate heart, but because they were simply restricted too tightly.

She tried to move her hand, but was prevented by the iron chains, Shen Li’s expression fell, but suddenly, the iron chains vibrated again, Shen Li heard sounds of “click-clack” coming from the distance, the chains holding her hands in place shattered, turning into pieces of scrap metal that fell into the unknown abyss.

Shen Li stared blankly at Xing Zhi, maybe it was an illusion, she felt that the rosy color on Xing Zhi’s face was slowly fading away. Xing Zhi turned his head away, avoiding Shen Li’s gaze, and looked elsewhere: “The gate to the Ruins of Heavenly Poles may have collapsed. These iron chains are connected from the gate. It is not only used to control the Seal of Fire, but also to extract the power of the Seal of Fire to mutually balance the other seals.” He paused, “Shen Li…The gate collapsed, which means that none of us can get out.”

“Mhm.” Shen Li nodded, she stretched out her hand and embraced Xing Zhi’s waist, “At first, I didn’t even plan to get out. So being like this is just great.” On his chest, she found a steady place and stuck her face there. She was so comfortable that she released a sigh, “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, you don’t even know how hard I’ve endured it.”

For a moment, Xing Zhi was stunned, then suddenly he smiled and embraced Shen Li in return.

The loud noises from the collapsing of the Ruins of Heavenly Poles were getting closer and closer, but Xing Zhi and Shen Li appeared to not hear anything. They snuggled quietly against each other, as if they were hiding in the safest haven, no longer worried about the violent storms in the outside world.

“Bang!” A loud noise different from the previous sounds of collapse was heard.

Xing Zhi frowned and turned his head around to see a beam of scorchingly hot fire cleave the chaotic darkness in the Ruins of Heavenly Poles. Shen Li took her head out of Xing Zhi’s embrace to see a luminous brightness burn a hole in the pitch-black darkness. She saw the stupefied immortals outside, and Feng Lai who came towards them step by step.

The corners of Shen Li’s lips twitched slightly, the light on his body was so dazzling that Shen Li could not even see his countenance, but she knew that kind of aura even after having felt it only once.

Every step he took was slow and steady, but he walked up to Xing Zhi and Shen Li’s side in a blink of an eye. With a flip of his palm, the poisonous flame on Xing Zhi’s shoulder was instantly collected into his palm. He glanced at Xing Zhi, and then his eyes fell on Shen Li. After taking a closer look at her facial features, Feng Lai’s lips moved, but he finally turned his head away, looking into the depths of the pitch-black darkness of the Ruins of Heavenly Poles. He proceeded forward: “On behalf of your mother, keep on living.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Shen Li suddenly felt a strong force wrap around her body. The crimson flames wrapped around her and Xing Zhi, dragging them towards the light outside the Ruins of Heavenly Poles.

When Shen Li came back to her senses, she knew what he was going to do. She became very confused. Through the barrier surrounded by the flames, she could only see the dazzling figure getting farther and farther away. No… She had not even seen clearly yet. She had not even felt it clearly yet. No…

She wanted to escape from these flames that bundled her up, but she could not even exert any strength. The darkness in the Ruins of Heavenly Poles was getting farther and farther away. This force placed them firmly on the ground before disappearing forever. Shen Li reached out her hands to embrace it, but only had enough time to touch the last of its warmth.

The flames were obviously scorchingly hot, but it did not hurt at all…

Her eyes followed the direction where the flames disappeared. The gate to the Ruins of Heavenly Poles was no longer there, in its place was a black cave hanging in mid-air, as if a wound had been torn out of the sky, and the luminous brightness that Feng Lai used to send them out had long since disappeared.

The tips of Shen Li’s finger trembled slightly. Just when she was at a loss, she suddenly felt a warmth on her shoulder. Stunned, Shen Li looked back only to see Xing Zhi leaning against her shoulder with blood gushing out of his mouth.