Chapter 182: Chapter 182: The Oriole Behind, Plucking the Seven-Petaled Flower

"AHH—"

With a bloodcurdling scream, Gu Qingyuan finally slew the last demonic beast before him. He coldly wiped the blackish-green blood from his face, his entire being radiating killing intent.

Ever since being transported here, he had faced an endless stream of demonic beasts. Though their Cultivation wasn’t high, the war of attrition had left him mentally exhausted. Coupled with the fact that the injuries to his Divine Soul had yet to fully heal, his combat strength had clearly declined.

He cleaned up the aftermath and started walking elsewhere.

However, he hadn’t gone far before he unexpectedly ran into Ye Chuxue.

"Chuxue?!"

Gu Qingyuan was overjoyed. He had been worried about her safety ever since they were separated, and now, he had finally found her.

Ye Chuxue hadn’t expected to meet Gu Qingyuan either. Her eyes immediately reddened as an endless sense of grievance washed over her.

"Master... SOB... SOB..."

She called out to him once before she could no longer hold back her tears and began to cry.

Gu Qingyuan’s heart clenched. He quickly stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, gently asking what had happened.

Ye Chuxue was unwilling to speak of the incident. She just kept crying without answering.

Only when she had no tears left to cry did she finally stop.

"Master, I was just so scared being away from you!"

She forced a smile, her words punctuated by soft sobs.

Gu Qingyuan’s heart ached for her. After a long while of coaxing, Ye Chuxue’s tears finally gave way to a smile.

The two then cheerfully began to search the Demon Sea together.

Before long, they spotted a treasure—it was the Seven-Petaled Flower!

"It’s the Seven-Petaled Flower! Master, this is wonderful!"

Ye Chuxue was ecstatic. She grabbed Gu Qingyuan’s arm and started running toward the Seven-Petaled Flower.

Gu Qingyuan quickly stopped her. "Not so fast. A treasure like the Seven-Petaled Flower is bound to be guarded by a demonic beast!"

He coveted the Seven-Petaled Flower as well. If he could obtain it, he could immediately advance to the Late-stage Nascent Soul, and Ye Chuxue could advance to the Golden Core Middle Stage!

"Right."

Hearing this, Ye Chuxue calmed down. She was so desperate for strength right now that her earlier haste had clouded her judgment.

The words had barely left their lips when a demonic beast charged out, lunging at them with its gaping, bloody jaws.

"Not good! It’s a demonic beast nearing the fifth rank!"

Gu Qingyuan’s heart sank. He quickly pushed Ye Chuxue behind him and faced the demonic beast alone.

Ye Chuxue looked on nervously. Knowing she was no match for the beast, she obediently stayed back so as not to cause trouble for Gu Qingyuan.

’But the situation doesn’t look good. Master’s Cultivation is already lower than this beast’s, and he’s still injured.’

The worry had just surfaced in her mind when the beast’s claws slashed across Gu Qingyuan’s face. Blood immediately streamed from the wound, staining half his face crimson.

Gu Qingyuan let out an enraged roar, gritted his teeth, and charged at the beast again.

The Seven-Petaled Flower was too important. It was so important that he had to fight for it with everything he had, even if it meant risking his life.

This wasn’t just for Ye Chuxue; it was for himself as well.

Fueled by the will to win, his attacks grew even more vicious. Sword Cultivators rarely used Magical Treasures, relying almost entirely on their swords to roam the world, and Gu Qingyuan was no exception.

But his state of mind was compromised, and his sword moves were no longer as invincible as they once were. After just a few exchanges, the demonic beast had left him covered in wounds.

The more Ye Chuxue watched, the more alarmed she became. She wanted to help but suddenly remembered that several of her belongings had been taken by Song Wanning. The mere thought made her want to spit blood in frustration.

’That nemesis, Song Wanning, her actions are truly despicable!’

But she couldn’t just stand by and watch. Gritting her teeth, Ye Chuxue drew her sword and joined the fray.

’At the very least, if I can keep it distracted, Master will have a chance to catch his breath.’

The two began to coordinate with perfect chemistry, and the effect was immediately much better.

Ye Chuxue’s combat power was lacking, so she made up for it with external items. Although she didn’t have many treasures left, she still had some talismanic array plates and a few rarely used Magic Artifacts that could serve as weapons.

She and Gu Qingyuan were bitten by the beast again, sent flying back more than ten meters before crashing to the ground.

The demonic beast roared incessantly, warning the two not to have any ideas about the Seven-Petaled Flower.

But in the next instant, Ye Chuxue suddenly threw out a Magic Artifact and barked, "Explode!" The Magic Artifact promptly detonated in mid-air.

The beast was injured by the blast and let out a pained howl before going into a frenzy.

Ye Chuxue’s heart sank, but she could only bear the painful loss and continue to detonate her Magic Artifacts.

’Compared to the Seven-Petaled Flower, these sacrifices are all worth it!’

’I believe that with my luck, I will definitely get what I came for!’

Soon, propelled by the explosions of various Magic Artifacts, the battle between the duo and the beast reached a fever pitch. Both the beast and the humans were wounded.

As time trickled by, both sides’ injuries grew more severe, and Ye Chuxue and Gu Qingyuan had nearly exhausted their supply of external items.

Finally, after they had exhausted every last resort, the demonic beast collapsed with a loud THUD, shaking the very ground.

Ye Chuxue and Gu Qingyuan weren’t faring much better. Both of them collapsed to the ground, unable to even get up.

The demonic beast had been close to the Divinity Transformation realm. If not for their incredible luck, they would have long been dead in its maw. Defeating it was a miracle in itself.

They lay on the ground in agony, gasping for breath.

But at the thought that the Seven-Petaled Flower was now theirs, they both exchanged a smiling glance.

"Master..."

Having once again faced life and death with her master, Ye Chuxue’s love for him deepened.

"I’ll go pick the flower... Wait for me!"

Gu Qingyuan gave Ye Chuxue a gentle smile and, using the last of his strength, began to crawl toward the Seven-Petaled Flower.

He was too heavily injured, and with no Elixir Pills left, this clumsy method was his only option.

’In any case, as long as I consume the Seven-Petaled Flower, not only will my injuries fully heal, but my Cultivation will also advance directly.’

He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he last advanced a stage.

Especially when Song Wanning, who had once been inferior to him in every way, had advanced at a divine speed and left him far behind. One could only imagine his frustration.

A sharp glint flashed in Gu Qingyuan’s eyes as he struggled to crawl toward the Seven-Petaled Flower.

Seeing this, Ye Chuxue was also filled with excitement and began to inch her way toward the flower as well.

For this flower, they had nearly met their end here.

Now, it was finally time to reap the fruits of their labor!

The two of them inched forward, crawling little by little.

Closer, and closer.

The Seven-Petaled Flower was within arm’s reach.

They both reached out for the Seven-Petaled Flower, their hands trembling with excitement.

But then, disaster struck. Just as their hands were about to touch the Seven-Petaled Flower, a slender, elegant hand appeared before their eyes.

Before they could even react, it plucked the Seven-Petaled Flower and held it tightly in its grasp.

Gu Qingyuan and Ye Chuxue both froze for a moment, then looked up in a rage, wanting to see who would dare to swoop in and snatch the fruits of their victory.

However, when they looked up, what they saw was Song Wanning’s stunningly beautiful face.

She was smiling faintly, triumphantly toying with the Seven-Petaled Flower in her hand.

"Tsk, so this is the legendary Seven-Petaled Flower?"

She pursed her lips, feigning a look of indifference.

"They say the Seven-Petaled Flower is a once-in-ten-thousand-years encounter. Doesn’t seem so difficult to find, does it!"