Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 239: Sharing the Blessings

Chu Tianyu made his calculations while slowly regulating the energy within himself and Nian Ran. At this moment, the energy was circulating in their bodies in a large circular pattern, creating a unique environment through their closely connected bodies and unified internal energy. It could even be said that this energy had become their true qi, though it was shared by both of them.

Since Nian Ran had confidently entrusted everything to Chu Tianyu and was in a deep sleep, he could easily control the energy to repair her meridians and muscles. The ease lay in the fact that he hardly needed to exert any control—just a thought was enough for the energy to automatically repair her damaged meridians each time it flowed through her body and replenish every tissue.

Even Chu Tianyu was surprised by this. Although the energy supplied to Nian Ran was perhaps only a tiny fraction of the total, it was sufficient to repair and completely transform her body. To some extent, it was akin to an advanced form of “hair removal and marrow cleansing,” with effects similar to his Purple Void Dragon Qi. However, in terms of efficacy, it was slightly inferior, as this energy was merely a natural aura and essence derived from the Illusion Flame True Meridian, not comparable to the Illusion Flame True Meridian itself or even spiritual forces like dragon qi.

Still, it was enough to benefit Nian Ran greatly, even transforming her completely. Upon waking, her cultivation level would surely advance to a degree Chu Tianyu could hardly imagine. Moreover, the electromagnetic waves originally present in her body were also integrated into her tissues during this transformation, creating a unique energy wave that resonated throughout her meridians and dantian.

Faced with such surprises, Chu Tianyu became completely relaxed, feeling that everything was under control. Though he still didn’t know how to absorb the energy or how to separate himself from Nian Ran, the energy was now entirely under his control, operating smoothly. Apart from needing to flow along specific paths in their bodies, Chu Tianyu could fully control its speed and intensity.

And it repeated over and over, from spontaneous to controlled, from fast to slow. After several full cycles, it brought great benefits to Chu Tianyu. Although Chu Tianyu’s meridians no longer needed to be transformed, and given the power of this energy, nothing could be changed anyway. Yet the true energy formed by the integration of various energies within Chu Tianyu’s body increased by countless levels due to this energy supply, becoming even purer and more robust, truly reaching a state of natural perfection.

At this moment, Chu Tianyu was immersed in this wonderful sensation. With the energy filling his body, his internal strength offered both an exhilarating, full-of-drive experience and a gentle, steady atmosphere, making him feel as if bathed in a spring breeze, utterly intoxicated…

Just as Chu Tianyu was lost in this state, a melodious flute sound came through. The beautiful melody instantly broke through layers of barriers and entered this unique realm formed by the Illusory Flame True Meridian, instantly waking Chu Tianyu up. He remembered that his senior brothers and Feifei were still waiting outside. Without much thought, he knew they must be extremely anxious. This could be felt from Feifei’s flute music—though still beautiful, it carried subtle tones of unease and worry.

Although he understood their anxiety, Chu Tianyu struggled to express it, especially regarding the internal energy. Though he and Nianran kept absorbing its energy as it flowed through them, the amount absorbed was minimal. At this rate, even if they stayed here for hundreds of years, they wouldn’t be able to absorb it all.

At this point, Feifei’s playing became more rhythmic and fluctuating, like a vivid call that seemed to penetrate Chu Tianyu’s ears as if it had substance. This change suddenly enlightened Chu Tianyu, reminding him of the spiritual resonance between him and Feifei. Moreover, Feifei’s flute music belonged to the realm of natural energy, unaffected by the barriers here, and could serve as an invisible bond between them.

With this thought, Chu Tianyu carefully separated a portion of his energy and sent it outward to capture the sounds of nature in the flute music. After all, it wasn’t their first time cooperating. Quickly, he mastered the core of the musical rhythm and transmitted an energy pulse…

Soon after, Chu Tianyu felt the notes tremble, and a familiar sense of resonance arose.

“Tianyu, are you okay?” Xue Feifei’s thoughts, filled with joy and relief, immediately reached him as well. There was a spiritual connection between the two of them; to be more precise, including Tai Nianran who was temporarily asleep, it seemed that a remarkable bridge of communication and resonance had finally been established among the three of them.

“Feifei, I’m fine. I’m basically safe. By the way, what’s going on outside now?” Chu Tianyu asked while trying to comfort her.

“Really? That’s great! You have no idea how anxious I was waiting outside just now. If not for my senior brother reminding me, I would have been so worried that I wouldn’t even remember to use Yu Ning’s ability to play the Sounds of Heaven and Earth to contact you…” Xue Feifei was so overjoyed that she cried, too busy to even answer Chu Tianyu’s question, showing just how worried she had been.

Chu Tianyu felt this emotion too and felt a warmth in his heart. He silently passed on his own affection to her.

After a while, having calmed down, Xue Feifei seemed to recall Chu Tianyu’s question and said shyly, “Tianyu, I’m so excited that I forgot your question…”

“It’s okay. I understand…”

Xue Feifei felt warm inside. But instead of delaying any longer, she gave Chu Tianyu a detailed account of what was happening outside, describing everything clearly to ensure nothing was overlooked that might affect his actions inside.

It turned out that after Chu Tianyu and Tai Nianran suddenly flew into the white mist and red glow without any warning, it wasn’t long before the heat outside decreased significantly, as if the Illusion Flame True Vein was contracting its energy to deal with something. However, the suction force continued to increase, forcing those outside to cling tightly to the back of the big tree and struggle hard to stay upright. This also caused trouble for Ouyang Ziyi, as she had the weakest cultivation among them. If it weren’t for the sacred power of the Elf Bow still within her, that suction force alone would have been enough to overwhelm her.

Just as everyone was about to give up, the intense suction force suddenly stopped, creating a swirling force that made Ouyang Ziyi spit out blood immediately, her energy meridians damaged. Fortunately, her senior brother, a master healer, was there, and he was able to cure this minor injury easily. Aside from this setback, no one else suffered any harm.

Soon, everyone’s attention turned to the red glow surrounding the Illusory Flame True Pulse, as well as Chu Tianyu and Tai Nianran. The red glow hanging in midair no longer showed the flowing misty pattern it had before, and the surrounding water vapor instantly condensed into a tangible mist due to the sudden drop in temperature, appearing both real and illusory.

It was as if a huge white silkworm cocoon, glowing red from within, was suspended in the air—a sight truly breathtaking.

Liu Xiangshi and the others boldly tried to approach, but they were pushed back by a powerful force as soon as they reached the lake’s edge. This force also carried electromagnetic waves, causing Liu Xiangshi and his senior mentors great suffering—not only were their clothes scorched, but their hair stood on end from the electric shock.

After hearing Xue Feifei’s account, Chu Tianyu pondered for a moment before immediately sending a message to her: “Feifei, I’m sure you can sense what’s going on here too. For now, stop playing the flute and tell your senior brothers about the situation so they won’t worry. Also, listen to their advice on how to handle this situation and how to absorb this energy and the Illusory Flame True Pulse.”

“Mm, okay. I’ll tell them right away. Tianyu, I’ll stop playing for now!”

…

After hearing Xue Feifei’s account, Liu Xiangshi and the others were filled with awe. Especially the two senior mentors, who were shocked and amazed to witness and hear about the existence of a connection between heaven and earth and telepathy.

After their emotions subsided, they began discussing Chu Tianyu and Tai Nianran’s current situation. From Xue Feifei’s telepathic communication, it seemed they weren’t in any danger. However, they still lacked the ability to absorb the essence of all things in heaven and earth that the Illusory Flame True Pulse was meant to use to reshape their bodies. Of course, there was also the Illusory Flame True Pulse hovering outside.

Now that the problem had been identified, it was something even Liu Xiangshi and the two senior mentors, with their extensive knowledge and experience, had never heard of or seen before!

After long discussions, Xue Feifei also contacted Chu Tianyu several times, exchanging opinions and together considering various solutions. Meanwhile, there was encouraging news: Tai Nianran had finally awakened and could communicate directly with Xue Feifei, exchanging thoughts…

As time passed, a week quickly went by without anyone coming up with a solution. Meanwhile, Chu Tianyu and Tai Nianran were still battling inside the core of the Illusionary Flame True Vein, neither able to gain the upper hand. The only improvement was that thanks to Tai Nianran’s awakening, she could now cooperate actively with Chu Tianyu, greatly accelerating their combined absorption of that energy!
Yet even with this faster absorption rate, it seemed they had only grasped a superficial understanding, which was of little use. Nevertheless, Tai Nianran’s awakening significantly boosting the absorption rate gave her senior brother Liu Xiangshi an idea: perhaps they could establish communication with Xue Feifei, have Chu Tianyu take the lead in drawing out that energy, and then all three work together…